“Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into Heaven, the Mother of God now requires our cooperation. She seeks souls who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God's kingdom upon earth.”
- St. Maximilian Kolbe
Last Saturday we celebrated the feast of one of my favorite saints, St. Maximilian Kolbe. My husband and I love him so much that we named our beloved dog Kolbe after him.
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“Turn me over, I’m done on this side.” – St. Lawrence
Have you ever noticed how good it feels to laugh? "It's not surprising that the adage, "laughter is the best medicine" is such a popular cliche." It’s true. It’s also not surprising that many of the saints were known for their keen sense of humor.
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“The way to destroy bad habits is by watchfulness and by doing often those things that are opposites to one’s besetting sins.”
-St. John Vianney
How do we grow in virtue?
St. John Vianney, whose feast we celebrate today, offers us the sage advice of "doing often those things that are opposites to one's besetting sins."
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“Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 one thing is needful.[a] Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:38-42
Are you a Martha, a Mary, or a Lazarus?
Today is the Memorial of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. In the scripture passage above, we see that Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” While Martha, “was distracted with much serving.” She even complained that Mary wasn’t doing her part and the Lord, rebuked her saying that Mary had chosen the better part and He would not take it away from her.
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May the peace and love of Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ be yours today and always!
Here we are closing in on the end of July and Fall is fast approaching! We are excited about what is on the horizon for these coming three months, and I am confident much will be attained for the glory of God with your continued partnership. In addition to a virtual online retreat we are planning for October, our first IN PERSON retreat since the Pandemic is happening in September, and I’m delighted to give you the inside scoop! This will be an event planned, sponsored, and executed by Women of Grace for YOU!
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“On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, 'Let us cross to the other side.' Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Quiet! Be still!' The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, 'Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?'" -Mark 4:35-40
Do recent events in the world or in the Church have you terrified?
We see in the above scripture passage that even the apostles, those who were closest and spent the most time with Jesus, experienced fear, doubt, and terror. When it seemed that Jesus was asleep in the boat as it was being battered by the storm, He assured them that He was with them, and instantly calmed the storm.
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“I am no longer my own. I have given myself entirely to Jesus Christ.” Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Today is a special day here at Women of Grace. We celebrate the feast day of one of our patron saints, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, aka “Lily of the Mohawks,” who is the first Native American saint. She is the patroness of our Young Women of Grace study program.
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“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy." -Exodus 31:13
Do you have a daily ritual?
The Lord gives us many examples of rituals in sacred scripture: God instituted the sacrificial covenant ritual with Abram (Gen. 15:8-21); He gave us the ritual of observing the Sabbath (Ex. 8:20); He asked the people of Israel participate in the Passover each year (Ex. 12:27: 1-14); Jesus taught the apostles to pray the Our Father (Mt 6: 9-13); and He instituted the Holy Eucharist (Lk 22: 14 - 20)
We are bombarded by distractions and growing "to-do" lists. God knew that we needed routine in our lives to keep us focused on Him. Rituals help to reserve our mental and spiritual energy for what is most important.
Recently, I took a two-week vacation. My husband and I went on a road trip from Florida to New York and back again. I must admit that being on vacation, I really slacked on my daily routine and I felt a noticeable increase in frustration, agitation, impatience, and lack of peace.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed my vacation but now that I'm back home, I'm working really hard to dust myself off and pick back up on my spiritual routine. Here is a list of a few things that I do my best to practice daily. The nice thing about having rituals/routines is that when you get off track, you can always return to them.
Morning routine:
- Rise early
- Praise and thank God upon waking up and say morning prayers: St. Michael, Guardian Angel, Renew Consecration to Jesus through Mary, Cardinal Mercier's Prayer To The Holy Spirit, and Memorare to St. Joseph
- Praise music while getting ready
- Coffee and prayer time with husband
- Morning prayer
- Daily mass (Several times per week, preferably daily)
- When time permits, a short time of adoration after mass and prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
- Daily Angelus at noon
- Litany of Humility prior to beginning work
Evening/Nightly routine
- Rosary
- Quiet time of meditation with sacred scripture
- Examen
- Gratitude journal
- Plan for tomorrow asking for God's wisdom
Do you have a set of rituals that keep you focused on the Lord? We'd love for you to share them with us in the comments.
Please join us for our Women of Grace Rosary Crusade, when we will take part in one of the most beautiful and powerful spiritual practices that our Catholic Church has given us.
Click the image below to join and if you've already registered, you should receive a reminder link directly from Zoom. Please be sure to share the information below with your friends and family!
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Chastity is counter-cultural. It's probably THE most counter-cultural virtue there is.
It is no coincidence that in the month that the world glorifies “Pride,” God has elevated a man whose chastity is to be revered…St. Joseph. And today, many Catholics across the globe celebrate personal devotion to his Most Chaste Heart.
What is chastity? In short, the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes chastity as follows: “Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity, therefore, involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift.” CCC, 2337
Aside from Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph is the pre-eminent example of chastity. To guard the virginity of both his son and his wife, St. Joseph had to live out the virtue of chastity more perfectly than any other man. He was integrated, body and soul, and his life and sexuality were a lifelong gift in service to God, to Our Lord, and to Our Blessed Mother. A total gift of self.
Though not a liturgical feast day, many Catholics observe the first Wednesday after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. This personal devotion goes back as far St. John Eudes in 1600 and has also been referenced by St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Francis de Sales, and St. John XXIII.
There has even been a recent investigation and
approval by the local ordinary of an apparition of St. Joseph to a young college student in Brazil to whom St. Joseph reportedly gave many promises to those who revere his Most Chaste Heart. This apparition has not received magisterial approval but is another indication of God's desire to highlight St. Joseph, for such a time as this.
Even if we choose not to embrace this personal devotion, we can certainly honor St. Joseph as a model of chastity. In a world that seems to grow more upside down and inside out every day, we need St. Joseph's counter-cultural example of chastity now more than ever.
St. Joseph, Most Chaste, pray for us.
To learn more about St. Joseph and the virtue of chastity, please enjoy these resources.
Please join us for this week's week’s Women of Grace Rosary Crusade.
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Click the image below to join and if you've already registered, you should receive a reminder link directly from Zoom. Please be sure to share the information below with your friends and family!
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Johnnette Williams, Joanne Kane, and Isabelle Liberatore
May the peace and love of Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ be yours today and always!
Recently, I had the wonderful blessing to speak to a room filled with women for the St. Timothy Catholic Women's Retreat at the Bethany Center in Lutz, Florida. It was a joy to be back in our home diocese of St. Petersburg and to be reunited with so many beautiful, familiar faces and many new ones. This is one of our largest "live" events since Covid began. It was pure joy!!! If you were not in attendance, I wish you had been there with us!
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