We love visiting Santa Barbara. Our roots are deep because both of our children were born there. Though I rarely go into the Pacific Ocean, I love to be near her. The sounds of the crashing waves, the loud seagulls flying overhead are a small part of what this beautiful city has to offer.
Mike and me
God had His hand on Santa Barbara; her beauty beckons for her to be noticed. We walked for miles, frequented our favorite restaurants but it’s the beautiful Pacific Ocean that I love. In late summer, the Pacific keeps her boundaries at bay but lets you know she is in charge. The ocean praises God with each pounding wave.
Who is Saint Barbara?
Saint Barbara was a beautiful young woman whose pagan father kept in a tower to protect her. Then she professed her faith in Christianity. In his outrage, her father had her tortured and he himself beheaded her. On his way home from the execution, her father was struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.
Saint Barbara
Patron Saint
Saint Barbara is invoked in thunderstorms and is the patron saint of artillerymen, fireman, prisoners and miners.
Junipero Serra
To understand the history of Santa Barbara, California we must talk about Saint Junipero Serra, the Spanish Fray who came to establish the Missions in California.
Saint Serra
This holy man of God was in charge of overseeing farmland, livestock and infrastructure from San Diego to San Francisco. It’s no surprise that our state owes a lot of our agricultural expertise to the Franciscans.
California Crops
California produces more crops than any other state. There are over 400 types of fruits and vegetables, including nuts. California produces 80% of the worlds almond’s. Almond milk, almond butter and my favorite, Almond Joy candy bars – all developed because the Franciscan padres brought the first almond tree from Spain. In order to celebrate Palm Sunday, the Franciscans planted the first palm trees at the Mission San Diego de Alacala.
Mission Grapes
In order to have Mass the Franciscans needed wine for communion. Catholics will never use anything other than real wine for communion. This has been a practice since the Last Supper. In 1779, Saint Junipero Serra planted California’s first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Mission grapes were also grown by the monks of the Santa Barbara Mission in the hills of Santa Barbara County. The last of the Mission grapes were at the San Gabriel Mission in the San Fernando Valley.
El Camino Real
El Camino Real/The Royal Road was built so that Junipero Serra could travel from San Diego to Carmel and to secure safe passage for travelers. This road also paved a way to reach and convert Native American tribes to Catholicism. Saint Serra used this road to check on the progress of the Missions.
Bad Press
It’s not surprising that Junipero Serra has received bad press these past couple of years because of the protest of Saint Serra’s alleged abuse of Native Americans. This attack is really aimed at the Catholic Church. There is no historical truth to charges that this priest took advantage of the Native Americans. Moreover there is proof that Saint Serra defended the rights of the Native Americans. The Monks and indigenous people learned from each other because both had much to offer. The Catholic Church offered a covering and protection for the indigenous people.
If a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes easy to convince others.
I could never express my disbelief and anger when this saint’s statues were defecated and torn down. The truth will always prevail. Always!.
This is an excerpt written by Archbishop José H. Gomez addressing his concern over the removal of Saint Serra statues:
St. Junípero came not to conquer; he came to be a brother. “We have all come here and remained here for the sole purpose of their well-being and salvation,” he once wrote. “And I believe everyone realizes we love them.” …
St. Junípero was 60 years old when he traveled 2,000 miles from Carmel to Mexico City to protest the injustices of the colonial system and demand that authorities adopt a “bill of rights” that he had written for the native peoples. That was in 1773, three years before America’s founders declared this nation’s independence with those beautiful words: “all men are created equal … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
Mission Santa Barbara
I was not going to miss Mass, so we made plans to attend the 9:00 a.m. service at the Mission. I told Mike we needed to get there early because it was going to be a packed service. He never believes me. As we made the left turn into the parking lot, this Mission always majestically makes a grand appearance. We parked and walked up several steps to be greeted by a Franciscan priest. On our way in I could hear the choir practicing and from the outside it sounded beautiful.
Mission Santa Barbara, me and Father Derek
We sat toward the front and Mike was surprised to see the church pews quickly filled. With the opening hymn came the priest and the altar servers; one was carrying the Franciscan San Damiano Cross. The liturgical music quickly filled the atmosphere and I felt as though we were part of this great invitation in welcoming the Holy Spirit.
Statue of Saint Francis and Saint ClairSanta Barbara Mission Altar
The Responsorial for this Mass was: If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. (Ps. 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 95:1-2 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
A Call to Praise and Obedience
1 Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms.
Psalm 95:6-7
6 Enter, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. 7 For he is our God, we are the people he shepherds, the sheep in his hands.
Aside from the gentleman sitting directly behind Mike who sneezed three times, it was a perfect service.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, with all the fake news that is being spread throughout the world, I ask that You would intervene and reveal truth so that our history will not be distorted by lies. I pray that those who believe that Saint Serra came to abuse the indigenous people would come to the understanding that he was sent by God to do His work. Amen.
The Hebrew meaning for Gethsemane is “oil press.” The Garden of Gethsemane is located in the Mount of Olives. This same oil was used in the lighting of the Temple lamps and for the anointing of kings. Jesus was called the Messiah, which means “the anointed one.”
In order to get the fullness of the olive it must be crushed three times. As Jesus goes into the garden to pray he asked his disciples to stay awake and pray. Three times He found them sleeping. Jesus knew what He had to face; the agony in the garden, where He would be crushed like the olives for the weight of the sins of the world. In Jesus’ case, He was crushed until His sweat turned into blood.
Luke 22:44 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
44 He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.
The Church of All Nations
I have visited the Garden of Gethsemane many, many times and I have received new revelations with each visit. This magnificent church is also referred to as the Basilica of the Agony. With the help of twelve nations, this church was reconstructed in 1920- 1924. Of course the United States had a hand in this because we are truly a benevolent nation. The other countries donating were Argentina, Brazil , Chili, Mexico, Italy, France, Spain, England, Belgium, Canada and Germany. The name, The Church of All Nations, was built with 12 nations and, like the 12 apostles, it means complete.
Walking past the olive trees is one of my favorite sites to visit. Archaeologists believe that some of these olive trees were around in the time of Jesus. An interesting fact about an olive tree is that when cut it will continue to grow. These century old olive trees are still producing olives.
The altar and stone where Jesus was said to have wept blood
As you walk into the small basilica the focus is on the huge boulder located at the altar. This stone is believed to be where Jesus wept. To be at the same site that our Lord wept blood and to be able to pray and weep at the same spot is truly joyful.
Franciscan Priest sharing olive branchesFather Leonard and me visiting the Garden of Gethsemane circa 2010
The rock of agony is surrounded by a crown of thorns made of wrought iron. Depending on who is guarding the rock, we could usually enter through the gates to kneel and pray. I could spend hours interceding for others; but sometimes, to allow others an opportunity to do the same, we were ushered out.
Olive Branches
Through the grace of God after so many years of visiting the Garden of Gethsemane, I finally got the courage to ask a Franciscan priest if we could have branches from the olive trees. I still have some of these leaves and I treasure them. I’ve shared with my students throughout the years as a small Christmas gift. I will do so this year as well.
My Gethsemane
In no instance am I comparing myself to Jesus in a His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. But many times I find that I have to go deeper into my Gethsemane to reach a higher spiritual level. That may come across as heavy for some but in reality it’s attainable for all. Our world is filled with so many distractions which cause us to inadvertently take our eyes off our calling. In my case, I get a shaking in a dream to redirect my path.
Getting Back Into the Spirit
The Lord gives me warning dreams whenever I step out of the spirit into the world. These dreams are often confusing, and I’m always finding a way to get out of the situation.
This is the most recent dream:
I had a baby, and I was responsible for him. The baby was very dirty; he looked as if he had not had a bath in days. I quickly put him in the bathtub but in the commotion, I was distracted. I started to do other things. Then I remembered the baby. I ran in and started scrubbing the dirt off of him.
What does this dream mean? This is my interpretation: the baby represents something new that has been entrusted to me. I failed to pay attention to the baby. The outcome of my neglect was that things with the baby were not right.
The Classes
I have volunteered to teach First Holy Communion and Confirmation classes at St. Norbert. So, after this dream, I started to review some of the lessons. Preparing for something God has entrusted me with, I must have a pure and yielding spirit.
Since I struggle with dates and times, I quickly posted all the dates of the class in my phone calendar with a reminder. .
The Distraction
It’s easy to unwillingly open the door to distraction. Mine come in different forms such as unnecessary shopping or trying to find something entertaining on Netflix. I like true life stories and documentaries, but I love romantic comedies.
No More Garbage
In almost every case, a spirit of perversion is introduced in the third or fourth segment of romantic miniseries. I’m disgusted with Turkish, Italian and Jewish miniseries. They are following the same script of some American moviemakers who are doing a wonderful job of destroying entertainment. Their agenda is for us to always accept a sinful lifestyle as the norm.
Prayer
I pray a lot. But sometimes I need assurance from the Lord, so I go deeper into the garden. Alone, I separate myself from the world and pray. I usually start with a Rosary and then continue to add other petitions. Part of my calling is to pray for others. Many times I feel a burden to pray for our nation and the crazy politicians who are running it.
My first priority is always for my family. I pray for their health, favor in their workplace, for our grandchildren to do well in school. I also pray for the future spouses for our grandchildren because God has the perfect man or woman set aside for them. I pray for the spiritual direction of many. For those who do not understand who they are in God’s Kingdom, I ask the Lord to reveal Himself in a dream to them..
Be the Light
We all could use a little crushing. Always remember that the oil from the olive trees was used for lighting. We are the light that can never be extinguished.
Matthew 5:14-16 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
Since I have learned to live with dyslexia my entire life, you’d think that my husband would offer me a little forbearance.
Right and Left
I had to pick up Mike from the service department for his car. Mike had to make several phone calls, so I drove home. The navigation was set to get us home. The Indian man’s voice said, “Make a left turn and then another left turn.” But for some unusual reason, I made a right turn. Mike quickly responded, “Didn’t you hear him say turn left?” “Of course I did,” I answered. Needless to say the small detour was another indication on how my brain operates.
Pilates
Dori, our Pilates instructor, has become accommodating to my special needs. She no longer uses “turn right or turn left;” instead she says ” turn to the wall or turn to the front door.” I find this most helpful and am grateful for her kindness.
I know my right from my left, but it’s the whole concept of how it switches when you’re directly facing objects. For instance, when someone says, “It’s in the left side of the right cabinet,” my brain goes amok.
Driving
Not one person in my family who has a driver’s license allows me to drive with them. If I am driving to a new location, I make several mistakes getting there. My younger grandsons know I mean business when I say, “Nobody talk, nobody talk!” It’s an indication that my brain is focused on arriving at the destination. For this reason I always allow myself an extra half hour for travel.
Even with a back-up camera, I still can’t back up the car in a parking spot.
Double Booking
I cannot recount the many times I have double-booked dates. We received and evite about a month ago for our friend Willie’s 60th birthday bash. I replied that we were attending but forgot that this same evening was our granddaughter Maddie’s sending away party! She left for college the following day.
Tik Tok
I know the Chinese are all up in our business with Tik Tok, but I use it for several reasons. I promote my Blog, and I get a lot of useful information. Recently I started following a lady who uses castor oil for many purposes. This caught my attention because it mentioned weight loss and a flatter stomach.
Castor Oil
I’m going to continue using castor oil, praying for a positive outcome
I had been experiencing stomach issues for several years, so I purchased a generic castor oil brand from the local CVS drugstore. I swallowed two large spoonfuls and wanted to immediately regurgitate the foul taste. I promised myself that I would never, ever put that horrid stuff in my mouth again. The greasy oil was placed in the back shelf of the medicine cabinet and I forgot about it.
With the new revelation of weight loss, I quickly pulled it out and started to use the thick, greasy castor oil again. The lady from Tik Tok said to put some in your belly button and to rub it all over your stomach. The first night was a mess. Since I was standing the whole belly button thing was not functioning properly. After a few mishaps, I can say that I got this procedure down to a science.
The Eight-Pound Loss
After two weeks of using the castor oil I felt better. Every morning without fail, I jumped on the scale. We own an obnoxious scale that announces your weight out loud. Both Mike and I have figured out that if you jump off the stupid scale, you can see the weight without hearing it.
Last week I got on the scale. Something happened. As I watched the scale quickly change numbers, it registered an eight-pound loss! I ran to tell Mike, “Oh my gosh! I just lost eight pounds!” Mike just smiled and returned to the numbers he was crunching on the computer. Our guest bathrooms has a polite scale that always registers two pounds over the obnoxious one. I got on it and the number showed a six-pound loss. Again, I ran to share the great news with Mike, but he ignored my excitement.
Sharing The Good News
Because losing eight pounds overnight is a big accomplishment, I could not keep this information to myself. My best friend Helen was on her way to the airport, so I could not bother her with this wonderful news. Besides she’s a naysayer, and I wanted positive support for the weight loss. I called my two sisters with the news; both Norma and Jo wanted more information about this new-found miracle. I called Lorrie, an old family friend from Colorado; she, too, was surprised but during the entire conversation she kept laughing about the situation. Then I called Sarah, Helen’s daughter-in-law. She was so happy for me and said she believed that this type of thing is possible.
Sonja
When I called my daughter Sonja, I knew she was going to ask me a battery of questions. Her first response, “What do you mean, that’s impossible!” Then she asked me if my clothes were fitting looser. At that point I felt a little insulted, and I remembered as I was putting on my pants that I had to lie on the bed to zip them up! I blew that off as a fluke. Suddenly Sonja wanted specific information about the castor oil.
I went to Mass but after I returned I got on the scale again. It read 100 and something one. Indeed I had lost eight pounds overnight! Praising God for the miracle, I went about my day.
Bad Night
Like the rest of the world I brush my teeth and wash my face before bedtime. But now I was adding castor oil to the routine. I decided to get on the scale one last time; then I realized that I had transposed the last two numbers! I did not lose eight pounds but gained one pound! Mike was sound asleep when I shook him awake. “Mickey, what am I going to do? I told all these girls that I lost eight pounds, but in reality I gained one pound!” Mike was quick to reply, “I knew all along that it wasn’t true! You need to come clean!” “This is so embarrassing! Please tell me what to do!” I cried. “You need to call them or text them first thing in the morning. Aye, yai yai, why are you so crazy?” Mike grumbled.
How God Created Me
I am in good company with dyslexia; Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Richard Branson and Cher all struggled with this disorder. In my case, there are so many gifts to dyslexia. I can listen to two conversations and know exactly what is being said. I have a gift of being quick-witted, with a reply forming in my head instantaneously. And I can tell a good story. I work for God and I am an excellent employee.
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for always helping me fix the messes in my life. And thank You for the gift of dyslexia because it makes me uniquely dependent on You and it keeps me humble. Amen.
Who is Saint Barbara?
