Here it is again, Mothers Day. This is the second Mother's Day since My Beloved Mom Edna passed away in Jan of 2013. For me Mothers day will never be the same, but still I am confident that in our own way, each of my 6 brothers and sisters celebrate our Mom in their own way, but not just on Mother's Day.
A Mother is the Paramount example of Womanhood, and is the epitome of the Nature of Woman, the receiver of life, the nurturer of children, the nucleus of every Marriage, the center of every Family.
We all have a Mother, and there is an untold loss for any person who did not know his or her Mother. A Mother is a reminder of what God has destined every child to know, and why Marriage can only be the unique and complimentary union of a Man and a Woman. Every child is the product of this blessed union and every child should know the love of a Mother and a Father.
That being said however, A Mother is more special, more unique and more essential than even a Father One can say Family is impossible without a Mother. A Mother is the first person that loves a newborn child and a Mother is the first object of every child's first and eternal love. A Mother nurtures a child in her own body, gives of herself even before she knows she is with child. A Mother's sacrificial loves begins in the womb giving her very flesh. This sacrificial love does not end after birth, for she nurses and embraces, cradles, rocks and sings with joy to the newborn gift of life which God bestows, entrusts and blesses her with. It is the desire that every child know the love of Mother and Child. It is a blessing for every child to know this special love of their Mother. This child is truly blessed. Thank you Lord. I know you know above all, the special and unique love that a Mother can bring. Amen!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
DIVINE MERCY
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday after Easter. There are few examples of the Grace of God that were
instrumental in drawing me back into a reversion of Faith, back to the faith which was handed on to me by my parents Philip and Edna Rice. But there
are no more beautiful examples so instrumental in that reversion, than the Grace I
found in the Devotion to Jesus in the image of Divine Mercy.
This deep reversion to the faith and the subsequent love of God it
filled me with, became evident to those around me, and in the great desire it
filled me with to more fully know, love and serve God, especially in the love
of the very image of the invisible God, Jesus Christ.
The vision of Christ painted in the Divine Mercy Image
truly lead to a transformation within me. It is a vision of Christ as he appeared to Saint Faustina in His Risen and Glorified Body, His sacred wounds in His hands and feet are visible and from His Sacred Heart, Rays of Light Shine forth in rays of Red and White that symbolize the Blood and Water that gushed forth from his pierced side. The Grace that come from this image is the Promise of Jesus Christ given to
every soul who will venerate the Image of Himself, the very image which Christ wanted
made present to the World. It is this
image which was revealed to Saint Faustina, and given to the world by the Pope of Mercy, Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul the Great, and it is through this image, that is the vessel of His Mercy that pours Grace into the lives of
those who place complete Trust in Jesus.
You may learn more about this beautiful devotion of Divine Mercy here at this link: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm
I attribute this fount of Grace that Christ pours out through the Image of Divine Mercy, seen here, as the driving motive force that has brought be back to Christ, to the Sacrament of Confession, in the Convalidation of my Marriage in the Church, and rededicating my life to be a better husband, father, and man and to my commitment to my wife, her children and my own family.
One of the most beautiful things about Divine Mercy has been the blessings received by sharing it with others, like my wife Debra, her sons Jeremy and Zachary, with friends and neighbors, but there is one particular person that comes to mind as the shining example of sharing the devotion of Divine Mercy, and that was my mother Edna.
When I was working in the Litchfield school system, I had the opportunity to have Easter week off from each year. This meant that from Good Friday, all of Easter Week until Divine Mercy Sunday, I would be on vacation. I happened to be talking with my wife Debbie, lamenting how my mother, now in her 80’s rarely had the opportunity to attend Mass as she once did and seldom had time to visit when coming with my family which still lived on Long Island. It was then Debbie suggested, "why don’t we invite your mom to come spend Easter week with us?" So I called my sister whom my mother was staying with, and made plans to drive back to Long Island and pick up my mom on Good Friday. We had dinner with my sisters and my mom then she and I returned to Connecticut Friday evening. It was then on that Good Friday evening that I invited my mom to pray with us the Divine Mercy Novena. The Novena begins on Good Friday and continuing through Easter week and culminates on Easter Saturday in preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday. Mom had never heard of this Devotion to Divine Mercy given to us by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000. Nor had she heard of the Promises of Jesus in the image of Divine Mercy and making the Novena to Divine Mercy and preparing for the Graces that Christ Promised to bestow on every soul desiring this outpouring of Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday.
When I read to her all the Promises Jesus would bestow on this Devotion, she immediately became hungry to know and learn more about it. We watched EWTN each day, praying the Devine Mercy Chaplet, and later would pray the Divine Mercy Novena each night with Debbie, Zach and I. Each night of the novena a different intention desired by our Lord would be prayed for. When I also read to her that the Graces received by the devout souls who went to confession, devoutly prayed the Divine Mercy Novena, attended Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, and trusted completely in Jesus and received Holy Communion would receive the Graces by Christ that would promise not only remission of Sin, but also remission of the corporal punishment due to those sins, in essence, it was as if the soul were receiving a purification akin to a second baptism. My mother was amazed by this promise, and she desired to fully participate in this Grace. She asked me to take her to confession, and her I was with my mother, who I considered a living Saint, in her elderly years, humbly submitting to the sacrament of reconciliation so that she would be able to receive the Graces promised to the soul that venerated the Mercy of Christ.
What was more amazing was that when my mother learned of this Promise that Christ would bestow on the soul who desired His Mercy, she herself desired to share with her other children, the same message of Divine Mercy, which I had shared with her. She said to me one night after Easter, I want to tell all your brothers and sisters about Divine Mercy. Will you type up a letter for me that I can sign and mail that letter to all your brothers and sisters? Debbie and I were so moved by this and it was that night that my mom dictated her letter to me that I typed, and printed a copy for each of my 3 brothers and 3 sisters. In each envelope I placed the Divine Mercy prayer card and a brochure how to pray the Divine Mercy Novena. My mother signed each one and we placed them in envelopes and mailed them a few days before Divine Mercy Sunday.
When my mom returned home, she prayed the chaplet every day at 3 O’Clock, the hour of Mercy, shared it will her children and prayed for God’s Mercy on all her children, grandchildren and friends. She became an amazing devoted Apostle of Mercy.
I shall never forget that special time of that first week my mother came to stay or of the subsequent visits she made afterwards. Thanks be to God, Mom was able to come three more times to spend Easter week with us. Once year that she came up, I took Mom to visit the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge during Easter week. I shall forever be in my wife Debbie’s gratitude for inviting my mom up to share our home with her and having that special time to share with her. It is such a special time that I will always remember. As Debbie and I prayed the Divine Mercy Novena this week, praying and preparing for divine Mercy Sunday, I could not help but smile and remember those times with my Mom, who I’m confident is now with our Blessed Lord praying for His Mercy to be poured out on souls such as mine, Souls that need God’s unfathomable Mercy.
You may learn more about this beautiful devotion of Divine Mercy here at this link: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm
I attribute this fount of Grace that Christ pours out through the Image of Divine Mercy, seen here, as the driving motive force that has brought be back to Christ, to the Sacrament of Confession, in the Convalidation of my Marriage in the Church, and rededicating my life to be a better husband, father, and man and to my commitment to my wife, her children and my own family.
One of the most beautiful things about Divine Mercy has been the blessings received by sharing it with others, like my wife Debra, her sons Jeremy and Zachary, with friends and neighbors, but there is one particular person that comes to mind as the shining example of sharing the devotion of Divine Mercy, and that was my mother Edna.
When I was working in the Litchfield school system, I had the opportunity to have Easter week off from each year. This meant that from Good Friday, all of Easter Week until Divine Mercy Sunday, I would be on vacation. I happened to be talking with my wife Debbie, lamenting how my mother, now in her 80’s rarely had the opportunity to attend Mass as she once did and seldom had time to visit when coming with my family which still lived on Long Island. It was then Debbie suggested, "why don’t we invite your mom to come spend Easter week with us?" So I called my sister whom my mother was staying with, and made plans to drive back to Long Island and pick up my mom on Good Friday. We had dinner with my sisters and my mom then she and I returned to Connecticut Friday evening. It was then on that Good Friday evening that I invited my mom to pray with us the Divine Mercy Novena. The Novena begins on Good Friday and continuing through Easter week and culminates on Easter Saturday in preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday. Mom had never heard of this Devotion to Divine Mercy given to us by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000. Nor had she heard of the Promises of Jesus in the image of Divine Mercy and making the Novena to Divine Mercy and preparing for the Graces that Christ Promised to bestow on every soul desiring this outpouring of Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday.
When I read to her all the Promises Jesus would bestow on this Devotion, she immediately became hungry to know and learn more about it. We watched EWTN each day, praying the Devine Mercy Chaplet, and later would pray the Divine Mercy Novena each night with Debbie, Zach and I. Each night of the novena a different intention desired by our Lord would be prayed for. When I also read to her that the Graces received by the devout souls who went to confession, devoutly prayed the Divine Mercy Novena, attended Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, and trusted completely in Jesus and received Holy Communion would receive the Graces by Christ that would promise not only remission of Sin, but also remission of the corporal punishment due to those sins, in essence, it was as if the soul were receiving a purification akin to a second baptism. My mother was amazed by this promise, and she desired to fully participate in this Grace. She asked me to take her to confession, and her I was with my mother, who I considered a living Saint, in her elderly years, humbly submitting to the sacrament of reconciliation so that she would be able to receive the Graces promised to the soul that venerated the Mercy of Christ.
What was more amazing was that when my mother learned of this Promise that Christ would bestow on the soul who desired His Mercy, she herself desired to share with her other children, the same message of Divine Mercy, which I had shared with her. She said to me one night after Easter, I want to tell all your brothers and sisters about Divine Mercy. Will you type up a letter for me that I can sign and mail that letter to all your brothers and sisters? Debbie and I were so moved by this and it was that night that my mom dictated her letter to me that I typed, and printed a copy for each of my 3 brothers and 3 sisters. In each envelope I placed the Divine Mercy prayer card and a brochure how to pray the Divine Mercy Novena. My mother signed each one and we placed them in envelopes and mailed them a few days before Divine Mercy Sunday.
When my mom returned home, she prayed the chaplet every day at 3 O’Clock, the hour of Mercy, shared it will her children and prayed for God’s Mercy on all her children, grandchildren and friends. She became an amazing devoted Apostle of Mercy.
I shall never forget that special time of that first week my mother came to stay or of the subsequent visits she made afterwards. Thanks be to God, Mom was able to come three more times to spend Easter week with us. Once year that she came up, I took Mom to visit the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge during Easter week. I shall forever be in my wife Debbie’s gratitude for inviting my mom up to share our home with her and having that special time to share with her. It is such a special time that I will always remember. As Debbie and I prayed the Divine Mercy Novena this week, praying and preparing for divine Mercy Sunday, I could not help but smile and remember those times with my Mom, who I’m confident is now with our Blessed Lord praying for His Mercy to be poured out on souls such as mine, Souls that need God’s unfathomable Mercy.
I wish all could become Apostles of Mercy as my mother Edna Rice had become, spreading the news of God's Mercy, learning to trust fully in Jesus Christ. I can still hear her mouthing the words..."Jesus I trust In You" as we prayed together, the Divine Mercy Chaplet. My God Rest her soul. I love you Mom!
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