Take a pilgrimage with Steve and Janet Ray!
The Literacy and Spirituality of a Day Gone By; A Tattered Yellowed Page; A Poem I Found from my Great-Grandmother
I never knew my Great Grandmother Frances Picard. She was originally an O’Grady. They had a deep spirituality and she converted to the Catholic Church later in her life. (By the way, this was all new to me since I never knew – in my childhood – that I had several lines of Catholic ancestors.)
They were literate people back in those days. Detroit was in its glory days (oh, how it has fallen). The culture still believed in God; they still had a sense of honor, morality and natural law – all honoring Nature’s God.
During some cleaning and organizing, we dug through dusty old books gathered from family archives and attics. I am the family archivist now working on genealogies and digitizing old photos.
We came across a tattered and brittle piece of paper, yellowed with age. It was buried in the binding of an old book. On it was the handwritten script of those who learned great penmanship – before we lost it after the keyboard was invented. On that page and in the lines of poetry I can step back in time and meet my ancestors and get a whiff of the world as it was – better times in many ways.
Here are a few lines from a poem she loved entitled “Prelude to the Vision of Sir Launfal” by James Russell Lowell. I read it aloud to my wife Janet and we were for a moment whisked away.
Notice especially stanzas 9 and 10. What is free when everything else has a cost?
Earth gets its price for what Earth gives us;
The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,
The priest hath his fee who comes and shrives us,
We bargain for the graves we lie in;
At the devil’s booth are all things sold,
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;
For a cap and bells our lives we pay,
Bubbles we buy with a whole soul’s tasking
‘Tis heaven alone that is given away
‘Tis only God may be had for the asking;
No price is set on the lavish summer;
June may be had by the poorest comer.
Lourdes & Fátima Feast Day! We are going again in September, our last time to this destination
Last year we went to Lourdes and Fatima — traveling through Portugal, Spain, and France.
Everyone had such a great time — many people asked when we’re doing it again…
… so we are announcing that September 1-10, 2026 will be taking our last pilgrimage to Lourdes and Fatima.
This will be our last trip to Lourdes & Fatima because Janet & I will start start slowing down in 2027.
So if you want to join us, this is the last time!
My New Article: Why Did God Speak 3 Times from Heaven in the Gospels?
My latest article published in Catholic Answers Magazine. In the Gospels, God the Father spoke from heaven three times regarding his Son.
Do you know what God was doing? Each time had a specific purpose.
“God has a big voice and has lots to say. If he can speak into existence the whole of creation, then his words have immense power. But God is reserved and measured in his words. He doesn’t talk just to hear himself.
“God speaks in a calculated manner. God could thunder from heaven, warning people, chastising sinners, and instilling fear, but he doesn’t. God is like a gentleman, reserved in speech and conduct. He wants us to know him and come to a knowledge of the truth, but he doesn’t shout or coerce us.
“When God speaks to individuals, it’s usually through visions and dreams. When he speaks to groups, it’s typically through prophets who relay his word. A prophet is someone who speaks God’s word.
“The ultimate Word of God is his Son. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). The Letter to the Hebrews informs us, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (1:1-2).
”Understanding the power of God’s word and his discriminating use of it, let’s discuss the three times in the Gospels when God speaks audibly from heaven and is heard by everyone nearby. Knowing how rare his audible voice is, we see the importance of these announcements, all of which were significant concerning his incarnate Son.
”In the Old Testament, God appointed three special offices: prophet, priest, and king. The prophet spoke God’s word, the priest officiated in the Temple, and the king ruled the people under God’s law. These offices foreshadowed the ultimate “Coming One” who would fulfill them, not as flawed humans, but as God himself with divine perfection. Everyone knew that the Messiah would be the ultimate prophet, priest, and king. Jesus fulfilled these roles, and God announced it from heaven.
”Let’s examine each office individually and chronologically, from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to the end. His ministry is bookended by verbal announcements, with the middle one at a high point. Although each gospel doesn’t mention all three offices individually, we find them in all four…”
For the whole article, click HEREHERE
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