Beautifully written Sarah. I lost my mother April 4th, 1991 at the age of 62. She was raised Catholic but stopped going to Mass when I was very young. During her final months of suffering from ovarian cancer I would sit and say a rosary at her bedside. Not long before she died she asked me to have the priest from their local parish come by to administer the Anointing of the Sick to her. It was a very special moment for her and for me.
I'm sure your mother is very proud of the woman you have become and your love of the Church and our beautiful faith. I wish you a very blessed Holy Week and Easter season.
I think my Easters will hit me a bit harder from now on, as well. I'm finally being Confirmed into the Church this weekend. My mother will not be here to see. I'm sure she'll 'know' from her place in Purgatory or Heaven... but it's not quite the same.
She waited her whole life for me to come around and become Christian.
As a child, I remember my grandmother saying, "Heaven's my home; I'm just here on vacation!" That has stayed with me all my life, as I have lost beloved family and friends. The "Mustard Seed" of Faith is a pure blessing when it is nurtured and allowed to flourish in our hearts and minds while we are here on "Vacation."
Again, a thought-provoking view on our current culture crisis. It is difficult to remain positive in these times, but Easter reminds us of a new beginning. May we find comfort in the promise of God's renewal.
Only God remains the same, yesterday, today and forevermore. Sarah, your writings are much enjoyed, yet you seem to take a bleak~ish view of culture, and though plenty of reality ascertains this, we have so much more -gigantically more- to be in a turmoil of serene joy thanks to the Mercy of God.
Mercy is so misunderstood, even in Catholics circles; how perfectly ordered was the Divine Mercy Sunday appointed to the Church so soon after Easter; how much awe this causes to my finite mind that God’s love for me/us is infinitely magnanimous in straightening our constant crooked lines on this path of life. When we turn to God with a repentant heart, His glory is manifested in unimaginable ways through the torrents of goodness and increased blessing upon our lives- what we made ugly, dishonorable, and indeed sinful, now, through Christ, He brings goodness out of these sinful actions. One can only ask with joy,and humble gratitude: “Why do You love me so much Lord?”
Thank you for your post and timely reminder. My mum died in 2016. I would like to have asked her certain things had she been alive in the COVID nonsense.
If I may I wrote this in 2023 when I first started on substack.
Hi Susan, not sure who Mia is but I assume you meant to ask me, Baldmichael (not my real name of course!)
I would have liked to ask my mum about my health as a child and what happened if anything after my vaccinations. I have found some records of these as a baby/toddler.
As I now know they can only harm if anything I wonder if I had any particular sicknesses which might be related. What I do know is in 1975 I had a BCG vaccine and in the early summer was very ill with a temperature of 104F and in the school sanatorium for 2 weeks. I wonder now if she ever thought this might have been the cause.
A blessed Good Friday to you. We who live in this present history, were “equipped” for these times. We will always be curious of things without answers…. yet, why? What causes Autism for instance? I hope we find the cause for this growing affliction, and yet, Autism, perhaps like all other afflictions, are God’s mercies upon society, to bring a greater good out of disorder. Christ said that we would always have “the poor among us”, and who are “the poor”, if not the outcasts of society? God’s Mercy upon humanity is His Love for us. Life is a constant lesson of Love: love of God, and love of neighbor.
A blessed Good Friday to you too Susan. I know that I was equipped for this strange time, all my experiences and my working life was God designed to enable me to do what I now do.
As regards autism it has a very broad definition but is as much as anything the result of the pharmaceuticals with which we are afflicted, especially vaccines which are a Trojan horse to the body.
Anyway, should you be interested I did this on Good Friday. I may well repost it today as well.
Beautifully written Sarah. I lost my mother April 4th, 1991 at the age of 62. She was raised Catholic but stopped going to Mass when I was very young. During her final months of suffering from ovarian cancer I would sit and say a rosary at her bedside. Not long before she died she asked me to have the priest from their local parish come by to administer the Anointing of the Sick to her. It was a very special moment for her and for me.
I'm sure your mother is very proud of the woman you have become and your love of the Church and our beautiful faith. I wish you a very blessed Holy Week and Easter season.
That's a beautiful moment that you described. I can't imagine how moving it would have been. Thank you for sharing.
Good piece. Never knew who wrote that poem.
Sorry about your mum.
Lost mine just a few months ago.
I think my Easters will hit me a bit harder from now on, as well. I'm finally being Confirmed into the Church this weekend. My mother will not be here to see. I'm sure she'll 'know' from her place in Purgatory or Heaven... but it's not quite the same.
She waited her whole life for me to come around and become Christian.
This Easter will be bittersweet.
Such a powerful piece. Thank you.
As a child, I remember my grandmother saying, "Heaven's my home; I'm just here on vacation!" That has stayed with me all my life, as I have lost beloved family and friends. The "Mustard Seed" of Faith is a pure blessing when it is nurtured and allowed to flourish in our hearts and minds while we are here on "Vacation."
Again, a thought-provoking view on our current culture crisis. It is difficult to remain positive in these times, but Easter reminds us of a new beginning. May we find comfort in the promise of God's renewal.
Only God remains the same, yesterday, today and forevermore. Sarah, your writings are much enjoyed, yet you seem to take a bleak~ish view of culture, and though plenty of reality ascertains this, we have so much more -gigantically more- to be in a turmoil of serene joy thanks to the Mercy of God.
Mercy is so misunderstood, even in Catholics circles; how perfectly ordered was the Divine Mercy Sunday appointed to the Church so soon after Easter; how much awe this causes to my finite mind that God’s love for me/us is infinitely magnanimous in straightening our constant crooked lines on this path of life. When we turn to God with a repentant heart, His glory is manifested in unimaginable ways through the torrents of goodness and increased blessing upon our lives- what we made ugly, dishonorable, and indeed sinful, now, through Christ, He brings goodness out of these sinful actions. One can only ask with joy,and humble gratitude: “Why do You love me so much Lord?”
Thank you for your post and timely reminder. My mum died in 2016. I would like to have asked her certain things had she been alive in the COVID nonsense.
If I may I wrote this in 2023 when I first started on substack.
https://baldmichael.substack.com/p/good-friday?utm_source=publication-search
And I wrote this in 2023 based on a post from my WordPress site where I started in 2020.
https://baldmichael.substack.com/p/easter-day-9th-april-2023?utm_source=publication-search
Hi Mia, what sort of questions would you have asked your Mom?
Hi Susan, not sure who Mia is but I assume you meant to ask me, Baldmichael (not my real name of course!)
I would have liked to ask my mum about my health as a child and what happened if anything after my vaccinations. I have found some records of these as a baby/toddler.
As I now know they can only harm if anything I wonder if I had any particular sicknesses which might be related. What I do know is in 1975 I had a BCG vaccine and in the early summer was very ill with a temperature of 104F and in the school sanatorium for 2 weeks. I wonder now if she ever thought this might have been the cause.
Hello,
A blessed Good Friday to you. We who live in this present history, were “equipped” for these times. We will always be curious of things without answers…. yet, why? What causes Autism for instance? I hope we find the cause for this growing affliction, and yet, Autism, perhaps like all other afflictions, are God’s mercies upon society, to bring a greater good out of disorder. Christ said that we would always have “the poor among us”, and who are “the poor”, if not the outcasts of society? God’s Mercy upon humanity is His Love for us. Life is a constant lesson of Love: love of God, and love of neighbor.
A blessed Good Friday to you too Susan. I know that I was equipped for this strange time, all my experiences and my working life was God designed to enable me to do what I now do.
As regards autism it has a very broad definition but is as much as anything the result of the pharmaceuticals with which we are afflicted, especially vaccines which are a Trojan horse to the body.
Anyway, should you be interested I did this on Good Friday. I may well repost it today as well.
https://baldmichael.substack.com/p/good-friday?utm_source=publication-search
Sorry about your mother! I still have mine, but I shudder to think there will be a time when I won't anymore. It must be a great loss!
Were you received into the Church at the Easter Vigil?
Yes, in 2022, so April 16th that year. Tomorrow will be my three-year anniversary.
Happy anniversary!
I am sorry about your mum. Mine died on Epiphany twelve years ago. I miss her.