by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Improving one's relationship with God ranked near the bottom of the list of this year's most common New Year's resolutions, with most promises centering on self-improvement.
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"A person's prayer often keeps step with his moral life. The closer our behavior corresponds to the Divine Will, the easier it is to pray; the more our conduct is out of joint with Divinity, the harder it is to pray."
Fulton J. Sheen
For Reflection:
On a scale of one to ten, with one being "easy" and ten being "most difficult," how would I rate my experience of prayer? In light of Bishop Sheen's quote, is a serious examination of conscience in order?
(Please note the word "often" in Bishop Sheen's quote. Other reasons exist for difficulty in prayer such as distraction or aridity. However, it is always good to examine our conscience as a first prevention against difficulty in prayer time.)
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"When prayer is humble, trusting, and persevering, it obtains for us a more lively faith, a firmer hope, a more ardent charity. Thereby we see how fruitful mental prayer can be; how it draws God strongly toward us that He may give Himself intimately to us and that we may give ourselves to Him."
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
For Reflection:
Is my prayer "humble, trusting, and persevering?" In which of these three do I most need to grow? What benefits can I expect to receive if I do so? Can I recall a time when I experienced the profound presence of God in prayer? How does this help me to remain steadfast to the resolution I made yesterday regarding my time of prayer?
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"Everything starts from prayer."
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
For Reflection:
What is noticeably different about this statement is that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta says that everything starts from prayer, not everything starts with prayer. What is the significance of this? What does it say to me? What resolution am I willing to make at the beginning of this new year regarding my prayer life?
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The countdown to the New Year is fast approaching. Will you be making resolutions?
For most of us, the answer is yes. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know that last year, I wrote a blog using the acronym
R-E-S-O-L-V-E-D to help us focus our resolutions on the things that really matter. The "L" in the acronym stood for "Listening" in which I encouraged the cultivation of a listening spirit so that we could hear the voice of God in our everyday circumstances. In addition to prayer of the Holy Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, and Lectio Divina, one of my favorite ways to practice "listening" is spiritual reading.
I've compiled the
list below which features some of my all time
favorite books for spiritual reflection, prayer, meditation and direction. I hope that you will incorporate one or several of them into your Catholic library because I know that you too will see much fruit in your relationship with God as a result. They are in no particular order.
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This month's Facilitator Spotlight is Jennie Stanbro. Jennie experienced many challenges, including cancer, as she went forward in her mission to begin Women of Grace in her parish but she persevered and through it all, Our Lady was there to guide and direct her efforts.
I have been married for 36 years and am the mother of six children (four married, and 15 and 13 year old sons). My husband and I decided early on that God had called me to be a stay at home mom, and I’ve served in that role for the last 35 years, which at times has been difficult due to a society that was no longer supporting this traditional role. I have witnessed in my lifetime a grave deterioration of womanhood through false promises and images portrayed in our culture then and still today. I knew I wanted to reach out to women who struggled with these false promises, but I didn’t know how.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A new report published by the Parents Television Council™ (PTC) details the nature and extent of Hollywood's obsession with sexualizing teen girls.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A ruling in a case known as the "
Roe v. Wade" of Europe has found that while Ireland's abortion laws need some specific amendments, there is no over-riding "right to abortion" in the European Union's Convention.
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