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“Laugh and grow strong.” ( St. Ignatius of Loyola) I was stunned when I first discovered this quote by St. Ignatius because I associated the soldier-saint, who founded the intellectual Jesuit order, with the serious, arduous  Spiritual Exercises . I could hardly imagine St. Iggy spouting a phrase which appears at first glance to be flippant. Yet, this quote illustrates that Ignatius grasped a deep, spiritual truth which many Catholics do not understand:  joy is a gift from God. The average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness, but believes holiness is synonymous with Christ-like suffering. However, the truth is even redemptive suffering is not miserable when we are suffused with the love of God and filled with His Spirit. Joy is at the core of our spirit when we live in, with, and through Christ. This  holy joy is the source of a Christian’s strength. “God Made Us For Joy”- continue reading

Just a few quotes from the Saints, Scripture and fellow Christians  to remind serious-minded Catholics to laugh.  Somehow the average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness but believes holiness is synonymous with misery and suffering.  However, suffering is not miserable when we are suffused with the love of God and filled with His Spirit. In this post, I will simply overwhelm you with quotes all affirming the fact that joy is at the core of our spirits when we live in, with, and through Christ. St. Ignatius of Loyola understood the power of God's joy when he  invited  believers to, "Laugh and grow strong." He understood, "The joy of the Lord IS our strength." C.S. Lewis had an amusing way of describing Christian joy as the serious business of heaven. continue reading

Dance with joy! Joy is different from happiness. Many people equate the two incorrectly. Happiness is fleeting; joy is lasting. Where joy has no “conditions,” happiness does have “conditions.” I’ll be happy if…where we place conditions on what makes us happy. Do you hear those words, “we” and “us” in that last sentence? We define happiness in this life, and we easily can disappoint ourselves; especially when the criterion for happiness is left up to us to decide upon. Many think that riches and fame will bring happiness; but that is not necessarily true. We search for happiness in vain, ... Read more...

Advertisers have tapped into a universal craving to stop the relentless ravages of time in the human body by pushing countless gimmicks to keep us youthful. These products keep us healthy, but the secret fountain of youth is not a thing to buy but rather an attitude, an inner way of living. Youth is not found in a bottle of vitamins or in a jar of face cream. Youth is found when we connect with the source of all life deep in the ground of our being. There are countless ways to connect with the Holy Spirit but as a mother, I discovered a secret, a secret few people seem to recognize. Living with little people keeps you young.       continue

l Somehow the average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness but believes holiness is synonymous with misery. I have written articles on the theology of joy but in this post I will simply overwhelm you with quotes from the saints and the Bible, all affirming the fact that joy is at the core of our spirits when we live in, with, and through Christ. continue

As a Christian, living in the Mystical Body off Christ, I can choose to live in the joy of the Lord or stay in my misery, isolated from the Spirit of God who dwells within. When I live in my head, I live in a prison of whirling thoughts cut off from others and God. If I go deeper into my being and live in my human emotions, in pain or in self-manufactured “happiness”, I end up stuck as a victim of others and in my sinful, independent self. However, if I allow God to draw me even deeper into my core, united to Him, joy springs up automatically.  Now I exist in a state of effortless prayer connected to God. Living in my spirit , as a child of God, I am in my true self.  continue

Humour, the ability to laugh and not take ourselves too seriously, puts the grueling process of inner transformation into perspective. If I am self-centered instead of God-centered, everything becomes intense and dramatic. When I take my eyes off myself,  my  faith,  my  religious practices,   my  spiritual ‘progress’,   my  sins and rather look at my Saviour, everything comes back into the proper perspective. I am filled with joy, the joy of the Lord.  Thomas Merton, a Trappist, was asked if  it was possible to tell if someone had truly undergone  inner purification, becoming transformed into the image of Christ. “It is very difficult to tell but usually it is accompanied by a wonderful sense of humour.” continue reading

Listen as I struggled to gather my crew every night for a family meal. “Oh good, you’re done barn chores. Perfect timing; dinner is almost ready.” “Two more minutes, everybody!” “Joseph I’ll help after we eat, okay?” “Mary, please run up and open Jean’s door and shut off the music.” ‘Dinner is ready!” “Grace, I know you love that book sweetheart but, remember, no reading at the dinner table.” “Where’s Mark?” “Honey would you lift up Daniel into the high chair?” “Are we all here? Anyone missing?” Ah, dinner time in a large family. Dinner was the highlight of the day with everyone clamoring to share their news or simply squeeze in comments into the cacophony of voices. It was a humorous symphony which sounded perfectly in tune to my ears. High pitched baby squeals combined with loud, boisterous little boys.and the quavering of a male teen voice balanced teenage girl’s chatter. Dad’s reassuring bass tones soothed my shrill calls for everyone to listen to the todd

What victory is this, that all suffering that we suffer now will pass away, and every tear, every pain along with every joy, and shout of praise will bring to fruition the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. I have seen the victory, and it is wondrous. In a moment at God's will I was shown the end.... TO READ MORE..CLICK HERE!

“A soul united to Jesus is a living smile that radiates Him and gives  Him. ”  ~ St. Elizabeth of the Trinity continue

    I've slowly been reading my way through Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel).   I will be sharing things that I find particularly edifying over the next several posts.  Today's snippet is talking about not allowing the immense evil we see all around us rob us of the joy of our faith.  He also calls us to not lose hope and become pessimistic sourpusses that want to separate "the wheat from the weeds" before it's time.  In other words, we shouldn't develop a separatist attitude from the Church and the world.  Although we are living in a spiritual desert right now, families are still called to preserve and communicate the faith.  We have to be vigilant in living the Spirit of the Gospel in our homes and workplace and do our part to "point out the way to the Promised Land and keep hope alive."  Pope Francis says "we are called to be living water from which others can drink."   

Advent is a time of waiting. But how do I wait? Do I wait stoically or with joy? Do I wait like a child, a child who trusts that his daddy will keep His promises or has life’s disappointments left me jaded and closed off to any spiritual surprises? Come to think of it, how many of us actually expect to receive any joy on Christmas morning? When we are secretly cynical, we will not receive a thing, not a crumb of Light because we lock the door to our hearts. Then, we will cement our cynicism in place for another year. As we wait, secretly longing for the dark, empty places within us to be flooded with His light, we should look to our children to teach us how to wait for the Christ Child to be born anew in our hearts. They trust and believe the words of both their earthly and heavenly Fathers. Think of a young child, eyes twinkling, barely able to sit still and contain his excitement because he knows that his dad will never give him a stone instead of a loaf of bread. No wonde

Today we welcome Michael and Melanie Jean Juneau to the series  How to Stay Married 10 Years & Then Some . Michael and Melanie live on a small family farm in Canada, where they raised their nine kids. I know Melanie from her excellent work at the  Association of Catholic Women Bloggers  and through her prolific writing. Today Michael and Melanie explain how suffering doesn't have to crush a marriage, instead it can lead to great joy! 1. How many years have you been married and how many kids do you have? We have been married for 36 years, and we are still in love. Surprisingly, we really have become one, deeply in tune with each other’s spirits. Our tangible joy is inexplicable through secular eyes because from all outward appearances our life together has been a tough journey including poverty, nine kids, overwhelming chores on a small family farm and clinical depression. One priest gently consoled us by explaining we have lived through “trials by fire.” Another frie

Drawing by Anna Ponchak I believe God calls us to the vocation that is going to best help us encounter him and help us grow in holiness. The more we encounter him and grow in holiness, the more joy we will have. For me, that vocation is Motherhood.  My children have definitely helped me in my quest for holiness and have helped me grow closer to Christ. Through my first two, the Lord started teaching me about resting in him and receiving his grace. The next two helped teach me perseverance. Through my fifth child however, I feel like I have grown the most. You see, she was miserable from day one and continued to be that way until she turned four.        Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns >

My father reminded me of this good advice when I was in my teens: "...whatever is true, ... whatever is lovely, ... think about these things." My response was something like '...because they won't last.' I wasn't happy about saying that at the time. Decades later, I still regret the statement. I can't, of course, undo what was done: and the time for telling my father "I'm sorry" has long since passed. In any case, I said "I'm sorry" too often, and that's almost another topic. That quote is from today's second reading, Philippians 4:6 - 9 . I'll get back to that. Today, thanks to very powerful antidepressants and a few other psychoactive prescriptions, I no longer have to fight the controls to make my brain work. I even have moments when I feel good about who I am and what I do. That's a nice change of pace.... Joy, Zest, and Mud As it is, I had an opportunity to reason my way out of suicide : and dev

"How can we better manifest our faithfulness than by being faithful amid distractions. Alas! Solitude has its temptations, and the world has its trials; but through all we must have good courage, because help from Heaven is ever nearest to those who put their whole trust in God, and who earnestly seek His Fatherly help with humility and patience. Be not distressed, then, at the little vexations and troubles that a multiplicity of domestic affairs bring upon you. No! rather be thankful that..... To read more, visit The Sincere Gift

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely,” (Proverbs 3:5). God sees everything. He sees the clerk short-changing the old man, the boy stealing the heroin, the man cheating on his wife, the girl lying to her teacher. He also sees the teenager turning in the $100 bill he finds in the parking lot, the wife praying for her non-Christian husband, the daughter loving unconditionally her siblings who taunt her. He sees everything. He is a just and loving God and that’s why we can trust in him. His 360-degree vision takes in the full panorama of time and space. He sees behind closed doors and around corners. He sees things that happen at work, things that happen in our government, things that happen in our schools. He not only sees all in the present, he sees all that is beyond us and he sees all that is behind us. He sees it in the full context we will never see. And because he sees everything, everywhere with loving eyes, we can trust

I'm Laura Paxton and I am free. I am free to play, to create, to express myself, to explore my world. I am freer to think and to reason and daydream than I ever have before. I read more. I have meaningful work that I enjoy very much. I wake up each day with the joy of purpose before me. Only about five years ago, I existed in a cramped, dark apartment where I had given up on life, agoraphobic, eating mostly chocolate bars for sustenance and playing online scrabble all day long to keep my mind off the pain trapped deep inside. How did I end up there? Let's face it... I'm autistic. I'm bipolar. I've lived on the dangerous edges of life. I've been raped,  survived a near fatal suicide attempt, was almost successfully murdered and lived homeless at times in my teens. Over the course of my life, I've also been taken advantage of, tricked and abused because of my poor judgment, (which was poorer than most people's to begin with,