Today is a sad day.....

Today marks the 38th Anniversary of Roe v Wade...very very sad

"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between."
--Mother Theresa

Maya pray for us

I write this with a very heavy heart, my cousin's little baby who was bone five days ago passed away this morning. The doctors had said Maya had a 75% chance to make it, she was born at 25 weeks, just at a one pound.
As parents who were told our baby (Rose) had a 80% chance of survival I was very optimistic. We as a family offered up many prayer, our daily rosary, daily Mass, Holy Hour, several little sacrifices, and prayers through out the day; yet she was called back to be with our Lord. This is not at all easy.

Our jobs as parents is to help our children get to heaven and be with God for eternity. They don't belong to us; He has entrusted them to us for a brief moment on this earth. So we should be happy when our children can go to heaven, yet this not the feeling we experience. The pain one feels at the loss of a child must be indescribable. I can't even imagine the pain Maya's parent, grandparents, uncles and aunts are going through.

I pray they can unite their suffering with our Lord. I pray they find comfort in our Lady, who watched her Son as he was being crucified. I ask for prayers for Maya's parents, family and friends.
We love you, little angel; we will meet you in the Eucharist.

Maya pray for us.

-Mallu

Up Lifting Chat

I have a cousin, (my mom's cousin) in the Missionaries of Charity, I am able to talk with her every first Sunday. I really look forward to to our chats, she is such a joy filled and uplifting person. Her love for Christ is radiating and contagious. Today we were talking about the Litany of Humility and she told me they pray it every Tuesday. I pray it off and on, we are adding it to our before-school prayers. It 's beautiful to meditate on each line.

Litany of Humility

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

* from EWTN
-Mallu

Morning Prayer

One benefits of being snowed in is that the family can share our mornings together. Normally I am long gone before anyone is up so we are all enjoying this time together.

This morning we started by by saying Lauds or the morning office. We were really grabbed by this reading from Tobit

Tobit 4:14-15,16,19

Be careful, my child, in all you do, well-disciplined in all your behavior. Do to no one what you would not want done to you. Give your bread to those who are hungry, and your clothes to those who are naked. Whatever you own in plenty, devote a proportion to alms giving. Bless the Lord God in everything; beg him to guide your ways and bring your paths and purposes to their end.

-- Crucian Dad

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe-- Pray for us

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe; Happy Feast! Mexican food anyone?

Koratty Muthy

Today is the feast of Koratty Muthy. The church in India where Mallu grew up is a sight of many miracle and every year people from all over the world make a pilgrimage there

-- Crucian Dad

Walking Rosary

Today is the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. Our family has been praying a daily rosary together for a little over five years. It has really become an important part of our lives. We know we have and continue to receive many graces from this prayer. Today in honor of this feast we decided to try something different. Our parish has a rosary garden that is really cool. It is a winding path in the shape of a giant rosary, with stepping stones for each of the beads. We pack up every one in the car, even the dog, and said our daily rosary at the rosary garden. It was a very peaceful and beautiful experience.

Crucian Dad

It's a little hard to see but we are on the rosary path

G-MAC thinks that whenever she has a Rosary, she has to kneel

Humility

At Mass this morning the priest shared something he was meditating on from FURROW by Josemaria Escriva.
I was asking him about the book and he said I can borrow it since he has an extra copy. It was a wonderful lesson in humility, so I thought of sharing.


"Allow me to remind you that among other evident signs of a lack of humility are:

—Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say;

—Always wanting to get your own way;

—Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners;

—Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so;

—Despising the point of view of others;

—Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan;

—Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own;

—Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation;

—Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you;

—Making excuses when rebuked;

—Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you;

—Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you;

—Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you;

—Refusing to carry out menial tasks;

—Seeking or wanting to be singled out;

—Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige...;

—Being ashamed of not having certain possessions..."


I think I will print this out and put it on my fridge as a reminder.... it's so easy forget. It's so difficult to live it out.
--Mallu Mom

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading:Numbers 11:25-29

Psalm: Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-14

Second Reading: James 5:1-6

Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48


How many sins have entered into the soul through the eye as Holy Scripture indicates? [1 Jn. 2:16]. That is why they must fast by keeping them lowered and not permitting them to look upon frivolous and unlawful objects; the ears, by depriving them of listening to vain talk which serves only to fill the mind with worldly images; the tongue, in not speaking idle words and those which savor of the world or the things of the world. We ought also to cut off useless thoughts, as well as vain memories and superfluous appetites and desires of our will. In short, we ought to hold in check all those things which keep us from loving or tending to the Sovereign Good.

-- St. Francis de Sales

* from www.ewtn.com
--U

Eternal rest grant unto him

Today we buried a friend of ours.
We knew him and his wife through World Wide Marriage Encounter
Charles lived by the words "Love Never Fails" He suffered greatly with ALS for the last two years, but he never stopped smiling.
He died a beautiful Christian death, surrounded by family, right after mass was celebrated in his home.
We will miss him a great deal.

Assumption Mass

When we began to our search for a home, I made a request of Our Blessed Mother. I promised her that if she would pray for us to find us a house before the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) we would have a Mass offered at our house in her honor. Our Lady came through for us, we closed on the 10th !

This feast is very special to me for a couple of reasons, last year on the 15th I consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary. I was able to reconsecrated myself the Mass at our house.
August 15th is also India's Independence day!

We were very blessed to have wonderful friends and family to share this day with us. Thank you.

Most of the pictures on the post below are taken by my sis, the out of focus ones were taken by me ;-)

Mallu Mom

Pictures from the Mass

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We are now Homeowners...almost

Here I am again, Inch writing because my mom has "no" time.
Well after some haggling, we signed the contract for the house on ***** (no we will still not tell you where it is) Here is a picture of my parent signing.

I wonder why they do not sign the bottom... Is that just outdated? Anyhow we will probably be moving in after we close.
I AM SO EXCITED WE WILL FINALLY GET A TREE HOUSE
Thank you for the prayers! Keep praying! Hope closing goes smoothly!
-Inch

P.S. I think my mom does have time but she uses it up on unimportant things like feeding the family :).

Little Monkey

"what happened?"
"GMAC happened."

I have been hearing those words A LOT. GMAC is a very curious child, she likes to do anything and go anywhere. Including out the door...which she just learned to open. Yesterday she just opened the door and walked outside, she is just 13 months, boy are we in trouble!

At least there is hope.

This little monkey was imitating us during prayer, it is even cuter in person. She even tries to bless herself, although Holy, Son, Spirit, Father is not the order :)

-Inch