No greater love- St Valentine

Such a fantastic day for anyone looking to gift to a loved one, perhaps spouse or a friend. St Valentine day is a catholic feast. Of course 'saint' is dropped off over the years.

St Valentine was a Roman priest or martyr who became the patron saint of lovers. So many legends and stories about him. According to tradition, Valentine risked his life to help marry couples in christian way during the time of Christian persecution. 

   We were hoping to go out  for a family meal for such a long time. Finally we made it on this very special feast. 

   Brownie  with ice cream- Desert time.  So yum yum

    Trying for a healthier option.

We were blessed to be able to go out as a family as Annu came home college bit early.

   The feast reminds ' God so loved the world so He sent His beloved són so whoever believe in Him will not perish but will have eternal life...' John 3 :16.

Little card for my husband I created )...

Valentine Banner with some scripture passages on love.

Husband and children went for a stroll and brought me some crocus from our water park. Very Thoughtful... Crocus cheers me up as it is always the early signs of Spring. So I could look out with much hope , more chirping of birds all move my heart.. Flowering happens mainly in late winter to early spring. Colourful carpets of crocus  slowly renovés the bareness of winter, their yellow, white and purple petals are so just lovely to see.

       St Valentine Ora Pro Nobis. Wishing you a Happy Valentine day.

Canossian Saint - St Josephine Bakitha

I  am sure St Joseophine Bakhita is one of the saints I knew from college. College was part of Canossian nuns.

 Somehow just drawn to her through her life story and her witness amidst all sufferings.

She was from Sudan , Africa and kidnapped then sold as slave. Bakita forgot her name due to all the trauma's she experienced her life. Several masters abused her, beat her. After several owners, she was sent to work in Italy.  For the first time she was treated with love and respect.

 The most touching part is her declaration :

"If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands.  For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today".

To celebrate Bakhita's feast on 8th February, some of simple and fun things to teach children about her remarkable life in Christ:

A. Beautiful colouring can be accessed from colouring page

       By Geo

B. You can go through the story. The parallel between St Patrick and Joseph from old Testament is good to understand the story. We went out for a stroll and visited our water park. Fed birds and talked to kids about His wonderful creation. How we first saw God in the beauty of His creation and how we see God in nature today.

I also talked with them about St Bakita didnot know Jesus Christ while she was a slave, but that she still bravely bore all of her sufferings and always longed to know creator of the world: 

"Seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars, I said to myself: 'Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?' And I felt a great desire to see Him, to know Him, and to pay Him homage".

St Josephine Bakhita saw one true master in the "sun, moon and the stars"...After stroll, baked cookies cut out of star cutter,  crescent moon and sun which we prepared ahead and left in fridge to be firm.

        Ready to bake..

        Cookies by Geo

     Star and mountain cookies by Theresu 

   The movie Bakhita- From slave to saint is a good movie perhaps not for very young children. Doesn't show any abuse. It is a beautiful movie we watched some time before. She is patron saint of those who affected by human trafficking.

     St Josephine bakita pray for us