Jacobson Grandparents came, oldest two boys had basketball scrimmage and Andrew made some delicious horsd’ouvers.

Laughter is good and every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17)

My Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.

Quote of the Day:

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”–ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

Today’s Meditation:

“We do find, it is true, great battles to fight, and great hardships to master; but that good Mother makes herself so present and so near to her faithful servants, to enlighten them in their darknesses and their doubts, to strengthen them in their fears, and to sustain them in their struggles and their difficulties, that in truth this virginal path to find Jesus Christ is a path of roses and honey compared with other paths.”—St. Louis de Montfort, p.

82

We all need community.  Grandpa’s 84 year old cousin came to give Andrew some lessons.

“Today we celebrate the official close of the Christmas cycle, marked by the presentation of Our Lord in the temple.

This feast reveals the profound humility of the Blessed Mother in obeying the Mosaic Law.

The Law stated that every woman who gave birth to a son could not approach the temple for forty days. After that term, she had to go to the temple and offer a sacrifice in order to be ritually purified. The child himself, if he was the first-born son, was considered the property of the Lord and had to be “ransomed”; that is, an offering was given to the temple on his behalf.

The Law of purification and presentation, however, concerned those shackled with sin. The Child Jesus and His Mother were both immaculate. These rituals were, moreover, meant to be performed by creatures in obedience to their Creator—but Jesus is the Creator!

Why did Jesus and His Mother obey these commands, which did not concern them?

The reason, though simple, is astounding:

[T]he holy Mother of God must go to the Temple like other Hebrew mothers, as though she had lost something which needed restoring by a legal sacrifice. He, that is the Son of God and Son of Man, must be treated in all things as though he were a Servant, and be ransomed in common with the poorest Jewish boy. Mary adores the will of God, and embraces it with her whole heart.

—The Liturgical Year, Dom Prosper Gueranger

The Incarnate Deity—the eternal, all-powerful Word—wished to live as a humble slave, a slave “obedient even unto death” (Phil. 2:8). By presenting herself and her Child in the temple for purification, the Blessed Mother demonstrated a most profound humility and perfect obedience to God’s will.

This Fourth Joyful Mystery offers much to emulate and meditate upon.” (Source: The Catholic Company)

He loves serenading his family.

Élisabeth and Felix were young and very much in love—more in love with each other than with their faith. When Felix told his soon-to-be-bride that he was practicing the Faith only to keep up appearances, she didn’t mind in the least. Neither of them expected any tension to arise from the situation.

After their marriage in 1889, however, the young couple gradually grew apart in their spiritual lives. Felix became increasingly atheistic; Élisabeth, after great confusion, was inspired to learn about her faith. The more she learned, the more devout she became. Meanwhile, Felix filled the house with atheistic books.

Husband and wife soon clashed.

Finally Élisabeth decided that the only argument that could win Felix back to the Church was intense and undistracted prayer.

For the next fifteen years, she dedicated her life to prayer for her husband’s conversion. She recorded her spiritual journey secretly in a diary. Around the same time, her health crumbled and she lived in intense physical suffering.

Just before her death, she wrote a note to Felix, saying, “In 1905 I begged Almighty God to send me sufferings with which to pay the price of your soul. The day I die, that price will be paid. There is no greater love to be found in a woman than when she gives her life for her husband.”

Élisabeth passed away in 1914 at the age of forty-eight.

When Felix found her diary, his own spiritual journey began. In 1917 he returned to the Faith. Six years later, he was ordained a Dominican priest.

Élisabeth persevered in her faith with humility and fervent devotion despite hostility and ridicule from her beloved husband. Living the Faith well can be difficult even among those who share the same beliefs: so let Élisabeth’s example be an encouragement to you in your everyday struggle towards a deep and purposeful spiritual life.  (Source: The Catholic Company)

We just walked to the mailbox and got the mail, an interesting article was in the diocesan paper.  This morning at breakfast our 4 year old asked when Lent begins… beginning to discern what to give up to help me draw closer to God.