I cringed when I saw her wiggling in her chair in the restaurant. “Hey,” I whispered, “do you need to go to the bathroom?” She wrinkled up her nose, as I knew she would. “I already go-ed.” I tried to subdue the growing frustration in my head. I bit my lip and sternly and coolly said, “Let’s go to the potty... right now.” Cue the dramatic crying, the stomping, the protesting. She knew she did something wrong, and I probably embarrassed her. Of course, a four-year-old can’t really process those emotions that well. Thus, tears. Back in the car, I buckled her baby brother first. The lateness of the day was made apparent by his tired whining. Let’s just get everyone home and in bed as soon as possible, I thought. By the time I had coaxed little baby’s flailing arms through the straps of his car seat, she still had not buckled herself. “You have to the count of three to buckle yourself, and then I will do it for you.” The annoyance from her “accident” was quite evident in my voice. Finally my impatience, coupled with her grand frustration, bubbled over. I tugged at the car seat straps while she swatted my hands and wiggled her legs, trying to prevent me from reaching the buckle. I gritted my teeth, trying not to completely lose it. I put my face right into hers, holding her wrist, all the while repeating, “Stop it, stop it, stop it.” Customers in the parking lot witnessed everything. I was so embarrassed. Somehow, she gave up the fight. I finished buckling her and drove home, fuming. I was mad at her for causing a scene, and at myself for not being able to handle it. No one said a word, whether it was out of the tension, exasperation, maybe even mere tiredness, or a combination of the three. Nevertheless, the car ride gave us each some time to calm down. When we got home, I unbuckled her and mustered up a much warmer and approachable voice, “Look. You made two mistakes tonight. Now is your chance to make them right. Your first mistake was not using the bathroom when you should have. We can make that right with a quick tubby. The second mistake was to scream and hit me when I tried to buckle you in. You can make that right by saying sorry. So what do you say?” She had her tear-smeared face down while I gave my explanation, but when I put the question out there, she seemed a little surprised and perked up a bit, as if she realized that a simple apology was all there was to fixing a wrong. “Sorry,” she mumbled and sobbed. I helped her out of the car after a great bear hug and encouraged her to head upstairs for the bath. The rest of the night she was quick to respond to the bedtime routine and more than happy to help with her baby brother. Forgiveness had released her and she beamed in her freedom. And her willingness to help and take care of her bedtime obligations was her affirmation to me that she had forgiven me for my impatience and shortness. Kids need to know that they are loved, and demonstrating forgiveness confirms that love. Without a forgiving hug, a child will wallow in their own self-pity until they start to believe that somehow, they became “a bad kid”. Forgiveness gives a child closure. I doubt her misbehavior would have magically ended had I maintained the stern face and cold demeanor. Give kids a way to make it right, because the freedom of forgiveness is incomplete without it. A punishment alone teaches a child that the mistake is bad. But no consequence at all dismisses the misbehavior and eliminates the responsibility. The “making it right” strategy gave my daughter an exit for the shame of her mistake. It channeled her stubborn independence so that she could take care of what she could control. In short, she knew she was forgiven, and she was able to move on. Getting a kid to say “I’m sorry” is not all that difficult, but having them appreciate the meaning behind the words is the tricky part. For them to fully comprehend their responsibility and take control of the mistake, they have to know forgiveness. Where there is love, they will be more willing and eager to “make it right”. Do you know you are forgiven, or do you still hold on to your guilt, like the child who continues to commit the same misbehaviors? Do you assume responsibility for your actions, or do you avoid thinking about it, uttering a meaningless “sorry” as a jaded and aloof kid? In our own grappling with sin, let us never forget, the battle has been won. Our sins were nailed to a cross. Let us serve Him then, and “make it right”, not because His sacrifice was insufficient, but because our love and gratitude for Him is abundant. For when we start to comprehend the immense love and forgiveness of Christ, the “make it right” desire bubbles over, and we beam like a preschooler eager to show her mom how well she brushed her teeth. [bctt tweet="In our own grappling with sin, let us never forget, the battle has been won."] photo by Corynne Olivia Kim is a former marathon runner and high school French teacher turned a Catholic wife and stay-at-home mother of four littles all under the age of 5.

Today we are talking about THY WILL BE DONE. This is how Christ taught us to pray in the words of the Lord's Prayer and the example He gives throughout His entirely earthly ministry. Learning to abandon ourselves to God's will for our own lives, as Christ did in His earthly life, will surely move us all the more quickly on the path of sanctity. You can find all the themes here. photo by Corynne Olivia Photography Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

Here we are halfway through the middle of July already, and I never made a single resolution for 2015. Truthfully, I'm not much for making resolutions at the start of a new year. Make 'em and break 'em is usually my mode of operation, and it gets to be a bit depressing. So why bother? But this year is different. This year, the Lord is tugging at my heart, ever so gently, to step out of my comfort zone and to move forward. Closer, just a little bit, to holiness and to Him. So, in lieu of resolutions, this year there will be small steps forward, toward virtue. First on the list: the virtue of abandonment. Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face, who was both the blood sister of St. Therese as well as her sister in the Carmel, wrote that their beautiful mother, who is now Blessed Zelie Martin, lived by the absolute, unwavering conviction that “God governs all things, that He has a particular love for us, and that whatever He does is well done.” The virtue of abandonment. This is the virtue that Sister Genevieve remarked was Blessed Zelie’s defining characteristic. This virtue of radical trust, of deep and desperate faithfulness, of clinging to the unshakable truth that God is good and that everything He wills or allows in my life – the beautiful and joyful along with the painful and the stretching beyond what I think I can bear – will work together for my salvation. It’s a virtue that I’ve never possessed, and what’s worse, one that I’ve never even really sought after. Just typing the word abandonment sends a little shudder through this strong-willed, plan-it-out, perfectionist-prone girl. What? Let go of my plans? Relinquish my dreams and ideals for the future? Lay aside my need to control every aspect of my life? And what about suffering? When I make plans for my life, I usually make it a rule to forego most major varieties of pain, woe, and hardship. But if I hand over control to God, if I open my heart to receive whatever He wants to give me, there will probably be a good amount of suffering. Just look at the lives of the Saints. All of that might be ok for Zelie – she was so holy and her daughter was St. Therese!– but it sounds way too demanding for a “normal” person like me, just trying to live out marriage and family life here in the trenches. Wait a minute. As much as I’d like to give myself a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card on this one, I don’t think that would go over well if I make it to Heaven. “Lord, I love You and I know that You’re God, but... I just didn’t trust You enough to give you control. Sorry, but I really didn’t ever master that annoying virtue of abandonment.” But the truth of the matter is, if anyone had reason to doubt the goodness of God’s will and to give herself a “pass” on practicing abandonment, it was Zelie. She bore nine children, three of whom died in infancy, and another at the age of five. She was continuously full of anxiety over the health of her five remaining children, who were often sick when they were young. In her prime, as she was raising her daughters and running her business and building her domestic church, she developed breast cancer. The progression of her illness was extremely painful and debilitating, and although she prayed for a miracle of healing for the sake of her family, she knew death was likely imminent. Yet through all of this suffering, she faithfully and patiently accepted God’s will for her life, and even sang His praises. Why? Because she knew beyond any doubt that God loved her. He loved her. As a father loves his children, so our God cares for us, deeply and intimately. Zelie wrote this in a letter to her brother: “When I think of what the good God, in whom I placed all my confidence... has done for me and my husband, I cannot doubt but that His divine Providence watches over His children in a particular way.” Sister Genevieve remarked that “it was this assurance of invincible, even audacious confidence towards our Father in Heaven, that sustained her in her many trials.” Blessed Zelie truly was extraordinary in this heroic confidence and holy abandonment with which she daily lived out her vocation (and consider how this heroism must have inspired holiness in her daughter Therese, who became the “greatest saint of modern times"). What if the same loving God to whom Zelie abandoned herself wants to make this heroic confidence a reality in my life as well – if only I would cast aside my desire to hold the reigns, and open myself up to Him? What if I were to place all of my plans – from the loftiest to the smallest, from how I want to change the world, to what I want to do with my “free” time while the kids nap today – into the hands of my loving Father, and let them go? What if I were to believe that He knows every fiber of my being, He knows the inner workings of my heart, He understands my longings even more than I do myself – and He is asking me to live by the conviction that His love is greater than my fears? What if I were to repeat, with every beat of my heart, “Whatever He does is well done,” until it became a truth ingrained in my soul, deep and unshakable, as God has always wanted it to be? [bctt tweet="Whatever He does is well done."] And what if, at the end of a life lived in holy abandonment, I can joyously enter Heaven and kneel before Him, and with a heart already full of Him and not of myself, I can hear Him say, “Well done”? Whatever He does is well done. photo by Corynne Olivia {Editor's note: The canonization of Blessed Zelie and her husband, Louis, will take place during the Synod on the Family in October this year. They are the first couple to be canonized together, and they have been chosen as they are an 'extraordinary witness of conjugal and familial spirituality’.} Lydia is a happy wife, a busy mama of three adorable littles, and a two-time overcomer of PPD. She is on a mission to offer solidarity and support to postpartum mamas. You can follow her at Flourish in Hope.

Well, hello there. My name is Siobhan, and I am a lifestyle and wedding photographer who has a heart for people and their stories. These days, in the midst of so much communication, I feel like many of us can feel oh-so-isolated. This is why the Blessed is She community is so amazing--it's a place where strong Catholic women can come together and share each other’s prayers, successes, sufferings, and joys. We can build each other up and continually remember that we are not doing this alone. That is why I decided to make it my mission to share the stories of YOU--the women who make up the kingdom of God. I am going to be sharing little peeks into the lives of Catholic women, who just like you, are trying to do their best. This is the Sisterhood Campaign. This is a reminder to you that we can do it together. [bctt tweet="This is the Sisterhood Campaign. This is a reminder to you that we can do it together."] Brigette Becker: New Orleans, Louisiana Oh my goodness. This woman is amazing. I was a little nervous to sit down and talk with her because this was my first official interview, but she immediately put me at ease. She is kind, warm-hearted, gentle, and full of laughs. We got to talk about Jesus over some coffee (her) and brownies (me). Could you describe your faith to me? I would say it’s a continual conversion of the heart through the Lord. It’s a part of your whole life with moments of conversion--both little and big--those change your heart in ways that make you stronger. The Lord knows my heart and definitely knows that those small moments of conversion are the areas in which I need him the most. How would you define beauty? One of those things that is so transcendental. Totally from the Lord and absolutely something that is within because look who we are made by; we are made by beauty himself. Beauty is ultimately grounded in the Lord. Three reasons why you think you’re beautiful: 1. Eyes: they are truly a gateway to the soul. 2. My personality: It makes me who I am. If I do not believe that about myself then I don’t really believe that I am beautiful. 3. My smile: Not just my smile in the physical sense, also what is conveyed by my smile--joy and happiness in my heart. What do you admire most in a friendship? Honesty. Because so much else flows from being vulnerable and open with another, and especially the gifts of understanding, loyalty, and, the realization that we are not struggling alone. What do you think it means to be in a sisterhood and why it is important? Well, I currently am a student at Franciscan University and live in a household with 40 other women. We have three tenants we live by: unity, prayer, humility and I really think that those virtues are the most important things to live by in a sisterhood. We must build each other up in a humble way, really communicate and speak openly and honestly with one another, and see Jesus in ourselves and everyone else on the good and the bad days. These bonds of Catholic sisterhood are almost inseparable because they are founded in the Lord. You must let these beautiful women that surround you change your life. Make sure you have amazing women in your life. To sit with someone and to automatically fall more in love with Christ because of their presence: body, mind, and spirit. These are the women that know your heart, can tell you like it is, and bring you closer to the Lord. What advice would you give to your younger self? I would say don’t worry and trust in the Lord. Take the time to take care of yourself and really care for yourself so you can better care for other people. What do you think is your biggest struggle with your faith? I think I am the biggest struggle sometimes. I have been and still am working on really giving my life over to the Lord and trusting in his plan. What do you think other women need to hear? Know where your beauty lies. Even more importantly, know that the women around you know where their beauty lies as well. Its easy to be jealous of other women, compare ourselves a lot, but we must be thankful for someone else’s beauty and praise the Lord for them instead of making judgments or speaking harshly. We must continually build each other up in a sisterhood. What are little things you do to continue building your faith? I find it a struggle to read scripture daily, so I signed up for the daily readings email for USCCB and read the reading for the day even before my feet hit the floor. It is a great way for me to start my day in a centered way. 5 random facts about you: 1. I was homecoming queen for the whole state of Louisiana 2. I am a size 9 in shoes. 3. I’ve been to Europe. 4. Food: anything southern. I don’t like celery. 5. I have hiked in the Italian and German Alps. 6. I can speak a little bit of a lot of languages. What about you? What do you think women need to hear? photos and brilliant idea courtesy of Siobhan Lorraine Photography

Today we are talking about MAKING TIME. Our priorities become clear when we look at what we choose to give our time to in our day-to-day lives. What is important to you to make time for? What should you make more time for? You can find all the themes here. We are happy to announce today the themes for the month of August! They are: August 6: TRANSFIGURATION August 13: SAYING GOODBYE August 20: DISCERNMENT August 27: POWER OF PRAYER Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

Today we are talking about FREEDOM. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 Christ died for our freedom -- He died so that we may be free from sin and free to choose what is good so that one day we may enjoy the joys of heaven! Where in your life are you grateful for the gift of FREEDOM? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. photo by Madi Myers-Cook [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

“The greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was convincing women that they looked better in their makeup.” // Mackelmore I’ve never had perfectly clear skin; therefore, I’ve done everything I can to strive for that perfection. Washing my face. Going to the dermatologist. Getting prescription after prescription. Benzoyl peroxide. Clean and clear. Proactiv. You name it; I’ve probably considered using it. I started using makeup in the 7th grade and it’s become a crutch ever since for pesky pimples which only ends up contributing more to the problem. One day, I got out of the shower and started looking at my skin. I had a few, new pimples and thought to myself, “I’m 19 years old and I’m seriously still self conscious about my skin? Well of course I am… acne was supposed to end AFTER puberty, right? Is Saint Rose playing a trick on me?” Saint Rose was a humble woman who chose to rub her face with pepper until it was red so that people would stop pursuing her. She had already given her heart to Jesus and had no desire to be admired in that way. I’m not Saint Rose, but I think what she was getting at was important. She knew she was beautiful and didn’t want to live her life in vain, so naturally she found the root of her vanity and avoided all sinful distractions. In a similar way, I knew I had to find the root of my vanity, too. Who cares if I had a few zits? After many frustrated phone calls with my mom complaining about how nothing ever works for me, I started thinking about my makeup. What if I didn’t wear it anymore? Staring in the mirror with my mascara in hand, I thought about it. I NEVER left the house without my mascara. Psh, over my dead body! It’s my staple makeup product. I LOVE my long eyelashes and it’s a total confidence booster. But what if I did something crazy? After 4-6 years of wearing it pretty much every day, what if I gave it up? The average person probably wouldn’t. But like Saint Rose, I was willing to give my heart to Christ, maybe not in the same way, but still significantly. I knew I had a problem when I would wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “Hmm…not good enough. Blush would make me look better. Maybe just a little lip gloss…that would do the trick.” But here’s the thing: It’s the work of the devil to be able to look at yourself straight in the eye and completely miss out on seeing all the hard work and time that God took in creating you. I think that far too many gorgeous women are missing out on noticing their innate God-given beauty, too. We’re missing out on seeing ourselves in His image and likeness, and for me, this needed to be corrected. So I gave up makeup for Lent. For 40 days I didn’t put anything artificial on my face. At first it was difficult because I was still having a tough time believing that I was beautiful without the foundation to cover up my “imperfections.” I still had difficult conversations on the phone with my mom. I had good days, I had bad days, but I ended up surprising myself. Overall, I felt fantastic. Sure, I would get a few pimples here and there. It was difficult to stare at them and not do anything to make myself believe that they’re not there, but then it became easier to actually embrace them. It became easier to love myself regardless of what was on the outside. I started to love myself for what was on the inside. I was becoming more authentically myself. Not far into Lent, I also started giving up straightening or curling my hair for long periods of time, too. I loved getting an extra 30 minutes in the morning to sleep in and then walk to the Chapel to say Morning Prayer with Jesus before my 8AM class. Nothing was more rewarding. I was becoming more spiritually-engaged and my heart felt less tied down to created things. I was focusing more on the here and now; rather than looking in every mirror I walked by to make sure that I still looked okay. I didn’t care what people thought. I knew that I was beautiful. I didn’t need anyone or anything to reaffirm within me what God had already said hundreds and hundreds of times to my soul. I wasn’t listening until now, but I’m sure glad that I did. And guess what else? My face cleared up like never before. For a majority of those 40 days I was glowing inside and out. I started to receive random compliments like, “Kait, you’re just so beautiful.” And also from people who knew my penance, “You never needed makeup to begin with,” or “If one person can pull off the ‘no makeup thing’ it’s you.” I really found Christ speaking to me in these people. My heart wasn’t chained down like it used to be. During Lent I went on a retreat and one of the verses that we meditated on was Isaiah 43. In Isaiah God speaks saying, “I have called you by name and you are mine…You are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you.” What else do we really need? How much more affirmation can we receive? The God of the Universe does not need to be corrected when molding His beloved. He further goes on to say in Isaiah 45:11, “Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘what are you doing?...Do you question me about my children, and tell me how to treat the work of my hands?” Ladies, you heard our loving Father. We are the work of His hands. We are beautiful. We are precious. We are honored. And we are loved. Let no one tell you otherwise, especially not yourself. [bctt tweet="We are beautiful. We are precious. We are honored. And we are loved."] I pray that you may always look in the mirror knowing that you are a beautiful daughter of God regardless of how you look. Your so-called ‘imperfections’ do not define your worth. The one who has exalted you and has written your name in Heaven is the One that you should be listening to. Because after all, the enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) But Christ has come to reaffirm new life within us so that we may have it to the full. If you struggle with self-image even in the slightest and are dependent on makeup to fix what doesn’t need fixing, chances are you need to be reintroduced to your true beauty, too. Easter morning I put on mascara again, and I highly disliked the feeling because I could feel negative thoughts creeping back into my head that I hadn’t heard in over 40 days saying, “You look better now,” which in this context is a prime example of a thought that does not come from God. From this experience I realized many things, one of them being that in the future I will continue my daily routine without packing on the makeup. Getting at the root of my vanity and my sin ultimately freed me from hating myself, which is the exact thing the devil tries to do. He tries to get you to hate your beauty. He hates women and he hates our God-given beauty. I beg you, please don’t give in to his voice. Remember at the beginning when I said that I would do anything to strive for perfection in clear skin? I realized the trick. I’ve figured out the age-old mystery to acne. Here it is: I didn’t have to do anything. And truly, neither do you. You are made perfect. Simply be you. Rediscover how beautiful it is to know you. Be joyful in you. [bctt tweet="Simply be you. Rediscover how beautiful it is to know you. Be joyful in you."] I promise there’s nothing else more beautiful and cherished in God’s eyes. photo by Madi Myers-Cook Kaitlyn is a sophomore at Franciscan University in the Fall studying Theology. She has silly dance moves and is a big believer in God and iced caramel coffee. She loves to write, volunteer, and build up the kingdom of God in any way He sees fit. This post originally appeared on Catholicam Dominae.

This week's wallpaper was made by Meg Churray (follow her on Instagram) from a verse in today's gospel Mark 5:34 Daughter, your faith has saved you. How perfect this is for us! The gospel keeps saying, "just have faith, just have faith." Sometimes we doubt, sometimes we question, but Jesus is there to keep reminding us, "your faith will save you." Your faith has saved you. Get the wallpaper for your phone and desktop below! Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about BAPTISM. Baptism is "the gateway to life in the Spirit". (CCC 1213) This gratuitous gift from God plunges us into the divine life, vivifying our souls with the gift of His grace. How has this gift touched your life? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

Converts to Catholicism have the reputation of being full of fire for God's Church. I am really no exception. I came to the faith in my late 20's after losing a baby through miscarriage. I was drawn to the Church both intellectually and emotionally. I was drawn intellectually because the Church takes a stand for the unborn. Unequivocally, it teaches that the life I was carrying was a real baby, not anything else. I was drawn emotionally because the Church validated my grief, and it had mechanisms to help me though that grief process. But underneath the emotions and the cognitions, there was something much richer that was calling to me. I was pulled by the Holy Spirit to come deeper into communion with Him. The relationship that started at my Baptism took on new meaning when I was in my darkest hour, as God wrapped me in His grace and pulled me into His church. I had been raised Christian, by two very Christian parents in a very Christian household. I was baptized as a baby by our Presbyterian pastor. We prayed before dinner every night and attended church every Sunday. From the third grade on, we attended a Congregational church. We did Sunday school, church camp and youth group. My mom and I sang in the choir, and my parents were active with stewardship, diaconate, and trustee boards. I loved getting dressed up for church each Sunday. When the weather was nice we would ride our bikes to church. As I got older, I increased my involvement. I directed the children's Christmas program one year. I took organ lessons and substituted once (it didn't go well). I got a job as the church secretary in graduate school and served on the search committee for a new pastor when our old pastor retired. I loved our the little traditions, like having church outside once a year. Rather than a normal service, it was a trivia day and I loved seeing how much these old people knew about the Bible! The church was more than a church -- it was a community. When I married a Catholic, many people thought he would start attending church with me and my family. The distance (and his proclivity to golf when he could on Sunday mornings) didn't make that realistic. We would go to Mass with his family or service with mine -- whatever fit with our schedules. We were mostly social Christians. In college, I didn't have much of a church life. I still saw my home church as 'my church', but I went to school in another state. I had a really rough patch that first year in college and I did a little church shopping. For the first time in my life, I attended a Catholic Mass. It was friendly, but not in the same way. There was no fellowship hour after service and considering the fact that it was across the street from a college, I was shocked by the lack of young folks at Mass. I was confused not knowing when to stand or sit or shake hands. Everyone seemed to know what to do but me. And yet, I felt a pull during the worship. It was the complete opposite of my home church. Here, it was all about the Mass and not about the people. I told myself that the draw I felt was in the depth of the tradition, the incense, the prayers. Knowing the worship had its roots in 2000 years of Church history was comforting to me. Summer came and I was happy to come home, get straightened up, and start dating my future husband. Fast forward about 10 years, and again, I was pulled to the Catholic Church. I wasn't Catholic. Oh, no. We just went to the Catholic church because it had the best sermons (I didn't call them homilies back then), a good selection of Mass times, it was close by, and my husband was Catholic. St. Matthew's was just our temporary church while we were out of state for my husband's work. And, then, the unthinkable happened. We lost a baby to miscarriage. Our little Lily. And for the second time in my life, I found myself in the darkness. I was lost and my husband brought me to our priest. I had shaken this man's hands after Mass. I had listened to his homilies. That was about all. I told him I wasn't Catholic, but he didn't care. We told him our story--Lily's story--and he listened. I cried, of course. Then, he asked me: "How do you feel right now?" My answer: "Like I am wrapped up in a warm blanket." The Holy Spirit was there, holding me, protecting me. I felt His presence. [bctt tweet="The Holy Spirit was there, holding me, protecting me. I felt His presence."] Why had I never before recognized that presence? In all my years of church attendance and worship and service, I had searched for that feeling, that comfort. It was what home should feel like. It was like my mom's hugs. It was like magic. No. It was the Holy Spirit welcoming me home. It was God's presence, in persona Christi. [bctt tweet="It was the Holy Spirit welcoming me home. It was God's presence, in persona Christi."] So I did what every nerd does, I started researching the Church. I stopped taking the Eucharist during Mass (yeah, I know I shouldn't have been taking it ever but I didn't really understand that), and started longing for it instead. Through Baptism, the Holy Spirit ignites a flame within each of us and that flame can be just a flicker or a raging fire. Sometime it is bright, sometimes it seems ready to extinguish. But for the baptized, that flame and God's grace is always there. The graces that are poured out in Baptism sustained me through my tough times even though I wasn't Catholic. The gift of Baptism helped me survive my more rebellious years and brought me back to His church when I was in my darkest hours. Baptism gives us an indelible mark--it wipes away the stain of original sin marking us as Christ's Beloved. Once we are His, He won't ever abandon us. I wonder what would have happened to me in the college years had I not been marked as Christ's Beloved. Being confronted with the evil I encountered, would I have been lost to drugs and drink? After the loss of Lily, would I have recognized the goodness around me or would I have hardened my heart? Would I have turned against my husband rather than allowing myself to lose my grief in his love? Recently, our dioceses started confirming children at the same time that they receive 1st Holy Communion. The change was in large part in response to the growing need our youth have for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in such difficult times. These sacraments, that outsiders often see as pomp and circumstance, are more than symbols. They are nourishing, they are sustaining, they are life saving. And it all starts with Baptism. As parents, the best gift we can give our children is a foundation in our Faith. Baptism doesn't make our children spiritually bullet-proof, but it does provide them with certain armor. They will choose for themselves whether to follow Christ or not. They will decide if they agree with the truths of the Church. They will commit to the tough life of a follower or maybe fall away from the Faith. But baptizing them as babies gives them the initial relationship with our Lord. It gives them a start, an introduction, and a place to come home to when they are lost and afraid. I am eternally grateful to have found my way back home. Read more about my conversion here and Lily’s full story here. MaryRuth is a wife and mamma to four little saints in the making. She weaves together research on child development and practical Catholic parenting on her blog, Parenting with Peer Review.

“The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism.” (CCC 1250) The priest did not simply sprinkle our sleeping daughter’s head. He cupped both hands and thoroughly baptized the little girl. She jumped with the first pile of water and slept through the rest. She did not give her consent. She did not make a profession of faith. She was barely even aware of what was happening to her. Forgiven of all sins. Made an adopted child of God, a “partaker of the divine nature.” Given the grace of justification. Enabled to believe and hope in God. Given the power of the Holy Spirit. Made a member of the Church, Christ’s body. Configured to Christ. Marked with the seal of the Lord. Reborn. According to the Catechism, all of these gifts of grace—and more—are bestowed on a person in baptism. They are given to a baby who is not even a month old, who sleeps through the entire liturgy, and who can not consciously ascent to the faith stated in the Apostle’s Creed. This is sheer gratuity. I grew up in a Protestant Evangelical church that practiced credo baptism and I was baptized around the age of nine after professing my faith in Jesus. Having come now to the Catholic Church, the magnanimity and the overwhelmingly generous nature of the sacraments—particularly that of Baptism—bring me often to quiet wonder. That God would choose to bestow upon a tiny baby the fullness of forgiveness and grace through the means of water doesn’t make sense to our rational human minds. But that is precisely who God is and I have never seen Him more than when I observe and participate in the sacraments. [bctt tweet="The generous nature of the sacraments bring me often to quiet wonder."] As I watched the priest baptize my daughter, I knew the grace of God in a new way. He welcomes us with open arms into His Church long before we can choose to know and to love and to obey Him. He first loves us and makes us fit to love Him. We are made children of God. We are given the fullness of divine life. We are united to Him. We are made able to love Him. I could never do this on my own. My daughter can never do this on her own. So God invites her to the waters. He welcomes her into His Church through the graces of the baptismal font and He calls her “daughter.” She simply exists. Her parents bring her to the Church and ask great things of God. In Baptism, we see the glory of our adoption. [bctt tweet="In Baptism, we see the glory of our adoption."] And in every Liturgy, He invites us to remember our own baptism. Remember your baptism. Those words run through my head often and I wonder what they mean. Our baptisms graft each of us to the vine of Christ, so remembering our baptism includes celebrating the glorious gift of adoption into the divine life. It also means living in a manner worthy of the grace we are given. As the baptismal liturgy so beautifully prays, we are to “walk as children of the light,” keeping the “flame of faith alive,” so that when the Lord comes, we may “go out to meet Him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.” Remembering our baptism means living fully in the life of the Church. It means taking hold of the graces offered as we face our daily crosses. It means claiming that grace for our walk and not despairing because of feelings of inadequacy or sinfulness. In baptism, we are gifted with every grace needed to take hold of the love of God so that we can grow and walk in holiness. [bctt tweet="Remembering our baptism means living fully in the life of the Church."] But it is not only up to us to remember our baptism. The beauty is this: our baptism also remember us. It follows us and marks us and claims us for Christ. It unrelentingly calls us back again and again to the graces offered there, when water washed away our sins and clothed us in Christ. It calls us and beckons us to return again to the blood and water that flowed from Christ’s side. It keeps us and holds us and asks us again to remember and celebrate the gratuitous gift of mercy. It calls, and we answer. Remember your baptism, for it remembers you. Shannon Lacy is a wife to a theology student and the mother of their first daughter. She is a recent convert to the Catholic faith.

In this week's gospel, Jesus says to the sea, "Quiet! Be Still!" (Mark 4:39) It struck me. I felt him saying that to me right in that moment. In my prayer, in my life, in my brain, I'm always running around and chattering away. But Jesus exclaims (those exclamation marks also stood out to me), Quiet! Be Still! Let this weekly wallpaper be a reminder to take some time to be quiet and be still so that Jesus can infuse us with his calming peace. I watercolored the wavelike image with inspiration from a Japanese wave design and hand lettered the verse. You can find more about work over at my site Be A Heart. Download for both your phone and desktop below. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about WORTH THE WAIT. "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Psalm 37:7 Sometimes God asks us to be patient and wait. But is our waiting full of disappointment for what we don't have or full of hope for what is to come? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. photo by Morgan Sessions [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

I can wait to get married. There I said it. As a 20 year old woman in college, I watch as many of my peers happily get hitched or find their beloved. And yet, here I am, at 20 years old, boyfriend-less with no future husbands in mind to even consider. Never been on a date, never even been kissed. Yet, I decided for myself a long time ago that whenever I did start dating, I would date with marriage in mind. I was never one for dating for the fun of it. I saw from my early teens a lot of relationships take off, and I saw at lot of them crash and burn. And while I know dating itself will never be the perfect experience, I am willing to wait. For when my attraction for another begins to transform into a lifestyle of learning to love fearlessly. For when my heart is not governed by lust but by love. Yes, I am willing to wait. Here's the thing about waiting: it will cost you. I'll be the first to say it. There are going to be days when you want to just settle for any random person that walks in front of you. Or days when you just want to write your number on business cards and stick them onto the cars parked on your college campus. You will get frustrated. You will never speak of the cursed "S" word that Beyonce so blatantly sings about. You will roll your eyes at your peers' PDA with their boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse. You will list reasons of why you are single, convincing yourself that God must have forgotten to create special someone for you. You will rant, you will scream, you will cry, you will feel miserable. Am I painting a pretty picture yet for you? But at the end of the day, though, I have come to realize that this is a small, small cost. When I think of dating with marriage in mind, I think of the Christ and the Cross. The beauty of marriage is that it symbolizes the love Christ has for the Church, a love that is unconditional. [bctt tweet="The beauty of marriage is that it symbolizes the love Christ has for the Church: unconditional."] His love was so deep that He risked Himself for us. He loved us with an absence of fear and a presence of joy. It cost Him everything, and He gave it all willingly. This image is exemplified in the sacrament of marriage. When a couple says the words "I do," what they are truly saying is "I love you, I give myself to you, for as Christ loves His Church, I love you." This right here is a beautiful statement, one where the husband and wife devote themselves not just to each other, but to Christ; they boldly proclaim they will not FEAR to love. That's some powerful stuff there. For that very reason, I do not take dating and marriage lightly. If I am to someday get married (my mom has her fingers crossed here), I hope that I will not settle, but rather that I will fight for the best love that God has for us, a love that is limitless and is so strong that it will risk everything to love another. Because that is the love of our Savior. [bctt tweet="I will not settle, but I will fight for the best love that God has for me."] And if the Sacrament of Marriage, and the act of dating is supposed to lead us to love -- this being the greatest love -- then I can wait. I won't rush into blinded lust. Like fine wine, I will let this love get better and better with each coming year. I will love myself, love others around me, love Christ, and in doing so my love will attract the greatest love of another. I will wait. And though it will cost me to wait, I will remain firm because in waiting, my desire to love another will grow, and my heart will be strengthened. So future hubby whoever you are: I am waiting. Waiting with a joyful heart. photo by Susana Starbuck Vanesa is a Theology major with a Business minor at Providence College (Providence, RI). An avid coffee drinker and lover of all works concerning St. Thomas Aquinas, she is also a Youth Leader at St John the Baptist. She blogs at The King's Beloved.

Today we are talking about BEING LOVE. "At last I have found my vocation. In the heart of the Church, I will be Love!" // St. Therese of Lisieux Although we each have our own unique vocation, like St. Therese, we also are all commonly called to the vocation of LOVE. How does this play out in your life? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

Today we are talking about FINDING JOY. "Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls." // Mother Teresa You can find all the themes here. We are happy to announce today the themes for the month of July! They are: July 2: FREEDOM July 9: MAKING TIME July 16: REAL July 23: THY WILL BE DONE July 30: FORGIVENESS Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

Trusting God. Letting Go. Finding Joy. Those three phrases seem like such simple and easy concepts when you see them written down. I'm the kind of girl who never used to stress. I was incredibly good at letting life take me wherever, trusting that God's got it covered. I'm the girl who skipped with carefree ease into an art degree with no real job potential because I knew that was my purpose. I merrily jaunted off to Europe by myself multiple times because I found programs that looked exciting. I packed up my Toyota Corolla with all my worldly possessions and moved halfway across the country - twice - with no real job or place to stay. This was me, and these life adventures brought marvelous opportunities into fruition. And, then, I married a guy who was kind of the exact opposite. He appreciates well-laid and practical plans. Not only that, but he is also three quarters of the way through a really tough, really stressful academic program (that'll end with a great paycheck, but also a massive loan). I've always had this idea of what marriage would be like and, more specifically, what the first two years of our marriage would look like with my husband as a full-time student. Me, working to support us; school breaks being used for fun trips and outings; lots of studying intermixed with casual relaxation... we had it all planned out. And then the program got tougher and the stress got heavier, and suddenly, I was being asked to please let go and trust God. Let go. Find joy in different ways. Be understanding that school breaks needed to be real breaks to catch up on mental exhaustion. Be understanding that hours of video gaming was a way for my husband to mentally chill out and excursions all around the city just...weren't. Most of my life, I associated "trusting God and letting go" with the ability to fling off stress casually and still doing all the awesome things I wanted to do. My stress back then came from wondering whether the crazy plans I was convinced I was supposed to do would actually work. Somehow...unbelievably...they always did. I'd let go... and then everything would fall into place. It would be a God moment. But when your life is suddenly intertwined with another person's - and you have conflicting ideas on how to best handle certain situations - this won't always be the case. I feel like a bit of an idiot typing that out and realizing that - for one of the first, real times in my life - I'm really really having to let go of my own plans. And not even because there's no way for them to work out - because there is! - but more because it's what's best for my spouse right now. I’m struggling with how to do this, though. How to just stop and say: “Okay, God - I get it, I need to let go of this right now and not just accept, but find joy in your plans. Even though my plans seriously sound way cooler.” “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” reads 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Giving thanks in all circumstances can be a tough drink to swallow. And joy. Oh, joy. Not happiness, just joy; a state of mind so much deeper and more fulfilling than happiness, which is fleeting and temperamental and totally dependent on emotions. Joy, however, is a choice. A willingness to embrace and welcome God’s plan, come whatever. It’s learning that, “...in whatever state I am, to be content.” (Philippians 4:11) This elusive talent of being content exasperates me at times, but I try. I find focusing more on God and less on me by not letting myself skip devotional time (even though sometimes I’m really tempted) is a huge help. I also sometimes have to force myself not to spend time obsessing over what I’d rather be doing. Sometimes this means delving into a new project, other times it means spending less time on Instagram and Facebook, where envy can easily rear its ugly head. But most of all, it’s grabbing at the small things in life: finding joy in the nitty gritty aspects of my day, rather than constantly looking ahead. Giedre is a portrait photographer & blogger based out of Chicago, Illinois. She carries a canon, shoots obsessively, and always writes about it afterwards. Connect with her at Walking Dot Photography.