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Hello out there! It's a beautiful, overcast day here in San Angelo, TX. We were blessed with rain overnight, we are always thankful for the rain out here! I just got home from helping out with the Sack Lunch Ministry, our parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral provides for the homeless and other people in need. Our parish is in the downtown area and we give out sack lunches Monday - Friday from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm. We fed a lot of people today. We gave out over 80 sack lunches. You never know how many people will stop by, we usually hand out between 40 -80 lunches a day.In the summer, we hand out more because kids are home from school. Everyone is always so appreciative.
I only help out twice a month,but some of the other volunteers are there almost every day. After we cleaned up and locked the doors, I went over to the parish office and visited with the secretary about the details for the kick-off rally we'll have next Wednesday evening for the 40 Days for Life Campaign.
I bought two candles and walked over to the sanctuary. I love being in the sanctuary during the day when no one else is in there. There is no way to describe the peace I feel when I kneel down to pray. It's so quiet in there, light comes through the stained glass windows and it's beautiful. I look up at the huge crucifix hanging on the wall behind the altar, a reminder that my Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins. I walked down the side isle towards the back where the shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe is. I was going to light my candles and say a prayer, but I noticed that all the candle holders were already full with flickering candles. I smiled and sat my candles on the floor and knelt down on the kneeler. When I saw all those candles burning, it was a visual image to me of faith. Every person who lit a candle and knelt down and asked Mother Mary to pray for their special need, who lifted up their prayers to God, what a beautiful sign of faith. I prayed for everyone who lit a candle. I prayed for my family and then I softly sang the Hail Mary. I was so overcome with emotion with the peace I felt at that moment.
God is always with us, sometimes we just need to step away from all the noise in today's world to feel His presence. I'm so thankful that I took the time to spend a few quiet minutes alone with God, and was able to witness the faith of His prayerful people. I brought my candles home with me, they'll be lit later on, and every time I pass by and see the flicker of the light, a prayer of peace for all of you, whether near or far will be on lips and in my heart. God bless you all.
Blog Post from 9/16/14
Sharla Ynostrosa is a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Her ten grandchildren keep her busy! She and her husband, Jimmy, have been married since June of 1983. Sharla converted to Catholicism in 1987. Having been adopted at birth, Sharla is a staunch pro-life advocate. In her blog, adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com she shares stories about her family life, love of her Catholic faith, and various links to websites intended to help readers learn more about adoption and other pro-life topics. Her book, “Adopted and Blessed: Words from My Heart” is full of short stories from the first couple of years of her blog. Many of these books are given away with the hope of a seed being planted. She loves to speak to the youth about pro-life issues and has had very positive results from using the, Touch of Life Fetal Model sets. Sharla and her husband live in San Angelo, Texas and are active members in their parish. This refrain is from one of her favorite hymns and is a constant prayer: Lead me, Lord, lead me, Lord, by the light of truth to seek and to find the narrow way. Be my way; be my truth; be my life, my Lord, and lead me, Lord, today.
