Today’s the 24rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Find the Mass Readings here: 24rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 17, 2017 Continue reading “#mymasstakeaway 24th Sunday in ordinary time”
Category: Prayer Life
#mymasstakeaway 23rd Sunday in ordinary time
Today’s the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Find the Mass Readings here: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 10, 2017 Continue reading “#mymasstakeaway 23rd Sunday in ordinary time”
Unite the body and soul to live authentic sexuality
A modern examination of conscience. (But not too modern… we’re loyal to the teachings of the Catholic Church here!) This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Chastity and modesty. Two virtues that are necessary for bridging the gap between the physical and the spiritual. They’re necessary for living as a fully alive, integrated human being. And they’re all about authentic love.
Chastity helps us authentically live our sexuality. It helps us know ourselves, body and soul. The Catechism says it’s both an “apprenticeship in self-mastery” and a “school of the gift of the person.”
We come to know ourselves, to order our appetites, and to be able to give ourselves to each other in perfect love. Continue reading “Unite the body and soul to live authentic sexuality”
Daily call to holiness {giveaway}
*I received a complimentary product from The Little Catholic Box in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are genuine, and my own.
Holiness isn’t only for the chosen few. Prayer isn’t only for Mass. Religion isn’t only for church.
When we strive to live out our faith, we’re doing more than being part of a club. It’s about more than rules and rituals and a weekly meeting.
It’s about relationship.
Primarily, our relationship with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And our relationship with the other members in the Mystical Body of Christ. Continue reading “Daily call to holiness {giveaway}”
Have courage to do right
A modern examination of conscience. (But not too modern… we’re loyal to the teachings of the Catholic Church here!)
When we talk about virtues, we sometimes try to put them into practice in a restrictive sense:
- don’t yell
- don’t gossip
- don’t eat too many sweets.
Even the 10 commandments guide us with “thou shalt not”s.
And that’s a good thing. We need to have healthy boundaries in our lives and avoid things that would harm us physically and spiritually.
But this month’s virtue breaks the mold. Fortitude calls us to action. Fortitude tells us “thou shalt.” Continue reading “Have courage to do right”
Oreos and Netflix and Facebook, oh my…
I didn’t want to write this challenge. Because Oreos. And Netflix. And Facebook infinite scroll.
I didn’t want to write it. But I needed to. Over-indulgence is so. hard. to. resist.
My mouth waters when I pass by the grid of fast food restaurants in the middle of town. My tablet glows late into the night when I can’t stop swiping. And my ears perk up when I hear someone say, “Do you know what she said to me last week?”
Oh, temperance, you’re so elusive. I need you bad but I don’t really want you. Continue reading “Oreos and Netflix and Facebook, oh my…”
A shower prayer (just for fun)
Have you ever heard of the shower prayer? I pray it every day. It goes something like this:
Lord, wash my feet that they may follow Your path. Wash my hands that they may do Your work in this world. Cleanse my head of all distractions and fill it with thoughts of You –
JUST KIDDING!
I wish I prayed like that in the shower every morning. I probably should. But my shower prayer (and I don’t pray it every day, only every-day-I-shower) goes more like this… Continue reading “A shower prayer (just for fun)”
The softer side of justice
A modern examination of conscience. (But not too modern… we’re loyal to the teachings of the Catholic Church here!)
When I see that wrong has been done, my heart pounds and anger rises to my cheeks. I’m eager for “justice to be served.” To dole out punishments, to right wrongs. That’s just anger at its finest.
But justice is more than a punitive virtue. It’s not all about laws and rules and rigid enforcement. Justice means giving each person what they deserve, in both a positive and a negative way. Continue reading “The softer side of justice”
It would’ve been enough
A prayer modeled after the Dayenu: an ancient Passover prayer celebrating God’s blessings.
God my Father, in Your infinite Goodness You created me out of nothing. You didn’t have to do that. But You did it anyways, because You love me. If You had created me and done nothing more, that would have been enough.
But in Your generosity, You did more. You created this beautiful world and all things in it for my delight. You filled it with incredible sights and sounds. You gave me the changing seasons so I would never get bored. If you had done that and nothing more, it would have been enough.
But You didn’t stop there. Continue reading “It would’ve been enough”
Prudence: how to make choices you’ll never regret
We all know the pain of regret: the sinking feeling in your stomach, the fire of embarrassment in your cheeks, the emotion and energy sapped from your limbs. It comes when you’ve made a hasty decision you can’t take back. When you’ve blurted out unthinking words that hurt your dearest friend. When you blew off your last chance to see your grandma before she passed away.
Our regret often results from a failure to act prudently. If only we’d made a better decision. Continue reading “Prudence: how to make choices you’ll never regret”
