Sunday, April 27, 2014   2nd Sunday of Easter, Sunday of Divine Mercy

From today's 2nd reading:

"Although you have seen Him, you love Him; even though you do not see Him now, yet believe in Him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls"

A wonderful message of joy and salvation to meditate on while we knit this week.

 

Sunday, April 20, 2014....Easter Sunday

He is risen! Alleluia!    Happy Easter to the members of our Prayer Shawl Ministry.

Sunday, April 6, 2014...5th Sunday of Lent

From today's Responsorial Psalm: 

 "With the Lord there is mercy and redemption" PS 130

Today's responsorial psalm reminds us that God is merciful and forgiving...we. as knitters,  frequently make mistakes; dropped stitches, an error in the flow of the pattern, or a ball of yarn that becomes hopelessly tangled...  but these are just  frustrating roadblocks along the way to the finished prayer shawl and God sees the beauty, not the mistakes, in our humble garments of love...just as He forgives our sinfulness; our mistakes along the way to everlasting life.

Sunday, March 30, 2014....4th Sunday of Lent 

Laetare Sunday...."rejoice" that we are midway through the season of Lent; Easter is coming ever near!

From today's responsorial Psalm:

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; in verdant pastures He guides me, He gives me repose; beside restful waters He leads me, He refreshes my soul"  PS 23: 1-3

The quiet contemplation of Psalm 23 is a lovely way of refreshing yourself and your spirit as you begin to knit.

Sunday, March 23, 2014...third Sunday of Lent

From today's second reading: "And hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us"  Romans 5: 1-2 5-8

This excerpt from today's second reading is a reminder to our ministry that God pours His love and the love of the Holy Spirit into our hands as we take up our needles and knit stitches of hope into our shawls.  Have a blessed week!

Sunday, March 16, 2014...second Sunday of Lent

From today's Gospel:

"He was transfigured before them. His face shown like the sun and His clothes became white as light"  Matthew 17: 1-9

This quote, excerpted from the Sunday readings of Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan O.F.M., is food for thought...especially for our ministry of giving warmth and comfort to others.

"Let the thought of the Transfiguration encourage us to do the little God demands of us."

Sunday, March 9, 2014.....1st Sunday of Lent

From today's Responsorial Psalm...."A clean heart create for me oh God and a steadfast spirit renew in me."

What we as knitters sometimes need is a sense of renewal and cleansing.. a steadfastness to continue our task....the will to pick up our needles and continue to form our mantles of love when it seems as if our shawl will never be finished!

Sunday, January 5, 2014...The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

"And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them until it came and stopped over the place where the Child was. They saw the child with Mary His Mother."

Sunday, December 29, 2013....the Feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph

We, as women, know very well the qualities it takes to be loving spouses, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and members of extended families. As we honor the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph today, let us take the words of the second reading and apply them to our own lives and ministry

Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and  beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another ........and whatever you do in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" Reading 2  COL 3: 12-21

 

Wednesday, December 25, 2013....Christmas Day

A blessed and joyful Christmas everyone!

"For today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord!"

Sunday, December 22, 2013....4th Sunday of Advent

The fourth candle on the Advent wreath is now burning....a circle of fire, a circle of hope.  The waiting is almost over...let us follow the light just as the wise men followed it over two thousands years ago, so that we might find Mary, Joseph and the Infant Jesus, the Light of the World now waiting for us in the Manger on Christmas Day.

"Come Lord Jesus. Come and visit Your people. We await Your coming. Come O Lord"

December 15, 2013...3rd Sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent makes us realize that the joyful feast of Christmas is coming ever closer. One of todays readings reminds us to be patient. Our knitting also requires patience....dropped stitches, a mistake in the pattern and the time it takes to finish our garments of love are sometimes frustrating! But the wait is well worth it...the outcome is a beautiful shawl filled with God's love and warmth.

"You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand"  JAS 5:7-10

 

December 8, 2013...2nd Sunday of Advent

On this, the 2nd Sunday of Advent, the sense of waiting and expectation increases. We must take time during this week to take a moment  for ourselves,  perhaps knitting a few stitches or sipping a cup of tea....letting peacefulness and quiet contemplation into our lives.

"They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40;31

Sunday, December 1, 2013....The first Sunday of Advent

Advent, a time of contemplation, reflection, anticipation

Knitting and crocheting are sometimes called the handwork of contemplation....a wonderful way to step back from the hectic pace of the world and quietly center ourselves while we wait for the wonder that is Christmas.

"I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Psalm 27;13-14

Week of November 17, 2013

I found this lovely quotation from The Ladies Work Table Book 1845 and thought it was as true today as it was then:

"Useful and ornamental needlework, knitting and netting, are capable of being made not only sources of personal gratification, but of high moral benefit and the means of developing and surpassing loveliness and grace, some of the highest and noblest feelings of the soul."  author unknown

Week of November 3, 2013

Autumn Prayer

God of all seasons, we thank You for Autumn, we thank You for the touch of coolness in the air that gives us a new burst of energy, for the coloring of trees that shows the creativity of the Divine Artist, for the falling leaves that reveal the strength of the branches, for the hues of fields that bring peace to our souls, for the smiles on pumpkins that bring joy to children, for the fall harvest which brings us gratitude for the bounty of our land, for this change of seasons that reveals the circle of life, God of all seasons, as you transform the earth, transform us by your Spirit. Amen              

Doug Leonhardt, S. J.     Marquette University 

 



Week of October 27th, 2013

As the month of October winds down, the leaves lose their beautiful colors and fall to the ground....we draw closer to home and hearth and take up our needles once again. A new season comes to a close and another one begins. Let us thank God for the warmth of our homes and the harvest that feeds us. Although the colors are gone, we know that He is giving us time to rest and reclaim our silent selves as we prepare for the busy days of November and December.

"Autumn asks that we prepare for the future - that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks that we learn to let go - to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness." Bonard W. Overstreet

 

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The Mass and Anointing of the sick was held at St. Mary Parish today. What a powerful thing it was to witness the Mass and anointing of those who attended. After the final blessing, prayer shawls were offered to those who wanted them or wanted to bring one to someone who could not attend. Thank you to our celebrant Father Marcin and to Vi Jefferson who was both reader and Eucharistic Minister. Thanks also to our musicians for your participation. It was truly a wonderful opportunity to participate and see the comfort that our shawls bring to their recipients.

 

"For it is in giving that we receive" St. Francis of Assisi

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Our new season has begun....we had a wonderful room full of knitters yesterday morning! Ron Sanguinet, one of our wrappers, joined us and started our meeting with an opening prayer and then the room was full of the sounds of clicking needles and lively conversation. There were so many new shawls that only some of them could be placed on the center table. At the conclusion of our meeting, it was decided that all of the shawls be placed in separate piles around the large rectangular tables, and we stood and prayed over them, then moved to the right around the table just as we usually do when we are seated. Thank you Audrey for this suggestion and for the beautiful closing prayer. This worked out so well, we are going to continue to do it at future meetings...it's much easier than passing the shawls to each other when we are seated. It was also decided that because the 2nd Saturday of the month is on Columbus Day weekend, October's meeting will be moved up to  the 19th. You will be getting an email as a reminder and the change will be in the bulletin. Happy knitting!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

As we begin a new week and look forward to our first meeting on Saturday, September 21, summer is becoming a memory. Our lives are being filled with the activities that come during a new season. It is a time for gathering the harvest, a time to prepare ourselves for the bright promise of autumn. Take time this week to also prepare for our coming together in prayer and the work of our hands.

"Imagine yourself in some quiet place, empty your mind of unsettling thoughts. Let the peace and healing of serenity flow into your soul. Feel yourself calm in the middle of a garden, surrounded by birdsong and beauty. Picture yourself being warmed by sunshine and cheered by butterflies dancing across the blue sky."        

From "Life Songs...Giving Voice to the Spirit Within