Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I welcome its familiar comforts: rustic colors, crunching leaves, savory soups, and cozy layers. The season of autumn also signals a fresh start, with the beginning of a new academic year. The new season of fall and the new school year bring promise of new growth, new opportunity, and new discovery. And as this newness swirls among the falling leaves and blows freely in the fresh autumn air, I am reenergized to continue the lifelong pursuit of learning and growing, especially when it comes to my faith. Reading that Inspires Faith The beauty of the Catholic Faith is that as we continue to grow, God invites us to go deeper. He reveals new truths and invites us to explore new mysteries. We will never exhaust the depths and heights of our Faith, and we will never get to the bottom of the stack of books we could read to help us fall more and more in love with the Lord and His Church. So, whether we are still in school or it has been years since we stepped foot into a classroom, God encourages us to continuously learn, grow, and discover. He inspires us to dive deep into the areas of prayer, Scripture study, Church teaching, and authentic Christian living. While there are many excellent Catholic books out there, I highlight four to consider this autumn: two fiction and two non-fiction—all filled with truth, goodness, and beauty. This fall, let’s dive into good books that draw us closer to God and teach us something new about our Faith at the same time. 4 Catholic Books to Fall in Love With This Autumn Chick Lit Many women have been burned by fiction, especially "chick lit." So, I was overjoyed to discover Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut by Rebecca Bratten Weiss and Regina Doman. It follows former fashion writer Catelyn Frank as she travels to Texas to start her doctorate program. This clean, fun novel will accompany your favorite pumpkin drink quite perfectly. But that is not to say this book is mindless reading. On the contrary, Catholic Philosopher Chick is intelligent and witty. The transcendentals of truth, beauty, and goodness as well as gentle lessons on the feminine genius are woven throughout the storyline. College-age and young-adult women will identify with protagonist Catelyn’s struggles, but women of all ages will appreciate the imperfect ways she strives for holiness. Deep and Poignant As leaves turn from green to gold to brown, and as darkness fills the air, fall gives us more time indoors for deeper reflection and quiet contemplation. A good book for “such a time as this” is Rachel’s Contrition by Michelle Buckman. It is a fast-paced novel filled with loss, grief, mystery, love, healing, and hope. It begins at a very dark time in Rachel Winter’s life. In the first few chapters, we learn about her broken childhood that leads to destruction and despair. But as the story progresses, Rachel’s life begins to be restored through the unlikely help of a teenager named Lily and the powerful presence of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. This novel includes difficult and mature scenarios and raw emotions, but it also portrays the truth that redemption is open to everyone. Fall Into Organizing More often, we associate organizing and cleaning with the season of spring. But autumn is also a wonderful time to declutter, as we shift our wardrobes and prepare our homes for the upcoming holidays. One book that can guide us through this effort is Making Room for God: Decluttering and the Spiritual Life by Mary Sperry. This organization book explores the relationship between our stuff and our Catholic beliefs. Each chapter includes details on the author’s own journey (and struggle) with decluttering, to encourage us along the way. While Sperry draws wisdom from the Bible, liturgy, Fathers of the Church, lives of the saints, and Church teachings, she also offers practical elements to help us declutter our homes once and for all. ‘Tis the Season for Saints Autumn ushers in the Catholic tradition of honoring the Saints in Heaven with the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1st). We also remember those who have gone before us on All Souls Day (November 2nd). Because of these special holy days, autumn is a wonderful time to learn more about the saints. Blessed Are You: Finding Inspiration From Our Sisters in Faith by Melanie Rigney explores the eight Beatitudes Jesus taught by introducing us to women saints who exemplified specific Beatitudes during their lives. Readers quickly discover that there are multiple ways to approach spiritual poverty, meekness, mercy, and peacemaking. And the diversity of the saints in this book allows readers to connect with one or another in very personal ways. Blessed Are You gives a hopeful, encouraging message to follow the Lord right where you are at this moment. And to lean on your sisters in faith to inspire you along the way. Back to School Bonuses For those who are searching for quality Catholic fiction for children, here are three bonus suggestions for Catholic kids of all ages. Grade School Sisters of the Last Straw is a four-book series by Karen Boyce about a group of misfit nuns with bad habits. In each book, they try to overcome their faults, bear with each other, and work on virtue. At the same time, they find themselves in the middle of a mystery to solve. This series is fun and funny, demonstrating that sisters are real people, too! These books also teach young readers to see one another with greater compassion. Middle School A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman is a beautiful story about the power of prayer through the eyes of 16-year-old Katelyn. It begins on the anniversary of her grandmother’s death, which caused her mother to enter a deep depression. Katelyn discovers a single bead from her grandmother's Rosary. This begins a quest to find the other missing beads. A Single Bead is filled with themes of family, prayer, faith, and hope. High School The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl is about Jake Taylor, a young Olympic snowboarder, and Sophie Metcalf, a high school junior. They are new friends, who find themselves mixed up in a mystery that they must work together to solve. It is a wonderful tale of romance, mystery, faith, and fun. What are you reading this fall? Please share your current read in the comments section below. [bctt tweet="Fall in Love with Catholic Books this Autumn (Plus Ideas for Kids!) #BISblog //" via="no"] This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of these links, Blessed is She will receive a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. 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The two shall become one flesh. // Mark 10:8 This week's beautiful wallpaper is from Joe of PAL Campaign. He explains the design, "The chief artistic direction behind this was in the unitive and relational aspect of marriage. The scriptural excerpt treated in a circular path signifies the forever language of the vocation. The varied marks and textures of black, white, and gray symbolize the idea that relationship is not just black and white, but rather, happens in the many shades in-between." Remember, you get this awesome design as an 8x10 downloadable print by clicking here! (Members, log in and get yours for free.) Download your F R E E wallpaper right here --->>> Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart, and for this special favor which I earnestly request in my Rosary (mention your request). I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul. I offer you this spiritual “Bouquet of Roses” because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation. -Our Lady Of The Holy Rosary Novena Prayer Reflect To be apostles of the Rosary, however, it is necessary to experience personally the beauty and depth of this prayer which is simple and accessible to everyone. It is first of all necessary to let the Blessed Virgin take one by the hand to contemplate the Face of Christ: a joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious Face. Those who, like Mary and with her, cherish and ponder the mysteries of Jesus assiduously, increasingly assimilate his sentiments and are conformed to him. In this regard, I would like to quote a beautiful thought of Bl. Bartolo Longo: "Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits," he wrote, "so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection." Song of Solomon 4:7Pope Benedict XVI [bctt tweet="To be apostles of the Rosary, however, it is necessary to experience personally the beauty and depth of this prayer which is simple and accessible to everyone. -Pope BXVI #BISblog #BISrests //" via="no"] Listen For musical inspiration for your restful Sunday, listen to our BIS Rests playlist. I recommend listening to “Hail, Holy Queen” from Danielle Rose’s album, Mysteries, which includes a song for each mystery of the rosary. October is traditionally a month dedicated to the Holy Rosary in the Church. If you are interested in learning more about or deepening your devotion to the Rosary, I invite you to check out the Blessed Coversations series entitled Mystery: four five-chapter studies which dive into the Mysteries of the Rosary: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous. They can be purchased individually or as a collection here. [bctt tweet="BIS Rests: Rose + Face #BISblog #BISrests //"] Curated by Elise Howe. You can find out more about her here.

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I am far from perfect at praying the Rosary daily. I put my worldly obligations and my messy kitchen and Instagram before the Rosary again and again and again…But our Mama is patient with me, and I’m getting better. I have gotten better. One simple little trick has made the days I do pray the Rosary outweigh the days I don’t, and that’s the reason I’m writing this post. Not because I am perfect at it, but because the success of implementing this one thing made me wonder: how do other Catholic women make praying the Rosary a daily habit? Why Should We Pray a Daily Rosary? But first, why pray the rosary in the first place, let alone daily? We are so busy, doing very good things. In some seasons of life, setting aside 15-20 minutes for contemplative prayer truly feels next to impossible. Sisters, the reasons we are called to pray the rosary daily could fill an entire book, so I’ll keep it simple. It’s because Our Blessed Mother asks us to. In each one of her apparitions that have been approved by the Vatican, she has implored the world to pray the Rosary. The Promises of Our Lady to Those Who Faithfully Pray the Rosary She even made fifteen beautiful promises to those who pray the Rosary faithfully. These were revealed to St. Dominic, and then to Blessed Alan de la Roche. They are: Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means! The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. (Referring to perishing in hell) Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination. The Rosary is Fuel for Our Souls What promises for a time such as this! If you have never tried to pray the Rosary daily, there is no better day to start than today. Yes, today. You don’t need to have the perfect plan, the perfect time slot, or even the perfect Rosary (though if you don’t have one, you can find a beautiful one that was custom-made for the Blessed is She community here). I encourage you to ask for Mary’s special graces to make it happen during this month, in which we honor Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary, especially. How Catholic Women Pray the Rosary I asked Catholic women on Instagram how they make praying the Rosary a daily habit. I found myself so inspired by the different ways our sisters prioritize this prayer in the midst of their busy lives. How encouraging is it to know that we are all in this together, drawing closer to Our Lord through His Blessed Mother and interceding for these promises, from armor against hell to a flourishing of good works?! My Quick Tip... Before we dive into their wisdom, I’d love to share that simple trick that has worked for me: downloading a Rosary podcast (I use A Rosary Companion and like the Spoken + Ambient Music versions. But there are many options out there!). I’m in and out of the car often throughout the day and love listening to podcasts, which is why I think this has worked for me. I always queue up the Rosary when I get into the car, before listening to anything else. I’m a rule-follower to a fault, and making this particular rule has been so fruitful! Here are some more amazing tips and tricks for building the Rosary into your day. Pray a Little Bit at a Time “When we say the rosary, I like to imagine that we are safe inside the ‘New Ark’ (a title that was given to Our Lady since the earliest days of the Church), just like Noah and his family were safe and preserved from the floods by entering into the Ark. She has told us throughout all her apparitions about the importance of the Rosary and the graces we will receive to persevere through hard times. We have five kids (one in utero) of all different ages and attention spans. For many years, our nightly routine has been to say between 1-2 decades of the Rosary. It was only recently that our older kids suggested that instead of switching the mysteries each day, we commit to one mystery per week. This week, we have been saying the Sorrowful Mysteries, and next week will be the Glorious. It’s not perfect, but we have faith that it pleases Our Lady because we are trying our best.” - Kelli S. “The fifteen promises that Our Lady has made to those who are faithful to the Rosary are truly life-changing! Powerful, hell-fighting armor, vice destroyer, heresy dispeller--sign me up! Even though there are such amazing reasons to pray the Rosary, I still found so many excuses not to. But, God is persistent and He inspired the design of the Rosary bracelet we sell at ChewsLife that pretty much addressed all of my excuses. It's always on hand, so I don't lose it; it's sturdy, so my kids can never break it; and most importantly, the movable crucifix charm works like a bookmark to keep my place when I get interrupted. It has allowed me to use the quiet moments that are scattered throughout my day to get my Rosary in. God doesn't ask us to be perfect; He just asks us to begin!” - Shannon W. (of ChewsLife) “My husband and I do the first four decades on our own throughout the day, and then do the fifth decade together when we are both home. We think the reason this works is two-fold—it feels more manageable to pray a decade or so at a time, and we get to pray together!” - Lia M. Deepen Your Understanding “As a person currently in the process of converting to Catholicism, praying the Rosary daily is helping to form the bedrock of my life as a Catholic woman, wife, and mother. I pray two decades in the morning while nursing my son, two more decades at various points throughout the day (usually while nursing), and one more decade before bed. I keep engaged by doing scriptural meditations with each prayer—this has done WONDERS for helping me stay focused on the beauty of the Rosary, instead of letting it feel dull or repetitive.” - Courtney W. “I never really prayed the Rosary but I started doing a study by Take Up and Read called Ponder, which is all about the Rosary. It has helped me to meditate on the mysteries and create a daily habit. I started doing just one decade at a time and am working my way up to praying a full Rosary daily!” - Macy M. (Note: Blessed is She offers a wonderful Blessed Conversations series on the Mysteries of the Rosary!) Find Accountability “A group of friends and I got together and decided to pray the 54-day Rosary Novena. We set up a group message and texted each other every day, reminding and encouraging each other to pray. It was so powerful that we started a new novena two days after finishing the first!” - Meagan R. “Find someone who can hold you accountable. For me, it is my husband. Each morning, when we plan our day, we carve out a specific time to pray the Rosary, whether that be individually or together. If our days have been busy and we have failed, we try to give the other person 15 minutes at the end of the day “duty-free” (no kids, housework, etc.) when we can be alone in prayer. Find your person—whether that be your sister, friend, mom, or husband—and just start.” - Carrie G. “I joined a virtual Rosary community with @onehailmaryatatime. Following her helps keep me inspired because she shares so many glory stories from people who have prayed the Rosary! Now, I lead a virtual Rosary group where we video call once a week and pray together. The group holds me accountable and I love praying with women who are all over the country, yet are so similar to me, every week!” - Melissa T. Take Advantage of Mental Idle Time “Exercise is part of my daily morning routine, and I found that using my Rosary bracelet during my exercise allowed me the opportunity to slow down mentally, calm my heart, and cultivate a stronger relationship with God.” - Katlyn Rose I. “I live in NYC and usually spend my subway commute on my phone. Lately, I’ve tried to shut off my phone during my commute (signal is terrible in the subway anyway!) and pray the Rosary instead. Turning an otherwise idle time into prayer time has made me feel very productive and more spiritually fulfilled.” - Vicky W. “I have an hour-long commute to work, and every single day, as soon as I get into my car, I pull up the Risers Resided by Christen Peska on the Laudate app and get out my Rosary to pray along. The mystery traditionally recited that day is the one that plays, and each Rosary recitation is about 20 minutes long. I’ve been doing this for two straight years now—before that, I rarely prayed the rosary!” - Cynthia B. Focus on Intentions “Doing novenas for a reason bigger than myself has always helped me. For example, I did a 54-day Rosary Novena for my dad’s conversion...that was more than enough motivation to make myself pray a Rosary every day. I saw miracles happen. After that, I didn’t want to stop, so I did another 54-day novena for my future spouse. I met my husband a few months later.” - Melissa T. Embrace Imperfection and Keep Praying “We started praying the Rosary daily with our family almost seven years ago. We started the practice for Lent and it stuck because our kids wanted to delay bedtime. We were also going through a difficult time in our family, and after praying the Rosary daily for six months, we noticed all the peace and hope it brought to our lives. It had become a beautiful nightly ritual to bring our family together, screen-free, distraction-free. I encourage my Instagram followers to not focus on perfection and to just try. Mary sees your efforts and she will take your intentions to Jesus. Trust me.” - Kristin (of One Hail Mary at a Time) “Some of the best advice I’ve heard is ‘Just keep praying.’ Sometimes, stuff comes up. Maybe your kid starts crying or someone from work calls or you have to clean up a mess, or any number of things that need your attention—whenever you can, just keep praying through it.” - Trishey N. “Be okay with not always being perfect at it. Some days, you don’t want to, other days, you don’t have time...don’t allow those excuses to make you feel as though there’s no point. Your Mother loves you and meets you wherever you are. I love this quote from St. Bernadette: ‘In the evening, when you go to sleep, hold your beads. Doze off reciting them. Do like those babies who go to sleep mumbling ‘Mama, mama.’” - Carlin N. How do you cultivate the habit of a daily Rosary? We’d love to hear your tips and learn from what has worked for you! Join us over in our app for a live weekday Rosary at 11am ET!  Our new Blessed Is She Rosaries have arrived! Get yours here!  [bctt tweet="How to Cultivate the Practice of Praying the Rosary Daily #BISblog //" username="lisajanelkirk"]

Today marks the much-celebrated feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Without him, our churches would be void of Crèches at Christmastime and our animal companions would go unblessed (for starters). Francis loved any reason to gather people together to give praise to God. If that meant sheep and a donkey in the church courtyard for a living nativity, so much the better! The heavens declare the glory of God. – Ps. 19: 2-5 Our God of Creation Because of the creative nature of God, the Church has long held the concept of two books of revelation: Scripture & creation, each illustrating and revealing to humanity who God is. Our divine imaginations are stirred in a variety of ways. This is why we can study the inspired Word of God and observe its Truth in the "book" of creation as well. St. Francis grasped this early, as written beautifully in his Canticle of Creation. Pope Francis grasped this inspiration early in his papacy as he penned the Encyclical letter, Laudato Si: I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome. I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace. Catholics and Creation Certainly there have been questions raised over the Church’s taking a position on matters of the environment as an issue of morality. But three themes stand out that suggest St. Francis and Pope Francis are each pointing us toward a more just and accountable role within our world as a people of faith. 1. Evaluating our identity as stewards of the gifts God has given. We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man “dominion” over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. -Laudato Si, 67 Simply put, our misguided interpretation of the word “dominion” has become a stumbling block. Rather than understanding humanity’s role as one of dominating the earth and its richness for a quick profit, we are challenged to cultivate it. Much like the farmer who chooses to plant cover crops, or rotate their crop is investing in the future health of their soil and its yield, we as stewards of creation are encouraged to take the long view as well. Where am I being invited to act as a steward? 2. Acknowledging our responsibility to God’s anawim, those who live on the margins. For example, changes in climate, to which animals and plants cannot adapt, lead them to migrate. This in turn affects the livelihood of the poor, who are then forced to leave their homes with great uncertainty for their future and that of their children. There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation. They are not recognized by international conventions as refugees. They bear the loss of the lives they have left behind without enjoying any legal protection whatsoever. Sadly, there is widespread indifference to such suffering, which is even now taking place throughout our world. Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and sisters points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our fellow men and women upon which all civil society is founded. The people of West Africa surrounding the Lake Chad basin, coastal Bangladesh, Puerto Rico, and parts of coastal Louisiana, and Alaska, are already experiencing this phenomenon. And yet, "climate refugees" do not receive refugee status. They are not fleeing violence or persecution as the term "refugee" has traditionally been defined. To create this new category of displaced refugees would further stretch the funds available to those who are fleeing violent circumstances. Perhaps this explains the "lack of response" that Pope Francis describes. But the problem is clear and growing. What is one habit I can learn that would benefit God’s anawim, those in greatest need? 3. Reverencing God as the Divine Creator, Author of creation. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty, and fullness. -Laudato Si, 53 Air pollution from vehicles and industries. Unsustainable farming practices. Loss of rainforests. Waste so prevalent it has created an island twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean. These are certainly recent contributors to the problem before us. Many of humanity’s great advances and discoveries have come with a tremendous amount of convenience and disposability. We believe that creation itself is God’s self-revelation, and that we are made in the image and likeness of God. So this “throw away culture” that Pope Francis dubbed in 2013 remains as harmful for the environment as it is for the human person. It undermines the value of the good gifts we know to be from the Divine Creator. What is one new practice I can adopt to care for the gift that is our common home? St. Francis of Assisi, Lover of God in Creation As followers of Christ, we already know that the right way and the easy way are not synonymous. In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, may we too be remembered for our reverence of this divine gift that is our earthly home. St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us! [bctt tweet="St. Francis of Assisi and the God of Creation #BISblog //" via="no"]

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. // Mark 9:42 This week's beautiful wallpaper is from Katrina of Rose Harrington. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

I remember a print that hung in my family’s kitchen when I was a little girl. You know the one. A little boy and little girl are happily traversing a broken bridge over raging waters while a very ethereal, smiling angel hovers over and behind them with arms outstretched. Man, I loved that print. I would stare at it over my bowl of cheerios in the morning, thinking how cool it was that little Hansel and Gretel there could just move about the world so blissfully oblivious to danger thanks to their sweet angel. See, because my mom had taught the guardian angel prayer to me as a tiny girl, I knew exactly what that angel was and why those kiddos were safe. She was their guardian angel. And as long as she was by their side to “light and guard, to rule and guide,” they would be A-OK. What About Our Guardian Angels? But what about me? And what about us, sisters? Now that we are adult women with our mature intellects and our skepticisms that have grown right along with our faith, do we still believe in the protection of guardian angels? Or have we been scarred and jaded by hardships and lost battles to the point that we doubt their existence? Angels Among Us So, where is the first place we should look when we have a question about our Faith? The Catechism, of course! From its beginning until death human life is surrounded by (the angels’) watchful care and intercession. "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. -CCC 336 Wonderful! So we, as believers, have been given our very own angel to protect us as we go through our trials, tribulations, joys, triumphs in this life. But who, or rather, what is our guardian angel? Is it our dear friend that passed away? A loved one that we believe to be in heaven already with our Lord? I’m afraid not. What is an Angel? St. Augustine says: "Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is "spirit"; if you seek the name of their office, it is "angel"...” With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. -CCC 329 Let’s let that marinate for a minute. From our very beginning in our mother’s wombs, until the last breath we take, we are under the care of spirit given to us by God Himself. This angel, this completely spiritual and non-physical being, is ours for protection and guidance. By its very existence it bridges the gap for us between Heaven and earth. Wow. Send Me an Angel Can I just say how much I love both our Blessed is She sisterhood and the internet? As I was preparing to write this post, I wanted to hear what some of you had to say about guardian angels. You didn’t let me down! When I asked what vision came to mind when people thought of their personal guardian angel, it seemed like a mixed bag. Some people had the very flowery, traditional view of an angel, not unlike the one in that print I mentioned earlier. Others said that they saw their angel as similar to St. Michael to Archangel, a fierce and strong protector. Shannon said that she views her angel in that fierce way. "My angel has had to do some WORK!” she said. While Joan sees her angel as very large, but comforting and strong, as she often feels very much alone. Lee said that her image of guardian angels has changed as she’s gotten older. She's learned more about how they can protect us in the spiritual battles we face as well as the physical ones. And Alison says she imagines a large, fight-ready angel who stands as our protector from attack. Angel of Mine I also asked if anyone would be willing to share personal experiences. In what way had they felt their guardian angel’s presence in their life? Several people shared stories of how guardian angels protected them from being tragically hurt or even killed in car accidents. Some told stories of being lost as children and finding safety through the help of their angelic protector. Others credited their angels for working with and through police, friends, and even strangers to save them from dangerous situations. Some are in conversation with them as a natural part of their daily lives. But here’s what I think it comes down to on this Feast of Guardian Angels. Whether or not we have impressive stories about our angels, whether or not we feel their presence in our daily lives, we need to trust that they are there. They travel this road with us as we, like those sweet kids in the painting, blissfully and obliviously wander through dangerous territory. In His infinite wisdom and providence, our Heavenly Father loves each of us enough to grant us our very own spiritual BFF. Let's Chat with Our Angelic BFFs So today, I invite all of us to say the guardian angel prayer with a little extra love. To listen to that still, small voice in our hearts when faced with a situation we are unsure of. To ask our own personal guardian and friend to join its prayer with ours and, by doing so, move just a little farther along to our safe landing on the other side. Do you have a relationship with your guardian angel? How do you picture your guardian angel? [bctt tweet="Angel of God, My Guardian Dear #BISblog //" via="no"]

Last winter I was in a rough spot. I felt broken in my life and my relationships, and that if I couldn’t do something “world changing” then I wasn’t living out my Christian duty the right way. I brought this feeling and many other struggles to Confession with me one Saturday, thinking that the only way to be satisfied with what the Lord is currently doing in my life is to lay everything before Him, feel His grace and love, and receive some sound advice. As I poured my heart out to my priest, these words slipped out of my mouth: “I just feel like I don’t know who I am.” Shocked, I realized that was the truth. Knowing Who We Are Who am I? Who is this woman that God shaped and molded as part of His creation? I felt like this quiet girl from a small town in Michigan needed to be setting the world on fire in order to get approval from God and feel some kind of satisfaction from life. Eyes filled with love, my Priest looked at me and said, “Only God knows who you are and what He plans for you." Suddenly his expression changed. He caught me off guard by asking, “Who is your favorite saint?” I can state facts about a lot of different saints, but I never felt deeply connected to anyone in particular. I could only respond with a helpless, “I don’t know." Meeting St. Thérèse He asked me if I knew St. Thérèse of Lisieux. I vaguely remembered something about roses and Carmelites, but that was it. Father continued, “God is making her present in my mind very strongly. I feel that she is so close to you, it’s like she is standing right behind you”. My eyes widened. A Saint? Close to me? I didn’t think I was worthy of such patronage. He told me to pray to her and listen to the gentle whispering of what this great saint brings to my heart. As I left Confession, I saw a wall hanging of St. Thérèse that I never noticed before. She looked determined, holding bunches of roses (my favorite flower). A quiet resolve burned in her eyes and I could tell she was truly a woman who lived close to the Lord. I resolved to learn what I could from her. Story of a Soul That is the beginning of how I discovered this beautiful Saint. Not long after I received a gift of her autobiography Story of a Soul. Compiled of two sections dedicated to her sisters and one to the prioress of the Carmel, Thérèse delves into the story of her life. I found a connection between myself and this small, quiet French girl. She longed to complete every task for the Glory of the Lord and developed her own “little way.” St. Thérèse is a woman who seemingly lived an ordinary life as a young girl and later a Carmelite nun. But her humility, steadfast love, and knowledge of her own shortcomings put her far above the rest. She followed Jesus by doing the smallest tasks with grace. In her teaching I have found peace in how I can live my life for God. Sainthood Isn’t Easy When I used to think of Saints many years ago, I would imagine heads crowned in bright golden halos with eyes lifted to God. I imagined a life filled with peace and prosperity. Because they had such a close relationship with God, surely they never faced any hardships or troubles. Wow, was I wrong! From the very beginning of Story of a Soul (and from the lives of many other Saints), we learn that Thérèse's life as a child was filled with great suffering. Some of these trials might be some that you face, too sisters, such as the death of a family member, life-threatening illness, and finding out the path God plans for you in life. From the first part of her autobiography I learned that the early life of most Saints are filled with hardships and tears. What makes them great is what they do in the aftermath of despair that makes them truly great. It is so simple, but sometimes so hard to do at the same time when feeling lost, confused, and even angry. Lean on Jesus, and lean on Mary. It is that time you feel great love the most. Vocation of Love Have you ever really thought about the concept of love? I find myself meditating a lot on what it means to give and receive this beautiful virtue. To really get a grasp on what love entails, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 outlines the basics. But at the same time, those basics are tough to uphold all the time! We all have moments when our patience is pushed over the edge or when we angrily snap at a family member for words they said in haste. In our darkest moments, and also with the stress of daily life, love can be hard to uphold. St. Thérèse realized this. She knew what a daunting task vowing to do everything in love can be. Yet at the same time she proclaimed love as her vocation in life. Even when other nuns at the convent talked about her behind her back, when she was made to do the most menial tasks day after day, when she confronted sickness with no cure: she showed love. The Little Way I was amazed at her resolve. What was her secret? St. Thérèse shows that the closer you are to the Lord, the more strength and peace he will give you to show His love. Because of her strong faith and close communion with God, He used her as a vessel to pour out His divine love on Earth. She didn’t do anything that attracted the crowds of thousands, either. She simply created The Little Way. The way of those who are ordinary people with ordinary lives. Those who want to serve God their loving Father through their littleness and simplicity and love. In other words, St. Thérèse knew that she was not capable of great sacrifices or of performing great and mighty works. Rather, she chose to remain as a child in the eyes of God. She performed all of her duties with love and obedience, no matter how small and insignificant they were. The Story of a Soul is a Love Story For those looking for a genuine love story, the autobiography of St. Thérèse tells the story of how one heart drew ever closer to the gentle heart of God. He drew her in with all the shortcomings of human nature and simply showered her with His affection and watched her blossom. St. Thérèse is an inspiration for daily life and her philosophy is one that many people can imitate. This Saint helped me to fall deeper in love with the Lord. I now realize that God made every single person with a purpose in mind. The challenge comes in recognizing His love that surpasses all understanding, and then being motivated by it to do good in the smallest of ways. As St. Thérèse herself once said that we are beautifully and wonderfully cared for by a compassionate God. I think of any small act done in love as a bouquet of flowers being offered to the Lord. Every day my own love story is still growing, and so is yours. I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would no longer be enamelled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our lord's living garden. -St. Thérèse Have you read Story of a Soul? What was your biggest takeaway from it? [bctt tweet="BIS Reads: Story of a Soul #BISblog //" via="no"] Kayla McBride is a Nursing student at the University of Michigan. Like St. Thérèse of Lisieux, she believes her vocation is one of love, and strives to show the love of God to others in her daily life. When not studying you can find her involved in her Christian sorority, spending hours at a local coffee shop, or reading anything from Jane Eyre to the Hunger Games (preferably with a strong cup of coffee)! This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of these links, Blessed is She will receive a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using our affiliate links!

When I was young, my family owned an illustrated Lives of the Saints book. On the cover was a black and white picture of a young girl. I remember flipping through the book one night, trying to find the picture of the girl in the pages of the book so I could read her story. I found the image and read the emboldened name on top of the page: Thérèse of Lisieux. Is St. Thérèse Really that Special? After seeing more pictures of her, I realized this was the same girl who I saw statues of in churches. But she was older and usually wearing a habit and holding roses. It was my first time seeing images of her as a young girl and the first time I read her story. I am embarrassed to say now, but as I began reading, I quickly became annoyed. “Why was she a Saint? And what did she do to deserve that title?” I put down the book, but I was unable to stop thinking of her. Looking back at this memory, I see how erroneous I was in my thinking. Since reading her story, almost two decades ago, this beautiful Saint in heaven has interceded for me, guided me, and protected me. Through reading her autobiography, taking her on as my confirmation Saint, visiting her hometown of Lisieux, and experiencing a miracle through her intercession (more on that below), this little Saint clearly showed me not only why she was a Saint, but as Saint Pius X called her, “the greatest Saint of modern times.” St. Thérèse and Merciful Love This past year, my husband Mike and I read the book 33 Days to Merciful Love by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC. This book is a retreat that culminates in a consecration to Jesus’ Divine Mercy through the intercession of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. The retreat led us through the theology of Thérèse’s Offering to Merciful Love (something I never knew existed prior to reading Gaitley’s book!). This book changed our lives. It strengthened our relationship with Jesus, showed us the meaning of mercy, and taught us that Heaven is obtainable. Thérèse’s profound teachings of mercy and love echo Jesus’ teachings found within the Gospel. 3 Lessons I Learned From Thérèse’s Consecration To Merciful Love Thérèse is the youngest Doctor of our Church and considered to be the Doctor of Merciful Love. I don’t know about you, but prior to reading “33 Days to Merciful Love”, I never equated Saint Thérèse to mercy. I always thought of her doctrine of the “Little Way.” Yet after learning more, I discovered that Thérèse’s Little Way is in fact, a revelation of Jesus’ Divine Mercy. Here's what I learned: 1. I can become a Saint. Thérèse’s doctrine of the Little Way describes that the more humble we become, the smaller we become, the greater God becomes in our life. Thérèse placed her complete and total confidence in Jesus. She realized that true humility is the awareness of littleness. This complete awareness of her littleness, her awareness of her weaknesses and imperfections, gave her complete confidence in becoming a great Saint. 2. Purgatory can be avoided. For my entire life, I had the mindset of, “I hope I at least make it to purgatory.” After learning more about Thérèse’s Offering to Merciful Love, I discovered the profound reality that purgatory can be avoided. And more so, that talking about purgatory in the way that I did, actually hurt our Lord. Why? Saint Thérèse responds: You do a great injury to God in believing you’re going to purgatory. When we love, we can’t go there. With the hope of “just making it to purgatory,” I wasn’t fully trusting in God’s mercy. When a fellow novice told her she feared purgatory, Thérèse said: You do not have enough trust. You have too much fear before the good God. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. You should not fear purgatory because of the suffering there, but should instead ask that you not deserve to go there in order to please God, Who so reluctantly imposes this punishment. As soon as you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakeable trust He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. And then you can be sure that you will not have to go to purgatory. St. Thérèse believed that after consecrating her life to Jesus’ Merciful Love, after placing her complete and total confidence in God’s promise of mercy, she could go straight to Heaven. With this same confidence and trust, we can too. 3. Ask for the Mercy the world has rejected. Thérèse felt called to consecrate herself to Jesus’ Merciful Love. She wrote an eleven-paragraph prayer that offered herself to the Heart of Jesus by accepting all the Merciful Love that other souls rejected. Thérèse recited this prayer daily and knew that through the Offering, she was consoling Jesus by letting Him love her. She realized that Jesus’ love, His Merciful Love, was pouring into her heart through the act of her consecration and making her into a great Saint. Through reciting Thérèse’s prayer, and asking for the mercy that people in the world have rejected, I too am consoling Christ’s heart. My St. Thérèse Miracle I was blessed to study abroad in college. One weekend, three of my friends and I travelled to Lisieux, France to visit Saint Thérèse’s hometown. It was a beautiful little pilgrimage. I purchased some pictures of her (one of them being the same black and white image of young Thérèse I had first seen on the cover of the book when I was younger). My friends and I returned to our classes after our weekend in Lisieux with our hearts full of love for Thérèse. Yet sad news on the campus where we studied awaited us. One of our dear professors shared with us that his wife had miscarried. He stood in front of our class, at the podium, weeping as he told us the news, a place where just weeks prior he had announced with us the joyful news of her pregnancy. My heart was pierced with sorrow for this man, a man totally and completely in love with his wife and child in Heaven. I knew that nothing I could do would fully console their hearts. But I knew I had to do something. A Shower of Roses I said a little prayer, and the next day before class I decided to walk to the town’s local flower shop and bring some flowers to him to give to his wife. I looked around and saw yellow roses—the most beautiful bouquet I had ever seen. While I never choose yellow roses (I always go for the white!), I couldn’t leave the shop without them. Once back on campus, I found an envelope, and inside I placed the picture of Saint Thérèse as a young child I had purchased in Lisieux. I wrote a note to them, signing it Claire Frances. I never sign my middle name (Frances) when writing notes. But for some reason, I did that day. I got to class a little early, and walked up to the professor and handed him the yellow roses and the envelope. The classroom began filling up with my fellow students, and I saw the professor standing at a window in the front of the room with his back towards us, reading my card to him. I will never forget what happened next. I carry this memory in my heart, always. He slowly walked up to the podium with tears rolling down his face. He said he and his wife had been praying a novena to St. Thérèse and that today was the ninth day, the last day of the novena. In the novena, they had asked St. Thérèse for a yellow rose if the child was a girl, and that they had named her Faustina Claire Frances. Cling to His Merciful Love Sisters, Heaven is real, the Saints are real. They are continually interceding for us. They desire for us to be in Heaven with them. Become friends with St. Thérèse, this beautiful Doctor of Mercy. You will experience her powerful presence in your life as she teaches you the gospel message, the message of mercy and love. And in turn you will spread that message to the world. What areas of your life are in need of merciful love today? [bctt tweet="St. Thérèse, Doctor of Merciful Love #BISblog //" username="findphilothea"] This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of these links, Blessed is She will receive a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using our affiliate links!

Picture this. A young girl is just starting to fall in love with the Lord and discovers that everyone on this earth has a call to sainthood. But that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to do something great for the Lord, whether that meant slaying a spiritual dragon or the ultimate act of martyrdom. She wanted to be a great saint. So this girl went through her life imagining all of the great things she could be doing for Him. But she made one major mistake. She thought she was supposed to do it on her own and without the help of God. This girl thought that being a great saint meant that she had to be independent. That our weakness was actually something that hindered the climb to sainthood. Because of this, she one day had to learn about her weakness and how essential it is in our relationship with God. My Little Way The girl in this little story is actually me, and maybe it sounds a little bit like you, too! For so long, I spent my days thinking that my weakness was preventing me from becoming a saint. Sure, I heard about St. Therese of Lisieux and how she believed that it was her weakness that led her to sainthood. But that was not going to be the case for me! I wanted to climb the steep, hard staircase to Heaven. No one was going to help me get there because I was strong enough to do it on my own. St. Therese actually bothered me, believe it or not, because I thought she was choosing the easy way out. There was so much more she could be doing for the Lord! As you can imagine, He set me straight in the most gentle and difficult way possible. After spending a year experiencing my own weakness, I too came to understand how much I needed to depend on God for everything. Becoming Little This past year I served with Catholic youth missionary organization called NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams). I spent the year traveling the country, putting on retreats for middle school and high school students. I was so excited because I thought that it was finally my chance to prove how strong I was and how much I could serve others. Boy, was I wrong. From the very beginning, everywhere I turned I was hearing about St. Therese. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (My grace is sufficient enough for you…) was turning up all over the place. I couldn’t figure out what God was trying to say to me and why this idea of weakness was popping up so often. Relying on Him Before I knew it, my year of mission work had started off and I found myself in a leadership position with a lot of responsibilities. It wasn’t until I found myself crying at 7:00 a.m. in the back of a 15-passenger van because I was too tired and worn out to put on another retreat that I started to realize that I couldn’t do it on my own. I wasn’t strong enough to lead my team, others, and even myself to Christ without the help of God. Very soon after that realization, I came across 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 again and actually decided to pray with this Bible passage. What I learned from that time of prayer has shaped how I live my life today. I learned that God wasn’t trying to put us in our place or show just how little we are. No, He desires us to be weak. The lower we are, the more space there is for God to work in and through us. How beautiful is that? I don’t know about you, but I want Christ to fill every part of me. The only way He can do that is if I am brought lower and lower. Embracing the Little Way Here’s the thing though, how do we actually do that? How do we lower ourselves enough in order to give Christ the space to work in and through us? For me, it was the desire to be independent and strong that led me to shy away from my littleness. But maybe you struggle with perfectionism and the need to control the things and people around you. The first step is an acknowledgment and acceptance of our weakness. Sometimes, Jesus allows us to be frustrated and overwhelmed in order to see that on our own we actually can’t do it. Don’t get me wrong, this is a huge step, because sometimes we are not even aware of the things that we are doing that could be keeping us from a deeper relationship with Christ. This is where we have the opportunity to pray for our eyes and hearts to be open to the barriers that keep us from holiness. Ask God to show you and help you accept your weakness. Once we know these things and give them to Christ we are then able to move onto the next step, which is running to the open arms of Jesus every chance we get. The more we release and tell Jesus that we cannot reach holiness on our own, the more space and freedom we give Him in our hearts. Before, I would try to get everything done on my own and end up frustrated and overwhelmed with all the things on my place. But now, I simply make an act of trust and ask for the Lord’s help before I get to that point. It’s that simple. This is what St. Therese had been talking about all along! The path to sainthood doesn’t have to be this steep and hard staircase, but a loving embrace from the one who died and freed us from our sins. Boasting of Our Weakness As St. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians: Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Like St. Paul, I will boast about my weaknesses and the strength of Christ, are you willing to as well? How has St. Therese's little way shaped your spiritual life? [bctt tweet="Embracing the Little Way #BISblog //" via="no"] MaryKatherine Deschamp is an elementary music teacher who teaches in a small Catholic school in rural Minnesota. Other than finding new ways to be creative in the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her family and tasting as much pumpkin-flavored things as possible. She is currently on a mission to become an everyday ordinary saint who loves as she has been loved by the Lord.

My heaven it is to feel in me some likeness blest To Him Who made me and my soul hath reconciled; My heaven it is always beneath His eye to rest. To call Him Father dear, and be His loving child. Safe shielded in His arms, no storm my soul can fear; Complete abandonment my only law shall be. To sleep upon His Heart, with His blest Face so near, Oh, this is heaven for me! -St. Therese of Lisieux Reflect My vocation is love. St. Therese of Lisieux [bctt tweet="My vocation is love. -St. Therese of Lisieux #BISblog #BISrests //" username="to_the_heights"] Listen For musical inspiration for your restful Sunday, listen to our BIS Rests playlist. I recommend listening to "King of My Heart" by Stephanie Gretzinger. [bctt tweet="Security + Love #BISblog #BISrests //"] Curated by Olivia Spears. You can find out more about her here.

It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler, when it is honest, and realizes what it has done, and returns, it makes ever-increasing progress in our Lord’s service. -St. Teresa of Avila I’m not sure how I fell away from God. The best way I can describe it is like that friend from high school that you were close with, and did everything together, and you truly and genuinely believed you would be friends for life. Then you went to separate colleges, you became an adult, and life just happened. And even though you know what’s going on in their life because of social media, you realize it’s been years since you have actually talked to them on the phone or in person. Losing Touch with God That’s how my relationship with God slowly fizzled. I had fallen deeply in love with Him in college during a silent retreat my senior year. After I graduated, He just seemed like a distant friend who fell out of touch. I knew God was around, I felt Him calling many times. But it felt awkward. Too much time had passed, and I was embarrassed I had not maintained my side of the relationship. He tried so many times to reconnect, but I would flake out on our dates, or cancel at the last minute. Sometimes I would come around when I needed a favor, but then a few weeks later I would conveniently start missing His calls again. Yet, I missed Him. I felt a void and I knew it was God that I needed. But I did not quite know how to re-start a relationship with Him. Coming Face to Face with Hell Then one day, I stumbled upon an article about descriptions of hell from various Saints. As I read through the different quotes describing these gruesome and evil scenes, a sense of panic and fear fell over me. My heart began to race, and in that moment, meditating on the word "eternity" struck me in such a way that completely took my breath away. Looking back, God had tried so hard to bring me home, but I ignored everything, so He used holy fear. I feared spending an eternity in hell. In that moment one thing became clear—I had to go to Confession. And I needed to reconnect with God and my Faith. Coming Face to Face with Jesus in the Confessional I looked up when our parish would be holding Confessions and decided I would make it a priority. I had not been to Confession in three years. So the night before, I completed a thorough examination of conscience and wrote down everything—I wanted to be ready. The next morning, I woke up and prayed to God that He not let me miss Confession, and that He allow me to spend some time alone with Him in prayer. Not surprisingly, God came through. I had planned to take my 13-month-old son with me, as our closest family lives two hours away and my husband would be at work during Confession times. Having just moved to a new city, we did not have anyone else we trusted yet to look after the baby. However, unbeknownst to me, God had already arranged for a babysitter. My mother-in law called to say she was driving up for the day to visit—I was able to get away to Confession alone. As soon as I walked into the lobby, I noticed there were a lot more people inside the Church than I would have imagined. I thought maybe it was a Rosary group, until I walked inside and found that I had entered during Eucharistic Adoration. I knelt to pray and found the line for Confession at the back of the church. As I was standing in line, I realized how God made all of this happen. He had given me this opportunity to spend with Him. While I waited for Confession, I updated God on my life, what I was worrying about lately, and where I wanted our relationship to go. It felt good to reconnect with Him. Staying Close to the Lord and Becoming Holy After Confession, I asked the priest if it was wrong to suddenly want to pray, return to Church, and be closer to God because I was so fearful of spending eternity in Hell. “God works through everything, even fear,” he said. He reminded me of 1 John 4:18. “’There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...’ although God called you through fear, do not worry. It has brought you back, and God will continue to work on you through love…welcome home.” Three points that God made clear to me in the days and weeks that followed were: 1. Confession is key to spending eternity with Him. As practicing Catholics, we are required to attend Confession once a year, particularly during Lent. This is the minimum, though. Why not go above and beyond and make Confession a habit? Too often it was the “little” sins, sprinkled throughout the weeks, that added up and caused me to feel unworthy of answering God’s invitations and calls. Go to Confession often. Don’t wait for Lent, just make a date with God and go now. God wants us to spend eternity with Him. Answer His calls! 2. Don’t miss your scheduled dates with God. Be present at Mass and during your daily prayer. I used to think that I was not gaining anything from Mass. The homilies are boring and I don’t get anything out of them, I used to say. Once I began to understand that my relationship with God is give and take, it became clear that Mass is not just what I can gain or benefit out of it. It is also a chance for God to spend time with me too. It is a chance for me to give to Him. Daily prayer is the same. iIt’s not only a chance for you to connect with God, it’s also a chance for Him to spend time with you. He looks forward to it. When you care about a person and their relationship, you would never just no-show for a scheduled meet up, so don’t do it to God either. 3. Spend time with Mary. God filled me with an urgency to pray the Rosary and spend time with Mary. Find ways to pray the Rosary daily, whether it be a decade scattered throughout your day, sitting down to pray during your lunch break, or when your child is taking their nap. Meditating on the mysteries of Jesus’ life has been a game-changer for me in truly understanding my worth and the ultimate sacrifice that was made for me. Through the Rosary I have been able to connect with Mary and ask for her prayers and advice regarding the daily struggles I face as a mother, wife, and daughter. Set a time to get to know Mary and meet her in prayer, too. Have you ever felt distant from your Faith and God? How has God called you back? What has He made clear to you when you return Home? [bctt tweet="How the Fear of Hell Made Me Want to Be Holy #BISblog //" via="no"] Jeanette Macias lives in Southern California with her husband and 13-month-old son. She worked as a social work counselor for children with developmental disabilities before becoming a stay-at-home mama. She loves connecting with other moms to talk about the struggles and joys of motherhood, brunch dates, and listening to a good podcast. You can find out more about her here.

I love my parish for many reasons. We have one priest who’s a dynamic homilist, and another who is the most pastoral confessor I could hope to have. Our Community Life Director is amazing and is constantly organizing activities to enrich the lives of our parishioners. Our Children’s Faith Formation Director is impeccable. She attends to every detail that someone could possibly think of in all her myriad programs and activities. Even with all of that, it still isn’t enough. Our parishes are trying to meet people where they are in their current faith formation journeys. That’s a wonderful goal. But they’re also trying to maintain the building and facilities, and schedule every ministry around liturgies and Bible studies and requests for space for meetings. They can only do so much. How to Lead in Our Parishes By Example That’s why our parishes need us to step up to the plate. We have to be willing to be the hands and feet of our parishes. Easier said than done, right? Maybe not. Step One: Observe The first step is to look around. What is missing in your parish? Is it a mothers' group? Assistance for those who are homebound? What is present and necessary, but floundering? Are people welcomed upon arrival, depending on which Mass they choose to attend? What aren’t you offering that could help you meet others where they are? Do you have a large population that doesn’t speak English and no ESL classes at the parish? Several single moms and no help extended their way? Identify the need. Step Two: Make a Plan Once you’ve identified “the thing,” make a plan to meet that need. Do you need better community outreach? Why isn’t yours as effective as it needs to be? How do other local churches do it effectively? Are there events made accessible to the public? Does your parish charge for them? Want parents of little ones to feel supported rather than treated like second-class citizens relegated to the cry room or Narthex? Try making Mass bags available for check out at the Welcome Table. You may even be able to get donations from local companies and fellow parishioners. You’d be surprised how people meet a need when it’s made known. Do your research and formulate a plan for attacking your issue head-on. Step Three: Enlist Others Don’t go it alone. Recruit fellow parishioners to help out. They can be Mass friends, Bible study classmates, or people you know from other interactions at church. Admittedly, this may be the hardest part. People love to participate in things, but that doesn’t always carry over to a love of helping set things up. If you’re smart about it, though, you can work around that. I’m sure there are several confirmandi who require service hour fulfillment—there’s a great source of manpower and it gives them ownership over something in their parish community. Step Four: Know Who to Go to This is going to be a key step. You want to approach the correct person to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. Think about the area you’re trying to fix. Does it have to do with the parish at-large? Reach out to your Community Life Director. Are you targeting newlyweds? Empty nesters? That’s Adult & Family Life territory. Does it have to do with religious education? Reach out to that director. Figure out where the need you’re addressing fits into your parish and know who you need to speak with. Step Five: Make a Proposal You’ve done the research. The need is there and you can state why. You have both the solution and the manpower to take it from idea to reality. You even know who you need to convince. But you do still have to convince them. Pull everything together into a PowerPoint presentation. Feeling extra tech-savvy? Make a video, including parishioner testimony supporting your endeavor. Make sure you have a list of names of those volunteering to help. If what you’re proposing is going to cost money, you have extra work cut out for you. But don’t give up on it entirely. Research even more. Know the costs. Have names and managerial contacts of companies willing to donate items for the project. If you’re modeling it on a program at another church, show what that looks like (and again, include contacts). Show how your proposal is necessary for parish life, but also how little the priests will have to do to implement it. Remember that they’ve got their hands full. The Church Needs Us The church is more than a building. It’s you and me. If we want our churches to reflect that in every way, we have to be willing to do something about it. Do you feel the call to be more active and involved in spearheading ministries in your parish? [bctt tweet="Our Parishes Need Us to Lead By Example #BISblog //" via="no"] Kristi Denoy is a wife to her Catholic Match and momma to two beautiful daughters, ages 9 and 3 months, respectively. She enjoys mom and pop coffee shops, reading, and all things theatre. Find out more about her here.

I’m a member of a large Blessed is She regional Facebook group. Questions related to spiritual direction often arise there. Women ask about how to find a director, seek recommendations for a director in their area, ask whether it’s proper to pay a director, and even ask what spiritual direction is in the first place. While I am certainly not an expert, I can attest to spiritual direction's helpfulness. I feel I can offer insight for those who might want to explore it for themselves! What is Spiritual Direction? Spiritual direction is the process of working with a guide to help you in your pursuit of holiness. A spiritual director does just that. He or she directs you, sometimes over a short period of time (like at a retreat) and sometimes long-term. Getting guidance at retreats is good, but having a long-term spiritual director who knows your interior life and your spiritual goals is even better. St. Francis de Sales puts it simply in his classic An Introduction to the Devout Life: Do you seriously wish to travel the road to devotion? If so, look for a good man to guide and lead you. This guide need not be a man, but priests certainly come to mind as apt spiritual directors. Many active and some contemplative religious sisters can also be directors. There are also institutes dedicated to forming lay people in the art of spiritual direction. A spiritual direction session can cover any number of things: your prayer life, movements of consolation and desolation, spiritual joys and difficulties. All this, of course, requires a great deal of trust, humility, and honesty, which can be scary! But if you’re serious about holiness, finding a spiritual director is a great step to take. How Do I Find a Spiritual Director? Pray! Beg God to give you a spiritual director. That doesn’t mean you should sit around and wait for Him to drop one into your life, of course. But ask God to guide your search. He’ll give you the director He wants for you in time. Beware of faulty spirituality. Reading “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the ‘New Age’” might help you make sense of new-age spirituality and why it’s problematic. The Catholic Church has all the wisdom a soul could need. But some spiritual directors turn to teachings and practices from other religions and even discard Catholic wisdom, which can be dangerous. I would advise everyone to stay away from such directors. Start with who you know. If you like your parish priests or know other priests in your area, consider asking one of them to be your director. Or, if you know any faithful religious sisters in your area, they might be able to help, too. Not all are trained and feel competent in spiritual direction, but it can’t hurt to ask. Having a pre-existing relationship with someone before asking them to be your spiritual director is helpful, but it’s not necessary. Ask around. If your priest is unable to offer spiritual direction, ask him who he knows. That’s how I found my director. Since I work for a parish pastor I knew it probably wouldn’t be wise to ask him to be my director, but he gave me the names of a few priests that matched my criteria (thoroughly orthodox and experienced in spiritual direction). I emailed one of them to arrange a meeting, and I’ve been seeing him ever since. Or, if you have friends in your area who have a director, ask them about their experience with that director and reach out to him/her yourself! Search the web. Some diocesan websites list directors within the diocese. If your city has a Catholic university or a public university with a Catholic student center, its website might list people who are able to give spiritual direction to students (and therefore, depending on their schedules, those outside the university, too). Meeting with Your Spiritual Director When meeting with a potential director for the first time or two, don't be afraid to ask questions of them and their experience. This can help weed out directors who might give you less-than-orthodox spiritual guidance. Ask them, in person or via email, about their own prayer life or about their favorite devotions. If they are a lay person, ask them where their training came from and do your research on the place that formed them. Ask how long they’ve been directing people. A former mentor of mine said that one good question to ask is about their relationship with Mary. If they express that they don't really care about Mary or if they find her unimportant, or if they offer an opinion of her that’s clearly out of line with Catholic thought, run away! What if We Don't Click? If you feel a director isn't right for you, it's okay to look for another. I think orthodoxy should be the top consideration when looking for a director. But sometimes a director's personality or style just doesn't work with yours, and that's fine. Don't be afraid to be choosy if the first director you see doesn't work for you. Finding a spiritual director is like finding a therapist or a doctor. You want one who knows what they’re doing and who you’re comfortable with! That said, be aware of the growing pains that can come with having a new director. Bearing your soul in spiritual direction is scary, especially if you didn’t previously know your director or if you’re new to spiritual direction. It might take more than a meeting or two to feel at ease with a new director. That was the case for me. I didn’t know my current director at all before I started seeing him for spiritual direction, and I was honestly a bit intimidated by him for our first few meetings! One thing I did to alleviate this was to ask him some small-talk, get-to-know-you questions at the start or conclusion of our sessions. Before long we were laughing and joking with each other at our meetings. Now I feel I can talk to him without much difficulty. Praying for Your Spiritual Director When you’ve found a good spiritual director, make them worth your while and theirs. If your first session goes well, show initiative and interest by requesting another meeting. Obey your director. Follow their advice. Pray how they want you to pray. Pray for them. If they give book recommendations, read them. Be honest and open with them. Your director is (hopefully) wiser than you. Take their guidance to heart! Compensation and Spiritual Direction In my experience, most priests and religious do not ask for compensation for spiritual direction. It's part of their vocation and ministry. That said, while compensation might not be expected, it's always appreciated! I'm not sure there's a set amount that you "should" give to your director. Give what you're able. Give after every session, or give a set amount every few sessions. If your director is a religious priest, brother, or sister, any stipend you offer them will likely go to their community because of their vows of poverty. If you want to give something other than money, you can't go wrong with gift cards for things like gas or groceries. Most priests and religious that I know also appreciate gifts of coffee, snacks, beer, and wine! Spiritual "Payment" If you're unable to give money, assure your director of your prayers! I've arranged Masses to be said for my director and his intentions at my parish. A spiritual bouquet (offering to pray a novena or a certain number of Rosaries or a certain number of Masses for your director) is also a thoughtful gift. May God bless you and reward you in your search for a spiritual director! Do you have a spiritual director? What advice would you add to the above? [bctt tweet="How to Find a Spiritual Director #BISblog //" via="no"] Erin Daly is a 20-something Midwesterner who, in recent years, has lived in Iowa, Illinois, West Virginia, and Ohio. She's done everything from proofreading to tutoring to youth ministry. She is now a parish administrative assistant in southern Wisconsin. You can find out more about her here. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of these links, Blessed is She will receive a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using our affiliate links!

I recently returned from four months abroad in the incredible city of Galway, Ireland. Although I had a great semester of fun adventures and friendships, I experienced a new road bump in my relationship with God: loneliness. Not Alone, But Lonely It wasn’t a similar feeling to the loneliness I've experienced before, which usually occurs when I’m with a large group of people (introvert alert) or even with a small group of people that I don't connect with. This was a deeply-rooted loneliness that followed me like a lurking shadow wherever I walked. It didn’t matter if I spent a wonderful, joy-filled day doing things I loved with people I enjoyed. I would always return to my room at night aching to the core with this unshakable pain weighing on my heart. Sometimes it would last through the night and into the morning, and it would feel physically and emotionally taxing to just get out of bed and start my day. I felt more than just loneliness. I felt total hopelessness, detachment, and emptiness. And it was entirely irrational. I knew that I wasn’t alone in life. I knew that at any moment I could reach out to my parents, my best friends back home, or even the new friends I made in Ireland as a network of support. And yet this weight on my soul persisted, feeding me lies that I had no one with which I could share the love in my heart. New Surroundings Being ripped away from my perfect reality back home was a bigger blow to my faith than I thought. I came from a small, community-oriented Catholic school where I had wholesome friendships and genuine connections. Suddenly, I was plopped into a giant university full of strangers. I couldn’t really talk about God or make friends who would ever truly know me and love me. Those I cared about most were on another continent. Now, I had to feign enjoyment over superficial conversations about shopping and whose boyfriend was cuter. A persistent ache of singleness started to creep into my life, and I became so hopeless at the thought that I had so much love to give from my heart and no one around me to receive it. Coming to the Crossroads When Lent rolled around, I decided that I would stop filling the void of my loneliness with superficial distractions (I love you, Netflix, but I have to let you go). I resolved to spend more time in reflection through daily Mass, prayer, and journaling. I spent hours by the tabernacle telling the Lord about my sorrows and the newfound pain I was experiencing that wouldn’t seem to go away. What is wrong with me? I would ask Him over and over, as if I didn’t already know. Though I tried to connect with God in my loneliness, I couldn’t shake the feelings of anger I had towards Him for making my heart ache so strongly. I thought that He was punishing me by isolating me, giving me emotions I could not work through. I thought He was keeping me from romantic and platonic relationships. My assumption was that He wasn’t letting me meet someone who could distract me from my feelings of worthlessness, as if any human being really has the power to do so. But, to no one’s surprise, praying, “What the heck, God, can you please just stop this pain and hurry up and send someone my way?!” was not the right way to resolve my loneliness. Turning to God in Our Loneliness After weeks of being stubborn and impatient with God, I decided instead to be vulnerable and open with Him. I talked to friends that I met through the chaplaincy on campus, read Catholic blogs, and watched videos of speakers giving talks. Each bout of inspiration was telling me the same message: God wants us to turn to Him in our loneliness. [bctt tweet="God wants us to turn to Him in our loneliness. #BISblog //" via="no"] He doesn’t make us single or lonely to punish us. God removes the distractions from our life because He wants to spend time with us. He wants nothing more than to know us and love us. Sometimes–especially for those of us who are stubborn–it takes physical and emotional isolation for us to realize that we need a relationship with Christ before we can have a relationship with anyone else, including ourselves. I realized that God wasn’t sending me to a foreign country for four months without the security of friendships or a relationship to enact a cruel plan or to test my strength. He was creating an ultimate opportunity for me to spend some quality one-on-one time getting to know Him. He was inviting me into a relationship with Him. Accepting this invitation made me feel more loved, validated, and wanted than any human relationship ever could. Surviving Seasons of Loneliness We will always have seasons of loneliness. There are times in our life when we think the ache of singleness will never go away. Or when we feel like we cannot turn to anyone for love and support. Or when it seems completely irrational to feel alone, yet we ache with sadness anyway. Not only is that okay, it is necessary. Without these seasons of loneliness, we wouldn’t have the time to become comfortable with ourselves and acquainted with our God who loves us so very much. It’s easy to feel empty in a culture that defines us by our possessions, the amount of friends we have, our relationship status, or how much fun it looks like we’re having on Snapchat and Instagram. But instead of turning to distractions to fill the void or wallowing in despair, we are called to be present and open with the Lord. We are called to give Him our thirsting hearts and allowing Him to quench them with His love. Bring Your Loneliness to Him Acknowledge your seasons of loneliness. Bring them to the table before God. Offer them up as a sacrifice. Ask Him to help you work through the tough times. Take advantage of the moments in your day or stages in your life when you’re physically or emotionally alone. See them as God’s invitation to spend time getting to know and love you more. It is only when you surrender your loneliness to God and open up your heart to Him that you can experience the truest form of unconditional love. Are you going through a season of loneliness? How are you holding up? Where is God in the midst of it? [bctt tweet="Seasons of Loneliness #BISblog //" via="no"] Emily Rizza is a senior at Assumption College. She loves coffee shops, farmers' markets, folk music, Oxford commas, and bringing people closer to God. You can find out more about her here.

Women, more than men, in their desire to give relationally, tend to want to give without taking. Women want to suffer their boundaries in the name of love and let the well run dry. Writers and influencers abound in the discussion of self-care. But how? And why is it so hard? It's OK to Start with You In It’s OK to Start with You, Julia Hogan, a young female psychotherapist in the Chicago area, shares the answers and her understanding of the difficulties in this Christian self-help book. Her title makes it clear what this little book is about. It seeks to teach me it’s OK to start with myself. Her message answers the predicted objections that self-care is: self-centered, egotistical, and a waste of time. Who Should Read this Book? Naturally, there are benefits for everyone (any good author would say so). The book speaks primarily to those who have been taught to put others before themselves (a Christian principle). It addresses how this mentality can morph into trampling on ourselves to do so. It’s reflection questions would serve amazingly well as a women’s small group or book club activity. While self-help books abound in the secular market, we have needed to grow the pool of Catholic female experts giving us advice. The Author's Experience and Expertise Written to the reader, Hogan, a graduate of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, draws from her expertise in working with clients suffering from anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. While these books usually contain questionable nuggets, I find Hogan’s theories and foundation entirely sound, albeit for the two or three references to being “the best version of yourself.” More accurately, she generally speaks to one’s authentic self, true self, best self. Hogan’s informal yet still professional style of writing helps her meet her personal goal that it would be short, clear, free of a lot of psychobabble, full of examples, and something the reader can refer to again and again. She does this exceptionally well. I could refer to cognitive processes, irrational beliefs, etc. Yet she takes each psychological concept and explains it deftly without ever touching the technical terms. Not all passionate professionals can get out of their own head so successfully. Through and Actionable Throughout this little book, her writing impressed me with its clarity, conviction and insight into motivation. Hogan has heard it, seen it, worked with it and now shares it with us. I love to read these lessons that I feel sure are ones the therapist has taught again and again. They lay so well on the paper. Finishing the book, I found no stones unturned. She works so easily addressing the obstacles and excuses. By the end, one feels the only way is forward. For the person excited to act, she even cautions. Take it slow in order to take it successfully. An appendix at the end offers examples of self-care plans and further reading. Do I Start with Me? Her words identified my weak spots as I read. They arrested my heart and called out the dark areas where the inner critic had the advantage. I took the quiz, made a plan and have found, she was right. The act of doing something about it shuts the inner critic up and I am better for it. It is a remarkable little book. It is excellently written and worth returning to, again and again. Have you read It's OK to Start with You? Is self-care something you struggle with? [bctt tweet="BIS Reads: It's OK to Start with You #BISblog //" via="no"] Kathryn Anne Casey is a graduate of Divine Mercy University, freelance writer, housewife, and mother of four children. Her weekly newspaper column “Here’s to the Good Life!” and blog focus on art, psychology, consumerism and the importance of local community. Find out more about her here. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of these links, Blessed is She will receive a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using our affiliate links!

Growing up, I had an incredible community of Catholic friends. I was never challenged or persecuted for my beliefs. I was able to build a strong foundation for my faith to grow. As I embarked on the college application process, I desired to be challenged in college and sought out ways to surround myself with people who saw the world differently than I did. More than anything, I wanted to know why I believed the teachings of the Catholic Church. And what better way to do that then be in an environment that challenged my beliefs and forced me to understand why I live out my Catholic Faith? Being Catholic in College And that is exactly what I did. Now, I love college. I am taking interesting classes, have an inspiring and empowering group of female friends, and am living in one of my favorite places in the world. But when I asked God to put me in an environment that challenged me, He answered my prayer in a direct way. He pushed me more than I ever thought possible. The college that I chose to attend is frequently cited as one of the most liberal, least religious colleges in the United States. But here I am, two years later, and I would not do it any differently. The past 2 years have been filled with the highest of highs but also the lowest of lows. This past semester I struggled with identity. I entered a period of almost constant spiritual unrest. I was striving to live my life to please God and follow His teachings. Yet there were challenges at every turn. It seemed like everything around me was trying to knock me down. I felt alone and sacred. I was unsure of where my life was going. Thankfully, I did not back down from the challenge God placed in front of me. Because of the environment I was in, I was forced to delve deeper into my Faith, ask questions, and do a lot of praying. I am now on fire for my Faith. I feel more connected to the Catholic Church than ever before. How to Foster Relationship with Christ at a Secular College Recently I was asked how I maintained my faith when it seemed like everything around me was telling me not to? How do I keep my faith alive at a secular college? Here are some ways that I have found to be helpful: Find a Catholic Community at Your School Not all of my best friends in college are Catholic. However, finding a community that understands and fosters your Faith is critical. Most colleges and universities have either a Catholic center or club. Find them! Before entering college, I went online and found the contact information for the Catholic group at my school. I made sure I was at the organization fair during orientation week and introduced myself. Meeting with my Catholic community on a weekly basis for the last two years has been a saving grace. Being able to come together in fellowship with people your age often experiencing similar trials and tribulations is so powerful. Finding consistency in college can be difficult. Classes, friends, and physical living spaces are always changing. Meeting with my Catholic friends every week was and still is a great source of comfort and makes college feel more like a home! Be Open to Having Conversations Regardless of where you go in life, you are going to meet people who are different than you. That is part of what makes life exciting! Meeting people from a variety of backgrounds can open up your mind to a world of new ideas and perspectives. And it is wholly possible to disagree but still have a productive conversation about your beliefs and differences. Too often, disagreements turn into arguments. This eliminates the possibility of growth. Disagreements force you to really think about why you believe what you believe and seek out information that you may not have for the sake of educating another. In turn, you are also educating yourself. The more you share your story, the more you are sharing the light of Christ with others. Don’t be Afraid to Make Non-Catholic Friends Oftentimes we are attracted to people who share similar qualities, values, traits, or interests as we do. But, it is hard to find people who share every belief that you do, especially on a college campus. So don’t be afraid to make interfaith friendships. They will require more work. All parties involved will have to do a fair amount of listening and learning about the other person. But the friendships can be fruitful and rewarding in different ways than your Catholic friends. What could be better than telling others about your relationship with Jesus? What I have found is that it all comes down to loving your neighbors. Loving others as God loves us is an incredible way of sharing the beauty of the Catholic church to those who are not Catholic. Stay True to You It’s ok to say no. It’s ok to say no to the party, the drink, the outfit, or anything else that makes you feel like you are taking a step away from God. By saying no to these things you giving a big YES to God. When I first entered college, I was terrified that my new friends would stop liking me once they found out about my Faith and how I was living my life. They asked questions out of a genuine curiosity and I answered truthfully. Nobody treated me any differently or pressured me into doing anything I was not comfortable with. They treated me like they always had. And that is how I knew they were my true friends who loved me for me. Now, I am fortunate. Not all people react to how my friends reacted. Being “you” might not always align with what the majority is doing. There are times when keeping your relationship with God as a priority may seem like it is not worth it. But it is. And the reward is so much greater than college popularity or “fitting in” with the crowd. There is No Shame in Asking for Help College is an environment where you can be surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of people and yet feel completely alone. The good news is you are never alone, God is always with you! However, at times it might be hard to see that. Seek outside or professional help if you feel like you cannot get through whatever season of life you are in on your own. Contact your church office, seek counsel from a trusted priest, or ask your Catholic campus advisor for further resources. Do/did you attend a secular college? What advice do you have for growing your relationship with Christ and His Church during that time? [bctt tweet="How to Foster Your Relationship with Christ at a Secular College #BISblog //" via="no"] Caroline King is a junior at Emerson College in Boston, MA studying Communications and Political Science. She was raised in Texas and is a southern girl at heart. She loves watching the news, spending way too much money at Sephora, and drinking coffee. You can read more about her here.