Happy Saint  Valentine’s Day!

How many of us can remember getting our hearts broken? Honestly this happened to me only once. Never as a young girl did a boy break my heart.  I learned a lesson about experiencing a broken heart in the third grade.  I was alone in my pain because I was surrounded by too many brothers and sisters, and our mother was too busy to hear my sad little story. If I kept this in my memory bank, it was for a life-learning reason. I am grateful to God for all my childhood memories because they have  molded me into who I have become today. Through the good and bad, Jesus will always be my Valentine.

Love Story

My love story with Mike is that of two people who God brought together forever. We are truly one; I see what he sees and we love each other unconditionally. That will never change. We are examples to our family of how to overcome any situations that the world throws our way. We are both hot heads and many times do not agree on matters, but this makes our marriage exciting and if I’m in the wrong, I apologized.

Attending Mass

Attending Mass every Sunday has brought Mike and me to a better understanding of how we appreciate and welcome God in our lives. We have both learned to place God first in our marriage of 54 years. So it is never too late to grow closer to God.  Slowly  I’m coming to the realization that my opinion does not hold any weight in comparison to what God has in store for me.

I always look to God for all my misgivings in life and continually pray for His guidance. I want to become the woman that God created me to be, but only through His special graces can I say, “Thank You for loving me, Lord.”

Flowers

Flowers bring me great joy. Mike knows that my favorites are roses, so we have 43 rose bushes in our yard (I counted them). Aside from roses, our home is always filled with flowers; Mike makes sure of that. Almost every week I get fresh flowers: last week it was tulips and this week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I received carnations and roses. I shared my flowers with the Blessed Mother Mary, making sure she, too, gets the honor of love.

Celebrating Love

I cannot recall how many years we have celebrated Valentine’s Day by going to dinner with our friends; this year we celebrated a day earlier. So on St.Valentine’s Day we had dinner with Russ, Sonja and the boys. The drive to dinner was hilarious because their 16-year-old son Lucas decided to drive. He had three backseat drivers, all with advice on how to drive!

The following is a story of my first heartbreak.

The Valentine Card

She carefully sorted her Valentine cards, setting aside the one for her teacher. Just one card read “Will you be my Valentine?” This card made her little heart patter with excitement. She was smitten by Joe, the smartest kid in her third-grade class. He was perfect in her eyes, and even his crowded front teeth made her smile.

No one in her family of eight knew that she would one day marry Joe. How could they understand?  Her four- year-old sister was too young to grasp these things and her brothers, all three of them, would tease her to the point of tears. Her two older sisters thought of her as a mere child. The only person she could trust was her best friend Anita. Anita was petite in size, she was kind and sweet, and only she knew how this little girl loved Joe.

The Big Day

It was Valentine’s Day, the day she would know for certain if her true love would reciprocate. The bus ride to school seemed to take forever, and all she could think about was the cards she and Joe  would exchange. Her unspoken love was about to reach a new zenith, and it was a lot for an eight-year-old to bear.

When she entered her classroom she quietly took her seat toward the back of the room. They sat in alphabetical order, and, as always, her seat was  among the last ones. She wished her last name started with a “P” like Joe’s instead of a “U”. All day long, lunch, two  recesses she waited for the card.

The art project that day was to make a holder for all the Valentine cards; she cut and pasted, and the end product was perfect for holding that one card from Joe.

The Broken Heart

Fifteen minutes before dismissal, the teacher announced that it was time to exchange cards.  The girl’s eyes widened with excitement and she pulled out her brown bag with the Valentines. You could hear the giggles as all the children took turns in handing out their cards. It was Joe’s turn, and as he came toward this little girl, she put her head down. This was it, she thought to herself; now I will know how much he loves me.

The bell rang, it was time to go home. She held that one card tightly in her hand and opened it. The card had a picture of a kitten holding a heart which read “You are sweet, Valentine.” What! No! No! This was not happening! She looked over at Anita.  Anita was smiling, almost to the point of gloating. The same card, that she set aside for Joe was in the petite hands of Anita! Joe loved Anita, not this little girl. She wanted so badly to cry that it hurt, but she remained strong. The bus ride home was torture, and sitting next to Anita added to her heartbreak.

Yes, this is my first memory of Valentine’s Day. I have no idea whatever became of Joe, but I do remember that he broke my heart that day.

St. Valentine

St. Valentine of Rome is the patron saint of love, young people, happy marriages, beekeepers and epilepsy.  St. Valentine was put in prison by the Emperor Claudius II for marrying couples and professing his faith in Jesus. While he was in prison he healed a jailer’s daughter of blindness. On the day of his execution he left the girl a card signed “Your Valentine.” This is the reason we exchange Valentine cards.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, Bring all married couples into union with You. Lord, for those who are contemplating a separation or divorce, heal their broken hearts and reconcile their differences. Amen.

“With age comes wisdom.”

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde coined this phrase, “With age comes wisdom.” The writings of this famous author first appeared in the late 19th century. This gifted writer flirted with Catholicism his entire life, and his works depicted his journey to finally finding God by becoming Catholic. While on his death bed, he summoned a Catholic priest who not only gave him his last rites but upon his request asked to be received into the Catholic Church.

Thank God that some of us have in our latter years grown in the wisdom of God.

My Wisdom

Believe me when I tell you that I am still in the process of shedding things of the world that disrupt my walk with God. Social Media is a means to get us worked up about irrelevant issues that bring us to a level of judging others. There is nothing more irksome than getting caught up in this dark entrapment. I, for one, am attempting to rid my mind of this deterrent. As a result of the mindless scrolling, I have come to the realization that this is keeping me from time spent in prayer.

Prayer

Prayer is a central part of my life and the guilt and grief that I beat myself up about when wasting so much time on Social Media is slowly coming to an end. Praying has lead me into another realm of wisdom. I no longer get all worked up about the problems of the world, especially what our country is currently enduring. Through the wisdom of God, new spiritual portals of faith have opened up for me at a deeper level.  For example, many times when praying for a person or a major concern the Lord will give me a vision of the situation. With the vision, I can go deeper into prayer.

Peace

Yes, I still get all worked up about many things, but I quickly come to my senses. It is  almost as if the Lord is telling me, “Snap out of it!” Then something indescribable happens: peace comes over me like a warm blanket from heaven covering my cold thoughts of this world. I can attest to the many times God has kindly reminded me of some uncharitable act, for which I either apologize or repent. Undoubtedly I am a sinner, but I can imagine the pearly gates ahead of me and I want nothing more than to please God.

Growing With Wisdom

As you  get older, wisdom should come naturally; but for some it does not. The simple reason for this: you fail to ask God for wisdom. Instead you seek direction from outside worldly sources that lead to idolatry. We can only serve one God, but when confusion rears its ugly shadow it casts doubt and plays dirty mind games.

I know a lot of well-meaning people who, because they lack godly wisdom, make foolish choices. What I cannot understand is that wisdom is there for the asking, yet many lack the knowledge or are unaware of how God wants us all to live full, wholesome lives.

King Solomon

Earlier this week the reading at Mass was about how God bestowed wisdom on Solomon. This wisdom was supernatural: so when God gave it to him, He entrusted Solomon with a gift.

If you want to be a saint, long-suffering should be your middle name.

Ignatius

Ignatius loved his life. He was part of the royal army of Spain. He loved chivalrous challenges until they came to an end. In a battle near Pamplona his army was outnumbered, but Ignatius was not ready to give up. He talked his military superior into finishing the fight. Things did not go well for him; a cannonball hit both his legs with one leg completely broken. This was the start of his spiritual journey.

The Convalescing Soldier

Saint Ignatius struggled during his convalescence. He wanted to read books about chivalrous romances but the only books available were on The Life of Christ and saints. With his new-found love for God, he decided to forsake his worldly ambitions. Ignatius’ conscience-stricken mind brought a great desire for him to do penance in Jerusalem. He would spend years planning the trip to the Holy Land, but God had other plans.

The Jesuits

Our Lord knew the value of this man and that he would be chosen to organize a new order for the Catholic church. In 1541, the  Jesuits (Society of Jesus) was formed.  They became great agents for a Catholic revival in a troubled time.

The Calling

When the Lord calls, sometimes He needs to break your leg to get your attention. This is exactly what happen to Saint Ignatius. He was first, a soldier for Spain, a womanizer and a worldly man. In the battle of Pamplona against the French, his leg was so badly broken that it needed to be broken again and reset. But this only made matters worse because the bone on his broken leg protruded so much  that it made him conscious of his appearance.

Moreover, during this era, men wore tights so this did not work well for him. Ignatius decided that his leg had to be broken again to correct the anomaly. There was no anesthesia available, but he wanted this problem corrected. He had a clear understanding of physical  pain.

Ignatius was a well -trained soldier, but this, too, was ordained by God. With this training he was able to form The Society of Jesus by using his experience as a soldier. When you are under the command of a general, following orders will save your life.

Another great attribute of Ignatius’ life is the fact that he returned to school. This was not a university but a school where his classmates’ ages ranged from eight to fourteen years old. Saint Ignatius continued his education at College Sainte-Barbe, a university in Paris.

The Confessions

As with all saints, Ignatius suffered much from his past sins. In his confessions he was tormented by the sins of his youth. This torment at times brought him suicidal thoughts until one day his confessor suggested that he not  include his past sins. This freed him of much guilt.

St. Ignatius’ Apparitions

Throughout his spiritual life he experienced many apparitions. Many times these apparitions of Christ appeared to him to console him and bring him comfort. This saint depended on the help of others, many times begging for alms. In  Venice he was sustained by begging and sleeping on the steps of St. Mark’s. I have visited St. Mark’s square and never knew this great saint slept on the steps of this Cathedral!

The Enlightenment

Once when he was going to pray in a small church outside of Manresa, he sat along the river and experienced a great enlightenment. While he was facing the river, his eyes of understanding began to open; he did not see a vision, but he understood and and knew many things. These matters were spiritual, increasing his faith and learning. This enlightenment was so great that everything seemed new to him.

Jerusalem

I cannot forget to mention that this great saint did make it to Jerusalem. Despite many obstacles thrown his way, the Lord gave him the desire of his heart to visit the Holy Land

In 1523  he boarded the pilgrim ship.  The only thing he brought with him was hope. His intentions were to remain in Jerusalem, continually visiting the holy places. As much as he wanted to stay, his  provincial informed Ignatius that it was too dangerous for him to remain in Jerusalem.

Jesus’ Footprints

Ignatius, before leaving the Holy Land, had a strong desire to revisit the Mount of Olives where our Lord left His footprints before ascending to heaven. (Acts 1:9-12)

In my 20 years of travel to the Holy Land I have never missed visiting the Chapel of the Ascension. For one we always stayed in the hotel called the Mount of Olives, and many times we would walk to visit this holy sight. Also in the vicinity is the Church of Pater Noster, where our Lord taught his disciples the Our Father Prayer.

Ignatius’ Roommates

Imagine having Francis Xavier and Peter Faber as roommates!  Yes, these three saints lived as roommates! They were among the founding members of the Society of Jesus. Saint Peter Faber came from Haute-Savoie,  a region of southeastern France, in the French Alps where Mont Blanc is located.  Saint Francis Xavier came from a castle in Navarre, Spain.  On August 15, 1534, Saint Ignatius, Saint Faber, Saint Xavier along with Diego Lainez, Alonso Salmeron, Nicolas Bobadilla, and Simao Rodrigues made their Jesuits vows together

in Paris.

Education

Of  all Catholic orders, the Jesuits are recognized as having the longest and most intensive education. These years of studies could range from 8 years up to 17-20 years. Loyola University Chicago, Loyola University New Orleans, and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles are just a few of the colleges and universities named after this great saint.

There is a reason why we Catholics honor and ask for the intercession of our saints. If you were a college student you should ask St. Ignatius of Loyola to intercede on your behalf.

In this writing I have omitted so many more important facts of this wonderful saint. All that I can express is that we need role models like Saint Ignatius to help us in this crazy world.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, May You give us interior visions like Saint Ignatius . Enlighten our spirits to see the world through Your eyes. Open our spiritual eyes. Amen.