Italian Pilgrimage: The Holy House of Loreto

Our first view of the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto

Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto

In preparing for this Italian Pilgrimage, I spent some time researching our destinations and the lives of the saints we would learn about but I hadn’t done much research on the Holy House of Loreto and knew very little about it, so I wasn't greatly looking forward to visiting there and didn't have any expectations.  And as it happens sometimes in life, we receive our greatest graces when we least expect them.  The Holy House of Loreto was certainly a source of great grace and as it turned out, was one of my favorite stops on our pilgrimage.

Bishop Don says that the Italians have a saying, “If it isn’t true, it ought to be!”  That saying is often applied to the Holy House of Loreto.  The belief is that the very house where the Blessed Mother Mary was born and raised, and also the house where the angel Gabriel visited her and the Word was made Flesh, was this very house in Loreto.  The story is that angels carried the Holy House from Nazareth to Croatia in 1291 and then across the Adriatic Sea to Loreto in 1295 where it has remained ever since.  Later documents show that the stones of the house were transported by a family with the name of Angelo or de Angelis in the 13th century. But because of the angel legend Pope Benedict the XV has declared Our Lady of Loreto to be the patroness of aviation and you can bet I was relying heavily upon her intercession during our airline travels as they filled me with anxiety and fear.  

We weren't allowed pictures inside but I found this online source

We were given time to enter the Holy House and pray before the image of Our Lady of Loreto or Black Madonna, so called because over time soot from candles colored the wood from which she was carved into a soft black.  The original statue was damaged in a 1921 fire and when a new statue was made the carver used a dark olive wood from the very beginning to maintain her black image. 

Our Lady of Loreto, the Black Madonna (source)

I was deeply moved to stand in the very place where Mary gave her yes.  I touched and kissed the walls, wanting to feel the graces that they carry.  Then we were given a real treat!  Patrizia, our fabulous guide, stood near the exit, where, in a very small and dark niche, rested a dish from which our Lord Jesus himself was fed.  She lit the niche with her cell phone light so that we could better see the dish as we paused to reverence this amazing relic.  After this astounding event I had to stop and write out the prayer that was spilling from my heart. 

Dear Jesus, from this vessel you took nourishment for your earthly body which has now become spiritual food for the world.  How blessed we are to consider this and pray about it here.  Blessed Mother, thank you for your yes, for allowing the Word to become Flesh within you.  Teach me to follow your example and to always say yes to the will and desires of God.  Amen.

The Holy House

The Holy House is encased in marble walls which depict the life of the Blessed Mother and the entire house is inside of the Basilica della Santa Casa that was built around it in 1469.  Something that moved me deeply is that over the many centuries people would pray the rosary on their knees on the marble floor outside of the Holy House and after time they wore two grooves into the marble from their knees.  That’s powerful prayer!  Although we didn’t have time to pray a full rosary there, Paul and I knelt in the grooves and prayed a Hail Mary together for our family.  How I would have loved to pray the whole rosary there, though!  Can you imagine how mighty that rosary would have been?

The grooves in the marble floor.

After we all had a chance to visit the Holy House, we went downstairs to a lower chapel for Mass.  Prior to Mass, a guide shared a little information with us.  She told us that the little house is like a treasure.  People come to this place and go out different, changed.  Many miracles have occurred here and many saints, including St. Francis de Sales, St. Therese of Lisieux, Pope St.  John XXIII and Pope St. John Paul II all spent time praying here. In fact, Pope St. John Paul II considers this holy house like a house of family.  This is the place to pray for families, for all of the fighting we have to do for our sanctity.  There is a little candle inside the house that is lit every morning at 7:30 am for Italy and for families.  Before we left the holy house we were given the opportunity to leave a donation and receive blessed oil from the lamps that had been kept in the holy house all night.  Many families have reported miracles from this oil.  I requested ten bottles but wish I had asked for many more.  I wish every family could have a bottle of this precious oil in their homes!

Olio S. Casa Loreto and Relic of the Veil which covers the statue
of Our Lady of Loreto on Good Friday and Holy Saturday

The guide also told us that the gift shop offers blue ribbons for families that cannot conceive children.  Miracles have happened with these light blue ribbons that have been prayed over by nuns.  The recipient wears the ribbon all the time and then brings it back to the Holy House when they have conceived a child.  Many blue ribbons have been returned!

Following the guide’s talk, Mass commenced and Fr. Dennis Dirkx, one of the Milwaukee priests who traveled with us, gave a beautiful homily on the day’s Gospel passage from Luke:   “While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”   Fr. Dennis said that the Word of God speaks of home.  We can interpret the command of Jesus, “Blessed are those who observe the Word of God and keep it” to mean that the Word of God has to be “at home” within us.  Jesus invites us to take the Word and allow it to be at home within us and then we have the ability to live that Word in our daily lives.  That’s the invitation that Jesus gives us in this passage, we allow ourselves to become that Living Word of God.

After the homily, Bishop Don invited all of the married couples to stand up and renew their wedding vows and offered a special prayer for those who were widowed or traveling without their spouses.  This truly was a beautiful, holy and life-changing place!  Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us!

Our next visit is a short stop at the Adriatic Sea with a special gift!

sidewalk drawing outside the Basilica

sidewalk drawing outside the Basilica

sidewalk drawing outside the Basilica

from side chapel dedicated to American flight (see the angels carrying the holy house?)

Chapel of the Cruxifix

Chapel of the Crucifix

vows renewed and ready for 25 more years of marriage!

Twenty-Five

“Love seems swiftest, but it is the slowest of growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.”
-Mark Twain

Paul and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last month.  Just writing that out makes me smile.  We've been married for exactly half of our lives.  It feels so comforting to know someone so well, to have traversed illness and health, joy and sorrow, struggles and ease, side by side with the same person who loves you even when sometimes they might not like you very much.

We spent quite a bit of time discussing how we might celebrate this milestone, and in the end decided that we would take a full week of vacation from work and spend each day doing some small, enjoyable activity together.  It was the first real, week-long vacation that we can remember taking in many, many years.  We rented bikes and went riding downtown, we walked in scenic parks and out on the pier of  Lake Michigan, we visited antique shops and my hometown of Manitowoc, and we loved every minute of it.  But the highlight of our anniversary week was when we traveled to Indiana for a short stay.

The morning of our anniversary I was as nervous as a new bride as we drove to meet our friend Bishop Don who said Mass for us and invited us to renew our vows. I was surprised to find that Paul was just as choked up and emotional as I was. Following a delicious Italian lunch we bid farewell to our friend and traveled to northern Indiana for an overnight stay at Serenity Springs, a resort with private cabins overlooking a small lake.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  The resort was definitely well named!  When we arrived we were taken by horse and carriage to our cabin.  I had to resist recreating a scene from my favorite movie, Barefoot in the Park.  I wanted to stand up and shout "We just got married!" but to Paul's relief, I refrained from embarrassing him.  We completed our vacation with a stop at Michigan City, an artistic little town with a sea glass jewelry store where I had my favorite piece of glass re-wired, and a nice hike in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  I never wanted the anniversary week to end.

Serenity Springs horse and carriage ride

Serenity Springs

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore-half of the trail had been burned by the DNR

The burned forest-not exactly my kind of paradise; this sign made me laugh.

Now this looks a little more like a paradise valley.

And Lake Michigan must be pretty close to paradise!

A week later, we drove to Lake Villa, Illinois to bid farewell to our friends, The Handmaids of the Precious Blood, at a final Mass as they prepared to move to their motherhouse in Tennessee.  On that sunny afternoon we took the backroads instead of the freeway for the one hour trip and were treated to a delightfully scenic drive that included farms, horses, white fences and fresh spring flowers.  It felt like an anniversary vacation all over again!

That night I dreamed that Paul and I were in heaven, and the heaven of my dreams looked very similar to that drive to Illinois, only we were walking together instead of driving.  I do hope and pray that after at least twenty-five more years of wedded happiness, when the time arrives for Paul and I to leave this earthly life, we will truly be walking hand in hand together through paradise.

Angel Gowns

Paul and I will be celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary this April.  I want to do something really special and Paul and I have been having some wonderful conversations, dreaming of plans together.  We'll certainly celebrate Mass and have our marriage blessed and we'll probably enjoy a special dinner with our family.  Maybe we'll take a little overnight trip away, just the two of us, which we haven't done since the babies starting coming along so many years ago.

But beyond all of those special celebrations, I want to do something that would have a lasting impact of good for others.  We've been so blessed in ways that others can only dream about and those blessings should not remain within our household but should spread to the world around us.  We thought about planting a silver birch tree to replenish the earth on our silver anniversary since the date lands so close to Earth Day, and maybe we'll still do that, but I want to do something even more meaningful.

Then, I came across the idea of donating my wedding dress and I just knew that this is what I have to do.  I certainly can't fit into it anymore, and even if I could, where would I wear it?  My daughter won't want to wear an old dress that will be out-of-fashion by the time she gets married.  For twenty-five years it has been sitting in a box inside a trunk where nobody can find any meaning or joy from it.  My dress, a garment rich in beautiful memories, symbolizing the happiest day of my life, is destined for a new life with a greater purpose.

I found a website, Donate My Wedding Dress,  which has many ideas on where to donate wedding dresses for women who are in poverty or women who are suffering other indignities in life and while I was still pondering all of those worthy causes, I learned about Angel Gowns. Throughout the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and perhaps many other places around the world, talented seamstresses give of their time to repurpose used wedding gowns into burial gowns for babies who are stillborn and they call them Angel Gowns.  Each donated wedding dress can be made into multiple burial garments which are all donated to Neonatal Intensive Care Units and funeral homes.  I think that each stitch of the needle and thread is a prayer of love and sympathy for the grieving families who must cope with such unimaginable sorrow.  The life of a child, however short, has meaning and purpose and the grief of parents who lose a child to miscarriage and early death is real and piercing.  I decided that I wanted my wedding gown to be used for burial gowns that will offer dignity and meaning to parents who must say good-bye to their children far too soon.

It took a few visits to several Angel Gown websites before I found someone who is currently accepting wedding gown donations.  I found her through Angel Gowns by Michelle, a beautiful website well worth a visit.  Linda, the woman to whom I sent my dress, has just started a website, Angel Gowns by Linda, and a facebook page, and is currently trying to raise funds to obtain tax-exempt status.  Please consider sending a donation if your heart is so moved.

As I wrapped my dress and hat in tissue and placed them in the box for shipping, I added a prayer for the future recipients and another one for the generous seamstress with the gifted hands.

Heavenly Father, you have blessed me in abundance with every good and lovely thing, and in particular, twenty-five years ago, you blessed me with a husband who has been my treasured companion each and every day.  In gratitude to you for your goodness, I give this dress, worn and kept with so much joy in my heart, as a token of my love and appreciation for the gift of all human life.  

Please bless the seamstress as she deftly takes the seams apart and creates a new garment of love for the little ones whose lives ended far too soon.  Please bless the parents and family members whose grief and heartbreak will rip and tear at the seams of their hearts for years and years to come.  May the gown that they place upon their babe bring them some peace amidts the tears.  And please bless the babies who have perhaps endured suffering and pain in their little bodies and are eager to join you in heavenly bliss for all eternity.

My Jesus, I trust in You and Your eternally wise and holy plan.  You make all things new and beautiful.  Thank You for the grace of Your love.  Amen.

Quiet Comfort

"Your Father knows what you need before you even ask Him."  ~Matthew 6:8

"The Lord gave me to know how displeased He is with a talkative soul.  I find no rest in such a soul.  The constant din tires Me, and in the midst of it the soul cannot discern My voice."  ~Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska

Whenever Paul and I have an opportunity to spend a little time alone together on a date, my thirteen-year-old daughter, Mary, inevitably drills me later, wanting to know what we talked about  during our time away.  I usually reply that we didn't talk about very much, that mostly we were just enjoying the peace and quiet of each other's company wordlessly.  She's often incredulous when I share this with her, thinking that Paul and I are quite dull.  

I tell Mary that when you've been married for 23 years, simply being present to one another is often more important than words, and also that we know each other so well, we can often communicate without words.  Sometimes a look or a movement speaks volumes. For example, on a recent warm summer evening, my family and I were relaxing on the backyard deck in the grapevine arbor.  Paul followed my gaze and noticed that I was looking at the vintage metal glider with a critical eye and he knew that I was about to say that I thought it needed painting.  I didn't say anything and yet Paul asked, "What color do you want it?" He knew exactly what I was thinking.

Our prayer relationship with God is a lot like the knowing communication that Paul and I share.  He knows us so well that all we have to do is show up and be with Him.  Our gestures such as kneeling or folding our hands show our devotion. The emotions that well up in our hearts speak our needs.  We don't have to utter a single word, and yet, He knows exactly how we are feeling, what we are thinking, and what we need.  We might be sitting in God's presence, worrying about a problem at work, some troubles at home, or a friend who is ill and God says, "I see you looking at that.  Don't worry about it anymore.  I'll take care of it."

We don't always need to put forth excessive effort in prayer, rattling off the many memorized prayers of our tradition, but can simply rest in His love, trusting that all of our cares and concerns are in good hands.  It's such a comfort to know that He will always be there for us, will always love us, and will always take care of our needs just like a loving Spouse in a lifelong marriage.

3 Reasons I Love Catholicism Vol. 6

It's time once again for the monthly link-up with Micaela at California to Korea in which bloggers are invited to share three reasons for their love of Catholicism.  Here I offer my humble contribution, sharing three more reasons why I love my Catholic faith from a list that grows more and more each day.

1.  Preferential Option for the Poor

"Oh how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor."  ~Pope Francis

As a long-term employee of the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program that offers nutrition education and vouchers for healthy foods to low income women and their young children, I love that my Church focuses on the importance of helping the poor and disadvantaged and offers many programs such as meal sites, food pantries, homeless shelters and other resources for those who are financially down and out.  I think it's significant that the Church offers not only practical help to the poor, but also spiritual help for their souls.  There are many downtown and inner city churches whose doors are open throughout the day, allowing the poor and homeless a place to sit and rest in the quiet of the presence of the Lord. How can time in His presence not spiritually enrich those who partake of it?

Recently, it was announced at my parish, that a fairly young man who had regularly patronized the parish food pantry, had recently passed away. He had few friends and family as depression had caused him to alienate himself, so when he died he had no funeral; there was nobody to pray for his soul.  When the parish volunteers who run the food pantry heard about this sad situation, they quickly sought to remedy it, and they planned a memorial Mass for Stephen Luchinske at Our Lady of Divine Providence (St. Casimir's) with Fr. Tim Kitzke presiding.  There, at that Mass, Stephen's soul was given a reverent and prayerful offering to the state of eternal rest.  What a beautiful example of serving the poor, whether in life or in death!

Eternal rest grant unto Stephen Luchinske, O God, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May Stephen's soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

2.  Large Families

"How can there be too many children?  That is like saying there are too many flowers."  ~Mother Teresa

As the youngest of nine children and the mother of five, I love the fact that the Catholic Church teaches about the sanctity and value of all human life, and requires that married couples be open to all life within their marriage.  I can't imagine my life without a houseful of people around me.  There is always someone nearby to talk to and embrace, and with whom I can share every aspect of life.  I can never complain that life is dull or boring or lonely for long, before I become engaged in the needs of those who depend upon me, or am filled with the joy and peace that comes from being surrounded by those who care for me.  We are definitely a relational Church and healthy relationships have their ideal beginning in the Catholic home filled with love, faith and prayer.  When people look at my family and say, "You must be Catholic!"  I hold my head up high and exclaim, "Yes, we are!"

3.  Statues 

"If it is, as it is indeed, a good and virtuous thing to kiss devoutly a book in which Christ's life and death are expressed by writing, then why should it be a bad thing to kiss reverently the images by which Christ's life and Passion are represented by sculpture or painting?"  ~St. Thomas More

For me, one of the highlights of my role as President of Roses for Our Lady comes when I go to Catholic Conferences or other events where I am able to set up a table to promote Roses for Our Lady.  I always bring our statue of Our Lady of Fatima with me and place her on the table with her scapular and rosary in hand and a lit candle before her.  As I busily visit and share the history of, and events sponsored by Roses for Our Lady with those who pause at my table, I am often struck by the number of people who stop in their tracks with a look of deep love and devotion upon their faces as they gaze upon the statue of the Blessed Mother.  Many people will reach up to tenderly touch her face, or to give her a little kiss or a hug.

What joy it brings us as Catholics to have these visual reminders of the saintly ones who have gone before us, leading the way to our own sanctity by their holy examples.  Our desire to physically kiss a statue or a crucifix is simply a sign of our love for God offered through a reverent gesture of gratitude and love to those who have given their lives completely over to Him.

Photo credit:  Huffington Post

Want more reasons to love Catholicism?  Visit here for my previous posts on this topic and visit Micaela to find even more contributions.

Sea Glass Life

I woke to a Sunday morning surprise-my husband suggested a walk on the beach following Mass and breakfast, a rarity.  Scanning the shoreline for fragments of color in softened shards of varied hues revealed a surprise-a clear heart with the word "life" in the middle. "Probably from a bottle of Miller High Life Beer," states the ever-practical Paul.  But me, I prefer to ponder upon it romantically, after all, the word "life" was perfectly centered within a heart.

On April 27th, Paul and I will celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary.  Those twenty-two years have held lots of shards; pieces of broken dreams, broken hearts and shattered emotions, mixed in with colorful memories of joy, tranquility and contentment.  As we ride the waves of the years together, all of those fragments formed, like sea glass polished by the rocks, sand and waves, a strong and unbreakable bond.  Our marriage is solid like a strong piece of sea glass.  The edges of past moments of difficulty, trials, burdens and pain have become smooth to the touch and have created beautiful memories of constancy and dependability and forever love.

I love the sea glass life that God has created for Paul and I.  My prayer is that as we tumble through anniversary after anniversary into old age together, we will embrace whatever God sends our way, whether it be an abundance of clear and peaceful waters, or some stormy seas that cause us to crash about in disorientation, because all of those moments make this sea glass life of ours so gloriously rich and colorful!  

Dance to the Music That is the Love of God

You know I'm always on the search for inspiration and I love it when it falls right into my lap.  On the drive home from Mass yesterday, I opened the bulletin to read the news (my husband was driving-do you think I'm crazy?  Well, maybe a little, but not enough to read while I'm driving!) and I was instantly moved by my pastor's words.  Just have to share them with you....

From  Fr. Dave Cooper's column on Luke 13:1-9:

"You take your partner by the hand, you hold each other close, and you look into each other's eyes...For most of us, our first dance is a discovery of this amazing person you have fallen in love with-then, with family and friends and champagne and roses,  you begin a new dance as spouses.  The next dances are jigs and skips around your first apartment or starter house.  Soon the dance includes new partners, the colicky baby, the first-grader, the teenager and the angst of being fifteen, the young adult off to college.  The next time that it's just the two of you again is at the wedding of your son or daughter and their first with their spouses.  Your delight becomes your children and grandchildren; you travel to new places, you finally stop and dance closer together once again.  But eventually the rhythm will slow as you will find your joy in the memories of the steps you have danced together.  You become each other's caregiver and protector as you glimpse together into eternity.  You wheel your spouse to the doctor, you slowly help your spouse to the bathroom, you gently dress and feed and prepare the medications for your beloved.  You take your spouse's hand for the last time.  Different steps, different rhythms, different settings.  Before you know it, the whirl of courtship becomes the shuffle of old age.  But the choreography is the same:  you take your partner by the hand, you hold each other close, you look into each other's eyes...And you dance to the music that is the love of God.

Jesus' parable of the fig tree reminds us of the ever-changing choreography of our lives-in keeping tune to the love of God in our lives, every season of our lives can be productive and meaningful.  The life of God is always about continuing the "dance" with hope and trust.  Despite the sadness and tragedy that can cut down our lives in disappointment and despair, God continues to plant in our midst opportunities to start over, to try again, to rework things, to move beyond our hurt and pain to make things right.  As God's mercy and compassion continue to "play" we are able to continue the choreography of a life of purpose and happiness."

Walking in Memphis

Today Paul and I are celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary. When I look back at our wedding photos I can't help but think that we were just a couple of kids back then and I marvel at how much we have both grown over the years. I am amazed at how much life we have fully lived and I find it hard to remember what life was like without Paul by my side.  Growing old together truly is a blessing that so few people are able to realize, although compared to some, we are still just a couple of newlyweds in the early stages of our marriage.  I look forward to the day when Paul and I can say that we have been married for 50 years, so really, we are not even at the halfway mark of our marriage yet.

When the excitement of our wedding day had settled into a peaceful joy, we got into my electric blue Chevy Cavalier and drove to Tennessee for our honeymoon adventure. We started out in Memphis visiting Elvis Presley's Graceland and Beale Street, the birthplace of the blues, and then drove across the beautiful state to hike in the Smoky Mountains. It was providential that just at the time we were married Marc Cohn had a hit song, Walking in Memphis, and every time we hear it we are always taken back to that happy time when we were young and love was new. Like the words in the song, "you've got a prayer in Memphis" we really did have a prayer in that specific time and place, we had a prayer for the hope of a lifelong marriage spent in  the loving arms of God.

Why don't you watch the embedded video here and celebrate our anniversary with us?

Forty Years of Love

The sky was as blue as can be without a single cloud, the air was warm and pleasant, filled with the fragrance of flowers; birds were singing, children were playing, and lawnmowers were buzzing. It was a perfect summer day, made even more perfect by the beautiful backyard celebration that occurred in the midst of the typical summer activities.

Diann and Gary, my sister and brother-in-law, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 5th, which also happened to have been my deceased parent's wedding anniversary. To celebrate this beautiful event, my niece Jenny, their daughter, invited our entire large family of nine siblings and all of the children and grandchildren to attend a Mass and party in her backyard. Everyone brought flowers and the scenic backyard surrounded by a picket fence under the shade of a large oak tree was simply idyllic. It was a joyous event that brought all of my siblings together for the first time in five years!

The Mass was celebrated by our beloved friend, Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ, the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer. Fr. Jim spoke of the gift of marriage as an image of God's love for each of us. He said there are times when the love that spouses share for one another is physical, but more often, that love is something that is felt and known deep in the heart, so that no matter whether or not a husband and wife are physically present with each other or are far apart, the bond of love is never distant, it remains deep within, just as Jesus remains deep within our hearts and souls through the gift of Eucharist. After the Ascension of His physical body, Jesus disappeared into the heavens yet He remains forever united with us, each and every one of us, always present within.

Fr. Jim also brought a beautiful prayer for Diann and Gary to pray together and shared copies with everyone else present...

Prayer of Spouses for Each Other

Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one another's failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self. May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.

Book of Blessings

When Paul and I stood with our children before Fr. Dennis Witz asking him to bless us on our twentieth anniversary, he opened the Book of Blessings and spoke these beautiful words:

Lord, increase and consecrate the love which Paul and Anne have for one another. The wedding rings they once exchanged are the sign of their fidelity. May they continue to prosper in the grace of the sacrament.

In the tender plan of his providence, God our almighty Father has given married love, its faithfulness, and its fruitfulness, a special significance in the history of salvation. Let us therefore call upon him, saying:

Father all-holy, the faithful one, you ask for and respond to fidelity to your covenant; fill with your blessings your servants who are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary.

You live in eternity with the Son and the Holy Spirit in oneness of life and communion of love; grant that these your servants will be mindful of the covenant of love they pledged to each other through the sacrament of marriage and never fail in fidelity.

In your providence you have ordained that all genuinely human experiences should become ways of leading the faithful to share in the mystery of Christ; grant to your servants serenity in good times and bad and the will to stay close to Christ and to live for him alone.

It is your will that married life should be a lesson in Christian living; grant that all husbands and wives may be witnesses to the wonders of your Son's love.

O God, the life of the family is founded on the plan of your own providence. In your mercy receive the prayers of your servants. Grant that by imitating the Holy Family they may reach the joys of your home and together praise you for ever.

Lord God and Creator, we bless and praise your name. In the beginning you made man and woman, so that they might enter a communion of life and love. You likewise blessed the union of Paul with Anne so that they might reflect the union of Christ with his Church: look with kindness on them today. Amid the joys and struggles of their life you have preserved the union between them; renew their marriage covenant, increase your love in them, and strengthen their bond of peace, so that surrounded by their children they may always rejoice in the gift of your blessing. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

And we are abundantly blessed.

Two and Twenty

On April 28th I will be celebrating two years since my fingers began dancing across the keyboard releasing my inner Jeremiah; my heart and soul on fire for Christ. I began with this post about my experience at St. Francis de Sales Seminary's Open House followed by time spent serving food at the St. Vincent de Paul meal program for the poor.

But this week also marks a far more important milestone--April 27th is the twentieth anniversary of the day that my entire being began its dance of heart and soul devoted to my spouse. This is the week of anniversaries, the week for celebration, the week to dance!

To mark this very special occasion, Fr. Dennis, the associate pastor at St. Matthias, will be blessing Paul and I discreetly after Mass as we don't care to be the center of attention, and then we will live as if we were in France-dinner at a quaint French Cafe followed by the French movie "Of Gods and Men" which I have been wanting to see for the longest time and am so grateful to be able to finally squeak it in during its final week in Milwaukee.

But I want to celebrate with you as well, my faithful readers, so, although I personally am a wall-flower who prefers to let others do the dancing while I sit and watch, I thought that the following repost would be a very fitting way to celebrate the occasion, as in my heart I am always dancing with God, my husband, and with you, my dear friends and followers!

Dancing Shoes

If I were to wear my dancing shoes,
would you dance with me?








Will your footsteps lead me
in the way I should go?

Will you hold my hand firmly
assuring me of your friendship?

Will you look into my eyes
instilling a sense of confidence into my soul?

Will you place your hand gently upon my back
to strengthen me when I’m feeling weak?

Will you let me spin when the tempo quickens
and I’m feeling joyful?

And when the music ends,
will you slowly release me
as I continue the dance in my heart,
while stepping into the dance of eternity?

If I were to wear my dancing shoes,
would you dance with me?

To Want What I Have

Marriage Prayer

Heavenly Bride Groom,
we come before you as husband and wife.
Pleading this day for the necessary graces to carry on
in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health,
until the hour of our death.
I promise to be the guardian of my spouse in all things spiritual
so that someday we may enter the Kingdom together.
Bless us this day, body and soul, so that one day
we may be worthy of celebrating with you
at the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Amen.

Isn't it terribly romantic that World Marriage Day and St. Valentine's Day fall so closely together on the calendar? If we're lucky, Fr. Dave, our pastor, will invite all of the married couples to renew our wedding vows at Mass this weekend. I would marry Paul all over again, so I do hope we will be renewing our vows. Over the years, I have found him to be romantic in ways I never imagined he would be when we were first married nearly twenty years ago. It's the little things-the compliment on the scent of my newest perfume, his ability to make me laugh even in the most serious of situations, giving needed space when I'm cross, willing to tell me the hard things I need to hear-even when I don't want to hear them-just to keep me on the straight and narrow in life, letting me be who God made me to be-even when he'd rather make me into who he wants me to be.

Paul is usually a hard rock guy. His favorite day of the week is when "House of Hair" is on the radio. Me, I prefer my music a bit more mellow. The other day I came home from some errands and a wonderful song was playing repeatedly on the CD player in the kitchen. It was "For My Wedding" by Don Henley. I had never heard it before. Paul came upstairs from the basement and asked me if I liked the song, and of course, I answered that I loved it! He mentioned that he felt that as the years passed, we were becoming more alike, because he loved the song, too, and it wouldn't have normally been in his taste repertoire. To me, there is nothing more romantic than growing old with your spouse, mellowing together like fine wine, understanding one another without having to use words. To know, live, work, pray and grow together over the years is a beautiful blessing from God, one that I hope I never take for granted. Here are some of the lyrics to "For My Wedding"...

For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For I've made a sanctuary of my heart

To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day

For my wedding, I don't want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love we'll need to make it in the world out there

To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day

On this World Marriage Day and St. Valentine's Day, I join with Don Henley and pray that we will all want what we have and take what we are given with grace, regardless of our state in life. For as long as we are seeking to know the will of God and serve Him in all things, all people-children, adults, married, single or religious-will be living a life of grace, and that is the ultimate romance, the divine romance with God, our creator, who loves us more than any human ever could.

(a partial re-post from the archives)

Stronghold

"My soul is weary with sorrow: strengthen me according to your word." Psalm 119:28

He's seen her tears and heard her sobs. He watched her lay in bed, unable to get up. He saw her close the door on the world, wanting to hide inside of herself, but forcing her way through each day anyway. And he held her. Everyday. He held her until the pain went away, until she could breathe again, live again. But he never forgot. He couldn't forget what it was like to watch his vibrant wife wither away, barely able to care for the children, completely unable to care for herself.

Summer came and the energy came back and her lungs breathed deeply taking in the fresh air of newly cut grass and fragrant flowers. The sun shone brightly waking her up to joy. But he didn't forget. He watched her closely, her every move, for any sign of that dark mood that easily overtakes her spirit.

Autumn came, and he knew. He knew that her spirits would become as fragile as the leaves that shriveled on the trees and blew to the ground at the first strong wind. So he watched closely; he watched for the signs of despair. When he saw a book on the kitchen counter with the word "sadness" in the title, he immediately confronted her, asking her why she was reading that book, thinking that she was dwelling on despair, clinging to sadness, unaware that it was a fictional story that had nothing to do with her emotions. Relief filled his eyes with her explanation.

But she knows. She knows that wherever the seasons may take her, whether it's to the heights of joy or the depths of despair, he will always look out for her, always love her and always hold her until she can stand on her own once again. He is her stronghold sent from God and entwined through marriage, to care for her and to carry her when she becomes too weak to stand on her own.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5















When Paul and I were house-hunting eighteen years ago, I fell in love with our very old house, mainly because it has a large and well-established grapevine arbor in the backyard. It is so large, that it is actually an outdoor room, and it is so old that most of the wood with which it had been built and that provided the main support for the vine was rotting.

Several years after we bought our house, a violent windstorm swept through our neighborhood and it caused the grapevine arbor to collapse. We were grateful that our insurance covered the replacement costs and Paul eagerly set to work to build a sturdier arbor to support the extremely heavy vine.

As he was working on the vine one extremely hot summer day, the entire vine collapsed again, this time, with Paul trapped underneath it! He managed to crawl out from under the vine and decided that before he would continue the project, the vine needed to be drastically cut back to prevent further accidents. I was heartsick when I looked outside and saw that there was hardly any vine left! I was sure that it would die, and I would lose my favorite part of my house. Was this a symbolic sign that I was living my life apart from God and like the branches on my grapevine, I had cut myself off from that close and loving relationship with my heavenly Father?

I’m sorry to say that my deep attachment to this material object caused me to give my poor husband the cold shoulder for many days as I blamed him for killing the vine. If only he had asked some family members for help with the project instead of insisting on doing everything by himself, this never would have happened, I reasoned. And Paul reasoned right back that if I didn’t insist on living in this old, run-down house, this wouldn’t even be an issue. You’ll notice that at the beginning of this essay, I said that I loved the house, not that we loved the house. In fact, Paul hated our house even before we first bought it, and he continues to beg me to move. He is forever bringing home flyers from homes for sale in our neighborhood, but I continue to dig my stubborn feet in and we have remained in our old, decrepit house that is loaded with life and charm and memories, and a grape-vine that I love, but also, never-ending projects for him to work on when perhaps he’d rather take up golfing.

The period of time without the abundant life of the grapevine and the lingering resentment that I carried towards my husband was certainly a desert time for me. “Speak to me, O God,” I prayed. “I want my family and I to be close to you, attached to Your vine of life, not to my own unnecessary needs.” And then I read these words and peace came to my heart:

“I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart. From there I will give her the vineyards she had.” Hosea 2:6

And God, the author of life and love, saw to it that the life that once flowed through that vine would be restored to its original splendor, and my husband and I would resume our loving relationship in the joy of forgiveness. He gave me a time of emptiness without the vine, to learn the virtue of detachment to material things and rediscover the importance of my marriage. And by the next summer, the vine grew back to its normal size and produced an abundant amount of fruit. That was twelve years ago, and today, my husband has not only restored the arbor into a safe and shady haven for my family, he has also built a deck over the pavement so that it truly is a place of rest and relaxation in the summer heat.

Over the years, the vine has produced an abundant amount of delicious and fragrant concord grapes and I have become very well known for making grape jelly to share with family and friends. In fact, I have not bought jelly from a store since we moved into our house. This year is no exception as I just completed the annual harvest and have frozen 9 gallons of juice for jelly and filling for pie, more than enough to last the entire year until next September. And as Paul and I sit together in the evening shade of the grapevine, we contemplate the love we have for God and for each other, and discuss our continued love/hate relationship with our home and the next project that Paul will be working on!

For more stories and prayers about adventures with the grapevine, check out these posts from the archives:Crushed Grapes and By His Wounds.

Length of Days

"Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding." Job 12:12














While grocery shopping with my children recently, I was greeted by an elderly friend from daily Mass. After I stopped to converse with him a bit about the never-ending growth of my children and the frequency of my grocery store visits, we parted ways and my family and I continued with our errand.

As we gathered up the groceries, my fourteen-year-old son told me that he felt sorry for me because all of my friends are elderly. I agreed with him that it seems to be true that most of my friends and acquaintances are of an older generation, we laughed about it a bit and continued on with our chore. But upon further reflection, I focused on the fact that my son was taking pity on me for something of which I am actually quite grateful.

Many years ago, before Paul and I were married, I worked as a nursing home food service director. At that time and in that place, my opinion of the elderly was something along the lines of that held by my son. The residents for whom I worked were usually quite cross, always complaining about the food and my staff and challenging me beyond what my capabilities were at that time in my life. I was fearful of those who could no longer comprehend the realities of life, and saddened by those who could no longer perform the functions of daily living such as feeding and dressing themselves. I viewed old age as a fearful and miserable time.

But as I age, and with the passing of my own parents, I often feel like an orphan in need of the guidance that only an older and wiser generation can provide to me. Because my work and my family life keep me surrounded by babies and youth, it is actually quite refreshing to spend some time in the company of those whose demands on me are quite simple-usually a few kind words and a smile are all they need to bring a little sunshine to their day, and that is something that I can easily accomodate. My elderly friends who attend daily Mass have become a type of surrogate parents to me and I am very grateful for their presence in my life.

I have met so many wonderful elderly people who attend daily Mass with me and I am moved by the constancy of their faith and uplifted by the fact that whatever stage of life I am currently in, they have been there before me and have survived it, no matter how difficult it might have been, and they continue to smile and pray and love, and so I know that I too, will survive any difficulties that beset me and I will continue to be able to smile and pray and love.

Recently, one of my elderly friends shared a most interesting story with me. I had never met his wife as he always attends daily Mass alone, so I was surprised when he told me that he and his wife attend a bible study at her church. I boldly asked him what church his wife attended. He answered that she was Presbyterian and that this month they would be celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary. "Wow," I thought, "forty-five years together, each maintaining a separate religion and continuing to remain faithful to their views is an outstanding accomplishment!" Then
he shared something even more astonishing with me. He said that two of his sons are Presbyterian pastors and he is as proud of them as any father could be. "When we get together, we have some very interesting conversations," he said. "And after a couple of bottles of wine, the conversations become even more interesting!" By sharing this story with me including the obvious joy and pride that he felt, he witnessed to the faithfulness required in the vocation of marriage, and I am blessed to carry his story in my heart.

I pray that as the shadow from my own length of days grows, I too, will bring an essence of joy and pride to a younger generation, encouraging them by my example of a life lived well and a faith lived deeply.

World Marriage Day and St. Valentine's

Marriage Prayer

Heavenly Bride Groom,
we come before you as husband and wife.
Pleading this day for the necessary graces to carry on
in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health,
until the hour of our death.
I promise to be the guardian of my spouse in all things spiritual
so that someday we may enter the Kingdom together.
Bless us this day, body and soul, so that one day
we may be worthy of celebrating with you
at the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Amen.

Isn't it terribly romantic that World Marriage Day and St. Valentine's Day fall on the same day this year? Our youth group will be visiting the nursing home to share flowers and card with some of the residents and hopefully bring a little love to some lonely hearts. If we're lucky, Fr. Dave, our pastor, will invite all of the married couples to renew our wedding vows at Mass. I would marry Paul all over again, so I do hope we will be renewing our vows. He is such a sweetheart, romantic in ways I never imagined he would be when we were first married nearly nineteen years ago.

Paul is usually a hard rock guy. His favorite day of the week is when "House of Hair" is on the radio. Me, I prefer my music a bit more mellow. The other day I came home from some errands and a wonderful song was playing repeatedly on the CD player in the kitchen. It was "For My Wedding" by Don Henley. I had never heard it before. Paul came upstairs from the basement and asked me if I liked the song, and I answered that I loved it! He mentioned that he felt that as the years passed, we were becoming more alike, because he loved the song, too, and it wouldn't have normally been in his taste repertoire. To me, there is nothing more romantic than growing old with your spouse, mellowing together like fine wine, understanding one another without having to use words. To know, live, work, pray and grow together over the years is a beautiful blessing from God, one that I hope I never take for granted. Here are some of the lyrics to "For My Wedding"...

For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For I've made a sanctuary of my heart

To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day

For my wedding, I don't want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love we'll need to make it in the world out there

To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day

On this World Marriage Day and St. Valentine's Day, I join with Don Henley and pray that we will all want what we have and take what we are given with grace, regardless of our state in life. For as long as we are seeking to know the will of God and serve Him in all things, all people-children, adults, married, single or religious-will be living a life of grace, and that is the ultimate romance, the divine romance with God, our creator, who loves us more than any human ever could.

In the Hand of God

"I have carved you on the palm of my hand." Isaiah 49:15


Have you ever watched somebody whittle wood, carving a plain stick or block of wood into a precious work of art? It takes tremendous talent, a keen eye and a steady hand. It requires forethought and patience. It is a wonderful skill that can result in an heirloom that will be treasured for generations to come.

God, in His wisdom, has carved each of us into the palm of his hand, where we are always nestled, reminding Him of our presence and reminding us of His tender love. When I think about how He has placed certain people in our lives, I realize that it is no accident. He carefully carved those who are closest to us to be an important part of our lives.

Lying next to my husband at night, listening to him breath in that deep, relaxed and peaceful way that dreamers do, I realize that Paul and I have been carved side by side in the hand of God. He will always be right beside me no matter what, because he has been carefully placed there by God, carved out of soft, earthy-scented wood.

Sometimes, we rub each other the wrong way and we bring out sharp splinters in one another that are aggravated by our close proximity. We poke and jab at one another with abrasive words or sharp glances and everything feels scratchy and rough. It leaves a distance between us until the hand of God curves inward and pulls us close together again. With a few kind words and gentle touches that act like loving strokes of sandpaper, those splinters are smoothed out and we can feel the gentle hand of God pulsing with the lifeblood that created us and made us for each other.

My prayer for today and always, is that the hand of God will hold all of humanity close, cradling us in the warmth of His gentle touch and carrying us home to eternal joy right next to His loving heart.

Bride of Christ

You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,
a royal diadem held by your God.
No more shall people call you “Forsaken, “
or your land “Desolate, “
but you shall be called “My Delight, “
and your land “Espoused.”
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his spouse.
As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.
from Isaiah 62: 1-5

For too long I was desolate, devoid of feeling loved by God.
















Last Sunday, that feeling changed. I awoke to the beautiful sight of frost on the trees, a winter fairy-land, like a wedding gift from God. Excitement filled my soul as I prepared for Mass. I was privileged to be scheduled to lector and to read these holy words from Isaiah at Mass. As I stood at the ambo and opened my mouth to speak, a thrill ran through every nerve of my body as if I were electrified, and I knew that it wasn't me speaking these words, but it was the Holy Spirit speaking them through me.

When Fr. Dennis preached his homily, he began by speaking of the predictability of weddings. He said "At every wedding, I can count on the same music, the same white dress on the bride, the same food at the reception, the same look in the eyes of the bride and groom as they focus on one another in deep, rapturous love. That is how God looks at you."

I nearly swooned during the consecration when Father raised the host. I felt God not only looking at me with love, but flooding my heart, my soul and my entire body with His love. I couldn't wait to receive His Body and Blood into my very own being and to carry Him with me throughout the day.

My Lord and My God, I will always love You. I will always be Your delight, Your espoused. Rejoice in me forever, as I will be rejoicing in You. Amen.











In the endless eternity
Before my body existed
My soul flourished
As a nun veiled
In a black habit
With only my face
Exposed to the world.

I am still
The Bride of Christ.
Our union is consummated
Each time I attend Holy Mass.
I consume Christ
And
Christ consumes me.

Sabbath Sunday-Alabaster Jars

Enjoy a re-post from last May... In the spirit of Sunday, a day of rest, I am joining with Fr.Christian Mathis from Blessed is the Kingdom and re-posting a favorite story from the past instead of writing something new. Join in, put your feet up and keep the Sabbath holy...


“Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s home and took his place at the table. There was a woman who was a notorious sinner in that city. When she learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s home, she took an alabaster jar of perfume and knelt at his feet behind him. She was crying and began to wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair. Then she kissed his feet over and over again, anointing them with costly perfume.” Luke 7:36-39

The perfume that this woman poured on Jesus’ feet cost her a year’s wages! This was extravagant love indeed! I dream of being this woman, of pouring out all of my love for Jesus and having him respond gratefully. This is by far my favorite gospel story. Fr. Don Hying, the rector at St. Francis Seminary, writes about this extravagant love and says, “When we break open the alabaster jar of our lives, the world is filled with the fragrance of Christ.”(New Heart New Spirit, April 2008) I can easily see that alabaster jar being broken open in the love of Mother Teresa, and all of those wonderful missionaries who follow after her. I can see the alabaster jar being broken open when a mother sits up all night, exhausted, and patiently caring for her sick child. I can see the alabaster jar being broken open when two friends sit together and quietly share stories of the love of God working in their lives. I can see the alabaster jar being broken open at every Mass when the priest holds the precious body of our Lord in his hands and everyone looks upon it with love.

Recently, I witnessed two very real instances of alabaster jars in my own life and I would like to share those stories. Not too long ago, I was having a very bad day; I was feeling unloved and unlovable, really drowning in self-pity and sorrow. I spent an afternoon at home crying and pouring out my misery to God. Then, my husband walked in the door at the end of his workday. He held me in his arms for the longest time and poured love from his heart to mine. Later, when I opened the bedroom door, I found two dozen red and pink roses on our bed. They were the most beautiful roses that I have ever seen in my life! Now, Paul is not the type of husband who routinely buys me flowers. In fact, in the eighteen years since we were married, I can only recall two other instances when he bought me flowers. But this day, those arms around me when I needed them the most and those beautiful, fragrant roses were an alabaster jar of extravagant love that nothing could ever match!

Another instance of an alabaster jar brings a smile to my face every time I recall it. While babysitting for my great-nephews and great-niece, Alex, Andrew and Caitlin, we spent a sunny morning outside, delighting in the beautiful warm spring weather. Caitlin, having just turned one year old, enjoyed exploring her world from her new-found skill of walking. She wobbled from tree, to flower, to slide, to toy car, to sandbox with a smile of pure joy on her face. I’m sure our time outside completely wore her out! I was trying to delay her naptime to coincide with Andrew’s, so I know she was very tired. My nephew, David, came home for lunch, and the minute that Caitlin saw him, she threw her little, tired body down at his feet and wrapped her arms around his ankles as if to say, this is what I have been waiting for! Here is my beloved father who brings me happiness with his very presence! Watching the love of that moment, I was no longer looking at Caitlin and David, but before my eyes, I was witnessing Mary and Jesus. As David bent down to pick up Caitlin and hold her in his arms, her head naturally rested near his heart as if to say, this is all I ever need, and thank you for loving me.

Everywhere I look, I will be seeing alabaster jars breaking open for the rest of my life. The world smells delicious with the rich perfume of love hanging heavy in the air. I could never grow my hair long enough to dry all of the ointment mingling with the tears. And it doesn’t matter how many people may react with scorn and disdain and criticize the extravagance. Those alabaster jars are going to keep on breaking, the fragrance is going to continue to spread, because God’s love cannot and will not be held back. Once the fragrance of Christ is in the air, our senses are awakened and we cannot help but breathe it in and share it with others.

The Cross of Marriage

"I love to think of the cross as Jesus' marriage bed where he laid himself down, body, soul, mind and heart, thus giving himself completely to his spouse, which is all of us, reborn in baptism. Just as Eve comes forth from the side of Adam as he sleeps, so, too, the church is born from the wounded side of the crucified Christ.

Every wife and husband that marry in Christ are committed to loving each other sacrificially, unselfishly, completely, exclusively, permanently, because that is how God loves all of us through Jesus."

Fr. Don Hying, Rector
St. Francis de Sales Seminary, Milwaukee


That first summer when Paul and I met, we spent a lot of time at the State Fair because Paul was working at a restaurant there. I would wait for his shift to end, and then we'd wander the fair enjoying the sights, sounds and each other's company.

As we walked through the vending hall, admiring all of the wares for sale, laughing at the gimmicks of the salesmen trying to pass off another "Ronco slice 'em, dice 'em" cutting machine and counting the number of people walking around with mops they had purchased, Paul suddenly stopped in front of the booth of golden jewelry. "Pick something out", he said. "I want to buy something for you." My eyes landed on a beautiful golden cross. On top of the cross was a golden dove with an olive branch in its mouth. After paying the vendor, Paul lovingly clasped the necklace around my neck. After 5 years of dating and 18 years of marriage, that cross is still my favorite necklace, as meaningful to me as our wedding rings. None of the jewelry that Paul has bought for me since that day has ever held as much meaning for me as that simple cross necklace that I wear almost daily.

Over the years, the weight of that cross around my neck can feel pretty heavy as we battle with harsh words and cold shoulders, and struggle through the difficulties of parenting and family life. But no matter how heavy it can be at times, the dove of peace and forgiveness always moves his silent wings to lighten the load for us. In every marriage, challenges are sure to arise. Throughout the days of stress and worry that are part of all marriages, one action has kept us close and carried us through many storms. We have made a habit of rising early, before the children are awake, and enjoying a long embrace before Paul leaves for work. It is impossible to be angry or unhappy with someone when you are holding him or her close, feeling the rhythm of their heartbeat, hearing the sound of their breath, securely wrapped in the arms of the one you’ve promised to love forever. But Paul and I are not alone in our daily embrace, for the love of human spouses just can’t be strong enough to survive on it’s own. As we hold each other close each morning, it is God who is holding us even closer. We can feel the arms of His love embracing us both, His heartbeat uniting ours together, His breath warming us both. That daily embrace between God, Paul and I starts the movement of the wings of peace that lightens every cross that threatens to weigh down our marriage. As we embrace one another in God's love, it is ultimately peace that flies through the cross of marriage.

God of love, God of peace, be with us as we begin each day with a prayer and an embrace. Let the wings of peace carry us to Your heart whenever the burden of the cross threatens to weigh us down. Unite us forever in Your love. Amen.