“Nothing was missing, not even the snow!” These are the words from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, spoken on the day when she received the Carmelite habit. Where did this love of snow come from? Perhaps it is because I was a little winter flower, and the first adornment with which my eyes beheld nature clothed was its white mantle. I had always wished that on the day I received the Habit, nature would be adorned in white just like me. Therese was born on January 2, 1873 and is sometimes referred to as Saint Thérèse of the Little Flower. Deep in this season of winter, I thought it would be a good time to take a look into her autobiography, Story of a Soul, to better understand why. Jesus’ Garden Saint Thérèse often used flowers and gardens as imagery for the spiritual life. She writes about how we are each a flower in Jesus’ garden. In order to flourish, a garden must have someone to tend to it, to take care of it. Flowers do not all grow at the same speed, nor to the same height. Yet the speed of growth and the size of a flower are not what matter most. A garden is planted to be enjoyed, not for the sake of utility. Thérèse reminds us that Jesus enjoys us. He isn’t asking us to measure up to those we see at our right or at our left. He simply asks us to accept His will. Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the Lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to Lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at his feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be. Winters of Trial Thérèse was born into a beautiful, loving family. Her parents and sisters were devoted to her and even she admits to being very spoiled. Yet despite a charming childhood, she did endure much suffering as well. She reflected on her mother’s passing, writing: Everything truly smiled upon me on this earth: I found flowers under each of my steps and my happy disposition contributed much to making life pleasant, but a new period was about to commence for my soul... Just as the flowers of spring begin to grow under the snow and to expand in the first rays of the sun, so the little flower whose memories I am writing had to pass through the winter of trial. When writing about the absence of her spiritual director, who only communicated to her with one letter each year (to her twelve) she says, The little flower transplanted to Mount Carmel was to expand under the shadow of the cross. Despite both the big and small sufferings which came her way, she chose to embrace them rather than just endure them. She understood that redemption was found through great suffering. It was almost as if suffering was her love language to the Lord, and in loving Him in this way, her soul was expanding. Yes, my Beloved, this is how my life will be consumed. I have no other means of proving my love for you other than that of strewing flowers, that is, not allowing one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one word, profiting by all the smallest things and doing them through love. I desire to suffer for love and even to rejoice through love; and in this way I shall strew flowers before Your throne. I shall not come upon one without unpetalling it for You. While I am strewing my flowers, I shall sing, for could one cry while doing such a joyous action? I shall sing even when I must gather my flowers in the midst of thorns, and my song will be all the more melodious in proportions to the length and sharpness of the thorns. Throwing Flowers There is a line by Thérèse which I just love to imagine! She writes about her love for feast days. As a child, she especially loved those which honored the Blessed Sacrament with a Eucharistic Procession. I love her childlike wonder and joy! What a joy it was for me to throw flowers beneath the feet of God! Before allowing them to fall to the ground, I threw them as high as I could and I was never so happy as when I saw my roses touch the monstrance. She also recognizes Jesus’ pursuit of her, never failing to allure her through what He knows will bring her heart great joy. You know, dear Mother, how much I love flowers; when making myself a prisoner at the age of fifteen, I gave up forever the pleasure of running through fields decked out in their springtime treasures. Well, never in my life did I possess so many flowers as after my entrance into Carmel. It is the custom for fiances to often give their fiancees bouquets and Jesus didn’t forget it. He sent me in great abundance sheaves of cornflowers, huge daisies, poppies, etc., all the flowers that delighted me the most. There was even a little flower called a corncockle that I had never found since our stay at Lisieux; I wanted very much to see it again, that flower of my childhood which I had picked in the fields of Alencon. And at Carmel it came to smile at me again and show me that in the smallest things as well as the greatest, God gives the hundredfold in this life to those souls who leave everything for love of Him. As a child, my mother taught me to look out for how God is showing up in my life. How beautiful it is to be aware of how Jesus desires to delight us and smile upon us. For my mother, it is seeing a red cardinal. For me, it is a rainbow stretching across the sky. How does Jesus smile upon you?   [bctt tweet="A Little Winter Flower #BISblog //" via="no"]

A couple of years ago, I went to the funeral of a five-month-old baby boy. He passed away after fighting against the life threatening birth defects of Trisomy 18. That night I wept. Especially after listening to a worship song about joy coming in the morning. “What a lie,†I thought.

Hope in the Lives of the Saints // Saint Gianna Beretta Molla Saint Gianna Molla had four children in six years. Because of this, I naively assumed that when it came to having children, she and her husband had no struggles. It wasn’t until getting to know her more in the book Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: A Woman’s Life that I learned that she had to pray for patience and hope when it came to her fertility. While she and her husband Pietro did conceive within the first year of their marriage, she had hoped that they would be blessed with their first child much more quickly than they were. When they did conceive, their first three children came in the first four years of their marriage. Up until recently I did not know that she had suffered two miscarriages in the two years between the birth of her first three children and the birth of her fourth and last child. During her last pregnancy, a fibroid tumor was found growing in her uterus, putting both her and her baby’s lives at risk. While doctors recommended abortion, she courageously chose to continue her pregnancy and undergo surgery to remove the fibroid while pregnant: a procedure which meant greater complications for Gianna but would not endanger the life of her child. A few days before her baby was born she said to her husband, “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child—I insist on it.” Her daughter survived, but one week after her birth, Gianna died from a painful inflammatory condition. Today, this daughter is Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla. Saint Gianna's daughter also speaks of hope, encouraging women to ask for Saint Gianna’s intercession. She also says that her intercession is powerful for those who struggle with infertility. When Gianna Emanuela receives prayer requests for those hoping to conceive she says to them, “If your desire is in accord with God’s will, surely my Mom will listen to your prayers... Nothing is impossible with God.”   [bctt tweet="Nothing is impossible with God. #prayerpledge //" via="no"]   Let Us Pray Jesus, thank You for gifting us with the witness of the Saints who held hope in You. Thank You for Saint Gianna and how she shows us the beauty of sacrificial love. May we, too, be eager to lay down our lives for the sake of others. Amen! For Discussion What do you want to ask of God today? Have you ever thought of hope being connected to courage? Ponder that truth and how it relates to your own life.     [bctt tweet="They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 17 #BISblog #prayerpledge //" via="no"]

The prophet Jeremiah lived around 650-570 BC and is known as “the weeping prophet.†As the author of three heavy books of the Bible (Kings, Jeremiah, and Lamentations), his message is not always an easy one. 

Several years ago, I learned about a young boy who learned he was dying from a brain tumor at the age of 12. He was an ordinary kid who loved sports and spending time with his family, but he had an extraordinary amount of faith and hope in God’s love and in Heaven.

One of the things I loved most about working as a nurse in a crisis pregnancy clinic was the opportunities to present hope to our patients.

In 2020, while I was pregnant with our youngest child and during the peak of COVID, God asked our family to leave everything behind in California and move to Texas. California had been the only place I had ever lived. It was the only home I knew—where I felt security and comfort.

The Saints, at times, have been difficult for me to connect with. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen the powerful intercession of many great Saints at work in my life, but they are often hard to relate to.​ I don’t have much in common with great mystics who have received the stigmata, the Apostles or martyrs for the Faith. I likely won’t spend my life in a cloistered convent or working in the slums of India. The lived experiences of the greatest Saints feel so detached from my daily life, it can be easy for them to feel inaccessible. The Church, to this day, continues to canonize Saints, including some not so far removed from our own lives and modern experiences. Two such women on the path to sainthood share the same name and home country, Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano and Venerable Chiara Corbella Patrillo of Italy. (Both pronounced key-are-uh). Their stories speak to us particularly as modern women, both of whom were called to love the Lord with all their hearts in the midst of their everyday lives, just like we are. They wore t-shirts and jeans, played instruments, loved sports, spent time with family and friends, and lived “normal” lives. Allow me to introduce you to my friend(s), Chiara. Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano On October 29th, 1971, Chiara Badano was born in Savona, Italy. An only child, Chiara was a devoted daughter, loyal friend, and fierce athlete. She loved playing tennis and spending time at the beach. More than that however, she had a deep personal love for the Lord that carried her throughout life, in the good times and bad. One day while she was playing tennis, a splitting pain shot up her shoulder forcing her to drop her racket. She was diagnosed days later with an aggressive form of bone cancer and the prognosis was bleak. Within weeks she had lost the ability to walk and was in incredible pain. The next two years of her life were marked by intense suffering as the cancer spread. Chiara did not hesitate to offer every moment of her pain to the Lord, often saying, “For you Jesus, if You want this—so do I!” Though bed-ridden for the last year of her life, Chiara continued to provide hope and encouragement to all around her, using a phone beside her bed to stay connected with loved ones. As the end drew near, doctors encouraged Chiara to take stronger doses of morphine to keep her pain manageable, but she refused, determined to offer everything she had to Jesus, seeking always to unite her suffering with His. Chiara Badano passed away on October 7th, 1990, surrounded by her parents. She was 19 years old. Her cause for sainthood was opened in 1998 and she was given the title of "Blessed" following a miracle attributed to her intercession in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. Venerable Chiara Corbella Patrillo Chiara Corbella was born on January 9th, 1984 in Rome Italy. She was described as independent and decisive; committed to her decisions and always eager to serve others. Her faith grew in young adulthood under the guidance of her spiritual director and she met her soon to be husband on a pilgrimage in Croatia. Chiara Corbella became Chiara Patrillo when she married Enrico Patrillo. Soon after their wedding, Chiara discovered she was pregnant with her first child. An ultrasound revealed their daughter, Maria, had a rare condition called anencephaly, and would not be able to survive outside the womb. Chiara chose to carry Maria to term, and was with her when she died less than half an hour after her birth. A few months later, Chiara was pregnant again, this time with a boy they would name Davide. Davide was severely malformed in several crucial organs. Like his sister before him, he died soon after birth. When Chiara became pregnant with her third child, she discovered a growth on her tongue that was found to be cancerous. Against the advice of many doctors, she made the decision to delay lifesaving treatment until her son was born, knowing the risks to her own health she would incur by doing so. She delivered a healthy baby boy, named Francesco. Shortly after Francesco was born, Chiara became a terminal cancer patient. The last few weeks of her life were spent in a home near the ocean, with her husband and a priest by her side. Friends and family are quick to point out that Chiara struggled in her suffering, just as anyone would. She was frightened of Purgatory, hated vomiting, and often felt overcome by pain. The thing that set Chiara apart however, was her ability to cast all of her fears and anxieties on the Father, who she knew loved her. She welcomed His plan for her life, and in doing so radiated joy and peace that friends would describe as "otherworldly." Chiara died at home on June 13th, 2012, at the age of 28. Her cause for sainthood was officially opened in 2017. The Road to Sainthood As we journey in faith we are blessed to be surrounded by witnesses who support us in prayer and help us seek God’s will in our lives. Chiara Luce Badano and Chiara Corbella Patrillo are two such witnesses, who show by their beautiful examples that the path to holiness doesn’t have to be found in grand gestures, mystic visions, or starting a religious order. It can be found for each of us in living our “normal” everyday lives with extraordinary love. Want to learn more about these incredible women? Both have websites (here and here) that share their stories in detail, provide prayers of intercession and give updates on their respective canonization processes. Blessed Chiara Luce Badano and Venerable Chiara Corbella Patrillo, pray for us!   [bctt tweet="My Friend(s), Chiara #BISblog //" via="no"]   Shelby Hennen is a young professional who hails from the Midwestern metropolis of Kansas City, MO. She loves a good book, a good chat with a friend and a good taco joint.

Before my conversion, I was quick to view life through a pessimistic lens and jump to the worst conclusions. I had been repeatedly disappointed by my broken family and throughout past relationships until I became an angry person.

When our family was sick with COVID-19 it was an incredibly challenging time. My husband and I had never felt so sick in our lives. We were barely able to get out of bed and we still had to take care of our four small children.

Have you ever felt like you may be the only person who struggles with the same sin over and over again? Well, you are not alone. I know the frustration of committing a particular sin, going to Confession, falling back into that sin, and repeating that cycle again and again until you begin to wonder if there’s even any point!

“What do you want me to do for you?†He replied, “Lord, please let me see.†// Luke 18:41 In this Gospel passage, we learn about the blind beggar. As soon as he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, he did not waste a moment—he seized the opportunity to encounter the Lord.

God’s mercy leads me to hope in eternal life. God is merciful. Those three words change reality! Mercy is the reason God the Father sent His only Begotten Son to us.

My husband handed me a prayer book one winter morning about two years ago. “Magnificat†read its beautiful cover.

I first heard of Reform Wellness during Lent on this episode of the Poco a Poco Podcast. I, like so many, have been spiritually formed by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and know that anyone invited on the podcast shares a similar heart for the Friars and their work. “Reform is a functional medicine and holistic wellness practice rooted in Christ. We redefine health as the state of the body and soul together.” Naturally, afterwards I began following Reform on Instagram and really became intrigued with the idea of Christ Centered Wellness: Our mission is to empower people to grow in wholeness and become the best versions of themselves: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Choosing Reform Wellness There isn’t anything in the Catholic sphere that really bridges the gap of physical wellness regarding the mind, body, and soul. I have seen other businesses that tackle one or the other but not the integration of all three. I knew Reform would be more than what came to mind when I heard the word "wellness," which is homemade kombucha, some sort of green smoothie, and an exclusive gym membership that gives you access to a spa-like resort (that’s probably due to living in Las Vegas, NV, and seeing all spectrums of fitness and wellness to the extreme). Because Fr. Innocent is the chaplain of Reform I had a feeling the course would be unlike one I had ever taken and that the influence of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal would be a part of the process which is what intrigued me to begin with. As I continued to prayerfully discern if I was in the right season and could place myself in the right posture to receive what the program had to offer, I became aware of my answers to the following questions. Is God Calling You to Reform? We invite you to prayerfully consider Reform Online™ if you find yourself… Switching between diets that don’t work or craving food freedom Losing sleep and struggling to manage daily stressors Craving community and feeling isolated Confused, exhausted, and chasing an image of health Searching for meaning in the mega and mundane moments Overextending yourself while ignoring your health in the process Feeling unbalanced in your work, home, and social lives Craving change or a better way of living Filling your calendar with busy work solely to feel productive/keep busy Living reactively instead of proactively Feeling disconnected from your faith and purpose The last time I was in any type of wellness routine was before I got married and had kids which was a little over ten years ago. With so many changes to my body over these last couple of years, I realized it had been a long time since I had taken a sincere inventory of the state of my overall wellness. During the last couple of years I have been very focused on my prayer life and growing in community with my Blessed is She small group which has brought me immense joy and gratitude. However, other areas of my life felt disconnected to my overall wellbeing. With an increased awareness of how I talk to myself with judgement instead of compassion, being burnt out from doing work outside of the home that was unfulfilling, settling to be the people pleaser and never saying “no,” the time felt right to pursue Reform Wellness. During The Course At first glance, the program looked too good to be true. Would I really be able to work my way through Reform’s nine wellness pillars of faith, nutrition, functional movement, rest, community, personal growth, environment, play, and stress management through a Catholic lens? Reform’s motto is: Take care of your body as if you are going to live forever and take care of your soul as if you are going to die tomorrow. // Saint Augustine It is such a radical statement, and yet one I had never considered. I figured fatigue, exhaustion, mood swings, sleepless nights, and craving sugar were just part of being a mom of small children. I hadn’t considered that there could be other matters at play. When I reach for that dark chocolate or pick-me-up latte at 3 p.m., I just thought I was participating in refueling myself for the next leg of the day. You know the homework, dinner, and bath time routine. While refueling isn’t unhealthy in of itself, what and how I was refueling my body was misaligned with what my body was actually asking me for. I didn't have the mindset to question why I was eating the sweet treats I was reaching for, or the reasons I was overcommitted to things outside of the home. I was just used to volunteering for this thing or being involved in that thing and never gave a second thought as to how any of these things took away from my energy, joy, or time. Being able to have the space to consider the nine pillars and the areas where I felt I disconnected helped me start to do the slow work of bringing order to those places of my life that were begging for it. Jesus-Centered Formation The Holy Spirit will open your eyes to the things you have had on the back burner because maybe at the time it felt too hard to face the realities of certain unhealthy habits or a lack of boundaries left you feeling defeated. The truth is that God is always asking us to surrender every part of our humanity over to Him, body and soul. Reform opened my mind to new ways of praying, listening, and actively looking for the Lord in my daily life as a wife and stay-at-home mom. It helped me realize how deeply interconnected every aspect of our person is and how it all belongs to Jesus. He doesn’t just want to take care of our spiritual lives; He wants to take care of our mind and body too. The Hard Truth It is hard when you are doing this and your spouse may be on a different journey in terms of wellness or your kids don’t need to change their diet or their lifestyle. However, the beauty of Reform Online is that because you are growing into new habits it will affect your family incrementally. While I did have a tiny inclination to overhaul at the beginning, the Reform team continued to remind me and other students that that is the way of the world and not how Jesus produces new fertile ground for growth. Even when I caught myself thinking, “I am falling behind,” I would remember that the format of the program is there to help and not to add stress to Type A+ personalities like myself. As lay people, we may think that sisters, brothers, priests, and other religious don’t have it bad because they are in the right environments that don’t produce as much stress, toxic relationships, burn out, fatigue, or tax their mental health. But, after all, they are human beings. They too need rest, to reduce stress, and to recommit to placing Jesus at the center of their lives each and everyday. The difference is we fall out of obedience or a desire to be committed to a rule of life that will help us cultivate ways to become a Whole™ person in order to be Holy™ (as Reform teaches). Living in the world we fall prey to making excuses and being okay with complacency without really knowing that we are. In my own prayer life I have compartmentalized the order of things that I thought were most important to take to the Father when in reality every aspect of my well being is connected. Discover Reform Wellness If you are interested in journeying on the next Reform Online course consider joining this free webinar to learn about Christ-Centered Living or read Fr. Barry Braum’s blog post to help you discern if this course is for you. Lastly, if you are a CFR fan and want to read Fr. Innocent’s Reform journey check it out here. The next Reform Online Lenten class begins February 28th and goes through May 20th. Don’t allow cost to discourage your wellness journey. Reform Wellness offers payment plans as well scholarships through Reform Alms. To find out when scholarships are available sign up here. Reform doesn’t replace health for an Idol. It empowers you to take the discouragement that you may feel in some areas of the pillars of faith, nutrition, functional movement, rest, community, personal growth, environment, play, and stress management and provides you with concrete steps to do something about it with Jesus leading the way. Reform offers a community Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet prayer every Wednesday at 12p.m. EST. The zoom link is always posted on the Reform IG account prior to the community prayer. Reform is offering our readers a 10% off discount of all products and services through January 31st. Use code BIS10.   [bctt tweet="Your New New Year's Resolution #BISblog // " via="no"]

One of the clearest expressions of joy in the Gospel came from one of the most hope-filled women, Saint Elizabeth.

What leads to discouragement? Discouragement enters into our lives when we place hope in ourselves, in others, or in created things.