December 14, 2015
Marian Shrine E-Newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 20
Fr. Jim McKenna

Martha of Bethany is one of the most endearing characters in the Gospel story. Like Peter the Apostle, she has a mind of her own and is not at all afraid to say what she thinks. When her more contemplative sister, Mary, prefers the company of Jesus to the drudgery of the kitchen, she is furious and calls on her distinguished guest to take action. And then, on another occasion, when Jesus delays in coming to the aid of her sick brother, she confronts him openly: "If you had been here, my brother would not have died."
Martha's concern for Lazarus is, of course, commendable, but there is a querulous tone in her voice which suggests that even this most practical of women has fallen foul of the 'if only' syndrome: 'If only you had said this or not said that; if only I had done this or not done that, everything would have been different now.'
It is, I suppose, a mild form of delusion which affects us all at one stage or another, tempting us to look back in wistful regret, wishing that we could somehow undo the decisions of the past. 'If only I had stayed on at school and finished my education, I would be qualified now and have a more rewarding job.' 'If only I had stayed single, I would have some sort of a decent life now and not have to put up with my husband's drunken violence.' 'If only I had got married when I had the chance, my life would be more fulfilled now and I would not be as lonely as I am.'
Fortunately, those retrospective dreams are usually transient: the urgent demands of the present soon catch up with us and summon us back to reality. There are, however, times when a more virulent strain of this syndrome afflicts us and our wishful thinking becomes destructive. Its symptoms can easily be recognized in those despairing cries of the heart which are filled with bitter self-recrimination: 'If only I had spent more time at home with my son, he would never have got hooked on heroin. I will never be able to live with myself again.' 'If only I had listened to my wife and called the doctor earlier, she would still be alive today. I will never forgive myself.'
In situations like these, what we have to remember is that God has no difficulty forgiving us, no matter what mistakes we may have made in the past. But he has great difficulty making us feel forgiven if we are not ready to forgive ourselves. It pleases him more if we stop punishing ourselves endlessly and just trust in his mercy. That way we can really experience the joy and freedom which are the fruits of his forgiveness.
 
God Bless you.
In Mary Help of Christians,
I remain,
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
Director

 
The World in Mine
Author Unknown 
     Today, upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman
     and wished I were as beautiful.
     When suddenly she rose to leave,
     I saw her hobble down the aisle.
     She had one leg and used a crutch.
     But as she passed, she passed a smile.
     Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
     I have two legs; the world is mine.
 
     I stopped to buy some candy.
     The lad who sold it had such charm.
     I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
     If I were late, it'd do no harm.
     And as I left, he said to me,
     "I thank you, you've been so kind.
     It's nice to talk with folks like you.
     You see," he said, "I'm blind."
     Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
     I have two eyes; the world is mine.
 
     Later while walking down the street,
     I saw a child I knew.
     He stood and watched the others play,
     but he did not know what to do.
     I stopped a moment and then I said,
     Why don't you join them dear?"
     He looked ahead without a word.
     I forgot, he couldn't hear.
     Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
     I have two ears; the world is mine.
 
     With feet to take me where I'd go..
     With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
     With ears to hear what I'd know.
     Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
     I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

 
Fascinating!
God's Accuracy.
He works in mysterious ways...

For example:
 
The eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
Those of the canary in 14 days;
Those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
Those of the mallard in 35 days;
The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. 
Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!
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*God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. 
*God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to
lift on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that
it can rise from the ground easily.
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*The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first.
*A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!**
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God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.
Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
Each orange has an even number of segments.
Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
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The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all
kinds of weather.
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All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold - all even numbers.
-----
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!
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The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. *
------
*If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.
HOPING YOU FIND THIS AS FASCINATING AS I DID. *
*May God Bless You In Ways You Never Even Dreamed Today!*
 
Laughter the best Medicine

REDNECK FARM KID in the Marine Corps

Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.

We go on 'route marches,' which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A 'route march' is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.
The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why... The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake... I only beat him once... He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6' and 130 pounds and he's 6'8' and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter ,
Alice

The Devotion of the Three Hail Marys
The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS is a very simple yet most efficacious devotion.
Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding the invocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me from mortal sin." Many people recite the Three Hail Marys as part of their morning and night prayers. To practice this devotion in time of danger, stress, special need or temptation, is a sure means to obtain Our Lady's help.

My sincere thanks to Our Lady, Help of Christians and Don Bosco for the safe delivery of my daughter-in-law and for gifting my son a healthy baby girl. Mrs. Guida Gutierrez, NJ 

Thank you dear Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of a life partner through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary. Marilyn Penna, NY  

I am very grateful to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady for being with my daughter at a time of great need. Mrs. M.B. Paul, UK

On our trip to NYC we left a bag with all our valuables at Penn station and we realized it after an hour so we went back and by the grace of God and the protection of Our Lady we found the bag. We also thank Our Lady for the gift of a healthy baby even though the
doctors predicted otherwise. All our prayers and requests were answered and we are so grateful. Brian Sullivan, DC 


In Closing

Dear devotees of Our Lady and Don Bosco,
If you have received a miracle through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, we would like to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].
 
Bookstore hours: Monday - Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays: 12 - 4 pm

Weekday Masses: 12 noon. Confessions on weekdays begin at 11.30 am.
Sunday Masses: 11 am and 12.30 pm

Other activities: Day Retreats, Weekend retreats, Don Bosco Summer Camp, Eucharistic Adoration, Friday night Lenten Dinners, 50/50 raffle, 350 club, Rosary Madonna Statue. Rent Lomagno Hall, Rent our Banquet Hall.

MEMORIES
Remember a Loved One: Engrave plaques on Wall of Memories, adopt a Tree, Engrave blocks on Walk of Honor, All Souls, All year Candle lighting, Holiday (Christmas and Easter), Flowers, Schedule a Mass, Bell Chimes.

MASS INTENTIONS
To offer a mass intention, please write to
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
174 Filors Lane,
Stony Point, NY 10980

 
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Marian Shrine
174 Filors Lane, Stony Point, NY 10980
(845) 947-2200