As summer slips away and we get ready to step into autumn, we notice a shift taking place all around us. School has begun for students of all ages. Relaxed days transform into steady routines. Hot, humid temperatures are replaced by a crispness in the air. And perhaps there is even a tinge of crimson on the green trees. Fall Welcomes Change As we observe the seasons moving from one to another, we welcome the refreshing changes that fall promises. We also sense a desire for change in our hearts, too. We are ready to settle into something new. Ready to get back into the swing of things. Ready to return to the patterns that keep life running smoothly and steadily. This may include restoring our sleep habits and meal plans, dusting off our planner, or preparing the mudroom to welcome backpacks, football cleats, fall jackets, and sports bags. This certainly includes the one thing that comes above all else: our prayer life. Ways to Renew Your Prayer Life this Fall Perhaps the ease of summer allowed our prayer routine to simply float along, like on a gentle wave. But now it’s time to bring it back to the steadiness of shore. And since fall is a natural season of order and routine, we can easily set a new pace for prayer in our lives. Below are five ways to renew our prayer life this fall. 1. Pray Scripturally One simple way to return to a more intentional habit of prayer is by incorporating lectio divina into your daily routine. This simply means praying with Scripture. I suggest beginning with the Psalm or Gospel from daily Mass. These simple steps can be your guide: Spend a few minutes settling down. Notice your cares and concerns. Jot down a few feeling words. As you settle into prayer, invite God to approach you. Notice His presence and enter into it. Read the Scripture passage slowly several times. Highlight words and phrases that stand out to you. This is usually God’s personal message for you, so pay close attention. Notice what rises in your heart: thoughts, emotions, memories, hopes, fears, or dreams. Offer them to God. Listen for His response, through Scripture or a stirring in your heart. Converse with God about your experience. This could include journaling. Conclude by thanking God for this time with Him.     2. Pray Liturgically Another way to renew prayer is by living liturgically. Take note of various feast days and devotions that are honored and celebrated this fall. Pick one or two each month, and find ways to incorporate them into your daily life. Here are a couple ideas to spark your creativity: Befriend the angels with the feasts of the Archangels (September 29th) and Guardian Angels (October 2nd). Learn more about the angels in the Catechism of the Catholic Church 325-354. And incorporate the Angel of God prayer on a daily basis. October is dedicated to the Rosary, and on October 7th, we honor Our Lady of the Rosary (or Our Lady of Victory). This is a perfect time to add the Rosary to your prayer repertoire. To begin, here is a step-by-step guide. 3. Pray Adoringly If you feel stuck or dry in your prayer routine, a simple way to persevere is by praising and adoring God. Reminding ourselves that prayer sets aside time to offer due worship to God for all that He is and all that He does gives us a springboard for deeper, rooted prayer. To begin, here are a few ways to praise and adore the Lord: Visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. No words are required. Simply be in His presence. Sing (or listen to) praise and worship music. Pray with the different names of Jesus. Write your own litany of gratitude for all that God has done in your life. 4. Pray Creatively For those who are eager to try something new this fall, why not explore prayer through a creative outlet? Bible or prayer journaling invites us to use our holy imaginations to pray incorporating various art materials—from paint to pens to washi tape—to capture our insights and inspirations. Catholic artist Ingrid Blixt has created a series of devotional kits for those who desire to pray creatively. They include beautiful elements, such as stickers and die cuts, inspiring devotionals, Bible verses, and journaling prompts. Kits are available for different liturgical seasons and various themes. 5. Pray Physically Perhaps fall has us eager to not only renew our prayer but also to renew our exercise routine. We can incorporate them both by going on prayer walks with the Lord or Rosary walks with Our Lady. We can also utilize Catholic exercise programs, such as SoulCore or Pietra Fitness, which focus our attention on God while strengthening the gift of our bodies as temples of His Holy Spirit. Does your prayer life need renewal? How do you plan on refreshing it this fall? LITURGICAL PLANNERS Our Liturgical Planners are based on the Litany of Humility. Enter into prayer every day alongside this beautiful Litany. Order your days in His peace. GET YOUR PLANNER

Our parish is a Metropolitan-ish cathedral that is often crowded with tourists. Combine that with our tendency to be right on time for Mass and we often do not get the best seating choices. My eldest daughter is a petite thing who has more problems than most with being able to see over pews and persons. However, one thing she can always see–and I delight in her pointing out to me–is the crucifix that is carried by the altar servers as they process in and out. “Look Mommy! Jesus is flying!” she exclaims with glee, and I share her thrill. “He’s like a superhero,” she concludes with her four-year-old logic. “The greatest superhero of all time,” I confirm. The Cross Has Always Been a Symbol of Power To me, there is something profound about the fact that my child is not only drawn to the cross, but also associates the cross with supernatural powers. Too often in my upbringing, my Catholic teachers put the emphasis for association on the cross and death. I reveranced and treasured it because of Christ, but my heart saw it as something sad and mournful. This is not how the earliest Christians viewed the cross. On the contrary, they saw it as my daughter does– as a source of power. For the Romans… To this day, crucifixion remains one of the most gruesome ways a person can die. In fact, it is actually from where the term “excruciating” comes (see the “cruc” in there?). Invented hundreds of years before Christ’s time, it was “perfected” by the Romans. Everything about the process was designed to inflict pain. The placement of the nails in the hands severed the medial nerve causing radial burning and paralysis of the hand while also limiting the bleeding. The placement of the nails in the feet were also precise, ensuring the legs hung in a specific position that allowed for further torture (including painful breathing, with weight born solely on the thighs until their strength gave way causing the body to fall forward and shoulders, elbows, and wrists to dislocate). From this position, breathing was nearly impossible. Obviously, this caused the entire inner workings of the body to falter and fail. Oxygen and carbon dioxide cannot be moved well and thus organs start to fail. In particular, the lungs collapse and fill with fluid, essentially causing the victim to drown. In other cases, before complete suffocation, the stress on the heart caused it to burst. Some people died of severe dehydration. This entire process could last up to nine days thanks to the “mercy” shown by the Romans. A small piece of wood was nailed under the behind of those being crucified, providing momentary relief by resting their weight on the seat. This feature did provide some reprieve, but also extended the agony. Lastly, crucifixions took place along public roads. This served two purposes. First, those being crucified were stripped naked and exposed for all passerbyers to see, thus adding insult to injury (though I believe the physical pain had them caring very little about the shaming). Secondly, the crucifixions sent a message to the public. It instilled fear in the hearts of those who passed. In short, it was a silent but bold way in which Rome delivered the message: “Stay in line, or this will be you.” For the Christians… Needless to say, the tactic was pretty successful. Crucifixion kept people petrified and did manipulate most people into “proper” behavior. No one wanted to experience that tumult. However, Christ’s death—and more specifically His Resurrection—changed everything. The followers of Jesus knew of His death, some of them even watched it take place before their eyes. Then they saw Him again, gloriously alive! The negative powers of the Cross were diminished. They witnessed its inability to conquer Christ. Thus, these Christians no longer feared the instrument, or death itself. In fact, they adopted the Cross as a symbol of their belief that God conquers all. With dramatic flair, Christians usurped the symbol. They elevated and exalted it, using it as a sort of “taunt” against Rome, assuring those with worldly power, “You have no power here.” What is Your “Crucifixion”? So every Sunday, when my daughter points out the crucifix as it passes by our pew, I picture the tortures of my own life, and throw them back at the voice of the enemy inside my head and remind him (and myself) that I am not afraid. The Cross conquers all. On this feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I invite you to reflect on your own life and try to pinpoint your own, modern version of crucifixion. What is it that you fear most? What can be or is being used to manipulate, silence, or paralyze you into inaction? Whatever it is, take that distress and unite it to Christ’s Cross. Find freedom in the knowledge that He has already conquered this evil. The Cross is no longer something to fear. The Cross has been transformed into a source of glory and grace, we have only to sink into that reality.   [bctt tweet="A Practical Way You Can Exalt the Cross #BISblog //" via="no"]

I always had a problem with my name growing up. I wondered why my parents didn’t give me an easy-to-pronounce name. Rocio, although beautiful when pronounced rightly in Spanish, felt like a burden when teachers at school tried different variations: Rocchio, Roxio, Rokio. I could get started on a list of funny and embarrassing moments tied to my name, but the point is that it was a struggle. I did not want to accept my name. It wasn’t until I was a young adult beginning my journey of discerning religious life that the Lord started to do something unexpected: He began to connect the dots between my name, my identity, and my mission. Accepting My Own Name Through a series of events, including a prophetic encounter you can read about here, I began to take ownership of my name and what the Lord had entrusted me with. I discovered that in my name, which translates to "dew," He was inviting me to be a consolation to others and to be intimately attune to the Holy Spirit of which dew is a Biblical and liturgical image. The things I learned during those years remain with me even now, since the Lord was redeeming such an essential part of my identity: my name. When we think about the feast day of the Most Holy Name of Mary, some might think, what’s the big fuss? Why have a whole day dedicated to her name? We love her and all of that, but isn’t that a bit excessive? Well, maybe I would have been on board with that same thinking before– but not anymore. Now, I know well from experience the connection and importance between who we are, the name we are given, and the mission we are entrusted with. The woman chosen from all time for the most important task of bearing in her body, feeding at her breasts, and holding to her heart the Savior of the world and the Son of the Most High did not just happen to have the name Mary (Mariam in Greek/Miryam in Hebrew). It must have been for a reason. Although the exact definitions of the name of Mary vary, I think it would help us in our devotion to take a look at the different meanings and what they can tell us about her identity and mission. The Holy Name of Mary // Sea of Bitterness or Drop of the Sea? Among some of the translations found for the name of Mary, the connection to water is common. Some say Our Lady’s name could mean either a sea of bitterness or a drop of the sea. I invite you to reflect with me today on the possibility of Our Lady’s name meaning "a sea of bitterness." Why would this be a fitting name for the Mother of Christ? The sorrows our Mother was to undergo were possibly alluded to in her name. It would suffice to remember the words of Simeon in the temple at the entrance of the holy pair with the Messiah in their arms to understand why Our Lady’s identity and mission could be tied to bitterness. After being moved by the Spirit to proclaim what Jesus would be, namely salvation (see Luke 2:27, 30), Simeon looks to Mary and confesses rightly that a sword will pierce her own heart (2:35). To think of Our Lady as being a “sea of bitterness” is not to deem that her heart was full of bitterness and ill-will because of the suffering she was going to pass through. Instead, we can understand it to be a reference to the immense sorrows of Our Lady’s heart: the sorrow that came with knowing in anticipation the suffering the Messiah was to undergo, witnessing the rejection of His own people, and the torments of her Son during the Passion. Being unable to relieve her child of this suffering would be enough to cause an increase of pain in her own heart–an experience comparable to a sea of pain, a whole ocean of bitterness. She who experienced immense heartache was entrusted with a mission: to accompany all of the children entrusted to her from the Cross (see John 19:26) on their own journey of heartache and bitterness. She would be the model for her children on how to carry these things in one’s heart (see Luke 2:51). Some translations say she “treasured” them in her heart. The things she did not understand, the pain of separation already experienced by them in the young life of Jesus, the expectation of all that was to come– she treasured all of these things. She did not become bitter because of it, although she was only just beginning to walk on the shores of this sea. May we learn from her the mysterious art and mission of remaining joyful in the midst of bitter anguish. The Name of Mary: Beloved The name of Mother Mary can be found in the Old Testament, belonging also to the sister of Moses (see Numbers 26:59). Miriam was considered a prophet and led the people in praise of the Lord who had freed them (see Exodus 15:20-21). Because the Israelites were in Egypt during this time, it is important to take into consideration what the Egyptian root of the name Mary/Miriam could be. One of the possibilities of the Egyptian meaning of the name is "beloved" (source). One of my favorite titles of Mary is her as the Beloved Daughter of the Father. It cannot be denied that she was beloved by God. Here one might be tempted to say that she was so loved by the Father because of the importance of her mission. But we would be forgetting one important thing: her identity precedes her mission. Mary is loved first because of who she is. Her belovedness was not bound up to how faithfully and fruitfully she would fulfill her mission–which she did perfectly beyond exaggeration–but her loveable-ness is found first in the essence of her being Mary. The Father looked upon her and loved her. In the same way, before all that we do and any mission we may feel called to fulfill, you and I are loved first and foremost because of who we are. We are loved because we exist and we exist because we were loved into existence. Our origin and our destiny is love. How fitting it is, then, for Our Lady’s name to mean “beloved” since we know this to be true about ourselves! She is the beloved daughter of a very good Father, the beloved mother and sister (see Matthew 12:50) of Christ her Savior, and the beloved espoused by the Spirit. Her Name Remains a Model Can you and I see in Mother Mary a model of living out one’s belovedness? She lived this in total trust and abandonment to the Father. May we also learn to live from our identity, dependent not on our own strength or the loftiness of our mission to somehow earn His love but by realizing we are already the beloved right here and now. May she who held a sea of bitterness in her heart and was at the same time beloved, pray for us to receive and accept our names, our identities, and our mission on this earth. Consider honoring the name of Mary today by praying with some of the beautiful devotions and quotes from the Saints listed here.   [bctt tweet="The Holy Name of Mary #BISblog //" via="no"] HIS WORD CHANGES LIVES God is speaking to you through His Word. In this personal study, you will learn to hear God's voice by reading slowly and praying deeply. BEGIN THE JOURNEY

What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? // Luke 15:4 Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

It's called Loving God, Loving Others: 52 Devotions to Create Connections that Last. We are just thrilled by the stories in this book that walk through six different rungs of relationship. Perfect for you, a sister, a neighbor, or your mom! Meet the Authors of Loving God, Loving Others So what perspectives are shared in this book? Let's hear from the six writers themselves. Beth Davis Q: You write vulnerably about letting God in on how you’re really feeling. What’s your advice for women struggling to be honest with God about the hard stuff? A: Keep it simple. I find some of those big, hard memories and emotions really just boil down to a single sentence: I’m mad; I hated that; This hurts. Talk to Him like a child would! I try to stay away from questions and notice when I’m trying to force understanding. Instead, just relate your heart to God. Starting with “little” everyday irritations or disappointments helps, too. Q: Do you have a favorite story of those that you share? A: It means a lot to me to share about how Jesus delivered me from pornography. I want to give hope to women who have struggled or are suffering from sexual sin and give them hope of healing and restoration. I didn’t really know that was possible in the midst of it, so to be able to give that gift of hope and remind others Who Jesus still is: Healer, Deliverer, Restorer, Redeemer. He wants to be Savior in every aspect of their lives, too. Megan Hjelmstad Q: You share intimately about your health and the journey of God showing you to love your body. What would you tell women who feel disconnection or struggle to love the challenges of health and body image? A: You are absolutely not alone. It’s a constant battle to accept and bless the inherent goodness of our God-crafted bodies in a world that’s constantly modeling how we should reject them. Step 1 is to invite God openly and honestly into your struggle. Tell Him about it continually when it comes up, so He can gradually shift your perspective to align with His truth. I also love to pray with the image of our bodies as living tabernacles. We marvel at the most beautiful cathedrals while criticizing ourselves, but God tells us we are infinitely more beautiful and desirable to Him than even the most stunning tabernacle ever made by man! He wants nothing more than to make His dwelling in us and heal what has been tarnished from the inside out. Q: Do you have a favorite story of those that you share? A: I loved sharing about the grilled cheese memory! It’s been a tender lesson to my heart that God could bring such redemption from an experience of suffering I thought had no silver lining. What the enemy intended for my bitterness, isolation, self-pity, and hunger, God redeemed to bring real and concrete joy, generosity, community, and deeper fulfillment! It’s just a testament to how Our Lord desires to make all things, down to the last detail, when we give Him permission. Nell O'Leary Q: You tell us about your family of origin and how layers of family wounding can be hard to understand as an adult. Do you have encouragement for women looking to address some of these stories from their family of origin but who are reluctant because it’s messy and unknown? A: I would tell them to find a trusted counselor, friend, or sister and to start slowly. Just look carefully and calmly at your story from the beginning. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your family members. Walk through memories that are painful with Jesus holding your hand. Practice radical forgiveness and boundaries as needed. Then I ask myself: What’s the worst thing that happens? I feel badly? But the best thing that happens is that I can start healing that will affect me, my family of origin, my nuclear family and kids, and ripple out to others I love. God’s grace is with us as we hope for healing and that is a powerful guide. Q: Do you have a favorite story of those that you share? A: I loved sharing about the creme brûlée French restaurant moment with my mom. It’s a beautiful thing when you can acknowledge someone’s feelings and reaction without backing down from a truth or boundary that needs to be said. I hope for the reader to find the truth and rest in it, too. Bonnie Engstrom Q: You explore different relationships that are in the context of love and closeness, family or like family, and are honest about how those can actually be some of the hardest to navigate and be gracious in. What do you say to the woman who feels like she can keep it together for the world but comes home and has trouble loving, actively loving, those closest to her? A: To the woman who can keep it together for the world but struggles at home I say: you are not alone. Especially in certain seasons of life, those closest to us are the ones who need the most from us, and while that can be deeply affirming, it can also be incredibly difficult. Having trouble actively loving those closest to us should not be a prolonged experience. Personally, the Lord answered my prayers for healing through the help of a trusted doctor and the support of my husband and good friends to help me order my priorities, emotions, and energy. The world does not deserve our best, God and our loved ones do. Q: Do you have a favorite story of those that you share? A: My favorite story is from “Shouldering Responsibilities,” where I write about a perfect Michaelmas feast that was ruined—not by my husband and kids being home late from a sports event, but by my grumpy attitude. I think it’s a good example of how good marriages and happy families are not perfect, and it’s a good illustration of how the Lord uses every day life to grow us. Sarah Elizabeth Q: You step through the tricky lines of friendship and go deep into how God alone fulfills our most inner needs, but He also works through the friendships in our lives to demonstrate His love for us. For the woman who is struggling to make and keep close friendships, what is your advice for her on a practical level, but also interiorly? A: That was my story for the longest time. Enduring the revolving door of friendships is deeply painful, and I think it can teach us this narrative that rejection and unforgiveness must be our story. At an interior level, we have to rebuke that, and continue to lean into the belief that love endures. Every time I have persisted in prayer, I have been so surprised by the way the Lord has responded to my need for community. On a practical level, if we want to sustain our friendships, we have to pour out, and be generous with our time and emotional energy. Sometimes my prayer is just, “Lord, how could I be inconvenienced for a friend this week?” It’s little things, like cooking dinner or leaving a voice note to check in, but they matter. Q: Do you have a favorite story of those that you share? A: It’s probably the story related to peer pressure. I tell it to my friends all the time, mostly because it’s a fun, dramatic high school story. At the same time, I look back on the moment as deeply pivotal. My senior year of high school was a year of radical docility to the Lord, and I remember feeling so secure in who I was and where I was going, probably for the first time ever. I never advocated for myself back then, so I feel like that moment was truly the beginning of me coming into my own, before I made the move to DC. There was no real external validation to affirm I was on the right track, but I knew the Lord and I knew myself, so I was confident. I’m twenty-three now, and I try my best to hold that seventeen-year-old freedom close. Emily Stimpson Chapman Q: You describe the challenge of not being defined by our work, talents, or even our God-given gifts. For the woman who feels secure in her identity coming from how or what she does or produces, what would you tell her about the deeper identity of being made in God’s image and likeness and how to un-entangle these ideas? A: An identity that is rooted in what we do and how well we do those things is a fragile identity. Sooner or later, it will break. How well we weather that failure will depend on what we have to catch us. If we have a relationship with Christ and a knowledge of who we are in Him and how great His love for us is, that failure can be a gift. It helps strip us of our illusions about ourselves and root ourselves more firmly in Him. That relationship really gives us a soft place to land. When we don’t have that soft place, though, when the relationship with Christ isn’t there, that failure can be a heck of a lot more scary, upending our identity and our world. The invitation to find our identity in Christ is still there, but it can be harder to recognize that invitation and take us longer to accept it. So, if I have any advice, it’s don’t wait. Don’t wait until failure comes to start building that relationship, and don’t wait until failure comes to start rooting your identity in Christ. Start doing the hard work now. Spend time with Him. Read about Him. And slow down. Start saying no to more things. Think and pray about where you’re truly called to give your time and energy and evaluate if you are doing anything simply because it seems impressive and important, and not because it’s something you love and to which you feel called. Q: Do you have a favorite story of those that you share? A: That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! Impossible. I will admit, though, that in the craze of this past year, juggling three babies and keeping house and all my work, that I have thought back fondly more than once to the quiet and peace I experienced during the months I spent working at the retreat house on the Eastern Shore. It was such a gift to be surrounded by that kind of quiet. And even more of a gift to learn to find meaning and purpose in simple acts of service. That was a lesson that has blessed me so much in these busy days of mothering, where the temptation is to find meaning in the more exciting to seemingly important work of writing and not in the deeply meaningful act of caring for my children and making a home for them. How Would Your Life Change? In this brand new book, you will get to walk alongside these women as they share stories of how the Lord changed their lives in both simple and radical ways once they shifted their focus to loving Him and loving others for His sake. What would happen in your life if your focus became those two tasks? What could be different? What could be redeemed? We can't wait to walk alongside you in this new devotional! GET YOUR DEVOTIONAL

I sat outdoors under Monterey cypress trees on a bench less than ten feet from the drop, looking over the sandy surf of Monterey Bay in California. With my laptop open and a baby in my belly, I struggled to find the words to support the title “Peace in Pregnancy.” You see, I was pregnant and experienced anything but peace as my heart felt tied up in knots, all its strings pulled taut, waiting for the day when I could have the twenty-week anatomy scan that I hoped would settle all my fears and tell me everything would be all right. In the two pregnancies before this one, everything was not all right. Peter was diagnosed with a midline cleft lip and palate, which we later learned was caused by a genetic condition called SPINT2 that led to all kinds of complications. I was so afraid my next child would have the same condition. Celeste was diagnosed with something much worse because instead of navigating and supporting her life with medical supplies, we would never get to meet her. Celeste had anencephaly, she grew in my womb without a brain and died during birth at 37 weeks. So now, now, with Stella, what would we face? Will This Settle My Anxiety? I shared the reflections that kept me afloat during our days with Peter and Celeste in Journey in Love: A Catholic Mother’s Prayers after Prenatal Diagnosis. I shared our story in and out of the hospital with those two in What God Had Emptied: How I Found Hope in My Children’s Diagnoses. But how would I get through these days? Stella’s anatomy scan was normal. I wish I could say that quelled the anxiety, but it did not. Because peace is not something based on external circumstances. Rather, “the universal path to peace is the radical acceptance of God’s will.” That doesn’t mean that everything is okay, but that, “we choose to see in our experiences the hand of God, guiding us according to his will, for our benefit, just as we see the changes of pregnancy occurring in their own time, to guide the child in its development” (Peace in Pregnancy. That is the universal path to peace. Our personal, particular path to peace is more complicated as we must address our history, our personality, and our circumstances and consider how these impact our ability, strengths, and weaknesses when it comes to that radical acceptance of God’s will. “Whenever we turn to the Lord to guide us, he wants to gently pull back the layers of our heart that hold the wounds we’ve carried. He wants to heal us. He will use these opportunities to do so if we allow him and ask him to walk with us” (Peace in Pregnancy). A Continual Decision With each change in the pregnancy, the decision to accept this place in my life had to be renewed. None of it happened magically or simply, and I only really began to feel at ease when Stella was two months old and past the many trauma points of my history. Peace is more than the absence of conflict. It is more than being at ease. It is seeing in the middle of the storm, someone to anchor us, someone to trust, to know that somehow, someway, it will be okay, maybe not in this life, maybe not for years, or maybe tomorrow. We do not know and we do have to know. We want to know. We desperately want to know, but it actually will be okay if all we can do is "wait and see." He remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. // 2 Timothy 2:13 The words I wrote that day, ultimately had to be rewritten. When I sat down to write them, not to myself in my brokenness, but to a friend in sisterly affection, as an older woman with more children and more years of marriage, the words came freely. “You have been entrusted with the greatest gift imaginable…” Are you being asked to trust the Lord during a difficult pregnancy right now? How can we pray for you?   [bctt tweet="Searching For the Words of Peace #BISblog //" via="no"]   Kathryn Anne Casey is a writer with a focus on faith, art, psychology, and the importance of local community. She blogs at KathrynAnneCasey.com and is a regular reporter and columnist for The Hughson Chronicle and Denair Dispatch. She studied gender complementarity and psychology at the University of St. Thomas and clinical psychology at Divine Mercy University. Kathryn lives in Hughson, California, with her husband and children.   This post contains affiliate links. Thanks so much for supporting the ministry of Blessed is She!

In Something Beautiful for God, the British Journalist Malcolm Muggeridge wrote about an exhilarating experience while filming a documentary on Mother Teresa in 1967. The film crew had arrived at the "Home for the Dying" but were disappointed to encounter a dimly-lit building with small windows. Despite the challenges, the pictures were processed. Muggeridge wrote that they were “bathed in beautiful soft light.” At the time, Muggeridge was a religious sceptic who possessed a corrosive wit for mocking precious beliefs. But the light that emanated from Mother was so real, so tangible, that it beckoned the prodigal within, convicting him to pick up the shards of a lost life, illuminating his way home. The Call to the Light Today, on the feast of Saint Mother Teresa, we are invited to awaken to this Voice that beckons us to “come be my light” just like it beckoned the petite Albanian nun whose heart burned with radical love for the unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. This light led her to the poorest corners of Calcutta and it shone on rotting bodies of the dying, those with seeping wounds, and those who were deliberately shunned by society. Mother Teresa’s witness teaches us that it is not enough to just receive light. We must become light. We must be so bathed in this luminous mystery that we don’t just expose invading darkness but overcome it with the brilliance of God’s grace. Saint of Darkness The Christian Faith is built on presence. We long to see signs of the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. We wait for the still small voice. We sing, we pray, we weep at His feet. Nothing is more devastating than Divine absence. Nothing is more overwhelming than the weight of unanswered prayers hitting a ceiling of brass and bouncing back. Nothing is more wounding than thinking God’s promises come to pass for everyone else… but us. In Come Be My Light, a collection of private letters to her spiritual advisers, Mother Teresa spoke of this absence of God even as she ministered to those missing from the radar of compassion and care. She was indeed a light, but experienced little of the illumination of God’s comforting presence. She spoke of "dryness," "darkness," and "torture.” She spoke of a night so dark, so long, that lasted 50 years. "If I ever become a Saint—I will surely be one of darkness, I will continually be absent from Heaven—to (light) the light of those in darkness on earth," she wrote. What do we make of this painful predicament? Her confessor, Father Neuner, explained that this spiritual desolation did not arise from sin or failure on Mother’s part nor could it be fixed by any human action. The dark night is an assurance that God is present still, even if hidden. It is a form of suffering exemplified by Christ Himself when He cried out on the Cross; it is a sure sign of a deep-seated longing for God, a thirst for at least a ray of His light. We cannot long for God unless God is present within our heart. The Gift of the Dark Night Today, we are invited to think deeply about these spiritual realities. We live in a here-and-now world, driven by feelings, wired by sight. We look for quick fixes and we refuse to wait. We are lured by spotlights and we struggle to encounter Christ in the destitute and diseased because we are fixated on the glorified Lord, not the suffering Savior. Mother Teresa’s dark night is a comforting assurance for those who struggle in life’s deep trenches and have to overcome their darkness by crying out, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." The dark night is a gift God lavishes to share in the redemptive and transforming work of the Cross. It is a tool God uses to identify more deeply with the hungry, the naked, the homeless, those unheard and unloved, and those who live without worth and dignity. Beneath the pain of Divine absence ran a deeper river of joy—Mother was in the center of God’s will as she served the poorest of the poor. If she didn't feel Christ's presence the way she would have hoped for, she encountered Him in those Jesus ardently sought for and loved. Friend, what about you? How can we offer our "dark night" in exchange for Christ’s gleaming grace? What if, instead of resisting the Holy Spirit, we released our grip and invited the Lord in in a way He deems fit? What if, in some paradoxical way, our dark night is a gift to the world, perhaps even to our own home? Missionary to the Unwanted Prior to the pandemic, a friend from church invited me to join her to a shelter that housed run-away domestic helpers. These were women who’d been abused, stripped off their wages, and cheated of their labor contracts. Some were stuck without a passport for years, others had not seen their family, and still others were holding caterwauling infants in their bosoms, soothing them to sleep. The sight was staggering even as it was sanctifying. That evening I shared my conversion story. I testified of the hope I had found in Christ Who embodies our brokenness and I proclaimed the message of the Resurrection. There was silence at first, then tears, and then a burst of praise. We connected. We shared about our cultures, our countries, and our children. Our stories found common ground in the crucified Christ. Sharing in Another's Pain In Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, Henri Nouwen says, “Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other’s vulnerability, enter with him or her into the experience of weakness and powerlessness, become part of uncertainty, and give up control and self-determination.” Our willingness to become “displaced,” is central to our experience of the Gospel and of our transformation within. When we do not intentionally "cross the street" toward someone who is different, hurting, or in need, our hearts become cold and closed and our empathy muscles atrophy. We are then reduced to a mere building, not the body of Christ that we are. Mother Teresa dressed the leper, carried the crippled, and picked up babies from bins, even amidst stark cynicism and criticism. She taught us compassion in action. She showed us that the biggest disease in our times today is not leprosy or AIDS but the feeling of being rejected. Today, she challenges us to refute the secular throwaway culture and step forward and “be the change” we want to see in this world. Do Something Beautiful Perhaps it’s become a cliché in our culture to say, “I’m no Mother Teresa!” in response to some extraordinary act of charity. Oddly enough, Saint Teresa of Calcutta would agree. She wouldn’t want people to be exactly like her, but to accomplish God’s unique will in their lives. She said, “What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God.” Each of us, with our own unique gifts, our own stories, and our own history can touch people in ways others cannot. We can find "our own Calcutta" right where we are. We can do something beautiful for God. Sister, where in your life is God calling you to do something beautiful for someone? In God’s economy of grace, every contribution matters. Even in every detail of parenting or teaching, sewing, and scrubbing, baking, calculating, or studying, we participate in God’s illumination. Today, the light that bathed this great Saint is upon us invigorating our shadows, and sending us forth as luminous witnesses (see 1 Peter 2:9) to a world hungry for love and thirsting for Hope. Will you let the light of Christ lead you?   [bctt tweet="Saint Teresa of Calcutta // A Saint in the Darkness #BISblog //" via="no"]   This post contains affiliate links. Thanks so much for supporting the ministry of Blessed is She!

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. // Psalm 90:3 Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

I trudged along the river shore with determination. The seagulls swooped and chattered above my head as they maneuvered effortlessly in and around the river swells. I kept my head down and continued to scan the foamy surf for bits of sand-roughened glass. I was particularly fond of the deep blue glass that occasionally washed on shore from the depths of another time. Blue beach-glass was quite rare; but today my search had been futile. I slowed my progress and looked toward the horizon where the sun was beginning its circadian descent behind the cliffs. It was, however, still high enough in the sky to throw brilliant shafts of sunlight directly into my line of vision, and I shielded my eyes as I tried to discern the faint shape of the bridge in the far distance. I narrowed my gaze as I searched for the long, scalloped lines of the peninsular bridge that spanned the breadth of the river. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was out there, somewhere in the blinding light… stretching toward home. Home. I felt the familiar pang of homesickness as I looked toward the western shore, and I whispered yet another silent prayer to God, and begged Him for insight into my isolation; but once again, I was met with a thickening silence. A New Land When my husband and I moved into the backwater country of Virginia, I was disconsolate. It was rural, and practically uninhabited (to my way of thinking). The culture was different here. People were polite but more reserved than what I was used to. For the first time in a while, I had to make a concerted effort to find friends and kindred spirits. I was no longer teaching writing, raising a family, or running a ministry—and my social connections and support system (that had seemed so abundant before) now withered into a tiny rivulet of emails and occasional phone calls. It was a brave, new solitary world for me… and I was unhappy. I did try, though. I made a handful of valiant attempts to find activities and hobbies that would fill my days and weeks. I started a garden and managed to plant a small fig orchard. I learned about local art, antiques, and even discovered a natural flair for photography—which was all mildly diverting. And of course, I read. I read books on Catholicism and history, and I began reading books about homesteading (because, hey—I was out in the middle of nowhere). But the feeling of isolation was still there, and I began to grow more and more disillusioned with my limited endeavors… and with myself. There were so many nights, long after my husband had fallen asleep, when I would lie in bed, staring into the impenetrable darkness, wondering what I was doing there. In my heart, I knew that God was aware of my self-imposed gloom, but that did not stop me from asking Him, over and over, “Dear Lord, why am I here? How can this be preferable to the life I left behind? How can I serve you in the middle of this isolated wilderness?” But my unanswered queries seemed to rise into the blackness—like the tiny sparks of an open fire that are quickly consumed by the stealthy, dark mist. My Own Sort of Exile Tiny sparks. All my efforts, all my prayers, and all my hopes seemed like tiny sparks that amounted to nothing but tiny ashes. I could not fathom God’s plan, and I began to seriously wonder if I had been sent into some sort of exile—perhaps, never to return. The first time I acknowledged the concept of exile, I felt chagrined. Exile was for criminals, political prisoners, or rebels. I was none of those things. And yet I was certainly living the life of an exile. I decided that I needed to find a different comparison, so I turned to my Bible, which is and continues to be my first resource for just about everything. I read about Ezekiel, who was exiled with his wife near the River of Chebar. Once there, he experienced several spectacular visions on the river bank of the remote outpost. Then there was Abraham, who while not specifically exiled, picked up all his belongings, his livestock, his family members, and left his homeland, for the land of Canaan, a complete unknown. Abraham did all of this without complaint. I read about Cain, who is considered to be (and certainly was) one of the great criminals of the Bible. And yet… even though he was exiled to the land of Nod, God gave Cain a mark of protection. Finally, there was the cosmic tragedy of the original exiles: Adam and Eve. They had defied God, and eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Their just punishment was exile from the Garden of Eden, to this place we all call home. The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. // Genesis 3:23 As I read that passage, I felt a quasi-kinship with Adam and Eve’s eviction from the Garden. I was reasonably sure I knew at least a little about how they might have felt in their new, foreign land. Never Abandoned As I pondered these epic dramas (and several others), I realized that there were some consistent threads that ran through these accounts in the Old Testament. There was the thread of God’s omnipresent protection over the exiled. God never abandoned them. He was ever-present in their life-stories, willingly involving Himself in the ordinary and extraordinary events of Ezekiel, Abraham, Cain, and Adam and Eve. I also recognized the very human theme of longing. The brave or star-crossed refugees, regardless of the circumstances that sent them into exile, longed for protection, safety, blessings, and, of course, their homeland. I could definitely identify with that. I knew what it was like to long for those things. But there was something even larger here, and I began to realize that God was teaching me something through my own exile: I was not alone. We are all exiles, making our way through a foreign wilderness. We are aliens in an alien land, trying to find our way back home to our heavenly Father Who continually offers us everything we need for the journey. In fact, it is the central theme of the entire Old Testament: Return to Me. Yet even now—oracle of the LORD—return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. // Joel 2:12 Exile can be a Gift Understanding began to mend the edges of my frayed, internal fabric: my exile was a gift. It was a call from God to look beyond my current world and toward Him. He had eliminated all the frenetic energy of my old life and brought me into this hushed interval, a place of singular beauty and silence. Here, at last, He could speak to me in a still, small whisper. And for the first time in a very long time, I could hear Him in the depths of my heart. “Return to Me, with your whole heart.” A loving God had gone to tremendous lengths to draw me into my own personal exile so that I could finally hear His appeal. He had given me so many signs, so many opportunities, and more time than I deserved to draw me away from the noise of the clamoring world. I had resisted Him at every moment of my exile, and yet He continued to beckon me and even wait on me. My tiny sparks of sorrow had not turned into tiny ashes. They had instead been collected by the hands of angels and stored in the flames of His Sacred Heart. God Waits for Us I finally felt (more than heard) the irresistible appeal from a patient and loving God in the wilds of these beautiful tidelands, my place of exile. Only now my exile had shed its disguise and I saw my seclusion for what it was: refuge, a sacred space, my remote sanctuary. It was a place to seek God and listen for His voice, It was a reminder that my true home is not here. Now, when I raised my eyes to the blazing horizon, I could look beyond the distant bridge, past the sun, and into the ether, knowing that home is where His Heart is. But there’s more. God waits for all of us in the quiet landscapes of our souls. He waits for you, as well as me. He has orchestrated the elements of your lives, so that you also may return to Him. And since we are all unique, I know that His appeal to you may be experienced in different ways, but the message will be the same: “Return to Me, with your whole heart.”   Sarah Torbeck is a convert to Catholicism. She is a widow, mother and grandmother, as well as a contributor for Catholic Mom. She also maintains a blog, and is a member of the Catholic Writer’s Guild.   [bctt tweet="Tiny Sparks #BISblog //" via="no"]

For all of the causes for concern that are splashed across our screens day after day, I have noticed a trend that is heartening. Over the past several years, entertainment companies and individuals alike are extending themselves to reach the audience that, in years past, has either been too insignificant or not lucrative enough to merit the investment of major motion pictures that land in a public theater. Sure, you might find the occasional sponsored screening of an uplifting story by a group or parish, but rarely (if ever) do these overtly Christian shows make it to the big screen, or gasp, into mainstream media. On many levels, this makes sense. One thing we can be assured of is the research done by groups creating content and marketing it. If there is a profit to be made, it’ll happen. Traditionally, people have gone to the movies to be entertained. Let’s face it, for a long time, despite the many heroic, sacrificial, and beautiful themes of the Church and the body of believers, the Christian/Catholic genre was unfortunately seen as lacking in this regard. Sensing a Change If, however, we were to put our feelers out, we see a growing list of successful movies with an overtly Christian message: Soul Surfer (2011) Silence (2016) The Star (2017) The Shack (2017) Unplanned (2019) Mary Magdalene (2018) Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018) Breakthrough (2019) A Hidden Life (2019) Fatima (2020) The Chosen Christmas Special (2021) Fr. Stu (2022) The list is not exhaustive, but it does illustrate a growing trend of people willing to spend actual dollars to learn about/support/be entertained or take a chance on the truths that the story-lines of these features have to share. A Sign of the Times? Maybe this trend has to do with not being able to put a bow on the realities we see around us. Hard things happen–are happening—to good people, and I believe many are becoming aware that what they wanted to believe would sustain us simply doesn’t. So there is a hunger; there is an earnest seeking for something worth holding onto when the going gets tough, because the going has gotten especially tough. I want to focus on the most recent film. Fr. Stu was released during Holy Week 2022, highlighting the story of a relatively unknown priest from Montana. Stu had such a spell-binding life and conversion story that director Mark Wahlberg picked it up and funded the project when no one else would. Fr. Stu // Making Meaning from Suffering It is in our very nature to be averse to suffering, but nowhere on earth do people spend more money to avoid it or become more uncomfortable with the prospect of experiencing suffering than in the United States. I include myself. Suffering is not pretty, but it can be sanctifying. One thing the movie illustrated about the life of Fr. Stu is that, although his suffering was real and tragic, it was not wasted. His parents, sibling, fellow seminarians, parishioners, and the people he knew (and those of us who learned about him through this movie) all had a front row seat to his mortality and, ultimately, his trust in God’s work in his life. In many regards, Fr. Stu’s story is a slam-dunk in the realm of Hollywood. He was an unruly, un-churched boxer from a broken family turned priest, amusing and delighting folks everywhere. He represents not the perfect, un-relatable holy figure we sometimes imagine, but rather a messy man grappling with his own life’s lacking direction, surprising those in his path (as well as himself) when he stumbles into his vocation. Is Fr. Stu Appropriate for Children? Fr. Stu is rated R and for good reason. Although a compelling story, it is not appropriate for children. The language is coarse to illustrate the downright hostility in Stu’s family related to his father’s extended absences as well as the trauma they experienced through the inexplicable loss of his brother at the will of what they imagined to be a vindictive God. Stu’s revelation that he will begin seminary brings up a lot of anger and grief for his parents in particular. To say the least, they are not keen on the idea. Although lovable, he is about as rough around the edges as the seminary community is prepared for, and often a little extra. Cultivating Beauty The arts are so often where we turn while we hurting. You've likely heard that sentiment. Music, movies, photographs, poetry, books, paintings–each of these modes of naming and expressing feelings are God-given gifts that people have to share, and in many cases, to make not only meaning, but beauty from suffering. I absolutely recommend seeing the movie Fr. Stu. It offers a modern-day reminder that God still leads us, that nothing of our experience is wasted when offered back to God. His example may give occasion to consider our own vocation more deeply and stand in awe of the grace of others doing the same. What is one way God has surprised you in the way that you have been called to follow Him? How might we use the gifts of creativity, or suffering, to honor the Lord?   [bctt tweet="BIS Reviews // Fr. Stu #BISblog //" via="no"]

By nature, human beings are storytellers. Stories have the power to connect us to one another more than anything else. They can help us understand who we are. We shouldn’t be afraid that we are not worthy to speak His name or to share all God has done in our lives through sharing our stories. Sharing our stories is a natural way to evangelize and help people understand what has shaped our convictions and behaviors. Ultimately, we are all looking for the same thing, and that thing is God. That void we all have in our hearts can only be filled by Him. Saint Augustine said it beautifully: Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, Lord. More than ever, men and women everywhere are looking at their own hearts’ restlessness and deep discontentment. Being Missionary Disciples Engaging in a culture that so often turns from God is not an easy thing, but it is what we are called to do. We have a call: “ To love God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves” (Mark 12:30-31). It is this call to love that motivates me, and I’m sure so many other Christian writers, to engage in the world. We are to assist the Church in speaking Truth in love. We are to be missionary disciples. I have always had a love for reading. With a good book in my hand, I feel I’m always learning. And yet, the more I read the more I realize just how little I do know. I love reading about the lives of the Saints and find them very inspiring. I look at the saints as my Spiritual mentors. Seeing the variety of people the Lord has called to serve Him in the Saints gives me hope that I, too, can serve Him, despite all my limitations and shortcomings. Be Not Afraid to Share Your Faith Modern men and women are eager to hear from other Christians who are living in today’s world and facing the difficult challenges of our time. How can you and I be more like the Saints and hope to join their rank someday? One of the ways to achieve this sometimes daunting task is by returning daily to the living water of the Gospel and by not being afraid to proclaim Christ to a world that is in desperate need of Him. Faith is transmitted and lived through worship and communion of the people of God. Saint Thomas Aquinas, whose intellect and use of reason helped him understand and deepen his Faith explains it perfectly: Faith is a habit of the mind whereby eternal life is begun in us, making the intellect assent to what is non-apparent. Those who proclaim to be spiritual, but not religious, are mostly using this line as a copout. It’s just another way to say that you have all the answers and therefore don’t need to seek God. The opposite is true for us who are believers. We understand that we don’t have all the answers, and therefore, need our religion to show us how to best get to know our Creator, and how to best follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Jesus is Our Teacher In the Gospels, we find that Jesus is constantly teaching us. Unfortunately, in today’s anti-religious, anti-God world, many mistakenly view religion as a cold organization with rules and restrictions. In His goodness, God didn’t wait for me to find my way to Him. Looking back on my life, I can clearly see how He was always pursuing and coming after me. He was always using different people and situations to help me get to know Him and His Church. Our Catholic Faith, by nature, involves community. Little by little, I was learning how much I needed that community of faith. The more I was learning about my Faith, the more I fell in love with it. Our Creator always has our best interest at heart. I love what Saint John of the Cross says: In the first place it should be known that if a person is seeking God, His beloved is seeking him much more. If we desire to be good disciples and evangelize well, then we first need to learn about our Faith and have a real relationship with the person who gave us that Faith, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Perhaps one of the answers to all the confusion we see in our society today—about the most basic questions such as identity and the nature of family—could be found in our failure to evangelize. We are all called to evangelize. Yet, we cannot give what we don’t have. Steadfast in Our Beliefs If anything, today more than ever before, we need our Catholic Church to remain steadfast in her beliefs and teachings to help us navigate the changing tides of the world. The goal of a missionary disciple is to live in deeper freedom. They must find joy in walking alongside those who find themselves lost, helping them discover their true purpose in life, according to God’s will for them. People wander the wrong way—myself included. We need to learn how to be a beacon of light that helps people find their way home. It would be foolish to try to evangelize to others without first connecting with the Lord in prayer and through a dedication and love for His Word contained in the Scriptures and Sacraments. The more we get to know the Lord’s mission, the more equipped we will be to help spread that mission to others. There’s no better time and place to start than here and now! Start exactly where you are. In your communities, families, and cities.   [bctt tweet="Steadfast in Sharing Your Faith #BISblog // " via="no"]

If you ever find yourself in the hustle and bustle of Trafalgar Square in central London, you’ll be surrounded by historic statues and fountains, some built as early as the 1800s. You’ll also find London’s National Gallery, which is open to the public free of charge. It is home to paintings by Raphael, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, and Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio (1571-1610). Caravaggio was a Baroque artist who was skilled in creating three-dimensional scenes by using oil and canvas. He was very talented in the “chiaroscuro” technique. This was used to create depth by accentuating the extreme contrasts of light and shadow. Caravaggio used this method in order to bring the viewer face-to-face with the characters in his paintings. He wants the observer to take notice of the intricate details of the expressions on his character’s faces as well as their body language. Caravaggio is known for his tendency to paint biblical stories very dramatically and sometimes grotesquely. Even American Film-Director Martin Scorsese has been inspired by the work of Caravaggio. An example of one of his more intense paintings is Salome with the Head of John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist This is the John who leaped in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary greeted her cousin after making her long journey through the hill country to Judah. The John who we learn in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel “appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.” He proclaimed to the people that one mightier than he would be coming, one who would not just baptize with water, but would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John’s Imprisonment and Beheading The Gospel account on the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist speaks of Herod’s arrest of John. Herod had him imprisoned in order to heed the request of his new wife, Herodias, who was formerly the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip. John spoke to Herod about how it was unlawful for him to have his brother’s wife. He was not shy about speaking to Herod honestly. Because of this, “Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so” (Mark 6:19). Despite the fact that John spoke to Herod of his sin, Herod had a respect for him. He did not share his wife’s dislike of the man. Rather, he had a holy fear of John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. He kept him in custody, and though he did not always understand the things John was saying, he enjoyed listening to him. While John was imprisoned, Herod had no intent of killing him. That is… until the day of his birthday party. At Herod’s birthday celebration, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, performed a dance for Herod and his guests. This pleased Herod so much that he told Salome that he would give her whatever she asked for. Herodias suggested to her daughter that she ask for the head of John the Baptist. Under the influence of her mother, Salome made the request and asked that John’s head be brought to her on a platter. This is what is portrayed in Caravaggio’s masterpiece Salome with the Head of John the Baptist. Entering into the Scene The name “Salome” is derived from the Hebrew word for “peace.” However, the Salome we encounter in this Bible story is not a woman who exemplifies the roots behind her name. In the famous use of Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro, we are brought right into the presence of the four characters in his painting. It is as if Caravaggio is trying to push John the Baptist’ head into our view while spilling his blood out of the frame. The Four Characters Executioner // The executioner appears nonchalant and apathetic about the deed which he just carried out. He looks ready to wash his hands of this chore and pass along John’s head to the woman who requested, removing himself from any responsibility. Yet at the same time, there is a slight look of repentance in his eyes, not totally understanding the purpose of what has just been done. He grips his sword in a position where the handle and his hand form the shape of a cross. Elderly Woman // An elderly woman appears in the background with her hands folded. Though her face does not show much emotion, it appears that her hands are clasped together in prayer. Salome // Here is the very woman who asked for the head of John to be served to her on a platter. Despite the haste in which she had her mother’s request made, she can’t seem to turn her eyes towards John’s lifeless face. John the Baptist // We see John’s head at the forefront of the painting, his mouth hanging open. Fitting, as he is the man who is known as the forerunner of Christ. He is the one who spent his life actively preaching about Christ’s coming. What Does It Mean? This image reminds us of the sad indifference that people can have towards Christ. It illustrates to us the distance people have placed between them and morality. John is there to call us out of this indifference saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). If we have become lukewarm or detached from our faith, John pleads with us to humbly return to Christ. The elderly woman in this painting has her hands folded in prayer. What is the prayer that you want to bring before the Lord today?   [bctt tweet="Baroque Art and a Beheading #BISblog //" via="no"]

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. // Luke 14:11 Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

In the tradition of the Church, Bartholomew and Nathaniel are the same person. Think of Nathaniel as his first name and Bartholomew as his last name, since it designates his sonship. We have many obscure Saints in our Church, but it is always fascinating when, even among the first Twelve Apostles of Our Lord, there can be so little known about them. The Invitation Although we may not know so much about the life of this Saint after the Ascension of Our Lord, and he is barely highlighted in the Gospels besides being listed among the Twelve in a handful of passages, Nathaniel has a lot to teach us. When we think of what it means to follow Jesus, we may often turn to Peter, Paul, or John for our first look. But take a look at Nathaniel. The interaction between him and Our Lord recounted in the Gospel of John (see John 1:43-51) deserves our attention. In an echo of the events that unfolded for Andrew and Simon Peter (see John 1:35-42), Nathaniel is approached by a friend, Philip, who just encountered the Lord. In this encounter, Philip became convinced that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and wished for Nathaniel to also come and meet the Christ. There were certain words that made him pause, however: “Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth” (John 1:45). The future disciple wondered if anything good could come from such a place. Can you relate, sister? How often do we not find ourselves questioning if the Lord could use this person or that situation for anything worthwhile? Yet, here we must pause to honor the simple words of Philip that made all of the difference: “Come and see” (John 1:46). This is the same invitation made to us when we are uncertain if the Lord can do something astounding or if He is truly present in our lives. The Response Nathaniel models for us a prompt response to this invitation. Putting aside his questions on the worthiness of Nazareth to be the home of the Messiah, he goes to find out for himself. He is then met by the gaze of Christ, a gaze that truly sees him. One of my favorite titles of the Lord in the Scriptures is found in Genesis 16:13, when the slave-woman Hagar calls the Lord El-Roi, which means, “The God Who Sees.” Sister, like Nathaniel, can we believe that as we approach the Lord, as we turn our hearts to Him, He sees us? This moment must have been more than we can comprehend through the text alone since at seeing Nathaniel, Jesus makes a declaration that astounds him and stirs him to faith. Jesus compliments Nathaniel with a phrase He does not repeat of any other person: he is an “Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (John 1: 47). Jesus looked at him and saw him–not his hang ups or his questioning and doubts. Our Lord saw Nathaniel’s heart and found there an authentic, faithful man. The Question and the Answer How striking would it be to hear these same words spoken of us, sister? “Here is one in whom there is no deceit.” How disarming, striking, yet also alarming as it discloses that the Lord knows me entirely–in my coming and going, in my showing off and in my hiding, at the pulpit and in my secret place, He knows me. The Lord sees me and He sees you, sister, just as He saw Nathaniel. As Nathaniel asks Jesus where it was that He got to know him, I can almost hear the hesitancy in his voice and perhaps the expectation of the answer. What if something good can come out of Nazareth? What if Philip was right and this man is the Messiah? What if he really does know me? “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:48). Jesus’ answer undid Nathaniel’s hesitancy, that uneasiness he felt with a Stranger claiming to know him so deeply so as to see the intentions of his heart. What must have happened under that fig tree between the Lord and Nathaniel? What secret prayer had he prayed from his depths? Maybe he was bowing in prayer asking for the coming of the Messiah and the deliverance of Israel? Perhaps he was surrendering something dear to him or making an act of true worship to the Lord, there in this place where he thought he was alone with God. A Revelation of Love Yet, Jesus saw him under the fig tree and this declaration was enough to rouse in Nathaniel such deep faith and assurance of the identity of Jesus that he exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel” (John 1:49). It was first curiosity that led Nathaniel to “go and see” who this Jesus was. As he was now faced with an immediate revelation–a revelation of his own heart and of Jesus’ divine identity–Nathaniel’s heart was moved to see Christ. He saw him now not just as merely the man of whom Philip spoke, but as Someone who was much more than what could be seen with earthly eyes and also Someone who knew him intimately. Sister, on this feast of Saint Bartholomew, may we entertain for a moment the thought that we ourselves are approaching the Lord. What does He say about you when He sees you? Do you also see that more than the list of faults you think He is focused on? The Lord, in His tender mercy and intimate love, is focused on you–who you really are in your depths. Let Him undo your own hesitancy and fill your days with faith that He truly is El-Roi, the God Who sees. Will you take time to pray with this passage from the Gospel of John today?   [bctt tweet="On Saint Bartholomew #BISblog //" via="no"]

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. // Psalm 117:1 Let His word dwell in us richly, sisters. Download your F R E E wallpapers right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Jesus told us that He would send the Holy Spirit to remind us of all He said to us (see John 14:26). The Holy Spirit was sent to remind us. He brings to mind again the truths that He has already taught us, through the Faith and through what he has written in our hearts. I take consolation in the fact that I am not the only one the Holy Spirit has to remind—Jesus knew we all need a frequent reminder of Who He is! At my first Blessed is She retreat, I was inspired to start what I call a “Truth Journal.” In this journal, I do not write any of my own personal thoughts or reflections. This journal has no timeline. It is solely for God’s Truth contained in Scripture. I use this journal not only to learn about the Lord but also to speak His Truth over myself when I am tempted to settle back into a flawed version of Him. When I put limits on Who God is, I limit His work in my life. If our image of God is deficient, our pursuit of Him will be deficient as well. Keeping a Truth Journal God has given us the ability to conquer lies with Truth. My little journal helps me do that. On each page, I have written a different attribute or promise of God. I pray with Scripture a lot, and as I come across an attribute or promise of God, I add it to the page. Some attributes just have one or two verses, some have pages of Scripture. I save reflections and commentaries for my Bible. I limit my little journal to just the Scripture verse, as I know God’s word is true. This helps me, for when I am praying later with an attribute of God, I have only the Truth of His Word, for when we know the Truth, the Truth will set us free (see John 8: 32). Scripture Verses about the Attributes of God Here are a few examples. God is trustworthy. Psalm 33:4 // For the LORD’s word is upright; all his works are trustworthy. Psalm 145: 13 // The LORD is trustworthy in all his words, and loving in all his works. God is a protector. Psalm 18:31 // God’s way is unerring; the LORD’s promise is refined; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Deuteronomy 31:6 // Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8 // It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. Psalm 46:2 // God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Isaiah 43:1 // Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. God is omnipotent. Ephesians 1:18-20 // May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens. Isaiah 43:15 // I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. God is faithful. Matthew 21:22 // Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive. Matthew 7:7-8 // Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 // The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. 2 Corinthians 1:18 // God is faithful. Isaiah 41:13 // For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand... It is I who say to you, Do not fear, I will help you. 2 Peter 3:9 // The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. God is with us. Isaiah 41:10 // Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Psalm 145:18 // The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. Matthew 1:23 // Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” Matthew 28:20 // Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. God is merciful. Psalm 145: 17 // The LORD is just in all his ways, merciful in all his works. Psalm 86:5 // Lord, you are good and forgiving, most merciful to all who call on you. Lamentations 3:22-23 // The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning—great is your faithfulness! Reminded and Renewed On the days when I need to be reminded of God’s mercy or faithfulness, I can open my little journal and pray through a few of the Scriptures. On days when I want to praise His power and majesty, I have Scripture I can turn to. On days when I need to be reminded of God’s goodness or I want to celebrate His kindness, His Word is ready. I have been known to read and pray all of a particular promise of God, flooding myself with Truth to wash away the what is not of the Lord. God’s Word is living and effective (see Hebrews 4:12) and it changes me when I give the Holy Spirit permission to remind me through the Word. What attribute of God would you like to compile Scripture verses about?   [bctt tweet="Scripture Verses about the Attributes of God #BISblog //" via="no"] HIS WORD CHANGES LIVES God is speaking to you through His Word. In this personal study, you will learn to hear God's voice by reading slowly and praying deeply. BEGIN THE JOURNEY

We are called to be Christ’s light to the world and to spread the Gospel to all, unabashedly. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage and wisdom to do this if we but allow Him in our hearts. Lo! Think also on the graces Our Lord gives us each time we receive Him in Holy Communion to go and spread the one true Faith to all we encounter! The heart of our Faith, the Source and Summit of all we’ve been given, is Our Lord,Himself. He gave Himself on the Cross and in a perpetual re-presentation of His Sacrifice, He gives Himself to us each Holy Communion. We may be tempted by others to think we can believe as we wish, and that this is our truth. But remember this: Christ has given us the Truth, we don’t make something true because we believe it to be so. We don’t make the Body and Blood of Our Lord exist because we believe it to be true. He did this for us, and because of that, we believe. I Believe // A Poem What but as bread, This appears to be Is You, Lord, it’s truly Thee! It is You, Lord, I now receive This is true, not because I believe My belief cannot create Can’t sew a seed, give man a mate Can’t fashion out of dust One who knows You, merciful and just Alone, I am capable of but sin Despite this belief I hold within No, my belief doth not make You to be Nor do You exist because You, I see To You alone this glory belongs To be praised in all earthly songs It is You Who instills this Faith in me You, Who inspires my will to believe Danielle Erwin is a Catholic wife, a homeschooling mother of 5, and loves writing poetry whenever the Holy Spirit inspires her! She has published a book of poetry she wrote after her miscarriages (Holding On: Poems on Coping With Loss After Miscarriage) and a book of poetry on the Catholic Faith (Something More: Poetic Moments With God).   [bctt tweet="I Believe // A Poem #BISblog //" via="no"]