God's Woven Stitches

I don't feel that it is ironic that the same month my dear, sweet nephew and God son was born in the month of the sacred heart of Jesus. Praying the litany to this devotion tonight was so beautiful. Reflecting upon the goodness, sweetness, peacefulness and abyss of all virtues from His heart made me think of my newest nephew and God son's dear heart. It has already gone through its own trials, and pain and I know my dear sister and brother-in-law have experienced the same anguish, and deep suffering and are witnesses to it.

Jesus' heart has wounds, and in the sacred heart image it depicts these wounds with the crown of thorns- the same thorns which pierced his forehead and surrounded pain with bloodshed. His heart knows how to love because it has tasted the bitterness of sorrow, pain, and death.

When we are wounded exteriorly there is a pain, yet we can be healed through stitches or another form of healing and receive reassurance and solace in the suffering and hurt, and can see the physical wound and pain slowly leave. The wounds that are internal, and perhaps deeper take upon a different form, and one that isn't necessarily visible, or tangible. It's usually a more unique pain, and suffering that has its own timeline for relief, solace, and healing.

Stitches that go in one's knee or a relief from another outside wound has its own story to tell that can even sometimes leave a mark that's visible, and one that won't necessarily go away. However, the sorrow and suffering of an interior wound tells another story, and the healing process follows its own accord and journey.

My dear sister received stitches after her C-section to her sweet and beautiful son who was born on my birthday! I've only heard about the process and procedure and the journey of physical pain, soreness and the process of recovering and healing from this surgery. My mom underwent her 1st C-section with me and has told me a couple times how deathly afraid she was of the surgery, of the thought, and I manged to be born 3 weeks early in the early morning hours with a jaundice coloring. This dearest God son was born a little early also, and born in the middle of the morning. There was so much anticipation, preparation, excitement, joy, and waiting for this little one to finally come and make his appearance.

This sweet little one was born on my birthday, and I feel that birthdays are a time of renewal and another wonderful opportunity for new beginnings, a new year ahead, a new journey. God is continuing to stitch my story, write my story.

Every day has it's own stitches. And sometimes you feel like you dropped some and need to restitch and make up for the day before. It reminds me of knitting and with every stitch makes progress. Currently I am knitting a blanket for this sweet little one and I sincerely hope it can be a gift. If not to use right away, to remember, and to hold. It's a dark green and the color reminded me of the statue at the St. Raphael mission that I visited in December. He's a powerful saint and intercessor, and it's also the middle name of this precious and new little life.

Stitches are also a way of putting things back together, a form, and process of healing and recovery. Every time we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God is putting back the pieces to our heart, our soul and the gift of his most precious blood heals all our internal wounds, our sin, our weakness.

On my birthday, I wore the shoes that needed repairing. Though not stitches, it needed glue, to be put back together and to be useful again. I didn't wear them for too long- just at the end of the day and celebration, but it reminded me of a bigger message about being put back together again, healed, renewed. The cute wedged shoes just point to something greater, deeper, and more beautiful.

I couldn't help but remember a beautiful excerpt from Venerable Fulton J Sheen's interesting and insightful autobiography. And I will write it here.

I can remember when, after four months in the hospital, I began to recover; I was reading Mass on an altar constructed over the bed before a few priests and friends. I spontaneously gave a sermon, which I remember so well. I said that I was glad that I had open-heart surgery because when the Lord comes to take us all, He will look to see if we have any marks of the Cross upon ourselves. He will look at our hands to see of the are crucified from sacrificial giving; He will look at our feet to see if they have been thorn-bruised and nail-pierced searching for lost sheep; He will look at our heart to see if that has been opened to receive His Divine Heart. Oh what joy is mine just to have endured the minuscule imitation of His suffering on the Cross by having a wounded side. Maybe He will recognize me from that scar and receive me into His kingdom.

With today being the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, may their examples continue to lead and inspire us. And may this new little son of God and precious life, the treasure of my sister and brother-in-law's hearts, and the spiritual abode of mine these past nine months be protected, guided by God, and may we continue to trust in His Heart and plan.