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As the Morning Rising: Transformation - Lenten Poem : Transformation A forty day call to holiness Through prayer to the Father Through fasting in desert loneliness  And journeying far ...

I don’t know about you, but I have come to realize that I no longer need to look at the bottom of a TV screen to determine if the person speaking is a Democrat or a Republican. Those days of sharing common interests, across the aisles, are long gone. Today, each side toes the party line, tossing aside one’s own personal beliefs for the sake of the party. Somewhere in that logic, people forgot about God first, country second. You can hear it in the tone and rhetoric of discord. This ever-present disunity is the last thing Jesus would want for us. Putting God First Jesus was rather specific when He said: Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are (John 17:11).   As Christians, in Jesus’ name, we are expected... Read more...

So I just want to say since the original picture did not get great feedback I changed the image. I am also going to show you guys my current and hopefully, in a little over a month, I will have an after picture.

During our storms of turmoil, our descents into hellishness, we cry but fail to see that everything in a watery drop is distorted and or inverted, subject to our perception; up is down and white is black. Humor me this, picture a mountain behind a pond of water and for some that same mountain is laid before their feet…or not. We’ve passively learned to trust our eyes, like our hearts trust those we love all the while missing that “love” like God, just “is” and makes no distinction to quantify what it is attached to or by whom. Our love is never wrong, I’ll repeat that; our love for others is never wrong and I would even dare say it is always right.  This is a guest post by Poet of the Light. To continue to read his insight and discover the 5 Wounds of Christ and the 5 Stages of Grief in Divorce, please join me at SingleMomSmiling.com.  Thank you for following, liking, and sharing!  God Bless...

CHRIST'S TEMPTATIONS PLEASE CLICK HERE

I once had a dream about a carnival. Specifically, I dreamed I was living in a little house on carnival grounds. It was night, but the light streaming in through my windows was bright and garish. It flashed bursts of purple and white and blue and yellow, ceaselessly, across walls and floors and faces. There were other people in the house... (continue)

As the Morning Rising: The Shattered Millwheel : I can feel helpless when listening to or watching the latest news bulletins. One day seems to follow the next with little evidence o...

I've missed one morning set, and several of the evening prayer sequences, in the routine I started February 13. ( February 19, 2017 ) I'm doing a little better with so far with the Lenten Chaplet. I started that Ash Wednesday. Emphasis on "so far." I nearly forgot twice, which doesn't surprise me. There's a very good reason for my wife handling the household's schedules, and that's another topic. This is where I could quote Romans 7:19 and launch into a 'wretcheder than thou' lament. It'd be accurate, on one level, since I've felt this way often enough.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

...“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”   “We can,” they answered .  Matthew 20:22 I’m a nurse;  I’ve seen people suffer . I’ve helped calm women as they experience the agony of childbirth.  I’ve administered morphine when the pain of cancer becomes too much to bare. I’ve held a mother as she wailed after the death of her child. James and John  want  prestige, position and favouritism from Jesus. Instead he offers them suffering! And they accepted it. They went on to experience terrible suffering, and they persevered and endured. Do we dare  to sit before Jesus and allow Him to ask us,  'can you drink of this cup?' During this season  of Lent...read on: https://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/  

In these first days of Lent, the Church shows us exactly how God wants us to  pray, fast, serve His people and worship Him. The words from Isaiah 58:1-9 are like brilliant beams of light, cutting through any false notions we might have about this season of repentance that we call Lent. Often we tend to think of Lent as a time to share in the suffering of Christ yet when we do so, we become morose and end up centring more on our own sacrificial devotions than on God. continue reading

The Tempation of Christ, Juan de Flandes Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia) Gospel Matthew 4:1-11 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed ) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ Again, the d

As the Morning Rising: Ways not Comfortable : ‘The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good.' Pope Benedict...

As you all know Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. And here is my public proclamation of faith! So we all know the topic to follow is of course Lent! This year for Lent I have chosen to give up soda (because I do not need it). I also chose to take on becoming more spiritually and physically healthy. I want my changes to stick after 40 days and I know that I can not do it alone. At first I wanted to join a fitness program. It seemed amazing the girl who ran it seemed awesome but hubby said no. Mainly because I always start the gym  and don’t finish it. So he said that if I could do the workouts on my pintrest board that cost nothing that I always say I am going to do, we  could revisit the conversation. So for getting myself physically healthy I am going to work out for 30 mins a day six days a week. I will admit that some things will have to be modified for me because of my fibro, but that will be mentioned as it becomes relevant. All of the work outs I use in the challenge will

TRAPPIST-1's planets may support life: or not. We don't know. Not yet. We're pretty sure that all seven are rocky worlds, like the Solar System's inner planets. Three are in the star's habitable zone. The inner two definitely do not have one sort of atmosphere that would make life as we know it impossible. Even if we don't find life there, we'll learn a great deal while looking. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Does your husband love you like:  Christ loved the Church? This has come up in multiple groups I belong to. It actually frightens me and I want to be very open and honest with all of my readers. Not everyone is going to agree with me however I want to spread this message. First and Foremost! God has a definition of love. It is as follows “Love is patient and kind. Love is not JEALOUS or boastful or Proud or RUDE. IT DOES NOT DEMAND ITS OWN WAY! It is not irritable and it keeps no records of being wrong. It does not rejoice at injustice but rejoices when ever the truth wins out. Love never gives up and never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance” 1 Corinthians 13:47. Secondly, these are some other definitions I want to talk about (and we probably don’t talk about it enough): “Spousal abuse is generally defined as any abusive conduct between intimate partners who are married, dating, or residing in the same residence. It can refer to si

Every human being is basically blind to their own faults and sin. There are many reasons we cannot seem to die to self and enjoy communion with God – psychological reasons, inherited sin, pride, the tendency to control and other self-defeating behaviours. However, I think the biggest barrier to receiving the Love of God is egocentricity; we are centred on ourselves, on our own efforts to perfect ourselves instead of admitting defeat, taking our eyes off our own efforts, and allowing Christ to work out His salvation in our hearts. continue reading

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Many of us look at this period on the Church calendar as a time of suffering and deprivation. Lent has historically been synonymous with a desert experience of dryness; a sense of loneliness, as if God is on vacation somewhere else. This connotes a sense of negativity. Yet, Lent affords us so much more, if we are willing to open our minds, hearts and souls to the various opportunities that make the Lenten season special in a positive way. Lent, a Season of Faith, Hope and Love Lent can be a time of renewal and personal growth; a time for getting to know Our Savior much better by... Read more... 

Today is Ash Wednesday, or a few days after. Not too late to make Lenten resolutions. Are you stuck in a rut when it comes to Lent? Do you find yourself making the same resolution year after year? And maybe breaking it year after year? I wonder how many people, both children and adults, give up candy for Lent every year. For your consideration this week, I offer ten somewhat different resolutions that will bolster your spiritual life. Click to continue

As the Morning Rising: The Great Call of Lent : The Great Call of Lent He came  to me out of the shadows Like a sun shaft Through a canopy of leaves And I knew in my deepest being Th...

When Helen, said to be the most beautiful woman in Greek antiquity fled with her lover to Troy, she did not receive the reception that she expected. Although her lover was Paris, the son of the King, he and his courtiers were reluctant to admit her. One look at her face rightly confirmed that her husband, the King of Sparta would indeed launch a thousand ships to retrieve her. She was therefore understandably interrogated about her motives for deserting him. The king was on the point of rejecting her when she cried out in her defence, “Do we not all know that the gods have made us to love and to be loved, and so achieve our destiny? I can only achieve that destiny here in Troy and with your son, Paris, whom I love with all my heart.” One thousand years later Jesus came to tell us that our God has also created us to love and to be loved, as part of the preparation for the infinite loving that is our ultimate destiny. Learning to love here on earth, prepares us for the ultimate love

       El carnaval, como todos sabemos, es una fiesta popular que consiste en mascaradas, comparsas, bailes y regocijos bulliciosos.   Son tres días que preceden al miércoles de ceniza y que en muchos lugares ya son de ocho días, toda una semana y hasta diez y doce días. Es una expansión que nos atrae y nos envuelve en su loca alegría, un tanto disparatada y desbordante, quizá por el hecho de vivirla en la incógnita de un disfraz y un antifaz enigmático... Esta especie de desbordamiento festivalero   nos trae a la mente   el deseo de todo ser humano de desembarazarnos de las preocupaciones, de aligerar nuestros hombros de la carga de obligaciones cotidianas y de dar "rienda suelta" al placer y a la alegría. Pero … ¡cuidado ! pues pudiéramos caer en la inmadurez de llegar a creer que la vida es semejante a un   carnaval... Y así vamos por el mundo tratando de mostrar un rostro y un ropaje que no son los verdaderos. Parece que somos una cosa y somos otra en realida

Murder and attempted murder in the Kansas City metropolitan area last week is international news. If the suspect's neighbor is right, the 'drunken mess' who killed an engineer from India was having trouble dealing with his father's death. 1 I think he could have found a better outlet for his grief.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I cannot thank my brother Ed, enough, for gifting me with Resisting Happiness , by Matthew Kelly. This book was a real eye-opener for me! As human beings, we naturally resist happiness, and when we do so, we resist God, the source of all happiness. “ Why do we resist God? Because deep down we don’t trust Him…deep down we think that God is trying to limit our freedom ” (p. 214). Kelly tells us throughout the book that we need to become “the best version of ourselves.” How do we do that: by stopping the resistance. Throughout the book, Matthew Kelly shows us how we can find happiness by tackling our urge to be resistant. Let me share with you just two golden nuggets, gleaned from reading this wonderful book, that I believe will make me happier – just a couple of things I can do to fight the resistance to be happy. Idea #1: Prioritize Your Life in Accordance with God’s Plan Matthew Kelly comments in the book that when he conducts his various speaking engagements, he comes across

"Love one another as I have loved you" IMPOSSIBLE Please click here

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#NEDAwareness [ Part 2 of 5] …In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: "We all have our own unique struggles but it’s what we do with our struggles that matters most. Accepting who you are, where you are right now, that is truly courageous. So be brave. Take the first step for you and for those you love.” –National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) It’s Time to Talk About It… Renoir’s Gabrielle Holding A Mirror >> Click HERE to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >> NOTE: Further info provided via 5-part-"It's Time To Talk..." series including potential signs/symptoms, screening option, health consequences, and more. 

From The Cloistered Heart

I'll be eating oatmeal for breakfast during Lent, and walking around more. If I was in England, I'd probably call it porridge, and that's another topic. It'll be be good for my health, and I'm sure that's one reason my wife suggested it. But that's not the only, or the main, reason. Lent isn't about me.... ...Lent is when we join Jesus in the desert. Sort of.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Lent starts in just a few days. The first day is Wednesday, March 1st. If you are looking to grow deeper in your faith this Lent, you might want to consider reading the book,  Discernment of Spirits   by Fr.Timothy Gallagher. It is based on the rules of discernment by St. Ignatius of Loyola. The rule I personally found most helpful and one of the hardest to follow is rule number 5. Rule number 5 advises that you do not make a change during times of spiritual desolation. Continue Reading @ Beautifulthorns>

As the Morning Rising: Water of Salvation : Water of salvation Wash over me Invigorate me Cleanse me from sin Remind me of your power Especially in periods of drynes...