"multiple choice test"

Accepting God's Will

May I resist the inclination

To present Him with

A "multiple choice test"

Of my own feeble design

It is He who tests me

When unbearable trials

And frightening helplessness

Engulf my tranquility

Flooding my eyes with tears

The question is raised

"Will you pick up your cross?"
Holy Spirit please give me the courage,

Jesus please strengthen me 
To Imitate Our Blessed Mother
Responding in the way 
Most pleasing to God
May my only answer be

"Yes"

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

     One of the greatest deceptions of the evil one is that hatred is more powerful than love. Let us fuel our souls and hearts with the supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Receiving God's love in the Holy Eucharist, we live out the truth, that His Love cannot be defeated. Praises be to Jesus forever and ever!

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom 

and the knowledge of the holy is prudence." 

Proverbs 9:10 Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

1)Wisdom - the highest of these supernatural gifts, this gift enables us to love and desire our Creator above all things. 
2)Understanding - is the supernatural ability to grasp teachings of our faith.
3)Counsel- supernaturally helps us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance in all of our actions.
4)Fortitude- is the supernatural courage to uphold our faith even unto death.
5)Knowledge- supernaturally enables us to choose our actions in a manner that conforms to the will and commandments of our Heavenly Father.
6)Piety - This supernatural gift has been lost in our modern times. It is the beautiful and sweet reverence we show to our Almighty Father out of our great love for Him.
7)Fear of the Lord- This has also been lost in modern society. We fear rejecting or sinning against the Lord because we love Him so much. Motivated by this love, we deeply desire to obey rather than to offend our Heavenly Father.

Fifteen Promises of the Rosary~The Tenth Promise

     The Tenth Promise to those who faithfully pray the Rosary is that they will enjoy great glory in Heaven. Obedience to the Commands of Our Lord is the fruit of imitation of Mary's love for Jesus. Praying the Rosary daily transforms our souls in such a way that our hearts grow more deeply in love with Jesus, who said "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

     "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. And I will love him and will manifest myself to him." Judas (not the Iscariot) saith to Him, "Lord, how is it that thou will manifest thyself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If any one love me he will keep my word and my Father will love him. And we will come to him and will make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my words. And the word which you have heard is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you."

The Words of Jesus

From the Gospel fo John 
Chapter 14 Verses 21 through 25

Douay Rheims Catholic Bible

Mother's Lessons

Our Blessed Mother

 Earnestly cradled

Within her young heart

 God's love and promises

Mother's lessons

Inspired by the Holy Spirit 

Sculpted Mary's life~and ours

To Jesus through Mary!

 Painting of Saint Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
Saint Anne Shrine, Isle La Motte, VT

Communion Prayer

My Lord Jesus Christ, 

I firmly believe that I am about to receive, in Communion,

Your Body, Your Blood, Your Soul and Your Divinity.

I believe it because You have said it

and I am ready to give my life to maintain this truth. 

Amen

Drawn Home by Two Pillars

Don Bosco's Dream reminds me of 

the embrace of the prodigal son and his father 

and my return Home to Holy Mother Church.

     Reviewing my own turbulent spiritual journey, I realize that, though a cradle Catholic, I occupied dissenting enemy ships. Navigating through life's precarious deceptions, I was spiritually consumed and crushed by "what the world had to offer". Yet, my soul always knew wherein resided the Divine truth and beauty I had rejected. The most vitriolic foes of the Church are found among former Catholics. From this group emanate the strongest objections to reversion to Catholicism. Interestingly, many returning Catholics come Home fervently embracing many of the teachings which drove us away! 

     Looking at this painting, I am impressed with the unwavering, insurmountable, forward progression of the True Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Holy Mother Church. With the Pope at the helm, the Church fearlessly overcomes all weapons aimed against her while safely carrying the faithful to our longed for eternal destination.
     It was during Blessed John Paul II's final illness that I was irresistibly drawn home, heart and soul, into the loving embrace of Jesus and Mary. When people would ask me why I returned to the Catholic faith, my  automatic response was "Jesus in the Eucharist and Mary".  Blessed John Paul II's monumental offering of prayer and suffering supernaturally brought about my reversion and that of many, many other souls. With regards to conversions and reversions, it is doubtless that when these numbers are tabulated they will represent a high point in Catholic Church History. 
     Blessed John Paul II was praying for us. I could "feel" it!
     I like to think that my current location in this painting is deep within the heart of La Barca de la Iglesia Católica~cooking, sweeping, cleaning, or fueling the engine with Adoration, Rosaries and Novenas.

About Wisdom...

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

 and the knowledge of the holy is prudence."

Proverbs 9:10

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

      "And all such things are hid and not forseen, I have learned: for wisdom, which is the worker of all things taught me. For in her is the spirit of understanding, holy, one, manifold, subtile, eloquent, active, undefiled, sure sweet, loving that which is good, quick, which nothing hindereth, beneficient, gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power, overseeing all thingsm and containing all spirits, intelligible, pure, subtile. For wisdom is more active than all active things, and reacheth everywhere by reason of her purity. For she is a vapour of the poser of God and a certain pure emanation of the glory of the almighty God, and therefore no defiled thing cometh into her. For she is the brightness of eternal light and the unspotted mirror of God's Majesty, and the image of His goodness. And being but onem she can do all things, and remaining in herself the same she reneweth all things and through nations conveyeth herselfo into holy souls, she maketh the friends of God and prophets. For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun and above all the order of the stars, being compared with the light, she is found before it. For after this cometh light, but no evil can overcome wisdom."

Wisdom  7: 21-29

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

humbly and obediently

     The month of May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother Mary. Our Holy Father asks us to join him in prayer for respect for women (general intention) and for increased devotion to the Holy Rosary (mission intention). We pray that our daughters will be surrounded with beautiful Rosary prayers, and that they may enjoy lives of charity, virtue and love. Let us protect and educate our sisters and daughters to be respected and loved as intended by our Heavenly Father. In all words, actions and intentions may Jesus help us to humbly and obediently emulate Our Blessed Virgin Mary. 

 

"Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, 

the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Saint Jude ~ God's Will

Trustingly accepting and lovingly obeying

the holy and perfect will of our Almighty Father

with all our mind, heart and strength

...our greatest need...

"Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, 

faithful servant and friend of Jesus,  
the Church honors and invokes you universally, 
as the patron of difficult  cases, of things almost despaired of, 
Pray for me,I am so helpless and alone. 
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. 
Come to my assistance in this great need 
that I may receive  the consolation and help of heaven 
in all my necessities, tribulations, and  sufferings, 
particularly -(make your request here)
- and that I may praise  God with you and all the saints forever. 
I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, 
to be  ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God 
and to always honor you as  my special and powerful patron, 
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you." 
Amen

Rest

How tranquil is our daily prayer and work

when we enjoy the rest that God gives us each week.

"The seventh day is the day of the Sabbath,

That is the rest of the Lord thy God."

 Deuteronomy 5:14

"And he said to them-the sabbath was made for man 

and not man for the sabbath. 

Therefore the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath also."

Mark 2:27-28

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Lent 3 ~ Good Works ~ Alms Giving

   Lent is a beautiful time of growing closer to Christ by giving of ourselves through the good works of prayer, fasting and alms giving. In these ways, we aspire to imitate Our Blessed Lord in the way that he gave Himself, without reservation,  to all of us. Fear is the greatest obstacle to generosity. Holy Scriptures teach us that love casts out all fear.

     While visiting Guatemala, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the people there. Their life is a life of poverty by our country's standards. What amazed and humbled me was the freedom with which people gave of their time, work and goods. They did not hold back. There was no measuring of how much was given nor was there an expectation of anything in return. Giving to those in need came easily.
     It is said that the higher one's income, the more difficult it is to be generous. Are material possessions too much to lose? Why is it so difficult to share? Why are prayers of petition more desperate and fervent than prayers of thanksgiving? What is so frightening about giving away material possessions? Elaborate household alarm systems and expensive storage of never used items underscore the anxiety attached to protecting material goods. What is so scary about losing what is so easily lost? The despair associated with holding on to things is evenly matched with the despondency of not having enough. All of this occurs with the full awareness of nearby poverty. 
     A dear friend is a contemplative nun. She owns nothing. Her peaceful smile is ever present. She fears nothing, not even death. Her only concern is that she is not giving Jesus enough love.
     May this Lent's alms giving take away our fear and fill us with the love of Christ.

Prayer

Fasting

Alms Giving

found at weekday Mass

       Through an "interesting" series of events, I foud myself planted in the front row of a weekday Mass. My arrival, though very tardy, was surely the result of the hand of God. Father was in the middle of his sermon and the only available seat not requiring me to step in front of someone in the same pew was directly in the line of the Holy Spirit's "fire" filled gifts.  The words Father spoke at that precise  moment were exactly what my soul needed.  At once sobering and comforting, God's direct message rendered me overcome with amazement and joy.

        The morning's events underscored for me that God's action in our lives is neither random nor coincidental. Our Heavenly Father has a definite plan for the eternal good of every one of His beloved children. He finds us wherever we are and welcomes us into His heart.

   Dear Jesus, please strengthen my willingness to answer your sweet call.

Saint Anthony of Padua,

patron saint of lost souls and of finding that which is lost

 

The Anima Cristi Prayer:

Soul of Christ sanctify me

Body of Christ save me

Blood of Christ inebriate me

Water from the side of Christ wash me

O good Jesus hear me

Within Thy wounds hide me

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee

From the malignant enemy defend me

In the hour of my death call me

And bid me to come to Thee

That with Thy saints and angels I may praise Thee

Forever and ever.  AMEN

Gratitude=Recognizing Miracles

          We pray for God to work miracles expecting the Almighty to serve us by complying with our demands. We don't get what we asked for. Then we believe that He has abandoned us. We have it backwards. We miss the point. We overlook His miracles. Our focus on material poverty blinds us to the wealth of Divine miracles that are daily showered upon us. Yet, if we carefully consider all aspects of life's events, we learn that Jesus continually blesses us with multitudes of miracles in response to our prayers. Our Father loves us so much that he only wants our best. We forget how much He loves our obedience. Obedience is a powerful expression of love. We forget that God's love for the broken hearted is immeasurable.  We deny ourselves the joy of surrendering to His Holy and Perfect Will. Like our Crosses, God chooses specific miracles for us. So often, our Cross is the sweetest of  His love filled gifts. That's where gratitude comes in. Without gratitude our petition is self centered, not Jesus centered. Gratitude opens our hearts and minds to God's beautiful Holy miracles. May the Holy Spirit fill us with the grace to recognize and obey God's Divine will for us.

 "And we know that to them that love God, 

all things work together unto good, 

to such as, according to his purpose, 
are called to be saints."

Romans 8:28

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Humility, Love, Obedience

  Mary's humility, love and obedience to Our Blessed Lord are unparalleled. God's design leaves no other avenue of fully imitating Jesus without Mary. If God wanted Jesus to simply appear to us, He'd have just dropped Him off on a mountaintop. We have been so blessed by the wondrous journey of Mary's Immaculate Conception, the miraculous conception of Jesus, the Nativity, the upbringing of Jesus and Our Lady's never interfering with His becoming the Sacrificial Lamb. We too, are molded by Mary. It is impossible to truly obey Jesus without imitating Mary.

(Icon written by a Secular Carmelite) 

     The life changing power of praying the Hail Mary is immeasurable. This ancient and beautiful prayer, the words of which we find in scripture, keeps the focus away from the ego and directs the soul to Our Blessed Lord. I am certain that the sound of these lovely words, spoken by the Archangel Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth~even when we pray the Hail Mary mentally~causes the devil to cringe. This prayer pokes holes in his agenda to distract us from God's love.

   We are never without help whenever we pray the Rosary. Our guardian angels even help us to pray. Through this prayer, we experience God's miracles in our lives...the greatest miracle being a personal relationship with Jesus!

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

Prayer and Fasting~Lent 7

     Time is a most precious outgrowth of prayer and fasting. My personal experience has been an enhanced awareness of time. It is perhaps more difficult to surrender than food or alms. "First Things First" in this context, means that time spent in prayer and contemplation comes before other activities. Listening to God requires a great deal of discipline. I have become increasingly aware of how little control I have over life's episodes. However, when I put Jesus first, "things" miraculously fall into place. My "schedule" is replaced by God's plan. I may not understand His will, but during times of prayerful fasting He blesses me with the graces I need to accept it. Events unfold according to His time. Meanwhile, I am invited by Jesus to align my thoughts, words and actions with His life, passion, death and resurrection, all of which transcend time. As Jesus leads me step by step into Holy Week, how grateful I am that He has so generously blessed us with the gift of eternity with Him!

Please follow this link to the 

Stations of the Cross

Prayer and Fasting~Lent 2

     Prayerful fasting powerfully strengthens our intimacy with God. The first act of obedient fasting He required of mankind was to refrain from eating from a specific tree in the Garden of Eden. Our union with our Lord is so threatening to the evil one that he attempts to pervert even our most sincere efforts at fasting. Our souls can be driven away from our Heavenly Father by succumbing to temptations ranging from excessive eating to unhealthy distortions of fasting. May Jesus protect us and our loved ones from deception as we endeavor to draw closer to Him this Lent.

     And the Lord God took man and put him into the paradise of pleasure to dress it and to keep it. And He commanded him saying, "Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death." Genesis Chapter 2 Verses 15-17 Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

     Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Why hath God commanded you that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?" And the woman answered him saying, "Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die." And the serpent said to the woman, "No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened and that you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil." 

Genesis Chapter 3 Verses 1-5 

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Please see: "About Fasting"

and

Previous Post: Prayer and Fasting~Lent 1

Next Post: Prayer and Fasting~Lent 3

About Fasting

           I write this out of loving concern for those who may not understand the true nature and value of Christian fasting. 
     We know that Our Lord holds very dear within His heart persons afflicted with eating disorders, emotional infirmity and medical conditions, who may feel that they are unable or unworthy to receive the blessings of fasting. Regardless of physical or emotional condition or state of life, Our Heavenly father loves all of His children without measure. 
     Christian fasting is a prayer filled experience, through which we are supernaturally  guided by the Holy Spirit to grow closer to Our Lord. There are many variations of fasting. For example, juice fasting and strict adherence to medically prescribed meal plans are valid and powerfully spiritually rewarding types of fasts.

     Fasting, as prescribed by the Roman Catholic Church has very specific guidelines, with consideration given to age and state of health. Holy obedience and self denial are paramount features of a Christian fast. They beautifully demonstrate trust in our God, who loves us unconditionally. In Christian fasting we turn away from earthly desires. Our motivation is to be drawn more closely to Christ in every thought, word and action. Our hearts are more receptive to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are free to surrender to His perfect and holy will for us. 

     Persons with medical ailments or eating disorders should not embark on a total fast, rather they should seek the advice of their priest and physician with regards to an alternate yet fitting holy sacrifice. Examples can be found in the spiritual and corporal Works of Mercy. Attending Mass more frequently, Eucharistic Adoration, and increased time devoted to prayer and scripture are other examples. May our Blessed Lord Jesus bless you abundantly on your fasting journey.

Please see:

Faithfully Awaiting Supernatural Transformation

and

Prayer and Fasting ~ Lent

Joyfully Imitating Mary's Obedient Trust

In the timely sunlight of Our Eternal Father's perfect will

and in the unwavering showers of Jesus' mercy and love

our souls are filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: 

Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Long Suffering, Mildness, Faith, Self Control, Modesty and Chastity.

"O Blessed Saint Joseph,

 faithful guardian and protecor of virgins

to whom God entrusted Jesus and Mary

I implore you by the love which you did bear them

to preserve us frm every defilement of soul and body

that we may always serve them 

in Holiness and purity of love." Amen

Learn more about Saint Joseph 

and his powerful intercession and protection 

here @ EWTN.

The Last Supper

"On the night of that last supper

Seated with His chosen band

He, the Paschal Victim, eating,

First fulfills the Law's command:

Then as food to all His brethren

Gives Himself with His own hand.

Word made flesh the bread of nature,

By His words to flesh he turns:

Wine into His blood He changes

What though sense no change discerns.

Down in adoration falling

Lo, the Sacred Host we hail,

Lo, o'er ancient forms departing

Newer rites of grace prevail;

Faith for all defects supplying,

Where the feeble senses fail."

(From: Pange Lingua Gloriosi, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas thirteenth century)