Born Antonio Ghislieri to poor Italian nobility in Jan of 1504, he worked as a shepherd in his youth perhaps heralding his future as Shepherd of the Church.  He entered the Dominican order at age 15, became a priest at age 24 and became Pope at age 62.  Having a great devotion to Mary, he called on Our Lady's intervention when the Turkish fleet threatened, was rewarded with a decisive victory, and established the feast day of Our Lady of Victory on Oct 7 (renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary).  Being Pope during the Protestant Reformation, he led a counter-reformation within the Catholic Church focusing on strict Dominican values.  He was influential at the Council of Trent, updated the Catechism and revised the liturgy to a form that lasted nearly 400 years.  He died in 1572.  While his zeal did not make him popular especially among the corrupt of his day, his influence recentered the Church on its path. Today's Mary Garden Flower:  petunia (Petunia hybr.) Lady's Praise

St. Catherine was one of 25 children born to an Italian wool dyer in 1347 during the time of Plague and civil war in Italy.  At an early age she began having mystical experiences, seeing Jesus Christ and guardian angels and saints.  At age 16 she became a Dominican tertiary and cloistered herself at home in contempletive prayer.  She also served the sick, comforted the dying and travelled the land.  Considered one of the most brilliant theological minds of the day she authored many letters and a spiritual classic The Dialogue which inspired Pope Paul VI to name her a Doctor of the Church.  There is dispute about when she learned to write and most of her works were probably dictations.  The Papacy had been moved from Rome to Avignon, France, but Catherine convinced the Pope to return to Rome.  She worked to try to bring peace to the Italian city states and is considered one of the Patron Saints of Italy.  The Stigmata was visible after her death at age 33.
Today's Mary Garden Flower: Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) Lady's Locks

Today is the Feast Day of two French saints.  Greatly devoted to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort lived at the turn of the 18th century.  His motto, also the episcopal motto adopted by Popo John Paul II was Totus Tuus (completely yours)  He stressed that we should all imitate Mary in her acceptance of God's will for her life.  Feeling called to "preach missions to the poor", he was given the title of Apostolic Missionary by Pope Clement XI and established free school for boys and girls while ministering to the poor throughout France.  He founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary and the Daughters of Wisdom as well as authoring books such as True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and Secret of the Rosary.  He died worn out by hard work and illness after serving only 16 years as a priest.  St Peter Chanel was born in 1803, felt a calling to missionary work and in 1831 joined the Society of Mary.  After 5 years he finally was appointed Superior of a small band of missionaries to the New Hebrides in the Pacific.  Upon arrival in the islands the band split up with Peter and Thomas Boog going to the Island of Futuna.  He learned the language & gained the confidence of the people.  When the king's son asked to be baptized, the king became jealous & had Peter clubbed to death.  Remarkably within 5 months of Peter's marytyrdom, the island converted to Christianity.
Today's Mary Garden Flower:  Geranium (Pelargonium dom) Lady Beautiful

Its another dreary, rainy gray day but the yard is covered with little bright yellow suns - danelions!  Of sure they are considered a weed, but look at one closely.  These blooms are composite flowers having hundreds of little flowers in each flower head.  The leaves can be eaten, wine can be made from them.  Dandelion salad is one of our favorites and quite easy to make.  Gather and clean a goodly amount (like the amount you can put in one of those plastic bags they pack your groceries in at the store.    Wash, discard roots, buds/blossoms and stems.  Chop greens into small pieces and place in a metal bowl. If you like add some thinly sliced onion.  Mealwhile chop some bacon and brown in a skillet.  Pour off all but about 1-2Tbsp of fat.  Add about a tablespoon or more of sugar. Mix 1/3 c water, 1/3 c apple cidar vinegar and one fresh egg. Add to fat/sugar  Add about 1/2 tsp tarragon (or more to taste - will cut the bitterness of the greens) Heat to boiling.  Pour over greens and let wilt (can put metal bowl on burner)  Enjoy!  Adjust sugar, etc to your taste.  In the Jewish seder they eat bitter herbs to remind them of slavery in Egypt.  We can use bitter herbs such as these to remind us of the slavery of sin from which Christ saves us.

In today's Gospel Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one"  John 10:27-30 NKJ What comfort in those words!  God the Father gives us to the Son, and the Son and the Father will not let us be snatched away.  The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want!
Today's Mary Garden flower:  Begonia ((Begonia fuchsiodes) Heart of Jesus 

Born Mark Rey in 1577 in Germany this saint started his adult life as a lawyer who traveled Europe serving as a tutor to aristocrats.  Sensing a need to do more he began defending the needy and became known as the poor man's lawyer. In 1612 he joined the Franciscan Capuchin order and took the name Fidelis and continued his work with the poor.  When the Austrian army was stricken with plague, he cared for soldiers both spiritually and physically and was honored with the title of "Father of the Fatherland".  He had great devotion to Mary and was sent to Switzerland as a missionary to try to encourage Protestants to return to the Catholic faith.  He was so successful that local Protestants claimed he was a spy for the Austrian Emperor and he was stabbed to death.
Today's Mary Garden Flower:  Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) Mary's heart

This is another one of those saints that it is difficult to have accurate details about.  He appears to have been born in the 270's or 280's to a noble Christian family in Palestine.  His father was a Roman official.  George joined the Roman legion and became a Tribune in the guard of Emperor Diocletian who knew his father.  Diocletian was a pagan who decreed that all Christian soldiers should be executed.  George tried to reason with him to no avail.  Then George proclaimed himself as a Christian and resigned from the army.  Diocletian tried to get him to recant, but George was firm.  He gave his belongings to the poor then was subjected to extreme torture and finally beheaded.  He is considered the Patron Saint of many countries and cities as well as Scouts and soldiers.  St. George and the dragon?  A legend brought back to Italy during the Crusades.  But think of the dragon as wickedness.  We all have some dragons we need to slay.
Today's Mary Garden Flower:  Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) Infant Jesus' Shoes

(After God created man in His image and created woman)  "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."  Gen. 1:28 NKJ
Focus on the underlined words.  We are charged with the responsibility to wisely use what God has given us.  Subduing involves cultivating, developing, managing our resources in a responsible way.  Dominion also refers to our responsibility for the earth and all living things on it.  How are we doing? Do you think God would approve of our stewardship of His creation?
Today's Mary Garden Flower:  Primrose (Primula elatior) Mary's Candlestick or (Primula vulgaris) Lady's Frills

Today is the feast day of St. Anselm.  Born to a nobel family in northern Italy in 1033, Anselm wished to enter the monastary at age fifteen, however, his father objected.  In time he followed a more worldly path then finally went over the Alps and traveled to Normandy. There he remembered his earlier desires and entered the monastary at Bec in his mid to late 20's.  He quickly went from prior to abbot and then was named Archbishop of Canterbury.  In that position he was in conflict first with King William Rufus of England and then with his brother and successor King Henry I. spending time in exile under both kings.  Ah, the political intriques.  He is most known for his scholarly writings and for using reason to prove the existence of God. His theological works are considered to be on a level with those of St. Augustine.
 Today's Mary Garden flower:  Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) Ascension Flower 

"We either let God deal with our insecurities or our insecurities will deal with us"  Beth Moore. 
How true that statement is.  When we focus on our insecurities, we lose sight of our capabilities.  It's hard to do the "let go and let God' thing, but the more we try to hold on to our own control and beat our insecurities ourselves, the more we lose control and focus on the negative.  Offer up whatever is bothering you.  Turn it over to God.  He wants us to come to Him, no matter how large or insignificant we think the problem is.  And He will give us strength for the day.
Today's Mary Garden flower:  marigold (Calendula officin.)  (This is a hard one)  Mary's Gold 

Today was beautiful and sunny and yet many people only see the clouds of depression.  They feel as though God has forgotten them.  But that can't happen.  Read Isaiah 49:15-16  "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands..."  God has your name tatooed on the palms of His hands.  He is with you always.
Today's Mary Garden flower:  Forget-me-not (Myostis scorpoides, Myostis sylvatica)  Eyes of Mary

The Gospel for this day has Jesus asking Peter three times, "Peter, do you love me?"  One question for each of the three times Peter denied Christ.  And Peter was told "Feed my lambs; tend my sheep; feed my sheep."  And God tells us to feed others with the spiritual food of the Gospels, be a light to the world so that others may see the wonder of God.  And He tells us to care for our fellow man, to love and forgive him, to pray for him.  God tells us to bring others to Him.  If you love Him, how do you serve Him?
Today we join the people of Poland in prayer for the death of Pres. Lech Kaczynski and his wife as well as all the other people who died in the plane crash.  We offer up prayers for those in China, Chile, Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, West Virginia, Papua-New Guinea and for all those souls who have been affected by disasters.  (Forgive me if I left out a major one)  "Why are  you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."  Psalm 42:11 NKJ
Today' Mary Garden flower:  Daffodil (narcissus pseudo-narc.):  Mary's star

It was just in the 80's two days ago and today we had sleet and snow.  That was #3 on the daffodils.  Hopefully now it will truly be Spring.  You never know when the weather is going to throw you a curve ball in northeast Ohio.  Thank goodness there is a constant in Christ.
Today's Mary Garden flower:  Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalus):  "Candlemas Bells" or "Purification Flowers"  They are said to have bloomed on Candlemas which is when Mary took Jesus to the temple.
Please remember to continue to pray for victims of disaster, for the state of the world and for Pope Benedict.  Also please pray to stop abortion.  Thank you.

This day the state of West Virginia is having a memorial for the miners who died.  Please remember them and their loved ones in your prayers.  Their deaths as well as the deaths of others in recent disasters are reminders that we never know when our own personal End of Times will come.  A mother of one of fallen miners told on television how her son had come to know Jesus that Easter - one day before he perished.  It is a sobering thought.  It is my sincere prayer that you all come to know Jesus and walk with Him.
Today's Mary Garden flower:  Sweet alyssum:  Blessed by Mary, Mary's little cross

Its another beautiful day and one's thoughts turn to gardening!  Have you ever thought about planting a Mary Garden?  This tradition began in medieval times with the garden often enclosed so as to be churchlike and used as a place of meditation and peaceful retreat.  Plantings included both trees and flowers and were often accompanied by statues.  Many plants were named for Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the angels, holy placess and the like and would be planted to represent the Stations of the Cross, the Mysteries of the Rosary or other meditative themes.  By doing a internet search for "Mary Garden" you can come up with a wide range of flowers, trees and bushes for all environments and climates.  Your garen can be as small as a patio flower pot to landscaping your entire yard!  Think of the peace you can experience dedicating even a part of your yard to Our Lady who leads us to her Son - Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  Many plant names were changed during the Reformation but each day I will give you the name and meaning of one plant.  Today's plant - geranium:  Lady Beautiful, Heart of Jesus, Gentle Virgin
Pray for all victims of disasters  We can add China's earthquake to that list.  Don't forget Haiti, Chili, Brazil, etc., etc., etc.

Martin was elected Pope in 649.  He was not one to keep silent about issues of faith, so when a new heresy appeared that even the emperor backed he had to speak out.  As a result he was seized from the church by soldiers and transported to the east to Constantinople to be imprisioned in terrible conditions, not to mention he was sick at the time.  He spent the remainder of his life being moved from one desolate and undersirable place to another.  But what hurt most was that those in the Church appeared to have deserted him.  "I wonder... at those who belong to the church of St. Peter for the little concern they show for one of their body."  In died in exile in 656. AD, the last Pope in history to be martyred.

If life is a final exam, how do we study for it?  Read God's testbook, the Bible.
Remember in your prays the victims of recent disasters.  Also please pray to stop abortion.  We must not be part of what Pope John Paul II called " akind of conspiracy against life," a "war of the powerful against the weak."

Although this is part of the Octave of Easter and is the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Pope John Paul II also declared this to be Divine Mercy Sunday focusing on the mercy God has revealed to us through His Son.  The following are part of the prayers of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy which Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina of Poland.  "Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.  For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.  Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.  Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion - inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself."

Saturday is part of the eight day celebration of the Feast of Easter!  This week long celebration is the high point of the Christian calendar.  Christ overcame death and rose in glory.  He is the Paschal lamb of the Second Covenant.  He is victory over the grave.  He is our salvation.  Allelujah!