October 13, 2012
Awareness of God
This post is linked to Colleen’s Saturday meme, Sabbath Moments. How about joining us for some inspiration?
Gathering persimmons
A person is never too old for new adventures. This week I studied about wild persimmons, something I had been thinking about for some time, which led me to ask a friend if I could gather some from her acreage. They are about the size of a large marble and have four rather large black seeds inside. It’s best to wait until they drop from the trees, but we were able to get about a third of a gallon from both the ground and the trees. It’s a little early because they ripen faster when you get a good freeze one night.
Persimmon tree
Unripe persimmons are very astringent – lots of pucker power there. Ripe ones are amazingly sweet. I’ve seen a recipe for persimmon pulp used in kimchi, but you can make cakes, puddings, and cookies out of them. My friend loaned me a special colander with a wooden pestle so I could smash them up and take the pulp. I was surprised at how easy it was. Next week hubby and I will visit her again and gather more to freeze the pulp and use in various ways.
Click on the image of the persimmon tree to visit a really neat site, Outdoor Edibles, where you may find edible plants and fruits that grow in your area.
Persimmon trees grow wild in the East and in the Midwest. They are invasive, but the fruit is delicious and directly from the hand of God with no middleman. In these tough economic times, I’m on the hunt for naturally occurring fruits and veggies we can stock up on by collecting it ourselves. Thank You, Lord!
Miracle of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Today is the 95th anniversary of the miracle of the sun and Our Lady’s final appearance at the Cova da Iria. Without a doubt, it is one of the greatest miracles in the history of the Church. The messages of Fatima are prophetic and were a sign of the need for Jesus to be the center of our lives and for us to show our love for His Mother, given the demented and blasphemous age we live in. Thank You, Lord, for Your Mother!
Pope Benedict’s words this week
The evening of October 11, the opening of the Year of Faith, there was a candlelight procession from Castel Sant’Angelo to St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Benedict, among other things, said this to the crowd in reference to the convening of Vatican Council II:
Today, too, we carry joy in our hearts, but I would say a joy that is more sober, a humble joy: in these fifty years we have learned and experienced that original sin exists, and that it translates itself into personal sins, which can become structures of sin, given that even in the Lord’s field there are also weeds, that even in Peter’s net there are bad fish, that human weakness is present even in the Church, that the ship of the Church is sailing with a contrary wind, with opposing threats and sometimes we have thought that ‘the Lord is sleeping and has forgotten us….
…But we have also experienced the presence of the Lord, of His goodness, of His presence: the flame of Christ is not a devourer, nor is it destructive, it is a silent fire, a little flame of goodness: the Lord does not forget us, His way is humble, the Lord is present, He gives warmth to hearts, creates charisms of goodness and charity which illuminate the world and are, for us, the guarantee of the goodness of God. Yes, Christ lives with us and we can be happy even today. At the end, I dare to make mine the unforgettable words of Pope John, “go home and give a caress to our children and tell them that this is the Pope’s caress”, and with all my heart I impart to you the blessing.
To listen to and read an address by a certain bishop in the Midwest, one would get the idea that this is the Year of Vatican II rather than the Year of Faith. The Pope is calling for us to study and know our Faith, to know Jesus, to build a relationship with Him. That is the emphasis of this year of blessings. We should not look at the weeds or bad fish, but look to Christ as He speaks to us through scripture and the Magisterium.
The Pope wants us to read the actual Vatican II documents and the Catechism of the Catholic Church for ourselves, not just accept what others say they say. He is working to establish the “hermeneutic of continuity” and eliminate the hermeneutic of rupture that emerged after the Council.
Perhaps one of the greatest blessings we can gain from participating in this Year of Faith is a renewed submission to the will of God in our lives as we study and understand our Faith better. The more we appreciate the great things God has done for us, the more awed and humbled we become. Perhaps during this year our re-discovery or larger understanding of our Faith will help bring others into the Church and expiate the huge insults the world hurls at God every day. May it be so.
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R. Now and forever!
(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.)
