Mr. Moose, Mr. Aardvark, and Miss Bear will join them in spirit, as they are obligated to tend to their respective vehicles.
Mr. Hedgehog, in the foreground below, mentioned to me that they will be observing a strict fast while on retreat. When I mentioned to him that stuffed animals do not normally eat, he said, "perhaps we should make some other sort of sacrifice. I hadn't thought of that before now."
In order to raise the bar of my posts, I must resort to plagiarism. Here are two quotes from reading I have done recently. Well, one my wife read to me:
On the Priesthood:
"A quarter century of priesthood means consecrating and absolving for a quarter century, that is to say, celebrating over nine thousand Masses and forgiving thousands of faithful.
"In addition, it means sowing the word of God, both in church and in private conversation with souls, preparing them for that last walk into eternity. All this exemplifies how much is involved in parochial work… How great the result each of us knows. Simply tremendous!
"How many souls, thanks to priestly zeal, have approached God and been saved! How many souls in Heaven will testify about those who helped them reach their final destination! Such persons will enjoy an immense gratitude, and a love so much the greater as their sacrifice was greater.
"A quarter century is a period during which a priest accomplishes very much for the salvation of souls. St. Augustine said: if you save a soul, you ewill be assured of salvation. What should be said of him who has saved countless souls."
- St. Maximilian Kolbe, from a discourse delivered during the celebration of a priest’s 25th anniversary of ordination, September 4, 1939.
From For the Life of the World: St. Maximilian and the Eucharist by Fr. Jerzy M. Domanski, O.F.M. Conv.
Priests need our prayers and sacrifices as well, for the devil would love to see them fail. Please offer some prayers for the priest who celebrates your Mass. I always think of my brother's ordination, when the newly ordained priests are prayed over by the bishop and the other priests at the ordination. To see some of the old, lame, grizzled looking priests there is quite a stirring moment.
Another argument against television:
"The familiar faces of my books welcomed me. I threw myself into my reading chair and gazed around me with pleasure. All my old friends present – there in spirit, ready to talk with me any moment when I was in the mood, making no claim upon my attention when I was not."
- George MacDonald
Found in Homeschooling with Gentleness: A Catholic Discovers Unschooling by Suzie Andres
I like how books do not bother us, clamoring for our attention as the television did. One of my first blogs was on this subject, and how we have lived without a TV now for almost 12 years. Trashing our TV took years to do, and the last straw was Lent, or rather Easter, when we started watching it again. It did not take long before we realized we were better off without it.
Another shot of the animals processing into the box. It looks more like a mad rush for the door than a solemn procession.
Pray for the Poor Souls
In particular a man named Michael, who died four years ago today.
Cat Update:
Assuming that you care, there are only three cats left from this picture taken in December. While we were on pilgrimage, one of the orange cats left, as did the multi-colored one. The gray one developed a love for automobiles, which ended when the cat decided to bail out of the engine compartment while the car was moving. The black cat and one of the orange ones remain, along with the mother of the orange cat and the cat I call 'Homewrecker.' I could blog on these creatures all day - but I won't because of my allergies to cats.
Stewbean Update:
This manatee("Call me Ekyu, Ekyu Manatee") showed up on Friday night, late, saying he had information about the Water Strider. He was exhausted, and was given a place to sleep and all the spinach we could buy at the grocery store. Apparently spinach is not as close to seaweed as we thought, and now he is sick and unable to talk. We hope to get some information out of him after he recovers, if he recovers.
1 comment:
I never quite thought about all the work a priest has done after 25 years! Wow! It really adds up. Putting it into THAT perspective, I see the need that they have for our prayers!
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