Leaving fear for Christmas

I failed to get a whole family photo again but I did manage to get one with this pretty gal. She called me up before Christmas and suggested a Christmas Day pajama party and that’s what we did.⁣
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If you would say a prayer for her, I’d be grateful. Her punishment for spending Christmas with family is that she will be forced to wear a mask in her own home at all times except for eating and sleeping.⁣
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For 14 days.⁣
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A woman who has to rely on others for every need, must have her face covered in her own home. Even though she is exempt by law. Even though she is not ill. Even though every able-bodied caregiver has no such intrusion on bodily autonomy.⁣
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Her life is an ongoing act of humility and discomfort. And they would require even more as a condition of being hugged and loved by family.⁣
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This keeps me up at night. And I struggle with helplessness and anger.⁣ I don’t know when she will be able to visit again. I also don’t know when she will be permitted to attend Holy Mass again. They say if she gets the shot... maybe she will be free.⁣
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That’s called coercion.⁣
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I objected to the lockdown from the word go in March because I could not see the good in separating the vulnerable from their essential community. “The vulnerable” have a face. Hers.⁣
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Almost a full year later, little has changed for them.⁣
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There are still people who can’t get essential medical care or therapy, can’t work, can’t see family, can’t worship, and are struggling under the weight of unrelenting grief and coercion.⁣
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Listen... now that Christ has come and we have indulged and celebrated, some of our loved ones are still being crushed.⁣
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We cannot allow the distractions of the season to allow us to forget. Christmas is not about distraction but about immersion and commission.⁣
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He has called.⁣
Compelling us to seek Him.⁣
He has come.⁣
Now He is equipping us to leave fear, selfishness, and weakness...⁣
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And to live the Gospel.⁣
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It is not our purpose to nurture a faith that remains a “personal journey.” We are made for mission. Go see your people. Smash the idol of fear.⁣
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That is Christmas.

Staying in my lane for Advent (maturing motherhood?)

I’m usually in charge of the cookie baking and decorating. But this year I let it go and my middle girls took the reigns.⁣ I just stayed in my lane helping the 4-year old. A messy wonderful job.⁣
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At the end of the day, the table was covered with the work of their hands and hearts. Beautiful.⁣
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This was also the year that I didn’t put a single ornament on the tree. And I didn’t move any ornament on the tree to a “better” spot.⁣ I used to delight in such details but lost that pleasure during my sickest years when I cried my way through many Advents.⁣
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I expect that my desire to tinker and fuss will return someday. But for now, if it manifests, it pops up more like a manager than a lover... without sweetness and light. And nobody needs more of that.⁣
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So I’m watching this transition happen and it brings more delight than the work of my own hands ever could.⁣
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My dad used to allow me to decorate our home and tree every year. I had total control of the decoration box and I loved it. Truth be told (and photos verify) that my 10-year old decor choices were gaudy and terrible...⁣
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But now I understand why he let me do it. And why he didn’t fix it. I’m sure it was partially because he was tired. He didn’t really want to be in control. But I imagine he also took some delight...⁣
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And every year, he told me it looked wonderful and he thanked me.⁣
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My kids have siblings so they self-correct better than I did. For example, they would never let each other put gold garland around the lamp shades! The older ones would stop them for sure...⁣
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But I’m not sure that I would anymore. Maybe I would just tell them it was wonderful.⁣ Cleaning up the messes now. Heading into expectant silence. Praying for you all. Maranatha!

They Strike Against the Flesh of Holiness (2021 Purpose)

It was my intention to stay silent until after Christmas. But the enemy is bold and so I am compelled to be bold as well.⁣
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At the precise moment when we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Infant King...⁣ the enemy strikes directly at the heart of innocence through the torture, murder, and use of the bodies of babies in the name of "health."⁣
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The demons cackle because they fancy that they have somehow defeated Christ by disfiguring and brutalizing the ones who bear His holy image. Just as Herod did to the Holy Innocents of his time. Just as all the tiny anti-Christs have done in their feeble grabs at power.⁣
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They tear at the flesh of holiness. The provoke division and aggressively drag souls onto the path of perdition.⁣
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"What has been is what will be,⁣
and what has been done is what will be done;⁣
and there is nothing new under the sun." (Eccles. 1:9)⁣
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But their boldness is part and parcel of their ruin. Christ has the victory. It is over for them. And as we wait, we praise. And we raise our voices and trumpets with the cries of holy justice.⁣
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Where have they taken the Imago Deo, the Christ Child? To the chamber of "science" and sanitized homicide. To the hands that dissect and strip away dignity.⁣
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What have they done with the body of our crucified Lord? They have taken him to be made into medicines and experimental formulas to be injected into the ones the enemy would have faceless and tormented.⁣
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When the Holy Spirit entered into the womb of Mary, He knew. When Jesus Christ wept in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew. When He hung on the Cross and pled for your soul, He knew. That He would be stripped of every dignity and comfort before the victory in order that you might know the fullness of eternal joy.⁣
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May the joy of our Christmas celebrations be more passionate than the hatred of the enemy. It is the least we can do.⁣

What is holding you back from announcing His goodness and mercy to the world?⁣
That is what 2021 will be about.⁣
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It will be a year of MERCY for the believer, in which we have the opportunity to become what we have been afraid of becoming...⁣
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Children of the living God.⁣
Saints.⁣
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 🔥

Give them names. (I will not be complicit)

After hearing Bishop Strickland speak on the use of aborted children in vaccines, I have been trying to change my language when speaking about "fetal cells." He remarked that these children should have names. That their humanity should be acknowledged. By using medical terminology, we contribute to the dehumanization and loss of perspective.⁣
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We should have a clear and strong sense that we are using people to get what we desire. And that this is morally unacceptable.⁣
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They are children who should have names. So I have been changing "fetal" to "baby" and using "boy" or "girl" at times when the source of the cell line is known... and the response is interesting. Such a small shift and yet people notice. Even from fellow Catholics, the reaction is sometimes irritation that I'm using "sensational" language to try to elicit an emotional response.⁣
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But that's the point. Abortion SHOULD elicit an emotional response. It is alarming, horrifying, and almost unbelievable in its scope of evil targeted toward the living person of the child.⁣
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If you have a negative emotional reaction to the idea that children are being murdered, dissected, (sometimes dissected before death) and used for medical research and products, that's good news. Your conscience is still functioning. It is when you no longer have an appropriate emotional response to such horrific acts that you should be worried.⁣
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Remember when Christians were appalled that Pepsi was using babies to test their products? Where is that same outrage over pharma using babies to test and develop vaccines?⁣
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We are being acclimated to the boiling pot. We must restore our sensitivity to other people. We must be willing to be among the minority who say:⁣
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I will not be complicit.⁣
I will not use people.⁣
Not directly.⁣
Not remotely.⁣
Not for a can of pop.⁣
Not for the plague.⁣
Not for a high survival virus.⁣
Not if I have any knowledge of the abuse and the crime.

Of Epidemics and Healing Revival...

I’ve been reading about epidemics. I know, I know... not really the stuff of Advent. Sitting in front of a glowing tree, a roaring fire... and a book with photos of smallpox victims from the late 1800’s.⁣
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Not super twinkly of me. But I’m a health nerd, what can I say? And what I’ve been finding is amazing...⁣
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Regardless of what period of history I study, certain truths about health remain unchanging. Above all... the most effective way to reduce disease and illness is a combination of the following:⁣
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Improved nutrition⁣
Good hygiene⁣
Sanitary living and working conditions⁣
Clean water⁣
Eliminating toxic exposure⁣
Fresh air⁣
Elimination of “Hospitalism”⁣
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Epidemics in the US declined to almost nothing when these needs were met. Va( (ines arrived on the scene only after disease was deeply in decline. And heavy-handed medical intervention generally contributed to a decrease, not an increase, in health.⁣
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In my book, The Sunshine Principle, I don’t talk about epidemics, but I do talk about the conditions necessary for health and how God designed you to thrive.⁣
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I don’t talk about the deleterious effects of drinking water tainted with sewage because that’s not our beast anymore.⁣
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In our great wealth, we have eliminated certain hazards. And yet in our gluttony and sensuality, we have turned back the clock and have restored some risk factors, particularly:⁣
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Poor nutrition⁣
Toxicity (food, products, environment)⁣…

⁣And have added the significant risk factor of excessive medical intervention.⁣
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God’s design does not need fixing. Our immune systems are complex and still largely beyond the comprehension of science. It is a grave violation of dignity to continue to tinker ourselves into decline.⁣
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Isn’t it time to rediscover God’s plan for health?⁣
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Isn’t it time to turn around the deadly epidemics of autoimmune disease, heart disease, cancer, neurological disease, and diabetes which are killing us in far greater numbers than our current “pandemic”?⁣
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My answer is yes or I wouldn’t have written the book. Medical freedom. Health independence. A restoration to design.⁣
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Time for revival. ☀️⁣

(Buy my book here: The Sunshine Principle)
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A Joyful Fighting Spirit

Oh, child of the Midwest... I love you so. “Seasonal clothing” is a relative term for you. And every year, when you open the door to the first snow and throw yourself out in it, my heart explodes. Don’t ever stop. I love going through Advent with you. Your life is healing. Creative. Astonishing.⁣
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The hardness and ugliness of current times highlights the beauty of Christ by contrast. I don’t think I will see anything quite the same again...⁣
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I hope I don’t.⁣
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In a recent article recommended by Bishop Joseph Strickland, Austin Ruse speaks of the “Joyful fighting spirit.” And that pierced me.⁣ That’s what I want. That’s what this child has. That’s what I owe to God. And that is what Advent brings.⁣..
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Quietly.⁣
Intensely.⁣
Intimately.⁣
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Then when the time comes...⁣
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Oh, come let us adore Him! And testify to the ends of the earth.⁣
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True intimacy with Him brings the confidence that necessarily becomes a force in the world. We can now work with vigor to become the greatest saints. Because Christ is with us.⁣
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“Christ’s coming into the world was not like that of a sightseer to a strange city, but rather like that of an artist visiting his own studio or an author paging the books he himself has written, for in becoming incarnate, the divine Word was tabernacle himself in his own creation.”⁣ - Ven. Fulton Sheen

Live Free

Father Alfred Delp sat in a Gestapo prison cell awaiting trial and execution. His hands were bound but he was able to write on pieces of paper which he smuggled out of the prison with his laundry.⁣
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Jenny Howell writes of him: ⁣
"Delp’s prison meditations are a penetrating account of the gutted society he lived in, where because of disordered lives... humankind was losing its very humanity. He believed Advent was the event through which order could be properly restored."⁣
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Advent. It seems incongruous to stand politically in this time of holy waiting. And yet fitting.⁣ Fr. Delp was arrested because he took part in underground anti-Nazi gatherings. He wrote to his congregation:⁣
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“These are not matters that can be postponed to suit our convenience... They call for immediate action because untruth is both dangerous and destructive."⁣
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And he continued to write of Advent...⁣
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“We run the risk of concealing Christmas behind bourgeois customs and sentimentality, behind all those traditions that make this holiday dear and precious to us... We are not celebrating some children’s holiday, but rather the fact that God has spoken His ultimate Word to the world. Christ is the ultimate Word of God to the world.”⁣
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He didn't want to die. He felt that there was so much more to do. And yet...⁣
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“This is seed-time, not harvest. God sows the seed and some time or other he will do the reaping. The only thing I must do is to make sure the seed falls on fertile ground... May others at some future time find it possible to have a better and happier life because we died in this hour of trial.”⁣
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Keep speaking the truth, friends in Christ. Do not succumb to the glittery myth of the unredeemed life. True freedom is Christ alone... and so we are bound to speak truth unceasingly.⁣
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Live free. ❤️

Jesus Rejoiced and Gave Thanks

The snow is disruptive but stunning. Pure. The adults are burdened. Stuck in ditches. Dealing with power outages. Shoveling. But... the children seem to have new life breathed into them. It is beautiful.⁣⁣
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In the Gospel today... ⁣
JESUS REJOICES.⁣⁣⁣
⁣And He gives thanks.⁣
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I’m working today to allow His Word to penetrate all anxiety and sorrow that has settled on me this week.⁣⁣ All the heaviness and adult cares.⁣
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Come, Lord Jesus! Transform me in Truth. Help me be your little one. ❤️⁣⁣⁣
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Luke 10:21-24⁣⁣⁣

“In that same hour HE REJOICED in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will...⁣⁣⁣
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All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”⁣⁣⁣
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Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”⁣⁣⁣

Run energetically towards Christ!

Run energetically towards Christ!⁣
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Americans are prone to depression at Christmas because we have made “the season” an idol. We have forgotten that the true joy of Advent is running energetically towards Christ.⁣
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He is the goal. And anything short of Christ leaves us feeling agitated and incomplete. This is why the Church describes Advent as a “little Lent”… because when our beloved seasonal emotion, beauty, and “magic” is separated from Christ, it does not satisfy. And it does us good to simplify rather than to multiply.⁣
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“Only one thing in life matters. Being worthy of the Light of the World in the hour of His visitation.” - Ven. Fulton Sheen⁣
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There’s a part of me that wants to make Christmas “extra” this year. To balance out the anxiety of the world with sparkly things. But I’m also wrestling with the thought that perhaps this is one of the greatest Christmas opportunities I’ve ever had…⁣
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To understand Christmas joy without all the props and consolations.⁣
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Certainly, my home will be decorated and my family will feast! But this idea (shared by a priest this weekend) of running energetically towards Christ is tugging at me. And causing me to withdraw a bit from the elaborate trappings of a world that has forgotten Christ. And which is seeking to replace Him with good feelings and purchases.⁣
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Are you running with me?⁣
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Come what may, let’s be His little children who hear the key rattling in the door and race to greet Him in the hall. No matter what… He comes! And how will we be disposed to greet Him?

"Lend me your heart"

Mother Teresa’s words rattle around in my head today as I bustle around preparing for our Thanksgiving feast...⁣
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“Lend me your heart.”⁣
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She spoke these intimate words to Mary. Having just renewed my Marian Consecration, I’m leaning into them.⁣
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Last Thanksgiving was the strangest one ever... until this year. A loved one was suffering in the hospital and we didn’t know if he would be coming home.⁣
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We were divided and a little unmoored and worried. But we rallied and made a meal and consoled each other with “Wait until next year... when we are all together again!”⁣
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So here I sit in grief and gratitude because nothing seems to be as it should be. Separated again. For different reasons. And the injustice threatens to unseat gratitude...⁣
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But doesn’t quite win.⁣
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Oh, beautiful Mother Mary... lend me your Immaculate Heart so that I may see with fullness of gratitude the promises of your Son. Oh, Sacred Heart of Jesus, transform my complaints into songs of praise! Eucharisteo!⁣
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Today is a national holiday but also a day of holiness... a day of beginning and of revelation...⁣
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The key ingredient to my physical healing is gratitude.⁣
The rope that pulls me out of doubt is gratitude.⁣
The glue of my marriage is gratitude.⁣
The secret to peaceful motherhood is gratitude.⁣
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Gratitude rooted in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ who takes away the sins of the world and gives us hope and joy beyond measure. So...⁣
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When I’m finished nursing my hurts, I’ll dry my eyes and step out into a day of goodness. And I’ll start the song of thanksgiving which is an anthem of revival. “Thank you, Jesus, for...”⁣
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I am a child again and the world is new. And I will give thanks today without ceasing even if it comes with tears.⁣
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This sweet Sacred Heart ring is from Jessica @telosart . A concrete and pretty reminder of everything good. If you’re shopping small, please visit her shop. She is not only talented but loves the Lord deeply.⁣
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Happy Thanksgiving ❤️ Deo Gratias! Mary, lend me your heart.

Stand in the Rain

I held this sign in 36 degree temps in the rain. I couldn’t hold both the umbrella and the sign and so I reconciled with the rain.⁣
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The sign eventually started to wilt so I stuck it to a pole and just stood, with nothing to hold, but committed to being present and counted.⁣
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I got kind of uncomfortable (shaking uncontrollably actually) and started to think of all of the people who are more uncomfortable than I. And their images kept me standing there.⁣
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I am privileged... able to go home to my warm house, put on dry clothes, and eat a good meal surrounded by my loved ones and many hugs and kisses.⁣
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I have people to console me when I’m down or sick. And I can move about freely to serve others.⁣
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I thought of Beth. A lot. And all who can’t leave their homes or their wheelchairs or beds at will.⁣
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When I accept minimal discomforts on behalf of those who are being oppressed, injured, and pushed into hardship and despair...⁣
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I feel much shame that I do not do more.⁣
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I have noticed images of the US Constitution going around online am shocked to see Catholics taking offense at the image. As if there is something inherently problematic with freedom.⁣
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There is... it’s called concupiscence. But God still permits it. He allows us to choose. And freedom used well is how our Lord uses us to serve. Our hands are bound when we are enslaved... in body, mind, and soul.⁣
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Our Constitution is great because it has the audacity to affirm the laws of God. And to guarantee freedom... but not freedom from risk.⁣
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Ven. Fulton Sheen said this of America:⁣

“We are destined under Providence to be the secondary cause for the restoration of the freedom and liberation of the peoples of the world. God is the primary cause...⁣
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America is a sanctuary for the oppressed. An arsenal for Democracy. The pantry for the world.”⁣
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He felt this deeply because his passion was the missions. He saw the poverty of mind and spirit caused by tyrants and socialist systems. And he saw the power of the free to relieve the suffering of the enslaved.⁣
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We are throwing it away in the hope of securing our temporal comfort. But that is a false hope...⁣
⁣Stand in the rain with me. Please. ☀️

Reclaiming our names. Leading armies.

One of my precious people turned 16 yesterday. She asked to make her own cake and it is beautiful.⁣⁣⁣
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I noticed that she didn’t write her name on the cake like I always try to do. Their names are so special to me and I missed it.⁣⁣⁣ Her name is long and difficult to write with icing. Perhaps it would not have fit very well with her pretty design. But I missed it.⁣⁣⁣
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My heart was heavy yesterday. My husband looked into my eyes and said “Are you feeling discouraged?” and I thought if we were somewhere private that I would have collapsed into his arms and wept.⁣⁣⁣
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We had both watched footage of violent activists assaulting peaceful people in DC. The elderly, the weak, with children around, with no compunction...⁣⁣⁣
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They have been overtaken by evil. They have lost the love they were born with. They erase our names. And their own. Empathy is dead.⁣⁣⁣
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My daughter’s cake is beautiful and so is her age. It just struck me on a heavy day that she has been born into a time calling for people to give their lives to defend the identity of other...⁣⁣⁣ and one of the signs of evil will always be the violence against the individual, the family, and God.⁣⁣⁣
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I can hear the complaints now... “why must everything be about politics?” It’s not about politics... but about the assault against Christ in us by those who have rejected Him.⁣⁣⁣
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My daughter is beautiful and bold. She is growing into a person I admire. She was made for these times.⁣⁣⁣
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St. Joan of Arc was 16 the first time she petitioned the garrison commander to take her to the royal court. She was 18 when she led her first army. My oldest two girls are 20 and 16.⁣⁣⁣
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If I make it into heaven, I will hug the girl named Joan. Thank her, love her, worship with her. And today I do some of those things, and also ask her to assist my daughters⁣⁣.⁣
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My girl’s name was not on the cake, but I keep placing it there in my mind. It is our role as mothers (of our own and of the world) to continually do so... and to place those names before the throne of God.⁣⁣⁣
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As the world abandons Christ, let us make Him known. And commit ourselves to defending the identity of every soul. 🔥

And she wore red and testified...

I have some new followers (hello!) and so I thought I would do a brief introduction and also take the opportunity to give you a discount code for pretty clothes...⁣
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I found my Christmas outfit. And even though my governor is working hard to snuff the life out of our celebrations, I will wear it. Even if I have to walk up and down the street singing Christmas Carols to the trees.⁣
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And perhaps that's a perfect introduction for me today...⁣
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The homeschooling mom of 8 who wrote a book on natural Catholic healing, uses the dishes as a gauge for my spiritual life, and made an agreement with social media to proclaim the name of Jesus and speak the Truth... or leave.⁣
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I'm an idea person with more schemes than time. But sometimes things stick...⁣
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My idea today is that I want to run for political office someday to help take back our country. But also that I won't ever wear a suit jacket at a press conference...⁣
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Maybe I'll wear a red circle skirt.⁣
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About that... my outfit is from @mariezeliebrand and I love it. But even before I received these lovely, high quality clothes to review, they had me at their tagline: A.M.D.G.⁣
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My skirt is the Vinca in red. It is a classic, cotton, high-waisted circle skirt featuring POCKETS. (Yes, ladies... pockets.)⁣
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My shirt is the Lovoa Blouse in black. I love the quality and generous weight of the fabric.⁣
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My style is eclectic. I wear what I like. And I often wear my mood. I never used to wear red because I didn't want to stand out. I still prefer a hidden life where no one notices or prods or screeches at me for not conforming...⁣
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But it's awfully hard to share the Gospel in silence. It's impossible to defend the vulnerable. And though tomorrow I will probably dream of garden-tending with a muddy apron, in an obscure, internet-less hamlet (with goats)... today? I feel like wearing red.

Cancelling vs. Boundary Setting

She left the church and sat on the steps, alone and in the dark. She tried to tell us... she was hungry and tired...⁣
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“I don’t want to be here anymore. Can’t you be done talking?”⁣
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But we weren’t done, and so she took herself just a few paces—and turned away.⁣ She knew if she stayed, she’d get disagreeable. She knew she’d feel unheard and angry...⁣
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And so she summoned some deep wisdom and stepped away.⁣
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Sometimes, what people call “cancel culture” is really just the establishment of healthy boundaries. So that love and relationship can survive.⁣
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Here is the difference:⁣
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Cancelling someone causes intentional harm. It is designed to delete their personhood. It lacks empathy and love. If it were a sound, it would shriek and cackle.⁣
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Boundary setting, on the other hand, seeks the greatest good for all. It recognizes that human weakness can only carry so much weight before it fails. Can only take so much trauma, stress, sorrow, or abuse. It steps away with the hope of reconciliation. If it had a sound, it might sound like prayers of trust mingled with tears.⁣
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Boundaries can appear to some like canceling... but they are ultimately oriented toward hope.⁣ My daughter is fiery. And yet even at the age of 7, she understands these things innately. If the soul could talk...⁣
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“I do not like what you are doing. It is hurting me. I am frustrated and don’t like you right now. And I need a moment.”⁣
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She wasn’t hardened to us... she was sensitive to us. And protective. Of herself. Of a beloved relationship.⁣
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I realize the comparison is imperfect and incomplete. But sometimes things are simpler than we make them.⁣ If you need space from certain people right now, it’s probably okay to take a moment away. Let your tears fall and your disappointment work itself out through prayer and busyness...⁣
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And maybe it won’t be long before you can loosen the boundaries a little. Maybe remove them entirely. Or...⁣
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Perhaps division is the only way to allow everyone to heal. It might be a humiliation to you. Misunderstood. But only you know what you can carry. All paths are hard. But not all lead to healing.⁣
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Come Holy Spirit. Bestow wisdom. Amen.

She crushes the serpent (and this scarf is beautiful)

As we wait and pray for our nation, we are also necessarily managing the practical details of life. Mary has been my lifeline... leading me to the peace of her Son, Jesus Christ.⁣
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And in the midst of this endless stretching of 2020, I admit... I’m Christmas shopping. So let’s merge the pragmatic and the needs of our soul a bit here, shall we? 😊⁣
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I’m collaborating with Outrageous Mom to give away one of these gorgeous Marian scarves...⁣ (GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED)
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They are absolutely beautiful with many more styles and colors on the website. And they outwardly (yet subtly) express what is going on in my soul.⁣
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❤️ Oh Mary, beautiful Spouse of the Holy Spirit, be with me now and at the hour of my death. Intercede for America and the world. Accompany my children. ❤️⁣
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I’m wearing the blue Miraculous Medal scarf. This is the style we are giving away! The scarves from left to right:⁣
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🌷Mary, the New Eve⁣
🌷Miraculous Medal in Blue⁣
🌷Miraculous Medal in Neutral⁣
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There is a tiny Miraculous Medal sewn onto the corner of each scarf.⁣
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I once met a man from Ireland who was wearing a Notre Dame hat while walking the campus. It only said “ND” but he said he could not wear it without being attacked in his home town. I didn’t understand...⁣
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He said: “You see, those who hate the Church know that Notre Dame means Our Lady. American college kids think they are just wearing the symbol of their school but they are really wearing her beautiful name. I wish they had half the passion of the enemy.”⁣
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If we had half the passion of the enemy, everything would change. In our homes, in our country. But either way, in the end, she crushes the head of the serpent. Deo Gratias!⁣

Mixing politics and faith...

My three young adults were scattered elsewhere but I managed to capture these five.⁣
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I love All Saints Day. And it struck me this year in a new way. At first, I felt annoyed that this holy triduum of feasts would be overshadowed by the election. Our minds are occupied with earthly things. We are stressed and worried.⁣
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But as I listened to the stories of each saint at our party, I noticed something...⁣
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“Politics” was present in almost every story. The rise and fall of kingdoms. Politically expedient marriages. War. Martyrdom. Injustice. Poverty. Persecution (by government and also Church leaders). Political prisoners. Speaking the Gospel to power. Freeing the enslaved.⁣
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The crucifixion itself was a political event. And we are playing our role in Salvation History... during which time our enmeshment with the political world is unavoidable.⁣
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St. Joan of Arc led an army to restore the proper leader to the throne of France. Men died under her leadership. And she was murdered by civil and Church authorities. And yet...⁣
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“I am not afraid. I was born to do this.”⁣
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We repeat her words in memes even as we say “let’s just keep politics out of our faith.” Not likely. It will find us eventually. And will it find us prepared?⁣
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All Saints’ Day is a powerful reminder of our obligation to bring the Gospel into every detail. All Souls’ Day reminds us of holy death. And that we are not alone.⁣
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We have our marching orders. It’s all wonderful. And terrifying. We pray. We weep. We bleed. We praise. We fight. We worship. We rescue. We lay it all down.⁣
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Onward. 🔥 ⁣
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St. Sebastian⁣
St. Brigid of Kildare⁣
St. Louis se Montfort⁣
St. Barbara⁣
St. Clare of Assisi...⁣
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Ora pro nobis.

I will not comply...

"The natural world belongs to God. He is Master of all creation, including all life and its activity. Non-believers may make use of a plant or move their bodies in a secular or profane way, but this does not make them master over those things.⁣
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Because it is the revealed truth of God, Catholicism recognizes the beautiful integration of mind, body, and soul in a way that surpasses all other belief systems. This recognition of the gifts inherent in the created world flows quite naturally from our relationship with our Father, the giver of all that is good.⁣
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My desire is to help restore and develop a culture of intuitive health care and healing, which flows from the Gospel and is guided by the principle of subsidiarity. This is not to disregard the role of reason in discerning and judging what is good and true--reason is essential. Rather, it recognizes, as St. Thomas points out, that "in God, there is sure judgment of truth... by simply intuition."⁣
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The enemies of God want us sick, depressed, anxious, drugged, confused, oppressed, and defeated. I will not comply. I reject those obstacles which dull the senses and make the body ill or more inclined to despair. I will fight for joy, strength, hope, and clarity--God created the body to serve Him. Serviam!"⁣
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~ Excerpted from the Introduction of my book, The Sunshine Principle: A Radically Simple Guide to Natural Catholic Healing⁣
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Perhaps you (or someone you love) is ready to gently consider a new season of life this Christmas. Not one that will fade away like a passing fad, but one that will root itself quietly into your soul and blossom...⁣
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At your pace... in spite of imperfections... united with the will of God... guided by our beautiful Blessed Mother.⁣
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The link to purchase the book is in my profile. Maybe now is the right time. I wrote it for you. And I pray for your complete healing in whatever area of your life it is needed. AMDG ☀️