Behold

Agnus Dei, Francisco de Zuburán, 1635-40

Readings for Good Friday of the Lord's Passion

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041417.cfm

Christ Crucified, Diego Velázquez, 1632

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Boxador

a.k.a. Luka's First Pup Portrait

And the real (even more beautiful) Luka, our new Boxer/Lab mix fur boy, when we brought him home at 10 weeks:

and at 17 and, yesterday, 18 weeks:

Thank you, Lord, for our wonderful new family member.

Glory to the Newborn King

Hark, the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

The Birth of the Word Made Flesh

Krisi Keley, Nov 2016

Link to a beautiful reflection by Robert Royal: https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2016/12/24/words-and-the-word/

A beautiful and blessed Christmas to all!

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Remembrance

Link to a short history of Our Lady of Guadalupe: http://www.catholic.org/about/guadalupe.php

My deep gratitude for your answer to my prayers, Our Lady, and thank you for taking one of your suffering children into your comforting arms on your feast day to guide him home to your Son.

In Memoriam

Patrick Joseph Roach

13 September 1934-12 December 2015

We miss you so much, Dad. All our love.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: Chaire, Kecharitomene

Chaire Kecharitomene, Krisi Keley, 2016 (after the style of the Esquilache Immaculate Conception by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo)

Luke 1:26-34: And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.
Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said to her; Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of his kingdom there shall be no end.
And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

(The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims Version, 2000: Tan Books)

Some links to articles about the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the biblical significance of St. Gabriel's unique greeting, Chaire, Kecharitomene (Hail, Full of Grace):

https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/marya2.htm

http://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=50095

http://kecharitomene.com/

As someone who studied languages and linguistics and who loves words, for me these articles were fascinating in and of themselves, but also, for a reflection on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), is to note not only the significance in the uniqueness of the words in St. Gabriel's salutation, Hail, Full of Grace, but the way in which Mary received this greeting. Namely, that even before God's angel delivered the, seemingly, more astonishing news that she, a virgin, would bear the Son of the Most High, and without having known man (for no word shall be impossible with God), Mary was already troubled by the words of the greeting itself and over what such an extraordinary salutation might mean.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

A blessing filled feast of the Immaculate Conception to all.

A Blessed Thanksgiving

I have much to be grateful for this year, more than can be summed up in a blog post. However, though it can't convey the extent of my gratitude, I would feel remiss not to share my profound thanks for the incredible kindness and generosity of family and friends. Though I don't thank them by name here, for the sake of their privacy, I pray they know who they are, how deep my appreciation, and how much they mean to me. And, above all, my gratitude to the Lord God and His blessed Mother, for giving me the gift of these people in my life, for saving my brother and myself from a truly dire situation, for boundless comfort and strength during a period of deep grief, fear and stress and for countless other blessings this year. No words can express the depth of my thanks. Nonetheless:

Almighty Father,

You are lavish in bestowing all Your gifts,

and we give You thanks for the favors You have given to us.

In Your goodness,

You have favored us and kept us safe in the past.

We ask that you continue to protect us 

and shelter us in the shadow of your wings.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(Prayer of Thanksgiving, Companion Prayers, from the Companions of St. Anthony, Ellicott City, MD)

Wishing all a beautiful Thanksgiving, filled with love, joy and God's bountiful blessings.

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Today's Mass Readings from USCCB:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112016.cfm

Novena Prayers to Christ the King:

http://www.catholictradition.org/Christ/cking-feast4.htm