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All it took was seeing one post - and I headed down memory lane

  These are pictures from an afternoon visit to the Eremo di San Bartolomeo in Legio (The Hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio) a place I dream of returning and brining my beloved to share the experience with me. The afternoon we visited in 1998 my heart was heavy with grief from the loss  of my mother, my best friend who went to glory less than a year before. Grief that was hard to work through because I was also dealing withe reality of a difficult and dangerous situation at home.  Being in Italy with my family was a brief respite from the situation I was dealing with at home.  I don't mean to be cryptic, that is a story in itself for another day. i traveled from Boston to Rome and my dad, my two sisters, each with one of their daughters and my sister-in-love and her and my brothers son all few in from Texas.  We were going to visit our family in Italy and to make a family pilgrimage in honor of my mother who recently passed to her and our family's patron Sain...
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Lord increase my capacity for compassion, your compassion!

Musings "On the Passion of Christ" According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas Kempis It is hard for me to imagine what Jesus endured when he was sent back to Pilate and the crowd was given the choice of Barnabas or Jesus and they chose our innocent Jesus yelling "Away with him, Away with him, Crucify him"  Thomas Kempis writes "Lord Jesus Christ, my Friend, in your abundant charity I ask you to enkindle in my heart the grace of genuine compassion for your sufferings." And today that is my prayer too!   Today's reading from "Jesus Listens" by Sarah Young also resonated with me today and I love the last line of her sharing "Lord, teach me how to trust in you at all times and in all circumstances."  It reminds me of Job and it's my recurring theme in my continuous rounds of the Surrender Novena!!
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Musings "On the Passion of Christ" According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas Kempis In this chapter, Jesus is brought before Herod who was once fascinated with Jesus and wanted Jesus to perform a miracle and when Jesus didn't comply he threw a tantrum and sent Jesus back to Pilate.  Can you even imagine what our Lord endured. I can't. He was interrogated, mocked and brutalized suffering through so much pain, hatred and evil treatment and all the while conducting himself with so much humility and patience.  
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God's love is beyond imagining

Musings "On the Passion of Christ" According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas Kempis Gave myself some grace yesterday, I was having a tough day, my back and the pain radiating down my leg was more intense than usual. I think my nerves ae starting to wake up and some days are better than others and yesterday not my best. So I decided not to post on my vlog and to do reflections on both chapters today! This book is drawing me in and helping me to see our Lord’s Passion in a way I’ve never experienced before. The details are graphic in ways we don’t often read or experience Jesus’s Passion, His love, His sacrifice and all that He endured for me is overwhelming and makes me want to draw closer and closer to His Sacred Heart that burns with love for me. And at the same time it wounds my soul that people can be so cruel and heartless to have treated Jesus they way they did. Fear, pride and insecurities ruled them and it makes me pause to examine my own fears, insecurities ...
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St. John of the Cross has the words to describe today's reading

Musings "On the Passion of Christ" According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas Kempis I was mulling over what to say, lost for words after reading Chapter 9, and heartbroken at what Jesus endured for love of me/us. When I shared what I was reading and Jesus's example of meekness and humility in the face of such malice, hatred and brutality my beloved reminded me of a quote from St. John of the Cross "Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent." That my friends says it all!
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Saint Peter's example

Musings "On the Passion of Christ" According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas Kempis Saint Peter denied Jesus three times as Jesus foretold.  The takeaway I got from this chapter was that when Peter fell, he quickly rose again.  That is key for me, I fall all the time, I fail all the time, but the key is to acknowledge my failings, repent when I have done or said something that I shouldn't have, hold myself accountable and quicky make things right asking the Lord for His grace.  Sometimes I can get caught up in self-doubt and insecurity and dwell in the muck, that's not what Jesus wants for me.  He wants me to take responsibility, make amends, brush it off and rise back up quickly keeping my focus on Him.  His grace is abundant!
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"Let a humble, calm and constant mind be my invulnerable shield" from On the Passion of Christ According to the Four Evangelists

Musings "On the Passion of Christ" According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas Kempis How do I respond when met with accusations, lies and cruelty. Today's chapter 7 reflects on Jesus before Annas the high priest gives me a clear model to follow. Jesus ever calm in spirit and speech is gentle in his response to such cruelty. it is a reminder to me to some soul searching on how I react and my response when I’m met with tribulations, unkindness and cruelty. This journey with Thomas Kempis is challenging in a tough but good way, as it has me questioning my responses and is encouraging me to examine things I don't necessarily think about but that are helpful in my journey towards self knowledge. It is also difficult to read in that it paints the unsensitized and brutal picture of what our Lord endured for my sake at the hands of those He created.
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