Seven Quick Takes

1.  It's late May and this is the usual time of year that my orange lilies bloom. The rainfall we have had has nourished them and they reflect the beauty of that sustenance. Just looking at them makes me smile.

The Lily symbolizes purity and refined beauty. Based on the color or type, the Lily flower can convey different meanings.

The White lily symbolizes modesty and virginity. The orange lily represents passion. The yellow lily symbolizes gaiety. The Lily of the valley represents sweetness and purity of heart. The Easter lily is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I have been reading a little about lilies lately and have discovered that they have been used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. The oil extracted from lilies has healing and softening properties. Especially, when the lily fragrance oil is mixed with that of calendula, it works wonderfully for very sensitive skin.

Lily oils can be used for massage, in a bath, after a bath, for babies, dry cuticles and elbows, as a facial moisturizer, under-eye oil and hot-oil treatment.

One of the therapeutic uses of the lily flower is in the case of treating burns and preventing the formation of scar tissue. In this herbal remedy, the roots of the lily flower are used to prepare an ointment which is then applied on the burnt area.

The essential oil of the lily flower is used in aromatherapy to treat individuals suffering from depression as it tends to help in creating a feeling of modesty, happiness and a sense of security.

Just remember to keep  your children and your pets away from the lilies as they can be very toxic if consumed.

2. Memorial Day is a special day to remember and honor our military heroes. Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Here is a special prayer that I would like to share with you to honor them:

A Prayer for Memorial Day

Remember, Lord, the fallen

Who died in fields of war,

In flaming clouds,

in screaming crowds,

On streets that are no more,

That we today might waken

And greet this day in peace

With grateful prayer for those who bear

The storms that never cease.

Remember friends and strangers,

And those forgotten now,

Whose names are known to you alone,

Before whose love we bow

And ask that you surround them

With mercy’s endless light

That they may live,

and we forgive

The foe they went to fight.

Remember, Lord, the living,

Who bear the pain of loss-

A death she died who stood beside

Her Son upon the cross.

Remember all your children

The dead and those who weep,

And make us one beneath the sun

Where love will never sleep.

Text: 7686D; Genevieve Glen, OSB; © 2005, Abbey of St. Walburga, Virginia Dale, CO. Published by OCP Publications.

3. Have you considered enthronement of your family to the Sacred Heart? If not, learn more about it HERE. We did this many years ago and are renewing our enthronement again this year. It has many grace-filled benefits.

4.  Today is the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury (an Italian Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 598), not to be confused with St. Augustine of Hippo (the

illustrious theologian, bishop, and Doctor of the Church, who wrote City of God and Confessions. St.  Augustine of Canterbury was the prior of a monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose him to lead a party of forty monks to travel to south-eastern England to spread the Gospel there. They landed in 597, and were welcomed by the king of Kent, Ethelbert, a pagan married to a Christian, Bertha. On Pentecost Sunday 597, Ethelbert was baptized. Many of his subjects also converted to the faith, The king permitted missionaries to preach freely, providing them with an old church in Canterbury, as well as a place in which to live. St. Augustine has been called "Apostle of England" because of his missionary efforts. He is the patron of England.

5. This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass being celebrated on the steps of Rome's cathedral Basilica of St. John Lateran on Thursday, to mark the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord. You can read his homily HERE. 

6. Jeff Cavins shares his reflection on the readings for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in this video:

7. I have a new book, Learning to Love with the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir, which was officially launched on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13. Check it out!

Have a wonderful weekend!   

God bless you!

Jean

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum.