Prayer of Frustration

I swear God hears our prayers and really does His best to answer them. Yes, I know that we don't always like the answer, but He answers. I spent some time last night pondering over a particular situation, and then said a quick little, informal prayer to God this morning to ask for His help in pulling me out of this mental mess.

I cracked open Mother Angelica and entered in the Fourth Degree of Prayer, and then kept reading. The next section, lo and behold, was on frustration. And it is weird, but I didn't highlight anything in that section. But it's amazing how much it applies to life, more than we realize.

When we are in a situation where we can't see the light, His light, it's difficult to think that there is something good He has in store for us. Mother says that we must remember to pray in the Present Moment. What I think she means by that is to remember Him, even in our times of frustration.

My most recent time of frustration has been in the past couple of days. I feel so deeply rooted in learning all I can about being Catholic and trying to speak the truth, that I get frustrated. My family and I when I was little, went to Church. While I don't remember looking forward to going, I don't remember fighting with my parents about it either. I remember having to be quiet, but not much else. I remember talking to my friends and wondering why my Church didn't sing more. As an adult, I understand a little bit more about why we do what we do, and now I can explain that to my kids so they can understand better too.

Well, I got my Communion, one of my other brothers got Communion, and soon after that, we stopped going. Mom and Dad said it was because the priest talked too much about money. Which may be true, but we didn't find another Church to go to. So I guess Church wasn't a priority to my parents. That's not a knock-down, it's just maybe the way it was.

But I always felt this closeness that I wanted with God, even after we stopped going to Church. I wanted to be this perfect little girl that God loved very much. What I didn't realize was that He already did. I don't remember anyone telling me that God loved me.

As an adult, after having 3 children, I felt the need to hit Church again. I took up an RCIA class and learned all about God's love. God's love?? How enthralling! I was excited. I finished RCIA and began reading "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George. After picking it up and putting it down quite a bit, I finally finished it and it was probably one of the best reads I had in a long time. That book changed the course of my life with God. While it was not a "Catholic" book per say, it was a book that explained how much He loves me, all of us, and how I can show my love for Him. It was wonderful.

As I adopted certain principles in the book, my marriage got stronger, and I became a better mother. I now had the words to be able to talk to my kids about God's love and what He expects from us. Something that I didn't have when I was growing up. I'm not saying my life was bad, I'm just saying I was missing God.

Mom, Dad, if you're reading this, for the record, I think you guys did a great job raising us. We all turned out as contributing members of our society, married, having wonderful children. So I don't want you to think that I think you did a bad job. You took your childhood and turned it around so we had a good one. God sees what you did, and I'm sure He's happy.

Anyway. I feel blessed to have found God and developed this love for my Catholic faith. And there are a lot of people out there who have their opinions, which are often stereotypes, about our faith. It happens and stereotypes will not go away. But how we treat each other can.

That's the part that's frustrating for me this morning. I'm frustrated with the way people treat each other. I'm frustrated with the cruel words that come out on the Internet about people. Not just in my own experience, but for anyone. There is a lot of hate in the world, and I just need to calm down and come back to prayer and let God show us our erroneous ways.

So, I'm going to ask you guys what you like about being Catholic? What is it that keeps you going to Church? What is it that you love about the Mass? What is it that changes, or has changed, your life in regards to being Catholic in particular?

Can't wait to hear your responses!

The Fourth Degree of Prayer

The fourth degree of prayer is Prayer of the Soul. This one is a tough one because it's when you can feel God's presence in everyone. How hard is that?! How hard it is to see our Lord in others when they are saying mean things to us. How hard it is to see our Lord in others when they support abortion, the killing of our unborn children. How hard it is to see our Lord in others when we see them stealing or committing some other crime.

I definitely haven't gotten there yet!! I try. I keep it in my mind, but I haven't quite perfected this one. I don't think that too many of us can say that we have!! :)

New CD

I bought this new CD at Target last Friday and am enjoying it immensely! I really enjoy listening to Country music, and I also have been wanting to incorporate more Christian music into my collection. And when I went to the store on Friday, lo and behold, I found Songs 4 Worship. And it's a CD filled with Country Christian songs!! It's really a good CD. A lot of the songs are upbeat, and some are nice and calm. My youngest daughter just loves to dance with me. Every time I put it on, she comes running and puts her arms up and just smiles. Who could resist that?

So I pick her up, hold her tight, and dance with her. And I love it because I'm singing along with the songs and they're about God and God's love. It's not about the next time I'm going to have sex or cheat on my spouse. And yes, Country Music has those songs too. I just don't want my kids to grow up with music that has to do with sex all the time. If we are going to sing, why not sing about God's praises? That's the direction their life should take anyway!

Love

Prayer is your heartbeat in rhythm with His.
Pray as you love.

- Mother Angelica

Passion

Father's passion really caught me yesterday morning at Mass. We have a new pastor at our Church and I really like him. He's getting the parish involved in different activities and his homilies are awesome. I'm always learning. Well, for a couple of weeks he was in the Holy Land and he was pretty excited to go. And since we celebrated Jesus' baptism yesterday, he shared his experience with us.

He spoke with such passion about his trip it made me want to go. He talked about walking the steps that Jesus walked, standing where Jesus stood. Can you imagine? Can you imagine being able to see the place where our Lord walked?? As he talked, I felt like I was there. I felt the passion he was feeling.

He also talked about being baptized there (fake of course). He was totally submersed in the water, just like Jesus. How awesome that must have been for him to be able to do. To do the things that Jesus did, where Jesus did them. Hearing him talk about these things just increases my faith and makes me want to live like Jesus lived more and more.

PRAY!

The next section of Mother Angelica's book deals in prayer. I think this is something that we significantly lack as a whole as Christians. Some of us are afraid to pray because we're not sure if we're doing it right. Others of us pray for something to go our way, and then get upset when it doesn't come out the way we want it to.

Well, I'm just going to share a couple of quotes from the beginning of the chapter today, and continue to share thoughts and quotes throughout the week.

Prayer creates a disposition of assurance- not that you're going to get every answer that you want- but assurance of God's presence and His love.

God is always here. If you want to be able to count on someone all the time, God is your man. Have you ever had something that you want to talk about so badly that you feel like you're going to explode? And you call your best friend, wife, husband, sister, brother, mother, father, daughter, son and they weren't there? I have! So who do you talk to? GOD! "A lot of people today pray, but they never talk to God." Mother tells us that we don't have to wait for that magnificent thing to happen, but "talk to Him about everyday things right now."

The closer that I become to Him, the more I find myself talking to Him. In my van, making breakfast, doing chores around the house.... He's becoming more like a best friend. I can talk to God about ANYTHING. And why not? He knows everything anyway! I ask Him questions, I ask for help, I give Him thanks. I do that many times throughout the day. It keeps Him in my mind and in my heart. And the more I do it, the more I don't even realize I do it because it's such a big part of my life.

Catechism

OK, I know some of you that read this aren't Catholic, and that's cool with me. And it's nice even because we can be here together and still enjoy talking about God and His love for us and our love for Him from different perspectives.

Well, as many of you may know, I'm new, sort of, to the Catholic faith. I was baptized Catholic and received my First Holy Communion on time, but then that was it for a while. In fact, my family stopped going to Church shortly after that. Anyway, I got married in the Catholic Church and moved here to Maryland where my kids go to Catholic School. A friend of mine through a business I used to do from my home, worked through the Holy Spirit and got me back interested in my faith. So I took some RCIA courses and got confirmed last May with the 8th grade class. That was fun. One of the kids told me that the sponsors sat in the row behind. I politely told her that I was getting confirmed. She said, "Oh, sorry!" I thought that was kind of comical.

Anyway, after my Confirmation, I was on the path of faith, then off, then on, then off... you know what I mean. Just recently, well, the time of the election, I began really digging in to my faith. And it is one of the most important things to me right now.

I read Scripture just about daily and write Daily Devotionals in a blog here on Blogger, and even send them out in emails. I really enjoy it. I like to read about God and I like to write about Him and talk with others about what it means to have faith, regardless of their religion.

So I'm in search of information. Lots and lots of information. I want to read so much that I'm not sure if I will have enough life time to do it all. But that's OK. Anyway. I picked up a book that our pastor created for a Bible Study he's doing. I made it to 2 meetings, but haven't made it back since. I have the book and picked it up this morning and read the Introduction. And what do you know, I have something to share.

I know that Catholics aren't always seen as "pick up the Bible and read it" people, but a lot of us are. I actually enjoy reading it. I learn a lot. I learn through that and obviously going to Church. So Father put a quote in there from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 158: "it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love." I just love that quote!

It's a quote that others may be surprised about with the Catholic faith. Like what is this talk about love?? Catholics love God?? We do!! We love Him very much. We love Him so much that we want to follow His Word, in every way. But I think just recently, the Church has come back and is encouraging us to go to the Bible and read Scripture and I think it's wonderful. I mean, we read Scripture in Church every Sunday, but it's not the same as picking up your Bible and reading it.

I had a few friends who were interested in my devotionals and I began sending them in email form, then I started a blog so we could discuss online. And now I send the email each morning, and I do the devotional myself. Visit my site to read the Bible with me and discuss. I'm still learning, so if something doesn't sound right, have a question, or a comment, please let me know in the Comments section of the post! If you want the devotional sent to your email, send an email to karenscatholiclife@live.com and I will add you to my list.

Anyway, keep reading, keep learning, keep discussing, and love a lot!

Luck

There is no such thing as luck. God is the author.
-Mother Angelica

Isn't that neat?! I knew when I read that, I just HAD to post it! I have been correcting myself lately when I want to say "lucky" or "luck." Because I firmly believe there is no such thing!

Instead of saying lucky now, I say that I'm "blessed." Or I tell someone they were "blessed" instead of lucky. Because that's what it is. God Blesses us with His love! It may be a tough love sometimes, but it is love nonetheless. And it is an unceasing love that we can always count on!

A Trusting Soul

A soul that trusts God is invincible.
- Mother Angelica

Isn't that so true? From our trust comes love and faith. When we have those things, we have belief! And that belief gives us our eternal life with Our Father.

BEAUTIFUL!

Does He PERMIT Evil?

So the next question we may ask ourselves is "Why does God permit evil?" And Mother Angelica has an answer. "His providence protects the freedom of His creatures by permitting evil. If you reject God and turn against Him with your free will, God will still draw good out of it--- for your good or for the good of another."

The free will He gives us enables us to make our own choices and to learn from them. Ever heard the expression "Learn from your mistakes?" Of course you have. How are we going to make mistakes if we don't have that free will to do so? I know that the most I have learned, and the best that I remember, is through mistakes. And that could be my own, or someone else's. So remember. You may not learn, or maybe you don't get something positive out of the evil in your life, but maybe someone else did, or will. It's not for us to know, nor for us to dwell upon. It will only make us miserable and draw us further from God with distrust. Trust in Him. There is a reason.

Some words of comfort from Mother:

God knows your every need and desire. He listens to your every sigh and sees every tear. He surrounds you completely. Even though you do not see the end of the road, you need not fear.

Note: I just read a great post from Faith and Family Live! with a little info on this very subject.

God's Love

So do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe that He loves you ALL the time? Even in those trying times in your life where you can't believe He would let that happen to you? Your parents get divorced. A loved one dies unexpectedly. Your child commits a mortal sin.

These are all things where we could say, where are you God? How could you let this happen? Well, Mother Angelica says, "God loves me so much that He provides for my every need. God's providence disposes and directs everything for His honor and glory, and for the good of my soul." It's so hard when we live in the Present Moment to see His good intentions right away. I can tell you that when my parents were going through their divorce, it didn't seem like He was there. How could He let them throw away 38 years of marriage and rip apart our family? What sense does that make?

Well, it pays to ask questions. Through their divorce, I found myself getting closer and closer to Him because I needed guidance from somewhere, and I didn't feel that I could get it from my parents at that point and time. As most married couples do, my husband and I fought quite a bit. I mean, we have 3 kids... who doesn't??!! And I can't tell you that divorce didn't cross my mind. After all, wasn't it better for them to see their parents happy than together and fighting all the time? Well, it's good for them to see us happy, but together and happy. And I guess it took my parents getting their divorce for me to see how important it is to stay together. The closer I came to God, the more I realized how much I love and adore my husband. The closer I came to God, the more I realized what I needed to do to make our life better together.

I think we all know that good can come out of the bad, but sometimes it takes a while for that insight to happen. And that's OK. It's God' Will and Providence. Mother also tells us that if it's meant to be, then the Lord will clear the path. If it's not, then He will make it difficult to get there. "Nothing happens to you without the stamp of His providence placed upon it before it happens. That's faith."

So have faith. Things may seem bad, but they wouldn't be happening if He didn't let it.

The Epiphany

Well, I went to Mass this morning instead of yesterday afternoon... AGAIN. And it was a wonderful service. Father is in Jerusalem right now, so we had a substitute. I don't know what his name was, but he was GREAT! I learned about the Epiphany (I never knew what it was before I looked it up online this morning before I went to Church). Apparently, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it's when we celebrate the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I hope I spelled everything right too!! And now I know what these things are!!

Gold, well, we all know what that is. And that was brought because He was born as our King.

Frankincense and myrrh are like a sap, a very expensive sap, from Arabia that is used, or used to be used. One of them was used as an embalming fluid and now I can't remember which one. And this was brought because He was the only human being who was born that was born to die. The burning of the sap indicates our prayers going up to Him.

This is the best I have right now on this. If anyone would like to add, please do!!

The other thing that I thought was cool was that we were given paper bags to fill up with food and bring to Mass next Sunday as our gifts. Isn't that a fabulous idea? If your parish did not do this, you may want to anyway as your gift to the Lord. Gifts to His children are gifts to Him.

Mixed Signals

From the desk of Father Frank Pavone:

The next section of the book, Father talks about how we can change the way we talk about the unborn in order to create a greater sense of "personhood." (my word) If we can come out of thinking about the child as "coming," as "expected" and start thinking of that child as "already here," then we can change the language we use about a pregnant woman.

If I haven't confused you already, let me explain. Father Pavone wants our message to be that the unborn child is already here. So instead of saying that a couple has "one on the way," say things like "she is carrying a child."

He also says that as soon as a woman knows she is pregnant, the couple should choose a name. Obviously pick one boy and one girl name, but a name should be chosen right away because that baby is a person. I think about my son being born and we didn't name him for HOURS after he was born. We just couldn't agree on a boy's name, so we didn't pick one. I guess we were in that mindset of not a baby worth naming until he was "here," when in fact, he was already "here."

Just doing these small things can help us as pro-lifers to cultivate a culture of life. To cultivate a culture of accepting life when life actually begins. To cultivate a culture of respect for the baby and for the mother. Changing the way we have been taught is not easy, but it can be done.

If anyone has any other suggestions for how we can change our verbage so we don't give "mixed signals" please do so in your comments. Thanks so much!!

Satisfaction

So what is holiness? Well, in my last post, Mother Angelica told us that it's not perfection. So what IS it?

WHOLLY SATISFIED

Our Lord said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for holiness, they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6). Today what is holiness? Holiness is that image of Jesus in your heart that shines on your face and tells your neighbor that there is more to come, and it's better than this life. It makes you so free that you can laugh at the world and what it has to offer. Others look at you and ask, "What do you have? I want it."

-Mother Angelica, LITTLE BOOK of LIFE LESSONS and EVERYDAY SPIRITUALITY

"Holiness is that image of Jesus in your heart that shines on your face and tells your neighbor that there is more to come, and it's better than this life." I highlighted that in my book. I love that and I read it over and over. It all comes back to the love that we have for Jesus and allowing that love we have for Him to shine through in our lives. How do we do that? By living like He lived, by letting Him do His work through us. If you think of it this way, it really makes me feel free because I really don't have as much control over my life as I thought. And if it's God that has control, then I'm OK with that!

The Look of Holiness

In lieu of the upcoming New Year, I have more thoughts to share. After I put the kids in bed for their afternoon nap, I sat down with Mother Angelica to learn more. And it just so happens that her nuggets of info can be directly applied to the New Year. Oftentimes when we create New Year's resolutions, we look towards being a better person: losing weight, being kinder, not yelling so much, staying away from negative people.... Well, I thought I would share with you Mother's thoughts on what it looks like to be Holy:

THE LOOK OF HOLINESS

Holiness to most people is looking holy. They think a holy person is one who never loses his temper. Oh please! They think a holy person never feels impatient. Well, there is not an Italian born who is patient, and since there are more Italian saints than any other nationality, there must be something about being impatient that makes you holy.

-Mother Angelica

Doesn't that take the pressure off?? God knows what's in our hearts, and I think as long as we strive for that perfection by learning from our mistakes, then we will be OK. We must put our love for Him above all else and everything else will follow. I have felt it happen in my life, and while I don't feel that I have that COMPLETE trust and COMPLETE love for Him yet, I feel it increase each and every day that I see His works in my life.

He and only He has a plan for us. So we can make our resolutions for the New Year, but know that whatever we have planned may not work out and that's OK because it's not about what we want. God may have other plans for us....

Happy New Year

Good morning!!

Well, the New Year is almost here and I suppose we're all wondering what we're going to have as resolutions. It's so hard. There are so many things that we want to "change" aren't there? And we make the resolution, work on it for a few weeks, and then we're back to our normal routines and we never achieve our goal. Happens to me ALL THE TIME!!

So I would like to make a suggestion if I could. I went to Mother Angelica's book and continued to read a few tidbits. And do you know what it was about? Love. Love for God. Love for Jesus. Love for the people around us. How about THAT for a resolution? Is that something worth sticking to? Creating a deeper love for God? She quotes Scripture and explains that we all need to strive for that. And what better way to show that love than through our children?

THAT KID OF MINE

The greatest evils today are fear and lukewarmness. Jesus said, "I wish you were hot or cold, but you are lukewarm and I will vomit you from my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16). We have a fantastic amount of lukewarmness in the world today, because we don't see Jesus in the Present Moment. Every moment you are meeting Jesus face to face.

Some woman told me the other day, "Are you telling me that mean kid of mine is Jesus?" Yes, hidden in that kid is Jesus. It is your duty to bring Him out with love, patience, and compassion.

Pretty cool huh? Our children are a pretty good place to start. If we can't see Jesus in our own children when they are being "mean," how are we going to see Jesus in our neighbor when he/she is being "mean?" Or in the next driver over when they cut us off? Or in the customer service representative who could care less about our problems? I think that creating a deeper sense of love for Jesus by loving our children, husbands, and neighbors as we would love Jesus would be a great way to start the New Year. How about you?

The Heart and the Mind

As I have embarked on my journey back to Catholicism, I have learned lots of "things." I have learned facts about Jesus and the Holy Family, some "things" about Saints, and some "things" about God. But another "thing" that I learned was that I don't have to know a lot of "things" to know how to love God and live like Jesus.

Brilliance Is Not Required

Every time Jesus taught the multitudes, the apostles would get Him alone afterward and say, "Master, would you explain the parable to us?" Every child in that audience knew exactly what He was talking about, except his apostles.

Now some of you look at Scripture and you don't understand it. Then someone comes along with an insight that makes you feel teeny-tiny. Well don't! You aren't alone. Holiness doesn't consist of knowing much, or doing much, but of loving much.

-Mother Angelica

This passage really hit me too. In the past I felt like I didn't know a lot about Jesus and therefore I didn't know how to pray, go to Church right, or talk to and about God right. It is comforting to hear Mother Angelica talk like this. We don't have to know everything, just love God with all our hearts and follow Him. Yes, there are certain things that we need to know, like how Jesus lived so that we can live like Him, but it is not essential to get a degree in theology to be able to live a faithful life. I think that's what Mother Angelica is saying.

God knows what is in our hearts. If He can see our goodness and our intentions, and the way we live, then we are showing our faith to Him. Now granted, I would LOVE to to know EVERYTHING there is about God and the life of Jesus. That's why I'm going to continue to read my little heart out. But I can't let that get before my love for Him. My love for Him, OUR love for Him drives our faith. Our minds only serve that love.

That's what that means to me. What does this mean to you? Do you feel overwhelmed with so much to learn? Do you feel like, or have you ever felt like, you can't pray because you don't know how? Have you ever felt like you need to "know" in order to love?

Believing and the Truth

I hope everyone had a Blessed Christmas. I know I did! Everyone was together and healthy and we were able to share our gifts with each other. My Christmas will be continuing tomorrow as I take a long trip to see my side of the family and spend time with them. So keep us in your prayers for a safe and happy trip. Thank you!

Now, for my latest reading!! I sat down for a few while the kids were in bed, and there were many, many bits of information I wanted to share with you. Then I came across one that really touched me and how I have come to believe so strongly in my Catholic faith. The more I read, and the more I think, and the more I BELIEVE with my whole heart, the more I appreciate the Church and the rules that have been set forth. I used to get caught up in the mindset of the rest of society that thinks Catholics are too strict and kept asking why it was so important to do the things we do. Well, God must have heard my questions, and He certainly answered them.

I was one of those Catholics that took some stuff and believed it, and left the rest because it must have been nonsense. After all, my friends didn't believe that and they got to sing and seemed to have a good time in Church. I can remember talking about that to a friend of mine when I was only in elementary school. So I guess I didn't have that STRONG belief in my faith from the beginning.

So I have been researching a lot, and reading a lot about God, our Lord, and our Mother. And in this latest book I have been reading by Mother Angelica, I came across a nugget titled "Tranquility and the Lord." Here is what she had to say:

Scripture says, "If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9). Some have cut it short and say, "Whoever believes in Jesus is saved." No. The devil believes in Jesus, but he is not saved. It's "Jesus is Lord" that makes you saved. He must be the Lord of your life.

Powerful isn't it?? Doesn't she make you THINK?! I love the part about the devil. It just blew my mind. I never thought about my belief that way before. Just because we believe doesn't mean we are saved. Many of us have rejected parts of the Bible because it requires work from us. We are sinful, erroneous human beings. But He sent us His only Son so that we may still be with Him when we die. He didn't send His Son to cover all of our sins so we could live free and without guilt though. Just because we believe and want to see Jesus as our way to the light, the way to our Father, doesn't mean we earn the right to be there just because we are alive. We must also live like He lived. We must take EVERY part of the Bible and LIVE it!! It's not easy, but it's important that we try hard. God knows the love that we have for Him in our hearts. He knows our intentions. If we love Him and EVERYTHING that He teaches us, and live according to Him, according to the Truth, then we have earned that eternal life in Heaven with our Father.

So, "He must be the Lord of your life." What does that mean to you?

Absolute Freedom

The thing that confuses us so much is that we are constantly thinking about ourselves. What am I going to do for the world? What am I going to do for my neighbor? You’ve got the wrong question.

The question is: What is God going to do through you? That’s the question: How much are you going to let Him do? When you begin to ask the right questions you will get the right answers. You are nothing; and until you come to that realization, you will stumble and crawl through all of life. There is absolute freedom in the thought that you are nothing. only then are you free to be used by God for His ends, the ends for which you have been created.

-Mother Angelica

Oh my goodness!! I had never thought about it that way before. I’m NOTHING!! It’s true and it IS kind of freeing to think of myself that way. Boy does it take the pressure off!

We are very self-centered people and it’s very difficult to change that and look beyond ourselves to God and figure out how He wants to use us. Now I don’t know about you, but I have been asking myself the WRONG question. After I read this little passage, I kept reading (it’s so addicting), but I kept thinking about this one particular passage. What DOES He want to do through me?

Well, I was on the phone last night with, well, I will call her a friend of mine, and we were talking a lot about our faith and not being afraid to “come out of the closet.” It’s so hard. Religion is seen so differently these days. Anyway, we discussed doing a book club. And I have been contemplating it for a long time, and throwing the idea out. So I didn’t think much more about it, just that maybe I will do it some day…. THEN I opened up my email this morning and saw Melanie’s comment about being interested in a Book Club and I thought, “OK, is this what he wants to work through me? A Book Club?” Maybe, I don’t know. But it can’t hurt to do it and see what comes out of it, right? He speaks to us, but we just have to listen very carefully!!

Lord, keep my ears and heart open to Your Word, so that you can work your goodness through me.