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The Heart of Jesus never ceases to love us in heaven. He sanctifies us through the Sacraments. These are inexhaustible fountains of grace and holiness which have their source in the boundless ocean of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Poor Clare Colettine’s TMD ~ Feast of St. Barbara

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Dear Little hearts,

Tomorrow is the feast of Saint Barbara, please join us, we do this every year!!!! and its something the children young and old will enjoy too!!!!

A blessed Advent, with love

Feast of Saint Barbara December 4th

The Feast of Saint Barbara falls on December 4th, during the first week of Advent. The day before her feast we collect bunches of suitable twigs/branches from various trees and bushes, namely, Pear, Apple, Chestnut, Poplar, Birch, Forsythia etc, bind 4 -5 branches together and place in individual jam jars filled with water. These so called, “Barbara branches” are distributed the following day on her feast, after the Legend of Saint Barbara has been read.If the twigs are placed in a warm room, everyone hopes that, her branches will the the first to burst into leaf on Christmas day, thus celebrating the birthday of life, Jesus Christ our Saviour.Children of all ages would enjoy this, and it is another good object lesson of having to wait patiently until its, “Time has come”…….until the branches burst into leaf and life. Perhaps you would like to read the legend of Saint Barbara, celebrate this feast as a family or within a prayer group context, or even just with a friend.


The Legend of Saint Barbara
A long, long time ago in Syria there lived a rich merchant who had a very beautiful daughter called Barbara. The Merchants name was Diokurus. He lived alone in a magnificent house with his daughter. He was fiercely protective and possessive of his daughter Barbara, and no one was allowed to speak to her, communicate with her, without his prior permission. He organised her meal times, her daily life, and bought all her clothing.
One day he made it known that he had to go on a long business journey, and as he was wont to do, in his absence Barbara was led and bidden to exist in a very great tower, her accommodation was on the very top floor, only Barbara and Diokurus possessed a key for the tower.
The room had two windows out of which Barbara could contemplate the view. “Barbara”, he said, ” This time I will be away longer than usual, but you will be quite safe, time will pass and I will bring you something back from my travels which will bring you joy for the rest of your life.” “What is it Father?”, enquired Barbara. But Diokurus only laughed.

But as it so happened one day, Barbara heard the good News of Christ Jesus being preached in the market place below, she quickly learnt of the birth of Jesus, his wonders, his suffering , death and his return to his Father in heaven. Barbara was secretly baptised into the Christian faith. And because she always wanted to have the Holy Trinity before her eyes, she had an additional window set in her flat at the top of the tower. So that whenever the light broke through the window she gave praise and thanks to the Trinity.
After some time her father returned from his journey, and on seeing the alterations and the addition of the third window his face fell, who had been in the tower in his absence and what was the meaning of the third window? Diokurus was furious when he heard that Barbara was a Christian and adoring the Blessed Trinity. He fell into a rage and commanded her to end such nonsense and that she was to marry the suitor that he had brought back with him, and with that he locked the door, imprisoning her in the tower.
Diokurus thought quite wrongly that his beautiful daughter would change her mind, but Barbara remained fast in her choice. For four weeks her father held her a prisoner in the tower allowing her only bread and water, demanding that she abandon Christ and promising her all the riches and blessings of the world. Barbara refused.
Outraged the father had Barbara thrown into prison, he handed her over into the power of the executioner. The Executioner tried with sweet words of persuasion to win Barbara back to her fathers will, but she would not yield.One day within the precincts of the prison, Barbara’s dress became entangled around a little pear tree and a small twig caught in her dress, on returning to her cell, she placed the twig in a container of water, then after some days the twig developed buds, and a little longer still, it blossomed. Barbara was overjoyed she clasped the twig in her hands and exclaimed, “I thought you were a dead twig, but out of your wood new life has sprung.”
On this very day, Barbara was dragged out by the executioner and beheaded by the sword. We know in faith that the appearance and the reality were something different, she appeared dead, but in reality her soul had flown before the throne of God, for she had been faithful to Christ until the end.
So make plans now, locate the trees from which you will be able to obtain your branches, and share this beautiful feast with us all.

Catherine Laboure and My Story of Healing

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Saint Catherine Laboure is remembered on various calendars, the old calendar of the Church was remembered on November 25, and the new calendar she is celebrated on November 28th. No matter what day she is remembered, we should never forget the vision she was given of Our Lady and the Miraculous Medal. This medal can be a treasure to help you in moments of struggle for we are to wear this medal with faith, and also a heart of prayer. My thoughts of St. Catherine Laboure, bring me a sence of joy as she has become someone very close to my heart. As Saint Catherine received the vision of the Miraculous Medal, which is powerful and miraculous as I can personally attest to.
Why is she so special to me you ask?
Well I’ll tell you, three years ago on this Thanksgiving day, November 27, which is also a day in memory of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. I experienced a healing which I will never forget! For about one month I endured an episode which took half of my vision. My left eye wondered away from focus, so in that sense all I was seeing was double vision. I wondered throughout my home and life with one good eye and a pirates patch over the other. I had to rely on everyone for help, as I was unable to drive myself anywhere. This was a challenge for such an independent soul.

I had many people praying for me (whom I thank so very much still) and with each new day, I kept hearing a prompting from the Lord to begin a Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, which I continued until the day I was healed, November 27, 2005. This event would change my whole life as well as my husband’s, as he was the one that told me that my eye was back and focused… this was our personal miracle as he was by my side each day supporting me in my struggle.
As I was prompted to pray this novena a few years ago, I am now feeling that same prompting to share this story with you all. I must tell you in the grief of loosing your physical vision, the worst possible thing that can ever happen to a soul is loosing the vision of faith, hope and love. No, matter what you may be struggling with today, please give thanks to the Lord and seek Him in every way possible. As I struggled through this time and continued to pray, the Lord showed me through prayer and silence that He would use everything for His good! and He has and still is today.

This experience has taught me that God himself has a vision for each one of us, for He loves us as individuals. You are precious in His sight! Never forget that!!! He did not lie to me, his gift to me was to restore my sight on the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. I continue to praise Him for this gift and I feel this is also a gift that I must share with you all. Please continue to seek the Lord, even if life seems dry and barren. This is when He is closest to you! Remember in your sufferings, you are not alone!!!
If any of you have a personal story to share with us about the Miraculous Medal, please feel free to share it with us in the comments section of this post. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please continue to place your trust in Him who is our all! I feel this event is what has truly brought the vision of Hannah’s Tears, for the Lord has a plan in each of our lives, and it is unfolding with each new day. Remember the power of prayer works wonders!!!
God bless you,
Hannah’s Tears

Intercessor and Founder

Happy Thanksgiving!

O Mary Conceived Without Sin Pray for Us Who Have Recourse to Thee.
Meditations:
The Miraculous Medal shows Mary with arms outstretched and open. In many ways this image shows what Mary said to the Angel Gabriel – “Behold the handmaid of the Lord”. This could be another image of her great openness to God, her great “Fiat” – “Let it be done to me according to your word.”
Prayer of St. Catherine Laboure

Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to him “Lord, I am here. Tell me what you would have me do.”

If he gives me some task, I am content and I thank him. If he gives me nothing, I still thank him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart.
I tell him about my pains and my joys,and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach him plainly and simply.

Feast of Christ the King ~ message from the Poor Clare TMD

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Dear Little hearts,

Happy Feast of Christ the King!!!! I just want to share wwith you a much loved favourite for many many years the imagery is superb! Have a blessed day, with love!

Te Deum
Great God of my life, I will praise Thee on the three shores of Thy one light.
I will plunge with my song into the sea of Thy glory:
with rejoicing into the waves of Thy power.
Golden God of thy stars, loud God of Thy storms, flaming
God of Thy fire-spewing mountains,
God of Thy streams and of thy seas, God of all beasts, God of all the cornfields and of wild roses,
I thank Thee for having awakened us, Lord, I thank Thee to the choirs of Thine angels.
Be praised for all that lives.
God of thy Son, great God of Thine eternal compassion, great God of thine erring humanity,
God of all them who suffer, God of all them who die,
brotherly God on our dark spoor:
I thank Thee that Thou hast delivered us, I thank Thee to the choirs of thine angels.
Be praised for our blessedness!
God of Thine own Spirit, flooding in Thy depths from love to love,
Seething down into my soul,
Rushing through all my chambers, bringing fire to every heart,
Holy Creator of thy new earth:
I thank Thee that I may thank Thee, Lord, I thank Thee to the choirs of Thine angels.
God of my psalms, God of my harps, God of my organs, and of my mighty music,
I will sing Thy praises on the three shores to Thy One Light.
I will plunge with my song into the sea of Thy glory:
with shouts of joy into the waves of Thy power.
Gertrude von le Fort, Hymns to the Church

A commentary of Saint Augustine on Psalm 32

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Sing to God with songs of joy

Praise the Lord with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song. Rid yourself of what is old and worn out, for you know a new song. A new man, a new covenant; a new song. This new song does not belong to the old man. Only the new man learns it: the man restored from his fallen condition through the grace of God, and now sharing in the new covenant, that is, the kingdom of heaven. To it all our love now aspires and sings a new song. Let us sing a new song not with our lips but with our lives.

Sing to him a new song, sing to him with joyful melody. Every one of us tries to discover how to sing to God. You must sing to him, but you must sing well. He does not want your voice to come harshly to his ears, so sing well, brothers!
If you were asked, “Sing to please this musician,” you would not like to do so without having taken some instruction in music, because you would not like to offend an expert in the art. An untrained listener does not notice the faults a musician would point out to you. Who, then, will offer to sing well for God, the great artist whose discrimination is faultless, whose attention is on the minutest detail, whose ear nothing escapes? When will you be able to offer him a perfect performance that you will in no way displease such a supremely discerning listener?
See how he himself provides you with a way of singing. Do not search for words, as if you could find a lyric which would give God pleasure. Sing to him “with songs of joy.” This is singing well to God, just singing with songs of joy.
But how is this done? You must first understand that words cannot express the things that are sung by the heart. Take the case of people singing while harvesting in the fields or in the vineyards or when any other strenuous work is in progress. Although they begin by giving expression to their happiness insung words, yet shortly there is a change. As if so happy that words can no longer express what they feel, they discard the restricting syllables. They burst out into a simple sound of joy, of jubilation. Such a cry of joy is a sound signifying that the heart is bringing to birth what it cannot utter in words.
Now, who is more worthy of such a cry of jubilation than God himself, whom all words fail to describe? If words will not serve, and yet you must not remain silent, what else can you do but cry out for joy? Your heart must rejoice beyond words, soaring into an immensity of gladness, unrestrained by syllabic bonds. Sing to him with songs of joy.

~ Saint Cecilia ~

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Prayer to St. Cecilia
St. Cecilia, glorious Virgin and Martyr of Jesus Christ, I admire the courage with which you professed your faith in the face of severe persecution, and the generous love with which you offered your life in witness to your belief in the Blessed Trinity. I thank God with you for the wonderful graces He had bestowed upon you to make your life holy and pleasing to Him even in the midst of the wealth that was yours. I thank Him for the privilege offered to you of receiving the glorious crown of martyrdom. Saint Cecilia, I also admire the purity of love that bound you to the Savior, which was greater in your eyes than any human affection, so that you declared yourself before the enemies of the Church, “I am the bride of my Lord Jesus Christ”. Pray for me that in imitation of you I may keep my body pure and my soul holy, and that I may love Jesus with all my heart.
In these times so full of pleasure seeking and so lacking in faith, teach us to profess our faith courageously and to be willing to sacrifice ourselves in practicing it, so that our good example may lead others closer to Christ and the Church He as founded.
In thanksgiving to God for the graces he bestowed on St Cecilia: Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be. St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr of Jesus Christ, pray for us. Amen.

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Happy feast day to all who have Saint Cecilia as their patron saint in this life, may the music of heaven fill your hearts today and always.

If anyone has a beautiful link to share with us, please feel free to attach them.