Purging the Past, Entering the Reality of Now

Justin,  the de-clutterer, at the beginning and end of his scholarly career

I'm in a purge mode this summer and have decided to go through my house from top to bottom recklessly tossing out anything deemed to be, in my opinion, extraneous.  It was my son Justin, the recent high school graduate, who got me started on this goal toward clutter-free living.  In the week after he graduated, but before he began his full-time summer job, he systematically emptied out kitchen cabinets and junk drawers, extravagantly tossing out nearly everything.  I'd come home from work and find the cupboards practically bare.  And I liked it.  Suddenly everything seemed so clean and bright and I don't miss the things he threw out at all.  Really, I couldn't even tell you what they were!  It just goes to show how little I needed those items I had piled up and saved!  Now I've taken it upon myself to continue Justin's work and I have been scandalously eschewing the unnecessary melange from my home including my prayer journals.

In the few years prior to writing this blog, I kept prayer journals where I recorded my daily prayers based upon scripture verses from the daily Mass readings, a sort of written lectio divina. It was a time of my life where my suffering from depression was deep and the prayer journals served a very helpful purpose in bringing about my healing.  But now, as I read through them one last time before I forever renounce them, I find that I am more than happy to kiss the past good-bye and to accept my beautiful life as God has brought me to it in the present moment.  I am so grateful to find that those old books filled with words of sorrow and the struggle for joy no longer reflect who I really am today.

And yet, those years of journal writing were also years of voracious spiritual reading for me, and whenever I would read something that touched my heart or inspired me, I'd have to write it in my prayer journal so I'd never forget it.  Now I've come across some terrific quotes that I had saved and rather than toss them to the insignificance of yesterday with the rest of the household trash where they would be forever lost, I have decided to share them here on this blog where they will hopefully be a source of inspiration for others...

So I begin with these:

From My Monastery is a Minivan by Denise Roy regarding her childhood dream of becoming a priest (much like St. Therese of Lisieux):

"Here I sit, twenty years later, no longer wondering what I'm going to be when I grow up.  I've arrived.  And guess what?  My childhood dreams have come true.

For two decades, I have broken bread, poured grape juice, preached, prayed, told stories, bestowed blessings, taken care of the sick, heard confessions.  I have been a parent.  These have been the sacraments of my daily life and, I suspect, of yours.  These are simple, sacred acts.  These are how we mediate love, as we minister to our own little congregations-children, spouse, family and friends.

I have discovered that it is a great vocation."

From my favorite author, Carryl Houselander:

"For the moment, the precious and only now, you alone are the bearer of the Blessed Sacrament into your own little world.  You are the monstrance, the priest giving Communion, the Real Presence, to your husband, your children and your friends; and the reason why, or one reason why, Christ has given Himself to you, is because He wishes to be with them, as things are, only through you.  This is an astonishing thought, as every thought about the Blessed Sacrament is, if you bring an ounce of courage and realism to it."

And one more journal scribble that I found to be irresistibly worth saving, from a conversation during my daughter's basketball game with the graduate pictured above:

Justin:  "Mom, why don't you talk to some of these other parents here?"
Me:  "Because I don't have anything to say to them."
Justin:  "Yes you do!  Just ask, 'So how's Jesus working for you?'"  ;)

Etty Hillesum

I've been re-reading one of my favorite books, An Interrupted Life:  The Diary of Etty Hillesum.  Etty Hillesum was a Dutch Jew who died in Auschwitz.  This book is her story in prayers and conversation with God written during the few years preceding her death. It's a tale that overflows with inspiration chronicling her journey to a deep and vibrant faith.  Despite the persecution that Etty not only witnessed, but also endured, she remained full of love and hope, never giving in to despair and bitterness over her fate.  What  a remarkable woman!  Here are some quotes that move my heart.  Hope they move yours, too...

"I love people so very terribly, because in every human being I love something of You."

"The jasmine behind my house has been completely ruined by the rains and storms of the last few days, its white blossoms are floating about in muddy black pools on the low garage roof. But somewhere inside me the jasmine continues to blossom undisturbed, just as profusely and delicately as it ever did. And it spreads its scent around the House in which You dwell, oh God. You can see, I look after You, I bring You not only my tears and forebodings on this stormy, grey Sunday morning, I even bring You scented jasmine."

"You are sure to go through some lean times with me now and then, when my faith weakens a little, but believe me, I shall always labor for you and remain faithful to You and I shall never drive You from my presence."

"And what those who say 'You live too intensely' do not know is that one can withdraw into a prayer as into a convent cell and leave again with renewed strength and with peace regained."

"And when the turmoil becomes too great and I am completely at my wits end, then I still have my folded hands and my bended knee...it is my most precious inheritance...the girl who learned to pray. That is my most intimate gesture, more intimate than even being with a man. After all, one can't pour the whole of one's love out over a single man, can one?" (*my favorite!)

Quotes That Move My Soul

Here are some quotes that speak of beauty, of love and of prayer...that make me proud to be a Catholic!

"Yet how many pictures or frescos, fruits of the artist’s faith, in their form, in their colour, in their light, urge us to think of God and foster within us the desire to draw from the source of all beauty. What Marc Chagall, a great artist, wrote, remains profoundly true: that for centuries painters have dipped their paintbrush in that coloured alphabet which is the Bible. Thus how often artistic expression can bring us to remember God, to help us to pray or even to convert our heart! "

~Pope Benedict XVI on art and prayer from his August 31st, 2011 general audience at Castel Gandolfo

"And just as God foreknew and predestined Mary’s birth, God foreknew and predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son so that Jesus might be the firstborn of many brothers. Saint Jose Maria Escriva said this about the struggle with fear and anxiety that all of us sooner or later face: “Have you forgotten that God is your father? Or [that God is] powerful, infinitely wise, full of mercy? [God] would never send you anything evil. The thing that is worrying you is good for you even though those earthbound eyes of yours may not be able to see it now.”

and...

"So, what we embark on today is a marriage, where someone who loves you, the Holy Father, is also someone who loves me. And the Holy Father knows in his wisdom that we will make a good family together. So we should see each other as gifts. I receive you as a gift from the Holy Father; and this requires that you receive me and my service as a gift from him, too. This requires that we make a commitment, an act of the will, to deepen our hearts, to love one another, to be patient with one another and, ultimately, to lay down our lives for one another."

~Archbishop Charles Chaput from hisSeptember 8th, 2011 installation homily as Archbishop of Philadelphia

"But you know when you step back and see how my friend Mychal died, I’m sure that when we finish grieving, when all this is over and we can put things in perspective, look how that man died. He was right where the action was, where he always wanted to be. He was praying, because in the ritual for anointing, we’re always saying, Jesus come, Jesus forgive, Jesus save. He was talking to God, and he was helping someone. Can you honestly think of a better way to die? I think it was beautiful.

The firemen took his body and because they respected and loved him so much, they didn’t want to leave it in the street. So, they quickly carried it into a church and not just left it in the vestibule, they went up the center aisle. They put the body in front of the altar. They covered it with a sheet. And on the sheet, they placed his stole and his fire badge. And then they knelt down and they thanked God. And then they rushed back to continue their work."

~Fr. Michael Duffy, OFM from the homily for Fr. Mychal Judge, the first casualty of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center

Seven Quick Takes-It's Summer!

I'm living easy these days, or at least,I'm trying to. The kids are home for summer break and so I thought a summer quick takes would be in order...

1. When the kids are home and Paul and I are at work, we do quite a bit of communicating through e-mail. It's a great way for me to silently keep tabs on the home life while not interfering with my work. I like to call it e-tattling since that's what the majority of the messages I receive contain. On the first day of summer break, it was my two youngest who were home while the three oldest were finishing up their final exams at school. I received an e-mail with a very interesting question: "Do eyebrows grow back?" Sometimes an e-mail reply won't suffice and a phone call is in order. Let's just say we are grateful that it is summer break and the eyebrowless child won't be fodder for classroom teasing!

2. I had forgotten how beautiful my son Joe's eyes were because for the past year he kept them hidden behind a mop of hair. He took it upon himself to hike on over to the $5.00 haircut shop (not Otto the Barber-but a deal just the same) after his final exam for the year and I didn't recognize him when he walked in the door. It was $5.00 very well spent and the sight of my handsome son with short hair is the best part of my summer so far!

3. So, between shaving eyebrows and fabulous haircuts, I got to wondering about the mystery of hair. Why is it that hair on our extremities quits growing after it reaches a certain length, but the hair on the top of our heads would continue indefinitely unless we lose it? Maybe that's a good summer research topic!

4. My family and I had been struggling with the decision of whether or not to pull our two youngest out of Catholic school next year in favor of tuition-free public schools. I had gone so far as to enroll them at our neighborhood public schools when I learned that the grade school only offers split classes. Being quite biased from my own negative childhood experiences in split classrooms, I decided to quit fighting my husband (who was against the idea of public schools to begin with; and what kind of Catholic mother am I anyway for even considering public schools?) and sacrifice the finances to keep the little ones in the Catholic school. This decision was met with great joy by Jack and Mary and was blessed with a little sign from God in the form of a small scholarship check that arrived in the mail on the very same day the decision was made. God does answer prayer!

5. It's a well known fact that all mothers earnestly pray for the well-being and success of their children and often ask others to pray for their children as well. Now, I've a spiritual son for whom I'd like to ask prayers. John Howard, the brainchild behind the (now-closed) worldwide website A Vocation to be a Priest has completed his high school exams and is off to the seminary to begin preparation for the priesthood. Please keep him and all seminarians and those discerning a call to the priesthood in your prayers!

6. And while you're praying for seminarians and those in discernment, perhaps you'd like to pray for an increase to vocations as well. If you happen to be in the Milwaukee area this weekend, it would be a thrill to meet you at the Holy Hour for Vocations at St. Francis de Sales Seminary (3257 S. Lake Dr.) at 2 PM on Sunday. These monthly holy hours are hosted by Roses for Our Lady and we will be honoring Bishop-elect Hying, our spiritual director, at the social that follows prayer. Stop in and offer a word of congratulations to Milwaukee's newest bishop!

7. I've been devoting all of my spiritual reading to the subject of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this June. I have currently plunged into The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alocoque. I think that the letters written by the saints reveal their true hearts and souls in a far deeper manner than the words written about them in biographies. I was particularly moved by this passage:

"Go on blindly, forget yourself, let Him act in you, for He loves you. If you try to do too much you will only prevent Him from furthering the work of your perfection."

So, dear friends, I plan to enjoy a summer that has a little less hair, a lot more prayer and the quiet peace that comes from letting the Sacred Heart of Jesus work within me. Perhaps, I will also enjoy soaking up a bit more sunshine, since the very kind Holly at A Lifesize Catholic has bestowed a "Sunshine Award" upon me and my blog and shared the following words:

"I’m drawn to Anne and her posts because she makes serious religion engaging. I fear that many are lost to religion because when you start getting past what I teach in 1st grade, it gets a little, uh … shall I say, challenging, demanding, and serious. Somehow, Anne is able to be in the realm of the latter, and still get to people like me—the academically-religiously-challenged—engaged. Her light is a bright beam in my world."

Thanks Holly! I'm feeling significantly warmer from the light in your words! Visit Jennifer for more Quick Takes.

Seven Quick Takes-Seven Quick Quotes

Another version of seven great quotes for my seven quick takes contribution:

1. "Nothing awakens our deepest feelings of terror like the experience of separation from love." Gary W. Moon~Falling for God

2. "An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds; for love is measured by its own fullness, not by its reception." Harold Loukes

3. "Every vocation to the priesthood comes from the heart of God, but it goes through the heart of a mother." Pope Pius X

4. "But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls." Kahlil Gibran

5. "God takes our prayer or faithful gesture, whatever it is, and embraces it the way a parent takes a piece of artwork from a preschooler, fusses over its beauty and gives it a place of prominence on the refrigerator. And then God, like a good parent, does what is in the best interest of the child." Mark Neilsen

6. "No matter how far away you are from God, just turn around and God will come after you, because God is your Daddy and all Daddy's love their children. He will help you." Toby Mac

7. "There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." Josh Billings

Visit Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes

Seven Quick Takes-Seven Quick Quotes

It' s been a long, long time since I participated in any meme's on this blog. One that I particularly enjoyed doing was my own version of Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary Seven Quick Takes, not as a recap of my week, but rather, with a collection of some quotes that I particularly enjoy-some of them comforting and others challenging- and would like to share with others. So, here goes!

1. "Try to believe that life is in you like a seed, pushing, striving, struggling up to light. Instead of fighting yourself, let this seed of supernatural life fight it's way out through darkness, just as an ordinary seed fights up through the darkness and heaviness of the hard, frozen earth. First it has to sharpen its own green blade in the night and cut through the ground, or pierce the wood if it is a leaf on the tree, but suddenly it breaks into flower or leaf; and when it does that, it does not see its own beauty-the world outside it sees that; what it sees is the glorious sun that drew it up out of the darkness. Light. So too will it be with you; your soul, your mind will break into flower and you will find it is flowering in the midst of light, the light of Truth and Beauty and Life." Caryll Houselander: The Seed of Supernatural Life

2. "A mother is the most important person on earth. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral-a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body." Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty (Think of how, even more so, this applies to our Blessed Mother, Mary.)

3. "The greatest grace God can give such a man is to send him to a trial he cannot bear with his own powers and then sustain him with His grace so he may endure to the end and be saved." Walter Ciszek: He Leadeth Me

4."Stop entertaining those vain fears. Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But, when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault, there is virtue." St. Padre Pio (I find this to be incredibly comforting-don't you?)

5. "Contempt and persecution are blessed signs of divine favor, but there is no proof or sign of favor more beautiful than this: to pass unnoticed." Josemaria Escriva: The Way

6. "One sign that we are not in God's will is the experiencing of what we are doing as a burden." Monsignor Charles Pope

7. "It is very hard for love not to become possessive because our hearts look for perfect love and no human being is capable of that. Only God can offer perfect love." Henri Nouwen

Much to ponder here...I hope you found that at least one of these quotes struck a chord within the music of your heart and that you will feel prompted to ponder it as it becomes music to your soul.

Summoned by Love

When an infant grows inside it's mother, it grows in silence. The baby grows without making a sound. I was greatly struck by this passage from "Summoned by Love" by Carlo Caretto. I love how he compares our life on earth with the gestation of a baby. Oh Lord, how I long to see Your face!






















"The gestation of a child lasts for nine months. Our gestation as sons of God, a whole lifetime.

The child in its mother's womb has little room to dispose of; in God's womb there is all the room in the world.

But even if we can run and do all sorts of things in it, this is still 'inside', and hence we still can't see the face of our begetter.

"In him, we are, we move, we breathe" (Acts 17:28), but we do not see.

When we eventually emerge, we shall see him face to face, as Scripture tells us.

Now, God wraps us up like this, and the darkness of his activity is called faith; the incentive to become our complete selves is called hope, and the love sustaining all this is called charity.

It is hard for us not to forget that he is there.

It is hard because everything that happens to us, happens in silence, and the silence frightens us.

We should like him to say, "here I am" or reveal his presence with thunder or lightening...but he prefers silence...the things of God have no need of words.

"The heavens proclaim God's glory,
the sky displays his creative skill;
day after day, this is re-attested,
night after night, this is re-affirmed.
Not by speaking, not by talking,
not by any sound that can be heard,
but, by spanning the entire earth,
this message reaches the whole world."

Things speak for themselves; the heavens themselves speak. But God comes in silence...

I know that the path of faith, hope and charity leads in the opposite direction from the path of illusion.

It leads towards God's silence.
Towards the starkness of the Cross.
Towards the transparency of night.
It is like light. In the cosmos all is dark, outside the atmosphere all is dark.
Yet nothing is more luminous than this pure darkness.

-Carlo Carretto
Summoned by Love

The Very Rest

it's not that I don't believe that God loves me
it's that I don't believe that I love Him
not enough
something always seems to get in the way
of my complete abandonment to His heart

I want too much
I expect too much
I don't know how to release
my possessive grasp
and hold on lightly
without clinging

oh for the grace of detachment
from this world
and the pleasures it contains
in favor of what's to come
for this I pray with all my heart

"For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul; that we seek here rest in those things that be so little, wherein is no rest, and know not our God that is Almighty, All-wise, All-good. For He is the very rest." Blessed Julian of Norwich

Seven Quick Takes-Links and Quotes

I've got some great links I want to share, and a few more favorite quotes that have been working my heart this week, so today's quick takes is a mixed bag.

1. My sister Debby has an awesome blog, Heavenly Humor. She has been working on a children's book called "The King's Kids" and has been posting pages of it on her blog. Today's page features none other than my precious daughter, Mary. (It's the same picture from my sidebar with some lovely additions.) Won't you check it out?

2. A quote for Lent that helps me feel better about my failures comes from my own parish Pastor, Fr. Dave...“Flunking Lent is still a gift from God. When you do well following your Lenten observances, that isn’t goodness on your part. It is God who gave you the strength to do it. So, when you fail to have the strength to follow through on your Lenten observances, that too, is a gift from God.” Fr. Dave Cooper, Pastor St. Matthias Parish, Milwaukee

3. A blog that I have recently begun to follow that lifts me up tremendously with daily reflections on the readings is Redemptorist Preacher written by Fr. Jon. It is always a source of great inspiration, both uplifting and convicting. I highly encourage you to pay him a visit!

4. I've been working on the freedom that comes from forgiveness this Lent, and this quote really speaks to my heart. It's from Creighton University Daily Reflections, which, by the way, is another awesome resource that I can't miss! I've been reading the reflections daily for the past few years. “Forgiveness happens in layers, especially when it is a huge or deep hurt. We can forgive, and then years later a triggering event happens and the old wound resurfaces. Again, we pray to forgive.” Joan Lanahan, Creighton University Daily Reflections

5. I've written about a lovely Holy Hour that I attended last weekend at our Seminary. The Holy Hour was sponsored by The Missionary Servants of the Holy Family, a new lay group whose focus is to pray for the sanctity of families. It is a beautiful effort run by a sweet young girl, Maryclare Stephens who has a wonderfully large heart and a deep love for God and for families. Please visit her website and join her in prayer for families and for the success of her lay effort. When you visit, be sure to check out the photos link, they're very inspirational!

6. This Lent the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is celebrating "The Season of Mercy". I think this quote is awesome and very fitting, and I highly recommend the book it is from-it's wonderful! “In a careless moment, when we accidentally leave the door to our hearts slightly ajar, God comes barging in and corners us and tells us the truth that strips all the lies and deception and pretensions away: we are loved to the core of our being. We are loved despite all of our weaknesses and failures, and we are not going to change God’s mind about this matter. Nor are we going to change His heart. The only question left for us to answer is this: will we accept God’s mercy?” Patrick Hannon, The Geography of God’s Mercy

7. Just a Minute is a lovely blog with great writing and fabulous pictures. Jenny H. prays with the Psalms every Saturday. This week she is praying and reflecting on Psalm 9. Won't you join her?

Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for the MEME! Have a wonderful weekend!

Seven Quick Takes-Favorite Quotes

This past week I spent some time looking through all of my prayer journals and found lots of quotes that I had jotted down from books, homilies and websites that had touched my heart in a deep and meaningful way, so I decided to share them on the quick takes. I so enjoyed looking through my journals of favorite quotes to choose these seven, that I just might make this my weekly quick takes theme. I hope you are as inspired by these words as I am, and that they help to draw you close to the heart of God.


1. Dive deeply into the miracle of life and let the tips of your wings be burnt by the flame, let your feet be lacerated by the thorns, let your heart be stirred by human emotion, and let your soul be lifted beyond the earth. ~Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Call of the Dervish

2. How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of Light against its being; otherwise we all remain too frightened. ~Hafiz, Love Poems from God (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

3. For that contrariness is cause of our tribulations and all our woe, and our Lord Jesus taketh them and sendeth them up to Heaven, and there they are made more sweet and delectable than heart may think or tongue may tell. ~Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

4. When perplexed, always decide I will combat it by humble love. You can conquer the whole world. Loving humbly is a terrible force-it is the strongest of all things and there is nothing else like it. ~Kenneth Leech, Soul Friend

5. When we break open the alabaster jars of our lives, the world is filled with the fragrance of Christ. ~Fr. Don Hying, Rector, St. Francis de Sales Seminary, Milwaukee

6. God asked me to show Him where it hurt, and every cell in my body burst into tears before His tender eyes. ~Rabia, Love Poems from God (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

7. And when the turmoil becomes too great and I am completely at my wits end, then I still have my folded hands and my bended knee...it is my most precious inheritance...the girl who learned to pray. That is my most intimate gesture, more intimate than being with a man. After all, one can't pour the whole of one's love out over a single man, can one? ~Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life

Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for this MEME

Favorite Quotes/Bishop Fulton Sheen

"Mary recaptures woman's vocation from the beginning namely, to be to humanity the bearer of the Divine. Every mother is this when she gives birth to a child, for the soul of every child is infused by God. She thus becomes a co-worker with Divinity; She bears what God alone can give. As the priest in the order of Redemption, at the moment of Consecration, brings the crucified Savior to the altar, so the mother in the order of creation brings the spirit which issues from the Hand of God to the cradle of the earth. With such thoughts in mind, Leon Bloy once said: "The more a woman is holy, the more she becomes a woman."

Fulton Sheen

"The World's First Love"

Forbidden Fruit

“Think about the shape of Adam and Eve’s hands as the reached for the apple. It was one of grasping, taking. Now, compare that with Jesus’ hands as he stretched them out in abandonment to God’s will on the cross.” Fr. Don Hying










How I long to take a bite of the delicious,
red, mouthwatering apple
that is set before me Lord.
I stare at it.
I turn it over and over in my mind.
My desire is deep.
My hand moves to reach for it.
My heart races with excitement.
I can almost touch it, feel it, and taste it. I’m so close.
But you pull me back, Lord.
It’s not meant for me.
It will be left on the tree so everyone else who sees it,
can enjoy it as well.
My tears of sorrow and regret fall freely down my face as I slowly walk away.
I thank you, Lord, for delivering me from temptation,
for You alone are my
one,
true desire.
Amen.

Being Christ

“Each of us may be the only Christ that another person ever experiences. How vital it is that we live our faith well.”
Fr. Don Hying

Jesus,

There have been times when I’ve desperately needed someone to be You for me, but I couldn’t find anyone to fill Your shoes. How lonely that felt!

There have also been times when someone stepped in for You most magnificently and through them, I was renewed.

So I wonder, when have I been Christ for others? How well do I live my faith? Forgive me Jesus, for in this regard, I know that I fail miserably.

I need you Jesus. Come to life for me. Be resurrected in my soul today so that I can exist for You alone, and bring You to the world around me.

Amen.

Favorite Quotes/From the Blogs

This was written by a young man, Shaun, from Catholic with Attitude. I think it is amazingly beautiful. I am especially fond of his quote from Jeremiah since it precedes the title to my blog. So with his permission, here it is. Visit his blog for more inspiration.

"The Word has spoken, and I can never be the same again. He has whispered into the ears of my soul and has seized my being.

He asks for my eyes, so that I may see Him in everything. He has come so close to my eyes that I can no longer deny Him.

He asks for my mouth, to expel all evil talk and to allow grace to ooze from my tongue.

The Word stands one breath away from nothing; instead the Word has been given and now I have everything.

He has outraged my ego and has trampled my own selfishness. He has penetrated my heart and let loose His rampant love. My own heart is overwhelmed and cannot contain it. It spills over and flows into the crevices of others brokenness.

Creation is called into being by a Word; He said 'Be', and now, 'I am'.

Ignorance tells me He has abandoned me. Faith tells me He has enveloped Himself round me so tightly that I don't know where I am being led.

He has uttered my name and my knees are weak. 'Die', He says, 'So that I may give you life'.

Into silence I have ascended, by His grace there I shall remain.

'You have seduced me, O Lord, and I was seduced' (Jeremiah 20: 7)"

Favorite Quotes/Pope Benedict XVI

Here are some of my favorite parts of the new encyclical:

"In every truth there is something more than we would have expected, in the love that we receive there is always an element that surprises us. We should never cease to marvel at these things."

"All of our knowledge, even the most simple, is always a minor miracle."



Pope Benedict XVI
Caritas in Veritate

Favorite Quotes/Rabia

"God asked me to show Him where it hurts, and every cell in my body burst into tears before His tender eyes." Rabia

Favorite Quotes/JPII/Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

“In a certain sense Mary lived the Eucharistic faith by offering her virginal womb for the incarnation of God’s Word, anticipating in herself what in some degree happens to every believer who receives the Lord’s body and blood in communion. There is a similarity between Mary’s “Fiat” at the Annunciation and the “Amen” of the believer who receives communion. Mary became in some way a tabernacle, the first tabernacle in history, in which the Son of God was adored by Elizabeth. And Mary’s gaze contemplating the face of the newborn Christ, cradling him in her arms, is the model that should inspire us, when we receive Eucharistic communion.”

Pope John Paul II
Ecclesia de Eucharista

Holy Mother Mary, thank you for your “Fiat”. Thank you for the example you gave us of adoration and love in the contemplation of your Son.

Each time we lift up our hands to receive our Lord’s most holy Body and Blood in communion and then gently place him in our mouths to ingest this holy food, we imitate you, beautiful Mother. We say, “yes” wholeheartedly to carrying our Lord within our very bodies and allowing him to radiate out to the world around us. Just as a pregnant woman takes extra care of herself to nourish and love the baby growing within her, teach us to take extra care of ourselves to nourish and love the life of Christ that grows within us each day. What an honor and joy this is! At the same time, what an incredible responsibility this is as well! It is a call for each of us to show our appreciation for the very noble sacrifice that Jesus paid for our sins. It is a chance for us to live our lives well, rejecting sin and embracing love in gratitude for the great love that Christ paid for us with his broken body and his outpoured blood. Help us to use this knowledge of Christ living within each and every one of us, as an opportunity to love others well, with our whole hearts, and to gaze upon each other, as we would gaze upon Jesus himself, with the adoration and reverence deserved by one who sacrificed His life for our freedom from sin.

Amen.

Favorite Quotes/Julian of Norwich

"For that contrariness is cause of our tribulations and all our woe, and our Lord Jesus taketh them and sendeth them up to Heaven,and there they are made more sweet and delectable than heart may think or tongue may tell."



Blessed Julian of Norwich
Revelations of Divine Love

Favorite Quotes/Fr. Don Hying

A great Pentecost quote from a great priest...published in the May 28th Milwaukee Catholic Herald.

"When we, like the saints, set the sail of our life to the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves doing things that we could never have imagined, witnessing to Christ in ways that seemed beyond our abilities and engaged in works of evangelization, charity and service that seemed impossible. One thing is certain. When we give our lives over to the Holy Spirit, nothing will ever be safe or dull again. We will find ourselves blown out to the deep water and then Christ will bid us to get out of the boat."

Fr. Don Hying, Rector
St. Francis de Sales Seminary

Favorite Quotes/Thomas Merton

"See who God is! Realize what this Mass is! See Christ here on the Cross! See his wounds, see his torn hands, see how the King of Glory is crowned with thorns! Do you know what Love is? Here is Love. Here on this Cross, here is Love, suffering these nails, these Thorns, that scourge loaded with lead, smashed to pieces, bleeding to death because of your sins and bleeding to death because of people who will never know him, and never think of him, and will never remember his sacrifice. Learn from him how to love God and how to love men! Learn of the Cross, this Love, how to give your life away to Him."

Thomas Merton
Seven Storey Mountain