Kitchen Tragedies and an Easy Feel-Good Craft

NOTE: This post was written a while ago and left to ferment, much like the bread starter. :)

Tragedy. I thought it might be too strong a word, but you'll find it fits.

First, the Amish Friendship Bread.

A few days ago (10), a fellow dog-walker said, "You bake, right?" When I realized she wasn't joking, my pride jumped in and said, "Sure." Aforementioned smile oozed right off my face when she told me to "wait right here" and returned with a bag of brown goo. It was starter for Amish Friendship Bread. The friend part (or foe--it depends on your perspective) is that you work this starter for 10 days, and on the final day you divide the starter into four bags, keep one to make the bread, and terrorize three neighbors by handing out the additional starter.

2010 Friendship Bread Starter Photo by
Carroll Pellegrinelli, licensed to About.com

For five days, you smush the starter, hoping to rid the world of tiny bubbles that form in the bag. On day six, you add ingredients. Smush, smush, smush until day 10, when you bake the bread.

Sticking to this kind of project is almost my worst nightmare. The worst nightmare came true when I knocked the bag off the counter and it splattered on the floor. No bread for you! (Said in the voice of Seinfeld's Soup Nazi.)

The up side is I got the mess cleaned up before Buster licked it up. Bubbles and Buster equals horrendous gas, which doesn't bother him half as much as it bothers the hubby and me.

Second, the Mexican Spaghetti. I was attempting to be creative, okay? Trying to keep the Man from coming home to another dinner of bacon, hash browns, and eggs. I love a bacon, hash browns and egg dinner. It's really easy. Still, I have to admit that it's missing something important. Like veggies. (I don't think hash browns count, except when I say they do.)

I had ground turkey, pasta, a small bag of frozen onions and red peppers and (I think) pineapple that I didn't use in something or other. I cooked it all together along with a package of taco mix and some water, added cooked noodles, and then topped it with cheddar cheese. It looked beautiful, like something out of a Taste of Home cookbook.

Riddle me this. Why aren't taco's too spicy, but Mexican Spaghetti is? I think the tomatoes and lettuce on the tacos cut the heat. I got heartburn just looking at dinner. I should have gone in for the Girl Scout Chili. (Chili served on Fritos.) But the hubby loved it, and that's what counts. He gets leftovers tonight. I'll have...bacon and hash browns and eggs.

I did manage to find a little joy today.
I made my very own sachet! (And a rhyme!)

In the farmers co-op delivery, I received some lavender. I know you can eat it--somehow--but I decided to dry it instead. Okay. You caught me in a lie. I set it on the counter and forgot about it. When I went to move the pile of twigs, they fell apart. Completely dried out. So who says the glass is half empty? Not me! I transferred the lavender to a pretty bag I bought for 99 cents at the bead store. You just tighten the ties at the top and Taa-daa! Your very own sachet!

Here are the mesh bags I used from Oriental Trading Company.

Bags from Oriental Trading

So the moral is, if you can't make something good to eat, at least you can surround yourself with lovely smells.

ORDER: My Resolution Word of the Year

By Brocken Inaglory (Own work)

Last year, I felt that Jesus might be telling me that I needed order in my life. Okay. It wasn't a mild hint. He told me over, and over, and over again in prayer, and I never really did anything about it other than make a few halfhearted attempts to get organized. Big mistake.

Order is so much more than neat paperwork piles. God's creation is built on natural order, and when we are disordered, we are out of sync with God. What's my life look like when I'm disordered?

• I miss morning Mass because I oversleep or I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Missing the Mass is losing out on the opportunity to hear the Word and consume the Eucharist--two very important elements of an ordered day. 
• My conversations with Jesus consists of a few quick prayers during the day, usually when I want something, leaving me (and Him) unsatisfied.
• I'm cranky or depressed or lethargic or overwhelmed because I'm out of relationship with Jesus and, therefore, have difficulty prioritizing my day. Instead, it's like standing in the middle of a field trying to shoot clay pigeons as they fly at me from every direction. (The enemy loves confusion. It keeps you focused on everything but God.) 



By Danny Choo from Tokyo, Japan 

• I'm fearful because I've forgotten to hand everything over to Him and stop worrying about the future or trying to control the present. Fear is the opposite of love, and God is Love. If I'm fearful, I'm definitely pushing Him away.

                                                My disordered life? Not a pretty site.




Yes, I believe He was also telling me to get my act together in an organizational way. My mission is my Domestic Church (more on that later), and the only way to carry out that mission properly is to do it with order. When I'm muddled, it effects my husband, my family, my dog, my finances, my writing . . . everything.

Order comes down to putting God first.  We shouldn't fit God into our day. We should fit our day around God. He doesn't want to be the most important thing in our life. He wants to be everything.

2014 is all about ORDER.

Next post, I'll touch on some of the ways I find order. I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions.

Start Your New Year RESOLVED

By Photos public domain.com [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I think Johnette Benkovic of Women of Grace is tops. She fights to show women how the secularized culture does NOT have their best interests in mind, and then she gives them the tools to reclaim their feminine power and dignity through guest authors and interviews.

She recently shared her acronym, RESOLVED, on her radio program. Here is her acronym and my interpretation of how to best carry out the mission.

Recommit
Examine
Surrender
Obedience
Listen
Virtues
Eucharist
Dedication

Recommit your life to Christ, daily.  This can as simple as saying, "This day is for you, Lord," first thing in the morning. (Jeff Cavins said he does this.)  You can also use consecration wording.

"Today, I offer all my acts, intentions, and operations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

It's easy to take our eyes off the prize - Heaven - and recommitting every day helps us maintain focus.

Examine your life every day. Where did you go wrong? Be aware. Where did you go right? Where did you see God's grace at work in your life?  Thank Him.

Surrender everything  to God. He knows what's best. This means your money, your sex life, your relationships, your work. Everything. What gets between you and God. What do you give the highest importance to? If it's not God, that's your false idol, and you need to hand it over to Him.

Obedience is hard, but you can ask God for the grace to be obedient. He gave us clear guidelines to live by. Follow them. Hint: In prayer, He will tell you what He wants you to do, and it won't be something easy. Forgive that person who hurt you. Spend more time in prayer. If it's easy, you probably need to keep digging. Read about the lives of the Saints. They struggled. Do you really think your life, if you are aiming for Heaven, will be easier?

Listen to Him in prayer every day. That means you'll have to be quiet and let Him talk, which isn't easy. Try to spend at least ten minutes a day in conversation with Jesus. Father Larry Richards suggests imagining that you're resting your head on Jesus' chest. Listen to His heartbeat. Let Him hold you. He'll tell you what He wants from you.

Virtues, according to Jeff Cavins, are values once you've added shoe leather.  Values don't require any action. Virtues require you to live them. Warning: If you pray for a Virtue, you will be tested. They are muscles that need exercise. I once prayed for patience, and over the next few hours, three of the most annoying people sat right next to me at a lecture and approached me outside of church. God was letting me get in some patience practice. An athlete doesn't become great without practice. Don't expect to master the Virtues without practice, either.

The Cardinal Virtues, which you can strengthen and are meant to help us exercise control over our passions, are Justice, Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude.

The Theological Virtues, which only come through the grace of God, are Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Pray for them all.

Eucharist is the soul and summit of the Catholic faith. Jesus gave us Himself, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist. You can receive Him daily, and He will strengthen you in your journey.

Dedication is necessary in order to succeed. You can't offer Jesus a half-baked effort and then expect miracles. Like anything that is important, you must be dedicated to achieving the goal--becoming the face of Jesus to those around you.

It's a handful, but with God's help, it's definitely doable. Make this year your best year by staying RESOLVED. Your example will provide inspiration for others. Imagine what the world would look like then!

Social Resolutions to Rid You of Fear

Fear is the root of all of our problems. Addiction? Fear of reality. Sexual promiscuity? Fear of real love and commitment, or fear of loneliness. Anger? Fear of being wrong, looking stupid, losing control. The situations vary, but the fear is real.  

Father Wade Menezes, in his EWTN Mass homily  on January 9, 2014, gave us 10 excellent social resolutions to rid of us fear and bring us to love, and they are all based on scripture. Remember, the opposite of love is fear, so these are all about increasing the love in your life.  

1. Listen without interruption  

Proverbs 18:13  Whoever answers before listening, theirs is folly and shame.

You know that person you can't stand? God may have chosen him or her as the vehicle to speak to you. God speaks to us all the time through others, but if we're not listening, we're not going to get the message. 



2. Speak without accusing 

John 1:19 Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,

You don't know what someone's thinking, and half the time we don't understand what they mean. We're too interested in what we have to say in response. Listen. Absorb. Then respond with love. Think how many arguments and misunderstandings we could avoid. 

3. Give without withholding. 

Proverbs 21:26  Some are consumed with avarice all the day, but the just give unsparingly.

It all belongs to God. You owe him the first fruits, or the first ten percent, as a sign of gratitude and respect, and when you give to the poor, you are giving to Him. There are many, many examples in the Bible that demonstrate how God wants us to give. In fact, He told us that when we give to the poor, who can't pay us back, He will be in our debt. It's really important!

4. Pray without ceasing 

Colassians 1:9 Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding

Father Mendenzes talks about making every action and thought of our day a prayer, that we should be faithful to our daily duty. Work can be a prayer. Mundane tasks can be a prayer. So can suffering. Do your best and offer it all to God. 

5. Answer without argument  

Proverbs 17:1  Better a dry crust with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

Look at the internet comments. Feel your anxiety grow. Everyone from celebrities to the anonymous try to make their mark with snide comments, criticisms and argument. That's not debate or discussion. It's ugly. Don't be a part of it. Don't feed the monster, and then watch it shrivel away.

6. Share without lying  


Ephesians 4:15  Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,

Exaggeration and "white lies"(which are still lies). Why do we do them? To make ourselves look better. To make people like us. To support an agenda that would be too abhorrent to consider if truth were told. (Think abortion.)  When you stick to the truth, you show respect for everyone involved, including yourself.

7. Enjoy without complaint 

Philippians 2:14  Do everything without grumbling or questioning.

This doesn't mean accept everything as fact. It means when put on your grownup pants and be pleasant, even if you don't like what you have to do or consider the task "beneath you."  Even if you don't like the person who asked you to do it.

8. Trust without wavering 

1st Corinthians 13:7  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

We can only hand everything to God if we trust in Him completely. He has a plan. Don't get in His way.

9. Forgive without punishment 

Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

Jesus died for us. He accepted our punishment, because we couldn't have borne it. He forgives our sins, even the most grievous ones, if we sincerely repent and promise to sin no more. If He can forgive us, we owe it to others to do the same. And this doesn't mean there aren't consequences to our actions. You might get grounded for breaking curfew. It means don't forgive your spouse and then remind him of his sin every chance you get. 

10. Promise without forgetting  

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a wish fulfilled is a tree of life.

It feels good to make a promise. We look good for the moment. If we don't keep those promises, our word means nothing. It takes a long time to build that trust back up, so don't lose it in the first place. 

This list seems like common sense, but it's hard to execute. Really hard. No one said being Christian was easy. Father Menezes is a Father of Mercy. Check out their site. Better still, order one of their CDs.  The proceeds support the seminarians.

Applying the Luminous Mysteries

1. The Baptism in the Jordan

2. The Wedding at Cana

3. Proclamation of the Kingdom

4. The Transfiguration

5. The Institution of the Eucharist

The Luminous Mysteries, which became part of the Rosary in October of 2002, were instituted by Pope John Paul II as the "Mysteries of Light" to emphasize Jesus' public ministry. I think of them as being particularly pertinent to our times, and that's why I think the Holy Spirit moved John Paul II to add them. That means they are particularly helpful when I'm looking for solutions to my problems.

The Baptism in the Jordan

Jesus didn't need to be baptized, but he submitted to His Father's will. We know this pleased the Father, because He said so. "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased."

I think that we were made for order, and I think the Father loves order. When our lives are ordered around Christ, we are living as we should. When we have simple order in our households, then we eliminate unnecessary worries and tension and we are truly ready to submit to God's will. 

I'll pray later, when I have time. I'd love to go to morning Mass but I have to finish that thing I forgot to do yesterday. I'd volunteer my time, but I'm afraid to be tied up because so many unexpected emergencies are always popping up. This is what my life looks like when I don't have order, and you can see how God gets pushed to the bottom of the list. Not good. He belongs at the top. 

We should order our days around God, not fit him into our day. 

Do my problems exist because my life was a mess of paper piles and overextended scheduling? Did the solutions evade me because I couldn't find them in my stress and rush?  Could I have been better prepared to deal with my problem if only I had been living in order? 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that God loves order and obedience, and if I live my life accordingly, I'll be prepared for my troubles and ready to receive the solutions. 

The Wedding at Cana

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite mysteries. I love how Mary points everyone to Jesus and how she has complete trust that he will make the problem disappear. 

When the couple ran out of wine, it was a crises of dignity rather than an issue of life or death, but Mary and Jesus thought it was important enough to lend a hand, so I should never feel that my problems are too insignificant to pray about. 

This story also tells me that It's not all about me.  Mary noticed that someone else was in distressed, and rushed to ask Jesus to help them. 

Did my problems come about because I didn't consider the dignity of others?  Did I charge up a storm without thinking about how it would effect my family? My hard-working husband? My own dignity? Do I have a strained relationship because I didn't treat that person with dignity? 

But my problem is a strained relationship.  I had to chastise my spouse for spending all our savings on his monopoly addiction. I had to say something! But did you say it with love? With love, dignity remains intact. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that I need to consider the dignity of myself and others before I make decisions. And, if I wind up in trouble, Jesus will help me if I ask. 

Proclamation of the Gospel

It's all there in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: Jesus telling and showing us how to live. 

We preach through our actions, so if I'm not handling my money well, if I'm not doing the Corporal and Spiritual Acts of Mercy, then I'm going to go off the right track.  Is that how I wound up in my current situation? Is my current situation keeping me from performing the Acts of Mercy? 

If I've handled my money wrong, I might not tithe. Big mistake. The first 10% of everything, from our money to our time to our talents belongs to Him. He lets us keep 90% because He is a nice guy. 

The Corporal Works of Mercy

• Feed the hungry
• Give drink to the thirsty
• Clothe the naked
• Shelter the homeless
• Visit the sick
• Visit the imprisoned
• Bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

• Admonish the sinner
• Instruct the ignorant (This and the next work are extremely pertinent categories today, when so many people are confused by what the Church teaches on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, etc.)
• Counsel the doubtful
• Comfort the sorrowful
• Bear wrongs patiently
• Forgive all injuries
• Pray for the living and the dead

The mystery behind this Mystery is that I need to match my actions to what Jesus teaches. That should help me avoid my problems as well as find solutions. 

Transfiguration

Okay. This might be my favorite Mystery. (Or maybe they ALL are?)  Jesus went up the mountain, and there Peter, James and John saw Him revealed as the Son of God. He made the connection between the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah), showed us the point between Heaven and Earth, and combined the old covenant with His new covenant, which would come with His resurrection. 

Jesus was with the apostles the entire time and they didn't know He was God.  Likewise, God is with us all of the time, even if we don't recognize Him. He is in the face of the person we most dislike, the politician we hate, the crazy homeless person who grosses us out. 

Jesus revealed Himself as God at the chosen time. Not sooner; not later. There is a proper time for everything, as the Psalms tell us. Maybe I'm trying to accomplish things before it's the right time, and I'm pushing at them and causing problems, or a push back. Maybe I'm not dealing with issues when I should, and then they become bigger problems. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that God is beside us all of the time, even if we don't notice Him.  There is a proper time for everything, and by preparing and being aware, I'll be ready to respond "at the right time."

The Institution of the Eucharist

Jesus left us with his physical presence in the Holy Eucharist. We can receive him at daily Mass, and He will help us through the day. 

When I receive the Eucharist, I pray that God, who is in me right now, will shine through me and guide my actions for the day. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that the Eucharist is one of the biggest helps I have available to me, and it's a gift from God. He meant me to utilize His presence, so by receiving daily Communion and by showing up for Adoration, I'll be able to better hear Him throughout my day, and maybe I won't get into problem situation in the first place!

I hope that I've done an effective job of showing you how the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary can be brought into your present life and used in your life right now. Today. The Mysteries of Christ's life and death are not old news to be reviewed like a history book. They are present and current, and you can use their example to wind your way through modern trials, and to help you avoid them!

I'd love to know what you think about the Mysteries, especially any examples of how they helped you deal with situations in your life. 

Applying the Joyful Mysteries

The Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation

2. The Visitation

3. The Nativity

4. The Presentation

5. Finding Jesus in the Temple

How can I apply the Joyful Mysteries to my daily problems? To the current big issues in my life as well as the little trials that happen every day? Here's what I found. 

The Annunciation

God sent the angel, Gabriel, to Mary to ask her to become pregnant with and give birth to the Salvation of the World. Well, of course she'd say yes, right? Not so fast. 

He was asking her to understand that she would become pregnant by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit at a time when the world didn't really understand the Trinity, even though it was right there in Genesis. And speaking of not understanding the Trinity, she was the first person to be told that God had a Son who would become a man! What a shock!

That doesn't take into account the very real fear that she would be rejected by Joseph. Though they weren't yet living together, she was his wife. I have a hard enough time telling my husband that I forgot to take care of one of the few errands he asks me to do for him. I can't imagine telling him, "By the way? I know we haven't had sex, but I'm pregnant. And I'm still a virgin. Promise." Especially since Joseph would have been within his rights to have her stoned to death. 

But Mary submitted to God's will. She trusted. And she trusted with joy. She didn't run and hide for the next 9 months. She trusted and accepted and continued to move forward in her life. 

Hiding from my troubles, pretending they don't exist or putting off dealing with them is a bad plan. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that, even in the scariest events in our lives, God has a plan to bring about great joy. There isn't any reason to be afraid. Just hand it over to Him and rejoice. 

The Visitation

Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, was pregnant at a late age, because "with God, all things are possible." The Bible says she flew to Elizabeth's side. She saw a person in need, knew that was God's next mission for her, and she rushed to get it done. 

I think we, as humans, would have understood if she had dawdled. That's a five day journey, and I'm pregnant. I'm responsible for the Son of God. I can't go traipsing off on a hard and dangerous journey. I've got responsibilities! 

Again, I sound like a broken record, but she trusted in God. And then she did His will. 

I read an article about the problem with discernment as it relates to the religious life (and probably to every other issue that people are discerning.) There are too many folks who discern, discern, discern, and they never take any action. Entering the seminary is how you discern if you want to be a religious. They don't lock the doors when you enter and say, "We've got you now. You can never leave."  You enter, and you try it, and you pray to find out if it is truly God's will. 

I tend to act too fast, without enough prayer and consideration. That often gets me in trouble. I should take more time with important decisions. And it's good to get the advice of wise people, especially my elders, but it's not good to sit on the situation (unless that's what God's asking me to do) and wait for magic fairies to come take my troubles away. 

But make sure the person you speak to is living a holy life and is a good example. For instance, it's not a good idea to ask for marital advice from a group of divorced women who are card-carrying man-haters. And don't laugh. I know people who have done this. They are now divorced. Surprise. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that, when God gives us a mission, we should act, and we should trust that He knows the way it will be fulfilled and trust in Him. 

The Nativity

Mary had a tiny baby in the poorest of conditions. Herod was mighty and rich. Jesus was tiny and poor. But looky who's King of Kings? 

The smallest acts, the humblest people, the poorest souls hold great possibility. The tiniest things can bring about the greatest joys. We're too focused on accomplishing great things. God accomplishes great things through our small efforts. 

The Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, gave us The Story of a Soul, in which she explains how we are so little, but God loves to lift us up. 

Maybe that one kind word that you give will change a person's attitude for the entire day. Maybe your smile will raise the spirits of a person with a broken heart. Maybe picking up the paperwork on the dining room table will give your husband order in his mind when he walks in the door after a hectic day. It's all important. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is to look for the possibilities and the joy in the details, in the small acts. I don't have to solve my problems with a huge ta-da. There is probably some small thing I could change that would bring results. I don't know what promise each move holds in God's plan, so give each one 100% and do it with joy. 

The Presentation

Jews would take their firstborn son to the temple and offer him up to God. Then they would ransom him back with an offering--two turtledoves if you were poor, like Mary and Joseph. 

They were following the rules set down by their religion. The Catholic Church has rules. Go to Mass on Sunday. Go to confession once per year, minimum. 

These rules are for our benefit and protection. They teach us humility. And maybe your following of the rules will aid someone else. 

Mary and Joseph didn't have to submit to the rules. If anyone should have been exempt,it should have been the mother and step-father of Jesus. But they had humility, and by going to the temple with Jesus, they fulfilled God's promise to Simeon that he would see the Christ child before he died. They also gave joy to Anna, the prophet. 

Maybe my problem is a tough financial situation. I look to the Bible and see the passage on tithing, and I decide to follow the rules. I help someone with my offering. My actions are witnessed by somebody who sees that, even in difficulties, I still help the poor, and it converts him. I just don't know. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is that it's not all about me. Following the rules of the Church are for my benefit, but they may also be used for someone else's benefit. And following the rules might help me out with my problem. 

Finding Jesus in the Temple

If you look for Jesus, you will find Him. And notice how He was found in a house of God? And who was there with him?  God the Father. The Holy Spirit, spouse of Mary. Mary, mother of God, and her earthly spouse, Joseph. Talk about the A-Team. 

If we look for Jesus, we will find Him. He's there, even in our troubled times. And His posse is with him, too!

The mystery behind this Mystery is that Jesus is with me, even in my troubles. I can talk to Him, ask His advice, look for solutions in His Word, the Bible, and look to the examples of Mary, Joseph, and the Saints. 

Next up, the Luminous Mysteries. 

Applying the Glorious Mysteries

If you haven't been reading along, I was having difficulties with two reoccurring issues, and I decided to meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary to find answers to how to handle my problems. Today was the Glorious Mysteries.

1. The Resurrection

2. The Ascension 

3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit

4. The Assumption of Mary

5. The Crowing of Mary

The Resurrection

Through His resurrection, Jesus freed me from the worries of this life by giving me life everlasting with Him. Living at my best, I'm focused on the next world right now and live accordingly.  When I focus on my troubles, they hold me in this world. The solution?  Hand my worries over to Jesus and trust Him. 

I spoke with an aunt who has big time health issues in her family. She said, "We focus on the present. Yesterday and tomorrow don't matter. We have now." 

She is exactly right. God is the God of the present. When you are lured into regrets from your past or dragged into the future through worry, that can be the enemy trying to keep you away from God, Who is in the present.

It may be that what I'm experience right now has a purpose, and if I'm fluttering around trying to ignore what's happening or I'm too stressed out to enjoy right now, I will miss that purpose. 

It's also possible that I'm beating myself up over something in the past, or I'm worrying about something that hasn't happened yet, and that's why my problem looks so large. 

The mystery behind this Mystery is to stay in the present. Do what I can do right now and trust in God for the rest.  And don't forget to enjoy the present. 

The Ascension

It must have been a huge bummer for the Apostles when Jesus left them. They must have felt so lost. All this time they had Him to depend on, to talk to, to question. Now they were completely alone in a hostile world.  Or were they? 

God didn't have to become man. He didn't need to endure thirty-something years as a human being, which couldn't have been comfortable for someone  who was, well, GOD. But He became man so He could give us an example of how to live. Give to Cesar that which belongs to Cesar. Multiply your talents. Be not afraid.

He also didn't leave us. Not really. Just in the form of a man. We can still ask His advice, and if we listen, He'll respond. That's why spending time in prayer, especially before the Eucharist, is so important. Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer to His Father. Do we need the Father less? I think not. 

Through the spiritual exercises of Ignatius, (led by a competent spiritual director) I've been privileged to experience direct interaction with Jesus. No, He didn't whisper in my ear, but it was definite and wonderful. (I've also experienced "conversation" with the enemy, which is one reason it's imperative that you have a competent spiritual director.)  But He does talk to us if we listen.

And then we have to accept the answer. Father Larry Richards said that when people complain about their day, he asks them if they thanked God for their day. "Did you pray the Our Father? Did you say Thy will be done? Well, this is His will. Thank Him for it!"

The mystery behind this Mystery is to look to the Bible for examples of how God has advised us to deal with our problems. Ask Him for help, and then trust that the response is His will. 

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

I have to say, I preferred it when we referred to the Third Person of the Trinity as the Holy Ghost. That said, the Holy Spirit is with us, a gift from God. Catholics believe that the Person of the Holy Spirit is the love shared by the Father and the Son. 

Don't be fooled. The Holy Spirit is Love, but He'll kick our butts if He needs to. He's there to guide us, and He'll fill our actions if we let Him. 

One of the problems I'm having is because I ignored promptings. Whether they were from the Holy Spirit or my guardian angel, I don't know.  A prompting is just like it sounds--a thought (in the right direction) that keeps coming to mind and won't leave you alone. 

I experienced this once before when a parishioner was dying of cancer. I didn't even know her, but I kept getting a very strong feeling, one that wouldn't leave me alone, that I should let her borrow my Rosary blessed by Blessed John Paul II. I called a friend of the lady's, because I thought maybe I was having delusions of grandeur and I didn't want to bug the dying woman. The friend explained what was going on, I lent the Rosary, and it gave the dying woman great comfort.  

The mystery behind this Mystery is to ask the Holy Spirit to guide my actions in dealing with my problems, and to listen to Him if He responds. That means I have to take action, not just sit around and whine. 

The Assumption

I won't go into a debate about the assumption. There are apologists who do that much better than I could, and I'll go into the difference between ascension and assumption some other time, but the point is that Mary is now in Heaven. She gave me a role model to follow while I'm here on earth, and primarily, it was service and devotion to Jesus. 

How can my problems point me to Jesus? Is there something I can learn from them? Are they of my own making because I haven't lived the life a disciple of Jesus should? 

The mystery behind the Mystery is to look at my problems, see if they originated with being out of step as a disciple, and then work out the solution in accord with how Jesus would want me to. And, of course, ask for His help. 

The Crowning of Mary

We are not alone. No, it's not a catch phrase from a science fiction series. It refers to all the angels and saints in Heaven who are ready and willing to intercede for us. 

I really have to get away from thinking I have to handle everything by myself, because I don't. Jesus will help me. So will Mary and the saints and angels.  But I have to ask. 

The mystery behind the Mystery is that I never have to feel alone in my troubles.  

Next up is the Joyful Mysteries.