"The soul sees what God intended it to be. And the soul sees what obstacles it erected - its selfishness, its cowardice, its shallow satisfactions, its perversions of God's graces and His gifts. All this came between God and the soul in life."
-Susan Tassone
Today's Reflection:
What will I see at the moment of my particular judgment? Will I see that I have created obstacles between my soul and God? What might they be? I pray for the grace to dismantle these obstacles in this life so I will not take them with me to eternal life.
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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May the peace and love of Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ be yours today and always!
Here we are closing in on the end of July and Fall is fast approaching! We are excited about what is on the horizon for these coming three months, and I am confident much will be attained for the glory of God with your continued partnership. In addition to a virtual online retreat we are planning for October, our first IN PERSON retreat since the Pandemic is happening in September, and I’m delighted to give you the inside scoop! This will be an event planned, sponsored, and executed by Women of Grace for YOU!
"For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you."
-Matthew 7:2- 3"
Today's Reflection:
In the particular judgment, I will be judged in the same way I pass judgment on others. What do I think is the difference between "judging" in the scriptural sense and making healthy conclusions based on the behavior and example of others?
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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It's time to meet the team that makes Women of Grace the impactful apostolate that it is!
Today we're featuring Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, who is our Director of New Age Research. We hope you enjoy learning more about Sue from her answers to the questions below. Stay tuned for regular "Meet the Team" features!
1 How long have you been on the Women of Grace team and how did you begin?"I began working here on January 2, 2008. Johnnette and I knew each other when I worked as a reporter for the Catholic Standard and Times of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I used to interview her from time to time about New Age subjects. During one interview, I asked her if she knew anyone who was looking for a Catholic writer who does not compromise the faith. She said, 'I am!' The rest is history."
2 What do you love best about Women of Grace's apostolate?"My favorite thing about the Women of Grace apostolate is how it empowers women and cuts through all the confusion of our time. Our culture has a very disingenuous approach to women. It professes to be standing up for their rights, but at the same time, it promotes practices that are very destructive of women’s self-esteem such as promiscuity, abortion, birth control. These are presented as hip and liberating, even though women’s lived experience proves that the flip side of these practices – the broken relationships, the lifelong regret, sexual abuse (#MeToo) – is closer to reality. While pretending to stand up for women, our culture is actually doing the exact opposite, which is especially true for women on the ideological right who are treated like backward bimbos whose voices are deliberately stifled and/or misrepresented. All of these conflicting messages are a source of great confusion to women, which is why Women of Grace’s message - that our dignity comes from being a daughter of God, not from what this or that political group determines- is so encouraging for women. It lifts them above the politics and reminds them of who they really are, regardless of how the world wants to define them."
3 What is your favorite devotion?"My favorite devotion(s) is Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and also Divine Mercy"
4 Who is your favorite saint?"My favorite saint is St. Therese of Lisieux."
5 If you could have lunch with Jesus today, what would you want to talk about?"If I could have lunch with Jesus, I would talk His ear off because He’s my BFF and I’d ask Him about all the things we’re working on together – my vocation as a Carmelite and a writer, my interior life, my prayer life. Everything!"
"I assure you, on judgment day people be held accountable for every unguarded word they speak."
-Matthew 12:36
Today's Reflection:
Ouch! How many unguarded or idle words have I spoken in my life? How many did I speak yesterday? How many have I spoken already today? Lord, put a sentinel at my mouth and a guard around my lips that I may hold my tongue when it ought to be held. Amen.
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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“I look forward, not to what lies ahead of me in this life and will surely pass away, but to my eternal goal. I am intent upon this one purpose, not distracted by other aims, and with this goal in view I press on, eager for the prize, God's heavenly summons. Then I shall listen to the sound of Your praises and gaze at Your beauty ever-present, never future, never past. But now my years are but sighs. You, O Lord, are my only solace. You, my Father, are eternal. But I am divided between time gone by and time to come, and its course is a mystery to me. My thoughts, the intimate life of my soul, are torn this way and that in the havoc of change. And so it will be until I am purified and melted by the fire of Your love and fused into one with You.”
- Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
Today's Reflection:
St Augustine seems to be in a good place reading this quote until the last three sentences and I realize as I read his thoughts, I am nearing these same ideas – will the thoughts of my soul be torn this way and that in the “havoc of change” as I near death, until I am purified and melted by the fire of God’s love? Is it anxiety for the time to pass quickly or fear of the unknown? This brings to mind his other quote: ““You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” Lord, help me to be at peace with your will and have the grace of a happy death. St. Augustine and St. Joseph, pray for me!
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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"God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient grace for salvation."
-Gabriele Amorth
Today's Reflection:
How reassuring are these words! God desires my salvation, has sent His Son so it can be acquired, and is giving me the graces I need to attain it! What grace for salvation is He offering me today?
(Hint: What prompting of the Holy Spirit am I experiencing - the need for confession, a way to help a friend or loved one, an act of charity or almsgiving, etc.)
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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"At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love."
- St. John of the Cross
Today's Reflection:
How much do I love God? What about my life reflects the reality of my love? Where does selfishness, lack of forgiveness & personal sin hold me bound?
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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