A time of Visitation

By Caroline

The Good Shepherd, Ravenna Mausoleums (Wikimedia Commons)

Besides you know the time has come; the moment is here for you to stop sleeping and wake up,
because by now our salvation is nearer than when we first began to believe.
–Romans 13:11

Maybe it’s the season for angels. I don’t know.

I usually don’t have time to stop in the hospital chapel after my visits, but today was different. Today I sensed something in my spirit, something palpable, but hard to put in words; that still small voice gnawing at my soul, vying for my my attention, which for several hours had been preoccupied with the stories of God’s dear people. They, who are worn down with the afflictions of physical suffering are many times over my greatest teachers.

But today, I somehow knew I was not to pass up a visit to the chapel.

With each passing week, I’ve noticed in many patients another sort of fatigue has set in and it has nothing to do with their bodies..It’s as if through them, the Lord is trying to tell me something; they whose suffering leaves nothing to the imagination, yet whose smiles make room for me to sit– though their hospital gowns barely cover them– and nurses intrude on their tears as they bare to me the spiritual wounds of their heart. In almost every patient I’ve recently seen they are crying as if in imitation of Christ, not for themselves, but for us as a country and people who are turning away from the day of the Lord’s visitation.


Continue reading at Caroline's blog Bell of the Wanderer.

The man with the black fedora

 By Caroline

Cross in a Blizzard by Chelmonski
(Wikimedia Commons)

And Uncle Sal’s Donuts.

No, I haven’t lost it..not yet anyways. Actually, I was on my rosary walk when the enemy tempted me with my old foe…

fear

Down that spiral I started, asking the Lord how He planned on dealing with a few issues for which I can’t seem to see any resolution.
I got distracted in prayer and then quiet before the Lord when that still small voice broke into my silent anxiety.

Do you remember the man with the black fedora and Uncle Sal’s donuts?
Of course I remember, Lord.

Slowly, I recounted the adventure from long ago. It was a high school ski weekend with the local recreation center–before the days of Doppler radar and cell phones. My best friend Kate and I were were seated at the back of the old school bus without a care in the world talking about boys, the nuns, oblivious to how long the trip upstate would take. We’d done this together before, but we’d never had an adventure like the one we were about to have that weekend.


Continue reading at Caroline's blog Bell of the Wanderer.

Do you know the name of your guardian angel?

By Nancy Ward

Guardian Angel by Domeenchino (Wikimedia Commons).

Years ago a Bible study friend of mine talked about going shopping with Lenore. Who was Lenore? Her guardian angel. How did she know her name? She asked her.

So I began to ask my guardian angel what her name was. After several years with no results, I started calling her Grace. If she didn’t like that name, she could tell me what to call her.

Months went by with Grace and I doing things together. Mostly I called on her because of electrical storms, traffic jams or nightmares. Sometimes I remembered her when I was joyful. She watched over me when I slept.

As I recuperated from injuries from a traffic accident, I couldn’t fulfill my responsibilities and I needed her. Early one morning after a difficult night, I tried to put myself in the presence of God by surrendering all my concerns, my pain, my unachieved goals and desires. In my weakness, the Holy Spirit gave me many graces. I received insights about several ministry projects, including new ways to use our website for evangelism. I sought guidance on a manuscript about joy that I was writing, but nothing came about that. While I was in this listening position that God sometimes puts me in, I heard distinctly in my mind, “Her name is Joy.” I hadn’t even asked!


Continue reading at Nancy's blog  JOY Alive in Our Hearts. 

I need angels in autumn

By Daria Sockey

St. Michael by Fra Angelico
 (phto credit: Wikimedia Commons).

September 29th thru October 7th is one of my favorite stretches of the entire year. On the natural level, the fall foliage is approaching its peak. Just walking the dog or driving out to buy milk becomes an exercise in joy, as sky and trees compete with one another to astound us mortals with their beauty. Liturgically, we get a string of beloved feasts: The Holy Archangels, St. Therese, The Holy Guardian Angels, St. Francis of Assisi, and Our Lady of the Rosary.

The only downside to this time of year is something I call on both my Guardian Angel and St. Francis to assist me with. Anyone who drives through the farms, meadows and forests of northwest Pennsylvania these next ten weeks runs a huge risk of hitting a deer. It's mating season among our hoofed and antlered furry friends. The boys are (literally)  chasing the girls, and no one is watching where they are going. True, deer never pay much attention to cars in the best of times, but they are twice as careless in the autumn. The roadside body count goes up dramatically this time of year. Along with insurance claims.
 
Continue reading at Daria's blog Coffee and Canticles.