“Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace." Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel!
.
.
One of my Protestant lady friends asked me "what was the thing around my neck that poked out some?" I responded, "you wear a cross because it reminds you of Christ and being a Christian? Well, I wear a brown scapular because it reminds me of Chirst and being a Christian." A simplistic response but my goal was to meet her where she was at. But what I said was the truth. The scapular is a sacramental- an object, words, etc. that points us to the divine. The scapular has certain promises associated with the devotion, but the grace of the brown scapular comes not from Our Lady of Mount Carmel but granted unto her by her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. She is the mediatrix always pointing to her Son. May Our Lady of Mount Carmel, intercede for us!
Questions about the Scapular? Please, ask! I get questions all the time.
.
.
#christian #catholic #catholiclife #grace #catholicism #romancatholic #faith #brownscapular #mariandevotion #ourlady #ourladyofmtcarmel #love #hope #feastday #projectblessed #feminine #bissisterhood #sacramental #peace #scapular #signs #heaven #jesus #mediatrix #jesuschrist
Prayer of Commendation:
"Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God the almighty Father, who created you, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who suffered for you, in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you.
Go forth, faithful Christian! May you live in peace this day, may your home be with God in Zion, with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, and all the angels and saints. . . .
May you return to [your Creator] who formed you from the dust of the earth. May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. . . .
May you see your Redeemer face to face.'"
-CCC, 1020-
.
.
This week my family and I are navigating end of life care and the dying process with my mid-90s year old Polish grandfather with Parkinson's Disease. A process with many twists and turns. As a Catholic Christain, we're blessed with a plethora of spiritual support and practical wisdom. I ran across the above "Prayer for a Person Dying" on the @usccb website. It's an excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church's section on dying, death, judgement, and eternal life.
As Christian's we're assigned the dignity of every man and woman from conception to natural death. And to bury the dead. A profound and beautiful responsibility that requires authentic compassion- a willingness to suffer with another and be vulnerable. An act of love (charity.) May God bless and keep you all!
.
.
#bissisterhood #projectblessed #life #catholiclife #catholicism #faith #hope #romancatholic #christian #death #dying #relationships #love #catechism #stthereseoflisieux #dignity #prayer #support #charity #spiritual #eternal #heaven #soul #respectlife #compassion #vulnerable #suffering #loveandresponsibility
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea! .
.
🎆🇺🇸Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸🎆
#independenceday #4thofjuly #faith #happy4th #happy4thofjuly #freedom #usa #americathebeautiful #america
"Perfect families do not exist. This must not discourage us. Quite the opposite. Love is something we learn; love is something we live; love grows as it is 'forged' by the concrete situations which each particular family experiences. Love is born and constantly develops amid lights and shadows. . . We know that mistakes, problems and conflicts are an opportunity to draw closer to others, to draw closer to God.”
-Pope Francis, Philadelphia, 2015
.
.
This photo was taken at my third nephew's baptism in a church vestibule 18 months ago. My family is imperfect. Faithful. Passionate. Joyful. Wounded. Broken. Stubborn. Intense. Fighters. Survivors. Genuine. The fire that forged our family easily could have incinerated us. By miraculous grace and tangible choices and sacrifices, our domestic church still stands. How does family life sanctify you? .
.
#BISsisterhood #projectblessed #catholiclife #catholic #faith #family #baptism #familia #life #santicty #popefrancis #love #choices #domesticchurch #grace #christian #sacrifice #familylife #auntlife #aunt #catholicwomen
