Father – Page 6 – hugsnblessings

Love always finds what is lost!

Published on September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 by Dawn Marie7 Comments

There were numerous blessings during my pilgrimage to be with Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Some were personal and others shared. One inparticular was filled with great grace.

(Grace is God extending favor toward us that we do not deserve.)

Mother Superior & Sister, Members of The Sisters of Christ the Light — Mother Superior & Sister, Members of The Sisters of The Light of Christ

On Saturday evening I discovered, as I was departing the Ben Franklin Parkway Oval where I had been standing for 7 hours awaiting the chance to see the Holy Father at the World Meeting of Families Ceremony, I had lost one of my treasured rosaries.

This rosary was given to me by a special young person while on retreat together. They had made it themselves and the cord it was made from had been dipped & died in the colors of the Divine Mercy of Chirst; which as I have mentioned I hold a special devotion to. ( You may read more about this in several of my posts under the Divine Mercy Page, located on the Menu Bar!) I had tied this rosary around my wrist, so that I would have easy access to pray the Rosary throughout my time in Philadelphia.

And I did!

I prayed on the bus,

while walking from one train to another,

while walking to the Grotto (read more about this in an upcoming blog,)

as well as with new friends from Mexico!

(Even though I do not speak more than 20 words of Spanish they helped me to follow along.)

I am pretty certain it was lost in the course of trying to find a woman, in our pilgrimage group, who had gone missing. As I searched the area for her and while speaking to the authorites regarding the situation, I am confident it fell from my wrist. Praise be she was found, but my rosary had been lost! And although I retraced the areas I had traveled through, St. Anthony was not interceding for me this time!

The next day I felt the significance of it’s loss while praying the rosary on my walk, again to the Parkway; this time to celebrate Holy Mass with Christs’ Vicar, Pope Francis!!! (There is always a way to pray the rosary with 10 fingers as your “beads!”)

When I arrived at the Parkway I again marveled at the enormous number of people, just like me, who were bubbling with joyful anticipation over what was to unfold this day! And yet still there was an under-current of saddness regarding losing my rosary as I recognized my eyese were turned automatically toward the ground as I walked, in hopes of finding it. Not long after I had chosen a spot where I would set myself up to wait for Papa’s arrival, I felt a tug at the hem of my skirt. Turning around to see what had pulled at me so forceably…I found a darling olive-skinned litle girl, holding up toward me in her tiny hand, a clear plastic bag, motioning for me to take hold of it. “For me?” I asked. And with the biggest grin on her face, she bobbed here head up & down with the gesture of an enthusiastic “Yes!” Accepting the bag to see what was inside, there I found….a home-made rosary.

God had guided this little angel to find me & replace what had been lost.

I asked if I might give her a hug for this gift she had just given and without hesitation she warmly melted into my arms. I thanked & introduced myself to the man standing close behind her, who explained he was her father. Speaking in very broken English he explained that after coming to America from Cuba just 5 years ago, their entire family gathers each Saturday to make Rosaries together. They are then given the responsibility to hand out 5 rosaries (each) that next Sunday, as a way of offering thanks to the Holy Mother for protecting them during the course of traveling safely to America. This family has committed themselves to giving Thanks to God for the opportunity to have this new freedom while evangelizing to others as a bonus! All born from the love they have for Our Heavenly Father and their desire for others to experience the same. I thanked him and hugged my little angel once more before she skipped away to give yet another of her proud creations to the next unsuspecting person she was guided toward. And I know she gave it with Love as her Mission.

“We believe that love is our mission, and that this mission is the only way we can be fully alive and be who we were created to be. God works through us. We are in the world for a purpose – to receive God’s love and to show God’s love to others.” Pope Francis

hugs n’ blessings to everyone who professes love to find what is lost!

Rosaries were “raining down” everywhere in Philadelphia!

“Let them come to me…”

Published on September 23, 2015September 23, 2015 by Dawn Marie12 Comments

Held every three years and sponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family, the World Meeting of Families is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families. Each World Meeting of Families has a theme that energizes and enlivens the event while adding great depth of meaning to our understanding of families. The theme of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 is “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” emphasizing the impact of the love and life of families on our society. Since its inception by Saint John Paul II in 1994, the World Meeting of Families has strengthened the sacred bonds of families across the globe.

On June 30th, 2015, the Vatican released the comprehensive itinerary for Pope Francis’ journey to the United States, including his schedule for Philadelphia on September 26-27, which will close the 6-day Apostolic Journey. And ever-since that day I, (along with millions of others) have anticipated his arrival. I am still pinchity-pinching myself that I will be there!

Call me a fanatic, Jesus-freak, (did you know this is described in the urban dictionary???) Pope-stalker, or the likes; but really…it’s not that dramatic nor romantic! I’m just in awe of my God. I’m in awe of His love for me. His love for others. And the deep-desire He has to reign down his grace and His mercy upon us. God can never be outdone in His generosity & as I have opened my heart to Him more & more I have seen this great love FOR US…Every. Single. Day.

My enthusiasm for Our Holy Father is rooted in his “YES” to God to lead us in this endeavor. Pope Francis’ trust in God, strengthens my trust in him and in my Church. He leads me, guides me, & reminds me what the Gospels teach. I am grateful for the courage he embraces to be challenged, mocked, judged, and ridiculed for this trust in a God he knows intimately. And I am inspired that Pope Francis encourages, invites, and WELCOMES everyone to partake in this same unconditional love our Heavenly Father offers, as we place our trust in Him. The Pope reminds each of us: we are ALL sinners, himself included, BUT that Jesus stands AT the door of our hearts & knocks. However, WE must open the door!! The door-handle is ours to hold, to turn, to open. And I pray, if it hasn’t already been done, countless people, through the blessings of the Holy Father’s visit, find themselves pulling open the door which separates them from receiving God’s great love for them. This is what Christs’ vicar is showing us how to do in his papacy and I am so grateful…I cannot wait to be in Philly so I may tell him so!

KnotsIMG_5240 — Mary, Undoer of Knots Grotto Philadelphia, Pa

knots1 — Mary, Undoer of Knots Grotto Philadelphia, Pa

Exactly how will I tell him??? (I promise not to break any security-breeches in my endeavor.) Through my prayers, of course! My participation in this pilgrimage will be encased in prayers. All forms of prayer! Prayers of sacrifice & fasting. Prayers of gratitude, intentions & petitions. (To discover the difference between the two click on the link.) And I am collecting all forms from anyone who desires me to include theirs with mine. I will offer them at the final Papal Mass or if I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the Mary, Undoer of Knots Grotto in Philly I promise to “tie” your prayers to this special location.

My first prayer, after delivering all the others brought from each of you, will be as I said earlier, my gratitude. However, my biggest prayer is inspired by the tender-little-one shown below. Her message tugs at my heart for personal reasons. And her message is so very poignant to what the theme for The World Meetings of Families is all about…LOVE IS OUR MISSION. May it remain a theme in our lives forever…for the sake of our families…for the sake of one another.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

https://youtu.be/vm0UNn7tJ5o

hugs n’ blessings to all the little-ones who: “try to do my best in my heart.”

So that everyone can smile…

Cool Kids

Published on September 15, 2015 by Dawn Marie4 Comments

romans_001 — Photo courtesy of Brent Hamilton on google.

“Romans One. First of all, the letter is written by the apostle Paul and is addressed to “God’s beloved in Rome.” (Romans 1:7) It’s to my understanding that Paul wrote the book of Romans when he was in the Greek City of Corinth during the winter of 57-58 A.D. Paul starts off his letter by first saying how he thanks God through Jesus Christ for all of them, because their faith is begin reported all over the world. He says he wishes that he could visit them so they can encourage each other in the faith and he hopes one day that will be made possible. Then comes my favorite section of scripture: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.”” (Romans 1:16-17) I love that verse, because it is pretty point blank…Paul is saying “I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel!” This is exactly how I feel and that is exactly why I share the gospel & the Lords love with people every day. I feel that too many Christians live their day to day lives being secretive about their love for Jesus and their faith in Him. They tend to hide the fact that they even go to church as if they are afraid or think they will be judged or looked at as uncool. It’s time to STOP being afraid and STOP worrying about what people think. Reality is, the eternal salvation in Christ Jesus is the greatest gift you could ever receive.” ~ James Ellis

I’ve decided…

I’m hangin’ with the cool kids;

maybe not of this world,

but most certainly the next!

Here’s just a few of those cool Ironmen (Proverbs 27:17) below! Each helping to raise funds for our Church, St. Joseph Bread of Life Community, at our annual Oktoberfest this year!