I am the weaned child,
Upon Your knee.
Forgetful of time,
I curl Your hair about my fingers,
And tug at Your heartstrings.
My toys, the shiny objects of yesterday,
Lie by the stairs,
By which I began my ascent to You.
Comfort me.
Cuddle me.
Tickle me.
You spend Your universe,
As You had always planned,
Delighting one so small,
The least of the Children of Man.
© 2012 Joann Nelander
Words are swirling
Like leaves,
Lifted heavenward,
On bursts of emotion,
Only to settle quietly,
As the storm of love passes
Into Abiding Presence.
By Joann Nelander
Come Lord,
Feed Your Church;
It’s Sunday!
Command us,
“Rise” with You;
It’s Sunday!
Day of the Lord,
Day of Promise,
Day of supplication,
Day of fulfillment.
O Sunday!
Gathered with the Mother,
In the sunshine presence
Of celestial hosts,
Rejoicing with the Chosen,
Celebrate!
It’s Sunday.
©2012 Joann Nelander
“Who do you say I am?”
Jesus asked.
Who do you say I am?
The jars lined the walls.
Each one marked:
A weight and words,
“Products of conception.”
Parts, just parts!
Parts, just parts?
Who do you say I am?
©2012 Joann Nelander
I love waking up
In the Heart of Jesus.
Before my eyes even open
I feel You all about me.
You are looking at Me
As Mary looked on You
In slumber serene.
I am stirring.
You are smiling Your “Good morning”
I see You are not alone
I blow my heartfelt kisses
To Your happy entourage.
Heavenly family, you, too,
Welcome me to New Day.
Yes, Sweet Jesus, I am ready.
You’ve watched over me in sleep;
Now, again, I pick up my cross.
Walk the hours of today,
As Light upon my way.
By Joann Nelander
Copyright 2012
H/T Julia : Golgotha of Jasna Gora – Artist: Jerzy Duda Gracz
Here a bit more information about the images.
In the shrine at Czestochowa, upstairs from the famous icon of the Black Madonna, a 21st-century Way of the Cross reminds us that our real enemy is not the evil outside of us but the sin within us. In March 2001, the late Polish painter Jerzy Duda Gracz presented the monastery at Jasna Gora, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world, with new Stations of the Cross. Gracz named these paintings after Golgotha, the mountain where Jesus was crucified, but many of the landscapes and faces he included in them are eerily recognizable to present-day viewers.
Just in case you missed it, as I did. I heard about it after the fact and heard it was what a State of the Union Address should be.
St. Gertrude Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, I accept this sleep in the spirit of love with which Thou didst sanctify it when Thou didst deign to sleep in Thy most sacred humanity, to the glory of God the Father, and for the salvation of all mankind; beseeching that, in union with Thee, it may tend to increase in grace and glory of all Thine Elect in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory.
Amen.
ROME — Holy Father, meet my mother.
Capping a whirlwind nine-day trip with a final visit to the Vatican, Timothy Cardinal Dolan introduced his 84-year-old mom to Pope Benedict XVI yesterday — then jokingly asked the pontiff if he could make her “the first lady of the College of Cardinals.”
Amid cheers and applause, Dolan walked his mom, Shirley, up to the stage to greet his boss during a papal audience before an enthusiastic crowd inside the Paul VI Hall.
“Holy Father, here is my mom!” Dolan said he told the pope.
Unable to resist the temptation to make a joke, Dolan, 62, pointed out that he’s one of the few princes of the church young enough and lucky enough to still have his mother alive.
SPLASHNEWS.COMMAMMA MIA! Timothy Cardinal Dolan introduces his 84-year-old mother, Shirley, to Pope Benedict XVI, also 84, yesterday at the Vatican.
“I asked him if he would declare her the first lady of the College of Cardinals,” he said.
Dolan recounted that the pope, who turns 85 in April, then paid his mom the ultimate compliment, telling her, “You look too young to be the mother of a cardinal.”
The cardinal said his mom — showing that a quick wit is a family trait — shot back, “Holy Father, was that an infallible statement?”
Ya gotta love this! It will help when the world is just too much for you.
From Zoey (meaning “Life”)
“Joanna,
Overall I don’t support abortion and I understand what you are saying but I still think that there should be exceptions. There are a lot of children under the age of 12 that have given birth so it’s not a rare situation. In some instances both the mother and the baby died in childbirth. It is not God’s will for a young lady to end up pregnant and then for her and her baby to die in the process. A woman’s body is not physically prepared to deliver a child until the age of 18. It is not rare anymore for a small child to end up pregnant. I don’t believe that its ever God’s will for a child to be pregnant. A lot of people don’t have health insurance and it costs $10,000 to give birth in a hospital. We live in a very fortunate country where pregnancy centers take in young women with a baby on the way and no place to go but other countries don’t. Think of a young child in India or Mexico that has gotten raped, ended up pregnant and doesn’t have any means to take care of the child and no one to help her. Think of all the children that can’t afford to go to a hospital. If there are any problems whatsoever and they can’t deliver the baby naturally, both the mother and the baby die. Other countries don’t have non-profit charities and involved churches or pregnancy hot lines, help centers and women’s shelters. In poorer places both the mother and the child end up homeless, or dead. Just because we have the technology to ensure a proper birthing process doesn’t mean that everyone can afford it. I’m a Catholic, I don’t support abortion, I was in danger of abortion myself, my first name is the Greek word for LIFE and my grandmother gave birth to 15 children, and only 10 survived. And even *I* can make some exceptions for those that really need it.”
Joanna to Zoey:
Dear Zoey (meaning “life”),
You say “I’m a Catholic, I don’t support abortion.” What does that actually mean if you then turn around and become you own Magisterium with your statement, “And even *I* can make some exceptions for those that really need it.”
God loves and values the life of each individual regardless of circumstance and without discriminating on the basis of age or social situation. You seem to place a greater value on lives because of perceived need, (i.e. pregnant 12-year-old) but would abort the life of the even more vulnerable 12 week old living in the womb. Do you really think abortion doesn’t severely scar at any age ( emotionally, physically or spiritually?) Invading the womb with death is more than a moral intrusion. Abortion is a token band-aid. Allowing abortion has led to tolerance and acceptance in our broken society, so that now it is an over-the-counter/vending machine “choice” with no one the wiser. Intrinsic evil is never morally okay. One in four women in our country has had an abortion , and I’m guessing, they weren’t pregnant 12 year olds. A sin like rape or incest is also not justification for another sin, murder. The perpetrator of the killing being a man or woman with an MD after their name doesn’t make it less deadly, nor that fact that the media or law makers gives it the Good Housekeeping seal of approval.
The following is a list of useful abortion statistics as well as some facts on abortifacients. All abortion numbers are derived from pro-abortion sources courtesy of The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood’s Family Planning Perspectives.Click here for the Guttmacher Institute’s latest fact sheet on abortion.WORLDWIDENumber of abortions per year: Approximately 42 Million
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 115,000Where abortions occur:
83% of all abortions are obtained in developing countries and 17% occur in developed countries.© Copyright 1996-2008, The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (www.agi-usa.org)
UNITED STATES
Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700Who’s having abortions (age)?
52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%.Who’s having abortions (race)?
While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely.Who’s having abortions (marital status)?
64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%.Who’s having abortions (religion)?
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as “Born-again/Evangelical”.Who’s having abortions (income)?
Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions; Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%; Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%; Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%.Why women have abortions
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).At what gestational ages are abortions performed:
52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy.Likelihood of abortion:
An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion.Abortion coverage:
48% of all abortion facilities provide services after the 12th week of pregnancy. 9 in 10 managed care plans routinely cover abortion or provide limited coverage. About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds, virtually all of which are state funds. 16 states (CA, CT, HI, ED, IL, MA , MD, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA and WV) pay for abortions for some poor women.© Copyright 1998, The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (www.agi-usa.org)
© Copyright 1997, The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (www.agi-usa.org)
© Copyright 1995, Family Planning Perspectives
© Copyright 1988, Family Planning Perspectives
While bicycling, I came upon this tree.
I was stopped in my tracks by what I saw.
On my next ride , I took this photograph.
What, if anything other than a tree, do you see?
Lift me to Your shoulder;
Carry me, henceforth.
I can see all things in a new way,
From my throne above the world.
Your Shepherd’s crook in view,
A sign of assurance,
Calming the sea, defeating the flesh,
Vanquishing the Foe.
Perched in Paradise,
I ride above the storm.
Battles won by stillness,
Flames quenched by Water from the Rock.
Carrying the one You love,
Bearing Your burden,
Loving Your labor,
Loving me.
I see the wound of Your Cross.
I see Blood,and Bone,
And I see me,
Carved in flesh,
As you carry me,
Onward and upward,
Onto greater heights.
© 2012 Joann Nelander
One of the great ironies of we Christians who struggle with our sense of identity in life is that, in Christ, we already posses everything we so desperately long for and crave. Because we are prone to forget constantly, we need to be reminded daily. Paul reminds the Ephesians, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with…
Where on this Earth has Jesus passed
That flowers failed to bloom?
What on Earth has Jesus passed,
That succumbed to Adam’s doom.
When on this sad Earth,
Did Jesus pass and desert’s dust remain?
Only if our fallen wills prevail,
Can Jesus come in vain.When Jesus passed,
Did flowers bloom and birds begin to sing?
When Jesus passed,
Did children run to jump into his arms?
When Jesus passed,
Did fallen men find strength to rise again?
When Jesus passed,
And left this world, once worst for Adam’s Sin,
Did Gates fling wide at Sin’s stemmed tide,
And Paradise begin again?© 2010 Joann Nelander
From the Catecheses by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop
Even in time of persecution let the cross be your joy
The Catholic Church glories in every deed of Christ. Her supreme glory, however, is the cross. Well aware of this, Paul says: God forbid that I glory in anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
At Siloam, there was a sense of wonder, and rightly so.
Aurora 2012 from Christian Mülhauser on Vimeo.
Accuse me not,
But stand before me,
And claim me
As Your own.
Defend me from the Accuser of Men,
By covering me with Your mantle.
The blows I do deserve
Fall on the Son,
Who loves and protects me,
Possessing me as HIs own,
Directing me along the right path,
Walking before me with Shepherd’s staff,
As I learn to recognize His Voice,
And perceive the subtleties of Spirit.
Seeing You step out of the Fire,
And stand as fortress before me,
Naming me and protecting me.
I am finally possessed,
Claimed by Love,
In my un-loveliness.
I let down my guard,
Allowing embattled walls to fall at Your feet,
To rise again as bulwarks of Faith,
Against the Foe.
Succor,
Salvation,
and Sanctity,
Are now my lot,
And You, O Lord,
My own and All.
©2012 Joann Nelander
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