My initial reaction to Matthew West’s latest single "Modest is Hottest" was amusement. Although I love his music, I didn’t quite understand why the lyrics needed to carry a legalistic grip to convey the message on modesty. Besides, the word "hot" is burdened with sexual undertones and only serves to objectify women, in a different way. Having served young people for more than a decade now, I can safely say that this pietistic approach to modesty will only escalate shame, seeing our bodies as sources of temptation that must be hidden, rather than what they truly are. Clearly, there is a chasm. Clearly, we are struggling to convey truth in a post-modern, godless culture. How do we celebrate the female body without objectifying women? In the midst of this moral wasteland, how do we practice modesty? The Language Of Clothing I have always loved fashion and have fond childhood memories playing dress up with my sister and admiring my mother’s chic fashion tastes. My journey to modest fashion, however, took on new meaning only after my conversion. I fell away from Faith and chose atheism in high school, when I needed it the most. The turbulence at home, combined with an anemic faith, propelled me to choose "pretty" and "cool" without a moral compass. I slid down the slippery slope of immodesty and promiscuity, and my identity crisis showed up in my clothing. With constant battles that left me feeling undesirable and unlovable, I was dressing for attention and drowning out my pain with addictions. Today, as Christ continues to heal my self-worth, I am able to see gaps that result from a fragmented view of God. My broken lens altered the way I saw my body. Just like other material objects, fashion became an undue attachment to fill a cavernous void within. I was chasing imitation beauty and settling just to "fit in." Pope Pius XII says: Society reveals what it is by the clothes it wears. There is a language of clothing that communicates messages and reveals secret aspirations that can either build or destroy our future. Over the years I have learned to ask: What message does this outfit carry? Why do I want to be validated by the world’s standards? Why don’t I want to be free from vanity, and the all-too-common “look at me!” attitude? Worth, Not Wardrobe For a long time, I saw modesty as a pseudonym for unattractiveness. Following my conversion, I encountered self-appointed modesty police furtively checking what everyone was wearing. Many were women. I remember emptying my entire wardrobe and settling for "traditional" attires lest I looked too "unspiritual." Though Modesty is often presented as adherence to a legalistic set of rules, it is so much more. The Catechism affirms: Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. // CCC 2521 Modesty adorns our bodies in a way that reflects who we really are: living tabernacles and temples of the Holy Spirit. We are the crown of creation. And, we are beloved daughters of the Creator of authentic beauty. All the emphasis on do’s and don’ts can miss a fundamental mark. Modesty is less about an item of clothing than it is about virtue. Our worth does not come from wardrobes, but from God. Our inherent identity in Christ is what gives us dignity and direction and it begins first with our interior self, the inner sanctum of our hearts. Do I see myself as God’s beloved, beautiful and worthy of love? Under pressure how many of us compare ourselves with others and lose touch with who we are? Rather than celebrating our uniqueness, how many of us covet only to lose joy? When we lose our identity, our lifestyle choices are the first to be derailed. Clothing is not meant to be only about us. We could be dressed with the right credentials, covered by the latest fashion and yet be enslaved. If anything, modest clothing should serve as a reminder that we are sacred, that we made for more and that we exist for influence and impact. [bctt tweet="Modesty adorns our bodies in a way that reflects who we really are: living tabernacles and temples of the Holy Spirit. #BISblog //" via="no"] Modesty Inspires True Masculinity Being a long-standing ministry leader, it is no secret that I have had to deal with issues concerning inappropriate clothing. Even today, so many women see dress and devotion as contradictory. As Catholic women, we need to challenge the status quo that portrays a scantily clad, inordinately thin woman as confident. And we need to challenge men to see themselves as reflections of imago dei. The journey to a safer, more whole society requires the morality of both men and women. I have encountered men in ministry who have been won over to faith by the modesty and lifestyles of their girl friends. These women carried an aura of grace that directly pointed to the light within, driving out their darkness and helping their male peers admire and love the female body for its sacredness. They testified of a beauty that was radiating when women carried themselves with a sense of interior peace, confident in who they were and who didn’t need to play up to modern media to demonstrate their worth. A Two-Way-Street of Demand Pope Saint John Paul II rightly declared: Genuine Love is demanding, but its beauty lies precisely in the demands it makes. Far contrary to the culture that asserts that a man’s lust is his problem, it is modesty that saves, sustains, and sanctifies. It is modesty that fosters dignity in the other person. It is modesty that wills the good of the other. It is modesty that inspires true masculinity and it is modesty that produces mature love. A man knows he can take a woman seriously when she isn’t occupied with her body or clamoring for his attention with external adornments. Such humility is powerful. It is freeing. How can we expect anyone to respect us and even love us heroically if we do not offer ourselves the grace and dignity we deserve? Modern Day Influencers But just like faith, style that elevates true femininity is a journey. Fashion will change over time and so will our bodies. We need a vision beyond the here and now. We are made for so much more than attire and adornment. Women have an irreplaceable influence on their cultures and modesty can serve as a soulful endeavor towards sainthood. Why not pick a patron Saint for our next shopping spree? Our Saint sisters want to accompany our journey of beauty. Saint Rose of Lima is a patron of beauty and Saint Margaret of Scotland understood the importance of fashion. A New Witness of Modesty Sisters, we need to rise above the toxicity of this culture that objectifies women. We need to counter the legalistic and lax attitude that measures modesty by the hemline rather than the heart. We need freedom from competition and comparison. We need modern day influencers, who can redefine fashion from a biblical worldview. We need to celebrate our uniqueness and live out our creativity. And we need the diversity of styles in the sisterhood. [bctt tweet="We need to rise above this culture that objectifies women. We need to counter the legalistic and lax attitude that measures modesty by the hemline rather than the heart. We need to redefine fashion from a biblical worldview. #BISblog //" via="no"] Modesty is always going to be challenging in our hyper-sexed world and giving up a lifestyle that brings a sense of belonging will always be painful, but think about incomparable gains. Think about freedom. Think about interior peace. Unlike the catch and costliness of well-marketed fashion, the robes given by Christ are free. How invigorating it is to come to Him without costly costume or pretense. How liberating it is to exchange everything we have collected from this world to cover our self-importance and security for garments of salvation and righteousness. How awe-inspiring that underneath the array of exquisite clothing is a beautiful woman, capable of changing the world.   [bctt tweet="The Heart of Modesty #BISblog //" via="no"]

A few years ago, my husband and I approached our Pastor after Mass and asked him to give a blessing over the newly-formed baby growing within me. I was expecting a simple blessing, something like him making the Sign of the Cross over me and saying a couple of quick words. Instead, he brought us to the sacristy and pulled out the Book of Blessings. I didn’t expect him to pray over me with a prayer specifically written for mothers before childbirth. It moved me deeply. The Blessing of Expectant Mothers Before the blessing itself, the priest spoke of how Jesus Himself became human through the Blessed Mother’s womb. He then spoke a few words in preparation saying: The reason for the blessing of a mother-to-be is that she may await her hour of delivery in faith and hope, as the partner of God’s own love, may already cherish with her maternal love the child in her womb. Wow! Awaiting my “hour of delivery in faith and hope”! I did not realize how much I needed that prayer until I heard the words spoken over me. How frequently I fell into doubt and despair, fearing the worst for my child: miscarriage, infant loss, a high-risk pregnancy, etc. But here, in the early weeks of life growing inside of me, I was called out of the temptation to grasp in vain for a “control” that I could never truly attain. The Prayer of Blessing Then, the Prayer of Blessing was prayed over me: Lord God, Creator of the human race, your Son, through the working of the Holy Spirit, was born of a woman, so that he might pay the age-old debt of sin and save us by his redemption. Receive with kindness the prayer of your servant as she asks for the birth of a healthy child. Grant that she may safely deliver a son or a daughter to be numbered among your family, to serve you in all things, and to gain eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Centered on Salvation In the very first sentence, the life of the Trinity takes center stage, just as it does in our Baptism and in the words of the Apostles' Creed. As it reads in the Catechism, “The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity...It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.” It is so fitting that this blessing should include the transformative power of the Sacrament of Baptism, as well as be a reminder of how we are to live out our call baptismal call. Honoring a Mother's Heart Then in the second paragraph the prayer shifts its focus to the mother receiving the blessing, as well as her unborn child. It honors the desire of every mother’s heart: a healthy child, a safe delivery, and an eternal home among our family in Heaven. These desires may be simple, but I just love how the Church recognizes the very real and practical hope a mother has for her child’s health and safety. Yes, their eternal health and safety, but their earthly safety too! It’s not selfish to want things like an uncomplicated pregnancy, a smooth delivery, and prompt recovery. We may not always be granted these things, but the Church honors the very real and human concerns so present during this time. A Petition for Virtue and Strength The blessing ends with the concluding rite: May God, the source of all life, protect you by his goodness. May he deepen your faith, build up your hope, and constantly increase the gift of his love in you. At the hour of delivery may he be attentive to your prayers and strengthen you with his grace. and may almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These final lines repeat the sentiment of the preparatory words asking for deepened faith and rising hope. It then asks for the virtue which mothers need most, the virtue of charity. God’s grace is needed for a mother to hold within her a nurturing spirit and a heart of patience. I also love how this prayer asks specifically for help “at the hour of delivery.” In my own experience, this is the most unknown, intimidating, and vulnerable hour of the 6,720 hours of pregnancy! Praise God we have a prayer for it! Pregnant Mothers, Ask for This Blessing! If you are expecting and haven’t yet asked your Priest for a blessing over your pregnancy, I can’t encourage you enough to do so. For me, it was an experience both of strengthened faith and greater comfort in the maternal nature of our Church. A Church so ready and eager to pour out God’s grace, sometimes even when we don’t realize we even need it. Are you expecting a child? Have you ever received this blessing? For those struggling with infant loss and/or infertility, Blessed is She devotional writer Laura Kelly Fanucci has a beautiful resource. She has written beautiful prayers for pregnancy, including one specifically for couples trying to conceive. You are not alone in this cross you are carrying. I am praying for you!   [bctt tweet="The Church's Blessing Over Expectant Mothers #BISblog //" via="no"]

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"]

I know exactly one person who knew as a child what she wanted to be when she grew up. One. She told us in second grade what she planned to do for a living, and she was right. She might tell the story differently as far as how that all unfolded, but from the perspective of an outside observer, she hit the nail on the head. That said, many of us take a meandering road toward our calling, and even then only dabble in the pursuits that make our hearts sing. Very often, however, we notice that those gifts we uncover later in life were planted in us early-on. Sometimes the hobbies or tendencies we experienced as children shed a great deal of light on our "blue flame" later on. A Woman of Many Talents Saint Hildegard of Bingen fits beautifully into both camps. Her early encounters with the Lord made it clear that her life would be particularly inspired, not to mention the wide array of talents she had up her sleeve. Though quiet at first, her willingness to trust the Spirit’s guidance for her life blessed the world tremendously. There is a lot to love about Hildegard. She was a great many things in her lifetime: poet, theologian, pharmacist, artist, composer, and mystic to name a few. She is the 35th Doctor of the Church, and the fourth woman to be given the title (alongside Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Saint Therese of Lisieux). It was as recently as 2012 that Hildegard was canonized as a Doctor of the Church. Our Particular Callings In many cases people were reluctant to believe that one person could be gifted in so many different ways—that is my initial response as well! “No way,” I think to myself. No way one person has been so divinely inspired in so many ways when so often I feel like a mediocre disciple trying to hone in on one area where I might have more to offer. Turns out I have been overlooking one major factor. Trust in my particular calling (and others’ for that matter). People had suspicions about Jesus, too. “Is he not the carpenter’s son?” "Where did all of this extraordinary grace and wisdom come from?" they muttered out of suspicion. But, we know something the people of Jesus’ time did not. We know exactly where that grace and wisdom were coming from. Though their identities are entirely distinct, I suspect we can confidently say the something similar of Saint Hildegard, they have one defining characteristic in common: Jesus, and Hildegard (and all of the saints) through His grace, exemplify the abundantly fruitful lives we are capable of living when we place our trust in God’s plan for us. Each had a radical confidence in what the Father was entrusting to them. My Own Capacity to Trust I read a comment from Mother Angelica recently that made me wonder at my own capacity for trust, and how much more the Lord would accomplish through me with my willingness to trust that I too might be a conduit for grace in large and small ways. I am not afraid to fail, I am scared to death of dying and having the Lord say to me. 'Angelica, this is what you might have done had you trusted me more'. // Mother Angelica Saint Hildegard may have been ahead of her time. Perhaps she was just too busy to give in to worry about the variety and magnitude of her particular call. She was both confident and humble in the sharing of her gifts. There is no question that she was given a tremendous capacity to serve God. She stewarded it well and the ripple effect has been substantial. Has your own playing small served the greater good? Where have you felt compelled to a place of greater trust? All of creation is a song of praise to God. Love abounds in all things, excels from the depths to beyond the stars, is lovingly disposed to all things. // Hildegard of Bingen   [bctt tweet="Saint Hildegard of Bingen #BISblog //" via="no"]

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 Megan! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // I’m Megan Lu. I currently live in Bayport, Minnesota just outside of the Twin Cities. I am married to my husband, Tu, and have three amazing children: Judith, Maxine, and Francis. I am an avid reader, baker, and Packer fan. What is your favorite way to pray? // My favorite way to pray is to ask for God's intervention as it’s needed during the difficult and joyful parts of my day. These conversations with God and asking for help from the Holy Spirit are so enlightening and empowering. The prayer I fall back on the most is the Hail Mary. It’s my prayer of comfort. Why is community important to you? How has it felt when you have had good community? // Before BIS I did not have a good community. As a new unmarried mom I was often ostracized from the typical Catholic moms group. I felt so alone and far away from God. I then found the BIS daily devotionals and an online community I never knew I needed. When I moved to the Twin Cities I reached out to Nell for parish and neighborhood advice. That random reach out led me to find the most fulfilling friendships I have had in my life. One week after we moved I went to Nell's house to start a Bible study and that invite led me to the path I have followed today. The women I have met here through BIS have listened to my story, seen me and helped me grow into the woman I am right now. God has shown me that through these friendships and that by me telling my story, I am listening to the Holy Spirit. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // Genuine kindness. What kind of friend do you hope to be? // I hope to be the kind of friend you reach out to when you have a problem. The kind of friend who prays for you. The friend who is always there to lend an ear or a hand. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // After spending the last several years truly growing in my faith I was pushed by a friend—and likely the Holy Spirit—to join the Well. Through joining that unique experience I learned so much about myself, about how I truly can embody the Holy Spirit. Without her pushing me I would have missed out on an incredible opportunity to grow. Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Megan #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

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 Kara! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // Hi, I'm Kara. I am in my 6th year as a Middle School Special Education teacher. As an Army brat I've grown up all over the place, but now live in Virginia. What is your favorite way to pray? // One of my favorite ways to pray, inspired by Beth Davis, is to go on a Father/Daughter date. This prayer practice has helped me invite the Father into all aspects of my daily life and little joys. I have found healing in places I didn't even know I needed it and overall it makes me feel like a kid again and that's just the best. Plus, any excuse to eat ice cream and call it prayer! Why is community important to you? How has it felt when you have had good community? // I think I took community for granted growing up on military posts because there is such a strong sense of it there. You know all of your neighbors and you help each other in the good and difficult times. After college, I found that a good community was hard to find. It can feel like you are all on your own or like you may just have to settle for less. I remember praying for community and right after that discovering Blessed Is She on Instagram. I read the bio that said, "Ever wondered if you'd find a community of like-minded Catholic women? You just did," and I knew it was an answered prayer. It's not always easy to enter into true community. It requires a certain level of vulnerability and humility, but is so heart filling when I have allowed myself to do so! We were meant to live in community and I am so grateful for the role BIS has played in mine. What is something a friend has done in your life that has radically changed your life? // My prayer partner from The Well has radically changed my life through our friendship. Looking back on our friendship, it has been a lot of little, simple things that have sparked such a radical change in my life. Her encouragement, listening ear, and prayers are invaluable to me. I appreciate that we can be exactly ourselves with one another and there are no pretenses. I love that we have gotten to a point where we can call each other up and ask for prayers for "the usual" like we are ordering at a frequented restaurant. I am praying that everyone has a friend like Alison in their life. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // How they treat others is important to me. My closest friends are the ones who genuinely want the best for others. They have a remarkable level of selflessness that I hope rubs off on me! What kind of friend do you hope to be? // I hope to be the kind of friend that you know is in your corner and cares for you. The type of friend who helps you see the beauty of who you are when you have a hard time seeing it yourself. And the type of friend you call up when you want to try out that weird workout class, meet halfway for milkshakes, or go on an impromptu weekend trip. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // One time in college I saw my friend, Emily, praying after receiving Communion. I can still picture the look on her face. It was so serene and joyful that it stuck with me. I wanted prayer like that. I wanted my relationship with God to be so real that it was tangible to myself and others. I didn't tell her about this moment until years later. For years she never knew that she led me closer to Jesus simply by her example of being with Him in prayer. Thanks, Emily! Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Kara #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

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. Even though I’m from a sprawling city of 1.6 million, I’ve spent most of my life in the same 12 square miles. Nestled in the northeastern most part of Philadelphia, an area affectionately known as “the Neast,” is where I was raised and where my husband and I stayed to raise our family. The parish of my childhood is the same parish where my children were baptized and confirmed. It’s the same church that we travel to (1.1 miles) every Sunday for 6:30 am Mass. I work at the Catholic university I attended as an undergrad on the same campus as the grade school and high school I attended (1.1 miles in the other direction). High school sweethearts, we have been married for 30 years and have raised three children—now 30 (and married!), 24, and 22. And though we’ve lost three parents over the past seven years, my children had the marvelous experience of spending their childhood with nanny and poppy and grandmom and grandpop, because we all live so close. Community and friendships evolved naturally from relationships our children made at school. Their friends’ parents became our friends. As the youngest parents in our firstborn’s class, we learned so much from the experienced moms and dads who took us under their wing and helped us navigate “school days.” Over the years, some of those ties have fallen away but some have remained, growing tighter. One thing that has been the common thread throughout is our shared Faith. We’ve celebrated first Holy Communions and Christmas pageants, gone to first Friday Mass at school, and shed tears together at funeral liturgies. Even to this day, people in “the Neast” identify themselves by the parish they grew up in and swap funny stories about the religious sisters who taught them. I always say I am a product of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the founding order who raised me throughout almost my entire academic career. The congregation was founded in 1875 by Blessed Frances Siedliska. The charism of the order is based on “living the spirit of Jesus, Mary and Joseph whose lives were centered in the love of God and one another.” Even though I come from a strong, Catholic family, it was the Sisters who really laid the foundation of my relationship with the Holy Family and taught me how to pray. My favorite way to pray is now, and I think has always been, in community. I’m not a huge sports fan but I do love being caught up in the collective effervescence surrounding a big game. I get that same feeling when I’m praying with a group. I no longer have the prayer community of my younger days and it can be so easy to feel disconnected and alone. Blessed is She and, particularly my friend Beth Davis, have helped facilitate the transition from the faith of my childhood to the nourishing and rich faith life I’m enjoying now as an adult. She has invited me into community again and helped me find other women with whom I can walk on this exciting journey. She gives me the confidence I need to share God’s Word and the message of His love with my close girlfriends and with women at work, further widening the boundaries of my faith community. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I hope that I will continue to learn and grow in understanding and encourage others the way these two groups of amazing women have inspired me along the way. Now we want to hear about YOU! How has friendship and community inspired your faith?   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Shannon #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

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 Amy! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // My name is Amy Heyse, and I’m from Fort Collins, Colorado. I met my husband, Kevin, in a college drawing class and we have been married for 10 years. We have two little girls, Holly and Mayumi. I do the stay-at-home mom thing while also working part-time as a paint/sip instructor. My true passion is making personal artwork inspired by my prayer life whenever I have a spare moment. I have a little Etsy shop with prints and stickers of my artwork on the side. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up and I’m so grateful and blessed for the opportunities I have had to create art. What is your favorite way to pray? // My favorite way to pray is a combination of prayer journaling, imaginative prayer, and creating artwork based on those prayer experiences. I try to write in my journal every day. It starts off with me just “dumping” everything out on the page, good and bad. I try to get it all out of my head and onto the page, even if it’s just a song lyric that’s stuck in my head. Once I’ve written down everything that has been on my heart, I pause, close my eyes, and try to be receptive to what God wants to talk to me about. Sometimes I can visualize things and other times I write in my journal what I perceive God is telling me. In my journal, I draw a cross next to anything that I believe might be from God. I’ll go back and highlight the passages in my journal that stick out to me. Often, if I go back and look over the last week or month, I can start to see patterns emerge. Almost all of my drawings and paintings that I create are inspired by the conversations I’m having with God that are revealed in the pages of my prayer journal. An image from imaginative prayer or a passage I’ve written in my journal entries becomes the springboard from which a piece of artwork begins. The act of creating art is what helps me feel the most connected to God. Working on a drawing or painting is helping me work through and process the conversation that I’m trying to be receptive to in our prayer time together. Why is community important to you? How has it felt when you have had good community? // Community helps you to feel like you’re not alone on the journey. I live in the same city that I went to college in. Because Fort Collins is a college town, there tends to be a lot of transition. Really wonderful friends I made in college moved away when I graduated. Friends I would make at work would transition to new jobs or places to live once I finally felt like I was getting to know them on a deeper level. It was hard to be a stationary person in a transitional city! I think what I learned during that time was that it was always worth it to continually put myself out there and try to build friendships with other people, even if there was risk of them moving. I’ve seen how God likes to work in seasons, and just because you might only have a friend or set of wonderful coworkers for only a season of your life, that season can still be fruitful and transformative. When I was a new mom, I started attending our local mom’s group. I’m introverted, so it was really hard to put myself out there and make friendships at first. However, I just kept showing up meeting after meeting and I now have some really beautiful friendships with other moms in a similar season of life as myself. When I gave birth to my second daughter, the women in my mom’s group, some of whom I didn’t even really know, brought our family meals. These same women prayed for my brother when he was hospitalized and got him a prayer shawl knitted by some other women who had formed a knitting ministry at the church. I have also found a beautiful community of fellow Catholic artists and creatives online (yes, you can have real friendships with people you meet on the internet!). During the pandemic, I joined a Zoom book club with some fellow Catholic artists. We became really close and have been each other’s biggest cheerleaders. In early August, almost all of the artists in our little group got to spend time in person on a weekend artist retreat. I’ve also gotten to meet some of my sisters from The Well session we did with Beth Davis at The Fly retreat in Scottsdale, Arizona back in April. What about something about what a friend has done in your life that has radically changed your life? // I was really struggling with depression and anxiety when my oldest daughter was a toddler. Those days were pretty dark and there was many a day that went by where I felt like I wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. I wanted to hibernate through that season of life. My husband saw the pain of my heart and worked it out with his boss so he could work from home to help take care of me. He worked from home for a couple of months so that I wouldn’t be alone and would have more support. I will forever be thankful for his “yes” during that time. It was very humbling. I am also incredibly thankful for his boss’ “yes.” My husband’s friendship with me as well as the friendship between him and his boss helped me to recover and find healing. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // I have always appreciated friends who are easy to talk to because they are open and accepting. I love a good conversation, even if it’s only about something silly or trivial. My closest friends are the types of people who I can talk to about anything and everything, often in the same conversation. I love having really fluid conversations with people that start off being about small things like, ”What was the last movie you saw?” and they flow easily into the bigger or heavier things. I have friends from childhood who I don’t get to see as often and I always love it when we can have a conversation where it feels like no time has passed since our last visit. I also love the friends where I can be sitting in their car or at their house and a conversation that feels like it has only been 30 minutes has in fact been 3 hours long! Those are my people. What kind of friend do you hope to be? // I hope to be someone who is a safe person to talk to. I strive to be empathetic towards others. I know that it’s hard to share or be vulnerable, so I want to be the kind of friend who is willing to take the time to listen without judgment. Everyone has times in their life where they feel like the black sheep and I want to be a friend who can provide a safe pasture. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // When I was a freshman in college, there was a day that I thought about whether or not I should continue going to church. Since the beginning of the school year, I had been going to church every Sunday but hadn’t met anyone in the parish community. I can remember sitting in the pew at church thinking to myself, “Why do I even bother?” I asked the Lord to send me a sign. The church had a sky light window and at that moment, the sun’s rays shined directly into my face throughout Mass. It felt like being under a spotlight. At the end of Mass, a girl from the church choir came up to me and introduced herself. We realized we were in an art class together and she invited me to join the church choir, which I ended up doing. If she hadn’t come up to me after Mass, I might have seriously considered not coming back to church. Her invitation to join the church choir led me to meet young Catholics who truly loved the Faith, which was something I hadn’t experienced up until that point. Church choir led to going on a retreat that changed how I viewed being Catholic, and sowed seeds that would later lead to a more intimate relationship with the Lord. Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Amy #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

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 Jenn! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // My name is Jenn Bartley. I live in the suburbs of Chicago in a town called Westmont. I am 52 years old and have been married to my husband Brian for 28 Years this September. I have four children: Jake, who is married my beloved daughter-in-law, Kate; Joe; Bethany; and Nate. I have been the Director of Youth Ministry at my parish for nine years. I was blessed to have all my children and their friends go through our program over the years. What is your favorite way to pray? // My favorite way to pray is what I call soaking prayer. This style of prayer has evolved for me over the last few years. I would define soaking prayer as a time that is set apart, mostly in the mornings, to sit with the Lord in Scripture, surrendering and revealing my heart to Him until I feel His presence. It takes time and space. My life is full and very blessed but I find that when I don’t set this time aside I burn out from relying on my own strength. This doesn’t happen every day, but I try to set the time aside at least once a week. I find that that soaking gives me the grace to know that the Lord is with me in all that He calls me to do in my family and ministry. And when I start to feel the absence of His presence, I know it is time to soak again. Why is community important to you? How has it felt when you have had good community? // My husband and I belong to a monastic-based community called The Brothers and Sisters of Charity founded by John Michael Talbot. When we were young adults, we were involved in a retreat ministry that really showed us how important community was. We desired to walk with others in our faith journey beyond the retreat ministry. We found other young adults who desired the same things we did, mostly to raise our families together in an intentional faith community. We spent two years discerning what that might look like. At the end of that discernment time seven families moved to Westmont within one year all within a one mile radius of the parish we desired to join. The Brothers and Sisters of Charity seemed to be the right community for our families. The Monastery is located in Berryville, Arkansas and has celibate brothers and sisters living there as well as families. This community was able to minister to our whole family. We live a monastic way of life as domestic members out in the world. It’s been a blessing beyond measure. You can read more about our community here. What about something about what a friend has done in your life that has radically changed your life? // I believe joining community opened my heart up to the idea of sisterhood in a way I never experienced before. I did not have a sister growing up. But when I joined community, the Lord hand-picked women that I would journey with. These women may not have been the ones I would have picked, but the Lord knew they were the sisters I needed. In our community, we make promises to try to live poverty (needs before wants), chastity, and obedience according to our way of life. These vows for the monastic members are more intense than the domestics promises. It calls us to live a simple life keeping our hearts and minds always fixed on Jesus, and not on the world. "Monastic" comes from the word mono which reminds us that we are to be alone with God. My sisters have been a great source of encouragement, example and accountability to living this way of life. They help me to keep my eyes on Jesus and we learn together how to love Him better every day. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // My close friends help me to keep Jesus my top priority. They also help me see myself as He sees me. And when I stray from that they are faithful to remind me who I am to Him. That support and encouragement is priceless. What kind of friend do you hope to be? // I try to be that kind of friend to all I meet. I want people to know Jesus better from knowing me and my love for Him. I want others to know that if they come to me they can count on me to turn them to Jesus. I long for everyone know that they are beloved to the Father. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // When I was 19, my mom invited me to the retreat ministry I mentioned before. I was in a bad place. My parents divorced when I was a sophomore and my world fell apart. I felt like everything they had taught me was a lie. I pushed away from them and the Church. I was hurting so badly but wouldn’t let anyone into that pain. On this retreat, I heard the Gospel preached by my peers in a way that I had never heard before after attending Catholic school for 10 years. One of the girls that was leading my small group really went out of her way to make me feel seen and known. I had never had anyone in my life pursue and invest in me the way she did—not only on the retreat, but after for many years. Her love was a direct reflection of the Father's love for me. We remained friends since then and we both, with our families, joined the community I mentioned earlier. The Lord gave me a life long friend and sister to walk through the rest of my life with. He is such a faithful Father to provide what He knows we need to stay close to Him. Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Jenn #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

Anyone who has been involved with online schooling in any capacity can attest to its challenges. Being a first-year teacher, I knew last school year would be difficult, but nothing I read about or discussed in my college classes could prepare me for entering the classroom in the midst of a global pandemic. I survived the year with copious amounts of coffee, frequent Taylor Swift car jams, the incredible support of my community, and, of course, daily prayer. In particular, I found myself turning to the Saints for inspiration and intercession as I navigated the school year. That’s why, in October of 2020, I was overjoyed to learn about Blessed Carlo Acutis and add him to my Heavenly support team. Carlo Acutis: Online Evangelist Blessed Carlo Acutis was from Italy and lived from 1991-2006. He was a typical kid: he went to school, he wore blue jeans, and he loved playing video games. However, he was atypical in his immense love for the Eucharist. At a young age, he used to walk the streets of his hometown with his mother and ask to stop in every church to say hi to Jesus. He saw what a powerful force the Eucharist was in his own life, and he wanted to share this message with others. He decided to teach himself computer programming and build a website documenting all of the known Eucharistic miracles around the world so that everyone could learn about this incredible gift from God to humanity. Although his life was short (he died of leukemia at the age of 15), he made a monumental impact on the lives of those around him and in the universal Church, which resulted in his cause for canonization being brought to and approved by the Vatican. Still today, he inspires those in the Church through his immense love of God and his desire to bring others to Jesus in the Eucharist. This modern-day hero is now just one step away from being pronounced the first Saint to live in this millennium! "To Always Be Close to Jesus" While so many aspects of Blessed Carlo Acutis’s story have resonated with my heart, a few in particular have granted him A-list status on my litany of Saints. The more I learned about this holy young man, the more I felt called to pray through his intercession for my students. He and they share so many similarities: playing video games, spending time online, and especially navigating the challenges of pursuing holiness amidst a world that is full of distractions and temptations. When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Blessed Carlo Acutis replied, “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.” He clearly understood that his first priority had to be his relationship with God, and I pray my students will learn that same lesson and I can be a part of that journey with them. [bctt tweet="When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Blessed Carlo Acutis replied, “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.” #BISblog //" via="no"] Encouragement to Be More Conformed to Christ To share Jesus with my students, I know that I need to conform my heart to His. Blessed Carlo Acutis reminds me how to accomplish this through his simple yet profound observation: the more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus. Amidst the chaos of the past year, I found myself clinging to the Eucharist more than ever. I knew that to successfully navigate my first year of teaching and minister to my students well, I needed to remain close to Jesus, particularly through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. On many Sunday mornings, I exhaustedly fell to my knees at Mass, desperately praying that Jesus fill me with His strength, perseverance, and love as I prepared to begin the new week. And each week, Jesus met me in the Eucharist and bestowed His refreshment and nourishment upon me, just as He promised. Blessed Carlo’s words and example remind me to draw my strength from Jesus in the Eucharist in order to share His love with those entrusted to me. Serve Him in All Circumstances I am confident that Blessed Carlo Acutis will always be a powerful intercessor for me and my students. His example shows me how to faithfully serve God in all circumstances and how to help those around me encounter Jesus through the witness of my own life. Throughout the past school year in particular, I was grateful for his prayers and inspiration. As we worked to keep our school community healthy and engaged in learning in the midst of the pandemic, we relied on technology like never before. Blessed Carlo spent years of his life finding ways to use the Internet to bring people closer to Christ, and because of the witness of his life and the way he inspired me this past year, I have come to view him as the patron Saint of online learning. As I connected with my students both in-person and virtually, I looked to Blessed Carlo for guidance in how to help my students encounter Christ. Driving to school each day, I called upon his intercession to help me live my life in the service of God as he did and to help me lead my students closer to God, however I could encounter them that day. God Knows What We Need I don't think it’s a coincidence that Blessed Carlo Acutis was beatified in the midst of this school year that was unlike any other. God knew that all of us needed a patron to intercede for us and an example to look to during this time, so he generously gave the Church the gift of Blessed Carlo. For all of us, he exemplifies how to keep our eyes on Heaven in all that we do, how to find unexpected ways to lead others to God, and how to humbly serve God wherever we are. Even as many of us return back to a more normal routine at school, my admiration and appreciation for the example of Blessed Carlo Acutis has not diminished. As I get to know my new group of students, I am continuing to entrust them to Jesus through the intercession of Blessed Carlo. As the Church prepares to celebrate his first feast day this October, I am reflecting on the ways that his example helped guide me during this past school year and the ways that he continues to inspire my life and my work. I am grateful for his intercession as I navigated the challenges of teaching through a pandemic and of helping my students and me grow in faith and knowledge during this unpredictable year. He truly is my patron Saint of online learning, and I thank God for the gift that his witness is to the Church and in my life. He continues to teach me that no matter the circumstances of my life, my priority should always be to stay close to Jesus—especially in the Eucharist—and to help those around me do the same. Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for us!   [bctt tweet="Blessed Carlo Acutis: Patron Saint of Online Learning #BISblog //" via="no"]   Katie Eilerman is a St. Louis transplant to Kansas City, where she teaches English at a local Catholic high school while studying to earn her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership through Creighton University’s Magis program. She finds God’s love in iced vanilla lattes, walks at the park, and genuine conversation with friends and shares it through liturgical music, contagious laughter, and words of affirmation.

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 Denelle! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // I am a wife, mother to three young daughters, and a retired (just kidding) former elementary school teacher. I currently am the Advancement Director for my daughters’ school and manage the accounting for our family business. I was born and raised in Southwestern Arizona, but recently took a leap of faith with my husband after feeling God calling us to relocated our family to DFW. I love cooking, but cannot follow a recipe. I have an unhealthy addiction to iced coffee, and drink it year around regardless of the weather. After three miscarriages in a rather short amount of time, I discovered a deep connection to the Blessed Mother and really sunk into the beauty of personal suffering. What is your favorite way to pray? // I love the peace of Adoration and praying through song and worship, which unfortunately does not happen often during this stage of life. With the chaos of little children and running a household, I find it extremely difficultly to carve out hours to pray. I find myself enjoying the little moments praying the Rosary with daughters, and sneaking random moments of gratitude and conversation with the Lord during school car line and driving solo. Why is community important to you? What has it felt like when you did not have good community, and how has it felt when you do? // I experienced a reversion three years ago. I grew up Protestant and despite my attending Catholic school for 6 years, I did not covert until my twenties. I attended RCIA, but never took the Catholic Faith seriously. I continually complained about what I was not getting. My husband and I left the Church for two years for the “lack of community”: we were lonely, and felt we could not share our faith with anyone because no one really lived the Faith. Upon returning to the Catholic Church, we knew that the community was what we made of it and we had to seek it out. I had discovered BIS on Instagram and became engulfed by this idea of faith-filled women living in community together. I immediately reached out to a few friends I knew were Catholic, but have never discussed Faith with. Two years later, our group has grown from four women to over 15. We meet twice a month and are constantly sharing in our group text prayer requests, praises, struggles, liturgical living ideas, and random recipes. It has become a safe place to pour out of hearts and share how Jesus is working. The Holy Spirit used my reversion to spark a deep desire for sisterhood and seek out those around me whom also longed for community. What about something about what a friend has done in your life that has radically changed your life? // I had a good friend suffer a tragic loss in her family, a child. At that time, we were friends, but our friendship had not blossomed yet into what it is today. My heart broke for this friend and as a “Martha” by nature and I had to do something, and I would not take no for an answer. She allowed me in, she let me witness her rawness; through her own suffering she saw my own desire to want to help her and allowed me to. This seems so silly to say that this radically changed me, but she did not push me away. She allowed me to be who God made me—a Martha—in her time of despair. She allowed me to be her friend out of authenticity. Her devotion for her Catholic Faith, the Blessed Mother, and tradition helped show me the true love of Jesus through her friendship during this terrible time. She allowed others to love her through her heartbreak and in return led others closer to Jesus through her example. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // Someone who is faithful, true to herself, and authentic. Someone who not only allows herself to be vulnerable, but takes my messiness and loves me anyways. We live in such a judgmental world that is it hard to be ourselves. Competition is everywhere. Friends that can be happy for your accomplishments and pray you through your trials are a gift. What kind of friend do you hope to be? // I lived most of the adolescent life and my twenties trying to keep up with those whom never saw me for who I was. I was trying to play the “popular” game, dressing the part, having the right material things, and not saying what I truly wanted to, living my faith on the inside and not the outside. Then I realized God made me. He gave me qualities to use and thoughts to share because they are from Him. He gave me those things to bring witness to others, to my friends. I hope to be a friend that does not bare false witness. A friend that is empathic, but truthful. I want to be a loyal, loving, trustworthy, and authentic friend who is known for her love of Jesus. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // The Well with Blessed is She led me closer to Jesus. I know that The Well is not a “friend”, but The Well along with Beth Davis is a beautiful collective group of sisters in Christ that through the Holy Spirit led me closer to Him. The gift of a prayer partner and having someone to talk to throughout the mentorship was a gift. I remember sharing with the group what was on my heart various times (what I thought was complete word vomit and probably made no sense) and my partner would say how beautiful it was. My broken messiness was beautiful to someone. God takes our stories and uses it to touch other people and led them closer to Him. The Holy Spirit was using Beth and my prayer partner’s words to draw me closer to Him in a more intimate way. Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Denelle #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

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 Alison! Tell us a bit about who you are and where you're from! // Hi! My name's Alison Fram and I'm from Northern Virginia. I was born and raised in the same suburban town that I still live in, with the option to drive one way and reach farmland and cows, or to drive another and reach one of the bigger cities. I'm really close with my family and spend a lot of time with my mom and my sister's family, including my super fun niece and nephew. I'm in my 9th year working full-time in parish ministry, overseeing college, young adult, and young family ministries at my home parish. My work brings me a lot of joy! What is your favorite way to pray? // I love to just come away and sit peacefully before a tabernacle or in Eucharistic Adoration. It slows me down and gives me a chance to tell God about how I'm really feeling. I also love to take long walks with my dog Daisy and talk with Him as I go. Why is community important to you? What has it felt like when you did not have good community, and how has it felt when you do? // For years and years, I asked God to give me good friends. Eventually I started asking for friends with faith. For a while, even when I was working in Church ministries, I was trying to do everything on my own. I felt that lack of true community each time I realized how I filtered my words based on who I was with. God was so good and blessed me with an abundance of great Catholic friends in the past few years, starting in college and continuing through my late-20s. To know that I can pick up my phone and have multiple people and groups to share a prayer request with or ask for support from is so comforting and reassuring. What about something about what a friend has done in your life that has radically changed your life? // One of those friends that came into my life a few years ago is my friend Jen. We met through our parish on a mission trip, and for a while we bonded over our shared love for our dogs, being aunts, and early morning workouts (where most of our exercise came from laughing). It was actually through following the Blessed is She Instagram account and reading a BIS blog post about working out that we first really started talking about God and our faith. My friendship with Jen has absolutely and radically changed my life. We trust each other enough to share the real things—the hardships of trusting in God through awful circumstances, the big challenges of being Catholic in an imperfect and hurting world, and how we just want to make being a young Catholic who loves God "normal." She shows up for me, whether it's to deliver coffee to me at work just because, or by coming to several funerals for my loved ones. Jen's friendship has taught me to be a better friend and a better person! When we sit together at Daily Mass or at Adoration, I still feel so, so grateful that God brought her into my life. What is the biggest quality you look for in a close friend? // Quality time is one of my top love languages, so it's important for me to be able to just spend time enjoying life with my closest friends. It doesn't need to be fancy or a big plan; just sitting with some coffee or ice cream and swapping stories will bring me a lot of joy. I really appreciate friends who can have those deeper conversations, too, and for me that means trusting that they're really listening! It's not easy for me to open up, so it means a lot when someone gives me their time in that way. What kind of friend do you hope to be? // My friends set the bar high here, so I'll list some of my favorite qualities about them that I hope to be able to reciprocate. I hope I'm the kind of friend that makes space in my day to show up for what's really important. I want to remember what they've told me so I can show them I care by remembering a special day, or sending a text before a big meeting, or bringing their intentions before the Lord in my prayer. I also hope I can understand that my friend might be really different from me, and it's ok for us not to react the same way to everything. We can be different people and still share this special relationship. Tell us about a time a friend led you closer to Jesus. // I have to tell you about my friend Kara, who I met when we were "friend-matched" to be prayer partners through BIS's The Well Mentorship Program. Kara and I live about three hours apart and spent hours each week on the phone before we ever met in person. I know that Kara is one of those friends I prayed for. She always encourages me to bring everything to Jesus. Even more than that, Kara has done two things to lead me closer to Jesus. The first is that she writes down all of my prayer intentions and really, really prays for them. Her prayers are powerful! And second, she offers to do spiritual things with me. If I mention that I think I need to revisit a part of our Well program, she says she'll do it with me! Or if I really feel the need to go on a retreat, she right away offers to sign up for one with me. I can't even say how much it has helped me grow in my relationship with Jesus to know that my friend Kara is walking right beside me. Now we want to hear about YOU! Answer one or any of the questions in the comments below.   [bctt tweet="BIS Sisterhood Series // Alison #BISblog #BISsisterhood //" via="no"]

One of my favorite aspects of Scripture is the meaning of people’s names. They are never random; they always have deep significance, revealing something about the person’s very essence. God uses their names to reveal a piece of their identity. For this reason, I am fairly certain that the meaning of names will always fascinate me. It is also why it was a very big deal for me when it came to choosing the name of our daughter. A Baby to Name After a couple of months of trying to conceive and having to read negative pregnancy tests, it was hard not to worry if something was wrong. It was hard not to think about it. It got to a point where I knew I needed a little bit of help in “letting go.” It was August 14th, my birthday, which also happens to be the eve of the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Since I was born on the eve of this feast—and eves of major feasts are kind of like little feast days themselves—I always felt a special devotion to Our Lady of the Assumption. That night, I decided to begin a novena asking for her intercession. Typically, one would start a novena nine days before a major feast and end their prayer in celebration. Instead, I started on the eve of the feast … the beginning of the celebration. My request was pretty simple. In fact, I don’t even know that it was so much a request as it was an “entrusting.” I simply handed over all my worries and concerns about conceiving a baby into her hands, with complete faith that she would give me peace. We did not conceive that month, or the next month, or the following month. And while I can’t say that I was not disappointed, I can say I was not worried anymore. It was in the hands of Our Lady, and I trusted her completely. A Positive Test At the end of November, I was actually surprised when the pregnancy test I took had a second pink line. Obviously I knew pregnancy was a possibility, but somehow, it was still a shock when it actually happened. Chris responded in the same way as well—he even asked me to take a second pregnancy test just to be sure. Due to travel plans and closed doctors’ offices over Christmas, we were not able to see an OB until we were nearly in the second-trimester. It was surreal to see that peanut-shaped baby on the screen of the ultrasound, and the doctor gave us our official due date. It was not until later that evening as I prayed before bed that I realized the due date was within a week of my birthday … meaning it was within a week of the Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption … meaning the baby could be born on the feast day of the very person I had asked for help. I knew in that moment that this little babe existed thanks to the intercession of Our Lady of the Assumption. And I was kind of in awe. The Naming Dance At that point, we were still months away from knowing the gender, but I couldn’t help but think back to the previous August. During the time I was praying the novena, I remember looking up the meaning of the girl’s name, “Imogene” as it was the current favorite on my personal short list. Originally, I had simply liked it for its southern-sound and Irish roots, as well as for the fact that it was both unique and traditional. However, I also thought it was a little more than a coincidence that this name meant “maiden.” Obviously it is not explicitly a Marian name, but it certainly seemed to go along with who Mary was when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. I remember thinking, “How perfect would it be if we conceived this month and had a little girl? We could name her Imogene after Our Lady.” Having learned the due date, and being convinced even more so that the Feast of the Assumption was tied to the existence of our little one, I was pretty hung up on that name if the baby was a girl. Chris wasn’t as fond of the name as I was, and not wanting to be pushy or make this a one-sided decision, I agreed to a name that we both liked, “Alice Olivia.” A Wrench Thrown After finding out the gender on March 19th—the feast of Saint Joseph—we began to call our baby girl by the name we had agreed upon, but it always sounded weird to me. The more we used it and the more others said it out loud, the more “wrong” it felt. “Alice Olivia … Alice Olivia … Alice Olivia …” the name would actually echo in my head each time I heard it, almost like it was taunting me. One day I came home from work and told Chris that I was struggling big time with the name Alice,and he already knew why. “You want the name Imogene, don’t you?” he asked me. All I could do was nod. The Image of Her Mother Though he was pretty upset, Chris was very gracious and took the name to prayer, considering my own experience and explanation of its unveiling to me as well. After a couple of weeks, he was more at peace about the name and agreed that it did seem to reveal the littlest bits that we knew about our daughter. It revealed both to us and to the world, just a teeny tiny bit of her essence, just like all the names in Scripture. Chris then had the perfect suggestion for her middle name: Catherine. The meaning of the name Catherine is “pure.” Pair it with the name Imogene and our daughter would be named after a pure maiden … one so pure that sin had no decaying effects on her body and she was assumed into Heaven (aka Our Lady of the Assumption). Being the obsessed, theological nerd that I am, I did a few more in-depth searches and discovered another possible meaning for the name Imogene: “the image of her mother.” This pretty much sealed the deal for us. Not only is our little Immy named after Our Lady of the Assumption, a pure maiden, and calls upon her continued patronage, but it is also a prayer for our daughter, that she would be an image of our Heavenly mother here on earth and in this way draw others to her Son, Jesus. What’s your baby’s story? Does he or she exist because of the intercession of a heavenly friend?   [bctt tweet="Our Lady of the Assumption and Our Baby #BISblog //" via="no"]

I will never forget that ecstatic feeling, as we sat on top of "First", the minor summit above Grindelwald, Switzerland. We were a troupe of 10, making our way to the 50th Charismatic Jubilee celebrations in Rome and had stopped to soak in some Swiss splendor. One morning, I made my way alone to a tiny hill where we gathered for our early morning worship. As I walked amidst the serene, still, gigantic landscape, I heard it. I raced uphill, my heart pulsating with what felt so familiar, until I saw it—a river—gushing forth from the mountains, flooding my sight with sensational awe, as the words "current of grace" inundated my spirit. That afternoon, I learnt that it was very unusual to sight melting snow in May. Current of grace, indeed! Made for Heaven I really think this is why Jesus did it, why He showed a glimpse of His heavenly glory to Peter, John, and James in the Transfiguration and why He continues to woo us with beauty, truth, and mercy on earth. We are made for Heaven. In this feast, we are invited to those “thin places” where the membrane separating Heaven and earth becomes transparent and Jesus is seen "unveiled". Standing with Moses and Elijah, His face shone like the sun, His garments glowing with light, as a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from Heaven thundered: This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! Who Do You Say I Am? The favored disciples saw what always was, what we rightfully profess in the Creed: “God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God.” But there is so much more than just dazzling light on Mount Tabor. Jesus reveals who He is. In a world of quick fixes, addictive lifestyles and moral abandonment, to consider a kingdom Jesus offers, leaves us with a question we cannot escape: ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Matthew 16:15) Jesus is not asking, “What have you heard about me?” He is not even asking, “Who does the Church say I am?” Rather He asks, “Who do you say I am?” The question is personal. It is life-changing. Do I know Jesus? Have I encountered Him personally? While the disciples may have recognized Christ as the Messiah, they often failed to act in proper reverence. It is only when they walked intimately with Jesus that their response moved from a posture of familiarity to one of faith. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us: The essence of Christianity is Christ, not a doctrine, but a person. This is what the Transfiguration is: a "getaway" to know Christ, to encounter Him and to be transformed by His light. Only Jesus Remains As suddenly as it all began, it also faded. The patriarchs disappeared leaving the disciples with no one, but Jesus. Only Jesus remained. Only Jesus remains. “Listen to Him” the voice of Heaven demands. We live in an age where listening is drowned out with noise and busyness. Listening demands time and stillness. No wonder we settle for doing rather than listening. Peter’s impetuous suggestion to build shelters could well be ours. How different he is from Mary whose quiet pondering enabled her to sustain her pilgrimage uphill Calvary? Are we taking time to listen to Jesus? I received the word "linger" for 2021. It didn’t take long to realize that my life was consumed with crammed calendars and unsurpassable schedules, robbing me of the solitude my soul demanded. I comprehend today that the Lord was requesting my "getaway" to prepare me for months that followed, months heavy and hard, months flooded with trials and tears. A Time of Preparation How gracious that the Lord prepares us for such. How kind that He beckons us to come so He can listen to and comfort the one He calls beloved. Saint Ignatius describes this as spiritual consolation—an interior movement within, where the soul becomes inflamed by Grace. We are called to soak up and store these Divine consolations so that they may sustain us in the future. I have been spending time reliving consolations. How desperate I am for this current of grace that floods my soul each time I remain, linger, and listen. When I listen, I can recognize Jesus, when I listen I can follow Him more closely. Descend to Discipleship While the trip to Switzerland left me with mountain-top wonder, the journey downward to Rome reminded me why. We gathered at Circus Maximus, with people from across the world, listening to Pope Francis charge, "the harvest is plenty, the laborers few. Go, the world needs you." Those words dispelled any romantic notions I had about discipleship. I realized how easy it is to live in the ecstasy of being chosen and forget the mandate of being commissioned. How tempting it is to cling to mountain-top euphoria and want to control where I am going. But discipleship isn’t about going or even arriving, it is about following. If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. // Matthew 16:24 No matter how high we ascend, the Cross still shines. What does it mean to follow Jesus? Will I go where He leads? Am I willing to descend to the most unlikely places? Am I willing to live with ambiguity, insecurity, and vulnerability? The Transfiguration reminds us of Who we follow. He who gives us wings to soar on great summits also accompanies us in the valley of the shadow of death. As we follow Him to "Jerusalem", we who are surprised by His Glory are unavoidably transformed by His Grace. [bctt tweet="How easy it is to live in the ecstasy of being chosen and forget the mandate of being commissioned! #BISblog //" via="no"] You are the Light At the end of the stunning experience, the disciples came down the mountain, where they witnessed and ministered. This is our journey, too. Transformed by Light, we carry light. Who in your "Jerusalem" needs Christ’s light today? You are the concrete sign of the Transfiguration: a light for the world, a city on a hill. Flooded by currents of grace (see Ephesians 3:20), you are a vessel of hope and healing to a world weighed down by suffering. You are the light because Christ’s light is within you. Even on the darkest of nights, Jesus, your lamp, will never go out. Community Sent Forth On days when I’m tired and when the glow of Mount Tabor remains but a distant memory, I lean into my community. In the sisterhood, I have found fellow travelers who are willing to walk with me, linger, and listen to my woes. Together we discover that our earthbound experiences, however pleasant, are temporary. We still suffer, but we don’t have to suffer alone. We don't have to wake up in the dark. We can share our burdens. We can share our consolations. We can share our light. And yet, all the mountain-top experiences are nothing compared to what awaits us as Children of the Light. When all is dimmed this side of eternity, we will stand face to face, before the real, risen, and radiant One, who took on the longest journey there ever will be, to bring us to Heaven, to bring us home. There we shall live on Mount Zion with Him. There we shall see what no eye has seen. There we shall touch the trophies of His Grace. There we shall be transfigured with Him. We will be like Him because we shall see Him as He is. // 1 John 3:2   [bctt tweet="On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord #BISblog //" via="no"]

I was nineteen and it all happened very gradually. First I was noticing achy knees and feet, but thought it was due to all of the running I had been doing since the onset of summertime. Then I found myself struggling to walk up the stairs, but simply chalked it up to morning stiffness because of my early hours as a barista. But then it became hard to tie my shoes, and I had to take my time tying them when before it was an action which barely required much thought. It’s not a good sign when your body fails to recognize the difference between your healthy cells and those that are foreign. But this is exactly what happens when we talk about autoimmune disease, one of the most common being rheumatoid arthritis. This is a disease when one’s immune system attacks the healthy cells and tissues, thus causing inflammation and potentially organ damage. A disease in which it would be nice to have a special intercessor. Saint Alphonsus, Special Patron Perhaps you have heard of Saint Peregrine, the patron Saint of those suffering from cancer. Or maybe Saint Lidwina, the patron Saint of the chronically ill (she herself became paralyzed after gangrene set in after an ice-skating accident). But did you know that there is a patron Saint of arthritis sufferers, too? His name is Saint Alphonus Liguori, a former lawyer, bishop, moral theologian, and now a Doctor of the Church. He is also the Founder of the Redemptorists Order, an order whose charism is to serve the poor, both materially and spiritually. Sharing His Gifts As A Talented Lawyer Liguori was born near Naples, Italy in 1696, the first of seven children. His mother came from a family of nobility and his father was a captain in the Royal Navy. His parents' devotion to him and to his education landed him doctorates of civil and canon law from Naples university at the age of sixteen. This was four years earlier than normal! It was common for nobles to join the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy. He joined when he turned eighteen, serving with a compassionate heart as he took care of those in the hospital who were considered “incurable”, feeding them and washing their clothes. Even decades ago one couldn’t escape the pressure given by their parents, despite this pressure being given out of good will. Liguori’s father desired him to be a lawyer, and before he even reached the age of twenty he was considered to be one of the most talented lawyers in the city of Naples. It was believed that he had not lost a single case, until the one he lost right before he left the career. Despite his popularity and the praise he was so often given, it was not enough to satisfy him. He longed for something deeper. While he had been ministering to those in the hospital he heard a voice saying “Leave the world and give yourself to Me." This call gave him the courage to face the disappointment of his father when he resigned as a lawyer to enter the priesthood. He was ordained at twenty years old. The Redemptorist Mission There is no doubt that this man had passion. He was a man of zeal both when it came to the law, and as a priest. The poor were close to his heart, and he could not abandon them. Eight years into his vocation as a very popular priest and confessor, he knew he needed to leave his family and friends in order to give himself more fully to serving the poor. He found others to accompany him in this mission and thus began his founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. A Redemptorist mission would bring together the congregation's priests and brothers to share the Gospel and minister to the spiritual needs in specific areas. They didn’t just preach a mission and depart. The priests and brothers lived together in the community where they were sent on mission. This allowed them to do their mission work in a way which showed the people the true love of God. A love which does not leave or forsake. When Alphonsus came to speak, the people would follow him to the neighboring churches and towns where he preached. He had a way of connecting with the poor and uneducated and he served them tirelessly. In addition to his life immersed with the poor, he also wrote over one hundred books. One of his most popular books is titled Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. This book is a thirty-one day to day guide to meeting with the Lord throughout the course of a month. Each day Liguori offers a meditation and a prayer to Jesus, but he does not neglect our Mother, including a prayer to the Blessed Mother to conclude each Eucharistic visit. He always encouraged prayer, writing, “If you pray, your salvation will be secure.” A Companion for those Suffering Alphonsus didn’t fail to serve the sick and the suffering, but even he too could be considered in those very categories. Later in his life he suffered from the pain of arthritis which eventually necessitated the use of a wheelchair as well as a permanently crooked neck. An experience which now makes him a patron for those struggling with the same afflictions. In addition, he struggled with scrupulosity, a kind of “crippling conscience”. In his times of hardship he would gather with his friends to pray, often to Our Lady, the one whom he wanted by his side on the day he would die. The night before he died, he asked for Our Lady and asked for her intercession throughout the night, holding her image in his hands. He died at the age of ninety one on August 1st, during the ringing of the noon Angelus bell. He would be canonized a Saint just fifty-two years later in 1839. Any other arthritis sufferers out there? We have this incredible Saint praying for us!   [bctt tweet="Saint Alphonsus Liguori + Rheumatoid Arthritis #BISblog //" via="no"]

One time, I snapped at my husband about the day’s Gospel reading. We didn’t hold opposing beliefs. We didn’t interpret a fundamental teaching differently. We simply read the words uttered by Saint Martha in the Gospel of Luke in practically opposite ways. “As they continued their journey, he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at His feet listening to Him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to Him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.’” // Luke 10:38-40 Dave and I were in the midst of our morning routine, adding steaming water to the pourover coffee maker in between getting breakfast for our kids and packing our son’s school snack. He filled two mugs and passed one to me as we started chatting about the day’s readings. That’s when he said, “I think Martha just said that offhandedly and everyone made a bigger deal of it than she meant it to be.” My jaw dropped. Anxious and Worried About Many Things “You are so wrong!” I exclaimed (speaking far less delicately than I would to anyone else on the planet). “You don’t understand her at all!” I continued, “She was trying so hard to do a good job and get everything done that needed to get done and make sure everyone was taken care of! She must have been so frustrated seeing Mary sitting there because that’s what she wanted to do! But if everyone just sits there, nothing gets done! She finally asked for help because she was at her breaking point!” Dave looked at me curiously. Compassionately. Then, he softly said, “Are you sure you’re talking about Martha?” That caught me off-guard. Falling Short of What? Around the time I became a mother, I grew more obsessed than ever with being productive. As my “free” time dwindled to the minutes stolen between feedings or during naps, it felt as though there was never enough time to accomplish everything I wanted to do. Every chore was left half-finished. Every writing session was interrupted. Every workout was cut short. I felt resentful if I saw my husband sit down when there were still unchecked items on my to-do list. I am sure, looking back, that I did occasionally finish things, but it never felt like enough. Everything felt essential, time-sensitive, and, most of all, like a direct reflection on my worth. I knew I needed help, but my pride insisted that asking for help meant I had failed. So, day after day, I swallowed those sinking feelings of overwhelm and frustration, went to bed disappointed, and felt my anxiety levels slowly climb out of my control. The Better Part Later that day, I opened the words of the Gospel again. The Lord said to her in reply, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.’ // Luke 10:41-42 My tender heart could not bear to read these words as a scolding. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what else Jesus might have said to his dear friend Martha, or what He might have expressed to her through his loving gaze and gentle tone. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. I see you. I see how hard you are working. But right now, I don’t need food or drink or for your kitchen to be clean—I just want your presence. I just want you near to Me. I want to speak with you and laugh with you and listen to what is on your heart. I want to give you peace and contentment in My presence. I want to speak life and truth over you. I want you to find your identity in Me, not in your work or your productivity. I call you by name. I love you. I see you. Cast all your worries and anxieties on Me. Let Me give you rest.” As I imagined Him saying these words to Martha, I let Him say them to me as well. The One Jesus Loves We don’t know very much about Saint Martha, other than the three references to her across the Gospels of Luke and John. The first is the above exchange at Martha and Mary’s home. The second is when the sisters send word to Jesus about their brother Lazarus’ serious illness. In the midst of that chapter is John 11:5, which says simply, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” It blew my mind when I realized that every reference in John’s Gospel to “the disciple Jesus loved” was John referring to himself. I can only imagine that his perfect confidence in Christ’s deep and abiding love for him came from his place at the foot of the Cross. What if I too could find that assurance at the feet of Jesus, sitting beside these sisters that Jesus loved? It took years of prayer and months of therapy to break free from the anxiety that had determined my thoughts and actions for most of my life. To recognize and embrace that I, like Saint Martha, Saint Mary, Saint Lazarus, and Saint John, am one that Jesus loves. That He invites me, too, to set down all of my work and be near to Him. [bctt tweet="I, like Saint Martha, Saint Mary, and Saint Lazarus, am one that Jesus loves. #BISblog //" username="lisajanelkirk"] Jesus, You know me. You know when I sit and when I stand. You understand my thoughts from afar. You sift through my travels and my rest. With all my ways, you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, You know it all (Psalm 139). Help me to lay everything down. Give me the strength to let things wait or to let go of them altogether so that I can rest in Your presence. Reorder the priorities in my heart to align with Yours. Amen. Do you relate to Saint Martha? How do you answer Jesus’ invitation to sit at His feet?   [bctt tweet="Martha, Martha... // Anxious and Worried #BISblog //" username="lisajanelkirk"]

Imagine having to learn Scripture, not through paging through the pages of your Bible, but by walking into your church and viewing its artwork. The Legend of St. Joachim, Meeting at the Golden Gate is a fresco painted by one of Italy’s most remarkable painters of the 14th century, Giotto di Bondone. Giotto is known for his beautiful panel paintings done by Fresco. During the 1300s, most of Europe was unable to read, nor did they have easy access to the Bible which at the time, was written by hand. Giotto’s artwork served as illustrations for Scripture, a visual aid for people to understand and enter into the Bible’s stories. The Legend of the Golden Gate This illustration by Giotto shows the story of Saints Joachim and Anne. The legend goes that while Joachim was traveling, an angel appeared to him, telling him to meet his wife Anne at the golden gate in Jerusalem. The angel brought Joachim an answer to his prayers and told him that his wife had conceived. The same angel then gave this message to Anne and departed from her. They then joyously met one another at the gate, embracing and kissing one another. While what we know about these two Saints is passed on through tradition and legend, it is believed that they suffered the cross of infertility for years before they conceived their daughter Mary. Through their patience and faith, we can turn to these two Saints when we are striving to live more fully in the present moment and trust in God’s plan. The Home of Saints Joachim and Anne Upon entering the Old City of Jerusalem there is a Romanesque church which can be found just inside the Muslim Quarter. This is the site of the beautiful and well-maintained Crusader Church of Saint Anne. The church is known for its spectacular acoustics that resound off the austere stone walls, making one quiet voice amplified as it bounces off every crevice. Below the church is where historians believe that Jesus’ grandparents lived and where Mary grew up. As you walk into the church there are stone steps which lead down to the crypt chapel. While today it looks like a cave, this is where you can see the remnants of Saints Joachim and Anne’s home. Just a few steps away from Saint Anne’s you will find the Pools of Bethesda. This is the spot where Jesus healed the paralytic in the Gospel of John, telling him to rise up and walk. The home where Mary grew up is also near the start of the Via Dolorosa, or Stations of the Cross. This paralytic was asked to take up his mat and walk while Jesus was asked to take up the cross and walk. A walk which would lead to the healing and transformation of all of us who are paralyzed by sin. Teaching Virtue Today the Church of Saint Anne is entrusted to The White Fathers who carry with them the mission of passing on the Faith through evangelization and education. The White Fathers are continuing the same task of Jesus’ grandparents. Mary’s parents raised their daughter with a solid formation and reading of Scripture. They provided her with a faith she could pass on to her own Son. We must not forget the important role that Mary’s parents had in her upbringing. Even Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has addressed the significance and value of the family and the role that grandparents play. He said: Thinking of grandparents, of their testimony of love and fidelity to life, reminds us of the Biblical figures of Abraham and Sarah, of Elizabeth and Zechariah, of Joachim and Anne, as well as of the elderly Simeon and Anna and even Nicodemus: they all remind us that at every age the Lord asks each one for the contribution of his or her own talents. Again, we can call on the intercession of Saints Joachim and Anne to help us rise up to the occasion of sharing the Good News of the Gospel. A “Catholic” Grandparents Day One of the great joys of our Catholic Faith is celebrating the great faith of the Saints who intercede for us from Heaven today. Here are a few ideas inspired by teachingcatholickids.com for celebrating the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. You can participate in these activities whether you are single, married, or have children. If your grandparents live nearby, invite them over for a meal and go for a walk outside afterwards. If you live too far away from your grandparents to join them for a meal, give them a call or send them a card, thanking them for the gift that they have been in your life. Are you looking for some wise counsel? Consider asking them some of your own life questions. Reach out to an elderly neighbor or visit them in a nursing home. If you have children, have them design cards which they can bring along as gifts. Another fun activity you can do with children is to color this Saints Joachim and Anne coloring page and send it to grandparents. Finally, pray for your grandparents. Here is a beautiful prayer written by Pope Benedict XVI. I included a part of it below! A Prayer for Grandparents Lord Jesus, you were born of the Virgin Mary, the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne. Look with love on grandparents the world over. Protect them! They are a source of enrichment for families, for the Church and for all of society. Support them! As they grow older, may they continue to be for their families strong pillars of Gospel faith, guardians of noble domestic ideals, living treasuries of sound religious traditions. Make them teachers of wisdom and courage, that they may pass on to future generations the fruits of their mature human and spiritual experience. Amen.   How will you celebrate the lives of Saints Joachim and Anne? What intentions do you want them to intercede for on your behalf? Entrust your heart to the parents who helped to form the Mother of God.   [bctt tweet="Meeting at the Golden Gate // Saints Joachim and Anne #BISblog //" via="no"]