Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel

 Normandy, France

~~~~~

I will build my church

For praise and glory to God

Redeemer be praised. 

Salvation is ours

Through death and resurrection

Of Jesus, the Christ.

And the rock still stands

Forever in praise of God

Holy is his name. 

~~~~~

Mont Saint-Michel took my breath away.  It is incredible!  I walked the streets, climbed the stairs to the abbey.  It is another masterpiece, created to the glory of God.  When you stand on the parapets, you cannot help but be touched by the immensity of the undertaking.  And immediately I recalled the words of our Lord, Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:13-18.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Phillipi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"  They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.  "He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah,  for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father."  And so I say to you, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it.

~~~^j^~~~

And so I heartily say,

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

 recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

Monoco

I'm not sure what to say about these photos.  I was awestruck when I first saw the Mediterranean.  It is incredibly beautiful.  The palm trees, even with the chill in the air seemed unaffected by the cold.  Indeed, it was cold the day we were there, only 35 degrees and the wind was blowing.  The weather did not diminish the zeal with which we wandered the streets and byways.  It was grand!!   

France has been a wonderful adventure so far. I have enjoyed the countryside and the glory of the sea. And even walking all the steep streets has been good for me.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I think you should take some time to visit Imagin-in-ing.  You're sure to enjoy it!

The beautiful blue of the Mediterranean

in Monte Carlo

~~~~~

Frothy waves of blue

Washing over the shoreline

Bathing it in sun

It's so very blue

Crystal clear and shimmering

It's so very blue

~~~~~

Oh, but it is grand to be in France.  We've started on the Mediterranean coast and will be moving on to Lyon.  It's been a grand tour so far.  We still have five days until Paris, so much to see and savor before then.  

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

 recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

The Road Less Traveled

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

1874-1963

Two roads diverge in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And looked down one as far as I could

And took the other, as just as fair,

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

And having perhaps the better claim,

Though as for that the passing there

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads in a wood diverged and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~~~~~~~

I immediately thought of this poem when I saw this road the other day.  Even though in high school we would never admit that we liked poetry, I have found that it  has served me well.  A lot of wisdom can be conveyed in a few words.

And so, we come to another Holy Door in the Year of Mercy.  This door is at Our Lady or Einsiedeln Archabbey Church at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana.  The door is designed by Brother Martin Erspamer, OSB 

Wishing all a blessed Holy Year of Mercy.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I think you should take some time to visit Imagin-in-ing.  You're sure to enjoy it!

The Golden Iris

One golden iris

Yellow as fresh made butter

Beauty to the eye

An Iris's beauty

Offers up her golden crown

And so brings us joy

~~~~~~

I'll be gone for two weeks.  It's another great adventure, as we will be traveling to France.  I'm very excited.  

Before I leave leave I'd like to introduce you to Vagabond (Vaga), Super Pup's cousin.  They will accompany us and will be sharing the sights.  They're all packed and ready to go.  So now I need to get started.  I'll try to post when I can. . .if not I'll see you when I return.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

 recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

Awaiting Sping

A hush is over everything,

Silent as women waiting for the 

spring.

~~Sara Teasdale~~

As the air begins to warm and we enter the month of March, I am thrilled in the anticipation of Spring.  You want to go out and do some spring cleaning in the garden, rake the leaves from between the daffodils so that their beds are clear.  

It won't be long before the trees are covered in their coats of green and the bird nests are safely hidden out of sight.  Oh my, and it's just around the corner! 

~~^j^~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

 I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

I think you should take some time to visit Imagin-in-ing.  You're sure to enjoy it!

The Door

I stand at the door

In fear and trepidation

Just wanting to knock

Just wanting to knock

In fear and trepidation

Wanting an answer

So boldly I knock

LovinglyI am embraced

I should never fear

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

~~~~~~~

I'll be on my annual retreat this weekend at Saint Meinrad Archabbey.  Please keep me in your prayers!

~~~

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

Companions on the Journey

I'd like to introduce you to Super Pup and Buddy.  I met Buddy last summer when we were looking at photos of "his" trip to Hungary and Austria in November the previous year with his owner, my sister-in-law, Linda.  What a great idea, I thought.  What if Buddy could accompany us to Italy and then he could share his adventure with others.

Well, pretty soon, after we continued our travels to Yellowstone, I realized I'd have to be sending Buddy home and it would be so hard to part with him.  We met Old Faithful and I fell in love with him.  What better companion for Buddy than this delightful grizzly bear.  He had such a wonderful personality and he'd be a great protector for Buddy.  Well much to my chagrin, that just wasn't going to work.  There just wouldn't be enough room for this bulky friend of ours.  

So, to my delight, I was introduced to Super Pup.  Yes, this handsome fellow said he'd be glad to accompany Buddy to Italy and watch out for him.

So it was that Super Pup and Buddy journeyed with us to Italy.  They were together through thick and thin.  Whether they were confined to a purse or backpack.  They never complained.

They would chat about the days adventures or sit quietly just reflecting on the day.

  

They listened intently to the tour guide as we walked the streets of Italy's ancient towns.  The view of Florence was captivating.  On the steps of the Duomo Church in Amalfi they waited for their gelato while we took photos.  They were amazed by the ruins of Rome and awestruck by the Coliseum.  

In November Super Pup and Buddy parted ways when we traveled to New Mexico to attend a memorial for a cousin of the family.  They traveled through an ice storm and into the night, these best of friends.  And so it was that Super Pup returned home alone, resting in the back pack to which he had become so accustomed.

Smile, though!  There is good news.  I learned yesterday that Super Pup's cousin Vagabond (Vaga) will be arriving on Wednesday.  He's agreed that he and Super Pup should be traveling companions and he'd accompany him to France in March.  Super Pup is looking forward to his arrival.

I just couldn't leave today with our sharing another photo from our Italian adventure.  This is a panorama of the Bay of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

 I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I think you should take some time to visit Imagin-in-ing.  You're sure to enjoy it!

At the center of the entrance cloister at Monte Cassino stands this beautiful bronze statue by the sculptor A. Selva. The work is based on the description given by St. Gregory the Great, who wrote the biography of St. Benedict's life. He is standing, supported by monks after having received the Holy Communion. This statue was a gift from the German Chancelor K. Adenauer in 1952.

God's mercy and love

Lifts us out of the abyss

God's gift to us all

God's gift to us all

Everlasting joy and peace

The gift to all saints

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

A Weekend Pilgrimage

God's glory appears in Bardstown, Kentucky

We had a glorious weekend in Kentucky.  Sister Therese, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth, told us that this area is called the Promised Land of Kentucky.  

The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani 

The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is a monastery part of the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Order, also known as, the Trappists.  Founded in December, 1848 it was raised to Abbey in 1851.  Gethsemani is considered the mother house of all Trappists and Trappistine monasteries in the United States.  It is the oldest monastery in the United States still in operation.  It was home to Thomas Merton from 1941 until his death in 1968.

 Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral

 Bardstown Kentucky 

The cornerstone of Saint Joseph by Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget in 1816.  In 1775, Catholic settlers, mostly of English and Irish descent began emigrating chiefly from Maryland to Kentucky, an outpost of the crown colony of Virginia.  The first missionaries came around 1787.  In 1808 the four new Catholic diocese created at the request of Bishop Carroll of Baltimore, included Bardstown along with New York and Philadelphia.  The new diocese of Bardsowon covered almost the entire Northwest Territory, south to New Orleans and as far north as Detroit.  

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1819.  When the Episcopal See was moved forty miles away to the fast growing city of Louisville in 1841, Saint Joseph's because a parish church, hence the title "proto-cathedral."  In 1995 Bardstown was named a Titular see by the Vatican for ints contributions to the Catholic Church heritage in America.

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth were founded in 1812.  Mother Catherine Spaulding, along with Bishop John Baptist David, are honored together and remembered as co-founders of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.  

The New community followed the rule of Saint Vincent de Paul and their dwelling was named Nazareth.  They serve in 20 states in the United States, in India, Nepal, Botswana, and Belize.

~~~

It was a grand weekend all round.  The weather was good and we even toured Makers Mark distillery.  There are many on what's know as the Bourbon Trail.  But, that is for another day.  And you can read much more about these grand places by going to their webpages. 

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I think you should take some time to visit Imagin-in-ing.  You're sure to enjoy it!