Faithful Penelope- A Valiant Vignette

Let’s quickly acknowledge the heroine of Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope, who waited for 20 years while her husband, Odysseus was gone.  First he was fighting in the Trojan War, then making his slow (quite, quite slow) way back to their home in Ithica.  Penelope has been considered as a model of marital fidelity because after so long a time, she would have been allowed to remarry, according to Greek custom.  Odysseus was missing- presumed dead, and there was no shortage of suitors for his supposed widow.  Homer tells us it was no less than 108 men who tried to woo the fair Penelope.  They all gathered at the family estate in Ithica, and the rules of hospitality demanded that Penelope feed and entertain these men.  But she refused to accept that her husband was dead, and so she waited for him.

(John William Waterhouse)

                Penelope is remembered for her cleverness is avoiding having to choose a husband from among the suitors.  Her father-in-law was dying, so she spent her days weaving a burial shroud for him.  She told the men that when she finished, she would select a husband.  She spent her days weaving, and at night she undid her work to buy time for her husband to return to her.   Of course, Odysseus did finally return to his home, and by passing the tests which Penelope cleverly set for him, he was able to prove that he was, in fact, her husband.  So all ended happily for the woman who waited.  (Whether or not he deserves her is a debate for another day. J )

Inspiration from Sam.

The Arrival

By Edmund Blair Leighton.

(My hubby returns from an out of town conference today.  This sums me up pretty well right now.)

True Strength

Let's Shine Today!

Mother Marianne of Molokai

Of the relatively small number of American Saints, Hawaii claims two, and both lived there for the same reason- to devote their lives to those suffering from leprosy.  Fr. Damien was canonized in 2009, and is perhaps better known than the valiant lady who replaced him after his death, Mother Marianne.  She was canonized in 2012 (along with St. Kateri Tekawitha).  She is remarkable for her bravery and charity in the face of this horrible disease and for her medical contributions in the areas of sanitation and patients’ rights.

Patience and Perseverance

The Foundling

By Edmund Blair Leighton

Prayer of Christian Spouses

Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer!  In Christian marriage Thou hast proclaimed to us the great mystery of Thy love.  We thank Thee from our hearts and ask of Thee a deeper understanding of this holy sacrament.  Let our love become like Thy sacrifice of love.  Let our hearts remain united in harmony and not be torn apart by bitterness and frustration.  Let our love be so patient and strong that we can bear affliction and pain and always be ready to forgive and comfort.

Our blessed, golden rings, which Thou, through Thy Church, didst present to us at Thy altar, forever remind us that our marriage is indissoluble.  Grant that nothing and no one may be able to sever our union.

At Thy holy altar Thou didst seal our contract.  Thy Cross, the symbol of Thy sacrifice, accompanied us into our home.   Grant that under this symbol, we may pray and work together, live in peace, support each other in goodness and strive towards the high aims, which Thou hast shown to us as Christian spouses.  Amen.

It's the little things.

Mrs. Lillian Gilbreth- Mother of “The Dozen”

One of the funniest, laugh-out-loud books that I have ever read is Cheaper by the Dozen, the story of the Gilbreth family. In addition to the wonderful antics of the twelve children, stories about vacations, the family car, and such, we’re also given an introduction to the science of “motion study,” which Mom and Dad Gilbreth pioneered. (They analyzed construction and factory workers, surgeons, chefs, etc, and figured out ways for them to do their job more efficiently by using fewer motions.) Yes, not only was Mrs. Gilbreth the mother of twelve children, but she held a doctorate in psychology and helped her husband with his work, and after his death, she ran the family business and became the foremost woman in the areas of scientific management, motion studies, efficiency, industrial psychology, and organizational psychology. She also invented shelves in the refrigerator doors and the foot-pedal trash can!!! This woman is amazing!

Time Management- Tolkien Style

God Speed!

By Edmund Blair Leighton.

(Needless to say, this is exactly how I look when my husband leaves for work in the morning.)

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony

Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints!

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours.

Amen. (Say 13 Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glorias)

Sing Joyfully!

Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness. Come in before His presence with exceeding great joy: know ye that the Lord He is God.  He made us, and not we ourselves: but we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Ps. 99. 1, 2

Miep Gies- The Heroine Behind the Diary of Anne Frank

Most people are familiar with Anne Frank, the young teenage Jewish girl who spent two years hiding with her family in a secret annex behind an office building during World War II. If it had not been for the diary she kept during that time, she would probably be just another unknown victim of the Holocaust. But we have her story, and the reason we have it is because of a heroic Christian woman who simply did the right thing- Miep Gies. (pronounced Meep Geese)

All Shall be Well.

The Piano Lesson

By Edmund Blair Leighton

Prayer for Engaged Couples

Father in Heaven! In the joy of our young love we come to You, in order to thank You for the gracious guidance which You have given us. You have led our hearts to find each other. You have awakened in us the strength of love, which enriches us and makes us joyful. In joyous expectation, we think of the hour in which You will bind us in an insoluble companionship, and will give to us the sanctification of a great sacrament. It will be our calling to participate in the future in Your privilege of creation and contribute to the building of the Kingdom of God. It is a great task You have entrusted to us. You expect, however, deep reverence for the powers which rest within us of awakening new life. You demand that the Holy Temple of God, which You have built in us by Baptism, shall not be defiled or disgraced. Your Word and Your Law show us the paths we should take and the dangers which we must avoid.

O Lord, you know our good will. You know that we wish to prepare a joyous marriage. But You also know the power of temptation, the influence of evil examples and our own weakness.

Help us to be vigilant, to humbly stay aware of our weak power, to courageously withstand temptation. Awaken the inner strength of our love, our fidelity, our moral gravity, and our responsibility. Fill us with a heroic striving, that we may build a blessed future and attain perfection in eternal life.

Mary, Mother of fair love, take us under your mantle, so that we may be allowed to worthily and chastely approach the altar of our God. Amen.

You'll Never Walk Alone, Biblically.

And the Lord commanded Josue the son of Nun, and said: Take courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I have promised, and I will be with thee.

-Deuteronomy 31. 23

Queen Lucy the Valiant

(Lucy's actually stuck in the background behind Queen Jill in this picture.)

Warning!  Here be Spoilers for the Chronicles of Narnia Series.

“But as for Lucy, she was always gay and golden-haired, and all princes in those parts desired her to be their Queen, and her own people called her Queen Lucy the Valiant.”

                I don’t think it’s a coincidence that C.S. Lewis chose this royal title for the heroine of The Chronicles of Narnia.  This character he created embodies so many virtues that make her valiant.  Throughout the series, we watch Lucy Pevensie grow up gracefully, but she keeps her child-like quality, which I think is one of the most beautiful aspects of her character, and what makes her so dear to Aslan.  In the same way that Joseph Pearce described G. K. Chesterton, Lucy can be called “child-like, without being childish.”  Her sense of wonder, her trusting nature, and her boundless affection are combined with bravery, selflessness, and sense of responsibility.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

It's June, and if you're a lover of musicals, you're probably thinking of Carousel by Rogers and Hammerstein.  I know I am.  It's certainly not my favorite musical, as I can't really warm to any of the characters (tangent- I have the same problem with The Music Man) but there is one redeeming quality to Carousel, and that is Cousin Nettie.
When the hero dies a violent death, his pregnant wife turns to her Nettie, who comforts her with the song which has since become an anthem of hope, strangely enough, for the Liverpool Football Club.
So here's a bit of encouragement from Rogers and Hammerstein.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1izigJX1pxI