The Pilgrim Virgin of Guadalupe

A couple of months ago I was priviledged to participate in the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Guadalupe within our Mexican community.  Once a year, a couple from Prescott brings a life-size portrait of the Virgin to our small town and She visits a number of homes where we gather for a nightly rosary, singing and a snack or meal afterwards.  The food is always wonderful, the fellowship is comforting and the prayer time is liberating.  More than one person has remarked on the relief experienced after laying his or her troubles at the feet of Our Lady. 

This last visit lasted two months.  Though it was often difficult to drag myself out of the house in the evening, when all I wanted was to eat a simple meal in front of the TV or read a good book, once I got there the power of shared prayer and devotions worked its healing magic on my weary body and mind.

Now that the Pilgrim Virgin has moved on, I struggle to say my daily rosary.  The day gets so busy that when evening finally comes I am so tired that I fall into bed, reach over for my beads and maybe make it past the opening prayers before sleep overtakes me.  On days when we have somewhere to go, we manage to say the rosary in the car.  Living 50 miles from anywhere does have its perks.  Sometimes my best time to say the rosary is in the evenings when I am topping off water troughs for the animals.  The rhythm of the prayers, the cool of the mountain evening and the glory of the Arizona sunset just seem to lend themselves to meditation.  Even then, frequently the boy is pestering me to play cowboy squirt guns or throw the baseball with him.  Well, we keep trying.  And we are truly blessed!

Love Amid The Ashes

I found this book in our public library's NEW section.  Looking at the title I thought 'ick, another Harlequin or Avon romance type'.  But the cover illustration drew me in, and I picked it up and read the back, then glanced inside.  Hooked, and intrigued by our librarian's seemingly sudden propensity for Christian fiction, I checked it out at the desk. 

Set in Uz, (actual location lost, but several possibilities in Middle East) Love Amid the Ashes interlaces the Biblical stories of Job, Jacob and Esau, Joseph (of the many colored coat), the migration of the Hebrews to Egypt, and Dinah (sister of Joseph), in a very compelling way.  By the end, I was ready to reread the book of Job, and start my own investigation to see if I could pick up on the threads Mesu Andrews so skillfully weaves together from the Bible as well as other ancient texts and rabbinical tradition.

As Dinah nurses and cares for Job during his long suffering, the story of her ill fated love, betrayal by her vindictive brothers (the same ones who sold Joseph into slavery) and her subsequent rejection by her clan as "ruined" is presented.  The distinctive stories finally combine in Egypt, when it is discovered that the great vizier and "Father of the Pharoah" is none other than Joseph himself.  Job and Dinah's tale comes to a gratifying conclusion and the reader is left hungry for more. 

A little research on the internet and a look into Biblical, as well as ancient Egyptian timelines, convinced me that Ms. Andrews did, in fact, do her homework.  That yes, it is just possible that these stories which we normally take separately in the Bible and in history, could maybe have intersected with each other in this or some other way.  Which makes it all the more fascinating for me.

Love Amid the Ashes, by Mesu Andrews, (c) 2011, is available from http://www.revellbooks.com/ and other booksellers.

Drawn to Life - Our Parish Mission

Leighton Drake original print

Where's "The Happiest Place on Earth"?  As a native SoCal gal, of course I knew the answer to that - Disneyland!  Suddenly, Leighton Drake had my attention, and our parish lenten mission became personal to me.  Having been to Dland dozens of times, not only as a child, but then with my children, I am well acquainted with the "happiness" factor of their marketing slogan.  I am also familiar with the bleeding feeling as money escapes the wallet in mass quantities for parking, entry, food and souvenirs.  Then there are the cranky children and exhausted adults.  I totally relate to Drake's disenchantment with the Enchanted Kingdom.  Based in Phoenix, Leighton Drake is an artist and youth minister, most familiar with the Disneyland dilemma.  For some reason, Walt Disney's original theme park is a coveted destination for Arizona youth groups and senior class trips.  Or maybe I'm just jaded, amusement parked-out.

After captivating us for nearly two hours with his conversion story and ongoing journey of faith, Drake, husband and father of four,  stood before his empty sketch pad, and with seemingly random strokes of a chunk of charcoal, transformed it into a passionate portrait of Christ, bloodied and crowned with thorns.  He then offered the breathtaking work at a silent auction after his talk.

My son, who has never been to Disneyland, but has discovered an interest in art, due to an art program on DVD we have been using in his homeschool, was absolutely delighted with the demonstration, and insisted upon examining the drawing in more detail.  We came away with one of the artist's prints, a gift for ds's upcoming 1st Communion/Confirmation, (the opening bid on the silent auction was waaaaaay beyond what I could even consider) and a burning desire to become "on-fire" for Christ again, and to seek out ways to keep our love for Him burning steadily.

Click on this link to learn more about Leighton Drake and his Drawn to Life Ministries.