Sampaguita

 

Sampaguita

by Dawn Pisturino

The palm grove steams with summer heat.

Sweat glistens on my skin

As I race along the path,

Searching for you.

Banana leaves wave at me,

Urging me on.

The Sampaguita throw blossoms at my feet,

Perfuming my path with holy fragrance.

I stop to pick them up

To string into a garland of sweet innocence.

I will lay it at the feet of the Virgin

On Sunday morning,

Who will smile at the pure whiteness of the petals.

I see you now, standing in a bed of orchids,

Inhaling the heady odor of their scent.

You turn and smile,

Drawing me close.

From your pockets,

You pull shiny white blossoms

Of Sampaguita.

We will pool our gatherings together

To make the finest garland

The Virgin has ever received.

[NOTE: Sampaguita is the national flower of the Philippines]

Mary at the Foot of the Cross

 

From the very beginning, Mary was a voluntary witness to God's majesty and omnipotence. She accepted the angel's announcement that she would become the Mother of Christ, although it meant hardship and disgrace, encouraged Jesus on his journey to adulthood, stood by him through his sufferings, and gave him her unwavering love and strength while standing at the foot of the cross, watching him die.

Mary believed in God's goodness despite the evil around her. She did not question the angel's message that Jesus would do great things. She knew in her heart that something momentous was happening despite her personal heartbreak.

Mary believed and had faith. 

One of the things lacking in America right now is FAITH. Every time something happens, people react with doomsday predictions and fear. Protesters take to the streets, denouncing things they don't even understand. They have an agenda with an ultimate goal, and they use shrill voices and violence to try and fulfill that goal.

Sometimes, we have to have faith that things will work out according to God's plan. After Jesus's death, the Apostles were devastated, feeling uncertain about where to turn. God did not fail them. Jesus appeared to point them in the right direction. 

How is your faith? Do you trust in God to do the right thing? 

This Easter, embrace the message of renewal and rebirth. God is in control.

Beatus Pascha!

Dawn Pisturino

Sacred and Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

What does the Virgin Mary represent to you?

For me, she signifies Love: Love for God, Love for her Holy Son, Love for Joseph and the Holy Family, Love for all human beings, and Love for the world as the abode of all humans. Her love is boundless, reaching through the corridors of Time to embrace all souls in Heaven, hell, and purgatory. She only wants the best for everybody. She wants everyone to find, embrace, and be one with God. Her goal is peace, happiness, strength in adversity, and heavenly rewards.

Don't we all want that? 

Let the Mother enfold you and bring you to Christ. Love God with all of your heart and soul.

Love one another.

STOP THE HATE!

Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (EWTN)

"O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thine Immaculate Heart.

"We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life; all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To thee we give our bodies, our hearts and our souls; to thee we give our homes, our families, our country. We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to thee, and may share in the benefits of thy motherly benediction. And that this act of consecration may be truly efficacious and lasting, we renew this day at thy feet the promises of our Baptism and our first Holy Communion.

"We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths of our holy Faith, and to live as befits Catholics who are duly submissive to all the directions of the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him. We pledge ourselves to keep the commandments of God and His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord's Day. We likewise pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an integral part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able so to do.

"Finally, we promise thee, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of men, to devote ourselves whole-heartedly to the service of thy blessed cult, in order to hasten and assure, through the sovereignty of thine Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of thine adorable Son, in our own hearts and in those of all men, in our country and in all the world, as in heaven. so on earth."

This Valentine's Day, embrace ALL of your brothers and sisters.

Dawn Pisturino