We are called to be ambassadors of and for God. We live move and have our being in Him. What are you doing today or doing soon for Him? It does not matter the size of it. He loves us. I even offer to brush my teeth up to Him. All I do. Share below in the comments, we all want to know and help one another through our prayer time. Another great poem to show love to the Lord is here.
Thank you, Blessings; God Loves You!!
God is paradise. We are His to soar in His grace and mercy
Typically, when I sit down to watch a Pixar movie with my toddler (or in the past, by myself or with my husband...), I know it's going to be good. Let's forget about Cars 2 for a moment, and acknowledge that Pixar knows what they're doing when they set out to make an animated film that will appeal to both kids and their parents.
So when we watched Inside Out, I expected it to be good. My (then)two-year-old was enthralled and wanted to watch the “movie with those funny guys” again and again. But I didn't let him. Because I just couldn't take it... Continue Reading
Jesus said to the Twelve: ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
I think it was during the summer of 1968, a few months after my ordination, that my parents and I visited the motherhouse of the Columban Sisters in Magheramore, County Wicklow, on the east coast of Ireland. We were deeply struck by the extraordinary gentle warmth of Sister Joan Sawyer from Country Antrim, Northern Ireland, who showed us around. In December 1983 when I was giving a retreat to Columban Sisters in their convent in San Juan, Metro Manila, we got the shocking news of her violent death in Lima, Peru. Continue here.
So I am happy to announce that I came in 3rd place for the faithwriters.com writing competition. I can say that my lack of beta shows and I know now where to improve. I am just so blessed that I can share my relationship with God with all of you!
I know that we all have been struggling lately. You can not turn on the TV or even look at your phone with out seeing the state of the world today. As a Christian it actually hardens my heart to the world. Christ commands us to be an example on how to not live in the world but as my heart hardens; I slip slowly back into the world I was begging God to help me escape. I slip back in to the world because I get angry about the state of things and I sit back and do nothing. I slip back into the world because I let fear over take me and I begin to worry. However I know that walking in faith means giving up worry for trust and faith in Christ. And what a blessing to strive for! To be affirmed enough in faith to be able to relax and trust God when all you want to do is worry. “ In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe” (Psalms 4:8). I remind myself of this daily yet the thoughts inside my head continued to spin until the Holy Spirit said to me “I am with you” Click here to continue....
When interceding for our self and others it is important to have a correct view of God and proper mindset. How do we see God? Do we see him as a loving Father who has our best interest at heart or do we see him as a distant god, withholding his grace and gifts unless we jump through certain hoops? We do not need to beg him to act! His mercy and gifts are abundant! Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>
Most of my life I have struggled with anxiety and insecurity. There were days, if I could get myself out of bed, I would not leave my home afraid of what evil or injury may befell me. Honestly, there are still days my Germaphobia paralyzes me at the entrance of a building afraid to touch the door handle or hinders me from even shaking people's hands. When fear is not wrestling with me insecurity is. Unsure of my abilities and fear of failing has left many a dream incomplete or unfulfilled.
Discovering the Word of God has been this empowering gift! While I continue to battle my fears and phobias, the Scriptures have given me strength that nothing else was able to. I can stand on the Word of God to battle those demons that threaten to steal my joy and derail the plans God has for me. Listening to Jesus in the Gospels teaches me how to trust in Him, have hope and discover that I am loved beyond measure. Those battles that have lost in the past are now squished beneath the weight of the truth the Scriptures speak to my heart.
Discover the Power of God's Word for yourself ... Read More
The devotion to the Sacred Heart ( Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu in Latin) is a well-known Roman Catholic devotion, centring on Jesus Christ’s heart as a symbol of His Divine love.
I love You more than everything, more than myself.
Tell me what You would have me do;
for I am ready to do everything with Your help.
Bind me, unite me to Your heart
and permit me not, during the years that remain to me,
to offend You or grieve You anymore.
O my Jesus, it is the time that I should love You now.
En el mes de Junio y especialmente durante los últimos días
se llevan a cabo en algunos países las llamadas “marchas del orgullo gay” que
buscan hacer conciencia de la dignidad de las personas homosexuales y de la
comunidad LGBTT (Lesbico,Gay,Bisexual,Transexual,Transgénero) . Han luchado por
años para dejar de ser violentados y discriminados pero, según se ve en las estadísticas,
el resultado de la “aceptación” que la cultura liberal les ha ofrecido y les ha
garantizado en muchos marcos jurídicos ha desembocado en un mayor abandono y desentendimiento
de su salud y su bienestar por parte de la comunidad y de las familias, con un
efecto a veces devastador para ellos.
I just want to make it know to all of my readers. I am not perfect. I struggle to do daily tasks; and I was like this long before I got sick or saved. I also want everyone of you to know that I pray that on day we will all day be able to live with out pain. Even if it is for only one day. I pray that we all are able to cherish the good days and remember that its okay that when you are well that you went out with your husband or friends instead of cleaning your house. We all deserve to walk among the living for we too are also living, just differently.
I have learned a few things in this study of this verse:
As schools let out, the lazy days of summer are upon us. This is a great time for some reflection and introspection regarding your spiritual life. We’re about half-way through the year. As we embarked on 2017, many of us made New Year’s resolutions. So, how’s that coming along? If you are like me, you don’t even remember what those resolutions might have been! I certainly do not remember what I vowed to do, not do, or overcome.
My Own Introspection
So, I sit here on the precipice of summer, asking myself what I would like to accomplish with the second half of 2017. Here’s what I came up with:
The Amy Adams/Clint Eastwood baseball movie Trouble with the Curve recently came to Netflix. I'd heard of it before, was vaguely aware that I'd heard of it in a positive light, but didn't know too much about it. Not a huge baseball fan myself (at least not since I was about 14...), I wasn't sure if I'd like the movie or not, but I gave it a shot anyway.
It's about a 20-something woman (Amy Adams) trying to reconnect with her aging baseball scout dad (Clint Eastwood) on what could be his last scouting trip. And though the premise is baseball-themed, it's not exactly about baseball... Continue Reading
So after three days of fighting Fibro and CVS I finally managed to completely clean my room and check it off my cleaning schedule! I am so happy. However everything does have it's price. I am was up at 3 am, getting sick because of my CVS (this is a reoccurring theme though), and I was up at 1am for about 45 mins with weird muscle spasms/charlie horse/dead leg thing happening in my calves. It was unpleasant, to say the least. But through all the pain and vacuuming, I learned more than I ever could imagine.
You see Proverbs 31:27 talks about the bread of Idleness and what I did not understand was that there is a difference between idleness and rest.
True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life, by Lisa Mladinich, was an enjoyable read! I approached 60 this year. So, I thought this book might offer me some insight in how I might grow old gracefully. As I opened the book and began to read, I quickly learned that Mladinich had other designs. She wants us to know that regardless of our age,
The second half of life is a time of building on the past, growing in virtue, and deepening our connection with God, the source and summit of all beauty. Our beauty is not fading; it’s getting more powerful. It’s having more impact. It’s becoming what it was meant to be from the beginning (p. 135).
How reassuring is that! What a powerful statement! Mladinich tells us throughout the book that our beauty comes from... Read more...
As the Morning Rising: Crooked Under His Arm: With fatherly love we are attended to, placed in the shade away from the noonday sun, crooked under His arm, loved from before we we...
My road to sitting with Jesus in Adoration began nearly 10 years ago. Quite, some might say serendipitously but after spending many hours in His presence, I would say this has the Holy Spirit's finger prints all over it!!
My husband and I, along with our children, had just made the transition to this new Church. It was actually where we met and were eventually married, but we'd not worshiped there since our wedding nearly 20 years earlier. We had moved out of town, and spent many years at my childhood Church until circumstances changed and it became clear we had to find a new place to call our Spiritual Home
As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of unpaired socks to purify me because I was trying too hard to be the perfect mother and housekeeper. This earnest striving was a weakness, not a virtue because my diligence was rooted in insecurity, unbelief but most of all in pride. Again and again, as I read spiritual material, God tried to teach me that true Christianity is not focused on personal perfection but founded on the power of the Cross and Resurrection to set us free.
"We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us." -St. Pope John Paul II
"The crucifix does not signify defeat or failure. It reveals to us the Love that overcomes evil and sin." - Pope Francis
"Don't worry about being effective. Just concentrate on being faithful to the truth."- Dorothy Da
Once again, still not me but might as well be me. Yesterday, I had a terrible flare up. It was awful; I couldn’t hold my legs up, my throat felt like it was closing and it was so hard for me to swallow! Not to mention MUSCLE SPASMS EVERYWHERE! So, to be quite honest, I did not get anything done. Or so I thought. When looking at the Home Management Binder To-do list, I realized I still had managed to accomplish 5 of my unending list of tasks. I also realized that, well, some tasks are just going to take me a little bit longer. However, despite my flare up, I did manage to fall asleep. All I could think was a prayer: “God when I wake up please let be able to feel better tomorrow.”
Look, I have been experiencing a flare up for the last three days. It’s BS! I am going to be completely honest: it sucks! However, because of God I have the ability to get up and try again. If I have realized anything it is that in this adjustment I must accept the following facts:
Most of us are stuck in egocentricity; we see the world as if it is revolving around us because we live as if we are the centre of our tiny universe. Since few of us stand with our fellow believers praising Christ, the only true centre of the entire universe, few of us are living in reality. We are blinded by pride which prevents us from receiving Divine love.
After confessing egocentricity, an Augustinian’s solution to my spiritual dilemma was a simple prayer. Rather than allowing me to wallow in negativity bemoaning my weaknesses, he instead gave me an ejaculatory prayer, in the tradition of St. Augustine, who loved the short prayers of the early Christians. It was a prayer which simply raised my spirit to God.
“Jesus, I love you; possess me.”
It was a brilliant way to bring me into reality, to see again what is most important in life. It opened my heart to love, God's love for me, my love for God and love for God’s people.
This is super intimidating for me. I have to admit when I was diagnosed I had already been dealing with the pain for a while. However, the depression that comes with the pain caused me to become apathetic to my whole situation. I ignored everything and everyone I cared about. I wasn't sure how to do deal with the pain and I struggled with accepting that I was always going to be hurting.
However when readjusting to life I realized that my house isn't going to clean itself. Not that my husband has not picked up a TON of the slack but still. My husband have a division of chores that worked for us. But when I got sick every time I would get up to clean I would get overwhelmed.
As the Morning Rising: A Simple Photograph: Something as simple as a photo of a church pew can stir memories, can stir conscience, can cause a sleeping soul to rouse itself and ...
In view of Sunday’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), an excerpt from my upcoming book, “I am going . . .” Reflections on the Last Words of the Saints is fitting:
A teacher was taking her little ones to chapel to visit Jesus. As
they passed classrooms, she warned, “Be quiet, so quiet that even Jesus
won’t know we are coming.” As the children filed into the chapel, one
girl cried out, “Surprise!”
When you think about it, we Catholics believe something incredible:
that bread and wine become God. It is difficult enough to take on faith
that God became a human baby and that the divine body at one time was a
mutilated corpse. But furthermore, we believe that at every Mass
inanimate objects become God. That is the depth of God’s love for us.
Love does foolish things. Click to continue
” It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; It is the construction of the foundation that will hold the test of time” – David Allen Coe
Now that my husband and I can start laying the foundation for our lives, we have become so overwhelmed we end up slowly but surely making little to no progress. However the Holy Spirit touched my heart and I realized “If I can adjust to being sick then I can go back to my life slowly but surely. I have faith that God will guide me there”. As if a light bulb went off instantly.
But how does one just get up and go after being down for so long. The first step is always asking for help. So I prayed “God please guide me through the readjustment process”.
I knew that my first step would be to reestablish God as my foundation for my life.
As the Morning Rising: Light Irreducible: Thank you God for the people I have met, continue to meet, and will meet in the future, for all that is deigned by You in Y...
Today is Flag Day! Happy Flag Day to all my fellow United States citizens. Today in America, we celebrate what the U.S. flag means to us all. With that in mind, I thought I would hone in on some virtues, for which I think the U.S. flag proudly represents.
Virtues of the U.S. Flag
Courage: The U.S. flag is a symbol of courage. Many men and women have given their lives in defense of our freedom and democracy. It represents all the blood, sweat and tears shed, so that we might enjoy our freedom accorded by our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
I gave my condolences to a young friend after his great-grandfather passed away by saying "I'm sorry", which sparked a conversation between the 2 of us. We spoke of what part our faith plays in our grieving.
Read more here.
The most traditional and popular explanation of the Trinity is St. Patrick’s description that the Trinity is like the cloverleaf with three separate sections yet part of the same leaf.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through a belief in the Threeness, Through a confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation
El mes de
junio está consagrado por la Iglesia católica y sus fieles al Sagrado Corazón
de Jesús y en este mes también tenemos la fiesta del Corpus-Christi.
La fiesta
del Corpus.Christi, (El Cuerpo de Cristo) es una fiesta muy antigua y parece
que se introdujo en las festividades de la Iglesia en el siglo XIII.
La
tradición cuenta que una visión reveladora del Señor demostró su deseo a la
religiosa Juliana Retiné de dar comienzo a esta fiesta y una comisión encargada
por el obispode Lieja, Bélgica, la
aprobó y en 1246 se ordenó su celebración en la diócesis. El Papa Urbano IV,
con la Bula Transiturus del 11 de agosto de 1264, decretó fuese fiesta universal
del Santísimo Cuerpo de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. EL Papa Clemente V y el
Concilio de Viena, confirmaron la fiesta y tuvo una rápida propagación y un
inmenso movimiento de piedad en todo el mundo.
It is wedding season and love is in the air! In the United States, June is always a very popular month to get married. The weather is usually wonderful; the flowers are in bloom, and it’s a great time for family and friends to come together. Yet, marriage is more than a celebration.
What brings two people to the altar of marriage is a love formed by God; a uniting in a covenant; the giving of one, fully to another. Remember asking your mom, “When will I ever fall in love?” or asking a friend, “When will I find my soul mate?”
Loving any another person is always a choice; but falling in love, with your soul mate, that’s a whole different thing! That’s because... Read more...
A few years ago I was sitting in a conference hall awaiting the next speaker. It was Jeff Cavins and he was coming up to speak about envy. I actually contemplated going to do something else for that hour because although I knew I had an occasional issue with jealousy, I was all set in the envy arena. OH my, was I wrong!! Probably why the Spirit sat me mid-row that day; and as I looked down the row and realized how many people I'd have to vault and navigate to leave, I decided to leave my bottom planted and listen.
It's about four months since I started a new daily prayer routine. (February 19, 2017)
I sometimes forget the morning set, but not often. Having a printout of both sets next to my keyboard helps.
The evening prayers are another matter. Happily, I remember the gist of what's between the Lord's prayer and "glory be." That lets me catch up: if I remember before falling asleep, which doesn't always happen.
