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Fawn following mother

May we find the peace that resides in our Lord Jesus Christ, the one that restores our soul.

Psalm 23: 1-3 The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul.

American Bison, South Dakota, USA

"For indigenous communities, land is not a commodity, but a gift from God, a sacred place." Pope Frances, June 2015

Today is the feast day of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, native American, Christian and Saint. St. Kateri often meditated on the dignity of baptism and was powerfully moved by God's love for all people. Each day St. Kateri Tekakwitha would find a place in the woods where she would sit and pray.

“With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.” St. Kateri Tekakwitha, 1656-1680

For more information on St. Kateri Tekakwitha go to http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay/

 

Skyline Arch, Arches National Park, USA

This weathered tree, seemingly pointing at heaven's gate, reminds me of Father Augustus Tolton.
+ Born a slave
+ Son of Peter Paul Tolton, one of the 180,000 black men that joined the Union Army...
+ Son of Mary Jane Tolton who risked everything to escape slavery with her three children
+ Man of faith who found peace in the Church despite prejudice from people both outside and within the Church
+ Ordained a priest at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome
+ Father Tolton then served as the first black priest in the United States.

Father Theodore Warning spoke the following of Father Tolton and his mother.

"They lived in a poorly furnished but very clean house. The meals were simple affairs. Father Tolton, his mother and I sat at a table having an oil cloth cover. A kerosene lamp stood in the middle. On the wall directly behind Father Tolton's place hung a large black rosary. As soon as the evening meal was over, Father Tolton would rise and take the beads from the nail. He kissed the large crucifix reverently. We all knelt on the bare floor while the Negro priest, in a low voice, led the prayers with deliberate slowness and with unmistakable fervor."

Father Augustus Tolton died on July 9, 1897 at the age of 43. To learn more about Father Augustus Tolton please visit "Father Augustus Tolton - Cause for Cannonization" at http://www.toltoncanonization.org/default.htm

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, USA

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." from the Declaration of Independence of The United States of America

Sun-touched Canyon, Arches National Park, USA

Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

Pope Francis, June 29, 2015:   "In the name of Christ, believers have raised the dead;  they have healed the sick; they have loved their persecutors, they have shown how their is no power capable of defeating the one who has the power of faith.

A call to witness: Peter and Paul, like all the Apostles of Christ who in their earthy life sowed the seeds of the Church by their blood, drank the Lord's cup, and became friends of God." 

 

Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, USA

Mathew 8:6-8, 13: "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."

He said to him, "I will come and cure him."

The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed."

And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour his servant was healed.

Visit us at www.anaturewalkwithGod.com

Great Egret chick having a bad hair day

Today we honor Venerable Pierre Toussaint, slave, free man, hairdresser and a man of deep charity. Pierre assisted backs and whites in need. He opened his home to orphans and the sick. He became quite successful as a hairdresser but as he grew old and was asked when he would stop working, he replied "I have enough for myself, but if I stop working I have not enough for others.”

Morning Dove - Big Bend National Park

I took the following picture while walking in Big Bend National Park a few years ago. It reminded me of the upcoming Solemnity (Festival) of Pentecost.

John 16:13 "...the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth..."