I have recently realized that I’ve been praying the same way my entire life. It’s starting to feel like I’m running on a treadmill. I’m getting exercise, so it’s not fruitless. But I’m not going anywhere or seeing the beautiful sights that I know the Lord has for me. I was taught the tried-and-true ACTS method of prayer: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. There's certainly a place for this form of prayer, but I’ve always been stuck when it comes to listening. Even after being inspired by a beautifully-written devotion, my thought process tends towards, “Ok, God. Here I am. What do you want to say to me? Hello? (Hmm…what should I make for dinner?) Oh! Sorry, God, here I am! Anyhow. Were you saying something?" A Need for Change I’ve also recently become more aware that something needed to change in my spiritual life. I was pretty sure it was tied to how I was praying. I don’t expect fireworks every time I pray (or ever!), but I do know that God always has more grace to give. The definition of stupid (or in my case, ineffective) is doing the same thing and expecting different results. And praise the Lord, He heard the desires of my heart. He lead me to a book and a deeper method of mental prayer that I was ready to attempt. I’m not the kind of person to normally read appendices. But when I came across the method of meditation by Venerable Francis Liebermann in the back of the book Time for God by Father Jacques Philippe, I knew I hadn’t finished the book. It’s a letter written to his fifteen-year-old nephew, so I found it thorough but unpretentious. It was simple enough for me. While I had previously been introduced to the method of prayer of Lectio Divina, it had never resonated with me. I could see how this new method overlapped with Lectio Divina, while allowing room for reflection on a particular topic or virtue instead of simply a Scripture passage. A Different Method of Mental Prayer Father Liebermann instructs you to begin the night before by considering a devout topic. Read about it and think about it, even as you are going to sleep. For your prayer in the morning, after you place yourself in God’s presence, begin by thinking about your unworthiness. Examine your conscience and ask forgiveness for your faults, and then invoke the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray. Adoration The first part is Adoration. Pay homage to God (or thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for her intercession) based on the subject of your meditation. The subject of your meditation could be any virtue, or a devout topic from the life and example of Christ or Mary. Express to God your wonder and gratitude and how you desire to imitate him. WRITE + PRAY We invite you to sit with the Word and unpack it in a uniquely personal way, finding your own story. Discover your story within His. GET WRITE AND PRAY Consideration After you have paused over these thoughts and feelings adequately, you move onto the second step, which is Consideration. Father Liebermann says, “Here, you will gently turn over in your mind the main reasons which should convince you of the truth which you are meditating on.” In other words, the reasons why you need to work on this virtue. He also gives the helpful caution to not turn this into a mental exercise, where you draw pride in how many things you thought of. Rather, use these considerations to gently allow the Lord to move your heart. Then begin to examine your conscience to see how you behaved or what faults you have committed against this virtue, and how you can begin to avoid that. Resolutions Finally, the third part is Resolutions. You begin to specifically consider “in which circumstances of your day you will risk falling into the fault you wish to avoid, or in which circumstances you will be able to make an act of this particular virtue.” Beg God for the grace to keep your resolutions and lovingly consider them. Tell the Lord it is for His glory you are asking. Allow your heart to pour itself out before the Him like a small child before her dear father. Entrust Yourself to Heaven Lastly, commend yourself to your Mother, Mary. Ask her, as well as your patron Saints and guardian angel to pray for you to obtain the graces you need for your resolutions. The thing I have found so beautiful and helpful about this form of prayer is how it takes the pressure off of me to “think of” what God might be saying. My heart is able to be open to how the Holy Spirit wants to inspire me as I reflect on God’s goodness and love for me. I know it was the Holy Spirit who led me to this book at just the right time in my life. I’m ready to hop off the treadmill and bundle up for the great outdoors. I need some fresh air. I’m ready to see some scenery as I learn to love my Beloved even more. Do you feel like something needs to change your prayer life? Consider this method! If you've ever tried it, let us know in the comments! [bctt tweet="A Method of Mental Prayer #BISblog //" via="no"] Mara Wehrung left part of her heart in Michigan to live with her husband and now two adorable children in a suburb of Cleveland. She is an organist who loves bringing beautiful sacred music to people to help them worship. You can find out more about her here.

Week Three // O Holy Spirit, Beloved of My Soul O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen. Week Three Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our local communities and dioceses. Week Three // Day Five Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. My king-sized bed dons a down-comforter. It’s light and airy, yet also provides an incredible amount of warmth. At the end of every day, it provides relief and comfort. So much so that I often have a hard time leaving my bed the next morning. Its soft nature is such a stark contrast to the brusk-ness and battles I face from day-to-day that it can be difficult to leave its comfort behind. Coincidentally, one of the titles of the Holy Spirit is “Comforter,” and He accompanies me everywhere I go. I hadn’t given this much thought until a couple of years ago. I was crying to a dear friend about an ill family member when she asked me, “Have you ever specifically asked the Holy Spirit to comfort you?” Her question was a true moment of realization. It had never occurred to me that I could ask for comfort and consolation. I thought it was simply something God would give you if He thought you needed it. It almost seemed wrong to request relief, as if the need and desire for consolation meant that I didn’t have enough faith in God. Thankfully, this isn’t true. Just as the human needs sleep every night, the Christian needs consolation from the Comforter daily. This is especially true when dealing with anguish. Consolation is a resting place. It’s rejuvenating; it makes us stronger. It doesn't take away the cross, but instead enables us to carry it with renewed purpose and strength. Christ Himself illustrated this fact during his agony in the garden when God sent an angel to comfort Him. If He needed consoling in order to better carry His Cross, than we certainly do! Asking for consolation doesn’t make us weak. We already are weak. Rather, it’s an act of humility, an acknowledgment that we need God and we need His grace. Admit to yourself an area of your spiritual life that needs consolation. Bring that wound (big or small) to the Holy Spirit. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Have you ever specifically asked the Holy Spirit to comfort you? [bctt tweet="Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="graceswap"]

Week Three // O Holy Spirit, Beloved of My Soul O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen. Week Three Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our local communities and dioceses. Week Three // Day Four Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. When it comes to strength and discipline, that is my husband’s area of expertise. He’s got a PhD in Sports Physiology and Performance and is the head of the Exercise Science department at our local college. That being said, I really couldn’t avoid weightlifting if I tried. He doesn’t force it on me by any means, but because we have a relationship and speak with each other on a regular basis (as hopefully all husbands and wives do), the benefits of strength training have osmosized their way into my brain. What I’ve learned is that it’s much more than throwing heavy things around. It’s an actual science. There are times to lift heavy. There are times to lift light. There are days to add more weight as you go. There are days to decrease weight as you go. There are days when specific muscles are targeted and others are avoided. And there are days of complete rest. Everything is monitored and evaluated. Not following the specified plan will eventually result in injury. So will ignoring cues from your strength coach. Knowing this has completely changed my mindset when I ask for strength from the Holy Spirit. Before meeting my husband, when I asked the Holy Spirit for strength, I expected a surge of power. This was probably because I thought I needed to do heavy “spiritual lifting” continually. I pictured Atlas of Greek Mythology, continually holding the weight of the world on my shoulders. “If I only had enough strength…” I’d say to myself, “If I only had enough grace…” Now I know that strength does not come quickly. Nor does it come from continual heavy lifting. It also comes from rest. It comes from “light days.” It comes from fasting and feasting at the appropriate times. It comes from consistency. It comes from listening to the voice and cues of my spiritual trainer—the Holy Spirit. And it requires attentiveness and devotion on my part. Evaluate your tendencies, whether you need more time “lifting” or more time “resting” in order to gain spiritual strength. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners How are you hindering your own growth in strength? [bctt tweet="Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="graceswap"]

Week Three // O Holy Spirit, Beloved of My Soul O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen. Week Three Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our local communities and dioceses. Week Three // Day Three Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. There’s a scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl during which the ship and its crew are being tossed by the waves of a great storm. One of the characters questions the sanity of Captain Jack, as he is steering the ship by a compass which doesn’t point north. "How can we sail to an island that nobody can find, with a compass that doesn't work?" he yells above the squall. "Aye, the compass doesn't point north, but we're not trying to find north, are we?" the first mate knowingly returns. When we ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can expect a couple of things. First, we are going to encounter disturbances and downpours. It’s not a question of “if.” The island which the pirates were trying to reach possessed an immense treasure which also made its owners immortal. The powerful storm was an attempt to keep the crew from reaching that destination. Similarly, the Holy Spirit guides us towards the treasure of eternal life. Right as rain (pun-intended) we can presuppose that the enemy will send disorder, upheaval, and barricades to try and veer us off course. Satan really doesn’t care whether we are shipwrecked entirely or simply lose our bearings. His only concern is that we never obtain the treasure. Storms are often a sign that we’re headed in the right direction within our spiritual lives. Second, the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a lot like Jack’s compass. It doesn’t “point north.” The Holy Spirit does not direct us the same way the world directs us. Because He points us in a different direction and leads us by different means, people will often question our sanity and our intelligence, just as they did with Captain Jack. Thus, we can all take a page from the book of Jack Sparrow and simply grin when this occurs, because we know something the world doesn’t. And their opinions won’t stop us from receiving our eternal reward unless we let their own doubts starve our faith. Whether we face storms or the judgment of others, we simply need to keep our focus on “the compass that doesn’t point north” (aka: the Holy Spirit). Try to approach the spiritual warfare in your day-to-day life as confirmation that you are headed in the right direction. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Do other people’s remarks cause you to question the guidance or assurance you received in prayer? [bctt tweet="Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="graceswap"]

I always felt unremarkable, which I think I could have been okay with if the world didn’t always send messages that made me feel as if ordinary was an outrage. When I was a kid, the word average meant you were like everyone else. It meant you were okay. You were enough. You fell into the middle and you weren’t worried about being out-twirled at baton practice or made fun of when the metal bar fell on your head. Those were happy days. If, somewhat unremarkable. But at some point, and maybe it was when I started paying attention, everything changed. Being average meant you were like the less-than sign used in math—pointing in the wrong direction, open to the mundanity of mediocracy. A losing symbol in a world that equates greatness with worthiness. Whatever happened to good enough? I suppose that is why I am so fond of God. While He asks me to be good, He has always believed I am good enough. Of course, I didn’t always know that because I was too distracted with headlines on glossy magazines, books on bettering, and tried-and-true tips that felt like a tongue twister of tortured suggestions. Somewhere along the way, it wasn’t enough to just climb a mountain. It had to be conquered, a flag staked on the summit claiming victory so the whole world knows of such greatness. Somewhere along the way, the world’s messages became more important than God’s, and I was left parched and weak from the climb. What Victory Really Looks Like Victory with God isn’t about surmounting, it’s about surrendering. It’s about believing in our need for a Savior instead of our need for surpassing. It’s about accepting what is, who we are, and what will be. It doesn’t mean we don’t use our gifts, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, or that we wallow in stagnant waters. He created us for greatness, but not as the world sees it. “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,” (Colossians 3:2). Created in His image, we are intrinsically good enough. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light,” (1 Peter 2:9). That’s certainly good enough for me. Under the world’s spotlight, I am unremarkable. In His wonderful light, I am extraordinary. When I am focused on my relationship with God, the finicky standards of others don’t matter to me. I am too aware of my blessings and the way His love, mercy, and graces keep me in His light to bother worrying whether the world considers me adequate. Waving the "Good Enough" Flag As such, I am getting out my "good enough" flag that used to wave high above airborne batons, before I succumbed to the world’s definition of success. I’m duct taping it somewhere in the middle of my mountain which is covered in laundry, dirty dishes, unfinished projects, and unreached potential. I have not finished my climb, but I am done with the notion of the mountaintop. Where I long to go is so much higher anyway. The way up looks more like the twirl of a baton than the trudge of a climb. And, that’s good enough for me. In what areas of your heart and life do you desire to see yourself as "good enough"? [bctt tweet="The Beauty of Being Good Enough #BISblog //" via="no"] Lara Patangan is a freelance writer and mother of two boys. She is currently working on publishing her first book about her mid-life mission to do works of mercy. You can find out more about her here.

Week Three // O Holy Spirit, Beloved of My Soul O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen. Week Three Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our local communities and dioceses. Week Three // Day Two Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. The 18th century is known as the “Age of Enlightenment.” It was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the mode of thought in Europe. Philosophers believed that rational thought was the most legitimate mode of thinking. “Reason” became king, ruling everyone’s actions, and the value of “faith” was brought into question. It was at this time that the deist movement began (the simple belief in God the Creator, with no reference to the Bible or any other miraculous source). The whole movement opened the door to modern day agnosticism and atheism. It’s tempting to think of more knowledge as a good thing, but sometimes it’s not. In fact, in God’s original plan for mankind, He didn’t want us to know everything. He only wanted us to know “good,” which is why He made the world and everything in it “good.” It was goodness—and only goodness—that He desired for us. Sadly, we grasped at more. The mind of mankind was poisoned by the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. More knowledge was gained, but it was quite costly. God gives us the option to consume the good that’s around us, or to consume the bad. Reason alone can be hollow, while faith alone can be blind. It is the combined use of faith and reason that helps us to weed through the gray matter and figure out the truth. When we ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, we aren’t necessarily asking for full knowledge and understanding of a situation. Rather, we are asking that He make the good more obvious, illuminating the path we should take—directing us away from matters and situations of which he does not want us to have first-hand knowledge. Resolve to live your day based only on the knowledge that the Holy Spirit decides to give you. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Has your desire to be enlightened ever left you facing the dark? Do you trust that God gives you the exact knowledge you need, or do you fear He is holding out on you? [bctt tweet="Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="graceswap"]

The new year is a perfect time to reflect on the year that just ended, as well as your life as a whole. As you think and dream about this new year— maybe even jot down some goals—a deeper faith life might be on that list. For the last several years, I’ve had some kind of faith-focused goal. At first, I was discouraged about it. “Here I am again, hoping to be more faithful, again.” But truly, this is how it should be! Year after year, desiring to grow in holiness and faithfulness. The more time we spend with God, the more time we want to spend with God. The more we seek Him, the more we want to seek him. And the more we learn about who He is, the more there is to know and discover. Faith is a sliding scale: there is no end-point or destination, except Heaven. Strategies and Tips for a Fresh Faith So if you’re like me and you desire a deeper faith life in 2019, here are a few tips and tools to aid that process. Just like jumper cables make it a lot easier to jumpstart a car battery that’s run out of juice, these tools and strategies will help revive a faith life that’s grown dusty from inactivity or deepen the one that already exists. Stack Your Habits The biggest obstacle for growing in faith, for me, is always the time. I have this picture in my mind of what a “good enough” faith life looks like (Daily Mass! An hour of quiet time in the morning! A family Rosary every day!). I struggle to figure out how to make this image of the “perfect” faith fit into my actual life. If this is you, sister, can I offer some encouragement? There is no perfect faith, because we are all imperfect women simply striving for holiness. We all fall short. Even the has-it-all-together woman on Instagram with her beautiful home altar and perfectly calligraphed Bible verses in the margins of her journaling Bible. We all fall short. The best tip I can offer when it comes to making space for faith is to simply “stack your habits.” This means pairing something you’re already doing with something to grow your faith. Praying along with an audio Rosary while you do your hair and makeup. Offering a morning offering in your head while you brush your teeth. Say a Hail Mary whenever you put on your shoes. As you begin to marry things you’re already doing with prayers, those prayers will become habits and you’ll do them without thinking. If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. -Colin Powell   A prayerful life is built by prayerful moments, and the tiny steps do add up. Look for Little Swaps Look for things in your day-to-day life that you can swap for something that helps grow your faith. For example, we sing a song to our kids every night before bed. For awhile we rotated through the usual suspects of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “The Bear Went Over the Mountain” and, inexplicably, “Jingle Bells” for awhile in the middle of summer. About a year ago, we made a switch and started singing “The Servant Song” to our kids at bedtime instead. It’s easy to sing along to and the words draw me back to the entire purpose of motherhood, which is to love and serve my children as Christ does. The lyrics make me pause and ponder. I end up leaving their room after bedtime reflecting on God, instead of mindlessly humming “Jingle Bells” the rest of the night. Think about areas in your day where you could do the same! Do you like to listen to podcasts while driving? Que up one focused on faith formation. Love to listen to music while running? Find a good worship playlist to listen to as you pound the pavement. You get the idea!     Resources and Tools The Laudate App This free app was designed specifically for Catholics and is a wealth of resources all in one place. You can read the daily readings from the USCCB, along with a reflection for those readings. There is information on Saints on their feast days. This has been an easy and fun way to learn about Saints I already love as well as learn about new ones (Saint Venantius Fortunatus, anyone?). I also love the Rosary podcasts, making it easy to pray along with an audio Rosary while curling my hair in the morning (stack your habits!). You can search the Catechism, get a really good Examination of Conscience, pray the Liturgy of the Hours or Stations of the Cross, and find so many great prayers and litanies all within the app as well. Blessed is She Liturgical Planner This beautiful planner is the Catholic woman’s dream planner, especially the woman looking to cultivate a deeper faith in 2019. It includes information on the liturgical calendar, Saint feast days, Saint quotes, monthly virtues to reflect on, and so much more. The planner is a great way to “stack your habits” by pairing something you’re already doing (writing things in a calendar/planner) with something to grow your faith (using a planner with faith-based features). The planner is available right here! Every Sacred Sunday Journal This gorgeous journal from Every Sacred Sunday has the full Sunday Mass readings for every week of the liturgical year. It also includes a “simple journaling template to help make scripture study and prayer a habit.” There is room to write prayer intentions and thanksgiving and space to take notes from a homily or jot down thoughts about the readings. As a lifelong Catholic, I have often struggled with digging into the study of Scripture. This format makes it feel doable. A Magnificat Subscription A couple of years ago, my husband and I received a subscription for the Magnificat as a Christmas gift. It’s truly been a gift that keeps on giving. You can get a print version and receive a paper copy of the Magnificat to your doorstep each month, or an electronic version that can be accessed online or through an app. I love having a paper copy to tuck into my Mass bag or keep in my car. The Magnificat includes so much more than the daily Mass readings. It has been a really great tool in deepening my relationship with God and specifically a deeper love of the Mass. Yearly Prayer Journal from Val Marie Paper I love what Val Woerner, the creator of the prayer journal, has to say about it: “Being a prayer warrior is a learned skill and I want to set you up with an amazing tool to learn it!” This will be my third year using this prayer journal and it has drastically changed my prayer life. I feel like I am making thanksgiving, petition, and intercessory prayer for my family, friends, and loved ones a habit. The monthly prompts have encouraged me to pray for people and situations I wouldn’t normally think about, like our neighbors, parish, and priests. If you want to cultivate a habit of prayer and need help with the nuts and bolts, this prayer journal could be a great resource! What other resources or strategies do you use to help cultivate a fresh faith? Share in the comments so we can learn from each other as we all journey towards deeper holiness and our ultimate home in Heaven! LITURGICAL PLANNERS Our Liturgical Planners are based on the Litany of Humility. Enter into prayer every day alongside this beautiful Litany. Order your days in His peace. GET YOUR PLANNER

Week Three // O Holy Spirit, Beloved of My Soul O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen. Week Three Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our local communities and dioceses. Week Three // Day One O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. In the beginning of Tolkien's masterpiece The Hobbit, Gandalf shows up on Bilbo’s doorstep unannounced and uninvited. Like all hobbits, Bilbo was quite content with his quiet life, as it was full of simple, familiar comforts. However, Gandalf saw that Bilbo was meant for more. Unbeknownst to Bilbo, Gandalf invites a dozen plus dwarves to the hobbit hole. They invade every part of the home, creating beautiful chaos before inviting Bilbo to play a key role in their upcoming adventure. Assured of great risk and possible death, Bilbo instantly refuses. Despite the rejection, Gandalf and the dwarves leave behind a contract which silently beckons the hobbit. Bilbo finally concedes, acknowledging the desire for adventure buried in the depths of his soul. He leaves everything, chasing after something that made no sense to those around him. Something similar once happen to me. I was in college, minding my own business, when the Holy Spirit swooped in, created compelling chaos, and offered a summons. I had just received absolution and was leaving the confessional when the priest stopped me because he wanted to talk further. “Do you like Nursing?” he asked. I hemmed and hawed as I tried to rationalize my dislike for my major when he cut me off mid-sentence. “... but does it set you on fire?” His words burst open the doors of my heart, letting light shine on a desire I didn’t even know existed. Like Bilbo, I was enjoying comfort. I had chosen my major based on safety and assurance. But it wasn’t what I actually wanted. What I really wanted was risky. It made no sense to those around me. I wouldn’t even be assured of a job if I graduated with a theology degree. Still, the idea of doing it made me come alive. Like Bilbo, I left everything to chase after this adventure. The Holy Spirit—the Breath of God—gives us life (Job 33:4). This life is abundant, more than mere existence. He, as the beloved of our souls, knows us better than we know ourselves. It’s why He invites us to turn our lives upside down and pursue things that make no sense to the rest of the world. It is in this way, and only in this way, that we can ever experience the sensation of being fully alive. How could we not adore a Person who wants to give us a life like this? In following Him, adventure always awaits. Don’t avoid today’s promptings from the Holy Spirit out of fear or because it doesn’t seem logical to follow them. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Would making a conscious effort to view the Holy Spirit as the “beloved of your soul”— the One who brings you “life”—change anything about the way you live? How? [bctt tweet="O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="graceswap"]

When St. John the Baptist baptized his cousin in the Jordan River, the heavens opened above Jesus and God the Father proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17). Here we are given the privilege to enter into the love of the Holy Trinity and see Jesus’ identity as the beloved Son. As Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He began with the words, “Our Father.” These words are so familiar to us today, but let’s listen to them more closely. Here, Jesus is not only teaching us how to pray, He is teaching us how to live our baptismal identity. The Our Father and Our Baptismal Identity Yes, we dare to pray His words, “Our Father.” So, what does this mean? First and foremost, we are not alone. We have been chosen to be part of His family. Our Father is good and will provide for all of our needs. We are beloved. We are daughters. Baptism “is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments” (CCC 1213). Gifts We Receive at Baptism Here are some of the gifts you received at your baptism: The washing away of original and actual sin An indelible mark on your soul, consecrating you to belong entirely to God New life in Christ Membership in the Mystical Body of Christ Adoption Sanctifying grace Theological and Cardinal Virtues The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit The offices of priest, prophet, and king The light of Christ (represented by the candle) A home in Heaven A Home for Him Isn’t it incredible that God desires to dwell in us? St. Therese of Lisieux describes it beautifully in her poem, "To Our Lady of Victories": Through Him, the holy waters of Baptism Will make of the tiny little newborn babe The temple where God Himself Deigns to dwell in his love.   You can dive deeper into learning about this Sacrament of Initiation in our Blessed Conversation Series. Celebrating Your Baptismal Day Another way to live your baptismal identity is to celebrate your Baptismal Day. Think of it as your spiritual birthday. Remembering our Baptism will help our baptismal identity to grow. Here are a few ideas: Look at pictures or watch a video of your Baptism. Thank your parents and godparents. Visit the Church and the font where you were baptized. Renew your Baptismal promises and renounce Satan. Profess your Faith by reciting the Creed. Use holy water and have a font in your home. Frame and display your Baptismal certificate. Light your Baptism candle on your Baptismal Day. Make the sign of the Cross and read about Jesus’ death and Resurrection in your Catholic Journaling Bible. Grow in devotion to your Baptismal Saint. If your parents did not give you a Saint name, look up the Saint of the day you were baptized. The Universal Call to Holiness Each one of us receives a call to holiness when we receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Every Baptized Catholic is called to be a Saint! And you are called to help your siblings, parents, spouse, children, godchildren, roommates, colleagues, and priests get to Heaven. How our days would be transformed if we had this at the front of our minds! You can read more about the universal call to holiness in chapter 5 of Lumen Gentium, a Dogmatic Constitution on the Church from Second Vatican Council. One Call, Many Ways You can also see the diversity in the universal call to holiness by reading the lives of the Saints. Let the courage of St. Joan of Arc, the sacrifice of St. Gianna, the purity of Maria Goretti, the devotion of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the fidelity of St. Faustina, the poverty of St. Clare, the trust of St. Teresa of Calcutta, the simplicity of St. Bernadette, the perseverance of St. Monica, the zeal of St. Catherine of Siena, the humility of St. Josephine Bahkita, the obedience of St. Rose of Lima, the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila, and the generosity of St. Elizabeth of Hungary call you to deeper holiness! Living Purely from Within St. Edith Stein is another Saint who lived her baptismal identity and call to holiness so beautifully. Edith was born to a Jewish family in Breslau, Germany in 1891. She abandoned her Jewish faith, became an atheist, and went on to study philosophy. After reading St. Teresa of Avila’s autobiography on night, she experienced a deep encounter with Truth and asked to be baptized. She became a very gifted teacher and then felt a calling to the Consecrated Life. She became a Carmelite nun in Germany, taking the religious name Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. During the Nazi occupation, she fled to the Netherlands. The Nazis eventually found her, arrested her, and sent her to the concentration camp in Auchwitz. Confident in Her Identity in Christ Although Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was stripped of her religious habit, taken from her religious community, and did not have access to the Mass, she still remembered her baptismal identity and radiated holiness to those around her. Witnesses remember her motherly care, especially to the women and children around her. A few of her letters from those barracks survived and she described: We are very calm and cheerful. Of course, so far there has been no Mass and Communion; maybe that will come later. Now we have a chance to experience a little how to live purely from within. -Letter 340, Self Portrait in Letters   Sr. Teresa Benedicta lived purely from within by knowing she was a Beloved daughter of the Father. She trusted that God would remain with her, even in the horrible conditions of Auchwitz. Dear St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, please pray that we might also live purely from within. May we know our Baptismal Identity and grow in holiness even amid our suffering. Help us to pray gloriously, from our identity as beloved daughters of the Father. [bctt tweet="Living Our Baptismal Identity and the Universal Call to Holiness #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. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using our affiliate links!

Week Two // Veni Creator Spiritus Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Week Two Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our families. Week Two // Day Seven Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Do not be afraid to live your Catholic Faith. Do not be afraid to be a Saint. Do not be afraid. Do not fear. Live your Catholic Faith fearlessly and joyfully! God has ordained you, my dear sister, to live during this specific time in history. You, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, can lead others to holiness through your witness of love! You have the power and strength, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to work miracles! Do not be afraid to do the great things the Holy Spirit is asking you to do! Breathe the breath of the Holy Spirit into the lives of your family, into the lives of your friends, into the lives that are broken from sorrow and sin. You have the most powerful gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit! Hearts are yearning for this gift, the gift that you carry deep within your being. Do not be afraid to share the gift of the Holy Spirit with those around you! Ask people to pray with you, lay your hands on them in prayer, speak of the miracles that God is working in your life! The world needs to hear what you have to say! Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, run with Him wherever He is leading you. When you do this you glorify God in your life, and you build His kingdom. You have the gift of the Holy Spirit; do not be afraid to share Him with others. You, my sister, are called to be His Saint. Do not fear, for your reward, your crown, will be great. Pray a Hail Mary, asking Mother Mary to send her Spouse, the Holy Spirit into your heart. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Asking the help of the Saint you named on Day 4 of this week, offer your year to the Holy Spirit, consecrating it to Him. Say a prayer from your heart. Or pray this one: O Holy Spirit of light and love, I trust in You and I consecrate to You my intellect, my heart, my will and my whole being for time and for eternity. [bctt tweet="Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="findphilothea"] [

A year ago it hit me. I woke up in the realization that I was *finally* in a different place. It was like the fog had lifted and the clouds had cleared. It may have been that my baby turned one and had slept a longer stretch at night. But really, most of it was that all the hard work paid off. I knew my gifts and I was using them. I wanted to share how the Church's teachings had deepened my life and God's grace had brought me here. And so this course was born. Discovering the Gift of You It has taken me this past year to develop it, starting with forming a leader/gift group for the Blessed is She community on Facebook, assembling a six-month free course on leading your group for thousands of women via email, listening to the needs and challenges women face, and reading lots of Church documents and wisdom from the Saints. Ways to Know Yourself and Your Gifts Better Friends, this 7 video course, 30-minutes each, quickly covers a lot of ground. In five ways, it guides you through knowing yourself better and activating your gifts. What to Expect from the Course: an introduction and "Gift of You Assessment" which categorizes you in one of nine roles, and takes your top 3-4 roles moving forward to inform the rest of the course (I am dying to hear what everyone is! Usher? Cantor? Front Pew?). a primer on the Church's teachings and wisdom on prayer and developing your relationship with God, complete with a patron Saint for each role and the challenges and victories you may face in prayer based on your personality a crash course on creating, sustaining, and living out authentic sisterhood and community, again, with an eye on how your roles influence this a reframing of your whole perspective and the practice of being in the presence of God at all times to discern His will You'll Also Get: a blueprint for activating the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit based on your "role" and discerning God's plan for you two bonus thirty-minute videos on leadership/the critical six questions/the archetypal females/Catholic self-care Sign up for the course here. The Opportunity for Retreat An application-only small private retreat is another option for this course. Join Jenna and me in remote Wisconsin on 120 acres of private land. See the bottom of this page for details. Watch the replay of the free workshop to hear more about how this all came to be. I hope you will join me and the many women who have already begun this journey! Make this the year you examine yourself, know yourself, and give yourself more fully to those around you and to Our Heavenly Father. [bctt tweet="5 Ways to Know Yourself and Your Gifts Better #BISblog //" via="no"] Nell O'Leary is a recovering lawyer turned blogger, speaker, and sewer of baby goods while tending to her husband and four kiddos in the great city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. She serves as Managing Editor for Blessed is She and can down a hot cocoa in no time flat. Find out more about her here. She is the editor of our Blessed Conversations Series and guide for the Gift of You course.

Week Two // Veni Creator Spiritus Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Week Two Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our families. Week Two // Day Six Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. One of my favorite lines in the Catechism of our Catholic Church is, “When the Father sends his Word, He always sends his Breath” (CCC 689). Wherever Jesus is sent, the Holy Spirit is found. The Spirit reveals Jesus, who in turn reveals the Father’s love to us. This is the grace that the Holy Spirit offers us—the grace to become united in the love of the Son and the Father and to fully enter into the mystery of the Trinity. The power of God’s grace overcomes all of our sins and shortcomings. Our Church teaches us that “grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God and partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life...[Grace is] participation in the life of God” (CCC 1996-1997). Sisters, do not settle for anything less than the strong and beautiful love that the Holy Spirit is offering you today. Right now, at this moment. The Holy Spirit wants to fill you with His grace! Let your heart be romanced by the Holy Spirit. Let your heart be overshadowed by His trustworthy love, just as Mother Mary’s was. Do not worry if you are worthy of the Holy Spirit’s love. Don’t let that thought distract you from opening up your heart to Him. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of mercy. Enter into the mystery of the Spirit’s mercy—a mercy that always leads us to Christ’s Divine Mercy. Father Jean d’Elbe writes: You must believe in mercy to the point of believing you are a joy for Jesus. Ask yourself, ‘How does Jesus see me?’ He sees me as His child since my Baptism. He sees me, since my confirmation, filled with the superabundance of the gifts of His Spirit, marked with the indelible character of a soldier of His kingdom...How many causes of joy for Him there are in us! What more does He see? All you have done for Him: your prayers, your good impulses, your hope, and your love; your acts of generosity, your acts of charity, especially which you have forgotten in part but Jesus has not forgotten because they are engraved in His Heart. And if, in addition to all that, you give Him your many miseries with great humility, but also with great confidence, then you give Him His great joy—His joy of being Savior. Every soul in a state of grace is for Him a heaven which only that soul can give Him.   Reflect upon the words found in Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.” Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the person He desires you to show Christ’s mercy to. Is it yourself? A friend? A parent? A sibling? If you feel called to, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for that person. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Discuss with one another which Person of the Holy Trinity you feel closest to and why. Reflect together on the Person of the Trinity you feel least closest to and why. Pray together outloud, from your hearts, or in silence, for a greater love for each Person of the Trinity. [bctt tweet="Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="findphilothea"]

Week Two // Veni Creator Spiritus Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Week Two Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our families. Week Two // Day Five Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. In every Missionaries of Charity chapel, the words “I Thirst” are found next to the crucifix. These two words—some of the last cried out by our Savior on the Cross—hold a deeply profound meaning. St. Teresa of Calcutta, the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, wrote: Why does Jesus say ‘I Thirst’? What does it mean? He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don’t feel worthy. When not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes—He is the one who always accepts you. The devil may try to use the hurts of life, and sometimes our own mistakes—to make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you, is really cleaving to you. This is a danger for all of us. And so sad, because it is completely opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you. Not only that He loves you, but even more—He longs for you. He misses you when you don’t come close.   The Holy Spirit offers us incredible strength to fight our battles. The Holy Spirit has power to drive away the “foe we dread,” the devil. The Holy Spirit desires to fill us with His gift of peace. Do not be afraid to call upon the Holy Spirit, just as Christ called for us upon the Cross. When we are afraid, let us cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit!” When we are tempted, let us cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit!” When we are lonely, let us cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit!” When we are ashamed of our sin, let us cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit!” The Most Holy Trinity desires you, thirsts for you, longs for you. Let us always trust in the reality and promise that, “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Pick a day this month to go to Confession. Write it in your planner and try your best not to miss this date with the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you as you prepare to make your Confession and to intercede for you as you confess. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Reflect upon what you thirst for the most in your life. Is it a person? Is it God? Is it Heaven? Is it a possession? Is it popularity or fame? Pray together, asking the Holy Spirit to purify your intentions and desires, asking Him to fulfill your thirsts in life with His love and peace. [bctt tweet="Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="findphilothea"]

Looking out my kitchen window, I witness the glory of God on display each day. I am certain that you can say the same thing from wherever you are reading this right now. We know that He is present in all that He created. But sometimes we are too distracted to recognize His handiwork. Many days, despite my front row seat, I miss out on much of what He wants to show me. From what I hear from many other women, I am not alone. Distracted by the demands of real life, my focus remains inside my kitchen as I train my eye to all that needs to be done before I leave the house. Counters wiped, crumbs cleared, dishes cleaned. Often, I am so focused on my to-do list that I never notice what God is hoping to reveal. He is cloaked in mystery and my attention span has dwindled down to 280 characters or less, leaving little ability to peek behind the curtain. I check Instagram and like a beautiful sunset with a few words of Scripture splashed across the scene. Ask me 3 minutes later what I just read and I can’t begin to tell you. Sound familiar? So it is with some irony that I make the connection between birds and my prayer life. Hummingbirds and Holiness This summer, there were a number of different birds that perched on the window ledge and flew through our yard. The more common ones like Blue Jays and Mockingbirds did not catch my eye. They seemed ordinary, and I am captivated by novelty. The enormous Lantana bush out back appeals to Hummingbirds. I was giddy with anticipation upon waking all summer to see if they were back for another day of feasting on the flowers. Studying the birds, I began to recognize a little of myself in their patterns. Efficiency and Hard Work... Hummingbirds are hard workers who move from flower to flower looking for food to sustain their energy levels. They move fast, getting what they need. They get the job done and move on. Hummingbirds are not ones to dilly dally. They are efficient, independent, and dazzled by the next bright thing that catches their eye. They are busy. Do you see yourself in any part of that description as well? WANT TO DEEPEN YOUR PRAYER? Get ready to be radically changed by the Lord and His presence. Be drawn into intimacy with the Lord by way of weekly videos, a community within the Blessed is She app, and invitations into reading scripture in a whole new way. BEGIN THE WELL: ABIDE ...are Futile Without Rest Many of us cram our schedules full of activities, fearing that we will miss out on fun events or opportunities that fuel our success. We run from sun up to sun down giving, serving, doing. We chair committees, corral children, wipe noses, tie shoes, and just generally attempt to maintain some semblance of control over our otherwise chaotic lives. At some point, we are all hummingbirds. Too Full, But Not Filled Our schedules are jam packed with really good activities that are attractive when we pencil them in the clean white calendar pages. We imagine our future selves and feel sure that we will have the energy level of a hummingbird and the desire to accomplish great things when the time comes. We flit from here to there hoping that just one more cup of coffee will help us make it to the finish line after dinner when we can sit down and finally have some quiet time in prayer. After a day full of flying fast, we are exhausted. But we can’t quite settle our souls to rest. Then we wonder... what is wrong with us? Or could it be that you are trying to fit your quiet time with the Lord in before the rest of the house wakes up? Each night, you drift off with the best of intentions. All your prayer materials sit right by your favorite chair. Then, you hit the snooze one too many times, because you know, exhaustion, and you end up flying through the morning, yet again, playing catch up and your prayers falls into the cracks and crevices of the day. Each time you pass your favorite chair, you feel defeated because your stack of inspiration is sitting there just gathering dust. One more thing that you have not done as well as you intended. Connection Must Be Our Top Priority God loves you. He loves you regardless of your dedication to prayer. But, He is unable to transform you if you are not connected to Him. Prayer is one way that we come to know Him better. Bishop Barron describes prayer as “intimate communion and conversation with God.” Intimacy does not happen quickly. It is built slowly. At the same time the hummingbirds were zooming here, there, and everywhere, another bird caught my attention. The graceful heron, the slow plodder who stands in silence, observing all around him. He takes measured, easy steps as he scans the water for fish and the horizon for predators. The heron can stand still for long stretches of time and is not disturbed by the wind or a barking dog. At times, you could mistake him for a statue until he moves swiftly snagging a fish unlucky enough to swim by in the shallows. While there are areas of my life where I can manage being a hummingbird, my prayer life suffers when I fly too fast. When I am praying in hummingbird mode, I flit from one devotional to another. One great inspirational meme on Instagram to the next. Moving quickly to the next thing on my agenda. I check things off my list, yet don’t do any of them very well. I pop M&M’s as my main source of nourishment because I am just too busy to slow down and eat a proper meal. So much gets my attention for a short time, but not much reaches my heart. Although I claim to love Jesus, when I am flying too fast, I have a hard time loving the people He gives me. Herons and Holiness The slow prayer life is more settled and still. Time is spent reading Scripture and allowing the Word to move gently from the page into my heart to quicken my soul. Scanning the horizon allows the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of the Word I ponder as He creates connections between what I read and what I see in my day to day life. When stillness and silence appear in my day, I am fueled and ready to respond instead of react. I have the energy to love with His love instead of my own effort. I am at peace. [bctt tweet="When stillness and silence appear in my day, I am fueled and ready to respond instead of react. #BISblog //" via="no"] Slowing down to heron pace takes intention and attention and is possible for each and every one of us no matter your current schedule. There are no special tools or resources necessary. Instead of taking on one more obligation, slow prayer mode requires that you set some things aside. As this new year dawns, consider taking the slow prayer path. Settle in for a few minutes each day giving yourself permission to “waste time” with God. Know that He is love and wants to connect with you every day. Give yourself the gift of slow prayer, a place to slow down and find the rest that your soul craves. How will you find moments for slow prayer this year? [bctt tweet="Why Slow Prayer is Necessary #BISblog //" via="no"] Katie Kibbe is a mother of two children and author of multiple Scripture Studies for Catholic women including The Spirit of Mary. She writes to encourage women to discover the small steps they can take to experience a vibrant faith, radiant hope, and the unfailing love of Jesus Christ in the midst of the chaos and crazy of everyday life. You can find out more about her here.

Week Two // Veni Creator Spiritus Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Week Two Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our families. Week Two // Day Four Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts overflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. A reason I love the "Veni Creator Spiritus" prayer is because it was one of Pope St. John Paul II’s favorite prayers. He recited it daily from the time he was eleven, up until his death. Pope St. John Paul expressed that: From the time I was little, I learned to pray to the Holy Spirit. When I was eleven, I was feeling sad because I was having a lot of trouble with math. My dad showed me in a little book the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus and he told me, ‘Pray this and you’ll see that He’ll help you to understand.’ I’ve been praying this hymn every day, and I’ve seen how much the Divine Spirit helps us.   I often wonder how the Saints were able to achieve such great heights of holiness. Their sanctity and heroic virtue can feel unattainable. Yet, this story of Pope St. John Paul II reveals what I believe to be the secret of the Saints: namely, fidelity to prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to enter into their lives. When we do these two things, our hearts overflow with love, and miracles take place. Jesus promised us that those who believe in Him will do all the works that He did on earth—and even greater works, too (John 14:12). What an incredible reality! What a beautiful promise! We are able to work miracles through and by the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did, just as the great Saints did, and continue to do today. Place your trust and confidence in the Holy Spirit. Be fearless as you work miracles, both big and small, in His name. Do you truly believe that God is a God of miracles? Do you believe in miracles? Reflect upon the wonders God has done for you in your life, both big and small. Write three down and thank God for each of them. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Discuss with your prayer partner who your favorite Saint is. Why are you so attracted to that Saint? What virtues, stories, or miracles have led you to love this Saint so much? If you don’t have a favorite Saint, pray together and ask the Holy Spirit to send you a Saint, a Saint to be with you and intercede for you this year. [bctt tweet="Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts overflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="findphilothea"][/vc_column_text]

Week Two // Veni Creator Spiritus Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Week Two Intention We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our families. Week Two // Day Three Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Who dost the tongue with power imbue. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. -Isaiah 11:1-2   The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Catechism of our Church tells us that, “the moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1830). The Holy Spirit desires to outpour these seven gifts upon us. He yearns to enter into our heart so that we can cultivate His gifts, gifts that will ultimately lead us to our Heavenly home. Saint Gregory the Great reverses the order of the gifts and explains that the great climax of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is eternal life. He writes: Through the fear of the Lord we rise to piety, from piety then to knowledge, from knowledge we derive strength, from strength counsel, with counsel we move towards understanding and with intelligence towards wisdom and thus, by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit, there opens to us at the end of the ascent the entrance to the life of heaven.   Don’t worry if you don’t know where to begin when desiring to grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Simply tell the Holy Spirit that you desire His gifts. Ask Him to reveal to you what gift He wants you to grow in and cultivate. Ask for the gift He is yearning to give to you. He will give it to you, in abundance. All He asks is that you trust that He will. Slowly and thoughtfully pray the following prayer, “God the Father, I trust in You; Jesus, I trust in You; Holy Spirit, I trust in You.” Ask each person of the Trinity to be with you in your joys, sorrows, work, and prayer today. Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners Discuss with your prayer partner which of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit stands out to you the most. Invoke the Holy Spirit together, asking Him to help you cultivate that particular gift. [bctt tweet="Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Who dost the tongue with power imbue. #BISblog #prayerpledge //" username="findphilothea"]

Indianapolis was cold, am I right? I mean, this California girl had to wear a scarf for a legit reason…I was freezing! But what kept me warm was not the layers and down coat. It was the over 16,000 college Catholics who worshipped the Lord so powerfully—my chattering teeth stilled—and praised God in unison. Keeping the Fire Alive after the SEEK Conference If you are like me and returning from the FOCUS SEEK Conference and returning to your college campus for Spring semester, you are probably a bit exhausted from the early mornings (not the late nights, because you’re used the those). You might be questioning how you can keep the fire burning from SEEK. Well, let me offer a few suggestions, dear sisters, for making your college campus reminiscent of the fellowship and encounter you experienced with Christ and your peers in Indiana. Daily Prayer If you used to pray 10 minute a day, double that. Do you attend Mass on Sundays? Add a weekday Mass once or twice a week. If you would read Scripture on occasion, sign up for the Blessed is She daily devotionals and read the Word on a daily basis. The point is to pray and invite the Lord into your daily life. Prayer is simply a conversation with God. So put down your phone and start a conversation with Him instead. Find time to be still and listen to God’s voice in return. Prayer is not a one-sided conversation. It requires that we talk and listen. So make time to eliminate all distractions and listen to the Lord’s voice in your life. Enter into the Sacraments I know what you are thinking: the Masses are just not the same at home and we don’t have Matt Maher and Need to Breathe at the church I attend. Duh! No one does. That is why we paid money to attend SEEK! But do you know what we do have that is the same? You guessed it. The Sacraments. We have Reconciliation available to us daily. The Mass is available to us daily. We have the Word of God available to us daily. We have the Eucharist available to us daily in every tabernacle in every Catholic church. All we have to do is seek the Sacraments continually, so do just that. Seek out the Word made flesh regularly and remain in deep relationship with Him. Share Your Experience Everyone will be asking you how your winter break was when you return to campus. It would be easy to just talk about your time at home. But what if instead you shared beyond the Christmas gifts you received and people you reconnected with. What if you shared your experience of SEEK? This is a great opportunity to evangelize your roommates, sorority sisters, friends, or classmates. Use your stories as an opportunity to invite them to attend Mass with you. Or start by asking them how you can pray for them. Do not be afraid to share you experience over coffee, lunch, or in your dorm. You might be the person to bring your brother or sister in Christ into relationship with Him. Find Answers to Your Questions You will have a lot of questions arise about the Catholic Church, or even God, when you start to open yourself to His will in your life. Be sure to seek out a spiritual mentor or director to help find answers to those questions. Seek out your Campus Minister, FOCUS missionaries, religious sisters, brothers, or priests to be able to go beyond just what the Church teaches and find out why the Church teaches what she does. Do not be afraid to ask the questions that are preventing you from fully trusting in the Lord. Fear is not of the Lord. Seek out someone you trust who you know has the answers or who can get them for you. Make Changes There is one thing I can guarantee: every person who attends SEEK will need to make some sort of change once they return home or on campus. It might be a small change like waking up 30 minutes earlier to do morning prayer. Or it might be a major change like entering a 30-day rehab program. Regardless, changes will need to be made. I think the hardest part of going to a conference like SEEK is making actual changes in your life when you return home. You might need to end a relationship or two, find a new roommate, select a new major because you feel a moral conflict, have a serious conversation with family and friends, or overcome an addiction you have been pretending is not as serious as it actually is. Seek someone who can help you make the changes necessary to center your life on Christ. Pray for the strength to overcome the obstacles change will bring to your life. Find Community Whether your college campus has FOCUS or a Newman Club, finding community is essential on our faith journey. You just left 16,000 Catholic young adults and now you feel like you are walking around all alone. Well, you are not alone! There are hundreds to thousands of Catholic college students on your campus. The question is: how do you develop the community you need to hold you accountable on your walk with Christ? Consider: Hosting or attending a local Blessed Brunch Joining a FOCUS or campus ministry small group or Bible study Attending daily/Sunday Mass Connecting with a local young adult ministry and getting involved Attending diocesan young adult ministry events or worship nights Serving at your local parish as a catechist or in another ministry of your giftedness Listen to Great Podcasts and Download the Talks from SEEK Following SEEK, the talks will be available for download. Listen to them again to remind yourself what you heard and to hear new things that God wants to speak to your heart today. In addition, after conferences like SEEK, I keep the fire burning by listening to podcasts or books on tape. Here are a few of my favorites: UMD Newman Catholic Blessed is She Abiding Together Ask Father Josh Catholic Answers FOCUS Do Something Beautiful and more! Unpack Your Notes/Journal Don’t make this one more thing you did and never took time to really take root. Find time weekly to look over your journal from the SEEK Conference to recount what God did in your life during the week. Give yourself space to process what God did and is doing in you. Too often we go from one thing to the next and never process what God wants us to receive. We just go through the emotions and motions. Do not let that happen to you with SEEK. If you truly want this week to have an impact on your adult life, sit still long enough for God to seek you out and really speak into what you long for most as you prepare for your future. He wants to help you unpack the talks, the conversations, the time in Reconciliation, Mass, and Adoration. He wants to speak to your soul in the worship song you hear on the radio, the one that brings you to tears. Allow the Lord to move you well after you depart Indianapolis. Watch Out for Spiritual Attack When you have chosen to completely center your life on Christ, get ready for spiritual attack to come your way. You just had a Transfiguration moment and even though you were not on Mount Tabor, you can bet that Satan is going to try and stop you in your track and prevent you from following Christ. So, if you find your life more challenging since your mountaintop moment at SEEK, you are in good company with apostles like Peter, James, and John. Spiritual attack means one thing: you are following Christ closely. Remain close to Mama Mary and Christ in the Sacraments. God will pour out the grace needed to accomplish His will on earth through you. Now, let us know, what was your favorite part about the SEEK Conference? What's your biggest takeaway? [bctt tweet="Continue SEEKing the Lord after the SEEK Conference #BISblog #SEEK2019 //" username="SoCalTriciaT"] Tricia Tembreull is a regular contributor to the BIS blog and a devotion writer. She is a California girl with a boundless passion for life. After two decades of ministering to teens and youth ministers as a trainer, ministry mentor, and speaker in Catholic youth ministry, Tricia now serves as Campus Minister at USC Caruso Catholic Center. She loves adventure and seeks it everywhere she goes. As an avid foodie, she enjoys testing new recipes out on friends and family, gathering them around the table to encounter Christ in one another and be drawn to the satisfying unity we crave in the Eucharist.