I know!  Right?

How many of us have never heard of this before?

A friend shared it with me, and I wanted everyone to be able to benefit from it!   

Yes señoritaRita, if only we would always treat God as our best friend whom we would feel awful to offend and also treat him as the Holy,Mighty,Immortal God that he is, we would be much less careless with our actions, thoughts and words.

And as Catholics, we Christians have been given the keys to the kingdom through the treasure chest of the sacraments, of Holy Mass,
Of the blood and writings from the Saints. But how many of us just sit next to that treasure chest and never even open it or worse, don't think that we have no need for the priceless things in that chest because we have so many earthly things.

And as Catholics, we  Christians  also have the responsibility that comes with receiving the Holy Spirit in confirmation.
How many Catholics, me included, may be standing in purgatory-and I hope I
Make it at least that far- saying to ourselves that we had everything given to us and we turned our backs on it.

So we all gotta pray for each other and ask for the intercession and help from the saints!

I am a flawed, broken, sinful human being, but I know God is trying very hard to reach me, draw me in and have me as his very own.
I found St. Louise Marie DeMontfort's writings in a battered little booklet left in the free box of devotionals in the back of some church
on my travels. I went through his prescribed 33 days of prayer and reading and did a lot of journaling.  I joined the Legion of Mary as one of their prayerful members ( I am now homebound most of the time caring for my ill husband)


Thanks so much SeñoritaRita, your posts are much appreciated 

So true!  I absolutely agree!

That is the beauty of the Communion of Saints!  To pray and be prayed for in order to have as many souls as possible enter Heaven all the sooner!

Keep fighting, and don't give up!  You do a great work in caring for your husband -as hard as it may be at times.  God will certainly reward you for serving Him properly!

May God bless you!

Rita

P.S.  I am glad that you have benefited from what I have written...  :-)

I have known many people who find it hard to love God at first.  The only thing that keeps them following His commandments is fear.  Over time they usually learn to love him, but I believe that this is why the Bible says that, "Fear is the beginning of wisdom."

It has been said that:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
(Psalm 111:10)

And also that:

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”
(Proverbs 31: 30)

As a result of this, we know that we must learn to have a proper fear and respect for God in order to be virtuous and save our souls.

Yet, how do we cultivate this fear of God in ourselves?

It is easier said than done, and this is shown by how few of us truly take these sayings to heart, and bring them to effect in our lives.

God is so often spoken of as a nonchalant topic, and most of us hardly give Him the reverence due to Him.  In fact, many people in our day and age use His name and that of His saints irreverently in vain outbursts of disrespect, mockery, and hatred.

Let us consider that with one snap of His fingers all creation could become non-existent!
It is true that God is all-good and all-merciful, yet He is also all-just.  He gives to all evil-doers the punishments which they deserve.

We are told that many saints suffered terribly in purgatory to make atonement for the slightest imperfection, and yet how much further from being holy are we than they were!

In order to instill the fear of God in our hearts, minds, and souls; let us make the resolution to consider every day what God will do to us if we are unfaithful to His Commandments. 

This will help us to keep in mind our final end, assist us in keeping a constant guard on our thoughts, words, and actions, and give us the ability do everything for the greater honor and glory of God.

And only then will we truly come to know what we need to do in order to grow in virtue, hold back the wrath of God, make us pleasing in His eyes, and in return gain the blessing of being forever happy in the world to come.

A friend of mine recently shared this writing of Pope Pius XII with me.  I found it to be very profound, and was surprised that I had never heard of it before.  So, I figured that I that would post it here so that others might benefit from it also if they have not seen it already:


"The mother is the sun of the family. She is its sun by her spirit of generosity and sacrifice, by her constant readiness, vigilance, delicacy and tact in all that touches the happiness of her husband and her children; she radiates light and warmth. …

The wife is the sun of the family by the light of her smile and the warmth of her word: a smile and words that inspire, mold and soften the soul, raise it above the tumult of passion, and bring to the husband the enjoyment of good and of family life at the end of a long day of continual and perhaps difficult work in his profession, either in the fields or in the taxing affairs of commerce and industry. One glance from her eyes throws a light with manifold reflections; one sound from her lips contains a thousand words of affection. Such light and sound spring from a mother's heart, create and enliven the paradise of childhood, radiate goodness and gentleness everywhere even when they upbraid and reprove, so that young souls which feel more deeply, may understand more thoroughly and profoundly the laws of love.

The wife is the sun of the family by her natural frankness, by her straightforward dignity, by her irreproachable Christian behavior. She is its sun in the recollection and rectitude of spirit, in the subtle harmony of her bearing and dress, in her elegance and in her deportment - at once both reserved and affectionate. Delicacy of sentiment, charm of countenance, ingenuous silences and smiles, a compliant nod … all give to her the grace of an exquisite, unspoiled flower, which opens its petals to receive and reflect the colors of the sun. If you only knew with what profound sentiments of love and appreciation such a picture of wife and mother fills and impresses the heart of husband and children! …

What happens when the family is deprived of that sun? When the wife continuously - even in the most intimate circumstances - does not hesitate to make known what great sacrifices she makes for married life? What happens to her lovable sweetness when because of an excessively severe upbringing, unbridled irritability, and an angry coldness of countenance and speech suffocate in the children the hope of finding happiness and joyful solace in their mother? What happens when she sadly does nought else but disturb and embitter the loyal unity of the family circle with sharp tones, complaints and reprovals?

What happens to the generous tact and tender love when instead of forming with natural and exquisite simplicity an atmosphere of pleasant peace in the home, she takes the attitude of a dissatisfied, nervous and demanding lady, according to the fashion? Is this to diffuse the warmth and life of the sun? Is it not rather to freeze with the chill wind of eventide the garden which is the family?

Can anyone wonder that in such circumstances, the husband does not find at the fireside anything to attract, hold and comfort him? That the husband will escape from it as much as he can, thus provoking a similar desertion on the part of the wife - if indeed it is not her absence which provokes his? Both thus go to seek elsewhere - with grave danger to their souls and to the great harm of the family unity - the peace, rest, and pleasure denied them in their own home. In this state of affairs, the unfortunates who suffer most are undoubtedly the children.

You see, o wives, to what an extent you are responsible for the harmony and happiness of the home. Just as it is the duty of your husband to work to provide the necessities for the home, it is your duty by your wisdom to ensure its proper well-being and to procure the undisturbed serenity of your common life. This is not only an office given you by nature, but a duty of Christian virtue, by the acts and merits of which you grow in the love and grace of God."

(Pius XII, Allocution to newly-weds of March 11, 1942
in The Woman in the Modern World, arranged by The Monks of Solesmes,
Boston: St. Paul Editions, 1958, pp. 83-85)

INTRODUCTION

When my paternal grandmother died she left a couple cookbooks to my father, and when I was about sixteen or so he passed them on to me.  On of the books always makes me laugh when I look at the title cover, for it reads: "Kissing Wears Out - Cookin' Dont't!"

I have never actually made anything from this recipe book, but there is one "recipe" which always stood out for me.  It was more like part of the prologue, but made many good points about the effect a wife has on her husband in a rather amusing way.  I found it enlightening, funny and thought that others might benefit from reading it also.  So, here it is!  Enjoy!

 
FOR PRESERVING A HUSBAND

“From my great-grandmother’s Virginia Recipe-book.”

“Be careful of your selection!  Do not choose too young.  When once selected, give your entire thought to preparation for home use.  Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, others are constantly getting them in hot water.  This makes them sour, hard and sometimes bitter.  Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good by garnishing them with patience, well-sweetened with love, and seasoned with spice.  Wrap them in a mantle of charity.  Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic indulgence and serve with humor and cream.  Thus prepared, they will keep for years!”

-Mrs. Howard Lewis

Yes!  To die to self is what Christ did and its what we are supposed to do as well.
Getting there can be truly baffling to me at times and  can sure drive me to tears but things which seemed so awful  have always turned out for the better in the long run.
 On the other hand, the glittery mirages which I have wasted months and even years following usually end up being just that!
Thanks be to God for the sacraments. There is always love, mercy and forgiveness waiting for us unworthy sinners.

Yes, indeed!!!

The Sacraments are our strength and our joy!   

             SenoritaRita, Thank you for the Kind words!   
              The Lord God made the flowers.             
 
                   

AMEN!!!  And they make us SO HAPPY!!!   

Beautiful!!!  Thanks for sharing!!!  :-)

I am in a situation that is very difficult and makes me feel like I am not getting what I need--I am not being permitted time before Jesus in the tabernacle like I used to have ... not because of my duties or schedule or anything like that, but because the only chapel I can pray before the Blessed Sacrament is a private chapel with restrictions ... I am allowed only very little time in the chapel (a little time before Mass and a 15 minute thanksgiving after Holy Communion).  What a trial this is because I am being deprived of time and prayer in the presence of God Himself, and I used to be able to enjoy good time with Him before the tabernacle!  Can you offer me any helpful feedback to assist me?  I know that our Lord gives us all that we need, so I know that my feeling like I do not have what I need is not justified.  Shin has already given me a most excellent response in a personal message to me, but I am wondering if others have good and helpful words of wisdom for me, to add to his.  Shin, please contribute more if you can and wish to.  God bless you all!

Sometimes God takes good things away from us to make us appreciate them all the more.

This is sort of like how He often hides Himself from us and seems distant so we will appreciate His love when we are blessed with it. 

It is hard though...  The chapel I go to is about an hour away from where I live, so I generally able to attend only on Sundays and Holy Days.

Please pray for us, and we will pray for you!  :-)

All of us have days when it seems like the world is collapsing in upon us, and we feel as if we can no longer continue to go on living as we have been.

The past five years of my life, I have experienced such days more and more often. In fact, it has come to the point where to have a day which is not bleak, difficult or overwhelming is indeed a rare blessing.

However, I have come to realize that, in general, our lives are never really as bad as we make them out to be. When we feel awful, it is usually because the devil gets inside our heads and makes a little grain of sand appear to be a gigantic mountain. Realizing that life is actually not as bad as we think, often really helps set us up and stabilize us for when we get emotionally challenged.

And emotions can be ever so hard to control!

Sometimes we are hungry and have no time to eat, and at other times we may be thirsty with nothing to drink. We may have to take care of things we wish to have nothing to do with. We may afflicted with physical ailments. We may be obliged to spend time with people we whom we can hardly bear the sight of. Perhaps someone close to us says something unkind to us, or does not want to listen to what we wish to tell them. At any rate, the smallest thing which does not go our way, often can make us extremely angry if we are not very careful.

This is the whole point of the devil’s plan. He wants us to be upset with those around us, and in turn make them distraught and eventually cause discord everywhere. When things do not go our way and we lose patience with others, and do not attempt to contain our emotions then he has already won half the battle. After this, he then tries to get us to react further and further, with only our emotions in mind, until he has complete reign over us.

All of us who wish to be virtuous try not to be angry, and we do not want to be a slave to our emotions. Yet, we cannot seem to control how we feel, and this lack of control often makes us even more of a nervous mess.

Only true humility will save us. For, it is only by acknowledging that we are weak that we will turn to God for help and support. And it is only through Him that we shall ever find the strength to make it through the trials this world presents to us.

We must also make a firm determination to do the will of God and that of our neighbor rather than our own; by controlling our emotions and by making daily sacrifices. This will build up our strength to fight against the devil and much more safely secure our eternal salvation. Sure, it will not be easy, and it will take time to develop this resilience, but it is the only way we will ever obtain true inner peace and happiness.

Something else I have discovered over the years is that I hardly ever know what is truly best for me. So many times I have been broken down sobbing and cried out to God, “Why did this have to happen to me?” Yet, a couple of years down the road, I always start to realize that God really had thought of everything, and that I could never have arranged anything better.

God knows what is best for us in every circumstance and at every moment, since He is omnipotent. He loves us more than our minds will ever understand. And because of this, He will surely give us all we need if we only trust in Him with confidence and resignation!

So, whenever we are overwhelmed and the world seems to be falling down upon you, take a deep breath, make the sign of the cross, keep fighting and do what Padre Pio often advised to those around him, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry!”

Third orders, oblates, tertiaries, confraternities, etc ; these are the blessings and a source of great joy and hope for those whom though they are drawn to the charism of a particular order may be unable to live in community or in a radical solitary life.

So many saints were parts of such groups!  Thanks be to God for them!   

I think a love of a religious vocation really guides a person on how to better live even if the person never can follow it into a community. 
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I totally agree!  And so I am grateful for God giving me the desire to be a religious even though it was not meant to be fulfilled for me!   

Introduction

From the time I was a little girl I always wanted to be a nun. Anyone who knew me growing up remembers this, because it was the essence of my existence. The peacefulness, happiness, discipline, and order of the religious life greatly appealed to me, and I believed it to be the greatest means of happiness on earth. It was my primary thought and concern in life, and I hardly thought of much else.

However, two years ago I came to understand that it was not my vocation. At first I was heart-broken, and felt myself lost in the world without any purpose. Yet, over time I have come to realize that I never had the true signs of a calling to the religious life, and that God had other plans for me.

Afterwards I came across the book, The Catholic Girl’s Guide, and I am firmly convinced that if had read the chapters in this book on the religious life sooner; I might have come to known God’s will much earlier in my life, and been saved much pain and trouble.

In order to help others from being as confused and misled as I was; I will share here the chapter from this book about how to determine if one is called to the religious life or not.



The Signs of a Religious Vocation (LXXVI)

St. Bernard asks: “Is it not the Religious state in which a man lives in a manner more pleasing to God, falls less frequently, rises up more speedily when he has fallen, walks more cautiously, rests more securely, dies more happily, and reaps a richer reward?” Assuredly so it is; peace and happiness are the lot of the true Religious. But he must have a real vocation. This call comes from God; no one can call himself or herself.

Therefore beware of imitating those young girls who, in spite of all their confessors urge to the contrary, obstinately persist in their predetermined opinion that they are called to embrace the Religious state. On this account it is well that you should make yourself acquainted with certain signs which show, more or less plainly whether any one is, or is not, called to enter the cloister.

The first and most indispensable sign, or test, is a good and pure intention. You ought not to enter the convent with the object of finding there freedom from anxiety as to your means of subsistence in the future, honor and esteem, an easy, comfortable life, a provision for old age; with these and like intentions there could be not real call to enter the cloister. The Religious life must be embraced with the intention of better attaining the final end of man, of loving God more entirely, of serving Him more devotedly, and this striving more earnestly to secure the eternal happiness of heaven. When this is not the predominant and decisive motive of any one who purposed entering the cloister, it is a case of a mistake vocation. This pure intention and this inclination toward the Religious life must be lasting.

If this desire to enter the convent has been felt from early childhood, and has grown with increasing years, that is a very satisfactory sign, but not an indispensable one. For this desire not unfrequented makes itself felt only a short time before the choice of a state. Previous to that period a disinclination for the life of a Religious may have been experienced. In any case, if the desire for the cloister is strong firm, decided and definite, the sign is a most favorable one.

The postulant must further be mentally sound and well, that is to say, it will not do for her to be afflicted with a serious affection of the mind or of the nerves, intellectually very incapable, or inclined to melancholia, and to take a morbid view of things. Weak-minded and half-witted people are certainly not made for convent life, since they can contribute nothing to the attainment of its end. Those who are of a melancholy or morbid temperament are equally unfitted for the cloister. The pious exercises and meditations, the latter often of a solemn and serious nature, may have the effect of unhinging the mind of persons who are apt to take too gloomy and severe a view on religious truths. Rejoice in the Lord: Serve the Lord joyfully! This should be the maxim for a Religious. The cloister is not a garden of weeping willows. Physical health is also a necessity; for to nuns are assigned difficult and important tasks, such for instance, as teaching, or nursing the sick. Only persons who enjoy good health are equal to these duties. Further, many convents have but slender sources of income, so that their inmates are compelled to work hard in order to contribute to the general support. It is plain that no one whose health is weak would be capable of doing this. It, therefore, a young woman has not received from God the requisite health, this is, according to the ordinary course of His providence, a sign that He has not seen fit to bestow upon her a Religious vocation.

The same argument applies to any hereditary diseases which may exist in the family of a postulant. If, for instance, her father or mother, or both, are consumptive, or have, perhaps, died of tuberculosis, it is to be feared that she may have inherited a tendency to consumption. Under these circumstances it would be wiser for her not to seek admission to a convent.

A gentle and docile character may also be regarded as a sign of a vocation. If the life within the walls of a convent is to be a happy one, it is a primary condition that all the Sisters should live in mutual affection and concord. They should bear patiently with one another’s human imperfections and be ever cheerful, helpful and considerate. A girl whose temper is hasty and violent, or whose character is self-willed and obstinate, will find it exceedingly difficult, and well-nigh impossible, to practice the obedience and patience demanded in the cloister, unless she has a firm, determined will to overcome herself, and has already given abundant proof that she possesses the strength required to do so. Individuals whose passions and evil tendencies are unusually strong, in whose characters sensual affection, inordinate desire for pleasure, and so on, form predominant features, should pause before attempting to enter a cloister. They should wait until they have succeeded, to some extent at least, in mastering their passions.

The consent of one’s parents should be obtained before entering upon the Religious state. This duty is imposed by the honor, obedience, and love which children owe their parents. It is true that some of the saints, as St. Teresa for instance, sought and found admission to an Order without the knowledge of their parents and in spite of their prohibition. But these are examples of an extraordinary guidance of Providence, and cannot, generally speaking, be imitated. In ordinary cases so important a step in life should be taken only when it is accompanied by the blessing which rests upon filial obedience. This rule is, however, of universal application if a child has special duties in regard to her parents–if, for example, she is their sole available help and support in their sickness or old age. Under such circumstances she may consider it decided that she is not to go into Religion, however other things may seem to point in that way. In any case, however, seek the advice and direction of your spiritual director or confessor.

Before entering any special Order or convent it is necessary to become acquainted with the fundamental principles of that Order or convent, and to possess a decided preference, predilection and capacity for the kind of work it undertakes to accomplish. Every Order has, besides the general aim of the Religious life, its own special purpose and work; in one, it is teaching; in another, nursing the sick, and so on. Hence it may be clearly seen that all those who have a vocation to enter Religion are not equally suited for every Order.

One word in conclusion. Christian maiden, you may perhaps feel that you have long been powerfully attracted to the Religious life, although serious impediments prevent you from following out your inclination. In this case place your trust in the all-wise providence of God in a childlike confidence. Love God. Trust Him. He will lead you in the right way. Pray for light and strength that you may always do God’s holy will.

This is a GREAT thread!!!  :-)

{A} Hyacinth
{B} A flower of the bulb family with lots of little flowers -often white, purple, or pink.
{C} Saint Hyacinth of Poland who was one of the favorite disciples of St. Dominic.  His roots of faith, hope and charity were so deep that he helped bring about a great blossoming in the Church.

{A} Bleeding Heart
{B} A Fern like bush with little red and white colored flowers in the shape of a heart.
{C} The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced for our souls, and the cause of our Redemption!  Viva Cristo Rey!

Beautiful story!!!

This reminds me of the stories taken from the Golden Legend!

I love the short sweet saint stories that stick in your head like this!

What a great way to start the day!  :-)