"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
The whole purpose of Christmas is reconciliation. Through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, His passion, death, and resurrection, God's mercy flowed into the world, the breach of original sin was mended, and fellowship between God and man was restored. Each Christmas commemorates again this wondrous gift of reconciliation and love.
I have often been amazed at how God answers a particular question, responds to a petition, or gives me guidance on a specific issue through Sacred Scripture. The reality of this points to a great truth -- God is always seeking to reveal Himself and His will to us. In fact, one spiritual writer tells us that God already had us in mind when He inspired the evangelists in their writings. Consider this as you pray the Scriptures using Lectio-Divina.
Hopefully, your experience of praying Holy Scripture using the Lectio-Divina form of prayer was a good one. However, it can take a bit of perseverance if this is new to you. Do not be discouraged, but continue to call upon the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
The ancient prayer form called Lectio-Divina is a perfect way for us to enter into an ever deepening relationship with God, and the season of Advent provides us with the perfect opportunity to use it. The following six steps lead us in this beautiful method of prayer:
The following blog is being reposted from the teaching series that I gave previously. I hope that you enjoy it!
Great events are marked by great preparation. A wedding, the coming of a new baby, graduations, special anniversaries, significant birthdays, and celebrations of all sorts are often months in the planning.
St. Teresa of Avila shows us it is never too late to get serious about our prayer life. Born Dona Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada, Teresa was an active child with a big imagination and great sensitivity of heart. Little Teresa and her brother Roderigo were intrigued by the lives of the saints and the martyrs, and often sought to imitate their holy example.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Women of Grace/Living His Life Abundantly. You truly are helping to transform the world by partnering in our mission and I am abundantly grateful.
Recently, we celebrated the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This title of the Blessed Mother is particularly meaningful for me and holds much significance. As many of you know, Our Lady was my constant spiritual companion as I sojourned through the pilgrimage of pain I experienced when my son, Simon, was killed in a vehicular accident and then, when my late husband, Anthony, journeyed through the cross of terminal brain cancer.
The next two days mark the feasts of two great saints of the Church, a mother and a son, whose lives give testimony to a sure-fire method of evangelizing those we love.St. Monica (August 27) is the mother of St. Augustine (August 28), though Augustine was no saint when Monica began her earnest intercession. At that time he was a pagan and a member of the heretical Manichean sect. He was known to be a carouser who lived with a woman to whom he had fathered a child. A brilliant mind, he was "devoted" to his views and his lifestyle, and had no intention of converting to the Catholic faith.
St. Monica was distraught about her son's dissolute ways and decided to do something about it. She prayed. And in the end, her prayers won the soul of her son.
What was it that made St. Monica's prayers so effective? I think five strategies are primarily responsible. Perhaps you can implement them as you seek to evangelize those you love.
We’re at the halfway point of 2020 and your prayers and support have done much to help us in accomplishing our mission to transform the world one woman at a time, especially during these challenging times globally and in the Church.
In these turbulent times, we continue to press forward with our mission to transform the world one woman at a time. As I prayerfully sat with the Lord this morning asking Him about the many situations confronting us, two words were impressed on my heart – “remain steadfast.” With your help, we intend to do just that. When the enemy presses hard, the only good response is to press harder. Scripture reminds us of this with the admonition, “Resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7). Another passage that comes to mind is “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust” (Luke 8:50; Mark 5:36). These are Jesus’ own words. My personal acronym for “trust” is True Resolve Under Severe Testing. It is clear we are in a time of testing. May we all persevere in the resolve to remain steadfast, to ward off discouragement, and to press on toward the victory Jesus has already won for us.
During this very challenging time, let us ponder anew the grace that God has given to us, and let us pledge our lives in complete fidelity with those graces as we place ourselves in the footsteps of Our Lady, who always teaches us the way in which we should go.
I want to personally invite all of our sacred sisters to join me and women across the country on July 10th and 11th for our upcoming Women of Grace Online Summer Retreat themed "Made for Happiness, Made for Joy" with Father Peter John Cameron, O.P., Samantha Kelley, Kathleen McCarthy, and yours truly. The beautiful artists of Women at the Well will also be offering us a musical presentation. If you’ve never experienced our annual retreat at the Malvern Retreat House, this is the perfect opportunity to get a bit of a taste of it! Details are available at womenograce.com/events. It will be packed with inspirational instruction for such a time as this!
May the abundant life of Jesus Christ be yours and may God bless you!
I faithfully remain... Your sister in Christ,
Johnnette Benkovic Williams Founder and President
PS: I encourage you to enroll your fathers and spiritual fathers in our upcoming Novena of Masses. You may do so here. This is just one of the many ways we hope to bless you and your family.
