“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
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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.
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"Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He said in reply, 'I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!'" (Luke 19:39-40)
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Our world is fraught with fear, division and violence. Many of us feel weighed down by the burdens that overwhelm our country and we seek to be part of the solution to problems beyond our comprehension. Our hope is in the Lord.
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by Kathleen Beckman
She, who at the start of the Redemption gave us her Son, now by her most powerful intercession obtained for the newborn Church the prodigious Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit of the Divine Redeemer who had already been given on the Cross. Pius XII, Mystici Corporis, 29 June 1943
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When they entered the city, they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:13 – 14).
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This Sunday we close out Our Lady's month of May with the Feast of the Visitation.
In addition to being a beautiful feast day, the Visitation is one of the joyful mysteries of the rosary. It is celebrated in Catholic artwork, often depicting the scene in scripture where Our Blessed Mother, Mary, visits her cousin Elizabeth. Upon hearing Mary's greeting, the child in her womb leapt for joy and Elizabeth was overcome with gratitude that the mother of her Lord would come to visit her. One of our favorite depictions of this scene is the one above where both St. John the Baptist and Jesus are visible in the womb's of their mothers.
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It’s probably safe to say that many Americans have been experiencing trouble sleeping in recent weeks, given the unprecedented circumstances we’ve been facing for quite some time. For anyone waking suddenly out of a deep sleep, a sensation of fear – that powerful emotion so very prominent in our national consciousness of late – would not be at all unusual.
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This week, we celebrated the 100th birthday of St. John Paul II.
During his life, he saw much change in the world and in the Church. He lived through both the Nazi and Communist regimes, the Cold War, Vatican II and the aftermath of confusion from its misappropriation, as well as the beginning of the scandals in the Church. He survived an assassination attempt and was a public witness to the challenges of living with a debilitating disease that transformed him from a vigorous athlete to someone who struggled to walk a few steps on his own. He was a man who was intimately familiar with suffering and spiritual battle.
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Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDSHistory was made in May 2017 when Women of Grace® founder, Johnnette Benkovic, now Johnnette Williams, delivered a message about the dignity and vocation of women on the world stage at the United Nations - a message delivered while standing in the shadow of the same Pilgrim Virgin Statue that first visited this global entity 65 years ago!
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“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
