MissYou Mami...

Dear Sisters,

As I was preparing for our get together today on C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves, I reread chapter 4 on Friendship.   What a master Lewis is in describing the love of friendship and in particular, how each of us brings out an aspect of one another that is unique.  If any of us were to leave the group or move away, as when our friend leaves for Maine each year, we don't have more of one another, but instead are somewhat diminished, because only she can bring out that unique part of us that reacts to her words and her presence.

This got me thinking about the loss of my mother.  As we grow, we go from being the 'child' with all our needs and wants.  The 'child' needs to be fed, clothed, comforted, and taught.  This stage I supposed can last forever if the person remains child-like and the parent continues to assert her role as 'parent'.  I have seen relationships like this well into adulthood.  How sad when that parent dies, as the 'child' no matter the age will then look to another to fulfill that need-based roll.

If one is able to leave the 'child' phase behind, then many of us experience the 'rebel' phase of development.  "I will determine what is best for me", we seem to say with every gesture, tone of voice and action.  We concentrate on the self, immerse ourselves in the world and our 'friends' and refuse the 'child' label with all that we are.

Maturity, time and life's blows often bring on an introspection of self and an reevaluation of our family and the beliefs that were a part of those years of dependency as a child.  It is then, that the branch of friendship is forged with our parents.  Perhaps those individuals weren't quite as 'thick' as we once thought.  Maybe, just maybe they know a great deal more about life and living than we have given them credit for.  As our experiences in marriage, child-bearing, and life bump along, so does a deep friendship, especially with the parent that shares our gender.  Here is a kindred spirit that can understand the stages of life that we ourselves are experiencing.

My mother used to tell a story to us about an old conductor on a train in Cuba.  The conductor saw this beautiful young mother with four children get on a train bound for Havana.  He nodded sagely and said  "Where you are, I have been... and where I am, you are going."  What a wise and wistful comment to a women in the peak of her life.  My mother always reflected on the old conductor's words and she often said the same thing to us as we were growing and having our own children.

Which brings me back to Lewis and his insightful chapter on friendship.  He didn't specifically speak to the friendship that develops between aging parents and adult children, but I see so many applications of his wise words.

In particular, the insight that comes regarding what a person brings forth from each of us, that no one else can, is so true.  Now that my wonderful mother is gone, I keenly miss the friendship that I had developed with her as I matured.  I also greatly miss the parts of my sisters and brothers that only my mother's presence could bring forth.  We are so lucky to have had this amazing person as our mother, but her absence is not just a loss in each of our lives individually, but a loss to us collectively.   We have done our best to soldier on as a family, but an element essential, vital, maternal, and unique to each of us as individuals and as a group is now missing.

I am grateful for the presence of friends in my life that see 'the truth' as I see it.  It is as if God, knowing what he would soon be taking from my life that was precious and unique, wanted in His in estimable goodness to replace it with special friendships to help see me through this loss.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for my amazing mother, bless her soul and have mercy on her,
Thank you for giving me your mother as solace for my loss, Mary my mother, pray for us!
Thank you for the wonderful, unique and loving women you have put in my life,
Thank you for what You bring to every aspect of my life.  For my life itself.
All that I am, all that I will be has been called out by You.

AMEN!

Signs of Life

Scott Hahn wrote many edifying books. Right now I'm reading Signs of Life: 40 Catholic customs and their biblical roots.
Our Church is like a mansion filled with riches beyond imagination; I am like a blind beggar stumbling around the entrance vestibule, longing for light, warmth and food. We've inherited from our Jewish brothers rich customs, rites and teachings. Jesus and His faithful followers heap upon us these gifts, and yet, most of us are wrapped up in our own rags of ignorance. As I read Hahn's explanation of our Catholic customs I keep asking myself  'why didn't I know this before?' I thought I knew all there is to know about the Sign of the Cross, yet, he added much to my understanding. He quotes St. Francis de Sales: " ...the Sign of the Cross is a brief declaration of our faith in the three great mysteries: of our faith in the Blessed Trinity, in the passion of Christ, and in the forgiveness of sin, by which we pass from the left side of curse to the right of blessing." Can anything bring more comfort than humbly asking God, with every Sign of the Cross we make, to remove us from the curses and place us in His blessings?

All You Need is Love....

Dear Sisters,

I have a confession to make.  Your sister in Christ is a bit of a coward!  It is true my friends, I get tongue tied and stay silent sometimes when I know I should speak.  I neglect to engage someone, when they say something outrageous about the church, faith, priests or Christians.  I worry about how I will be perceived.  Then, I become ashamed of myself for not having the courage to speak.

For a long time now, I have been praying for courage.  It seems that in this day and age that we are living, Christians need to gird their loins and start wading in to encounter the culture.  But just one small problem; it takes courage.  Only 1 Holy Spirit has mentioned that we are living at a time where Christians and in particular Catholic Christians will no longer have the luxury of sitting on the fence.  Each of us is being asked to make a choice;  Are you for God, or are you against Him.  Jesus says,"for whoever is not against us is for us." Mark 9:40

An interesting thing has happened as I've read The Four Loves as well as various volumes written about or by saints.  I have come to understand that what I lack is not courage, but love.  Love is the grace that I need to pray for, because from Love of God will come the courage I have so desperately wished for.

Why can a petite woman lift a car that her child is under...Love.
Why can a terminally ill man hang on beyond all hope and understanding until his grown son comes to his bedside...Love.
Why could the saints face the lions, beheadings, fire, flayling, etc., ...Love
How could our Lady stand at the foot of the cross as her son lay dying...LOVE!

Love is the ingredient that has been missing in this formula.  So instead of courage, I am asking for the courage to Love God as He deserves.  This can only be done if He gives me the grace to love in this way.  When I finally love as LOVE demands, I will no longer stay silent, but in a loving manner propose my point of view, my christian, my CATHOLIC point of view.  Then I will proceed to back up the views I express not just with what I 'feel' is right, but with the facts that support that world view. 

What we believe is based on truth.  AND this truth is the greatest love story of all...that God loved us first, so that we may return that love.

Holy Spirit,
I humbly beg for the grace to LOVE without worrying about the cost,
To trust that your LOVE will never take me, where your grace will not sustain me.
Own my heart lord,
Teach me to love.

Ever your little broken pencil...

WHERE ARE YOU, JESUS?

Dear Sisters,

I was saying the Rosary on Saturday, and visiting with the Holy Family as I pondered the Joyful Mysteries.  When I got to Finding Jesus in the Temple, the wheels on my imagination started to whirl. 

Imagine ladies the dusty road that the extended family was taking out of Jerusalem.  There are various animals,  some pack animals, some providing milk or food.  There are servants, and Joseph and Mary's families.  Some men are calling to each other, noting an animal that is straying or a rocky area to be avoided.  The women walk together, chattering happily about their time in Jerusalem and the blessings the Lord had provided.

The group is far advanced out of the city when they stop to rest and the women prepare a meal.  Mary glances around idly, looking for her sweet son.  She notes that he isn't in the vicinity, but she's not worried.  He's probably with Joseph.  The boy loves his father and spends a lot of time at his side.  She finds Joseph and offers him the meal that she and the other ladies have prepared.  He smiles warmly at his wife and thanks her for the food.  Then Mary asks, "Where is Jesus?"  Joseph puts down the trencher he was holding and looks at his wife, "I thought he was with you."  He too had noticed the boy's absence, but assumed that he was spending time with his mother and the other children his age.

Joseph's heart starts to pound as he gets up to start actively searching among their brethren for Jesus.  With every passing minute the ball of dread in his stomach is widening, causing a sickening feeling of fear that he can taste in his mouth.  Joseph looks up to heaven, "Lord help me find your son.  I love him so much.  Please keep him safe."

After searching the camp, Mary turns a worried face to Joseph, "What should we do?"  I realized then, that Our Lady must have turned to Joseph always for her needs, for her protection, for her comfort.  His were the strong shoulders she relied upon as she they raised God's son.  We too can go to Joseph when we have that ball of fear in our bellies.  We too can rely on his strong shoulders, his protection when we fear for those we love.  He is a marvelous advocate for those of us that have children who are lost...to the faith.

Joseph must have immediately taken control of the situation.  He sent family members to backtrack and look for the boy.  He made the decision to head back to Jerusalem and look for their son.  He brought Mary along because they were a unit.  Together they raised God's son.  Together they faced hardships in Egypt and peril from Herod.  They were united in their faith and their purpose and there was no question that they would find Jesus together.

Those of us that have the vocation of marriage have another lesson to learn here.  We have a helper at our side that can help us find Our Lord.  We too can turn back to the Temple and find Jesus.  We too can lean upon each other as we journey back to the Father.

The mysteries are so rich in meaning.  I have only scratched their surface.  Like an onion there are many layers of meaning and it is only that I am too sinful yet and too immersed in my own everyday nonsense to reach the inner layers.

Dear Lord,
Help me too detach myself more each day from the mundane and the worldly,
that I may enter to an ever deeper understanding of your great glory and love.

Ever your little broken pencil...

God's Gracious Glory

My friends,
Spending time in Alaska is soul enriching.  What an amazing place.  As I beheld the glory of God's creation, this song ran through my head.

Canticle Of The Sun
Refrain:
The heavens are telling the glory of god, and all creation is shouting for
joy, come, dance in the forest, come play in the field and sing, sing to the glory of the Lord

Sing to the sun, the bringer of day, he carries the light of the Lord in his rays, the moon and the stars, who light up the way unto your throne.
Refrain
Praise to the wind, that blows through the trees, the seas mighty storms, the gentlest breeze, they blow where they will, they blow where they please, to please the Lord.
Refrain
Praise to the rain that waters our fields, and blesses our crops, so all the earth yields, from death unto life her myst'ry concealed, springs forth in joy.
Refrain
Praise to the fire, who gives us his light, the warmth of the sun to brighten our night, he dances with joy, his spirit so bright, he sings of You.
Refrain
Sing to the earth, who makes life to grow, the creatures You made to let Your life show, the flowers and trees that help us to know the Heart of Love.
Refrain
Praise to our death, that makes our life real, the knowledge of loss that helps us to feel, the Gift of Yourself, Your Presence revealed to bring us home.
Refrain

Man has done many lovely things on this earth, but nothing is as grand as the things that God has done in making our planet and all the beauty in it.  'It is  GOOD!"

Looking forward to see you all soon!
 
 

Mary's Womb-Our Church

Dear Sisters,

Today as I crossed the courtyard at St.Mary's in Chandler, I was filled the most profound sense of entering into the sacred womb of our dear Mother, Mary.  This church in particular, is of course appropriately named after the Mother of God.  I reflected as I pulled on the lovely stain-glass inset doors that I could feel the sacred presence of our Lord.  The Adoration Chapel to the side of the church, the lit red candle at the front of the church remind me that Jesus is still with us, in the most primordial way possible.  He dwells within the church as He did within his mother's womb.

How humbling to enter that sacred place and face Our Lord with all my faults, sins and contradictions.  I reflected that Our Lord was nurtured in the womb by Our Lady's body and blood.  Just as the church since the very beginning has nurtured us with Jesus' body and blood.

The womb, any woman's womb should be a sacred, nurturing place and today this truth pierced my heart with such clarity.  I think that is way we are so horrified when assailants enter a church and kill the faithful during a mass.  And why the holocaust of abortion is something that a true believer can never comprehend or accept.  We should be safe in the womb of our church, as a child should be safe in the womb of his mother.

Let us pray diligently sisters for the end to legalized abortion in the United States as we pray that the government will allow us to maintain the sanctity and safety of our Churches-Our Lady's Womb.

Peace sisters!

The Nativity...

Dear Sisters,

I, unlike so many people have always liked Mondays.  I am usually refreshed after the weekend and the week's beginning always seems like such a hopeful time.  On Monday, the possibilities are endless.  This might be the week I stick to an exercise routine. Or I'll make only healthy meals and of course I'll go to daily mass.  The start of the week, like the start of any adventure fills me with hopeful anticipation.  This is a quirk of mine I suppose, as most people prefer Friday.  The problem with Fridays, is that it sheds a glaring light on all the dashed hopes of earlier in the week.  I am usually tired, a bit cranky and mad at myself for not fulfilling the promise of all my Monday hopes.

Another reason to like Mondays, are the Joyful Mysteries.  I must admit that I love to ponder these mysteries.  It might be because I can see the mysteries unfold from Mary's maternal point of view.  As a mother myself, I can feel her excitement, confusion, wonder, fear and bittersweet sentiments.

Today I prayed the rosary during Adoration at St. Mary's.  There is such a deeply spiritual poignancy to the rosary during adoration, where I can see a gorgeous statue of 'La Virgen de Guadalupe', the cross and of course the Lord in all His Eucharistic glory.  Usually I key in on Mary, sometimes dear Joseph, or cousin Elizabeth, but this time during the 3rd decade, I pondered deeply the nativity from Jesus' point of view.

I imagined all the cells dividing within our blessed Mother until they grew into a beautiful baby boy.  This little human was snug, warm and safe within his mother's womb.  He experienced the joy of hearing his mother's heartbeat and hearing the tone of her voice from within the womb.  Imagine the wonder as God experienced in the flesh the pinnacle of  his most wondrous creation: the human person. 

Imagine the violence of the birth, with Our Lady's womb contracting to push Our Lord from her body and into her arms.  Imagine the Lord's first breath of air with human lungs and the lusty cry of new life.  Imagine him being wrapped into a warm cloth and placed on Our Lady's chest.  Imagine that first look of utter love between mother and child; between the Creator and his most blessed creature, His mother.

The poignant beauty, hushed silence, transcendent love, takes my breath away.  Imagine the Lord experiencing as a human being the miracle of succor from His mother's breast.

God experiencing with human clarity the wonder of all he had created.  How marvelous an image!

I was transfixed by the images flooding my brain and I thought again as I do so many times throughout my days...How great is our God?!!!! 

Dear Mother,
You held Our Lord in your protective and loving arms. 
You fed with  your own body, the sweet boy, who is our Savior. 
You held his hand when he took his first steps, and taught him to say his prayers. 
You made his meals, washed his clothes, and kissed his hurts away.
You taught him traditions, table manners, and social conventions.
You watched him teach others and become who he was meant to be.
You gave him to us that we might have the Good News and in the fullness of time, you watched your baby die, that all human persons may have the possibility of everlasting life.

Teach me to love Mother, as you loved, without regrets and without conditions.
Teach me to hold Our Savior always in my heart. 
As you helped Our Lord become his authentic self,
help me to become the person that God wants me to be.

Mother of God, Mother of Mine
Pray for Me!

Amen

From Padre Pio The Wonder Worker

Prayer is the best weapon we possess, the key that opens the heart of God. Have patience and persevere in the holy exercise of meditation; be content to begin with small steps til you have legs to run, better still wings to fly. Be content to be obedient, which is never a small thing for a soul which has chosen God for its portion. And be resigned to be, for the present, a little bee in the hive which will soon become a large bee capable of making honey. Pray, hope and don't worry. Anxiety doesn't help at all. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayer. Let us bind ourselves tightly to the Sorrowful Heart of our heavenly Mother and reflect on it's boundless grief of how precious is our soul.

Thought For the Day

There is a false humility which thinks it is pride to desire the highest greatness-the perfection of contemplation, the summit of mystical union with God.  This is one of the biggest illusions in the spiritual life because it is only in this greatness, only in this exalted union, that we can achieve perfect humility.
-----------From, Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton

The closer I come to Christ, the more I realize the distance that I still have to go to be united with Him.  But, it is a healthy thing to WANT to be a spiritual giant.  'Only 1 Holy Spirit' is not far from the Kingdom when she tells us that she will be on the wall at St. Tim's some day.  It is a good, and pious thing to want to be a saint.

May our generous God rain down his grace upon us so that we may desire what he wants for our lives and so that we may have the endurance to reach the summit of  'mystical union with God'.

Peace Sisters...

Clothed With Gladness

Dear Sisters,

I have been reading Clothed With Gladness-The Story of St. Clare by Sister Mary St. Paul, P.C.C.
this Biography of the dear saint was filled with spiritual gems.  The foreword of the book was written by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel.

If you are like me, you find the lives of the saints to be truly inspirational.  These elder brothers and sisters in faith have the gift of sloughing away all the unnecessary garbage in their lives and focusing on the truly transcendental truths.  When I read about these spiritual giants, I find myself reexamining my life.  As you can imagine, I find my faith wanting besides these pillars of gladness and joy.  But I do find these good people so inspirational as they too trod paths that were of the world until that moment when their soul recognized their one true love.

Clare was a beloved daughter of a wealthy family.  She was known for her beauty in the town of Assissi and surrounding areas.  Like all families in that time, they hoped to make an advantageous marriage for this lovely girl, but as she influences me with her story, another saint then living in her town influenced her journey.  Of course I speak of St. Francis.  St. Francis' love of Jesus sparked Claire's own love for the pierced Lord.  Once Clare understood what was required of her because of her great love, she was able to turn her back on all the worldly amusements and opulence in her family's sphere of influence. 

Like we all help one another grow in holiness, Clare's profound love influenced her younger sister.  When her family came to bear away her beloved sister, Clare prayed for a miracle.  Her sister, a petite girl became so heavy, that the men sent to retrieve her could not budge her from the ground.  I absolutely love stories like this.  It shows that if we have the faith of a mustard seed and we say to the mountain 'throw yourself into the sea' it WILL happen.  Imagine the faith of this marvelous little saint!  She believed with all her heart that God would hear her and aide her and He did!!

Clare of course founded the order of Poor Clares.  Their website lists the Poor Clares as: Contemplative nuns who live a life of prayer, community and joy.  All these centuries later, these dear women who are called to this life of poverty and selfless love, still have the JOY of their foundress, Clare.  Poor Clares are found throughout the US and all over the world.  The order of the Poor Clares was written by Clare herself, the first woman to put an order to pen in 1300 years of church history.

In particular, something that Clare wrote to Saint Agnes of Prague (these holy woman had an 18 year friendship through correspondence) has stuck with me of late.

"Place yourself before the mirror of eternity.
Place your soul in the splendor of glory.
Place your heart within the form of the divine substance, and through contemplation transform yourself wholly into the very image of the Godhead!"

The image of the mirror stayed with me.  'Why a mirror?', I pondered.   What is found in this mirror?  An image of course, but what image.  And then it hit me.  Edith Stein!  From pg 87 of our workbook, "What God knows when He knows our individual form is our true self...In this sense our individual form is not who we are but who we ought to be in order to be our true self."

When you place yourself before the mirror of eternity, you gaze upon the self that God sees.  The true self that you were meant to be is the image in the mirror of eternity.  By placing our souls in the splendor of glory, we will close the gap between our current self and our true self.  By placing our hearts within the very form of the divine and through contemplation we can transform ourselves into the very image of the Godhead!!!!  In other words, into our authentic, true self that God alone knows.  The image that most closely resembles HIM in all His glory.

How marvelous to see these two holy women separated by 7 centuries come to similar conclusions about our true selves.  This clarified for me that the Truth of our faith, of who we are, of who God is are knowable and have been knowable through the ages. 

Oh ancient Wisdom sublime,
Teach us your ways.
Bring us to your eternal mirror, where we can be who we were meant to be from the beginning of time.  Let us glimpse upon the visage of who we are within and let us strive to become this image each and every day hence.

With love

More Darkness

My encounter with a family member who is so misguided saddens me today. She has had a tough life living with polio losing a brother to Aids almost 20 years ago when my mom was dying. I saw him at my Mom's funeral and before that my mom had mentioned he had an encounter with a man, whether he was truly gay or Not in my eyes was never really determined but you could see the disease that had taken over his body I know he had a very rough death. He left a beautiful wife and 2 lovely daughters all grown up now. Several times on Facebook my cousin, who is the sister has endorsed the gay lifestyle and she is such a Supporter of our current president. We challenged her about this president before he was elected but things brought up just didn't make sense. Yesterday she posted a picture of the president extending the Medal of Freedom and also the famous picture of the soldier kissing the girl, next to this picture was a picture of 2 military guys kissing and 2 military women kissing under the title of God's Photo... I sent her a message that I would have to delete her because of this endorsement of this lifestyle I told her it had saddened me. I gave it some time probably not enough though and deleted her. At first she said she would remove the posts but when she saw I had deleted her she retracted. I mentioned that she is friends with my girls and I know this is out in the world but to have my own family members post this was disturbingand being a mom I try to shield them no matter how old they are. I told her endorsing this is against my Catholic views and religious upbringing. She states that she accepts my views as a good Christan should and as far as my children they are adults and she isn't influencing them,( how wrong she is) she states that she is sure they watch the news and they know what is going on in the world. They aren't being educated by her. She also says that there needs to be tolerance of each other as long as she wasn't hurting anyone else. And Then she brings her brother into the subject saying in capitals, remember one thing her brother was gay and yes he is in Heaven and she will always defend him. I responded that this wasn't about her brother, but about the pictures that I don't need to tolerate. Then she states she isn't changing her views for anyone and that her Christian family cannot accept her the way she was, as she does me. So what I get out of this is that her views are more important than our relationship. There are too many Catholics out there in name only, who choose to ignore the true teachings of the Catholic Church. Yes prayers are much needed for those that do not really see that wrong is wrong and wrong is not right. Saint Michael the Archangel Defend us in battle Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil May God rebuke him we humbly pray And do thou, O prince of the heavenly host By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits Who wander through the world For the ruin of souls Amen We unite our prayers for those who are blind to the real truths, for those whose hurts make them see with Clouded eyes and hearts.

The People In Darkness...

Dear Sisters in Christ,

I just returned from my nieces wedding in Chicago.  I came back with some pictures, an extra pound or two and a very heavy heart.  My dear niece who I babysat, chased around the yard, watched in her First Communion, and Confirmation, had a pagan wedding ceremony.

You see this child of God has many friends who are gay and she simply can not accept the church's stand on Gay Marriage (A misnomer if there ever was one!!).  So, she went looking for a 'faith' that would explain same sex attractions as normal.  The first reading for her ceremony, came from an essay on how the human souls were all united at one time, but those that followed one god, separated into souls that had male to male attractions, another god, female to female and yet a third male-female.  All perfectly normal and ordained by the gods.

I laid my head on my daughter's shoulder as I witnessed this and prayed fervently for the soul of my niece and new nephew-in-law.  My older brother who has devoted his entire being to God from the time he was a teenager told me that he has never prayed so hard in his life.  My younger brother needed to get up and leave the room for a time, so distressed was he by this ceremony.  My faithful sister, whose daughter this is, just asked as all to keep praying for her.  She implored me again to keep praying as I left her today.

One of the things that I prayed for was protection for all the Christians in room from the demons attached to this ceremony.  After reading Ransomed From Darkness by Moira Noonan, it has become very clear that we must do all we can to keep ourselves holy and not give the demons a foothold into our souls.  The malevolence of the first reading was like a dark cloud hanging over the wedding party and spreading its dark tentacles into the pews (the room was set up as a quasi-church).

Most of us have spent some time in the darkness of the world living as we wanted and not as God would have us live.  We understand the allure of finding a 'worldview' or religious philosophy that corresponds with our own desires.  Why follow an ancient Church that has all these..'Thous Shalt Nots' when all we want is what we want?

It wasn't until each of us had the Holy Spirit awaken His gifts within us that we started to see the Truth and the Wisdom of our Mother the Church.  From there, one can't help to fall in LOVE with the God that loved us first to the last drop of His blood.  Intellect and reason as we read faith texts may have sparked our interest, but the burning love we have for the Trinity is what keeps us faithful.

Long ago, 'The People in Darkness had see a great Light...' , but it appears that we are again living in very dark times indeed.

So, I will pray for my beautiful niece, made in the image and likeness of God.  I will ask the Lord to put a person in her life that will lead her back to the Light.  I asked Our Lady in particular to take her under her maternal protection and lead her back to the source of all goodness, her divine son.

Dear sisters, as you pray, please pray for my niece and for all our family members who live in darkness.  May our prayers fly up to heaven where the source of all good will hear them.  The darkness in the whole of the world will be dispelled with but one ray of His divine light.

Despair is of the devil. I remain hopeful in Our Lord.

"I have spoken these things to you so that you shall have peace in me. You shall have suffering in the world, but take heart, I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

SHARING OUR GIFTS

An exercise that we worked on yielded more than any of us could have imagined.  We are truly blessed to know, study and love one another.  Our diverse group has been brought together for the Glory of God.  

Thank you Jesus for the gift of holy friendships!

iNhISSERVICE

InHisService is our thoughtful historian, tracing the roots of current events to their historical origins. She can see connections between events and with great coherency explain how we got to where we are. 

Faithful to the Magesterium and orthodox in her perspective, InHisService greatly appreciates the WISDOM of the church and can show us the absolute ‘rightness’ of the church’s position on issues of relevance today.

InHisService is extremely thoughtful and reasoned in explaining her views.  Her faithful witness edifies as it teaches and is done without judgment or prejudice of others.  What a gift that is!

A deep spirituality springs from InHisService's obedience to the faith.  She has built her rock on the objective TRUTH of God.  She will be surprised to know that I frequently quote her wise words.

In our group, InHisService exudes a warm maternal supportiveness that very much underpins the moorings of our dynamics.  Gently and with great wisdom, she can bring you back to a salient point in our studies.  I have learned so much from this holy woman!

And the Word was made flesh

The most thought provoking points and insightful comments in our discussions are often made by 'And the Word was made flesh'.  She frequently looks beyond what we have read or discussed to find a deeper meaning.

'And the Word was made flesh' gets ‘fired up’ with a holy zeal when she defends the church, especially when the church is being attacked by the secular world.  She has a great understanding of evil and for the need to be on the offense in this cruel, sinful world we live in.

Some of the most beautiful petitions during our Rosary decades come from this sister in faith. She looks out toward the universal church and offers prayer for those hurting and in peril.

'And the Word was made flesh' is the soul of kindness.  She constantly puts herself last, that others may go before her.  This great humility of hers is one of her most edifying characteristics.  She is humble as our Lord is humble and I strive to follow her example.  Her great thoughtfulness and kindness extends to the gifts she presents us with; rich in meaning and selected with the individual in mind.  What a wonderful witness to Love she is!!

Supportive in all we do as individuals or as a group, 'And the Word was made flesh' goes out of her way to give a kind supportive word to each of our endeavors.  She wants us to succeed and is caring in her comments and sweet gestures.

 

Doallwithlove4god

I haven’t known this sister long and yet her joining in our group has seemed seamless.  She exhibits a great loyalty to the church and to her family.  We have seen her great faith and have been edified by her witness.

'Doallwithlove4God' brings richness to our group in her mature spirituality.  She has ‘walked the walk’ and through adversity become very close to our Lord.  Her example of having trust in God has made me want to be more trusting too.

In telling us about the kind of work she does and how she goes about helping people in financial crisis, 'Doallwithlove4God' reveals her deep caring for people.  Her maternal nature is very evident in the obvious love she has for her family.

I am looking forward to establishing a deeper relationship with 'Doallwithlove4God' as we learn and study together in our Endow group.

Only 1 Holy Spirit

'Only 1 Holy Spirit' is the foundation of our group.  I mean this in a literal sense as she started the ball rolling with Endow, but also in a spiritual sense.  The youngest person in our group, she is probably the most spiritually mature of us.  She understands in a very real way that God exists; that He established a church; and that this church is worth loving,  and defending.

In a way, I think of 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' as a Catholic Encyclopedia.  She has so much knowledge and she always seems to know exactly what you need to hear.  In many ways, she is my spiritual mother.  Her journey has engendered my own.  She is my lightning rod, pointing the way and helping me to get up when I stumble and encouraging me to keep growing in my faith.  I KNOW that I would not be to this point in my faith journey without her.  If my soul is saved, I owe this in no small measure to the GIFT of 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' in my life.  God has seen fit to make us companions and for that I am very, very thankful.

'Only 1 Holy Spirit' is a warrior.  She has a feisty character which is so marvelous that she can brighten a room with her bravado.  And when does this fierceness come out?, when the faith, church or our Lord are being disrespected and trivialized. Her enormous selflessness in the face of our a selfish society is such an enormous witness.  She is my hero in so many ways and I am happy to soldier on beside her.

Once 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' told me that she was afraid that she didn’t know how to love.  This was amazing to me, because everything she does, she does with enormous love.  From the way she offers up her home for us each week, to the careful preparation for our studies, to the arranging of our retreats, to the loving actions and words, this sister in faith shows her love to each of us.  Never have I held out my hand to her that I did not have it grasped in her warm embrace.  I think 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' knows a great deal about love.  I learn how to love better by being with her.

B4God33

B4God33 is faithful and obedient to the Magesterium and the Church.  She believes strongly in the rightness of the church’s teaching and has great depth of knowledge won through her spiritual reading.  Her well-informed comments bring great clarity to subjects being discussed.  She is a valued member of our spiritual sisterhood and we feel her absence keenly when she leaves for the summer.

I find B4God33 to be courageous in her defense of the church.  She knows her faith well and can defend it in a public setting and has.  She lives by the ideals she espouses and shows great integrity.

B4God33 has a deep and sophisticated spirituality, born of time in prayer and a personal relationship with Our Lord.  Her personal insights are so ‘right on’ that they edify all who hear them.

Loyalty is a trait that I truly admire in B4God33.  She is loyal to those she loves and has been extremely loyal to us as a group.  Loyalty is a quality that few people exhibit today in their personal lives.  B4God33's loyalty to the church and its teachings carries through to every part of her life.  Again her deep spirituality informs her inner being and brings out the best of personal qualities; chief among these is her loyalty.