Mary

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your descendants and her Descendant. He will crush your head, and you will bruise His heel.”. - Genesis 3:15

"Hail full of grace.  The Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou amongst women" - Angel to Mary, Luke 1:26

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" - Elizabeth to Mary, Luke 1:42

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.  Henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed."  - Luke 1:46

"Do whatever He tells you," - John 2:5

"Behold your mother," - John 19:26

Madonna and Child with St. Anne by Caravaggio

The Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux - The Little Flower

'Therese intensely disliked one of her fellow nuns, ...  whom Therese described, without identifying her, as "a Sister who has the faculty of displeasing me in everything, in her ways, her words, her character."  Instead of avoiding her, Theresa sought out this nun at every turn and treated her "as if I loved her best of all" - so successfully that this sister once asked Therese, "Would you tell me ... what attracts you so much toward me; every time you look at me, I see your smile?".
'...  It's a little thing, of course, but anyone who has ever suffered from a whiny coworker, a narcissistic roommate, or interfering in-laws can appreciate the heavenly virtue that befriending such a person would require.'  -  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Silent Life  by Dora Noyes

Silence

"The librarian regarded her hostess with interest.  The editor of the San Ireneo Gazette had the indefinable charm of someone who said little but thought much.  Miss Prim had always felt that such people were at a marked advantage.  They never said anything tactless, never spouted nonsense, never had cause to regret their words or justify themselves.  She had always tried to behave like this, tried not to say anything that might hurt other people or herself, but it wasn't easy." - The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera

"Afternoon Tea" by William Henry Margetson 1861-1940

Smile

“When something painful or disagreeable happens to me, instead of a melancholy look, I answer by a smile. At first I did not always succeed, but now it has become a habit which I am glad to have acquired.” 
― Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux

A Young Girl Writing a Letter - Etienne Adolphe Piot

Fr. Gregory Jordan, SJ, RIP

Fr. Gregory Jordan SJ, RIP

Please pray for Fr Jordan who died today.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon him. 
May he rest in peace.

Amen.

Devil of a Job - Interview with an Exorcist (Fr. Jordan)

Feminine Wives

"The old critics assumed that because Lady Macbeth obviously ruled her husband she must have been a masculine woman.  The whole inference of course is false.  Masculine women may rule the Borough Council, but they never rule their husbands.  The women who rule their husbands are the feminine women." Brave New Family by G.K. Chesterton

Love

"Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house... let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting." - Blessed Mother Teresa

Mother and Daughter by George Goodwin Kilburne