An Introduction to the Devout Life

I recently finished this book written by Saint Francis De Sales. It was a wonderful book for any Catholic to read. It brought me closer to my faith and gave wonderful instruction on how to become truly devout.

It is easy to read, being laid out in short chapters.

Addressed almost as a personal letter to Philothea, the "lover of God" -- which genuinely represents the reader -- the book covers:

• our first desire to lead a devout life to our full resolution to do so
• how we should approach God in prayer and the Sacraments
• the practice of 16 important virtues
• remedies against ordinary temptations
• becoming confirmed in our practice of devotion.

I was so moved by it that I have every intention on re-reading it in about a year or so. I found his advise and lessons very helpful in my everyday life.

Saint Francis De Sales is one of my favorite Saints. I find him to be genuine and very down to earth. I love reading books by Saints. I usually curl up with a refreshment, light a candle and read......I sometimes read out loud to myself. It makes me feel like good ol' Saint Francis De Sales is right there with me. : )

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

I have just completed reading this book. This is the first book that I have read by C.S. Lewis and I AM HOOKED! This book a piece of work......C.S. Lewis is witty, entertaining and opens the readers mind to new possibilities. For anyone who hasn't already read this book I would certainly suggest it.

C.S. Lewis describes and takes the readers along to discover Christianity by mere reason. I caught myself thinking "by God he is right" numerous times throughout the book. His ideas are so on point.

Among friends

Yesterday I experienced the grace of God. I overslept and missed 9 o'clock mass. This is the mass that I generally attend with family and friends. The people I normally go to church with were out of town for Mother's Day and I had talked myself into skipping Mass just this one time....I didn't have anyone to go with and I missed the early mass that I usually attend. I could still go to the 11 o'clock mass.....but like I said, I had talked myself into not going.

Instead, I decided I would read the daily mass readings and stay at home and pray for forgiveness. While reading the daily reading I read the gospel that talks about Jesus being the vine and us the branches. Without him we will bear no fruit. Guilt began to set in. I needed to go to Mass to take part in the Eucharist. The host is like a vitamin for my soul. I needed to take Jesus into me so that I could bear great fruits. Because without him I can do nothing.

I have a personal belief, as silly as it may sound, that if I intentionally skip Mass, I have a bad week. I only believe this because I have personally experienced it. Frankly, after reading yesterday's gospel I no longer think this idea is so crazy.

Needless to say, I went to Mass all by myself. I was victorious against the evil temptation to skip Mass. Alleluia!

When I arrived I seated myself in an empty pew. There I was, all by myself...but I had made it. Next thing I know, I am scooting over for others to sit. I looked around..... I was surrounded by friends! To my right were my next door neighbors....To my left was a family that was in the RCIA with me! God was so proud that I was brave enough to go to Mass by myself and against my own wishes that he made sure that I was not by myself at all. He had surrounded me with friends!

Now, I'm not certain, but I believe this to be an everyday miracle. And it happened to me.....proof that God takes a personal interest in each and every one of us.

I shall remember this the next time I think about skipping Mass. I hope this will help others who are plagued with temptations of skipping Mass. Just go....whatever excuse you can think of for not going, God will satisfy.

The Angelus

Because May is dedicated to the Mother of God, Mary, I have searched for a special way to pay tribute to her during this month. I have recently been introduced to this devotion which focuses on Mary and the annunciation.

The Angelus is a short devotion in honor of the Incarnation, repeated three times each day (morning, noon, and night), at the sound of the bell. The devotion derives its name from the word "Angel".

The prayer is as follows:

V: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary

R: And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

V: Hail Mary, full of grace: The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.

R: Holy Mary, Mother of God: Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord.

R: Be it done unto me according to thy word.

V: Hail Mary...

R: Holy Mary...

V: And the Word was made flesh

R: And dwelt among us.

V: Hail Mary...

R: Holy Mary...

V: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,

R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V: Let us pray.

All: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace unto our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Please say this special devotion for Mary during this blessed month of May.

Baptism

I thought I would share these photo of this year's Easter Vigil. This collection includes photos of myself being baptized, as well as my 5 year old daughter, Nataylie, confirmation, and my first communion! Alleluia!

Happy Birthday Holy Father!

Today is Pope Benedict XVI's 82nd birthday. Wishing him a wonderful and blessed day!

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday celebrates the waiting at the Tomb of Jesus and meditation on his death. The Easter Vigil is on Holy Saturday and is the last day of Lent.

This Holy Saturday was particularly special for me because my five (5) year old daughter, Nataylie, and I were baptized at the Easter Vigil. It was a beautiful ceremony and a wondrous day and what I believe to be the most important day of my life. I can already notice the Holy Spirit filling my soul. I hope all had a fabulous Easter.

Good Friday

Once again, this is my first Good Friday as a Catholic (although I am not officially a Catholic, I am one in my heart). As such, I have done a little research on this special day.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion, passion, and death of Jesus. It is a day of fasting in the Catholic Church. It is the second day of the Paschal Triduum.

There are scriptural references at Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 23; and John 17-19.

Wishing all a Happy Good Friday!

What If She Had Said "No"?

I found this article on the Universalis website today. It is entitled "What if she had said no?", (click on this article to read it) referring to Mary of course. It raises an interesting question that I had never considered before. It had never occurred to me that she had a choice, but if you think about it, she did, just as all of us have a choice. God gave us freewill.

This article really puts into perspective why we place Mary on such a high pedestal.

I wish that I would have found this prior to March 25th, which is the Feast of the Annunciation. It's neat to be able to celebrate these important events that took place so long ago. An understanding of the events makes them so much more special. To think that before I converted I never thought of these things or celebrated these events makes me sad and grateful at the same time. I am so grateful to have been enlightened and yet very sad at the same time that I had been so ignorant.

Holy Thursday

Because this is my first Holy Thursday as a Catholic, I decided to do a little research to find out what this special day is really about.

I have learned that this day celebrates the institution of the Eucharist and the sacrament of Ordination and begins the Paschal Triduum, a 3 day celebration of Christ's death and resurrection.

Jesus shared the last supper with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. In addition, Holy Thursday also celebrates the agony in the garden and the betrayal by Judus, both of these events also occurred the night before the crucifixion.

Traditions that are generally associated with Holy Thursday include:

-Reciting of the creed by Catechumens (the unbaptized elect) from memory;
-Washing of feet; and
-Reconciliation of penitents and the consecration of holy oil.

There are numerous references to Holy Thursday in the Holy Bible including: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13; 1 Corinthians 11:22-34. Holy Thursday traditions are derived from all four of the above gospels.

St. Benedict for Busy Parents

This article/booklet is wonderful for parents. It teaches how we, as parents, can use St. Benedict's Rule as a structure in our own homes. It teaches us how we can truly accomplish a more Christ-like life through prayer, work and study and shows how to integrate the Lord into our busy 21st century lives. It can be done....truly inspiring!

St. Benedict for Busy Parents

By clicking on the link above you can read "St. Benedict for Busy Parents" in pdf format.

Butler's Lives of the Saints

I have just completed reading this wonderful and inspiring book. The version that I read is the "Concise, Modernized Edition" by Bernard Bangley (2005). It was easy to read and is broken down into days so that you may read about one saint's life each day. I couldn't wait to read more so I made it through within about two months.

It is important to have role models and who better than the saints that came before us? I would suggest that everyone read this book for inspiration. I initially picked up this book on my search for my saint that I will be taking the name of at my baptism. I related the very most to St. Margaret of Cortona and have chosen her as my baptismal saint.

Morning Prayer

The past few months, I have started waking up earlier to make time for Morning Prayer. Every morning after I get dressed and ready for work and before I wake my daughter, I say a morning prayer and read my daily bible readings. I have personally found this task is a delight and a time I truly look forward to. It helps me start my day in a positive way and I immediately feel as if I have accomplished something worthwhile.

The prayer that I have grown fond of and have used nearly every morning is a prayer that I learned from reading St. Francis De Sales’ "Philothea, or Introduction to the Devout Life". I have modified the language so that it is easier for me to pray. It is as follows

MORNING PRAYER:

"Lord, I lay before you my weak heart, which you have filled with good desires. You know that I am unable to bring the same to good effect, unless you bless and prosper them, and therefore, O Loving Father, I beg you to help me by the virtues and passion of your Dear Son, to whose honor I would devote this day and my whole life."

Then I say a second prayer with my daughter when she wakes up. This prayer is briefer and simpler to understand for my daughter's sake.

I would suggest that everyone begin their morning with a prayer and/or daily bible readings. It is quite refreshing and helps to focus your day towards doing God’s work.

Introduction

I am a recent convert to Catholicism and will be baptized and join the Body of Christ during this year's Easter Vigil on April 11, 2009 at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Hutchinson, Kansas. My spiritual journey began last summer when I started my relationship with my current boyfriend and best friend. He is a Cradle-Catholic and I expressed to him an interest in his religion and he so kindly offered to take me as a guest to his church. We have been attending Mass regularly since that time. He has been so gracious to sponsor me in RCIA.

In my journey I have been educating myself on my new found religion by reading everything I can get my hands on to equip myself with knowledge on the subject. Religion is something that I don't want to take lightly. If I am going to call myself a Catholic I want to know exactly what that means.

This is my collection of thoughts and drops of knowledge that I have taken with me from my readings...my spiritual bouquet, as St. Francis De Sales would say.