LEAVES Website for Mar-Apr 2024 Issue
Excerpted from “Leaflets” column:
To all of you, dear friends of LEAVES, I give my best greetings. I hope that the New Year started very well for you.
When I was in primary school, we had to walk about a mile and a half to go to school. Half of the road was a little, private, farm road in the woods; then we reached the main highway.
Sometimes we had heavy snowfalls in the afternoon, so my Dad would come and get me and my brothers at school with a large sled drawn by two horses. But that was just on very stormy winter days. My school teacher then would say to us: “You are fortunate to have your Dad make sure you get back home safely.’’
As these souvenirs of my Dad come back to me, I can’t help but think of another Dad who was pretty quiet and very attentive to the needs of his family. He didn’t speak much, but I think he was a man of faith and a man of prayer. Who do you think I am thinking of? Yes, I’m thinking of St. Joseph.
March is dedicated to St. Joseph whose feast day is on the 19th. At my childhood home, we usually said the rosary together as a family, shortly before bedtime. In March, my Mom would always add the Litany to St. Joseph in preparation for his feast day.
My family originally came from the province of Quebec in Canada. They usually would follow the habits they had acquired in their younger days in Canada. St. Joseph was an important saint for them. I think this comes from someone who really helped to spread the devotion to St. Joseph. His name was Brother André Bessette, a lay brother of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
Please see page 5 for more information on St. André Bessette.
In some way, I always feel that St. Joseph is really a family’s saint. He was chosen by the Lord to be the foster father of Jesus. He was humble and a man of great faith. He had hardly accepted, in a dream, the angel’s invitation to be the foster father of the Son of God, when he took Mary as his wife.
After Jesus was born, three wise men came seeking Jesus. They went to Herod and asked him: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?’’ When Herod heard this, he was troubled and wanted to find that Child himself. Not long after that, an angel told Joseph in a dream to go to Egypt with his family to be safe from Herod who wanted to get rid of the Child.
Joseph had never been to Egypt before and had no idea of how everything would go for his family. To me, this sounds so much like what a lot of refugees are going through nowadays. So many people, even in our country, have to start with hardly anything. Will they find a job? Will they be able to learn the language? Will they find a place to stay?
During this month of March let us take some time to pray to St. Joseph to strengthen our faith and help us to keep focused on the Lord who is always ready to give us a hand. Let us rely on Jesus, no matter what may come up. Let us pray for the great number of refugees who had to leave their countries because of their faith, their poverty, the lack of work, violence, etc.
May these refugees find people who are caring and ready to help them adjust to their new place.
May they find work that may help them support themselves and their families and keep them in good health. May they feel safe in their surroundings and respected as true children of God.
The last days of March remind us of Jesus, the Son of God, who came to redeem us and show us how much God loves and cares for us. He is among us to redeem us with his Passion and Resurrection, giving us new life and making us true children of God the Father.
May this time of Easter help each of you to a new beginning, a new relationship with the Lord as we renew our baptismal promises and enter into a new life of light, making us aware of Christ who shares with us his special mission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you’’(Mt 28:19-20 and Mk 16:15-16).
And so, together, we can acclaim the Lord by joyfully singing: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Which proclaims to all the world our joy and thanksgiving.
Happy Easter to all of you, dear LEAVES family! Jesus is there for you. Go to Him. Do not be afraid. He is listening to you. Talk to Him. He is risen for you. Alleluia! Alleluia!
May the Risen Lord bless you and all your loved ones. We keep you in prayer – Fr. Michael Sheehy, C.M.M.
Excerpted from “Our Family Album”:
Take a Minute
Take a minute of your time, go outside and pick a spot. Just stand there quietly.
See how many things you can find wonder in.
Look at the different leaves and see their shapes.
Look at the different flowers and the weeds.
Take a minute to look at that ugly bug. See the beauty, the wonder of its existence.
Look at all the animals, their lifestyles, shapes, colors and sizes.
Look at the birds, how they fly so gracefully and free.
Take a minute to look at the people. We are all alike, you and me, for we all want the same –
love, happiness and peace.
Now take a look at the sky and say to yourself:
I know that there really is a God because all these things had to be created by one very special
genius. It doesn’t take long. It only takes a minute.
By Charlotte Lindsay, sent in by her sister Pam D. Charlotte passed away at age 67 in her home on Easter morning. She loved everyone she met and she loved God.
St. Therese Showers
Roses on Mother’s Day
My son Joe has been going through three years of very challenging times. He lost his job during the COVID pandemic and was on unemployment for two years. Then he felt obligated to work a couple of dead-end jobs that weren’t sufficient to pay his living expenses and that were detrimental to his health.
Meanwhile, Joe’s wife of 21 years accused him of spousal abuse and left him for another man. Just when I thought Joe may have turned a corner and was getting into a better place spiritually and financially, he got a ticket for a DUI. He had to start his life all over once again.
I had been praying for Joe, but after the DUI, I made novenas to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, Ss. Therese, Jude, Joseph, Anthony, Padre Pio, John Paul II and Anthony, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As I was praying to St. Therese to send me a rose from her heavenly garden, I asked for a real rose to come my way. I usually see one somewhere or get a card or keychain with a rose on it, but I really wanted a real rose.
Mother’s Day came around and I was expecting my oldest son to visit me. When he did, he brought me a dozen roses! While I was busy finding a vase for them I turned around and saw my second son with a dozen white roses! Then there was another knock at the door and my third son, Joe, was there with a dozen peach-colored roses.
St. Therese really outdid herself with not just one rose, but with three dozen of them! Another surprising thing was that most of them lasted for two weeks! I told my son Joe that everything was going to be okay.
I promised a donation to LEAVES for prayers answered. Joe is still struggling financially and going through the legal ramifications of his DUI, but he is in a stronger place spiritually – Janet W.
Rose Petal Signals Answer
My thanks to St. Therese for answering my prayer. I had problems with my upstairs neighbors who were making so much noise, at the same time as the landlord was threatening to evict me for no reason but greed, as I have lived here for 30 years, and I am a stellar tenant.
On Valentine’s Day, I found a red rose petal on my way out of the building and I thought this must be from St. Therese, but I had no idea what it was all about. About a week later, I heard that the noisy tenants were leaving at month’s end, and there was no mention of eviction by the landlord. I assume that he must have realized that legally he could not evict me.
This was not the first time that St. Therese answered my prayer – Cynthia.
Excerpted from Blessed Engelmar Testimonies:
A Life of
Blessed Engelmar
There is now available a booklet of the life of Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. You may receive a free copy of it by sending a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
I want to thank St. Anthony for always finding my lost items and I want to thank you, Bl. Engelmar, for always answering my prayers. Thanks, also, for LEAVES magazine. I have been receiving LEAVES for 40 years. My mother also received the magazine and then sent them to me. Keep up the good work. God bless you – Bernadette D.
+ + +
Thanks to God, Jesus, Mary, Ss. Joseph, Teresa, Francis, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Martha, Rita, Anthony, Philomena, Ann, all our guardian angels, along with thanks to Fr. Engelmar and Fr. Solanus. I pray for loved ones and friends in purgatory to be released to heaven, for all the Mariannhill priests, for missionary nuns, for our bishops and cardinals. I pray for America to become more Christian. God bless – Carol W.
+ + +
I have received LEAVES magazine for at least 50 years. I read it from cover to cover and totally enjoy it. I especially enjoy reading the “Martyr of Brotherly Love: Bl. Engelmar.” He is truly a saint. I have had so many prayers answered through Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ss. Joseph, Anthony and Jude, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Fr. Flannigan. I am sending a donation for expenses. I ask for prayers for a grandson who needs guidance. God bless Mariannhill and all your work – M.A.J.
Novena in Honor of
Abbot Francis Pfanner
Abbot Francis Pfanner founded Mariannhill Monastery, and 100 years ago its monks became the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill. He was not only a great missionary, but also a holy man. The cause for his beatification has begun. We have available a novena in his honor and will send you a free copy of it when you send a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
A Prayer at Easter
Lord, you have passed over into new life, and you now invite us to pass over also. In these past days we have grieved at your suffering and mourned at your death. We have given ourselves over to repentance and prayer, to abstinence and gravity. Now at Easter you tell us that we have died to sin. Yet, if this be true, how can we remain on earth? How can we pass over to your risen life, while we are still in this world? Will we not be just as meddlesome, just as lazy, just as selfish as before? Will we not still be bad-tempered and stubborn, enmeshed in all the vices of the past? We pray that as we pass over to you, our faces will never look back. Instead, let us, like you, make heaven on earth. Amen. [Prayer attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux]
Prayer to St. Joseph
O glorious St. Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster-father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and head of the Holy Family, be the heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus.
With confidence we beg your powerful aid for the Church on earth. Shield it with paternal love, especially for the Supreme Pontiff, together with all the bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See. Be the defender of all who labor for souls.
Protect the working men and women and their families. Intercede for young people who are searching for their place in life. Be the sure refuge for all of us at the hour of death, and guide us safely into heaven.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
[The feast day of St. Joseph, Mar. 19, is a time of feasting that is shared with all, especially the poor, in celebration of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary our Blessed Mother and foster father of Jesus.]
Prayer to Mary
Undoer of Knots
Holy Mary, full of the presence of God, during your life you accepted with great humility the holy will of the Father and the legacy of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and evil never dared to entangle you with its confusion. Since then you have interceded for all of our difficulties as you did at the wedding feast of Cana. With all simplicity and with patience, you have given us an example of how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives. By being our mother forever, you arrange and make clear the path that unites us to Our Lord.
Holy Mary, Mother of God and ours, with your maternal heart, untie the knots that upset our lives. We ask you to receive into your hands (mention your prayer request here) and deliver us from the chains and confusion that restrain us.
Blessed Virgin Mary, through your grace, your intercession, and by your example, deliver us from evil and untie the knots that keep us from being united to God. So that free of all confusion and error, we may find Him in all things, keep Him in our hearts, and serve Him always in our brothers and sisters.
Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us. Amen.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me. Amen.
[Recite this prayer for nine days.]
Someone Has Written…
Someone has written these beautiful words to read and try to understand their deep meaning. They’re like a sequel to the Ten Commandments to follow in life all the time.
1. Prayer is not a “spare wheel’’ that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel’’ that directs the right path throughout.
2. A Car’s WINDSHIELD is so large and the REAR view Mirror is so small, because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.
3. Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
4. All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy them, they will not last forever. If things go wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long, either.
5. Old friends are Gold! New Friends are diamond! If you get a Diamond, don’t forget the gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax, beloved, it’s just a bend, not the end!’’
7. When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn’t solve your problems He has faith in your abilities.
8. A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?’’ He replied: “Yes, losing your vision.’
9. When you pray for others, God, listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
10. WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES, it takes away today’s PEACE.
[Author unknown]
Disbelief
By Josephine Mastrangelo Mosera
Forgive me, Father,
I cannot believe
You abandoned my Brother
when Mother’s heart was broken!
On that dark Friday,
were You parted from
Your spirit and Your Son?
Each lash of whip,
each jab of thorn,
each hammer’s blow
which sunk the nails
that pierced His flesh,
You did not feel?
Did You not answer,
because upon that cross
Your blood gushed from Jesus,
Your Spirit writhed in anguish?
Were You not, O Holy Trinity,
in Him, with Him and through Him
crucified to the tree?
The Empty Tomb
By Kathleen Fessler
Mary sat beside the tomb
crying tears of sorrow,
feeling only doom and gloom.
How could she face tomorrow?
Suddenly there was a man
standing there beside her.
She asked, “Where is the body, sir?”
thinking He’s the gardener.
He answered her in just one word,
a loving voice said, “Mary!”
He wanted her to be assured
her Lord they could not bury.
Now her sorrow turned to joy.
Her Lord, her friend was dead,
but now He is alive again.
He rose just as He said.
Penance
By Margaret Peterson
This is the season for doing penance,
For trying to improve our soul,
For caring if we yielded easily to sin
When holiness should be our goal.
No one can know how much we need it.
Christ alone has the view
From up in heaven where He reigns with the angels,
Watching and helping us too.
Excerpted from “Leaflets” column:
To all of you, dear friends of LEAVES, I give my best greetings. I hope that the New Year started very well for you.
When I was in primary school, we had to walk about a mile and a half to go to school. Half of the road was a little, private, farm road in the woods; then we reached the main highway.
Sometimes we had heavy snowfalls in the afternoon, so my Dad would come and get me and my brothers at school with a large sled drawn by two horses. But that was just on very stormy winter days. My school teacher then would say to us: “You are fortunate to have your Dad make sure you get back home safely.’’
As these souvenirs of my Dad come back to me, I can’t help but think of another Dad who was pretty quiet and very attentive to the needs of his family. He didn’t speak much, but I think he was a man of faith and a man of prayer. Who do you think I am thinking of? Yes, I’m thinking of St. Joseph.
March is dedicated to St. Joseph whose feast day is on the 19th. At my childhood home, we usually said the rosary together as a family, shortly before bedtime. In March, my Mom would always add the Litany to St. Joseph in preparation for his feast day.
My family originally came from the province of Quebec in Canada. They usually would follow the habits they had acquired in their younger days in Canada. St. Joseph was an important saint for them. I think this comes from someone who really helped to spread the devotion to St. Joseph. His name was Brother André Bessette, a lay brother of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
Please see page 5 for more information on St. André Bessette.
In some way, I always feel that St. Joseph is really a family’s saint. He was chosen by the Lord to be the foster father of Jesus. He was humble and a man of great faith. He had hardly accepted, in a dream, the angel’s invitation to be the foster father of the Son of God, when he took Mary as his wife.
After Jesus was born, three wise men came seeking Jesus. They went to Herod and asked him: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?’’ When Herod heard this, he was troubled and wanted to find that Child himself. Not long after that, an angel told Joseph in a dream to go to Egypt with his family to be safe from Herod who wanted to get rid of the Child.
Joseph had never been to Egypt before and had no idea of how everything would go for his family. To me, this sounds so much like what a lot of refugees are going through nowadays. So many people, even in our country, have to start with hardly anything. Will they find a job? Will they be able to learn the language? Will they find a place to stay?
During this month of March let us take some time to pray to St. Joseph to strengthen our faith and help us to keep focused on the Lord who is always ready to give us a hand. Let us rely on Jesus, no matter what may come up. Let us pray for the great number of refugees who had to leave their countries because of their faith, their poverty, the lack of work, violence, etc.
May these refugees find people who are caring and ready to help them adjust to their new place.
May they find work that may help them support themselves and their families and keep them in good health. May they feel safe in their surroundings and respected as true children of God.
The last days of March remind us of Jesus, the Son of God, who came to redeem us and show us how much God loves and cares for us. He is among us to redeem us with his Passion and Resurrection, giving us new life and making us true children of God the Father.
May this time of Easter help each of you to a new beginning, a new relationship with the Lord as we renew our baptismal promises and enter into a new life of light, making us aware of Christ who shares with us his special mission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you’’(Mt 28:19-20 and Mk 16:15-16).
And so, together, we can acclaim the Lord by joyfully singing: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Which proclaims to all the world our joy and thanksgiving.
Happy Easter to all of you, dear LEAVES family! Jesus is there for you. Go to Him. Do not be afraid. He is listening to you. Talk to Him. He is risen for you. Alleluia! Alleluia!
May the Risen Lord bless you and all your loved ones. We keep you in prayer – Fr. Michael Sheehy, C.M.M.
Excerpted from “Our Family Album”:
Take a Minute
Take a minute of your time, go outside and pick a spot. Just stand there quietly.
See how many things you can find wonder in.
Look at the different leaves and see their shapes.
Look at the different flowers and the weeds.
Take a minute to look at that ugly bug. See the beauty, the wonder of its existence.
Look at all the animals, their lifestyles, shapes, colors and sizes.
Look at the birds, how they fly so gracefully and free.
Take a minute to look at the people. We are all alike, you and me, for we all want the same –
love, happiness and peace.
Now take a look at the sky and say to yourself:
I know that there really is a God because all these things had to be created by one very special
genius. It doesn’t take long. It only takes a minute.
By Charlotte Lindsay, sent in by her sister Pam D. Charlotte passed away at age 67 in her home on Easter morning. She loved everyone she met and she loved God.
St. Therese Showers
Roses on Mother’s Day
My son Joe has been going through three years of very challenging times. He lost his job during the COVID pandemic and was on unemployment for two years. Then he felt obligated to work a couple of dead-end jobs that weren’t sufficient to pay his living expenses and that were detrimental to his health.
Meanwhile, Joe’s wife of 21 years accused him of spousal abuse and left him for another man. Just when I thought Joe may have turned a corner and was getting into a better place spiritually and financially, he got a ticket for a DUI. He had to start his life all over once again.
I had been praying for Joe, but after the DUI, I made novenas to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, Ss. Therese, Jude, Joseph, Anthony, Padre Pio, John Paul II and Anthony, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As I was praying to St. Therese to send me a rose from her heavenly garden, I asked for a real rose to come my way. I usually see one somewhere or get a card or keychain with a rose on it, but I really wanted a real rose.
Mother’s Day came around and I was expecting my oldest son to visit me. When he did, he brought me a dozen roses! While I was busy finding a vase for them I turned around and saw my second son with a dozen white roses! Then there was another knock at the door and my third son, Joe, was there with a dozen peach-colored roses.
St. Therese really outdid herself with not just one rose, but with three dozen of them! Another surprising thing was that most of them lasted for two weeks! I told my son Joe that everything was going to be okay.
I promised a donation to LEAVES for prayers answered. Joe is still struggling financially and going through the legal ramifications of his DUI, but he is in a stronger place spiritually – Janet W.
Rose Petal Signals Answer
My thanks to St. Therese for answering my prayer. I had problems with my upstairs neighbors who were making so much noise, at the same time as the landlord was threatening to evict me for no reason but greed, as I have lived here for 30 years, and I am a stellar tenant.
On Valentine’s Day, I found a red rose petal on my way out of the building and I thought this must be from St. Therese, but I had no idea what it was all about. About a week later, I heard that the noisy tenants were leaving at month’s end, and there was no mention of eviction by the landlord. I assume that he must have realized that legally he could not evict me.
This was not the first time that St. Therese answered my prayer – Cynthia.
Excerpted from Blessed Engelmar Testimonies:
A Life of
Blessed Engelmar
There is now available a booklet of the life of Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. You may receive a free copy of it by sending a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
I want to thank St. Anthony for always finding my lost items and I want to thank you, Bl. Engelmar, for always answering my prayers. Thanks, also, for LEAVES magazine. I have been receiving LEAVES for 40 years. My mother also received the magazine and then sent them to me. Keep up the good work. God bless you – Bernadette D.
+ + +
Thanks to God, Jesus, Mary, Ss. Joseph, Teresa, Francis, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Martha, Rita, Anthony, Philomena, Ann, all our guardian angels, along with thanks to Fr. Engelmar and Fr. Solanus. I pray for loved ones and friends in purgatory to be released to heaven, for all the Mariannhill priests, for missionary nuns, for our bishops and cardinals. I pray for America to become more Christian. God bless – Carol W.
+ + +
I have received LEAVES magazine for at least 50 years. I read it from cover to cover and totally enjoy it. I especially enjoy reading the “Martyr of Brotherly Love: Bl. Engelmar.” He is truly a saint. I have had so many prayers answered through Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ss. Joseph, Anthony and Jude, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Fr. Flannigan. I am sending a donation for expenses. I ask for prayers for a grandson who needs guidance. God bless Mariannhill and all your work – M.A.J.
Novena in Honor of
Abbot Francis Pfanner
Abbot Francis Pfanner founded Mariannhill Monastery, and 100 years ago its monks became the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill. He was not only a great missionary, but also a holy man. The cause for his beatification has begun. We have available a novena in his honor and will send you a free copy of it when you send a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
A Prayer at Easter
Lord, you have passed over into new life, and you now invite us to pass over also. In these past days we have grieved at your suffering and mourned at your death. We have given ourselves over to repentance and prayer, to abstinence and gravity. Now at Easter you tell us that we have died to sin. Yet, if this be true, how can we remain on earth? How can we pass over to your risen life, while we are still in this world? Will we not be just as meddlesome, just as lazy, just as selfish as before? Will we not still be bad-tempered and stubborn, enmeshed in all the vices of the past? We pray that as we pass over to you, our faces will never look back. Instead, let us, like you, make heaven on earth. Amen. [Prayer attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux]
Prayer to St. Joseph
O glorious St. Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster-father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and head of the Holy Family, be the heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus.
With confidence we beg your powerful aid for the Church on earth. Shield it with paternal love, especially for the Supreme Pontiff, together with all the bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See. Be the defender of all who labor for souls.
Protect the working men and women and their families. Intercede for young people who are searching for their place in life. Be the sure refuge for all of us at the hour of death, and guide us safely into heaven.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
[The feast day of St. Joseph, Mar. 19, is a time of feasting that is shared with all, especially the poor, in celebration of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary our Blessed Mother and foster father of Jesus.]
Prayer to Mary
Undoer of Knots
Holy Mary, full of the presence of God, during your life you accepted with great humility the holy will of the Father and the legacy of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and evil never dared to entangle you with its confusion. Since then you have interceded for all of our difficulties as you did at the wedding feast of Cana. With all simplicity and with patience, you have given us an example of how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives. By being our mother forever, you arrange and make clear the path that unites us to Our Lord.
Holy Mary, Mother of God and ours, with your maternal heart, untie the knots that upset our lives. We ask you to receive into your hands (mention your prayer request here) and deliver us from the chains and confusion that restrain us.
Blessed Virgin Mary, through your grace, your intercession, and by your example, deliver us from evil and untie the knots that keep us from being united to God. So that free of all confusion and error, we may find Him in all things, keep Him in our hearts, and serve Him always in our brothers and sisters.
Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us. Amen.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me. Amen.
[Recite this prayer for nine days.]
Someone Has Written…
Someone has written these beautiful words to read and try to understand their deep meaning. They’re like a sequel to the Ten Commandments to follow in life all the time.
1. Prayer is not a “spare wheel’’ that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel’’ that directs the right path throughout.
2. A Car’s WINDSHIELD is so large and the REAR view Mirror is so small, because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.
3. Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
4. All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy them, they will not last forever. If things go wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long, either.
5. Old friends are Gold! New Friends are diamond! If you get a Diamond, don’t forget the gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax, beloved, it’s just a bend, not the end!’’
7. When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn’t solve your problems He has faith in your abilities.
8. A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?’’ He replied: “Yes, losing your vision.’
9. When you pray for others, God, listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
10. WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES, it takes away today’s PEACE.
[Author unknown]
Disbelief
By Josephine Mastrangelo Mosera
Forgive me, Father,
I cannot believe
You abandoned my Brother
when Mother’s heart was broken!
On that dark Friday,
were You parted from
Your spirit and Your Son?
Each lash of whip,
each jab of thorn,
each hammer’s blow
which sunk the nails
that pierced His flesh,
You did not feel?
Did You not answer,
because upon that cross
Your blood gushed from Jesus,
Your Spirit writhed in anguish?
Were You not, O Holy Trinity,
in Him, with Him and through Him
crucified to the tree?
The Empty Tomb
By Kathleen Fessler
Mary sat beside the tomb
crying tears of sorrow,
feeling only doom and gloom.
How could she face tomorrow?
Suddenly there was a man
standing there beside her.
She asked, “Where is the body, sir?”
thinking He’s the gardener.
He answered her in just one word,
a loving voice said, “Mary!”
He wanted her to be assured
her Lord they could not bury.
Now her sorrow turned to joy.
Her Lord, her friend was dead,
but now He is alive again.
He rose just as He said.
Penance
By Margaret Peterson
This is the season for doing penance,
For trying to improve our soul,
For caring if we yielded easily to sin
When holiness should be our goal.
No one can know how much we need it.
Christ alone has the view
From up in heaven where He reigns with the angels,
Watching and helping us too.