Lent is upon us. I’m wondering if you have asked yourself how you will make your Lenten preparation for Easter? It’s a good question to ask.
Life being what it is, I have often found it beneficial to come up with a plan and a strategy to help me enter more deeply into the Lenten season.
In years past, I have planned and strategized how to “give up” ---
Certain foods or treats -- don’t buy them;
Activities and recreations -- don’t go to them;
Habits and behaviors -- don’t do them.
One year I even gave up going to the mall -- don’t drive by it.
That was my longest Lent ever!
Along with the exclusions, I have often added a few inclusions: more time in prayer, study, and adoration; additional acts of charity; exchanging a bad habit with a good one.
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I don't know how your week has been, but mine has been very busy. So busy, in fact, that I still have the majority of my "To Do" list in tact. Weeks like this can be disheartening.
And yet, it is part of the human experience.
Even among the saints.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, for example, apparently had a week or two like this from time to time. She gives us good advice.
She said:
"When night comes, and retrospect shows that everything was patchwork and much that one had planned left undone, when so many things rouse shame and regret, then take all as is, lay it in God's hands, and offer it up to Him. In this way we will be able to rest in Him, actually to rest and to begin the new day like a new life."
I am going to take her advice, and begin again ...
Next week.
For now, I'm going to take a rest!
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It is true that the earthquake in Haiti this week has shaken us all. The
loss of life, the devastation and the impact on the Church in this poorest of poor countries is a tragedy for which there are no words.
And yet, we do know that the words Scripture gives us are true: "
For God works all things for the good for those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
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Last evening I attended a lecture given by George Weigel here in Clearwater, FL.
The event was held by Jay and Lisa Kelly who seek to provide local Catholics with the opportunity to hear great Catholic speakers.
Calling their new-found organization
Splendor of Truth, the evening begins with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and includes an open bar and dinner.
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As we cast a backward glance to 2009 and enter 2010, it is good to take a reflective moment to thank God for the many blessings we have received in the recently parted year. It may even be helpful to record them in your journal.
Sometimes these blessings are obvious such as family, friends, and good health.
Sometimes they are taken for granted like food on the table, a roof over our head, the conveniences of everyday living.
And sometimes, the greatest blessings of all are shrouded in dark packaging like the trials, tribulations, reversals and contradictions of daily life.
What were your top twelve blessings in 2009?
Mine follow.
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What wisdom Holy Mother Church has in dedicating the first day of the year to Mary, Mother of God! 
Mary is the Mother of God and she is our mother, too. Her fiat is the genesis of every fiat given to God. And every fiat given to God is enriched by hers. The fathers of the Second Vatican Council state it simply, succinctly, and profoundly: she is our Mother in the order of grace.
This poem, written by Giovanni Domini (1356-142), expresses the maternal beatitude we find so dear. May it elevate our hearts in gratitude to God for the gift of the Blessed Virgin. And may it elevate our hearts to the reality of our salvation which comes through the gift of her Son, Jesus Christ Savior of the World.
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What does God want from us? This poem offers us the answer.
It echoes the one we find in Psalm 51.
What will we give Jesus this Christmas? Is it the gift He truly desires?
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Last Wednesday on our radio program,
Women of Grace Live (Weekdays 11 AM ET via EWTN Radio or via podcast
www.womenofgrace.com and Sirius 160) I had a "scathingly brilliant idea"(Hayley Mills,
The Trouble with Angels).
Why not post some of our listeners, viewers, and blog readers favorite Christmas recipes? So, I invited everyone to send in their submissions.
The following culinary delights were sent to us by Mike from Terre Haute, Indiana. I'd love to receive your submissions as well. You can do so by sending them to
info@womenofgrace.com or by way of "Comments" right here on the blog.
Mike's recipes follow. Happy cooking and joyful eating!
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Well, I can't believe it has been this long since I have posted a blog. A big
mea culpa to all of you!
I must admit that the last part of October and all of November was a whirlwind of activity, travel, and production. That is my excuse and I hope you accept it.
As an olive branch, however, Iwould like to offer you a snapshot of what has been happening in our apostolate as well as in my personal life.
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Hello everyone! It has been a very busy time for me and, though my intentions were of the best, it has taken me longer
than I'd hoped to get a post ready to go.
As you know from my previous post, I attended the Catholic Radio Association Conference held in Birmingham, AL from October 13 - 17. The event began with a tour of Radio Mountain, the home of the shortwave radio network begun by Mother Angelica back in 1994. I never cease to be amazed at the wonder of radio communication through the air waves.
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