1. Happy Feast of the Archangels!
Today we celebrate the feast day of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. I sometimes like to think of the Angel Gabriel--the Messenger-- as the patron saint of this blog, since here is where I come to convey my thoughts about my life as a Catholic wife and mother. I think blogging has encouraged me to work to deepen my relationship with Jesus, and His Mother (more about her coming up!).
Father Trujilio posted a simple and informative explanation regarding angels on his blog; you can check it out here. I like the picture he used so much, I decided to borrow it! :) BTW, it's a rendering of the three Archangels traveling with Tobias. Now I guess I'd better go read the book of Tobit. We didn't have that one in our Baptist bibles; although I have no excuse since I've had a Catholic bible for years.
To celebrate the Archangels' feast day today, I decided to make angel cookies to share with my Religious Education class. Of course, I only have two students, so it was REALLY an excuse to make cookies for my family. I used a traditional sugar cookie recipe from my Southern Living cookbook, dug out an angel cookie cutter from my Christmas baking supplies, and Curly played the part of cookie designer and came up with the idea of yellow sprinkles for wings and some stars along the skirt bottom. I thought they came out pretty cute! (I couldn't resist getting out my Southern Living At Home Angel Emmy Christmas plate for thephoto.)
2. Last week I read Dr. Scott Hahn's Hail, Holy Queen. Every time I read a Scott Hahn book I am reminded of the richness and beauty of our Catholic faith, and I thank God for leading me here. In Hail Holy Queen, Dr. Hahn beautifully and simply explains how Mary is present throughout the scriptures. In the Old Testament, we see a foreshadowing of the Blessed Mother in the Ark of the Covenant. (The Ark held God's laws, the manna, and the staff of Aaron the high priest; Our Lady holds the fulfillment of the law, God himself, the Living Bread, the great High Priest.) She is the New Eve, and the woman clothed with the sun in the book of Revelation. Not only is she the Mother of Jesus; she is our Queen Mother, the mother of the Church. Many Protestants reject the Catholic practice of honoring Mary; often, it is mistaken for worship. We worship only Jesus Christ as our creator and Savior; but we honor Mary because Christ gave her to us to serve as our Mother. It's a quick and simple read, and I highly recommend it!
Sounds like a good book, I'll have to check it out!
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