The Cross and St. Teresa of Avila

 "Embracing the cross, Let us follow Jesus; He is our way and light Abounding in consolations."

St. Teresa of Avila, The Collected Works, Vol. three, Poetry, no. 20, pg 396

During this Lenten season, I need to meditate on the cross and embrace it. St. Teresa of Avila had a great devotion to Jesus and His sufferings. His passion and death on the cross. I desire to embrace the cross and have this great devotion to Jesus and all that He did for us. May each day be a walk on the path to the cross as we journey towards Easter and the resurrection! God bless us all!!

Great Lenten Practices

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving

Faith, Hope, and Charity

Watched a great podcast on good Lenten practices, www.burrowshirepodcast.com.

They talked about prayer and said the highest form of prayer in the church is liturgical. Three examples of liturgical prayer are first and foremost the Mass, second Liturgy of the Hours and third Adoration. Something to think about as we enter into the 40 days of Lent. The second form of prayer is personal. They suggested that we enter into silence before we pray the rosary, the chaplet, novenas, etc. 

When I refer to they, I am referring to the two presenters Brandon Vogt and Fr. Blake Britton, good friends and both live in Florida. Brandon is a convert to Catholicism and father of seven and Fr. Blake has only been ordained a few years. Great presenters who list lots of resources. 

Nourishment and Exercise

 We think each day about how we will feed our bodies and exercise them as well. But do we think about this for our souls? Our souls need the nourishment Jesus sends us each day to feed our souls and keep them healthy so someday we can enter heaven fully alive! We feed our souls with the bread of life, the Eucharist that Jesus so generously left us. We exercise our souls with prayer, constant daily prayer. Without this daily exercise, we can fall, grow lax, and fail to serve God. Praying for you as I hope you are praying for me.

Sin and Darkness

"O Lord, Father most merciful, receive, I beg You, Your prodigal child! I have suffered enough; I have long enough been the slave of Your enemies, which You put beneath Your feet; I have been long enough the plaything of false flatterers. I know that I must turn to You. When I knock at Your door, let me find it open; show me the way to come to You. All I know is that I must despise unstable and temporary goods to seek those that are stable and eternal." St. Augustine 

We are all born into this world as sinners. It's in time we come to know the one and only true God who is absolute Love. We always have choices - to choose the sin in our lives or to choose Love where we find truth. 

My early days and years were filled with sin and darkness. My mind was clouded and confused. I justified the sin in my life and wondered where God was. It was on the long journey seeking Him that I found Him and my confusion dissipated. I came to see and hear and know and love. The reality of my life became clear and questions answered. I know Love. Once we know Love, there is no going back. It would be a foolish thing to do. I walk not in darkness now but in the light trusting that He who loved me first will lead me where I need to go and do with me as He wills. I am blessed!!

Loss

We all experience loss in our lives and it comes in many forms.

The most difficult loss is death. I lost my husband of 50 years on February 13, 2019. It seems like yesterday but it will be two years. I think of him every day and remember the good times that we had. I pray for him every day and hope he is happy and well and praying for those of us who are still living. Death is so very final!!

Another loss is when our children grow and change. I remember the newborn that I brought home for the first time. How each newborn was so different it was as if I had to relearn parenting each time. I could snuggle with the babe even into toddler years. But then each child began to grow independent of me. Which of course is every parent's goal - to teach our children how to care for themselves. But it is a loss nevertheless as they become more involved with interests outside the home. And then they have children of their own who allow me to snuggle and spend time with them. But then those children grow and leave the comfort of home to take on new lives and begin their own families. As a great philosopher once said: "Life is like a river! You can never pass through the same river twice." Change happens, but God always remains the same.

We have our memories! Good or bad! We choose what we hold on to and what we let go of, always remembering that our good and gracious God is the same yesterday and today. He carries us in his loving arms through each new day. And gives us memories of Love! 

Praying for Eyes to See and the Coming of Lent

 God has given me many gifts, but I tend to be deaf, dumb, and blind!! I pray for the eyes to see Him, the ears to hear Him, the heart to understand Him. I pray that He will give me the words to speak the words He wants me to speak. I pray that He will give me a heart of understanding, compassion and love for my neighbor, especially all those He puts into my life this day.

Lent is just around the corner and there are many opportunities for prayer!! 

EWTN is offering a free Lenten book: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/seasons-and-feast-days/lent-14353

Carmelites are also offering a book study and a retreat during Lent:

Book study:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndh-63qiXtk&feature=youtu.be

Retreat:www.retreat-online.karmel.at

Bible Study and Year of St. Joseph

 As we begin February 2021, it just seems to be time to begin anew and continue as well with this blog - less Facebook!! It's only been six years!! But as I pray, read, and spend time in contemplative prayer, I discover a relationship with Jesus and with myself that continues to grow and change. Nothing I do or say or think comes from me, but from He who loves each and everyone of us as if we were the only ones to love. His greatest desire is to give us the grace we need to live each day well!!

A group and I began a study from Ascension Press called the Bible Timeline with Jeff Cavins. It has been a "great adventure", as it is appropriately called. When we studied Abraham, I pondered on his choice to have a child with Hagar instead of waiting patiently for God's promise to be fulfilled through him and Sarah. What struck me is how often in my own life, I could not wait for God to fulfill His promises to me. Instead of seeking His will, I went full speed ahead doing my will even though time and again it led me nowhere but into more trouble and heartache. Discovering that life is an education of learning and growing has made me desire all the more to read, watch, and do whatever leads me closer to my Lord Jesus. And to avoid whatever leads me away from Him.

As a result of Abraham's impatience, he became the father of two nations rather than one. The nation that came from Ishmael, Hagar's son, and the nation that came from Isaac, Sarah's son. Two very different nations. How different the world might be if Abraham had been patient. How different my own world might be if I had been patient. It would be well for all of us to contemplate how the sin in our lives has created dark crevices here and there.

Now I follow along, with thousands of others, the daily Bible reading by Fr. Mike Schmitz. Yesterday he talked about the flashlight, the mirror and the sandpaper. "The Bible is like a flashlight that shines some light on our lives. And sometimes it's a mirror that reflects ourselves back to ourselves. And sometimes it's like sandpaper that sands off the rough edges." We need every aspect of the Bible to grow and become all that God's desires for us. 

In the Old Testament when God made His covenant with the Israelites, He urged them to trust Him and to teach their children. How obedient are we? He also said that "obedience is better than sacrifice."

And I belong to a prayer group that will begin reading the Consecration to Saint Joseph. We begin on Valentine's Day and end on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19. Looking forward to the journey.

Peace and great love to all!!