My late teen years. Full of slammed doors, the silent treatment, and sassy remarks. It’s what you would imagine a teen girl being like, right? No, none of these actions were taken out on my earthly parents. They were directed towards the Father. I was too afraid to be rude to my own parents, yet as I began to rebuild my relationship with God the Father, it was so easy to throw Him under the bus whenever things didn’t go the way that I wanted them to. In today's Gospel, Jesus, after being questioned by two men, asked them,“Why are you testing me?” (Mark 12:13-17) He brought conviction to my fiery words full of uncontrolled temper and confusion. He showed me how God responds to our mistrust. How could I not trust the most Perfect Father, Our God and Creator? Thankfully, Our Father is a patient One. He sat beside me and lovingly gazed at me, His beloved daughter. Nothing that I did could ever stop Him from loving me. Even when I was infuriated with Him. That goes for you as well, dear sister. He delights in you. You are His joy, His daughter. You're never too far gone. Let Him heal your blindness. He is the cure. The one remedy that we all so desperately need. He is worth everything you are afraid of losing. Do I still struggle even now as a young adult? Absolutely, but His loving patience never fades. He always wants to hear what I have to say. It’s so incredibly important to Him. Today I encourage you to make your worries and frustrations known to Him. Let Him speak to you in your discouragement. Let Him restore your heart and mind. [bctt tweet="He is worth everything you are afraid of losing. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion

I let out a heavy sigh as I anxiously waited in the confessional line. I shamefully stared at the piece of slightly crumpled paper held in my shaky hands. I skimmed through the list of my misdemeanors. For a while I felt absolutely numb when going to, during, and coming out of the confessional. It was difficult for me to grasp the idea that God loves me, even when I sin, even after confessing. In my head, I assumed that He was fed up with my mistakes. As much as I heard, “He loves you” and “He will never abandon you,” I wasn’t convinced. Even when I prayed, I found myself apologizing because I assumed that my prayers were “annoying” or “immature.” In today’s Second Reading, we are called to remember, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16). God is love. His love is a never-ending river of goodness and mercy. It’s a love that rises above ALL sin and darkness. He is there. He’s always there. Always listening. It took me a bit to finally realize this, even now I still struggle at times, but know that He loves you so dearly, sweet sister. He delights in you. You are His beloved daughter. Let Him hold your hand, kiss your cheek, welcome His embrace when you are hurting. Sometimes hearing Him is difficult and can seem impossible at times, but I encourage you to call out to Him. He wants to hear you. Everything you have to say is so important to Him. Allow yourself to revel in the love that He has for you. It’s there, and it’s real. How does it feel to pray with this idea today? [bctt tweet="Everything you have to say is so important to Him. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Dear God, I am grateful for Your love.  

In my high school years, I had a poor habit of questioning the heavenly Father about why my life was the way it was. I was so attentive to what my life could be like and what I could have instead of focusing on what God had already blessed me with. To this day (among my many other imperfections) my questioning and uncertainty of what God is doing in my life come in massive waves. Sometimes things just go the complete opposite way of what we want. When it’s hard to recall the goodness in my life, especially during the dark times, I remember Who the Light is. Even in the midst of the darkness, Jesus is the beam of light that will never fade. His light will continue to shine brighter and brighter, no matter the destruction and despair. He outshines all of it. He encourages us to invite Him into those painful times. He doesn’t want us to walk alone. He doesn't want us to try and figure it out by ourselves. Today is Holy Thursday. Let’s not forget His words at the Last Supper, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). Take time to thank Him today for being so brave, for being so selfless in partaking in the most excruciating sacrifice that has ever been experienced. He did it out of nothing but pure love for you, dear sister. Never let go of that. listen to today’s devotion [bctt tweet="Remember Who the Light is. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] Thank You, Jesus, for Your example of courage.  

A young girl, so astray, sat comfortably, but utterly broken, in her chains. She knew they were there, but she refused to believe it. I thought I was being a “good Catholic,” but all I was doing was running towards something that God was trying to push me away from. I was so incredibly lost. I kept digging for worldly things to make me happy. I was too blind and stubborn to see that the most substantial source of happiness was right in front of my eyes: God. Thankfully, the Father is an exceptionally patient Father. He had faith in me. He had faith that I would come back running into His loving and forgiving arms. In today’s First Reading, we read, “Listen to my voice; then I will be your god and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper” (Jeremiah 7:23). I had blocked out the voice of our beloved Father because I was scared. I was scared of losing what I thought was important. After putting away what was distracting me from my relationship with Him, I wasn’t necessarily sad. I felt freedom. I had an image in my mind of holding hands with Jesus as we ran through a field together, our hair blowing in the wind. The golden sunlight kissed our faces. We were laughing, smiling, and shared a warm embrace. It was His way of saying, “Welcome back.” He is always willing to welcome us back. No matter how far we’ve walked away. [bctt tweet="He is always willing to welcome us back. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion If you're coming back to Jesus after a break, don't be afraid to reach out for a little encouragement here in our Blessed is She community!   [bctt tweet="" username="blessedisshe__"]

My attitude towards Saint Valentine’s Day has shifted throughout the years as I have grown into a young adult. As the girl who has so far been single every Saint Valentine's Day, it can be uncomfortable, but I try to find the beauty of it. It’s so beautiful to express your love for someone, but what’s just as beautiful, maybe even more, is that Jesus’ love for you is beyond anything you could ever imagine. Today’s Gospel reading from Mark says, “A leper came to him [and kneeling down] begged him and said, 'If you wish, you can make me clean.' Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, 'I do will it. Be made clean.' The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean” (Mark 1:40-42). This is exactly what Jesus does to our hearts. When our hearts are stained with sin, He cleanses them. He makes us new. When our hearts are wounded, He wants us to approach Him. He wants us to ask Him for healing. He knows when we are hurting, whether it’s physically, emotionally, or spiritually. If you’re hurting this Saint Valentine’s Day, turn to Him, sweet sister. Let Him embrace you. Let Him kiss your forehead. Let Him wipe your tears. He loves you so dearly, more than you could ever know. Jesus is the Man Who was disgustingly mocked, spat on, beat up, fell three times, nailed on the Cross, and died. For who? For you, for me, for all of us. No greater act of love exists than what He did for us. [bctt tweet="No greater act of love exists than what He did for us. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Consider how you've approached Saint Valentine's Day in the past. What happens if you replace romantic expectations with a firm knowledge of Jesus' love for you?  

Feeling out of place became the most recurring emotion that I felt so deeply during my last years of high school. Being a firm Christ-believer and going to a public high school was quite the experience. Trust me. Anything against the Catholic Church was horrifically glorified at school. Being Catholic didn’t really fit with the “social norms.” I have a distant memory of someone making rude comments about Mama Mary. The substantial hurt in that moment pierced through my heart. My tongue stung as I bit it to keep the tears from flowing. It almost made me feel ashamed of being Catholic. I felt like I wasn't allowed to be treated with respect because of my beliefs. I questioned my faith multiple times. I was frightened as to why the Lord would let me go through this type of heartbreak. I felt absolutely defeated. As the years went by, being bold in my faith became harder. I eventually came to a point where instead of being frustrated by people’s comments, I started to ask the Lord to forgive them. In today’s Responsorial Psalm, it reads, “My heart exalts in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory” (1 Samuel 2:1). My heart felt more at peace knowing that the Lord takes care of all His children. Even the ones that don’t love Him. This gave me a new insight in prayer. There’s nothing wrong with praying for yourself, but remember to pray for your enemies or people you are struggling with as well. They are sacred in the Father’s eyes. He loves them endlessly and unapologetically. And He longs for them to be part of the Body of Christ. [bctt tweet="The Lord takes care of all His children. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Turn to the Lord in prayer for people who hurt you today. Offer them to His Sacred Heart.

The heat from my body radiated as I stormed into the church pew. I knelt down on the kneeler. On the outside, I looked peaceful as I prayed, but on the inside, there was a little girl who felt hopeless. She screamed at her Heavenly Father, “Why?! What is all this?! How could you do this to our family? How could my Grandma be dying from cancer?” I had never been so infuriated with God. My faith was so weak. I feared everything. Two years later, I wasn’t expecting to lose someone else I loved. The Holy Spirit has been guiding me to develop a stronger faith. This work of the Spirit was very apparent this past March. My entire body went numb as I heard the word suicide over the phone. It was during the quarantine, and I had gone two days without knowing that one of my best friends had passed away. Today’s Responsorial Psalm says, “He guides me in the paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and staff that give me courage” (Psalm 23:4). The moment I heard the devastating news, the song “It is Well” came into my head. The lyrics leading up to the chorus are, “And through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You. And it is well, It is well. So let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name.” How beautifully true those lyrics are. Through the suffering, I looked towards Heaven. The Lord held my hand. He walked with me as I went into the depths of the unknown because the only way I was able to make it out of my heartbreak was to follow Him. Meandering through this unknown was intimidating, but I knew I was holding the hand of Someone Who is bigger than all the misery. Grab His hand; see where He’ll take you. You won’t be disappointed. [bctt tweet="Grab His hand; see where He’ll take you. // Bella Rol" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Remind yourself of the power of the Holy Spirit from our 2019 Prayer Pledge campaign.