We have had some "weird and wacko" weather here the last couple of days but in some ways I am awed by this weather. Severe thunderstorms passed through our area yesterday and I was looking through the slider door watching them pass through our area . The cloud, called a shelf cloud, rolling in was beautiful and this type of cloud really DOES look like a shelf! It was beautiful and awe inspiring. I didn't think to take a picture but here is a site which gives a glimpse of the beauty of these types of clouds. These shelf clouds are usually not associated with tornadoes, or so I am told. Even lightning displays are beautiful viewed from the safety of one's home! Awe inspiring! Our temperature dropped from 90 degrees to 69 in less than an hour. (And that REALLY made me smile because you could cut the humidity with a knife before the storm.)
On Tuesday, I spent a good part of the day with my sister. We visited a shrine in Massachusetts, went to the book/gift shop located there and bought a number of items. There was even a priest in the shop so we were able to get these items blessed immediately. I was thankful for that because sometimes it is tough to find a priest available to bless rosaries, crosses and the like. I bought a few books and filled my Holy Water container before we left. I always keep Holy Water in my house and I use it often.
We enjoyed lunch together after our visit to the shrine. After I went home, I reflected on the tremendous gift which God has given to me in having such a close family. I love my brothers and sisters dearly and I thank God for them each and every day. They are very special people.
God is good.
Stormy weather always reminds me of God's power. It can be beautiful and scary at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got the chance to visit a shrine with your sister and get religious items. Our priest blesses items once a month after a Sunday Mass. Maybe you could get your pastor to do the same. Something simple like that might inspire other parishioners to participate. The catechist in me sees an opportunity to explain why we have things like Holy Water, rosaries, holy cards, statues, etc.
Barb,
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I spent both felt like we got a lot accomplished :) A good feeling!
The Pastor of my Church is very ill and I don't know what's going to happen - we have another priest temporarily managing the Parish but I have not met him personally yet. It would be nice to have a day once a month to get things blessed and maybe once I get to know the new priest I can suggest it. Thanks for the idea.
Colleen,
ReplyDeleteYeah, that blog monster has been up to no good lately - the same thing happened to me after I tried to post a comment on Barb's site and it was a long comment! I hate losing the long ones!
I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. I really need to take more pictures with my own camera but I'm not a very good photographer so I have to rely on those who are!
Which shrine, Mary? If it's the one in Holliston, I believe the Shrine Director there can read hearts in the Confessional. It'd be worth trying to be there for Confession sometime just to go to him. :-)
ReplyDeleteJane,
ReplyDeleteWe went to St. Joseph Shrine in Lowell. I have been to the one in Holliston but I didn't realize that the Director could read hearts. Thanks for the info! And yes, it would be worth it :)
Mary - I'm glad you are holding up well in this crazy weather!
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you - what do you keep your holy water in in your home?
God Bless you.
I keep it in a plastic container that I bought that says, "Holy Water" :) Some people keep it in those little fonts that you can hang anywhere, they kind of look like little miniatures of the types they have in Churches. Many Catholic stores sell these little Holy Water containers and you can find them online, too. I keep my Holy Water next to my Sacred Heart Statue and some blessed candles I have.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you, Michael :)
Hi Mary, We've had some wild weather, too, and you do really know that God is Lord when the heavens open up so dramatically, don't you? The photos are amazing:)
ReplyDeleteOur priest blesses holy items, on the spot, when we ask him - do you have a formal blessing ceremony where you are or are there just a lot more people using blessed items, do you think?
We have a holy water font, too, which we use as we leave the house - ours is a beautiful white font shaped as a hand holding a little child:)
God bless you, Mary:)
Hi Vicky,
ReplyDeleteYes, it's awe inspiring, as long as there are no tornadoes :)
The Pastor of our church will bless holy items after Mass and I can bring them over to the rectory if I need to but I find that if I can have them blessed right on the spot after they are purchased it's a lot easier. We don't have a formal blessing ceremony that I know of and, yes, I think more people are using blessed items lately (or it seems this way) which is good. I like the sound of your Holy Water font, this is probably something we should do too. God bless you, too, Vicky :)
I am glad that you are not close to the tornado that hit Springfield. We certainly have been having some wacky weather. I live on the seacoast of NH and if you could would you share what shrine you went to. I am interested in perhaps visiting if it is not to far away.
ReplyDeleteHi hip-chick,
ReplyDeleteThe Shrine I went to is called The Shrine of St. Joseph the Worker and is on Lee St. in Lowell, Massachusetts. This is an inner city shrine and has a church, store, and a small museum. I go to this one because it's fairly close but it's not very big and doesn't have any grounds, outdoor rosaries, or grottoes. They have daily Mass at noon and hear confessions every day for a couple of hours before Mass, which I like. My favorite shrines are the LaSallette Shrine in Enfield, NH. , the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston, Mass., The LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro, Mass and the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass.
A great one to visit is the one in Holliston - it has the world's largest outdoor Rosary. It's huge! I'm not sure how far these would be for you but they are well worth the trip if you get a chance to go.
Hi Mary, the weather has been wild and wacky this past Spring. We had really hot and humid weather last week and now it's mild and cool. Not warm enough for swimming but pleasant to be outdoors. I think the adults prefer this more than the children!
ReplyDeleteI too, keep holy water in my house and have brought it out a number of times to an abortion clinic. My son has a doctor in the same office complex as a OB GYN who does abortions and we will make the sign of the cross on the iron gate door of the abortion clinic and pray before going to my son's appt.
God Bless!
I can't prove the shrine director in Holliston can read hearts, of course, but he's done something close to that with me, and people will wait extra in line to go to him instead of the other priest who hears Confessions (and I've gone to that other gentleman too. He's awesome, no reason you'd avoid him) so I suspect other people think the same thing.
ReplyDelete