~ Mini Pope-mobile ~

AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano

Why do I find this article so endearing?

After reading this article, The Sermon on the Mount immediately came to my mind:

"When he saw the crowds, he went up to the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven."

Pin this...

~ Gentle Shepherd ~

We gave a toast to Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, while he celebrated his 86th Birthday...

Today (10:30PM Rome time), we continue to celebrate during our simple afternoon tea.  
 

Our hearts ....

and prayers....

are with Pope Emeritus on his birthday.  A gentle and loving shepherd...

This mornings Holy Mass was for his intentions...we offered our Mass for him.

~ Three Popes? ~

OK, this picture has been sent to me, twice...can this be? 

I have not seen this authenticated...yet.
Wouldn't it be great...I   would definitely frame this if it turns out to be true.

To the right Pope John Paul II, to the left Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI ) and to the center Cardinal Bergoglio (Pope Francis).

I wasn't sent a source...

~ Cappella Sistina ~

Soon all eyes will be looking towards the little chimney...

Who?

Who will the Holy Spirit call to lead the Church?

I'm recalling standing here with my husband and children, thinking about whose footsteps have crossed these floors and whose eyes have gazed upward towards the magnificent masterpiece of Michelangelo...and yes; this IS where the conclave takes place.  This is where the pope is elected.  This is the place.

We will certainly be praying...having total faith in our Lord's greater plan.  No need to fret; right?  Right.  The Holy Spirit is in charge. 

And so we continue to pray...

Pro Papa!

O God, eternal shepherd,

who govern your flock with unfailing care,

grant in Your boundless Fatherly love

a Pastor for your Church

who will please you by his holiness

and to us show watchful care.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

As we were working on our little wooden cardinal craft, I was wondering whose pictures we should choose to use...since we don't have enough wooden pins & pegs for all the cardinals.  We decided to do all of the United States cardinals, because then we could continue to pray for them (as we sure can use the prayers here in the U.S). 
As we were looking up several of the cardinals I made a comment about wanting to pick the "good" ones (therefore implying the other exists).  I immediately commented that we should probably pray for the "not so good" ones too, and maybe more so...here was Little Lambs response:

Little Lamb:  "Mom,  God did not come down to save the healthy sheep; He came down to heal the sick sheep..."  Explaining her comment further:  "It's a combination of what I've heard."

With excitement & hope...we wait.

UPDATE:  Adding these two fun and educational links:

For an update on the election of the pope via e-mail or text  Pope alarm

For an illustrated guide to the Conclave - excellent!

~ Cardinals & Conclave ~

We continue to pray for our Adopted Cardinal...and as we anticipate the Papal Conclave, we decided to join Equipping Catholic Families' GUESS WHO?! activity.

I printed out all five sheets of the cardinals here.

Since I've been clearing out my arts & craft boxes, I found these wooden doll pins and pegs and thought they would be useful...

But which to use?  Decisions, decisions.

There are only 27 wooden pins left and about 30 pegs...then I had a peg that had a little "hat" on top.  I thought I would save this for our next elected pope;  since I have four of them, I am going to do a Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, too.

I had originally intended to do an activity with my First Communion Class using the Cardinal sheets, however, we just didn't have time since we are preparing for the sacrament of First Confession in a week.

So, Little Lamb and I are taking some time today to learn more about some more of our Cardinals...since we have adopted our own. 

What a time we are living in...we have access to so much information.  We are excited to see the Papal Interregnum unfold...

Stay tuned.

Linking up to Catholic Bloggers Network

~ Cardinals ~

 

Dear Valerie,

Congratulations!

You have adopted this Cardinal:

Francisco Robles Ortega,

from Mexico,

born 2.3.1949.
He's been a Cardinal since 24.11.2007

and his function is: Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico

May the prayer for your Cardinal be deeply blessed.
 

Have you adopted your Cardinal yet?

Little Lamb:  "I have to say, he does look good in red"

Mom:  "But would he look good in white?"

;o)