Happy Birthday Mother Mary

I don’t know how many times I blogged about the Blessed Mother through all these years since I started blogging. There were three  consecutive years back then when my stats jumped by the thousands because of one blog  post alone. Tomorrow is another day we Catholics would always remember. It’s Mama Mary’s birthday.  Years ago, I shared some quotes  about her and I will be sharing some again today as a tribute to her.  They were culled from various Catholic sites that I sometimes visit and from our own Catholic page at Facebook of which I am one of the admins. I am also re-posting  something I made from muzy.com back in 2015.

Praying the rosary in her honor always calms me. When I feel so down, when I am afraid, when I can’t sleep at night, the rosary is just nearby. When I get sick, I hold the rosary in my hands and try to pray at  least the fifteen mysteries.  Here are some Marian quotes that I really love.

“Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” – St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.

“May the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, always smile on your spirit, obtaining for it, from her Most Holy Son, every heavenly blessing.” – St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

“Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son.” –  St. Bernard of Clairvaux

”The honor of Mary is so intimately connected with the honor and glory of Jesus that to deny the one is at the same time a denial of the other.”
–Blessed William Joseph Chaminade

“Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children.”
–St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church

“If you invoke the blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you.” – St. John Vianney

Happy birthday Mama Mary!

 

 

 

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Mirrors

This is one of the best quotes I really like. I don’t know why I have this sudden desire to blog about mirrors and reflections.  What we are and what we  want to be are sometimes reflected in the way we see other people. There are times when we feel so attuned with people  we just met because we are entirely in sync with them. Our thoughts are on the same wavelength, so to speak.  Sometimes, that’s where friendship begins.

There are moments though that all we see of ourselves are what we believe we are but they are just reflections we borrow from other people. We tend to gravitate towards those who have the same interests and aspirations like we do. I don’t actually believe in the adage that opposites attract. It’s  rather, you see something in the person that you admire so it is easier to befriend him or her.  Deep within, you have something in common and the mere fact that you are also different in some ways makes  the encounter a little something to look forward to, it makes the encounter a little more interesting.

So what do you think is the best mirror where you can see yourself as you truly are? I think close friends fill that role in your life. They are our daily mirrors where the truth is reflected, the truth that we normally don’t recognize ourselves. Sometimes, we see a little crack at the edge but that’s part of the journey, it’s kind of dull when everything is smooth, we need to be reminded that life is a challenge that we need to face.

And let me end this blog with a lovely quote from Edith Wharton, “There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines or be the mirror who reflects it.”

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Thoughts On Motherhood

The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

Perhaps you are familiar with this poem written more than two centuries ago by  an American poet William Ross Wallace in praise of all mothers.

Haven’t we always heard this phrase, “wait till you become a mother yourself and you will appreciate everything that Mom is doing for you”.  This is so true, you can never appreciate enough, love enough, make sacrifices  enough for your mother  until you become one, for motherhood is something not taught in any school but  still you embrace it with gusto, dreaming of a family of your own,  hoping of having smart kids you can be proud of, hoping against hope that even as you grow older, you will  still be strong enough to embrace your grandchildren and share something of what you have learned when you were still young.  Wisdom grows with age, so they say.

Can you still remember the time you cradled your first-born child in your arms? Such a fragile thing, you thought, but you were full of wonder and  you were simply amazed that such a tiny child, with her fist held high in the air, lustily crying her heart out is yours, all yours to take care of and to love?  Can you still remember the times that you had to snatch just an hour or two of sleep because she has to play in the middle of the night and smile that naughty smile while you felt so sleepy thinking that you have a nine to five job to go to the following day? Can you still remember the first time she smiled at you and seemed to recognize your voice, her eyes following you everywhere you go?

I read an article in Reader’s Digest years ago about the wonderful world of the unborn.  She is there listening, learning and very much aware of what is happening in the outside world. Even at an early  stage of pregnancy, the unborn baby’s awareness of the outside world develops rapidly. Amazing, don’t you think? The reason why there is always that instant hush when you hold your crying child is because she recognizes your voice and she has been aware of it when she was still in your womb.  She knows when you are agitated and she knows when you are elated as well.  The closeness that binds a child and a mother is something inexplicable. We call it the wonder of motherhood.

I found this very touching poem from an unknown author and I wish to share it with you:

Your Arms Were Always Open – Anonymous

Mom is always there, whenever you need a friend.

Your arms were always open
when I needed a hug

Your heart understand
when I needed a friend

Your gentle eyes were stern
when I needed a lesson
Your strength and love
guided me and gave me wings
to make me soar….

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Today’s Quote (56)

“One’s courage, hope, and spirit can be severely tried by the happenstance of life

…so long as one never loses faith, it is impossible to ever truly be alone.”

David Baldacci,  Wish You Well

 

As usual , I jotted down some quotes from the book I’ve just read. Put them in my journal for later read. When something inspires you, it remains  in your memory. Took this shot somewhere in Laguna province in one of our road trips, those days when exploring new places was such a joy.

 

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Today’s Quote

Life will throw a lot at you so you can count on learning something new every day. I have learned to open my heart and let life teach me whatever it has to offer. Every day is a gift wrapped in the lessons of tomorrow.

– Amy Lynn Steele, Teach Me

 

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Crying Over Spilled Milk

I am in the middle of reading a book,  my second book of  Amanda Prowse called Will You Remember Me? This is actually my 94th book which I committed to read on my 2017 Goodreads Reading challenge. I didn’t purposely choose this but I could totally relate to the subject because it’s one topic that was so close to me a few years ago.

How do you say goodbye to your beloved family? How do you say goodbye to your close friends? How do you say goodbye to everyone?  This is about having that much-dreaded cancer.  When your days are numbered, how will you react?

I could totally relate to the story because almost eight years ago, I was in the same predicament.  The journey of knowing that you were not that well, the journey of accepting the truth that you have to undergo treatments to get well. I was in a quandary before if I must have that chemotherapy or not. Imagine being afraid that you were not 100% fit and your life may never be the same after the chemo but then you have to decide right there and then before everything is too late.  I am in remission now, thank  God. At times,  I am afraid when my immunity goes low and I have that cold which take a long time to heal. I haven’t totally  recaptured total wellness since I got sick. There are always times when  I feel weak and lethargic. I never let it defeat me though, I am claiming that those day are gone now.

There is no use crying over spilled  milk so people always say but the memory lingers. You remember those days when you can’t almost get up for a day or two after every session of chemotherapy. You remember those days when you can’t even hold a spoon properly because your hands ache  in the process. You remember those days when your arms don’t feel anything and they’re like heavy stones attached to your shoulder.

Being healthy is the best gift one could ever have but as we grow older we feel those aches and pains that go with old age.  Just enjoy these moments, moments of togetherness and bonding, joyful moments to remember. Deep in one’s heart, one could be happy  despite and in spite of.

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Palm Sunday

I have previously blogged about our Lenten celebrations in so many posts before. Today, Palm Sunday, is the start of the celebration of Holy Week. It ends on Saturday, April 15 then Easter starts with Easter Sunday next week.

We attended an anticipated mass last night.  The palms we brought were blessed thrice. Most of the time we attend such masses the night before during Palm Sunday. There usually is a Palm Sunday procession in the morning. Palm fronds  are blessed. It signifies the triumphal entry of our Lord  into Jerusalem.  Holy Week is a solemn celebration for us Catholics. We remember Christ’s passion and  death for our sins.

Thank You Lord for these silent moments.

Quiet days in contemplation, quiet days of  reading  inspirational books I have collected through the years. I love the works of Thomas Merton, a Catholic writer, theologian and a mystic. He was also a  poet and a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani.  Back in college, I encountered  his works particularly his book, The Seven Storey Mountain. It’s a timeless spiritual book that influences  probably millions of  Catholic readers worldwide. My favorite though is a thin copy of  Thoughts in Solitude  given by a friend a few years ago. I always read it now and then.  I have some favorite quotes from the book:

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

“Words stand between silence and silence: between the silence of things and the silence of our own being. Between the silence of the world and the silence of God. When we have really met and known the world in silence, words do not separate us from the world nor from other men, nor from God, nor from ourselves because we no longer trust entirely in language to contain reality.”

Henri Nouwen’s books come next.  He was a Dutch Catholic priest, writer and Theologian. I have three of his books which I also read when I am inspired. I bought them a while back at St. Paul’s.  I am quoting this lovely prayer for Lent which he wrote in A Cry for Mercy.

“How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death? Yes, Lord, I have to die—with you, through you, and in you—and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess…. I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen”

How lovely it is to encounter such gifted writers. How lovely it is to read their  inspirational works again.

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