joy

  • Thanksgiving

    I offer God my praise and thanksgiving. I am grateful for all He has done for me personally and for my friends and family this past year. In the good times and in the bad times, He was there and continues to be. Thanksgiving is a special time of the year. It beckons one to…

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  • Here’s My Heart Lord

    The words echo in my mind, “Here’s my heart, Lord,” lyrics from a song. I listen to this song and make the words my prayer to the Lord. I offer Him my heart, open and with surrender. I offer Him my heart, with trust and hope. I offer Him my heart, with abandonment and joy.…

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  • The Life I Live

    Patience, prayer, and silence, these are what give strength to the soul. St. Faustina Patience is accepting God’s timing and not my own. It is living a life where I follow Him with complete trust. Prayer is speaking with God, heart to heart, and having a relationship with Him. It is living a life where…

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  • The Gospel reading from Mass this past weekend touched my heart. St. Martha is one of my favorite saints. I definitely see my struggles with anxiety in a new way when I hear the dialogue between her and the Lord. I read this scripture quite often, as it always brings out something new for me…

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  • To Jesus Through Mary

    Today, the Blessed Mother is on my mind. I am going on a staff retreat today, a “mini pilgrimage” to visit a Cathedral and Historic Church in a neighboring diocese. Both are named after the Blessed Mother, St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Mary, Help of Christians. I have been blessed to have many “Mary’s” in…

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  • A Quiet Place of Rest

    Come away and find a quiet place of rest. Let the silence envelop you, as it calls you to go deeper within yourself. To cast off the worries of the world and to listen to the inmost stirrings of your heart. My soul is restless until it rests in You. St. Augustine To notice the…

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  • Last weekend was the Solemnity of Divine Mercy, which always falls on the Sunday after Easter. It is one of my favorite celebrations of the Church and the beautiful prayers, especially the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, always brings me to tears when it is sung. This year I was especially looking forward to this day…

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  • The Great Love of God

    I sit in silence, and ponder what the Lord has said to me. My heart is overwhelmed by the great love of the Lord during this most sacred time of the year. Every year of the Lenten season, followed by the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, I experience something different and new. I feel…

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  • You Are Worth It

    Last weekend, my husband and I planned a night away downtown. It was Valentine’s Day, and we decided to celebrate by going out to an elegant dinner, seeing a comedian, and staying at a fancy hotel. The restaurant was very nice, the food was amazing, and we had a table by a large stone fireplace…

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  • This past weekend was the Presentation of the Lord or Candlemas, which commemorates the purification of Mary, and the presentation of Jesus, her firstborn son in the temple. It takes place forty days after Christmas. I received a candle as I entered the Church, and when my candle was lit and burning, the wax started…

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