Prayer and fasting

I thought some of you might like to see Mom's rosary collection (she has over 80 of them from all over the world) after we put her new "Mary at prayer" wall plaque and the needlepoint Marilyn made for her the wall. Pretty neat, huh?



Sorry for the quality of the picture, but it was taken with my cell phone.

The collection is a good reminder for me of the devotion Mom has (and has inspired me to have) to the power of the rosary and the helping intercession of our Blessed Mother. Prayer and fasting is the one consistent message of Our Lady. Mom has it right.


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Well, it's time for the "weigh-in".

No change this week. I guess it's because I still haven't found the time to exercise. I am depending only on watching my calories and an occasional fast--which leads me to the gospel for Monday.

Fasting is a good discipline. If done in the spirit of prayer with the only point being an offering to God of self and a desire to free oneself from all the things that keep us from Him, it is an excellent discipline.

But too often we fast as a divided person. I’m like that—“I'll fast for peace, and besides it's a good way to start my new diet." We have only one eye on the goal, and so, at times it is simply better not to fast. And Jesus tells us clearly, while the wedding guest is with us, fasting is not required or even a good practice. (Mark 2:18-22)

God, our Father, sent Christ into this world to reach into the very hearts of men by revealing His genuine, self-giving and obedient love, teaching them how to participate in that love and so become true children of God. God is not pleased by the superficial performance of certain acts or privations. He wishes us to develop fresh, pliable hearts capable of expanding with a fullness of and an overflow to others of God's love.