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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary


I do not like any of the pictures of the Immaculate Heart of Mary but love this feast. Now it really does not get celebrated as it is the day after the Feast of the Sacred Heart, but it used to be August 22 and was a great day to have a real holiday before the vacation ended. I think Mary's Heart is so united to the Heart of Jesus that she rejoices in our celebrating on Friday and letting her day be rather quiet.

I brought another one of Jessica Powers' poems to share with you. It is not about Our Lady, but it seems she inspired me to pray over it and I want to share it with you.

My Heart Ran Forth
My heart ran forth on little feet of music
to keep the new commandment.
(O feast and frolic of awakening spring!)
It would beguile the world to be a garden
with seeds of one refrain: My little children,
love one another;
so my heart would sing.

But wisdom halted it, out far afield,
asked: did you sow this seed
around your house, or in the neighbor's garden
or any nearby acreage of need?
No? Then it will not grow in outer places.
Love has its proper soil, its native land;
its first roots fasten on the near-at-hand.

Back toward the house from which I deftly fled,
down neighbors' lanes, across my father's barley
my heart brought home its charity. It said:
love is a simple plant like a Creeping Charlie;
once it takes root its talent is to spread.


The above poem is giving me much to reflect upon and I suspect it may be part of my retreat this summer- especially that line ""its first roots fasten on the near-at-hand," I now know who my retreat director will be and I am beginning to pray for her and for the others who will be with me in retreat from July 6-13. Please pray for us, too. It is a short retreat, but having had a month last year that was so heavenly, I will be happy with these days and hope to have another three days later this year. For me, my retreat is the most important time of the year, and has been for many, many years.

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