Thankful for Blessings - Sept 29

Join Judy, a special blogging friend of mine, on Wednesdays when she hosts this great meme at her inspiring blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings. In this meme we give thanks for the five things we are most thankful for this past week and then link to Judy's blog. Thank you, Judy, for this great meme which reminds me to keep an attitude of gratitude!
Here are some of my blessings from this week:
1. Rain - we had some rain today, the soft kind, not the thunder and lightning scary kind. It was peaceful and comforting to watch from my comfy living room.
2. My ministry of spiritual direction - spiritual direction is such a gift for the directee but also for the director. What a joy and privilege to be invited into someone's spiritual life.
3. Autumn - I love autumn. Even in Florida. We do not have leaves changing color and we continue to have green lawns for awhile, but still, the weather becomes a little cooler, less humidity. And the birds! They start returning from up north looking to spend the winter here. Thank you, Lord!
4. Friends and Family - Thank you, Lord, for my friends and family. Through them, You have taught me how to love and accept love. So amazing, I cannot even comprehend it at times.
5. My health - with rheumatoid arthritis, I never know how I will feel from week to week but this week I am doing well and I am so grateful!
How about you? What are some of your blessings?

Sunday Snippets - Sept 26

This is the weekly Catholic Carnival! Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. Why not join us and share a blog post or two from last week?

Here are my contributions for this week:
Keep Our Eyes on the Prize
Sabbath Moments  - In My Sleep

Lord, Set Me Free

The Lord sets prisoners free. (Psalm 146:7b)

The Gospel story today is about the rich man and Lazarus, the poor man he ignored. They both die and the rich man ends up in the netherworld and the poor man is free.

And it makes me wonder.

What poor part of me am I ignoring, refusing to feed?

What wounded part of me am I holding back, not bringing it to Jesus, not asking for healing?

What poverty am I hiding from even myself?

Lord, I know I need you. I know I ignore what I do not want to see about myself, the poor me. The hungry me.

Help me to bring my sins and wounds and burdens and lay them at your feet.

Lord, please help me be free.

Amen.

Sabbath Moments - In My Sleep

Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary. I invite you to share your Sabbath moment(s) here on Saturdays. Be sure to sign into Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, please share about it in a comment!
I have had an exhausting week. All I could do everyday when I came home from work was just sit in my favorite living room chair.
I wrote very little and I prayed very little (except to say Help)! All I could do was fall asleep in front of the television. And then I would crawl into bed sometime in the middle of the night. Or early morning.
I remember when I went on a week's silent retreat once. My spiritual director there told me on the very first day to be sure to get plenty of rest during the week, including taking some naps!
She explained to me that the Holy Spirit can work in us even when we are sleeping.
And of course scripture backs her up on that:

I was sleeping but my heart kept vigil. (Song of Songs 5:2)

To eat bread earned by hard toil - all this the Lord gives to his beloved in sleep. (Psalm 127:2b)

So sometimes sleep may be the sabbath moment we need the most - the rest, the doing nothing, the trusting that God is working in us even as we snooze.

Praying the Psalms - Psalm 37

I just love the Psalms. And I love joining Jenny at Just A Minute in Praying the Psalms every Saturday. Won't you join us? This week is Psalm 37.

"...though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us by the hand." (Psalm 37:24)

I like this verse.
God knows we stumble. We stumble a lot. But He holds us by the hand, so we don't fall all the way. So we don't hurt ourselves more than we do.
Oh, yes, we have free will. We can run away from God, but He never runs away from us.
We can turn away from the Lord, but He never turns away from us.
God carries us through the rough times and picks us up over and over and over. So we have nothing to fear.
God's go a hold of us.
Dear Lord, hold onto me and never let me go.

Thankful for Blessings - Faith and Family

Join Judy, a special blogging friend of mine, on Wednesdays when she hosts this great meme at her inspiring blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings. In this meme we give thanks for the five things we are most thankful for this past week and then link to Judy's blog. Thank you, Judy, for this great meme which reminds me to keep an attitude of gratitude!
Here are some of my blessings from this week:
1. Beautiful weather - I love this time of year when it is not so humid and I can feel some cool breezes when I drive to work in the morning! Thank you, Lord!
2. Ducks - I love ducks. And there is a pond near an intersection on the way to work where I can watch the ducks as I wait for the traffic light to turn green. Sometimes it turns green too soon!
3. My mom - we have lived many miles apart for years, but yet we are still close. We keep in touch with daily emails and had a wonderful phone conversation this past week, just chatting about what is going on in our lives. Thank you, Lord!
4. My husband - he makes me laugh, he takes care of me, and he loves me just the way I am! Which is an awesome blessing!
5. My faith - I hope I never take this gift for granted! I am so grateful for my faith in God - it really makes such a difference in my life!

Keep Our Eyes on the Prize

St. Jane Frances de Chantal - "One thing alone is necessary: it is to have God. In short, then, no matter what is going on, we must hold both our attention and our love on God not wasting our time in studying what is happening to ourselves or what its cause is. Our Lord asks this of us."

Years ago, I asked my spiritual director where he thought I was on the spiritual journey. It seemed so important to me at the time. Of course, he couldn't answer that question. No one could. No one can.

I soon began to realize that it does not matter where we are on the journey, as long as we are on it. As long as we are praying and keeping our eyes on the Lord, what else matters?

We don't need to worry about what kind of fruit we are producing in our spiritual life. That is God's job.

We don't need to worry about how we compare to others on the journey. That is God's job.

As St. Jane Frances said, it is all a waste of time worrying about what is happening to us.

Just keep our eyes on the one thing necessary.

Keep our eyes on the Lord.

Serving Two Masters

"No man can serve two masters." (Lk 16:13)

I know I serve 2 masters. I don't set out to do that. But I know I do.

I want to put God first. But then I choose myself instead.

I want to be available for others when they need me, but then I choose myself instead.

I watch TV instead of praying. 

I talk instead of listening.

I complain instead of speaking life-giving words to another.

I walk away in my own dream world instead of giving the loving hug to another.

I want to put God first. But I sometimes put myself and other things first. I do not want to. I do not mean to. But I do.

The good news is, Jesus knows that. Which is why he tells us these stories and gives us these words. 

God knows I need the reminder.

Dear Lord, help me to put You first. Help me to serve only You. And thank you for forgiving me and loving me when I don't. Amen.

Sunday Snippets - Sept 19

This is the weekly Catholic Carnival! Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. Why not join us and share a blog post or two from last week?

Here are my contributions for this week:
We Belong to God
Sabbath Moments - To Think or Not to Think

Sabbath Moments - To Think or Not to Think

Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary. I invite you to share your Sabbath moment(s) here on Saturdays. Be sure to sign into Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, please share about it in a comment!
1. Friday was Remicade infusion day for my rheumatoid arthritis. I try to take that time of about 2 hours to read and pray and just be. I thought it was such a God-incidence that I found a meditation on how to "Just Be." Hmmm.
2. As I write this, I am looking forward to going to Eucharistic Adoration for 2 hours. The Sabbath moment of all moments.
3. One evening I had a couple of hours alone. Peace and quiet. This week has been so busy at work that I have hardly had time to think. What a gift to just rest and pray. And think - or not.

Thankful for Blessings - Sept 15

Join Judy, a special blogging friend of mine, on Wednesdays when she hosts this great meme at her inspiring blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings. In this meme we give thanks for the five things we are most thankful for this past week and then link to Judy's blog.
Here are some of my blessings from this week:
1. Thank you, Lord, for my grandbaby who is growing so fast! What a blessing he is!
2. Thank you, Lord, for my hubby, who is the love of my life!
3. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the inspiration and the words to say at the retreat I presented last week! It was received so well and I am so grateful for this gift you've given me.
4. Thank you, Lord, for the blogging world and my blogging friends who share so much of their faith and help me grow.
5. Thank you, Lord, for the Eucharist, for giving us the gift of Yourself.
How about you? What are some of your blessings?

Love Note

A Love So Huge

We spent many weekends and vacations camping when my children were growing up. It was one of the best things we ever did as a family.

On one trip, when my oldest was only about 5, we went to a campground that was having a bluegrass festival. The campground was crowded and people were setting up in fields and shared campsites, etc.

Suddenly, I realized that my son was missing. We started yelling for him and checking out nearby campsites. As minutes ticked by, my fear grew and grew. I was about ready to panic when my husband shouted he had found him. Turns out my son was visiting a neighboring camper and none of them had heard us calling.

What relief! The joy was so great, that I couldn't even get angry that my son didn't tell me where he was. 

I think that is what God is trying to tell us through the parable of the Prodigal Son. He forgives and welcomes us home because His joy when we turn back to him, is too "huge."

Being a parent, I get that.

Lord, thank you for loving me with a love so huge, that you cannot NOT forgive, you cannot NOT love. No matter what. I am so grateful. Amen.
image source

Sabbath Moments - Praying for the Right Words

Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary. I invite you to share your Sabbath moment(s) here on Saturdays. Be sure to sign into Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, please share about it in a comment!
I have been working all week on retreat talks I am giving at my parish. The theme of the retreat is God Is Love.
So, my quiet moments of reflection have been to ponder on how to say what the Spirit wants me to say. I need to really listen in the silence.
Funny thing, it never seems to come together until the very last moment. Whether I am not really listening or God chooses to wait to give me the right words, I am not sure. Often, I am writing until the wee hours of the morning on the day of the retreat. We shall see what happens this time. I was struggling with how to end the talk and the idea came to me "out of the blue." I have learned to trust those "out of the blue" ideas. Thank you, Lord.

Visiting New Blogs

Victor at Time for Reflections recently shared an idea for a meme that focuses on new bloggers. This meme would give people a chance to read some great new blogs that have entered the blogosphere in 2010. The rules are simple:

 1. Provide links to one or two new blogs (2010) that you enjoy and would like to share with others
2. Tag 2 other bloggers to do the same and
3. Visit the new blogs!

Well, Mary at The Beautiful Gate tagged me and I am happy to share the link to a brand new blog - 

Credo Catholic - I have enjoyed her blog posts and think you will too! 

As usual, I am breaking the rules and instead of tagging anyone, I invite ALL who visit here to join us if you wish!

Thankful for Blessings - Chuckles and Grandbabies

Join Judy, a special blogging friend of mine, on Wednesdays when she hosts this great meme at her inspiring blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings. In this meme we give thanks for the five things we are most thankful for this past week and then link to Judy's blog.
While you are there, check out her other blogs PLUS her website. I love participating in this meme because it helps me to be more aware of my blessings. Thank you, Judy!
Here are some of my blessings from this week in no particular order:
1. God's love and patience - I was having a bit of a pity party today. Finally just laid everything down at God's feet, said I was sorry, and asked him to take back control of my life because I really cannot run it all by myself!! Which of course, I knew that, but I keep forgetting. I wonder if I cause God to chuckle, just a little. Does He shake His head and say - "There she goes again!"
2. My hubby - my best friend, the love of my life. What would I do without him? I am grateful for him every single day of my life. Do you know he actually fusses over me sometimes? Never had anyone do that before. Years ago I watched his father dote on his mother. Now my husband dotes on me. Amazing.
3. Sharing my love of God - I am leading a retreat for religious ed teachers at my parish this Saturday. I am always grateful for this opportunity to share my love of God with others. Please pray that I allow God to use me this way and that I do not get in His way!
4. Rain - I am listening to it fall as I write this and it is very peaceful sounding. Which is what I needed at this moment.
5. The face of Joy - I posted a picture of my grandson yesterday. My newest grandbaby. Just too cute. And that face of joy just lights up a room - and my heart. Cannot have a pity party with that face to look at!

What Joy Looks Like

We Belong to God

"...everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:33

In today's gospel, Jesus tells us what we must do if we wish to be his disciples. There are some difficult sayings here.

Take up our crosses, he tells us. Renounce our possessions. Hate our family.

Hate?

Most of the commentaries I read on this gospel said that "hate" really meant more like "prefer." All I know for sure is that it got my attention. And Jesus really wanted to get our attention here, wouldn't you say?

Perhaps Jesus does not mean for us to hate our family. But instead, perhaps we just need to make Him the center of our lives.

Perhaps Jesus is asking us here to make a firm decision to be His disciple. To follow Him all the way, not in any kind of lukewarm fashion, but with total commitment, regardless of the price.

We will have to carry a cross. We will have to renounce our possessions. We will have to put God first in our lives and in our hearts. Even first before our families. We will need to surrender all to God.

Seems like every time I am ready to give all to the Lord, I end up taking some of it back again. This stuff isn't easy.

But then we cannot do it by ourselves. And we cannot expect to be perfect at this discipleship business. We can only pray and put ourselves out there the best we can. And hope Jesus holds on to us. Which of course, He will.

St. Francis de Sales said it well -

"Lord, I am yours and I must belong to no one but You."

Shall we make that our prayer as well?

Sunday Snippets - Sept 5

This is the weekly Catholic Carnival! Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. Why not join us and share a blog post or two from last week?

Here are my contributions for this week:
Giggles and Chocolate
Humility Makes Us Real
Sabbath Moments - Finding Peace

Sabbath Moments - Finding Peace

Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary. I invite you to share your Sabbath moment(s) here on Saturdays. Be sure to sign into Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, please share about it in a comment!
Sabbath moments were harder to come by this week. I was back to work after a wonderful vacation and had a short week and too much to do to fit it all in. That is when Sabbath moments are even more important, when we have to be sure to take the time - make the time - to be with the Lord.
1. Eucharistic Adoration. I spent my middle-of-the-night hour and what a gift. In the middle of a harried week, it was an oasis of peace and silence. Thank you, Jesus.
2. Crazy day in the middle of the week. Had so much to do, should have skipped my break but I had a lunch appointment with a friend. That break did such wonders for my mental health and that sense of peace. When two or more are gathered in His name... Thank you, Jesus.
3. Late at night. Having some alone time. Turned TV off. Computer off. I sat and listened in the peaceful silence. Thank you, Jesus.
What were some of your Sabbath moments?

Praying the Psalms - Psalm 34

I just love the Psalms. And I love joining Jenny at Just A Minute in Praying the Psalms every Saturday. Won't you join us? This week is Psalm 34.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed. - Psalm 34: 19

I know that I have often felt closer to the Lord when things are difficult. When I am indeed brokenhearted.
Perhaps it is because I am more aware, or more needy. I am more vulnerable and less sure of myself.
Maybe it is because I am on my knees more.
Lord, I know you are with me always. Save me, when my spirit is crushed. Raise me up when I am low. And heal my broken heart. Amen.

Thankful for Blessings - Giggles and Chocolate

Join Judy, a special blogging friend of mine, on Wednesdays when she hosts this great meme at her inspiring blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings. In this meme we give thanks for the five things we are most thankful for this past week and then link to Judy's blog.
While you are there, check out her other blogs PLUS her website. I love participating in this meme because it helps me to be more aware of my blessings. Thank you, Judy!
Here are some of my blessings from this week in no particular order:
1. A convertible ride with the top down!  - FINALLY, after several weeks of rain and very humid hot weather, I was finally able to drive my convertible home from work yesterday with the top down. I totally enjoyed the feeling of freedom and the wind in my hair and well, everything about it. Thank you, Lord!
2. The Second Anniversary of my book being published! Amazing! I am so thankful that my book, which was difficult to write for many reasons and yet healing as well, has also helped others who are survivors of child sexual abuse. Praise God! Stay tuned for a special sale on my book to celebrate this anniversary!
3. Chocolate. Can't help it. I love it.
4. My hubby. Can't help it. I love him. I love him even more than I love chocolate.
5. Laughter. Have you ever thought how awesome it is that God gave us the gift of laughter and a sense of humor? I mean, when you really think of it, it is quite amazing. No one teaches us to laugh. When we cannot contain the joy we feel, it just bubbles up into a giggle or a laugh. God must laugh too huh? Of course, He does. After all, we were made in His image. And I am sure we give Him plenty of reasons to laugh, too. Don't you think?