The Angelic Salutation

Dear Diary,

Today at school Sister Mary Claire taught me something lovely about the Hail Mary. She said it is such a little prayer, but it carries a whole great deal inside it. Part of it comes from the angel’s own words to Mary in the Bible, and then part of it is us asking Our Lady to pray for us.

Sister said the name of Jesus sits right in the very middle of the prayer, and that is just where He belongs—not only in the Hail Mary, but in everything. I liked that thought very much. She also said when we pray “now and at the hour of our death,” it means we can ask Mary to help us in our everyday life, and also at the very end, when we will need Heaven most.

It made me think the Hail Mary is small enough for a schoolgirl to learn by heart, but deep enough to keep teaching her all her life.

Evening Prayer:

Dear Blessed Mother, please help me pray the Hail Mary slowly and with love, and always bring me closer to Jesus. Amen.

Love, Kathy

What I Learned Today at St. Mary’s School

 

Dear Diary,

Today at St. Mary’s School, Sister Mary Claire taught me that the Our Father is not just a prayer to hurry through because we already know it by heart. She said it is really a way to help us live.

I liked that it begins with “Our Father,” because that means God is not just my Father all by myself. He is our Father, and that means we belong to Him together. It made me think how life is not supposed to be only about what I want.

Then Sister said when we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are asking that heaven’s goodness might come even into our regular days. Into school days and church days and even chore days.

The part about daily bread stood out to me most. It made me think that God wants me to trust Him for today. Not to be so full of worry about every tomorrow. Just to ask Him for today’s help and today’s strength.

Sister also said that when we ask God to forgive us as we forgive others, it means we have to let go of our hard feelings too. That part is not always easy, but it is good and true.

And at the end, when we ask not to be led into temptation, it means we are admitting that we need God to help us stay good. We cannot do it all by ourselves.

So I think the Our Father is a prayer for the whole day, not just for church. It teaches us to love God, think of others, trust Him one day at a time, forgive, and ask for His help.

Love,

Kathy 

The Cornerstone of Faith

Dear Diary,

I knew I was in trouble when Sister Mary Claire said we ought to scrub the old schoolhouse behind St. Mary’s. It has been closed for years, so it was a mighty dusty job.

Mini kept us company while we worked, and at the end Sister gave me her very first school handout about the Resurrection. She said the lesson came from her old meditation book, the one she inherited from a nun sister in Ireland. I noticed Sister had written #1 in the corner, and that made me think this was not just one of Sister’s passing whims.

Dear Jesus, help me do hard jobs with a cheerful heart, and bless Sister Mary Claire and little Mini. Amen.

Love, Kathy.

Take a Deep Dive

At the Foot of the Tabernacle

Dear Diary,

After all the joy of Easter Sunday, today slipped in very softly.  Sister Mary Claire and I walked to St. Mary’s, and everything felt so still and quiet after the gladness of yesterday. The church was now empty and wrapped in a hush. The little red sanctuary lamp burned softly, and I knew that Jesus was just as truly there in the quiet of today as He was in all the joy of yesterday.

I thought how people are always glad to be near the ones they love, and that must be why Jesus made a way to stay near us in the Blessed Sacrament. He did not want to leave us all alone. That made me feel very small, but in a good way, because it means He thinks of us and cares for us even in all our littlest needs.

I told Him about the things in my heart and thinking of Sister's little German Prayer book, I wrote what I remembered of the ask and seek prayer.

Dear Jesus,

You told us to ask, to seek, and to knock—and that You would answer us. So here I am, asking You with my whole heart.

Please give me a real love for You—a love that is gentle and strong. Help me love You not just with my words, but with the way I live, and the little things I do all day long.

I want to keep loving You always, and never stop.

Amen.

And today, I offer You everything I do—joined with all the goodness of Jesus, Mary, and all the saints.

Amen.

Easter Sunday

Recorded at Littlemore

Holy Saturday

Dear Diary,

Tonight felt very quiet, almost like the whole world was waiting. Sister Mary Claire and I thought about Jesus resting in the tomb, and how Holy Saturday is the still day between the sorrow of the Cross and the joy that is coming. The Church keeps this day in silence and waiting, holding close both grief and hope.

Mini stayed near us again, sweet and faithful as ever. She seemed to fit right into the hush of the evening, and having her close made me feel comforted.

Tonight I prayed and asked Jesus to help me wait with love and trust. Holy Saturday feels like a day for being still, for staying near Him, and for believing that even when everything seems quiet, He is still at work. Tomorrow is Easter, but tonight I want to stay close to Him in the silence.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus,

stay near me in the quiet of this holy night. Help me wait for You with love, peace, and trust.

Bless Sister Mary Claire and bless dear little Mini tonight.
Keep us close to Your Sacred Heart, and make us ready for Easter joy.

Amen.

Love,

Kathy

 

Good Friday Night

 
Dear Diary,

Tonight I prayed and asked Jesus to give me a real love for Him, gentle and strong. Good Friday makes me sorry for my sins, but it also makes me feel safe, because Jesus loves us so much.

Mini stayed close, sweet as ever, and that made everything feel even more peaceful. I want to love Jesus truly, not just with words, but in the little things too.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus,

please give me a real love for You, gentle and strong.

Bless Sister Mary Claire, bless dear little Mini, and keep us close to Your Sacred Heart tonight.

Amen.

Love,

Kathy