We have our favorite sins: those sins we find ourselves confessing over and over again. Those sins that always seem to make an appearance, despite our greatest efforts at overcoming them. We have those sins which we naturally tend toward, and consequently, are the sins which we strive the most to overcome. “I’m gonna read a book about purity so I can overcome my sins of lust.” “I’m gonna pray the Litany of Humility everyday to overcome my sins of pride.” “I’m gonna fast from all condiments, add ons, and all drinks except soda so I can overcome my sins of gluttony.” “I’m gonna tithe 15% instead of 10% so I can overcome my sins of greed.” “I’m gonna pray a rosary everyday for the people who irritate me so I can overcome my sins of impatience and frustration.” We’ve all been there. Trying to Muscle Our Way to Holiness While these efforts are noble, we can think we are experts at thinking of ways to muscle our path to virtue. “If only I do _______ then I can make myself holy. If only I do _______ then I can become the kind of person I am meant to be. If I only work hard enough, I can achieve perfection. And then I wind up again in the confessional, even more frustrated than before. We Are Not Alone We are fallen individuals. We easily fall prey to temptation. Even the strongest of us is not able to stand in the face of sin and always turn our back. Like so many aspects of our human lives, we try to go at it alone, and yet we cannot do it alone. The good news is: we aren’t alone. God desires to give us the graces we need in order to overcome sin. You want to become a better person and avoid sin more in your life? Great. The secret is to stop striving so hard and rather surrender it to God. Pray for God’s grace to present in your areas of weakness. Practice remembering His presence when you find yourself in a near occasion of sin. Ask for His assistance when you feel yourself starting to fall. Ask for Help Maybe it’s a humility problem, but as humans, we want to do it all ourselves. It is so hard for us to ask for help. But that’s exactly what the Lord wants to hear. He doesn’t expect you to be able to do it alone! He just wants you to surrender it to Him to help. You are imperfect, and your greatest efforts can’t change that. But we do have a perfect God, who is readily available to give you the grace to transform you into Himself. Our only task is to keep moving forward in steady surrender. Stop striving and start surrendering.   [bctt tweet="Stop Striving and Start Surrendering #BISblog //" via="no"]   Gracie Tillman lives in Colorado as a missionary. She is passionate about hiking, music, quality time with friends and family, and all things involving pasta.

Now that November has arrived, our attention turns to the approaching holidays. We began to make lists and plans, bake treats and ideas for gatherings, and renew our commitment to preparation and prayer. Even before December arrives, Advent begins, and you might be considering how you want to pray through this liturgical season this year. For me, Advent is such a special spiritual time that I guard my prayer time fiercely. There are so many beautiful Advent traditions and prayers. I'm drawn toward many of them; however, I know that I cannot complete them all. So I have to pray about what the Lord is asking of me and I must decide how I am going to spend my prayer time as we await the coming of the Messiah. Maybe you're the same. Questions You May Have about And Hay Became Holy While I would highly suggest incorporating this year's devotional from Blessed is She, And Hay Become Holy, into your Advent prayer rhythm, I understand that you may have questions or hesitancies before committing. There's plenty of space for questions so I thought I could answer some here (and I'd love if you asked some in the comments, too!). Is this devotional just for young moms? No. Just like our daily devotionals, the Advent devotional is written with all Catholic women in mind. In it, you will find prayers and stories that speak to women across generations, cultures, vocations, and lived experiences. It is our deep desire to give you a devotional that speaks to your heart, no matter who you are or where you are at in life. How can I know if I'll resonate with the theme? Perhaps you're wondering if the theme of the Advent devotional will speak to you in this season. What if it's a topic that misses the mark for you right now? Great news: the theme of And Hay Became Holy is the manger scene. In terms of preparation for Christmas, there's not a much more specific focus one could have. Throughout Advent, we will spend time with various characters surrounding the manger scene and what they teach us about coming to worship the Newborn King. This theme is for you. Is it worth the money? Cost is, of course, always a factor, and perhaps more than ever this year. We think the investment in your own spiritual formation during Advent will pay dividends as it bears fruit in your life. However, if the cost is prohibitive, please know that we offer a digital download of the devotional. I never finish these kinds of things. What if this is no different? Are you someone who starts a task or practice with vigor only to wane after a few days or weeks? Maybe you have tried an Advent devotional before and you can never seem to keep up or finish. We get it, and we wanted to give you the freedom to fit this in the context of your life circumstances. The devotional gives you lots of space to "catch up" if you miss a few days without feeling overwhelmed. I always miss a day or three during Advent, but the way the BIS Advent devotionals are structured doesn't leave me feeling discouraged or behind. Rather, I am able to jump right back in and still find a fruitful rhythm of prayer. I'm already using a devotional from someone else. Should I consider yours? There are so many beautiful resources for Advent available! What a gift. We encourage you to first ask the Lord if there is a specific direction in which He is calling you. In And Hay Became Holy, you will receive a variety of prompts that will draw your heart toward God. We will pray with Scripture, meditate on prayerfully-curated questions, practice visio divina (prayer with sacred art), and receive guidance from the tradition of the Church for our contemplation. We believe that this devotional will engage our senses, our minds, and our hearts. We would love to pray through Advent with you. What questions do you have about And Hay Became Holy? Let us know below!   [bctt tweet="You're Thinking About Getting the BIS Advent Devotional, But... #BISblog //" via="no"]

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. // Mark 12:31 Love this from today's readings. Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

My two younger brothers both like to read books and watch movies. One is more focused on sports and can spend hours playing baseball, while the other is drawn to music and takes drum lessons. They make their own breakfast and empty the dishwasher. They love their four siblings, but do not hesitate to argue with us, and voice their opinions. While they have distinctive personalities and interests, both brothers share the similarity of having Down syndrome. A Discovery in Down Syndrome October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month according to the National Association for Down Syndrome. For Catholics, this year’s celebration took on especial importance as Jerome Lejeune, the physician and geneticist who first concluded that Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome on pair 21, took steps toward sainthood in January. Following his discovery in 1958, Lejeune dedicated his career to improving the quality of life for people with Down syndrome and their families. He pioneered a clinic in Paris that focused on treating children with Down syndrome, and supported people from around the globe. A devout Catholic and pro-life advocate, Pope Paul VI appointed Lejeune to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1974, and he became the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life founded by Pope John Paul II in 1994. Lejeune died on April 3, 1994 and the cause for beatification and canonization was opened in Paris in 2007. In January 2021, Pope Francis advanced his cause for sainthood and Lejeune is now considered venerable. Dedicated to Defending Dignity Lejeune’s research brought astounding advances to the scientific understanding of Down syndrome, but also created issues for his pro-life ideology. Now that there was a known genetic cause for Down syndrome, the research could be used to identify unborn children with Down syndrome and lead to their abortions. To address the ramifications of his research once pro-abortion laws began to surface, Lejeune spoke at conferences around the world defending the right to life for children with Down syndrome. Through his advocacy and care for patients, Lejeune strove to improve the quality of life for people with Down syndrome and change society’s negative perceptions of disability. Lejeune’s work remains necessary today. The number of people living with Down Syndrome has decreased in many countries, coinciding with a rise in prenatal genetic testing. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Medical Genetics estimated that the birth rate of children with Down syndrome were reduced by 30% as a consequence of Down syndrome-related elective abortion in 2007. Supporting Parents and Providing Resources Abortions resulting from prenatal genetic testing bring to light the crisis of misconceptions that the world maintains about people with Down syndrome. Disability-elective abortions may result from parents believing that a diagnosis of Down syndrome presents a burden, that constant distress and hardship will muddle both their lives and their children’s. Future parents need to understand that people with Down syndrome experience full ranges of human emotion, have the capacity to contribute to society, and find meaning in careers, relationships, and faith. I see my brothers internalize Jesus’ friendship through personal prayer and the Sacraments. As Pablo Pineda—the first man with Down syndrome to earn a university degree in Europe—said: I always say I am Pablo Pineda and that I have Down's syndrome. There is a big difference between 'having' and 'being.' 'Being' can crush you down and 'having' shows it is only one feature. The Ears to Hear Lejeune’s story exemplifies compassionate servant leadership by placing God at the center of all aspects of life, including career. Lejeune understood that fighting against abortion was not enough to promote high quality of life for people with Down syndrome. He remained present to his patients’ life experiences in order to ensure their personal well-being and success. This year, we can follow Lejeune’s example by listening to people about their experiences so that their stories can triumph over misconceptions about Down syndrome: “Seriously, I have a great life! I have lectured at universities, acted in an award-winning film and an Emmy-winning TV show, and spoken to thousands of young people about the value of inclusion in making America great. I have been to the White House twice—and I didn't have to jump the fence either time.” // Frank Stephens, actor, Special Olympian and advocate “We have the same wants and dreams as everyone else. We can do anything anyone else can do. We are more alike than we are different. I can drive, go to college, maintain a job as the Manager of Grassroots Advocacy at the National Down Syndrome Society and be the first registered lobbyist with Down syndrome. We want to date and get married. We want the American Dream, same as anyone else.” // Anonymous woman, National Down Syndrome Society "My family always told me I was like anybody else—I just had an extra chromosome. Sometimes it took me longer to learn, but I did it." // Isabella Springmuhl Tejada, first fashion designer with Down syndrome to have her work showcased at London Fashion Week, owner of fashion line Down To Xjabelle “A long time ago when I was very little, I dreamed about being on stage. Some people told me I would never be able to do it, so I only paid attention to those who told me that I could.” // Lauren Potter, actress   [bctt tweet="The Near-Saint Who Discovered the Extra Chromosome in Down Syndrome #BISblog //" via="no"]   Grace Spiewak is a librarian and writer living outside of Chicago. Her work has appeared in publications including America Magazine, Busted Halo, and Ancient World Magazine. When she isn’t writing about Latin, history, and faith, Grace enjoys biking along Lake Michigan, reading, and practicing her golf swing.

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. // Saint Augustine In the past, I wrestled with this concept a bit. Even though I'm a faithful person, supernatural trust and surrender are not easy. For most of my adult life I thought, if I want something to happen, I need to hustle constantly. But that always ended up being the hard way. What's more reassuring? You're the only one responsible for all.the.things in your life and business, or you have help? How to Tame Your To-Do List I have discovered that peace, joy, and achievement can all work together. To put it in the simplest terms, it comes down to how I begin and end my day. If you're feeling like you can never rest because your to-do list is too long and for some reason it's all important, try one or all three of these tools. 1. A nightly brain dump. Get it all out of your head and onto paper, put the list on your nightstand, then get some rest. First thing in the morning, reread your list. Your brain does a lot of repair work at night (have you ever felt like you solved a problem overnight?). After you've read your list with fresh eyes, ask God what He wants you to work on for the day. Then focus on that one thing for the day. This simple but effective tool works because you have the choice to renew your mind and choose your input before your day even begins. Divine intervention helps, too. 2. Time block your schedule. Designate blocks of time on your schedule for family, work, and play or rest. For me, this means while my boys are in school I meet with clients and get some “alone” time in. Once I pick them up at school, it's time to be present for them through dinner. 3. Give your day a theme. Try focusing on one thing each day. For example, Mondays focus on personal development, Wednesdays only wash towels and sheets, Fridays follow-up and catch up from the week. You get the idea… Which one will you try? Let us know in the comments or better yet, rest.   [bctt tweet="How to Tame Your To-Do List #BISblog //" via="no"]   Liz Montigny coaches Catholic women to go from daily chaos to simplicity so they can love life. She is a wife and a mom to three boys. Tea, big earrings, living a non-toxic lifestyle, and creative evangelization are some of her other loves. You can find out more about her here.

Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. // Mark 10:52 Love this from today's readings. Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

In 2017, Emily Stimpson Chapman began writing a book about her home renovation. Except another project came up, and then another. Then 2020 happened. Chapman found herself locked down with the rest of the world, and with that time she began writing. Except she did not write the book she had originally planned. Instead, she began writing her younger self letters of encouragement during a year of deep division. She wrote about relationships, forgiveness, social media, and new motherhood. She wrote about how her Faith helped her navigate all of those things. Letters for Her, Letters for Us Over time the book became something bigger, they became letters of wisdom that other people could use. Words of comfort, words that challenge, and words that are written with humor and warmth. Reading Letters to Myself from the End of the World is like chatting with a friend over a cup of coffee. Best read slowly over time, this book is one that you can pick up and read when you need encouragement. The letters connect to one another, but one can read them out of order if there is a particular topic that they would like to read on. For excerpts of the letters, you can check out Chapman’s Instagram. Providing Points of Connection Why is a book like this needed at this time? Why is a book talking about daily tasks, marriage, and friendship needed when there are so many complicated issues occurring right now? Emily’s words put it best: "When the world is falling apart, it’s tempting to think that showing pictures of cute babies, organized mudrooms, and pretty dresses is a waste of time, that we should be doing the far more important work of arguing about politics or sharing news about injustice. But more often than you can imagine, the most important thing we can share on social media is video of a baby laughing or a father dancing with his little girl. Now, more than ever, we need points of connection. We need signposts of our shared humanity. We need reminders that we are brothers and sisters who all want to love and be loved, who dance with our children and weep with exhaustion and rejoice over a good meal or a freshly made bed or fat baby cheeks. Those little, mundane, seemingly inconsequential things are actually of inestimable importance. They’re the moments that make up life, moments where grace quietly works in our hearts, transforming us, making us new. We all have them. We all live them. They connect us, binding us together across cultural and ideological divides. They humanize the Internet, depoliticizing it, bringing us back to the simple truth of who we are: men and women made in the image of God." Chapman will resonate with you, and she will also point out areas of growth. Her book speaks to women of all ages and stages, and is both inspiring and uplifting to read. Have you read this book yet? What did you think?!   [bctt tweet="BIS Reads // Letters to Myself from the End of the World #BISblog //" via="no"]   Christie L. writes about all things faith, motherhood, and wellness. She spoke most recently at the National Virtual Catholic Women’s Conference 2021. Christie is a monthly contributor to CatholicMom.com and has been featured on Spoken Bride, The Young Catholic Woman, and the Blessed is She blog. You can find out more about her here.   This post contains affiliate links. Thanks so much for supporting the ministry of Blessed is She!

Author J.R.R. Tolkein once stated, “Not all who wander are lost.” Many of us might desperately wish that these words were true of us. Adulthood often feels like one long exercise in wandering. It is difficult to find value in seasons when we just want some answers but cannot seem to find any. Whether you feel called to a certain vocation and it hasn’t worked out yet or you have just been trudging through adult life for a while, unsure of where your path is leading, wandering for a prolonged period of time can be painful. Each of us has a deep desire to discover her unique calling from God. When that’s unclear, the ache is very deep. When you’re in the thick of uncertainty, it is tempting to think you have been forgotten or rejected by God. Maybe you wonder how you can possibly pursue holiness when you are not even sure what you are called to. Take heart! God’s Providence covers everything, even your confusion and uncertainty. You are precious to Him, even if you feel like a lost sheep. The Road Trip Not too long ago, I felt directionless in my life. I was extremely anxious and frustrated and told a priest I knew about the confusion I was going through. I hoped he would give me some sort of step-by-step guide about what to do next, courtesy of the Holy Spirit. Instead, he shared with me a parable of sorts. It completely shifted the way I think about uncertainty and vocation. He put it this way: You’re walking along the side of the road and suddenly an old, beat-up car with a creepy-looking guy in sunglasses pulls up next to you. He tells you to hop in, because he’s going on an adventure. Are you going to join him? Of course not! Now, picture your best friend doing the same thing. How would you respond then? Most likely, you would get into that car without a second thought. You might not even ask where you are going, because you know that wherever it is, you get to spend time with your friend who you love and trust. Now, he said, picture Jesus driving up in that car. He’s inviting you to join Him on a road trip. Jesus is that friend—the One Who you would be so excited to hang out with that you would leap into the car and just go. This is the kind of life—the kind of adventure—we’re called to. We are invited into a relationship with One Who is so trustworthy that no matter what twists, turns or unexpected pit stops we make, all will be well. 3 Saints Who were Wanderers Happily, there are Saints who have trodden this long, winding road before us. Their lives were anything but straightforward and they remain a testament to God’s loving providence. No matter how random you may feel like your life is, every second, every decision matters. Holiness is possible even if you feel like you have not yet found your “call.” Here are three Saints whose path to their vocations was anything but straightforward: 1. Saint Louise de Marillac Saint Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) felt a calling to religious life as a young woman. However, her confessor was not supportive of the idea, and she ended up marrying and having a son. Eventually, Louise’s husband became ill and suffered through a long, difficult time as an invalid while she cared for him. After his death, Louise approached St. Vincent de Paul and asked him to be her confessor. For a long time, busy with his many duties, he put her off. But at long last, he not only consented to give her spiritual guidance, but also helped her establish the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. Even after the order was begun, it took a long time for Saint Vincent to grant Louise and the three other women with her permission to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Louise’s life was certainly one of patience and perseverance. 2. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (1748-1783) was a wanderer his entire life. He tried entering different monasteries three different times, but was rejected. In spite of this disheartening experience, Saint Benedict continued to follow Jesus in what ways he could, and spent most of his days as a poor pilgrim. For a while he even lived in the Colosseum. He is invoked as the patron Saint of the homeless. 3. Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliviera It took a while for Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliviera (1953-1993) to find her permanent “vocational home.” As a young woman, she drifted through a variety of professions, getting a diploma as an administrative assistant and then holding jobs in retail and at a gas station. After taking care of her father as he died from a terminal illness, she decided to pursue nursing. It wasn’t until the age of 35 that she entered religious life, joining the Daughters of Charity. With them she was able to pursue her great love for serving the poor. A Prayer for the Road We can wear ourselves out looking at our lives through the narrow lens of our own plans. Or we can choose to look at each phase of life as an adventure that God has lovingly prepared especially for us. Surrender to this adventure allows us to step into a new kind of freedom—the freedom of a daughter of God, who is loved purely and simply for who she is. If you’re going through a season of wandering, don’t lose hope. Your Heavenly Father is watching your every step and cares deeply about this time in your life, even if it feels dry. When you are with Him, you are never truly lost.   [bctt tweet="3 Saints Who were Wanderers #BISblog //" via="no"]   Maria Bonvissuto is originally from Nashville and currently lives in Washington, DC. She works in marketing and communications for a school in Northern Virginia. She loves writing, reading at least three books at a time, playing classical guitar, dancing, and traveling.

Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant. // Mark 10:43 Love this from today's readings. Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

The Comforter. The Advocate. The Helper. The Paraclete. We call the Holy Spirit by many names, but do we know how He calls us? Are we drawing close to Him in prayer, or leaving Him on the sidelines thinking of Him only on Pentecost and on the feast of the Annunciation? Drawing Close to the Holy Spirit We sat down with Sr. Mary Ann Fatula to talk all about her life in the Holy Spirit and what she wants every Catholic to know about the Holy Spirit. I know you will find her insights just as encouraging as I did! Would you tell us a bit about your journey with the Lord and how He led you to religious life? Every day the Holy Spirit inspires every one of us to pray for all kinds of blessings, but He also helps us to become more grateful for past blessings that we so easily may have taken for granted. In my own case, with each year I grow more grateful for how our family of seven children (with a little sister in Heaven) was so deeply blessed with our beautiful Mom and Dad—faith-filled Catholics who put the Lord at the very heart of our family life. Their devotion to the Lord helped me to realize, even when I was a child, that I was created to belong completely to Him. From the day of my First Holy Communion, the Lord drew me to go to Mass and to receive Him every morning. I also was blessed to have wonderful, joyful Dominican Sisters as my teachers in grade school and high school. Through them, I fell in love with Saint Dominic, and the Lord drew me to join their Dominican community after high school. When did you first encounter the Holy Spirit as a Person? Because of my father's heritage, I am blessed to be a Byzantine Rite Catholic. The Eastern rites have a tremendous love for the Blessed Trinity, and I am so grateful to have grown up with a love for each Divine Person. I was especially close to the Father and the Lord Jesus, but, when I was a young sister, the Holy Spirit gave me a desire also to know and love Him more deeply. One day, during Mass in the convent chapel at the high school where I was teaching, we were singing a beautiful hymn to the Holy Spirit, and I was very much drawn to pray: Most Sweet Holy Spirit, I long to truly know You and love You and be close to You. Draw me to Yourself. This is a prayer He Himself put in my heart, and He has never stopped answering it. But the wonderful truth is that this is also the prayer the Holy Spirit wants to put in the heart of every one of us, the prayer He wants to answer so intimately by drawing every one of us close to Himself. How has relationship with the Holy Spirit transformed your prayer life? Your religious life? Your interactions with others? Because the Holy Spirit is the living, intimate Love between the Father and the Son, knowing and loving the Holy Spirit truly has deepened my prayer as intimacy with Him and with the Father and the Lord Jesus. And this is the same gift the Holy Spirit wants to give every one of us! It is so natural for us perhaps to spend a lot of our time in prayer asking for favors, and the Trinity surely want to answer our requests in the best possible way. But prayer given by the Holy Spirit is so much more than that. The closer we come to the Holy Spirit, the more our prayer becomes intimacy with the Holy Spirit and the Father and the Lord Jesus, an intimacy that really does fill and satisfy our soul! When we are close to others, we love to be with them. We tell them that we love them, and we rest in them, as Saint John rested on the Heart of the Lord at the Last Supper. That is how it is when we draw close to the Holy Spirit. How tremendous a gift it is that the Trinity dwell intimately in us through our Baptism! And the Holy Spirit, "who prays within us with sighs too deep for words" (Rom 8:26) draws us pray to Him and to the Father and the Lord Jesus in a prayer that rests in Their presence and closeness, in the prayer of simply loving to be with Them. Closeness with the Holy Spirit also has very much deepened my religious life. The heart of consecrated religious life is belonging completely to the Lord, being free for the Lord and for the things of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the One who keeps freeing my heart and deepening my love for Him and for the Father and the Lord Jesus every day. Again, the Holy Spirit wants to do this for every one of us in the vocation for which we have been made and to which we are called, whether it is married life, single life, the priesthood, or consecrated religious life. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength and sweetness in our soul to live the responsibilities to which we are called with love and generosity and joy. As we grow close to the Holy Spirit, who is Love, He never fails to give us more and more deeply a happy heart, a loving heart, a generous heart! What is your favorite title for the Holy Spirit and why? There are so many beautiful names for the Holy Spirit, but the name that is dearest to me is "Love," because this name is so intimate. All three Divine Persons are Love by nature, but only the Holy Spirit, who is the living, intimate Love between the Father and the Son, is the Divine Person whose own proper name is Love. It is so beautiful and intimate to pray to the Holy Spirit: Oh Love, possess me. Make me Your own. Fill me with Yourself. Another name for the Holy Spirit that is precious to me is "Beloved." I love how Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us that the Holy Spirit, who is the Father's and Son's own Love and Beloved, dwells in us as our "Beloved." This is so amazing, so intimate! I am so touched by a beautiful prayer of Cardinal Mercier that begins, "Most Holy Spirit, Beloved of my soul." Another name for the Holy Spirit that I love is from the Pentecost Sequence: "Father of the Poor." This is the name that wells up in my heart when I am in need, especially in desperate need! "O Father of the Poor, help me!" The Church has given us a rich deposit of devotion to the Holy Spirit, which is on display in your new book. Do you have a favorite hymn or prayer to the Holy Spirit? Again, there are so many beautiful hymns and prayers to the Holy Spirit which I love, but the one dearest to my heart is the Pentecost Sequence. Every single line in it is so precious, so beautiful, so true. "Come, Father of the Poor…Of Comforters, You are the Best. You are the soul's most welcome Guest, our sweet Refreshment here below!" "Where You are not, we have not, nothing good in deed or thought." "Heal my wounds, my strength renew." "O most Blessed Light divine, shine within this heart of Thine, and my inmost being fill!" I also love the short hymn to the Holy Spirit written by Saint Ambrose and used as a hymn for daytime prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. "O Love, light up my mortal frame, til others catch the living flame!" And there is a beautiful medieval hymn by Adam of Saint Victor that deeply touches my soul: "O Comforter, Paraclete," "Soother of the troubled heart, at your approach all cares depart; You soften hearts, and expel, where You dwell, clouds of heaviness and gloom!" Amen! If you had two minutes to explain to someone how the Holy Spirit could change their life and set them free, what would you say to them? In Heaven, our ecstasy will be an intimacy with the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that is so fulfilling, so satisfying that we cannot begin even to imagine its joy in this life! We were made for this: to share in the Divine Persons' own intimacy with One Another. Every beautiful, wonderful, precious, good, and intimate relationship we have here on earth is a delicious "taste of the soup." But They, the Divine Persons, are the Feast we were made for! The Trinity made us for Happiness, and so the Trinity want us to be happy—perfectly happy in Heaven, but also happy here on earth. The Holy Spirit is the living Sweetness and Love of the Father and the Son for One another, so when we come close to the Holy Spirit, we begin to taste the sweetness and joy of Heaven in our souls now. In the Trinity's beautiful plan of love for us, the Holy Spirit, the Third Divine Person, is the "Giver" of the Trinity's precious life to us, and the "Giver" of every good gift and blessing that comes to us from the Father through the saving mysteries of the Lord Jesus. And the unfailing fruit of being truly and intimately loved by the One who is Love, is joy! How can we not profit tremendously, amazingly, from closeness to the Holy Spirit, the Person of Love and Joy Who gives us everything that is good? Let us ask the Holy Spirit to possess us completely and to fill our souls with His joy!   [bctt tweet="Drawing Close to the Holy Spirit #BISblog //" via="no"]   You can get Sister's book on the Holy Spirit, Drawing Close to the Holy Spirit, here.   This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting the ministry of Blessed is She!

Do I know Jesus? Do I truly know Jesus with my heart? We tend to grow indifferent to the Lord as we live out each day, sometimes in subtle ways and other times in big ones. We either become so familiar with God that we cease to truly know Him and enjoy His friendship or we get caught up in the routine of prayer exercises and our knowledge of God becomes just that: routine. Faith depends on knowledge because we cannot trust someone we do not know. Taken further, our speech mirrors our faith and knowledge: Beloved, you excel in everything: in the gifts of faith, speech and knowledge. // 2 Corinthians 8:7 Building Our Faith We are called to excellence. Faith gives us hope when things are not going according to our plans. It gives us the strength and courage to dive into something the Holy Spirit has continuously put on our hearts, calming all our worries and reminding us not to fear (see Isaiah 43:1-2). Faith allows us to hold on during moments of weakness, sickness and loss because we believe that a new heaven and new earth await (see Revelation 21:4-5). When we possess faith, we can speak life into situations and people. We ask and we speak because we know who is in charge and what He can do. Our own faith, then, becomes the propellant which helps other people’s faith journeys to start off, or perhaps re-start. The gift of faith—gifted to us—allows us to see life through the lens of God’s plan and desires for us. When our eyes of faith are open, we are in a position to see the great and wonderful things God is doing in our lives, especially today (see Hebrews 11). Training Our Tongues The Lord gave me my tongue as a reward and I will praise Him with it. // Sirach 51:22 Throughout Scripture we are reminded of the need to keep our tongues clean of sin. James 3:2 tells us how those who make no mistake when they speak are perfect and able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. Yet, more often than not when things do not go our way, we say a lot of unnecessary things. Some of us do it more than others but the reminder and invitation stand: our gift of speech is called to excellence and, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we should learn to tame our speech, respectively. We can start today by speaking words which reflect faith even if we presently believe otherwise. When we believe it, we will see it. Psychology says that the more a lie is repeated, the more it begins to seem like the truth. Imagine if we utter only faith-infused words so that our speech convinces and ultimately leads us to have more faith. Imagine just how much our thoughts will transform into positive, hope-filled cogitations. Praising God also means not using our tongues to speak to ourselves in ways God would disapprove. Speak gently to yourself. The best way to embrace the gift of speech we have been given is to praise God (see Psalm 100:1). Now Proclaim that Truth to Others Have you ever met a person who knows things and then another who knows? As baptized Catholic Christians, we know the Truth in its fulness. But if we do not fuse all the knowledge that has been gifted to us by the Church through various channels, with the gifts of faith and speech, what good is our knowledge? If we speak without knowledge, our words are without insight and pretty helpless (see Job 34:35, 38:2). If we use our gift of speech to showcase our knowledge from a place of pride, our knowledge is helpless because it is destructive. As we evangelize and or proselytize we must always remember that our gift of speech should share our knowledge in a loving manner. Winning hearts for Heaven should be our only task when we share knowledge. We have faith that the Holy Spirit will do His role to convince and convict and so we should leave that to Him and do our part (see Ephesians 3:19). If we use our gifts of faith, speech, and knowledge well, we will excel in everything God has called us to do.   [bctt tweet="Believe, Know, Speak #BISblog //" via="no"]   Written by Nyasha Masuku.

Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." // Mark 10:27 Love this from today's readings. Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

The Holy Spirit has inspired me many times, and oft have I written down the rhymes He’s given me. Ahh, what better way to spend my talents than by glorifying He Who bestowed them upon me! With a title surpassed by no other, this prayer of praise was written in the Presence of our Blessed Lord. A Poem about the Eucharist As I contemplated Him, I felt this insurmountable joy course through my bones. It was a feeling like no other, and one which I wish would never have left me! Prayer Before The Most Blessed Sacrament The surge of joy within me Cannot be contained When Your holy priest, there Holds the Host, now raised The bells, then ringing Alerting those who answer Your call Your Son’s Sacrifice is finished Perfect remedy for man’s sinful Fall Bowing my head in happy surrender For Who I behold is completely You Weary traveler finding rest and solace Gazing upon all that is Holy and True Whether before this moment I was attentive in full Now am completely captivated By Your beauty’s pull The Sacred Host, in vict’ry raised The battle, You have won Chalice of Your most Precious Blood, so praised Oh Lord, God’s glorious Son! Now, humbly I approach You Unworthy sinner, though I be Joy running through my every bone As I kneel and gaze upon Thee You enter under my roof I excitedly invite You in O Divine Physician, You heal my every sin You gather me in Your Arms I pray rejoicing, my head bent You bring me comfort and joy once more Through the most Blessed Sacrament!   [bctt tweet="Insurmountable Joy // A Poem about the Eucharist #BISblog //" via="no"]   Danielle Erwin is a Catholic wife, mom of five, homeschooler, dog mom, author, poet, and master of puns. She has helped moms through their miscarriages with the poetry she wrote following her own pregnancy losses. Danielle is now working on compiling all of her poetry on the Faith into a book…and a few other author-y projects when she gets the time.

Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth. // John 17:17 Love this from today's readings. Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Admittedly, I am frequently annoyed by “Christian catch-phrases.” By this, I mean those phrases and words that get thrown around within Christian circles, label you as a "church person," and can be classified under the language of “Christian-ese.” Early on in my journey of faith, one such word that grew to irritate me was the word “intentional.” I heard all about the importance of being intentional in my friendships, in my prayer, and in my interactions with others, yet I had no idea what being intentional actually looked like. I wanted to look like it, because I thought that in order to become the good Christian girl I desired to be, I had to look and be intentional. And yet I was sailing at sea with no compass in an effort to be something when I didn’t even know what it meant. What Does "Being Intentional" Really Mean? We don’t want to succumb to just talking the talk of Church lingo. We actually want to live it out. But to live it out, we need to think about and discuss some of these ideals and phrases. What does it mean to actually be a woman of intentionality? I believe it is very noble to strive for intentionality. I believe that when women foster intentionality, the world has the capability to be changed. So how do we grasp intentionality? To be intentional, I believe, can be further explained as embracing three things: purposefulness inconvenience discomfort 1. Purposeful To be intentional means to be purposeful. It means to perform your actions for a reason. It means looking the cashier in the eye and saying hello, not so they will get you through the line faster, but so that you can actually see them as the individual they are. It means putting your phone away when you’re catching up with friends. It means saying, “We should hang out,” only if you actually mean it. It means focusing on the present moment and the person in front of you instead of thinking of all the things you still have to do. Walking with this kind of purpose throughout our daily interactions, can be extremely inconvenient. Which brings me to my second point. 2. Inconvenience Women who desire to embrace intentionality must be willing to welcome inconvenience. The truth is, the to-do lists are not growing any shorter these days, and the amount of things that can distract us from the present moment is immense. It would be much more convenient to text those five people I need to respond to while waiting in the check out line than interacting with the person in front of me. It might “save time in the long run” to be thinking about other separate situations while talking with a friend over coffee. It can be easy to turn our prayer time into simply wind-down time rather than conversation with Jesus. There are always things we can choose to distract us. But to be intentional means to give those things their own time, and focus on the current matter at hand. It means losing some of the time spent on menial tasks in order to give our parents a phone call. It means losing a little bit of sleep at night in order to crack open the Bible. Intentionality cannot be divorced from inconvenience. So we’re left with the question: will we avoid the inconvenient or embrace it? 3. Discomfort Lastly, to be intentional requires that one is capable of experiencing discomfort. Sitting down and having a personal conversation with someone can be extremely awkward. Intentional conversations are frequently filled with long silences, nervous laughter, and left with an awkward feeling. Being intentional is not always pretty. It doesn’t always feel natural. Sometimes, your efforts at being intentional won’t be appreciated or will simply be misunderstood. But you continue the conversation, you continue the habit, you continue the eye contact, knowing that what starts as uncomfortable can grow into something beautiful. The Language of Intentionality It can be extremely challenging to live purposefully, embrace inconvenience, and remain in discomfort. But the good news is, we are not alone in the fight. Not only are there women across the globe who are striving for the same thing, we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses of intentionality in the Saints. Christ Himself purposefully set time aside for prayer and He stopped at the well to meet the Samaritan woman. He made time for the hemorrhaging woman while He was on the way to heal another. He never brushed by anyone, He never moved around distracted from His surroundings. And we don’t need to look further than the Cross to know He embraced the inconvenient and the uncomfortable with wide open arms. So be a woman of intentionality. Don’t just say the word, live it. And I pray that when you live it, the witness of your life becomes a language of its own.   [bctt tweet="The Woman of Intentionality #BISblog //" via="no"]   Mary Grace “Gracie” Tillman is a full-time student and full-time extrovert. If you don’t find her with her friends, odds are she’s lost on a backroad with her music all the way up. She loves sports, writing, one-on-ones over coffee, and all things related to Divine Mercy. She strives to life live every day to the fullest and be a joyful disciple of Jesus.

Welcome to our Sisterhood Series! It's our birthday month, and we are celebrating by introducing you to some of the beautiful women in our community. We can't wait for you to meet them. Hi Caitlin! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // I am Caitlin Russ from St. Paul, Minnesota! I married my high school sweetheart eight years ago, and we have spent the past decade supporting each other through his surgical training and my own occupational therapy studies and then transition to stay at home motherhood. We have three kids and a fourth due in November. Life with this crew is always busy and chaotic, but never boring! What is your favorite way to pray? // I would never turn down an hour of quiet prayer in an Adoration chapel, but right now my favorite way to pray is saying "Hail Mary" ...on repeat! Those rote prayers are quick and easy offerings throughout the entire day that allow me to give thanks and remind me I've got someone watching out for me. Why is community important to you? How has it felt when you have had good community? // Community lifts us up and keeps us going! We are not meant to live this life alone, so building up a strong community that has your back can truly help through the hard times.. and makes the good times even more enjoyable! Ironically, this past year I simultaneously experienced both having a good community while also feeling completely isolated from community. During the pandemic, our family moved across the country to Maine for my husband's surgical training. We knew no one and most buildings kept their doors shut due to the pandemic. I felt myself constantly on edge because if something were to happen to one of us, I did not have a single person in the city that I could call for help. Thankfully, the women I knew from my Blessed is She small group back in Minnesota continued to include and connect with me via Zoom, email, and text throughout my year away. While they were not physically near, their check-ins, coffee gift cards, and constant reassurance of prayer kept me afloat and connected to a greater community. What about something about what a friend has done in your life that has radically changed your life? // Honestly, I think it is the smallest acts of kindness that stand out as the greatest acts of friendship. Back in college I returned to my dorm late at night to find a post-it note ... "Wake us anytime!" my friends wrote. It had been a tough week, but their note reassured me that I wasn't going through it alone. When I think back to that I am reminded that a quick text message sent to a friend or a smile at a stranger might not mean much to one person, but it could be just the encouragement a person needs in that moment. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // Someone who is there for me when I need it without my asking. It is hard to ask for help! I love to think I can do it all on my own, but I absolutely cannot ... no one can. A friend who shows up or checks in even when I'm not the best at responding is such a treasure. Also, laughter. I can't imagine a friendship without laughter. What kind of friend do you hope to be? // I hope to be someone who shows up, listens, and supports the other person. I hope my friends know that they can call on me even if it has been a while since we last saw each other. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // I had a friend in college invite me to join her at a weekly Adoration hour. I was new to Adoration and uncomfortable starting something that I knew little about, but those weekly visits with the reassurance from a friend brought me both physically and spiritually closer to Jesus. That small invitation truly transformed my relationship with God.   Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Caitlin #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me. // Mark 9:37 Love this from today's readings. Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper