There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them: a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A ti ..read more

Litany of the Holy Spirit Lord, have mercy on us, Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Father all-powerful, have mercy on us. Jesus,  Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us. Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify us. Holy Trinity, hear us. Holy Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts. Holy Spirit, Who art equal to the  Father and the Son, enter our hearts. Promise of God the Father… Have mercy on us.  Ray of heavenly light… Author of all good… Source ..read more

I will rejoice heartily in the LORD, my being exalts in my God; For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and wrapped me in a robe of justice, Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its shoots, and a garden makes its seeds spring up, So will the Lord GOD make justice spring up, and praise before all the nations. Isaiah 62: 10-11   O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.  The post Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance appeared first on Gifts and Fruits with Mary ..read more

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her. Luke 10:38-42 NAB Choosing the Better Part It is my ho ..read more

When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in wh ..read more

The Ascension of Jesus Then he led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God. Luke 24: 50-52     The post Wishing You A Blessed Ascension Thursday appeared first on Gifts and Fruits with Mary ..read more

Take to heart these words which I command you today.  Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them on your arm as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6: 6-9 NAB The Family Mission When I was feeling the call to homeschool our oldest daughter over twenty years ago, I think back on this beloved bible verse. At the time I never knew anyone who homeschooled their children, but as my Abigal grew closer and ..read more

The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.   As I meditate on the fruits of the Holy Spirit I cannot ignore the simple truth that all of the other fruits embody the first and most important fruit of the Spirit which is love.  We have all heard that love conquers all however in our day to day lives, that concept can appear to be naive and cliché. But love really does conquer all.  Let us take a look at what the bible has to say about it. The Greatest Commandment ..read more

I grew up in a small Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Every Sunday, my mother would make sure that all five of my brothers and sisters and I were dressed in our Sunday best and march us down the street toward our little church. My grandparents, aunts, and uncles attended and sang in the choir so there was always a warm feeling of fellowship and love. I often cried during the sermon, and one day I asked my mother why. Perhaps a seed was planted that day when she told me, “It’s the Holy Spirit touching your heart and moving you to tears.” After my husband and I married and had our f ..read more

The Parable of the Sower On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And He spoke to them at length in parables, saying, “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and ch ..read more