Philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand gives us both the reason and the spiritual tools to cultivate a life of virtue, discipline, surrender, and love.

Early in my twenties, I went on a pilgrimage to Turin, Italy. My main goal was to visit the tombs of Blessed Pier Giorgio and Saint John Bosco. As I walked into the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, where Saint John Bosco was buried, I was filled with wonder at the stunning beauty of it. The architecture and artwork of that church is a deep reflection of the majesty of our Catholic faith. Our Lady Help of Christians is the title of Mother Mary that Saint John Bosco loved so dearly and for whom he had built the Basilica I was entering in her honor. As I knelt before Saint John Bosco’s body, that is partially incorrupt, I felt a strong desire to ask his intercession for my future. Through his intercession, I entrusted to God my vocation: my future husband and children. The moment I did this, I felt such peace and excitement.  Several years later, I met my husband Mike through a young adult group I helped create in honor of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. A few months after our wedding, we found out I was going to have a baby, and my due date was May 24, the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. All throughout my pregnancy I prayed for my son through the intercession of those two holy men from Turin, Italy: Blessed Pier Giorgio and Saint John Bosco My son was born on his due date, the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. A few months ago, I was able to return to Our Lady Help of Christians, to the exact place I had prayed ten years prior. This time, instead of prayers of petition, I offered joyful prayers of thanksgiving. God, through the intercession of Saint John Bosco and Mother Mary, the help of Christians, fulfilled the desires of my heart. After years of infertility I know the miracle of my son’s life—the power of their intercession, and the life changing reality of prayer.  A Prophetic Dream Though the Marian title “Help of Christians” had been used for years, it was Saint John Bosco who helped promulgate it. He often had prophetic dreams (you can read some of them HERE), and one in particular led him to a greater devotion to our Lady.  In his dream, he saw the Church represented by a ship on a stormy sea, passing through two pillars into safety. On the top of one of the pillars was an image of our Lady with the words “Help of Christians” and on the other was a Eucharistic Host with the words, “Salvation of the Faithful” underneath. The imagery is clear: Saint John Bosco knew that through the Eucharist and the Intercession of Our Lady Help of Christians, our Church will find refuge, safety, peace, and joy in the storms of this life.  Our Lady Help of Christians Saint John Bosco helped build the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians and created a religious order, the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. Thousands come each year to ask our Lady’s intercession. I think back to a few months ago, when I was blessed to have the Sacrament of Confession in this Basilica, built by Saint John Bosco and many of his faithful friends. After confessing my sins the priest replied, with a smile, “Turn to our Lady; she wants to help you. She will help you! She is the help of all Christians!” In our sin, sorrow, suffering, and storms—let us hold these words of my confessor at our hearts’ helm: our Lady is the help of all Christians! On this feast day of Saint John Bosco, may we ask our Lady’s intercession and share in the glory of Saint John Bosco and all the Saints.

The New Year A Time to Reflect and Resolve One of my favorite quotes comes from the most quotable Catholic: G.K. Chesterton. He writes of the New Year and resolutions: “The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective” (source).  Taking his words to heart, with each new year I take time to reflect on the past twelve months, and then create a small list of resolutions and goals for the upcoming new year. One goal that remains the same each year is to read. Though I make changes to what that looks like each year, the heart of the resolution remains the same: to make reading good books a priority. My Reading Plan: How I Met My Goals In the year 2023, I read sixty books, the most I have read in a single year to date. To reach this goal I did a few things. First, I decided what authors I wanted to focus on last year. Though I read a variety of authors' writings, I chose a few to include works from each month: Jane Austen, Dietrich von Hildebrand, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Pope Benedict XVI, and David McCullough.  Next, I created a word processing document and wrote out the months of the year, writing out the titles of each book I wanted to read under the month. After that, I looked at how many pages were in each book and then divided those pages by how many days in the month there are. That number would be the number of pages I would read each day of the month for that book.  For example, my copy of the book The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos has 298 pages in it. I listed that book in my December column, so I divided 298 by 31, for a total of 9.6. I would read 10 pages from that book on each day of December. Doing this for each book helped make my reading goals much more attainable. {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} Difficult Yet Life-Giving  What helped the most was acknowledging that to reach my goal of sixty books would be difficult, and some days I wouldn’t want to do all of my planned reading. I coupled that thought with this reality: that if I completed my goal, if I prioritized reading every day, I would be a different person in one of the most beautiful ways at the end of the year. As I write this in December, and I am finishing up the last few chapters of my December books, I can truly say: I am a different person not just because of the beautiful words, thoughts, ideas, and wisdom from the books I read, but also because of the discipline and sacrifice it took to read those books.  Resolving To Read You don’t have to read sixty books this year. But you should read. Even one book. And if you don’t think you have the time, look at how much time is spent on your phone. Maybe a resolution this year can be reading one page of a book before picking up your phone to scroll social media. Reading fills our hearts more than a phone ever will. Reading good books opens up our minds and hearts, gifting and gracing us, leading us to discipline, virtue, and the beautiful.  What’s On Your List? Here is my 2023 book list for inspiration! Have you read any of these books on the list? What did you read this year? Please let us all know for ideas and motivation!  My 2023 Book List January Friends of God by Josemaría Escrivá  Be Healed by Dr. Bob Schuchts Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyła The Journal of Raïssa Maritain The Excellent 11 by Ron Clark Aesthetics, Vol. 1 by Dietrich von Hildebrand February Aesthetics, Vol. 2 by Dietrich von Hildebrand The Case for Catholicism by Trent Horn Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Saint Paul by Pope Benedict XVI Truman, Vol. 1 by David McCullough I Believe in Love by Fr. Jean C. J. d’Elbée March Truman, Vol. 2 by David McCullough The Nature of Love by Dietrich von Hildebrand Mansfield Park by Jane Austen Making Sense Out of Suffering by Peter Kreeft Her Last Conversations by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, edited by John Clarke, OCD April Ethics by Dietrich von Hildebrand Emma by Jane Austen To Know Jesus Christ by Frank Sheed You Have Words of Eternal Life by Hans Urs von Balthasar Letters of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Vol. 1 May Morality and Situation Ethics by Dietrich von Hildebrand Persuasion by Jane Austen The Wild Orchid by Sigrid Undset On the Way to Jesus Christ by Pope Benedict XVI Letters of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Vol. 2 One Million Followers by Brendan Kane June Graven Images by Dietrich von Hildebrand Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) The One Thing is Three by Father Michael Gaitley  The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux July Jaws of Death: Gate of Heaven by Dietrich von Hildebrand Wise Blood by Flannery O’Conner The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux  The Power of Silence by Cardinal Robert Sarah Introduction to Christianity Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) August In Defense of Purity by Dietrich von Hildebrand The Prayers of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Hold On to Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld Wisdom of the Heart by Peter Kreeft Prayer and Intelligence by Jacques and Raïssa Maritain I Would Like to Travel the World by Guy Gaucher  September Liturgy & Personality by Dietrich von Hildebrand Story of a Soul by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux October The Art of Living by Dietrich von Hildebrand 1776 by David McCullough A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken Thérèse by Dorothy Day What is Philosophy? by Dietrich von Hildebrand November Man and Woman by Dietrich von Hildebrand Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough Two Sisters in the Spirit by Hans Urs von Balthasar Gratitude by Dietrich von Hildebrand  Virtues of the Human Heart by Joseph Pieper December The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos The Divine Project by Pope Benedict XVI The Pioneers by David McCullough Peace of Soul by Fulton Sheen   Whether you have already prepared a book list for 2024 or not, it is not too late to get started! Make your list today!

Rome’s Four Major Basilicas I recently had the opportunity to lead a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy. In preparation for the pilgrimage, I was able to create the itinerary. Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world, with endless places to explore, yet I knew the most important on the list to visit would be the four major papal basilicas of Rome. Saint Peter’s, Saint Paul Outside the Wall, Saint Mary Major, and the Lateran Basilica, also known as Saint John Lateran (the dedication of which we celebrate today), are considered among the most extraordinary places in the world. The history of each basilica is profound and beautiful (I love this detailed website that explains each). Aside from housing Jesus in the Eucharist and being places of worship, some would claim that the importance lies in the architecture and artwork. And though these characteristics are phenomenal in all four, I placed these four basilicas on our itinerary for a much different reason. An Opportunity For Grace The Church in the Manual of Indulgences teaches that, “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who visit, and there devoutly recite an Our Father and the Creed, one of the four Patriarchal Basilicas in Rome, either as part of a group making a pilgrimage to the basilica, or at least with the purpose of expressing during the visit filial submission to the Roman Pontiff.” I knew it was incredibly important to do my utmost to offer an opportunity for each pilgrim to visit these basilicas and strive to receive this indulgence. How Can We Celebrate? Today, on the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, which is the pope’s cathedral, the majority of us will not be in Rome visiting this great basilica that was consecrated on this date in the year 324. So, how can we celebrate? How can we participate in this grace-filled day? I propose that we, the faithful, look to the words of the Manual of Indulgences that we just read, as a guide. If we are able to, let us visit a church today, and recite an Our Father and the Creed for Our Holy Father, Pope Francis.  For the Temple of God, Which You Are, Is Holy In today’s Second Reading, we hear Saint Paul telling us that we “are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Let us lay a strong foundation—a foundation of prayer, a foundation of hope, a foundation of charity—with Jesus Christ as our cornerstone. Throughout the centuries, fire and earthquake have repeatedly ravaged the structure of Saint John Lateran. Yet each time, it has been rebuilt—beautifully strong, for Him. May we, too, be rebuilt in love by the Humble Carpenter Himself.

A little sign of hope after seven years of experiencing infertility is that I have a long list of baby names. My husband and I have always dreamt of having a daughter. If that prayer petition is answered, we will honor Mother Mary, who has been our dear intercessor while carrying this cross, by naming our daughter in honor of her, our Queen and Mother. In paragraphs 2158 and 2159 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read: God calls each one by name. Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it. The name one receives is a name for eternity. In the kingdom, the mysterious and unique character of each person marked with God's name will shine forth in splendor. What a beautiful truth of our faith!  Each person’s name is noble, sacred, and beautiful. It is the icon of the person. Icons are not just painted, they are prayed into reality. As Pope Benedict XVI said so profoundly, “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” God calls each of us, who He thought of and formed, so fearfully and wonderfully, by name. I love contemplating the joy God takes in Mother Mary’s name. Mary—a name repeated often by the Christ Child, by the Angels, by the Saints, by many sinners, by you and by me. What joy Our Lord must take when we honor His Mother by naming our children after her! These are some of my favorite Marian baby names: Miriam Marie Maria Mari Maryann Lourdes Fatima Maren Dolores Bernadette Eva Regina Stella  Cora Gabriella What would you add to this Marian baby name list? What is your name? Do you know the meaning of your name? If you have a baby, what is their name and name meaning?  Know that whatever your name is, you are called by God. Know that He loves you, and that there is a place He is preparing for you, to welcome you by name, into His kingdom.

The Royal Mother and the Little Queen  Today on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, I am reminded of a quote from my favorite Saint. On August 21, 1897, a day prior to this great feast we celebrate today, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, just over a month before she died, bedridden and in pain, said of Our Lady: “We know very well that the Blessed Virgin is Queen of heaven and earth, but she is more Mother than Queen” (St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations, p. 161). In no way was Saint Thérèse diminishing or slighting the great reality of Mary’s Queenship; she knew well the love involved when being called by that royal title, as her father had nicknamed her his “Little Queen.” Rather, Saint Thérèse was speaking from her experience, her lived relationship with Our Lady, who Jesus Himself instructed us to call “Mother” (see John 19:27). The Wisdom of a Saint To fully understand this quote we must not separate it from the sentences Saint Thérèse spoke right before this: “For a sermon on the Blessed Virgin to please me and do me any good, I must see her real life, not her imagined life. I’m sure that her real life was very simple. They show her to us as unapproachable, but that she lived by faith just like ourselves” (Last Conversations, p. 161.) Saint Thérèse knew that Mary is our Mother, knowing our hardships, our sufferings, and our trials. Saint Thérèse knew that Mary isn’t in a faraway castle; rather, she is with us, and desires to be with us, in our simple, everyday lives.  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} In Her Height of Agony Let us go back to when these words were spoken by Saint Thérèse. We have become numb to words, even someone’s fatal diagnosis of tuberculosis, and we tend to read them without much further thought. Often we hear stories about how the Saints died and we don’t pause to contemplate the horrific suffering so many of them experienced within their final moments. When we truly contemplate the suffering, both physical and the spiritual—the hemoptysis, the applications of painful vesicatory treatments that blistered her body,  the “mere thought of [which] made her shudder” (Last Conversations, p. 35), the immobility, the swollen limbs, the intestinal pains that made her feel like she was sitting on “iron spikes,” (Last Conversations, p. 162), the unbearable agony of every breath as her lungs collapsed, her suffocation, her dark night of the soul during the height of her torturous death—that is when we realize the profundity of her words. That is when we can realize why Saint Thérèse was reaching out not only for her Queen, but for her Mother.  The Intercession of A Mother Though most of us are not experiencing the great sufferings that Saint Thérèse experienced, each of us knows what suffering is and each of us has our own cross. Saint Thérèse teaches us that no matter the degree of our pain, we have a Mother beside us who loves us, who intercedes for us, who loves us. In turn, our great Mother Mary teaches us that the proper response to suffering is to gaze upon her Son, to enter into His own suffering. At the Cross, amidst the greatest suffering the world has ever known and will ever know, we do not find a woman who is angry or bitter at the death of her Son. Rather we find a woman, clothed in the beauty of love, with one mission: to gaze upon and share in the suffering of her Son and intercede for those who inflicted the suffering. Mary’s response is always love. Whenever we cry out to her for help, Mary brings us to Christ, the Beautiful One. And that is what makes her the greatest of Queens.

“True, one can fall or commit infidelities, but, knowing how to draw profit from everything, love quickly consumes everything that can be displeasing to Jesus; it leaves nothing but a humble and profound peace in the depths of the heart.” // Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul Over the past few years, I made it a goal to read as many of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux’s writings as possible. She’s been my best heavenly friend from my youth and a dear patron Saint. From her poems and her letters, to her prayers and her plays, and especially within the words found within her autobiography—the greatest theme of all that she writes is God’s Merciful Love.  Saint Thérèse’s fundamental message is that God is merciful and we can actively participate in this “totally gratuitous” gift through both accepting His mercy and, in turn, extending that same mercy to others (Story of a Soul)), p. 15). The whole of Saint Thérèse’s life, teachings, message, and autobiography flow from this great reality: that God so loved the world that He mercifully gave His only Son to us, that we may have life with Him and have it in abundance. This is the Good News, the one message that all the Saints, totally uniquely, echo in their lives: that God is love and His love extends to us, sinners, in Merciful Love.  This message of mercy was the focus of Saint Thérèse’s life. As she herself puts it, “To me He has granted His infinite Mercy, and through it I contemplate and adore the other divine perfections! All of these perfections appear to be resplendent with love; even His Justice (and perhaps this even more so than the others) seems to me clothed in love” (Story of a Soul, p. 180). Her complete surrender to God’s Merciful Love is what gave her the strength to practice charity towards others, to live out her “little way,” to intercede for others in her sufferings, and to make all of her beautiful sacrifices. What I noticed as I read about Saint Thérèse, was that as she accepted God’s mercy and love, she extended that same mercy and love to others. This is the proper response that we must have when we experience God’s mercy, for we read in Scripture, “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13.) When we experience God’s Merciful Love, especially in the Sacrament of Confession, we must extend mercy and love. We must offer it to others, as He has to us. {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} We have no reason to fear God and every reason to trust in Him and surrender all to Him. God is love. And His love is so deep and complete that He turns toward us in mercy. God’s Merciful Love is always available to us, and what a gift it is to be able to receive that overwhelming love and mercy! We are all in need of His mercy. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke that mercy is not for the righteous, but for sinners (see Luke 5:32). God’s mercy isn’t extended to us just once or twice; rather it is offered to us “seventy times seven times”—indefinitely (Matthew 18:22). Our life stories are about realizing how loved we are by Him, accepting that love, and in turn, extending that same love to others. When we experience the mercy of God through Him in the Sacrament of Confession, we in turn become more merciful. We in turn desire to extend that same mercy that we have experienced, even “seventy times seven times.” Mercy humbles us, it makes us live more intimately with the rest of humanity, just as Christ did in His Incarnation. It reveals to us that we are in need of a Savior.  When we experience His Merciful Love we realize how life-changing it is. We begin to desire to extend mercy and love to others so that they, too, may know of God’s complete, transformative Merciful Love that removes all despair. When we, with Saint Thérèse, embrace our weakness and give Christ the joy of being our Savior, when we remain little and call upon His mercy, we are free! We are confident; we are His.  Turn to Him, return to Him, rejoice in Him, and respond to Him in the Sacrament of Confession. Experience His Merciful Love, and in turn, share that mercy and love with all those you encounter.

Pierced Hands and Heart In Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina, commonly referred to by Anglophones as the “Church of the Gesù,” there is a startlingly powerful image of Jesus Christ in a side chapel. This painting, housed in the first Jesuit church built in Rome, Italy, leaves all who view it changed. Both the tourist who comes to observe the church solely for its stunning Baroque architecture and the pilgrim who comes to pray can’t help but be moved by Pompeo Batoni’s depiction of Jesus. In the painting, Jesus’ left hand stretches out towards the viewer, displaying His Sacred Heart grasped in this same hand. His right hand is extended in the supine position, tilted slightly inward towards His Heart, yet angled out just enough for the observer to realize that He is inviting the beholder to not only gaze at His Heart, but also reach out and take it.  At first look, the most alarming thing about the painting seems to be Jesus’ eyes, painted in such a realistic way that they penetrate your soul and make you either want to run towards Him or run away from Him. Yet if you’re brave enough to stay and contemplate the image for a few minutes longer, you’ll realize that it’s not just the eyes that startle, it’s a much more subtle detail that will end up shaking the soul: Jesus’ pierced hands offering His Pierced Heart.  The Weight of Love Gazing at this image, the viewer has an insight on how Jesus presented Himself after His Resurrection, when He first appeared to the Apostles, who were hiding in fear. The Resurrected Jesus entered the Upper Room, revealing His wounded hands and side, signs of our sin against Him. Yet He didn’t stop there. He offered them His Sacred Heart as well. He had every reason to come into that room full of revenge and anger, reprimanding the Apostles who in His greatest moment of need, ran away from Him in fear during His Passion and Death.  Yet He doesn’t enter the room to terrorize. And this is what makes the image of the Sacred Heart in the chapel in Rome both startling and powerful—Jesus, the Wounded One, comes in peace. Jesus, the Wounded Healer, comes in love. He breathed peace into the Apostles after showing them His wounds. He comes in peace, He comes in mercy, He comes in love. His wounds reveal the weight of His love for us. His love is the most incredibly life-transforming reality there is. That within the greatest sin there ever was and ever will be—that we humans put the Son of God to death—the response to that greatest sin is merciful love, a wounded hand pointing to a Merciful Heart.  We Too Must Forgive Within the offering of Jesus’ mercy and love to us there comes a call to extend that same mercy to others. In the Upper Room Jesus invites Saint Thomas the Apostle to, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side” (John 20:27). A gaping, open wound—large enough to fit a man’s entire hand within it—that is Christ’s call for us to extend Christ and His love into the peripheries and enter completely into the great suffering, the large woundedness of others. If we, great sinners, are forgiven by Him, we too must forgive. Within His Pierced Sacred Heart is forgiveness, gentleness, humility, and peace—and He offers it to us. We too must offer others the same.  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} Safe In the Sacred Heart Yes, offering our own hearts as Christ offered His may leave us injured and hurt. One of the most stirring aspects of Pompeo Batoni’s painting of Jesus is how vulnerable and exposed Jesus’ Sacred Heart is. Sometimes, holding out our heart to others causes our heart pain. Our hearts may be pierced, mocked, manipulated, broken, scourged, trampled, and forgotten. When we experience this, we must ask Jesus to heal our hearts. Christ, the Gardener of our hearts, always brings healing. If your heart that you held out so lovingly and vulnerably, has been injured, or is being hurt, run to the Sacred Heart. Fall in love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Let His Heart romance your heart. His Heart is safe. He will not hurt you. He wants to show you His love for you. When we fall deeply in love with Jesus’ Sacred Heart, our own heart is strengthened to such a degree that nothing can separate us from His love. His love becomes our love, His mercy becomes our mercy.  Today on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, let us ask Jesus to give us the grace and gift of fortitude and of courage—that we may always run to His Sacred Heart when we are tempted to flee, and find refuge there. Once safely hidden within His Wounded Heart, let us learn the lessons of love found there within. Filled with the grace of the Sacred Heart we will be able to love as He loves us, and show one another that we are His disciples, because we love (John 13:35).  A Prayer To Jesus’ Sacred Heart Lord Jesus, let my heart never rest until it finds You, who are its center, its love, and its happiness. By the wound in Your Heart pardon the sins that I have committed whether out of malice or out of evil desires. Place my weak heart in Your own Divine Heart, continually under Your protection and guidance, so that I may persevere in doing good and in fleeing evil until my last breath. Amen. // Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

It is an easy temptation to turn inward, to procrastinate, to expect and even demand our own instant gratification. Mother Mary is the direct antithesis to our stubborn self-obsession. Gently, through example, she teaches us that turning outward in zealous love for the glory of God brings rejoicing, communion, and conversion.  Today on the Feast of the Visitation, we celebrate Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth. Every year when this Gospel reading is proclaimed, I am struck by the word haste: “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1:39-40). This past year, I came across a blog post describing Luke’s use of this word. Dominican Brother Benedict Hernandez writes, “Luke uses the word σπουδῆς (spoudēs), which is translated as ‘with haste’ but the word can also mean ‘with zeal.’”  With Energy and Enthusiasm Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” How beautiful to ponder! Mary, newly pregnant, in her first trimester, zealously, energetically, and enthusiastically travels in pursuit of a cause, an objective—namely, to visit, to impart grace upon, her cousin Elizabeth. Learning the biblical meaning of the word “haste” was a revelation of my own sloth and lack of zeal, my deficient energy and enthusiasm. He Gives Us Grace Upon Grace Yet when God reveals, He doesn’t leave us stuck. The revelations He allows our heart to experience are gifts, and He always couples those revelations with graces. It is up to us to accept the graces He lavishly pours out upon us. Mary’s momentum and zeal are meant to inspire us. Yes, part of that inspiration is self-reflection, yet we are not meant to wallow in despair contemplating our inadequacy. Rather, we are called to learn from the school of Mary and replicate that love in action. First Things First The first thing we must do is ask for the grace. To do this, we must be in a state of grace. On this Feast of the Visitation, let us go in haste to receive the Sacrament of Confession. Our Lady, Spouse of the Spirit, will accompany us. Our Heavenly Father will impart upon us grace upon grace in the confessional.  Actionable Ways To Imitate Mary Then, let us reflect on actionable ways, specific to our unique state in life, in which we can imitate Our Lady’s Visitation to Elizabeth. Here is the list I came up with for myself: Bring a meal to a family once a month. Write a letter to a family member once a week.  FaceTime my grandmother with my son each week. Every morning, consecrate the day to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to overshadow me with His grace, just as He did Our Lady. What would you add to this list? Share in the comment section below!  

It was last year, while listening to The Bible In A Year Podcast, that the deep beauty of the Gospel of Mark was revealed to me. In the past, likely due to its brevity, I had not given his message the focus I had prescribed to the other Gospel writers. Yet its brevity is a mark of beauty, as it compelled Saint Mark to write succinctly.  There are many lessons we learn from Mark’s Gospel, and even with its shortness, innumerable unique aspects are found therein. It is only in his Gospel that we hear Jesus called, “Son of Mary” (Mark 6:3). He is also the only Gospel writer who identifies himself as the author.  Euthus, Immediately  Though I found, and continue to find, abundant wisdom in Saint Mark’s Gospel, one lesson—rather one word—stands out: immediately. Saint Mark uses the word euthus, translated immediately, over forty times in his Gospel. Averaging two times per chapter, this word allows Saint Mark to evoke in the reader a sense of urgency, a sense of the now..  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} The Time For Grace Is Now Saint Mark teaches us the importance of action in the present moment. So often I fall into the temptation of indecision. As theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard taught, making no decision is a decision in itself. Too easily, I fall into the sin of sloth, which at its root, is lack of charity toward God and neighbor. We can combat both of these personal defects with Saint Mark’s call to immediacy—his invitation to live life fully present, fully alive, full of grace. Saint Mark reminds us that grace is found in the present moment, and the time for grace is now. When we do things immediately, when we glorify God, when we love Him and our neighbor right now, we are imitating our Lord. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus prays immediately, moves immediately, teaches immediately. He does not wait, rather, He entrusts His will to the Father and acts. Within those immediate actions, grace is outpoured. The Action We Can Take Now Is there a decision that you need to make that you have been putting off? Is there a conversation or a phone call that you feel called to initiate or a message which you are prompted to write that you just haven’t done? Do you feel moved to serve, but just haven’t started yet? Often a spirit of fear, timidity, and anxiety can paralyze us. Sloth enters in. It’s easier to scroll than it is to move. It’s easier to not decide than it is to use our heart, mind, wisdom, and will. It’s easier to live passively, taking life as it comes, rather than making a decision and living with its consequences—good or bad. However, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). God has placed us in this time in history, this very moment, this very now, to live a life of abundance—to glorify Him and spread His message of hope, joy, and Resurrection. He has called us to a life of discernment and decision, a life of both faith and action, a life of love and works. “Do not fear, only believe.” // Mark 5:36 The powerful reality in this all is that we need not fear. “What if I make the wrong decision?” is a question that often halts our resolutions. But even if we do, God will bless our goodwill and our trust, and will create beauty—sometimes even more beauty (O Happy Fault!)—from the decisions we make. Pray, discern, seek counsel, and then act. God blesses a decisive heart.  There are many fruits to living in the immediacy that Saint Mark proclaims. A slothful heart is won over by virtue, union with the Father is achieved, and good works abound. May we, on this Feast of Saint Mark, pray, hope, act, and receive—always uniting our will with the Father’s and trusting in His abundant goodness and grace.

For the past few years I have been praying the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. Starting my day by entering into the great prayer of our Church anchors me in peace, a gift of the Spirit I need throughout the remaining hours of my day. Every February I look forward to reading the Second Reading in the Office of Readings for the Feast of Saint Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict. It is a story that has helped me understand the importance of intercession, especially for our siblings.  The Second Reading in the Office of Readings is often a homily, letter, or excerpt sourced from the Church Fathers. These readings fill the soul with both wisdom and knowledge. Throughout the past few years of praying the Office, the Readings have challenged me to grow in virtue. The Fathers’ holy witness, so close in historical proximity to the life of Christ, is full of verve and passion for the faith. Their words inspire and motivate me daily.  Sibling Saints  On Saint Scholastica’s Feast we read from the books of Dialogues by Pope Saint Gregory the Great. Born in 480 in Nursia, Italy, Saint Scholastica, twin sister of the Father of Monasticism, Saint Benedict, gave herself fully to Christ from her youth. Saint Scholastica followed her brother’s lead and founded a religious order, settling just five miles from Saint Benedict’s monastery. They would visit one another annually.  In the Dialogues, Pope Saint Gregory writes about one of their visits: “One day she [Saint Scholastica] came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together. Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late.” Pope Saint Gregory continues that Saint Scholastica begged her brother to stay for the night, to continue to talk about the beauty of the spiritual life. After Saint Benedict declined, Saint Scholastica began to pray. Suddenly a great storm came. Perplexed, Saint Benedict asked his sister what she had done. Scholastica replied, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and He did listen.” She Loved More Pope Saint Gregory summarizes this great scene as he articulates, “It is not surprising that she was more effective than he; since, as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more.” Three days after his departure, Saint Scholastica died. Benedict, back in his cell, saw his sister’s soul departing from her body in the form of a dove. He thanked God, singing hymns of praise.  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} Three Lessons from Scholastica This story recorded by Pope Saint Gregory the Great highlights three important things regarding our sibling relationships: the importance of praise in our conversation with our siblings the importance of interceding for our siblings the importance of our time and presence with our siblings Uplift the Conversation Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict teach us that all of our conversations, especially those within our own family, the cell of society, should always speak truth with love for God and for others. How often do our conversations turn into gossip, or complaining, comparison, or judgment rather than praise for God and His creation? Whenever our conversations with our siblings start to become base, let us elevate the conversation with an uplifting message or story, with praise and thanksgiving, and with joy and charity. The Power of Intercession For Our Brothers and Sisters Pope Saint Gregory tells us that Saint Scholastica’s prayer was effective because it was infused with love. When we intercede, offer prayer and petition, for our brothers and sisters, we must enter into the Heart of Christ with love. If we are struggling to show charity to our siblings, even in prayer, we should ask Jesus to give us His Heart of Love.  In the First Letter of John we are told that, “If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Though written for our spiritual brothers and sisters in general, how much more for our physical brothers and sisters with whom we share our blood and name? We must love our brothers and sisters. And to do this, we need God’s grace. It is available for us. Let us ask God to fill us with His love, to lend us His heart, that we may minister in prayer to our siblings.  Our Presence Matters Just three days after their night spent together in prayer, Saint Scholastica died. That evening was the last encounter on earth that Saint Benedict had with his sister. We truly never know the last time we will encounter others, for each moment is a pure gift given to us by our Creator.  Our siblings are a gift from God. Our presence, their presence, matters. It is important. Their presence, and ours to them, has helped form them, and has created us and them into the men and women we are now.  If you have a wound, or many wounds from a sibling, ask God to be present with you and with them. Seek healing. Do not live in fear and chains. Rather, ask God to be present to you in your pain and to heal you with His forgiving love. Whether your time spent with your siblings is full of joy and praise, or instead, you are estranged and hurting, ask the intercession of Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict. These two sibling Saints show us that Christ is present when we invite Him—within our hearts, our relationships, our conversations, our family, our prayer, and our brothers and sisters. 

Do you have a Saint that is like a golden thread in your life? One that is beautifully woven in throughout the tapestry of your life? A Saint who shows up often in your life—whether through images, stories, or prayers? A Saint who you have a devotion to and that has become like a dear friend? A friend that comes to your aid often?

My husband’s name is Michael and I am always on the lookout for gifts that honor him through his namesake, Saint Michael the Archangel. This past Valentine’s Day I was looking for a special gift and came across Litany’s Archangel Pocket Squares. The designs are incredibly creative and each one is overflowing with deep meaning. Even though I set out to find something to honor his name, I ended up getting him the Saint Raphael one that featured Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of the ideal city, with references from the book of Tobit around the border. It made the perfect Valentine’s Day gift! Even before marrying Michael, I loved learning about God’s angels and striving to draw close to them, especially my Guardian Angel. It was, however, when I met and married Michael, that my desire to learn about his patron Saint grew. That longing overflowed into a great devotion to Saint Michael’s fellow Archangels, too. Let's Meet the Archangels One of my favorite resources to learn more about angels is the book Time to Meet the Angels by Mark Miravalle. It’s filled with so much wisdom and I learn something new every time I pick it up to read. Here are some of my favorite facts he mentions in his section on the Archangels: There are two times in Scripture that the name for the eighth choir of angels, “Archangel”, is mentioned: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and again in Jude 1:9. Archangel refers to this choir's role as leaders. They deliver important messages to us, the faithful here on earth. Saint Michael Name Meaning // Who is like God Found in Scripture // Daniel 10:13 // “Michael, one of the chief princes.” Daniel 12:1 // “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.” Jude 1:9 // “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’” Church’s Ascribed Role // “Prince of the Heavenly Host,” the leader of the angelic army appointed by God the Father to battle Lucifer. (Revelation 12:7) Important Prayer // “Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel” promulgated by Pope Leo XIII for the protection of the Church. This prayer is often recited after Mass. Patron Saint of // Military and Police forces Reflection // We should call upon Saint Michael daily, turning to him for protection, especially when we experience spiritual warfare. Ask his intercession for those who are called to lead and protect. May we be brave, humble, and courageous like this great Archangel, who combats Lucifer’s pride with humility, a humility so great that we now proclaim him to be “Who is like God.” Saint Michael, pray for us. Saint Gabriel Name Meaning // “Man of God” or “Strength of God” Found in Scripture // Daniel 8:16 // “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” Daniel 9:21-27 // Gabriel prophecies to Daniel the time when the Messiah will come. Luke 1:26-28 // Gabriel brings the message and invitation of the Incarnation to Mother Mary. Luke 1:19 // Gabriel announces the conception of Saint John the Baptist to Zechariah. Church’s Ascribed Role // As “Strength of God,” tradition holds that Saint Gabriel was the Angel who served Jesus during his Agony in the Garden. Important Prayer // The Hail Mary, the “Angelic Salutation.” We repeat Gabriel’s words as we proclaim, “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Patron Saint of // Messengers, those who work for broadcasting and telecommunications such as radio and television, postal workers, clerics, diplomats, and stamp collectors. Reflection // Just like Saint Gabriel, let us always greet one another with joy, inviting those we meet to encounter Christ and take Him within their hearts as their own. May we ask Saint Gabriel to strengthen us, especially in our sufferings, agony, and temptations. Saint Gabriel, pray for us. Saint Raphael Name Meaning // “God heals” Found in Scripture // The book of Tobit includes Saint Raphael as one of the central characters, interceding with both physical and spiritual healings. Tobit 6:10 // We read about the spiritual healing of Sarah and in Tobit 6:6-8; 11:7-8 the physical healing of Tobit from blindness through the intercession of Saint Raphael is recorded. Tobit 12:15 // “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy Angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One.” Church’s Ascribed Role // “Healer of God” Important Prayer // Holy Raphael, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and in all the trials of this life. And since thou art the “physician” of God, I pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirmities, and my body of the ills that afflict it, if this favor be for my greater good. I plead for angelic purity that I may be fit to be the living temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Patron Saint of // Travelers, the blind, bodily ills, happy meetings, nurses, physicians, and medical workers. Reflection // We all need spiritual and physical healing in some way. Saint Raphael, intercede on our behalf for the healings we need to truly flourish as daughters of our High King. May we always turn to you for protection and guidance, especially when we encounter those we love. Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael the Archangels, pray for us!   [bctt tweet="Meet the Archangels #BISblog //" username="findphilothea"]   This post contains affiliate links. Thanks so much for supporting the ministry of Blessed is She!

When we are ready to give up hope, we must persevere. The Saints teach us this. Even the darkest night will not last, and it will—it must—give way to the glory of a new morning. The 20th century was filled with many dark nights, especially the horrors inflicted during the World Wars and thereafter. It is tempting to give up hope. The heart-struggle of the centuries begins to enter in, our heart cries out, “If God is good, then why would He allow such evil?” Abounding Grace Our Faith teaches us that everything God allows and permits is for our salvation and the salvation of the world. The Resurrection is proof that with and through God, beauty arises, even from the monstrousness of sin. We see this reality in many of the lives of the Saints, and in the lives of the men and women the Saints personally impacted. The 20th century, though filled with atrocities beyond comprehension, was filled with great beauty. “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). A Miracle Story A powerful example of Saint Paul’s words to the Romans is found in a miraculous story that started during the height of the Second World War. Three people—two of them declared Saints and the other, a Polish woman who celebrated her 100th birthday last year—were all united in the hope of Christ. Survivor Wanda Półtawska Wanda Półtawska was twenty years old when she was arrested in February 1941 for assisting in the Polish Resistance against the Nazi Regime. She was sent to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, north of Berlin. During her time in the camp, Wanda was victim to medical experimentation by the Nazis. Doctors cut into the legs of the victims and injected bacteria into the muscles and bones of the prisoners. Close to death, Wanda barely survived, and was saved by her friend Krysia who pulled her out of a heap of corpses. Wanda was twenty-four years old. A Holy Friendship Determined to live the remainder of her life as a healer, Wanda became a doctor of psychiatry and ministered to camp survivors, especially children who had been abused. During that time, as she sought her own healing, Wanda and her husband became close friends with a young bishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyła—the future Pope Saint John Paul II. The Półtawskas’ friendship with Bishop Wojtyła deepened and they would be a source of inspiration for many of his teachings, especially those on marriage and love, including Theology of the Body. Wanda was among the founders of the Institute of Theology of the Family at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Krakow (Pontifical University of John Paul II) as well as a lecturer in pastoral medicine at the John Paul II Institute of Rome. Where Two or Three are Gathered Their friendship culminated in a miraculous story of healing and involved another friendship: the friendship between Bishop Wojtyła and Saint Padre Pio. We see here the power and necessity of holy friendships and of intercession, the reality of the Communion of Saints. Mother to four young children, Wanda was diagnosed with cancer in 1962. The doctors told her that though her prognosis was terminal, they would try their best to remove the cancer. Heartbroken and struggling to persevere, Wanda told her dear friend Karol about her disease. “Resignation is contrary to God’s will,” replied Karol. Immediately upon hearing the news, Bishop Karol wrote to a priest who had touched his own life, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. Karol had met Padre Pio in the summer of 1947 when he traveled to San Giovanni Rotondo, attending Mass and going to confession with him. The Power of Intercession “Venerable Father,” wrote Karol, “I ask for your prayers for a certain mother of four young girls, who lives in Krakow, Poland (during the last war she spent five years in a German concentration camp), and now her health and even her life are in great danger due to cancer. Pray that God, through the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin, has mercy on her and her family. Most obligated in Christ, Karol Wojtyla.” “To this one it is not possible to say no!" was Padre Pio’s response. The holy priest began to pray. The answer to his intercession was discovered as the surgeons went to remove the cancer from Wanda: nothing was there. The cancer was gone. Miraculously. Encounter of Grace Five years later, Wanda traveled to San Giovanni Rotondo and attended Padre Pio’s Mass. After Mass she, along with other pilgrims, went into the sacristy to meet the man who had interceded for her. She had never met him before. He walked up to her, looked deeply into her eyes, and said, “Now are you all right?” Wanda’s is one of the miracles that led to Saint Padre Pio’s canonization. Women of Beauty, Women of Healing These three lives, intertwined in friendship, holiness, and intercession by God’s grace teach us that within the horrors of suffering and pain, beauty can rise. Through God’s Merciful Love, there is hope, there is healing. We are called, dear sisters, to cultivate strong, holy friendships that are centered on Christ. We are called to intercede for one another. Lord, give us the grace to be holy in the face of evil and suffering. Let us be women of beauty and healing.   [bctt tweet="Saint Pio and the Miracle of Wanda Półtawska #BISblog //" username="findphilothea"]

Happy feast of Santa Chiara! Saint Clare, who was a dear friend of Saint Francis, was born in Assisi, Italy in 1194. After living a profound, deeply Christocentric life, she died in her monastery, San Damiano, on August 11th, 1253. Saint Clare founded a religious order, helped the poor, healed the sick, and wrote some of the most alluringly beautiful letters I have ever read. The Letters of Saint Clare I have always been drawn to letters. I love receiving them (I treasure my husband’s love-letters to me that he wrote during our dating and engagement!) and I love the art of writing them. There is something extremely powerful about taking the time to express, share, and entrust our hearts, minds, and souls to another person. As a history major, I loved reading historical letters, in particular the letters of Saint Francis de Sales to the faithful. I have recently been captivated by another Saint’s letters, today’s patron, Saint Clare of Assisi. The Recipients Saint Clare wrote to two different women named Agnes: her younger sister, Saint Agnes of Assisi, who followed Clare to Saint Francis just sixteen days after Clare left her home, and Agnes of Prague, a princess who desired to imitate the life and poverty of Saint Clare. Saint Clare wrote other letters, yet the wisdom Saint Clare imparts in her letters to these two Agneses continues to help us grow in our faith today as women of Christ. Christ As Lover These letters read like a prayer and they are a beautiful way to contemplate the depth of love a Saint has for Christ. That is precisely what stands out to me when I read Saint Clare’s letters: she speaks of Christ as our great Lover. It may be alarming to us to view Christ in this romantic way, yet intimately cleaving to Jesus as our first and greatest Love follows the great traditions of our Faith. When we follow Saint Clare’s instructions of cultivating a romantic love with Jesus, our faith and trust in Him will grow. We see the magnitude of this romantic love in her fourth letter to Agnes of Prague when Saint Clare writes to the princess: “As you contemplate further His ineffable delights, eternal riches and honors, and sigh for them in the great desire and love of your heart, may you cry out: Draw me after You! We will run in the fragrance of Your perfumes, O heavenly Spouse! I will run and not tire, until You bring me into the wine-cellar, until Your left hand is under my head and Your right hand will embrace me happily and You will kiss me with the happiest kiss of Your mouth.” These passionate words are reminiscent of those we find in the interactions of the bridegroom and bride in the Song of Solomon. This nuptial love between God and His people can be traced back to Creation, culminates at the Cross, and remains steadfast in His Saints. We, too, no matter our vocation—single like Princess Agnes, religious, or married—are called to this intimate, spousal relationship with Jesus Christ. Intimacy With Christ On her feast day, I encourage you to pray with the letters of Saint Clare. As you do, ask yourself these questions: Do I view Christ as my first and greatest love? What is holding me back from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ? Fear? Past injuries to my heart? Lack of trust? Name what it is and present it to Christ. Do I realize Jesus wants an intimate relationship with me? Lord, we desire to be embraced by You and to run tirelessly to You so that we may find complete rest in You. Jesus, increase our trust in You. Increase our love for You. May we allow You to romance our hearts and thereupon begin the greatest love story of our life. Amen! Saint Clare, pray for us!   [bctt tweet="The Letters of Saint Clare #BISblog //" via="no"]

I recently finished the book Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly by Father Gregory Pine O.P. The subtitle is what initially drew me to read this book. In a world with millions of possibilities, I want to make decisions with confidence and, even more so, I desire to live with bold courage. When I first began reading, the virtue of prudence was an afterthought. Now, prudence—the cardinal virtue that “disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it” (CCC 1835—is something I think about each day throughout the day. In order choose confidently and to live boldly, I need to cultivate the virtue of prudence. This book is a must read (or at the very least, read this review about it). I learned an incredible amount and fell in love with the virtues. I could have underlined every sentence of this book, yet one thing in particular stood out for me. I continue to apply it in my life since reading it, namely: the importance of memory in making prudent decisions. The Importance of Memory Quoting Saint Thomas Aquinas, Father Gregory explains that there are eight “perfections” of prudence, eight integral parts that work together in making a prudent action. They are: memory docility understanding shrewdness reason foresight caution circumspection Most of us just focus on the perfection of caution when we think of prudence, but this aspect is only one part of the beauty that makes up this virtue. The perfection that really has transformed my life is memory. Using the gift of our memory helps us make prudent decisions. The Gift of Our Past So often we focus on the present moment. This is incredibly important because God is in the present moment, the time for grace is now! However, memory is also a gift from God. It helps us make bold, virtuous decisions. Father Gregory writes: Memory recalls experiences of the past. In matters of prudence, experience goes a long way… the prudent person weighs his or her experience of the past and uses that memory to account best for present circumstances... While it may be helpful for the prudent person to have a vast memory, it’s more important that he or she have a profound memory. Cultivating a Truthful Memory An important facet to creating a profound memory is cultivating a truthful memory. To do this, we need to ask God to purify our memories. It is tempting (especially with painful memories, moments we are embarrassed about, or past experiences that we just want to forget) to redefine history or change our memory of what actually happened so we are the hero. This is incredibly detrimental and can hinder our faith, and it can hinder our future. A pure memory helps us make decisions because we can reflect on our memory and use the lessons we learned from the past and make a virtuous decision boldly. Four Ways to Purify Our Memories Here are four ways that Father Gregory Pine instructs us on how to cultivate a true, pure, profound memory: Retain memory (so it doesn’t slip away) by frequent recalling or journaling. (I need to do this!) Organize memory. (If you have any ideas for this one, please share in the comments below!) Return to it often because God is teaching us through our memory. Pray. Here is a little prayer we can offer: Lord, please help purity my past, and help me to remember things as they truly happened so that I may learn and make virtuous and prudent decisions so as to glorify You! Do you cultivate a profound memory or do you try to push your past away? What are some ways to cultivate a profound memory? Please share below!   [bctt tweet="The Importance of Memory #BISblog //" via="no"]

Growing up with five siblings, I always envisioned raising a large family of my own. I pictured myself like my grandmother, surrounded by a dozen children and finding my vocation and joy in serving the little hands and hearts that would fill my home. Yet the reality of my life is much different. My husband and I have experienced secondary infertility for the past six years. I encountered every emotion possible as I mourned the loss of my dream of a large family. Over the past six years, there were many moments when I grieved the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental suffering that comes with infertility. I have also lamented over my family’s future, especially when I am asked when my son will “get a sibling” by curious family, friends, and strangers. [elementor-template id="707561"] In a breakthrough of God’s grace, I found peace and even joy through remaining with Jesus in the present moment of suffering. When I started praying for God’s perfect will to be done in my life instead of simply praying “for another baby,” peace and joy arrived. [bctt tweet="When I started praying for God’s perfect will to be done in my life, peace and joy arrived. #BISblog //" username="findphilothea"] There is freedom in that prayer. It compels me to absolute trust in His perfect will and the acknowledgement that His will for my life is what I truly desire, even more than a child. Painful at moments? Yes. Challenging? Absolutely. But knowing that even though I don’t have a child remaining in me, I do have the King of my heart remaining in me (see John 15:4). This is a life-giving reality. Though you may not experience secondary infertility, you may have experienced the mourning of a loss of a dream. Are you still clinging to that dream? I encourage you to surrender that dream over to Him. Give Him your broken heart, too. He wants it and only He can make it whole. Begin praying for His perfect will to be done in your life and you will find that His plan is better than any dream you could ever imagine. // What dreams have you had to surrender to the Lord? // How did handing them over give you the freedom to move forward in peace?   P.S. Grab this free wallpaper for your phone or computer to remind you of your focus during this summer series (and beyond)!   [bctt tweet="REMAIN Series // Surrendering a Dream #BISblog //" via="no"]