Heart of Jesus, Enriching All Who Invoke Thee
In this lesson, Annabelle Moseley, poet; author; and Professor of Theology, leads Day 20 of the 33-Day “Our House of the Sacred Heart” Consecration and teaches “The Lesson of the Cemetery” as a real-life example of taking on a Goliath. Beautiful prayers, devotions, art, stories, scripture, and poetry are included in this podcast that won’t take much of your time… but is time well-spent.
Reflection on Art
Question of the Day
- How do you console, comfort, and enrich loved ones when they are suffering a loss?
Today’s Challenge
Let’s pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory today with the Prayer of St. Gertrude:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
Download the prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus here if you’d like to save it or print it for reference!
Listen to Author Annabelle Moseley interviewed by Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis on her show “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love.” Hear Annabelle talk about what inspired her to write this book, what it was like to write it, why she decided to lead a Consecration to the Sacred Heart and answers to other intriguing questions.
I have always been drawn to cemeteries. I visit my mothers and fathers as well as my nephews graves frequently. I find peace and solace when I sit before the graves and pray often sharing a conversation with my beloved. There are other times when my ears listen to the silence that I am surrounded by. It is comforting and gratifying to plant a little beauty around the stone as I pray an begin a conversation with the ones I miss very much, all in the presence of God. The artwork today could almost remind me of Our Blessed Mother being comforted after Her Son’s death. Perhaps it is two women grieving the loss of a loved one. The wreath could represent a Crown of Sorrows referring to Christ’s Passion and Death or it could be symbolic of a wreath of flowers placed at the grave of a loved one. I did not find a clear interpretation of this artwork when I looked it up although the artist suffered with much loss with family members. I have come to understand that when comforting others in suffering and loss, it is best to be there for them and listen to their suffering.
As a child, I have always thought of the cemetery as the place where I would visit with my Mother, Grandmother, Aunt Addie and Uncle Johnny. As the years passed, after the loss of the loved ones, it became a beautiful task to go and pull the weeds, clean the stone, place plants or put fresh flowers (where plants were not allowed). The beauty of the silence still gives me solace today. Mom and I would have a Christmas tradition; every year we made sure that the Christmas wreaths were placed on the each grave of our loved ones. This entailed going to three different cemeteries: Greenwood, Calvary and St. John’s. This was accomplished on the day after Thanksgiving. My Mom would always say to me, honey I don’t want you to come here alone; but I would smile and say it would be okay all my loved ones are watching over me.
Consoling another is quite a different story, I have had different experiences with the way I could be of help to another in pain. I found in some situations that just to be at the side of a friend, sitting quietly and praying was helpful. At other times, hugging a friend and letting them release their hurt and letting them talk about their loved one was helpful. I feel there is no right or wrong way to be there for your friends when they need you; putting there needs first is the best way to be of help, especially in times of grief.