Like most married couples, my husband and I have had our share of highs and lows, particularly in our practice of Natural Family Planning. We are in a perpetual state of discerning whether or not to try to conceive a child, yet always open to receiving the gift of new life. After the birth of our first child, we lived a season where we did not feel called to try to conceive. Eventually, though, the Lord put a strong desire on our hearts to try to grow our family. In a worldly sense, the timing was all wrong: the completion of my husband’s doctoral degree was still hanging in the balance after taking months longer to complete than anticipated. He was still searching for a post-degree job, and we had no more room in our tiny, one-bedroom, New York City apartment. Yet, the Lord gave us peace. When we did get pregnant with a daughter, we were full of joy. As a Type-A personality who prefers things well-planned and (seemingly) under control, I remember the sense of surrender I felt. I placed my trust in Jesus daily and found great hope in recalling God’s faithfulness. He had been faithful before, and I held tight to His promise that He always would be. I imagine this might be what allowed Abraham to obey when God asked of him the unimaginable (Genesis 22). Abraham knew God’s faithfulness. They shared a relationship rooted in faith, trust, and love. Abraham also understood that everything he had was a gift from God, freely given. Through this lens, the obedience we witness in Abraham is easier to understand. Peter, James, and John heard the command to “listen to Him” as they experience Jesus’ Transfiguration (Mark 2). God calls us to obedience even when it’s challenging, inconvenient, or unpopular. With worldly eyes, these Scriptures may seem limiting, yet with eyes of faith, they are anything but. Today’s readings invite us to deeper love and greater freedom. There is always more with our generous Lord, and in our faithfulness, He blesses us. [bctt tweet="In our faithfulness, He blesses us. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Can you make one act of trust today? What can you turn over to the Lord?  

I loved my son from the blessed moment I found out he was within my womb. Through each day of my pregnancy, his first breaths in my arms, those sacred first days of his life, and every day since, the joy of loving him is paralleled only by the love I have for his younger sister. “We love God because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God the Father has been so generous in revealing His love for me through my experience of loving my children. Though the sleepless nights and runny noses have been many, far greater is the sight of my son’s dimple as he smiles, or the sound of my daughter professing, “I wuv you, Momma. So, so much!” “We love God because He first loved us.” I recognize the love of my own parents, how they have shown me the love of God my whole life long. As an adult and mother I have a whole new appreciation for the sacrifices they have made, and for the care they continue to give me. “We love God because He first loved us.” Love is a gift to each one of us from Love Himself. Not only does He love us, but He teaches us how to love by giving us His Son. The ministry, life, and death of Jesus show us what it truly looks like to love. To love God and love one another is what God asks of us, and “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 4:3). Regardless of our vocation, each day we are given many chances—big and small—to love, whether that be someone in our family, a roommate, a neighbor, or an acquaintance on social media. So when a moment comes where choosing love feels like a burden, let us turn to the Lord and ask Him to restore our heart’s capacity to love. For how blessed we are to have been chosen and loved by Him first. [bctt tweet="Love is a gift to each one of us from Love Himself. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Enthrone your home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with this special ceremony.

Well, sisters, we made it. It’s the last day of 2020. What. A. Year. Can I get an amen? For better or for worse, 2020 was a year filled to overflowing with challenges, emotions, upheaval, and change. If you’re anything like me, your first instinct might be to say good riddance to a year like this one, and flip the calendar page to January as quickly as possible. So I find it moving that the Church invites us in the midst of this Christmas season, on this last day of the calendar year, to remember the beginning: “And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory” (John 1:14). Praise the Lord. The Word is Emmanuel, God with us—what a miracle. And when, by grace, we recognize Him in our midst, we see His glory. Yes, even in 2020, His glory is found, for as Christians we hold tight to His promise: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). I invite you to set aside some time to spend with the Lord today. Sit with Him, and together look back over the year. Ask Him to help you see where His light shone in 2020. Where did He dwell among us? Where was His glory? Instead of writing off 2020 as the worst, ask Jesus: Lord, how would You have me remember this year? The Lord chose you, personally, for such a time as this. How might He be asking you to share His promise with others as the year draws to a close? Let’s not bemoan the year that was, sister, but testify to the Light that always shines, no matter the darkness. Let’s resolve to seek, reflect, and testify to it each day of the blessed new year. Can I get an amen? [bctt tweet="Let’s resolve to seek, reflect, and testify to it each day of the blessed new year. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Pray with this ancient beautiful chant and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Ping ping! Hearing the familiar sound, I tapped the screen of my phone to see a message from a respected friend: “How can I be praying for you?” I paused to think; my mind shuffled through the many intentions on my heart. In a moment of grace, I had the courage to confess: “It’s humbling to admit this, but I need prayers for greater discipline in how much time I am spending on social media. I feel convicted to change my habits. I know I should be spending more time in the Word and in prayer.” “Yes!” she replied. She went on to make a comparison that rang true to my experience, “It’s like grabbing dinner from a fast food drive-thru instead of sitting down for a gourmet meal.” What a great analogy! Social media is easy to access and fun to devour, but the satisfaction is fleeting. Not to mention the not-so-wholesome side effects of too much time spent consuming. By no means am I saying social media is completely bad, but I am saying that for me—and I think for many of us, if we are honest—social media is a distraction from the life we are called to in Christ. Meanwhile, the Lord personally invites each one of us to “a great dinner,” or as some translations read, “a great banquet”—can you begin to imagine it, sister? In the Gospel (Luke 14:15-24), we hear three invited guests make excuses as to why they are too busy to accept His generous offer. For one it was his possessions, for another his work, for another to be with his new spouse. Not one of these things was innately bad, but yet in turning to these things first, they declined the Lord’s generosity. What is distracting you from the Lord’s invitation to fuller life, to deeper intimacy with Him? Ask the Lord to show you! For Christ has prepared a place for you to rest at His table, a place to be nourished with good food, and a place to drink of the living water which quenches our every thirst. Only with Him will our souls ever truly be filled. [bctt tweet="Only with Him will our souls ever truly be filled. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] Listen to what these CFRs have to share about prayer.

When my not-so-stable toddler is running downhill on a cracked old concrete path: oh, please—hold her up! After my son wakes a third time in the night from yet another bad dream: guard him as he sleeps. Protect his mind from anything disturbing his peace. In flustered moments when my husband and I are not communicating well: would you talk to his Guardian Angel and help us sort this out? As my Godson is undergoing heart surgery: fly and be with him through his procedure; guard his precious life. I talk to my Guardian Angel often, usually multiple times a day. Our relationship has grown in boundless ways since becoming a mother, and I only wish I would have realized sooner what a gift I have in this heavenly being. As we celebrate the Memorial of the Guardian Angels today, can we marvel for a moment at how truly awesome our God is? I find it astounding to think how many angels He has placed in our presence. Yet how infrequently I manage to recognize them! Our Father truly cannot be outdone in His generosity: He appointed an angel to you, His beloved daughter, to guide you towards your eternal home. These angels are strong, mighty warriors, swift to protect us, especially in the spiritual battle. They are powerful because the Lord’s authority resides in them (Exodus 23:21). They are obedient to Him, and He has commanded them to guard us (Psalm 91:11). Sister, will you join me today in committing to calling upon our Guardian Angels more? The Lord has given us a precious gift, and an opportunity for real relationship—with our own Angel, and those of our loved ones. Let us not for a moment forget these faithful servants, ever by our side, always at our back. We are never alone. [bctt tweet="We are never alone. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Do a quick read on the Catechism's teaching on angels.

I felt like the rug had been ripped out from under me. My son’s beloved school closed its doors for the foreseeable future. A carefree stop at the grocery store was a thing of the past, let alone meeting my sister to share a cup of coffee and each other’s company. I was most heartbroken that we could no longer attend public Mass to receive our beloved Jesus in the Eucharist. Still, we counted ourselves fortunate. My family members still had their jobs and their health, at least for now. While our individual experiences of the pandemic are many, we are united in a collective suffering which has shaken many, including myself, to their core. In today’s First Reading (Job 1:6-22) we see God’s faithful servant Job as he faces tremendous adversity. Without warning, his livelihood is stolen and his children are killed. Yet, how does he respond? Job blesses God, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21) I try to absorb Job’s words, seemingly simple, yet deeply profound. Immediately I recognize his faith and that my own response to hardship is not so saintly. I hear the heart of a grateful man. Job knows well that everything in his life is a gift from the Lord. Beyond this, Job’s words illuminate his detachment from the world. As challenging as it can be, we are all called to this detachment from our life circumstances, our health, our relationships. Most beautiful, perhaps, is the glimpse of how unconditionally Job loves the Lord. He doesn’t love God because of the abundantly blessed life God has given him. Job loves God for Who He is, not for what He does. As for me, I often forget to express my gratitude to the Lord. I am attached to many worldly things, as was clearly illustrated by my reaction to the pandemic turning my expectations for 2020 upside down. But more than anything, I want to love the Lord with a deeper, more pure love. Thankfully, I know that is His desire for me, too. Blessed be the name of the Lord. [bctt tweet="I want to love the Lord with a deeper, more pure love. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Pray the Divine Praises today.

“Love you, Liz,” my mother called as we walked out the door. “Love you, too, Momma,” I replied. My then-boyfriend (now-husband) whispered, “Did she just call you ‘Liz’? Does she call you that often?” “Yeah, I guess she does,” I replied. I had never really thought about it before that moment. Not many people know that my full first name is Elisebeth (pronounced just like Elizabeth), and most everyone calls me Elise. The only person I have ever known to call me ‘Liz’ or ‘Lizzie’ is my mom. But when she says it, I don’t think twice about it. It sounds perfectly normal. As I stopped to reflect upon this, I realized something profound. If anyone else in the world called out the name ‘Liz,’ I would not so much as turn my head or pause to wonder if they might be speaking to me. There is something uniquely special—sacred, even—about my mother’s voice calling out to me. For my mother is the one who has known me the longest on this earth, the one who bestowed upon me this name. In today’s beautiful Resurrection Gospel, Mary Magdalene finally recognizes Jesus at the sound of His voice calling her name (see John 20:16). Do we recognize the Lord’s voice when He calls to us? Have you heard Him speak your name, sister? Mary Magdalene had a deep faith and a heart filled with devotion for Christ. They shared a close friendship, an intimacy nurtured over years of journeying together. Jesus longs for a similar relationship with each of us. It is He Whom our heart should love above all else. May we seek Him and spend time with Him each day, listening closely for the voice of the One Who calls us by name. listen to today’s devotion [bctt tweet="Have you heard Him speak your name, sister? // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] Meditate on God's call out to you in prayer. How does He call His beloved daughter?

“I don’t really believe in God,” my friend explained, “I believe in a higher power who is watching over us.” We continued to walk down the main street of our college town as she carried on, describing some of the attributes I knew to be true of the Father. In a moment which only could have been prompted by the Holy Spirit, I said to her in reply, “I hear what you are saying, but it sure sounds like you are talking about God to me.” "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7). Honestly, I was surprised I had been so straightforward as to say that; I was not the most outspoken person about my faith at the time. My friend didn’t appear to react much to what I had said. We changed the topic of conversation. You can imagine my surprise a few months later when we returned from summer vacation to share an apartment only to find her walking around blessing each room! She had experienced a wild conversion of heart for Jesus. In the weeks and months to come we shared many intense conversations about faith and Scripture as we grew alongside one another in our individual relationships with the Lord. One thing was for certain: she was on fire for God and bold about sharing all she was learning in her study of the Bible. "So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8). Her witness challenged me to become more confident in proclaiming my own. It is easy to forget that evangelization is more than spreading the Gospel to strangers (though that’s good, too!). More often, and sometimes a more intimidating prospect, is sharing our faith witness with our friends, our colleagues, or our family. Let’s ask the Lord for greater confidence in sharing our story, sister. [bctt tweet="Her witness challenged me. // @inendlesssong" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Did you see our "Tell Your Story" videos where our team members shared about their encounters with the Lord?