Complete Confidence

     “The Blessed Virgin teaches us to believe in our vocation to sanctity, to divine intimacy. We did believe in it when God revealed it to us in the brightness of interior light, and the words of His minister confirmed it; but we should also believe in it when we find ourselves alone, in darkness, amid difficulties that tend to disturb and discourage us. God is faithful, and He does not do things by halves: He will finish His work in us, provided we have complete confidence in Him.”                       Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen


     When Mary said “yes” to God to become the mother of His Son, she was not handed a playbook with all the details her “yes” would entail. Once the angel Gabriel departed, she did not receive any more divine visitations revealing life’s mysteries. Mary lived by faith—as we are called to do—in the ordinary day in and day out events of her life, as they unfolded.

Mea Culpa!

     “God, give me the Lent I need, not necessarily the Lent I want,” was my prayer on Ash Wednesday. God IS faithful; He answered my prayer. He is using this time to show me how to conquer the flaws with which I struggle. Weeks before Lent God began to teach me lessons in faith and trust. As I entered the desert of Lent, He has allowed circumstances in my life to unfold to give me practice in these areas.

     “Oh, that today you would hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95:7b).

Don't Stand God Up

     “Pray with your whole being even though you think it has no savor for you. For such prayer is very profitable even though you feel nothing, though you see nothing, even though it seems impossible to you. It is in dryness and barrenness, in sickness and feebleness that your prayer is most pleasing to Me, even though you think it has little savor for you.”                             God to St. Julian of Norwich


     Prayer to God is essential, if we want to grow in relationship with Him. It is the way we stay connected to Him and commune with God in love. It is an avenue of grace and love, where we can learn to grow past ourselves and focus on God. It is an opportunity to waste time, to keep God company, just because we love Him.

Come Holy Spirit

     Today is the great feast of Pentecost! We have been preparing by praying the novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for all the gifts and graces that will be poured into our souls. Let us end this day by praying the Veni, Sancte Spiritus – the Sequence in honor of Pentecost in thanksgiving for the great gift from God -- His Holy Spirit!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!

Come, source of all our store!

Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest’

Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat;

Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine, 

Shine within these hearts of yours,

And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we are naught, 

Nothing good in deed or thought, 

Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;

On our dryness pour your dew;

Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

Melt the frozen, warm the chill;

Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore

And confess you evermore

In your sevenfold gift descend;

Give them virtue’s sure reward;

Give them your salvation, Lord;

Give them joys that never end.

Amen. Alleluia.

Mary's Touch

     “Love Mary! She is loveable, faithful, and constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a heart that wants to love her.”
                                                      St. Gabriel Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows


     What a gift we have in our Mother Mary! Unsullied by the stain of original sin, there is no disorder in the way she loves. Her love most reflects the way God loves us – unconditionally.

Not Your Average Joe

     “O God, Creator of all things, who laid down for the human race the law of work, graciously grant that by the example of St. Joseph and under his patronage we may complete the works You set us to do and attain the rewards You promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” Collect for the feast of St. Joseph the Worker


     God has a plan for each one of us: to complete the work He has called us to do. It is often in the mundane, ordinary work of our everyday lives that God expects us to exercise this plan. We must do all that we do, even when we don’t feel like it, in the best way possible, so we may offer it to God as a gift.

Don't Get Walloped

     “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such that is common to man; God is faithful, and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also give you a way out that you will be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10 vs. 12-13).



     Complacency is a great temptation for those of us who have been striving to grow in our relationship with God. Because of our efforts to do what pleases Him -- practicing virtue and trying our best to avoid sin and imperfections -- we can let our guard down. We believe we are in a “good place” and suddenly “wham,” we get walloped by the devil. This is a favorite tactic of the Evil One and if we are not careful, we will fall! The devil knows us, along with our weaknesses and never tires in his efforts to trip us up.

Faithful Souls

     “The life of faith is nothing less than the continued pursuit of God through all that disguises, destroys and, so to say, annihilates Him. It is in very truth a reproduction of the life of Mary who, from the Stable to the Cross, remained unalterably united to that God whom all the world misunderstood, abandoned, and persecuted. In like manner faithful souls endure a constant succession of trials. God hides beneath veils of darkness and illusive appearance which make His will difficult to recognize; but in spite of every obstacle these souls follow Him and love Him even to the death of the Cross.”                                                                                                                                                                        Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade


     Pursuing God, when hardships and tragedies strike our lives, would be impossible without the tremendous amount of grace that God lavishes upon us. While we might feel anger or blame God for our circumstance, He is readily available to help. How tragic it is, that we often abandon Him in our greatest time of need. We see Him as the cause, and not the Curator of the situation. He is the God of love, yet stays silent, even if we shake our fist at Him.