Tree of Life

Have mercy on us Lord for we have sinned against you.  Today, Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent and the time for greater intensity of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We take these next 40 days to prepare to commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. With St. Gertrude let us offer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus all the offerings of The Church on this Ash Wednesday united to His Passion.  While the feasting and customs of the feast should be postponed if not celebrated already, the symbols of love are tied to the love of Jesus in His Passion.  As Ashes are a sacramental and not a Sacrament they are not limited to Catholics alone. Anyone who desires to do so is able to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Lenten Regulations  A Lenten Resource A Playlist for Lent Check the bulletin of your local church for when Ashes are distributed. Some Churches such as St. Benedict’s on Main and Eggert in Buffalo distributes Ashes all day with Masses as w...

" Laissez les bon temps rouler"  ( Lay-say le bon tom roo-lay) Let the good times roll!  Today is the last day of Carnival which began on the feast of the Epiphany. Carnival comes from the phrase caro levare meaning “to put away the flesh." Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday because on this day people indulge before Lent. In Germany, women have their own special Carnival where they hold all the power and practice pranks. Today is Pancake day due to the need to use up pancake ingredients before Lent. Pancake racing is practiced today, pancakes are flipped and made while racing to the finish line. Some cultures like Poland observe Fat Thursday and eat special desserts like  Paszki . It is also sometimes called Shrove Tuesday from the word shrive, relating to repentance as a means to prepare for Lent. On this day, remove any old palms from last Palm Sunday and set them aside to bring to church to be burned for ashes. The Catholic Church honors the Holy Face of Jesus ...

Saint Valentine, patron of love, pray for us! Today is a celebration of love, we remember the martyrs of the church named Valentine who died to defend love and celebrated the Sacrament of Matrimony in defiance of the Emperor. The name Valentine comes from the word for valor. Although there are many legends about the different Valentines, they were all martyred for love of God. In pre-Christian times February 15th was a festival of love in roman culture but it was filled with cruelty and was inhumane so it was replaced by the feast of St. Valentine. Celebrate the feast of love by sending valentines to the lonely, elderly, veteran and forgotten. Check out local animal adoption events near you and remember to adopt don’t shop! Adopt a Valentine You can also send a valentine to a child in a hospital by clicking here and here . There was actually not just one Saint Valentine, but three. The first and most noteworthy was Saint Valentine of Rome. He was a priest in Rome, was martyred in 269 ...

Immaculate Mary, Your praises we sing! Today we honor the church approved apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes. Today marks the anniversary of Our Lady’s first visit to St. Bernadette. Like any other feast honoring Marian apparitions it is not only celebrating the apparition itself as no one is bound to believe private revelation but instead the dogma behind them. In the case of Our Lady of Lourdes that dogma is  The Immaculate Conception  of Mary. In her final apparition to Bernadette, Mary reveals “I am the Immaculate Conception.” In revealing herself in this way, Mary calls the faithful to recall the unique privilege she has from God and the love she has for us as our Heavenly Mother. Due to the multitudes of the sick who make pilgrimage to Lourdes to seek healing through Our Lady’s intercession, today is the World Day of the Sick .  The Messages of Mary Mary Reveals Her Name  (The Song of Bernadette) Our Lady of Lourdes Cartoon Virtual Tour of Lourdes   Live S...

   Every 4 years the human family gathers together to watch the Olympics and the Paralympics. We experience the wonders of the whole human family and our endurance as it is put on display each time we gather to watch the Olympics. It is a time of diversity, competition and appreciation of our oneness as humanity. Traditions and Symbols of the Olympics The Reason Behind Every 4 Years Team USA The Olympics TikTok Page Tracking the Torch  Medals Standings  Dolly Parton: We Are The Champions More About The Olympics The Paralympics Symbol A Vatican Document on Fraternity and Sports  (In sports we remember even the familiar “Hail Mary Pass” originating from when a Notre Dame player invoked Our Lady before throwing the ball to “miraculous” results.)

Today we honor the Presentation of Jesus, the Light of the World into the Temple in accordance with Jewish law. Today officially closes the Christmas season and Spring begins in many countries.  February 2nd marks 40 days since the birth of Christ on Christmas and is also the midway point between Winter and Spring. Some cultures will celebrate today as the dawning of Spring just as Jesus’ Presentation is the dawning of Salvation.  This is because Simeon, holding Jesus in His arms says “my eyes have beheld your salvation.”  In Jewish Law the firstborn male is dedicated to God on the 40th day since birth and the child’s mother is gone through the rites of purification. For this reason today is a shared feast of Mother and Son. Just as Jesus was baptized as an example to us and an expression of His humility, so too do Jesus and Mary subject themselves to the law though unnecessary (because of their statuses as God and His Immaculate Mother) as an exercise in humility and ob...

Today we honor the revelation of Jesus Christ to the nations by the light of the star of Bethlehem. The Wise Men arrive and present to the Infant Jesus their gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh. The feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is liturgically (within Church Liturgy/ Mass) celebrated on the Sunday between January 2nd-8th. It is typically the second Sunday following Christmas. The traditional date before being solemnized with a Sunday feast is January 6th, known as “Little Christmas” in some cultures. The vigil or eve of the traditional feast of Epiphany is known as TwelfthNight because it is the 12th day of Christmas. It is this day that holds the solemnity that Christmas Day does in some cultures. Epiphany is the celebration of the revelation of God, born in Bethlehem.  The most popular custom for Epiphany is house blessing. This is because Jesus revealed Himself to the nations by the Star and all came to worship Him from shepherds to Kings. By the Wise Men visiting Jesus’...

*Please celebrate wisely and don’t drink and drive or allow anyone who’s been drinking to drive home. Uber and AAA have resources for free and safe trips home.* January 1st marks the beginning of New Year in the West but all through the year many religions and cultures celebrate their New Year at different times. Chinese New Year varies year to year as it follows the lunar cycle as opposed to the solar cycle like the West.  Celebrating the New Year in America and Worldwide New Year’s Day is a time to ask God for blessings on the year that is newly born and we make resolutions for the year to come. The Church exhorts us to pray the Veni Creator Spiritus to gain an indulgence * for the opening of the New Year. January 1st also marks the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and World Peace Day!  New Year falls when it does due to the implementation of the Gregorian Calendar. The colors for New Year are often gold for luck and white for peace. The inclusion of black I believe is t...

CHRISTUS NATUS EST !   CHRIST IS BORN! Today we celebrate the festival of our salvation. The Word is made Flesh and dwells among us! At Midnight in a stable at Bethlehem as the world holds its breath in hope filled longing the Immaculate Virgin Mary gives birth to the Son of God! Christmas gets its name from the translation of  “Christ’s Mass” because of the Mass offered to celebrate Christ at His birth. In fact the different Masses offered for Christmas have different devotional titles:  The "Angels' Mass", held at midnight as Christmas Eve turns to Christmas Day. The "Shepherds' Mass", held on Christmas morning. The "Mass of the Divine World", also known as the "Kings' Mass", held during the day on Christmas.* Christmas in Bethlehem  (At approx 2:10:00 the procession to the Cave of the Nativity begins and approx 2:35:00 they arrive at the Grotto of the Nativity.)   At Midnight on Christmas Eve, the hour when Jesus was born in ac...