What do Advent, Christmas, and the Holy Family all have in common? Mary, Mother of God. She gives us the standard and practice for holiness. We admire the standard, but do we stop to think about putting this into practice?
We have this opportunity of Advent to empty ourselves, to be fully ordered towards Him. To be aware, ready to fully embrace Him, and enjoy a profoundly-changed life that only Jesus can give.
By reclaiming God’s love for ourselves, we can discover the joy of giving to others in this Advent season.
Like a leaf in a slow dance with the Wind, we are carried in the breath of God even in the turmoil. Preparing for Advent in Silence
Imperfect: as long as we keep trying, we still get to be part of that incredible orchestra conducted by God, through whom all imperfection is made beautiful.
In 2006, driving south on the freeway, a vehicle three times the size of mine pulled into my lane and should have wiped us off the face of the planet. St. Joseph stopped them and saved our lives.
It is not an exaggeration to say that there have been few times in history where our own holiness is so desperately needed. The way to Jesus is through Mary, and the moment to begin to know her is now.
Listening to a teaching by Fr. Robert Altier, I was struck by how Elijah and the ancient hermits were praying for the virgin mother of the Messiah to come. This devotion and dedication of one’s whole life to prayer for the virgin to come is striking. These hermits had the foresight to pray for the mother to bring their redeemer. I reflected on how blessed I am to already have her with me…
June is the month in which most graduations are held. As Catholics, we have another type of ‘graduation’ that typically takes place this month: priestly ordinations. The ‘accomplishment’ we celebrate is God’s work in their soul and their response to that. We look with awe at Him in them, knowing He did this for us. Our ‘graduation’ will be celebrated in Heaven and God has given us an amazing ‘program’ to get there: the sacraments and the spiritual life. However, our graduating is indeed gradual!
I sometimes have parts of a favorite litany rolling around in the back of my mind. One of those prayers is the Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. The entire litany pounds into my heart how much the Father and the Son personally love me: fully, unconditionally, and without limits. Consecration and enthronement in the home of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a natural response to that.