The graces from God comes in little doses of spiritual nourishment – I can’t even find a word or image to describe it – probably too tired since returning back to work.
My work schedule has changed many times and I have had to adjust my time with God accordingly. Yup, real life is hectic!
This morning I woke up to this little quote from St. Paul of the Cross. These little words bespeaks a depth that resonates with God’s love and beauty. :
“Let all creation help you to praise God. Give yourself the rest you need. When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, the sun and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness of the one who has given them being.”
–St. Paul of the Cross
Little doses of God’s graces reminds us that he is always present and walking with us in our daily lives.
Let us get the rest we need so we can appreciate the beauty of God within and without.
I returned to work today after a long sojourn, and the best part of my day was going to Mary Queen of the World Cathedral to pray and attend the 7:30 am mass.
A wonderful way to start my day as I return to the hectic world of teaching young children. A lot has changed within me the last few years, but the world and the job all remains the same. The staff changes and children changes throughout the years, but the same hectic reality remains the same.
I have changed. My faith has deepened and for those of us who walk in Jesus:
“Three things are necessary to everyone: truth of faith which brings understanding, love of Christ which brings compassion, and endurance of hope which brings perseverance.”
I give thanks for two beautiful children my husband and I adopted as babies. I give thanks to God the Father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit for the graces and blessings bestowed upon us.
Yesterday we celebrated MeiMei’s 16th birthday – how quickly the time has past.
Father of Jesus, We praise you and give you glory For the wonderful things you do for us; For life and health, for friends and family, for this splendid day.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, And to the Son, And to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, And ever shall be, World without end.
I am writing this post for all those who have crossed my path, and many more I will meet and share in the love of Jesus. Some were part of my RCIA and Camino family, Alpha, strangers in passing, friends, family, and there are also my spiritual director, church leaders, deacon and priests whose guidance have lead me to the foot of the cross. There are also those who are online – readers and subscribers from different parts of the globe. I share with each a virtual hug and heartfelt joy in the name of Jesus.
Many from my RCIA and Alpha groups have moved on, as they walk in their own journey with Jesus. Some have picked up and are starting new lives in another city. Others have moved due to work, while others are studying in different cities.
I miss them!
I would like to send an heart felt blessing in the name of Jesus to each and every soul who has crossed and touched my life. They all had a hand in creating a greater me in my own existence. May the hand of Jesus bless them in their walk down the narrow path towards his light.
God Bless 💕🙏
The Blessing
Written by: Christopher Joel Brown, Steven Furtick, Cody Carnes, Kari Brooke Jobe
The Lord bless you And keep you Make His face shine upon you And be gracious to you The Lord turn His Face toward you And give you peace
Amen, amen, amen Amen, amen, amen
The Lord bless you And keep you Make His face shine upon you And be gracious to you The Lord turn His Face toward you And give you peace Amen, amen, amen Amen, amen, amen
May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And Your family and your children And their children, and their children
May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And your family and your children And their children, and their children
May His presence go before you And behind you, and beside you All around you, and within you He is with you, He is with you
In the morning, in the evening In your coming, and your going In your weeping, and rejoicing He is for you, He is for you
He is for you, He is for you He is for you, He is for you He is for you, He is for you
Amen, amen, amen Amen, amen, amen
May His presence go before you And behind you, and beside you All around you, and within you He is with you, He is with you
In the morning, in the evening In your coming, and your going In your weeping, and rejoicing He is for you
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
God Bless💖
Aside: during my good morning prayer to the Triune and our Holy Mother, this song came to mind. I share it, as it reminds us that God is faithful, and when we look, each day His mercies abound. All we need, He has provided. God is faithful. Praise be to God!
I was preparing a pdf for my RCIA meet tomorrow night, and I wanted to share a song I remember from my childhood. It was a spunky and lively song, filled with joy and happiness. After some digging I finally found it.
The song version of The Lord’s Pray. I recall the joy I felt when I first heard it, and this was back in the 70s – a time of peace and love. The prayer was sung by Sister Janet Mead (1938–2022). She sung with joy and passion, and her voice just grabs at my heart and fills it with adoration and inspiration.
Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
I love reading and rereading the Gospel of Luke as we head into Christmas. There is much joy resounding from these passages. The birth of Jesus is our greatest gift from God. As I meditate on the union of Mother Mary and Elizabeth, I think about their Spirit filled inner joy and blessings from our Almighty God. It also brings to mind all the blessings and gifts from God in my life. I may not always recognize God’s blessing amidst the din in my busy life. It is often when I take the time during the end of the evening when I do my Daily Examen that I see the beauty of God’s hand in my life.
St. Ignatius Daily Examen
I would like to invite all of you to think about the beauty of God’s hand and gift in your life. How can we give back to God? How can we be like Jesus? Sometimes, all it takes is a smile. Praying for those around us – our family, friends, to the sick. Praying for the homeless, those we don’t know in need, and for souls in purgatory. At other times, it is leading a hand to those around us. It may be helping our neighbors, or volunteering. I found today’s homily by Fr. Anthony inspiring – casting our eyes not upon ourselves, but upon another with love and the joy of giving:
God Bless 💖Let us step outside of our comfort zone and give our gift of Jesus to another.
As part of my St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises (The Ignatian Adventure, Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily Life, by Kevin O’Brien, SJ.), I have been praying and mediating on a “grateful awareness of the many ways in which God calls me”, and the past week, I have been reading, rereading, reflecting, and praying on Luke 5:1-11. The depth of it’s meaning came to light a few days ago – “God, how can I be a fisher of men? Moreover, I ask myself how can I serve You in our world today? Next week begins a new challenge – I won’t be able to attend Mass and the Holy Eucharist due to new government restrictions. I was feeling so down about it. How do I live in the new normal – a world of Covid-19 fears and now Omicron restrictions? How can I continue to be a disciple of Jesus?
Luke 5:10 reminds us:
Jesus always said to us, “And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.”
I was greatly comforted by Luke’s reminder.
I have low immune system, and I am very careful, especially mindful of those around me, and isolate myself at the first signs of illness. Today, was one of those days, when I felt a migraine and under the weather. Being the last day I could attend Mass before new restrictions set in, I felt guilty and terrible that I did not go.
In the face of challenges, it is a miracle the way God’s hand is constant in my life. Not only did I feel uplifted and full of joy watching online mass this morning, but I felt renewed. Today’s lectionary reading Luke 1:39-45 touched me, and I was reflecting upon it since last night when I flipped open my Bible and read it while procrastinating rereading Luke 5: 1-11. God is ahead of me! God knows my worries.
Carl Heinrich Bloch’s painting – The Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth
Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Three key words come to mind – “Mary set out and went with haste…”, the second is the power of the Holy Spirit in the bonding these two woman with inner and outer joy – “For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy...”
I am reminded that in Jesus, there is joy. His birth into this world and walking among us is a testament of God’s eternal love and plan for us. Hence, no matter how many obstacles the world may throw my way that prevents me from going to Mass to worship, I can still praise and sing glory to my God, because I take the time today to keep the Sabbath Holy in my home – my place of refuge.
How to keep the sabbath holy
Making my home a sancturay for God
Making my home a refuge, and adorning it with objects that reminds me of the Blessed Family, God, Jesus, our Blessed Mother, and Father Joseph. Sanctified with Holy Water is also a good idea.
The point here is having a quiet place to spend time with God.
Spend time in prayer and read the day’s Mass reading
Daily reading from the Catholic Calendar is a special contemplation I do on top of my own personal Bible journey. Daily readings are centered around liturgical themes, and they help guide the believer into a better understanding of the Old and New Testament, as well as insights from all Saints, religious, and all who have gone before us. The following two sites are a great resource for daily Catholic readings:
I can’t make it to Mass for the Eucharist, and instead of getting stressed out about it, I watch the Mass online and make an act of spiritual communion and thanksgiving. God doesn’t want us ridden with anxiety and stressed out. Jesus loves us, and wants us to be near to Him and filled with inner joy.
watch the mass online or on tv
Here is a list of some of my favorite Catholic organizations:
Remember God rested on the 7th day. Enjoy a day of stillness, rest and reflection on God’s day.
In all things, remember to give thanks
Make the day beautiful, peaceful, and joyful. I like to spend part of God’s day smiling and thinking of how wonderful my God is, and am thankful for His hands in my life and the lives of those around me. I love to listen to music of praise and worship on God’s day of rest. Just as I am sitting here sharing with each one of you my love for our Immortal God. Jesus, I trust in you❤️
I love to listen to the Virgil Project:
May the hand of God hold each of you in His warm and protective embrace, and know that as long as we focus our attention on Him, we do not need to feel fear! God is faithful, and knows our hearts more than we do. Let each of us take the time to pray on a greater awareness of the many ways in which God calls each and every one of us.
Be Inspired! 