Prayer of a free soul

In 2019, I read the account of a Uyghur woman who was imprisoned in the Chinese Communist re-education camps. The Uyghur genocide is something Americans know little about. It would benefit us to pay attention.⁣
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One detail of her story in particular sticks with me…⁣
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The Chinese keep the women exhausted and busy with fruitless labor. Some of that time is spent in reprogramming classes. The fatigued women dare not close their eyes for even a second for fear of punishment.⁣ Punished because it indicates to the Chinese that the women might be praying…⁣
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And the enemies of God know that prayer makes a soul free.⁣
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The unique advantage that a Christian has during times of persecution and isolation is the consolation of Jesus Christ. Communication with Him is a threat to all machinations of evil.⁣
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Evil is not content with destroying your body and mind, what it really wants is your soul.⁣
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Sometimes when I neglect prayer, I think of that Uyghur woman. Isolated but not allowed to be alone. Tortured. With no darkness during the night, no friendship during the day, no freedom to move or work productively…⁣ abused and controlled by an enemy bent on stealing even her interior life.⁣
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That knowledge makes me want to pray more. I don’t want to lose connection with the only One who can offer freedom from the damnable spirit of isolation. The fact that I can be pulled from prayer by a thousand different distractions so easily is a red flag…⁣
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… and a strong call to renewal.⁣
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If I am to remain truly free under any circumstance, I’d best get used to praying in all circumstances. Not as if it is a chore, but as St. Thérèse described it… a surge of the heart.⁣
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Jesus, I trust in You. I throw myself on your mercy. Grant me the grace of desire and fidelity.⁣
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“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17

"I will dare and dare and dare..."

“COURAGE! DO NOT FALL BACK.”

St. Joan of Arc was martyred because she was politically inconvenient. She wasn’t an expert, theologian, politician, or notable figure. She didn’t know how to read. She gave simple, radical fidelity and devotion to God. Then she led an army. And testified before the world.⁣⁣

We are not called to less than Joan, though our “army” may not look like hers. It’s for Him to say and for us to surrender. The gauge of success is only His will, His time, for His purpose.⁣⁣

May we be so simple in our own times. Free to be holy and even political according to His desire. Faith and reason are consistent. Our faith is integrated. In our own times, we know...⁣⁣

• It defies reason to think that people who dissect children alive and use them in research are trustworthy in any other matter.⁣⁣

• It defies reason to believe that people who reject Christian moral teachings will be honest about anything.⁣⁣

• It defies reason to place health and children in the care of wicked people and expect a good outcome.⁣⁣

There are many who dare to give us permission to step away from Natural and Divine Law in pursuit of something deemed safer.⁣⁣..

But God will not bless it.

We know this from all of Salvation History and the story of every soul who got impatient waiting for Him to act. Our answers never work out.⁣⁣

Direct abuse of the Sacred cannot call down blessing. Breaking with His holy design can only result in temporal and spiritual death.⁣⁣

Think times are confusing? They are. But Joan was born during a time of a pope and 2 anti-popes. During a time of war. She was mystical and political. She led an army in support of a weak monarch. A Bishop and a cadre of theologians condemned her as a heretic and subjected her to painful death.⁣⁣

What is our excuse? Fear of death? Let us ask the great saint whether she had fear of politicians, clerics, or illness… and we will get an uncomfortable answer:

“Even though I saw the executioner and the fire, I could not say anything but what I have said.”⁣⁣

“It is better to be alone with God... In His strength, I will dare and dare and dare until I die.”⁣⁣

Amen.

(My sweatshirt is from veritascaritaslibertas.com and I love it.⁣⁣)

The Passion of Hildegard

Happy (almost belated) Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen! Her feast is on 9/17 but since I am always late, I just pick a September day.⁣
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I’ve linked ideas for celebrating below. But first, it’s important to clear up some misinformation about this dynamic woman of God to avoid being misled by enemies of the Church…⁣
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For the majority of my Catholic life, I intentionally avoided St. Hildegard. I had come to associate her with the many New Age practitioners, wiccans, and deviant nuns who like to claim her as their own. I had lived that and didn’t want to go back!⁣
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She doesn’t belong to them, of course, and she never ascribed to their heretical ways. But because her writings are not as accessible as other saints and her ways uncommon, she has been more easily co-opted by people with an agenda.⁣
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I once brought a St. Hildegard peg doll to a peg doll exchange. One astute woman asked why I brought Hildegard to the party…and I knew why she was asking. I assured her that I wasn’t a “progressive.”⁣
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The sad truth is that most accessible info is unreliable. Not every quote is hers or properly translated. Not every work is interpreted with her faithful vision. Some letters are fake. I give you warning that if you go looking, you will find a lot of false information and should be discerning.⁣
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So why did I bring Hildegard to the party?⁣
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Hildegard was a deep ocean, full of life and fire, music, wildcraft, salves, painting, visions, poetry, theology, and prayer…⁣
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She was an Abbess, an artist, a preacher, mystic, healer, composer, polymath, and Doctor of the Church. She loved the earth and saw that “God has arranged all things in the world in consideration of everything else.”⁣
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She challenged the corruption in the Church around her and raised her voice against it while demanding fidelity from her shepherds.⁣
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She was NOT an ecofeminist, a proponent of “global humanism,” a witch, an earth-worshipper, a gnostic or a goddess.⁣
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She was a contemplative nun under the Rule of St. Benedict. And the silence which formed her for decades became the school in which her soul burned with passion and flourished with productivity.⁣
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Read more about Hildegard and ideas for celebrating HERE… 🌸

Call us back... let us run!

It’s time to run! On the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, may the Holy Spirit stir us to pray as St. Augustine…⁣
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"You never go away from us,⁣
yet we have difficulty in returning to You.⁣
Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back.⁣
Kindle and seize us.⁣
Be our fire and our sweetness.⁣
Let us love. Let us run."⁣
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When I first settled on this date for the virtual Rise Up & Run 5K, I thought it was the perfect time. July was clear. I was rested and strong, peaceful, confident.⁣
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I received your prayer intentions one at a time and held them close, like small stones to carry on race day; a burden of privilege. I knew that many of you were carrying mine. I felt light. Capable.⁣
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But today I am on my knees from the plot twists of life, rattled and weak. And I can’t help but laugh and say “It is the perfect time, Lord, as always. I surrender!”⁣
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My family has decided to move our 5K race to next weekend to accommodate schedules. Hooray for Virtual events!! But I will run today as well.⁣
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Many of you are running on different days, too. If you haven't gotten your race packets yet, they are coming. Thank you for your patience and flexibility!⁣
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Regardless of timing, we are united in the heart of Christ, in an act of public praise, thanksgiving, and petition. Whatever stones (or boulders) you are carrying, know that we are carrying them with you. Surrender. Surrender. Surrender.⁣
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Mary Magdalene is our perfect patroness today. She surrendered everything to Christ. Her gifts, her sins, her fears, her life. At the tomb, she would not leave Him... and she was rewarded with His presence.⁣
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In the same way, He turns to us and says our names. With such tenderness and familiarity that our confusion passes and we know in Whose presence we stand...⁣
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That is why we run.⁣
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Call us back, Lord. Let us run! And whether we pass the finish line pushing hard or crawling, let it be all for You. That we may know you more and be able to say, like Mary, to a doubting world: "I have seen the Lord."⁣
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Please let us know how your runs go over the next week or so. Tag me and/or use the hashtag #riseupandrun21 to help us see your testimony to God's goodness!
AMDG

Muting the prophets...

Part 2. In response to Christians who use the following argument to defend the use of abortion-tainted products:⁣⁣⁣
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“Many pharma and OTC drugs are developed using babies. Since you use those products, you are a hypocrite to refuse the syringe. You don’t hold yourself to a consistent standard so you lack moral authority. Be silent.”⁣⁣
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And I respond...⁣⁣⁣

It is a lie from the enemy to say we can’t strive after goodness though we are sinners. Or that we must unravel the entire complex enmeshment with evil to righteously oppose it.⁣⁣⁣
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Christ is our authority. In His Truth, we have the authority to speak. Science must serve Christ or it will only and always become a tool of the wicked.⁣⁣⁣
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Abstaining from products derived from the murder of people is not about perfection, but about bringing our actions, as much as possible, in line with Christian principles. It is a process of understanding and responsiveness to the Spirit. Growing in sensitivity to every manifestation of Christ in others.⁣⁣⁣
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I wish I had more hope of changing the system... but cultural impetus has shifted against Christ. The power of corrupted corporations has become political and bigger than "We the people." We have allowed it one compromise at a time.⁣⁣⁣
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Yet... we are commanded to testify to the Truth of Christ. And we are obligated to discipline our appetites to reflect belief and to honor God. Effectiveness in the marketplace is a secondary goal. We belong to Christ.⁣⁣⁣
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German martyr, Fr. Alfred Delp, wrote:

“Ineffectiveness does not dispense one from speaking the truth... whoever makes his decisions dependent upon whether something is futile, is already corrupt.”⁣⁣
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Children have been dissected alive for our use. The practice is ongoing and few object. WE are the primary reason it continues.⁣⁣⁣
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We likely all compromise at times…⁣⁣⁣
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But we should not boast of it. Nor celebrate it. Nor encourage others to participate in it. Not even to save their lives or our own.⁣⁣⁣
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Jesus, be our life. Jesus, be our health. Jesus, be our joy. ❤️

Part 1 HERE

Drink Your Own Poison...

Humor me while I pretend not to be a second class citizen. I scratched my arm and Z gave me one of his bandaids. I'm told that camo is trending in first aid supplies.⁣
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I admit to the clickbait image. I’m grieving a few things and I want to talk about them. I want others to talk about them:⁣
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• Violation of human rights through mass experimentation.⁣

• Loss of informed consent.⁣

• Rejection of Nuremberg Code and Divine Law through coercion, manipulation, risk to health, marginalization, abuse of elderly, disable, and the poor.⁣

• Use of faith to manipulate people into violating conscience.⁣

• Abuse of religious authority to push secular political agenda.⁣

• The new diabolical “theology” that the end justifies the means.⁣

• The oppression of the Imago Dei⁣

• Silencing, doxing, and harassing of professionals who oppose the political narrative.⁣

• Division of communities into clean and unclean (the effective practice of every tyranny) defined by bandaids & papers.⁣
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But one grief is more profound than others…⁣
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That there are few Christians passionate enough to resist the murder of people for profit and health.⁣
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At my judgment, I won’t be able to bring theologians, doctors, or popes with me. Alone, my conscience will be laid bare to the depths, exposed to pure Goodness. And I will be held to account.⁣
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Fr. Michael Copenhagen puts it bluntly:⁣
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“My personal calculus in approaching this treatment is not complex. If you extract my family member’s organs while murdering her, and have the audacity to offer me a medicine produced either in her cultured cells or only use those cells to test your medicine, then I have one response for you: Keep your medicine. Or perhaps the words of the Benedictine prayer are more fitting: Drink your own poison.”⁣
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I've participated in this industry’s evil in the past. I am more careful now. I repent. God is a God of great mercy. Repent.⁣
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Part 2 HERE

What Confirmation is... and what it is not.

I have never been more excited about the upcoming feast of Pentacost. The recent Confirmation of my beautiful daughter added fuel to that fire of desire. Such a simple rite… with so much power.⁣
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It has long been my hope that our diocese would lower the age of Confirmation. Many erroneously think of the sacrament as a “rite of passage” to mature faith. The passing of a test.⁣
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That is all wrong.⁣
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The gift of the Holy Spirit is unmerited and ageless. It can be given to an infant or the elderly. It does not testify to the belief of the individual as much as to the truth of the faith and the power of the Spirit.⁣
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From the Rite of Confirmation:⁣
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“This giving of the Holy Spirit conforms believers more perfectly to Christ and strengthens them so that they may bear witness to Christ for the building up of his body of faith and love.”⁣
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In this culture, when young children are exposed to porn, unbridled secularism, hatred of Christ, and to evil presenting itself like every happiness…⁣
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I hope that more children can receive this unmerited gift of God prior to the loss of faith.⁣
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In the Catechism, St. Thomas is quoted:⁣

“Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity… Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.” ⁣

Confirmation has sometimes jokingly been referred to as “the sacrament of farewell” as teens are already closed off to the graces and leave the Church shortly after…⁣
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What can we do to change this? Especially now in this secular age of growing persecution?⁣
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Parents and sponsors… now is the time to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives with a bold and desperate faith. It is time to pray the scary prayers. The ones that open us to living fully in imitation in Christ and change everything.⁣
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On the birthday of Pope St. John Paul II, it is fitting to say…

“Be not afraid! Come, Holy Spirit, Come!” 🔥

Registrations are open! Rise Up & Run 5K

Registrations are open!⁣⁣⁣ Go here to learn more and join us: Rise Up & Run Virtual 5K run and walk
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Last year was amazing and we are ready to run/walk/crawl/stumble/roll and pray with you again. With brand new swag for 2021… and a new song of gratitude to sing.⁣⁣⁣
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“Call us back… Let us run.” is taken from a prayer of St. Augustine:⁣⁣⁣
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"You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You.⁣⁣⁣
Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness.⁣⁣⁣
Let us love. Let us run."⁣⁣⁣
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Race date is July 22nd, 2020 (Feast of St. Mary Magdalene) But because it is a virtual run, you can participate on your time table.⁣⁣⁣
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During the heaviest times of life, we look to the Transfiguration (Matt. 7:17). The disciples fell terrified before Jesus. And Jesus said:⁣⁣⁣
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“Rise, and do not be afraid.” …. “And when they lifted their eyes, they saw only Jesus.”⁣⁣⁣
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Those are the words which move us to courage…⁣⁣⁣
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I shall not be afraid of what is evil.⁣⁣⁣
I shall not be afraid of what is beautiful.⁣⁣⁣
I shall not be afraid of sickness… or healing.⁣⁣⁣
I shall not be afraid of the magnitude of the calling God has placed upon my life... or of my littleness, which seems insufficient for that call.⁣⁣⁣
I shall see Jesus alone… and I will RISE UP AND RUN to Him.⁣⁣⁣
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May our lives be a testimony of praise, and this run a small act of courage in the storm. It began as a seed planted through tears; a note of defiance against sorrow and quarantine. But has grown into a cry of victory.⁣⁣⁣
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We raise the standard of HOPE. He has won. Alleluia! Let us run to Him.⁣⁣⁣
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Registration link is in my profile.
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• Several shirt options this year w/youth sizes.⁣⁣⁣
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• Three registration levels (shirts, medals, stickers, and digital-only options)⁣⁣⁣
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• Your prayer intentions go with us on every training run and race⁣⁣⁣
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• Give Spiritual Race Bouquets to friends and family.⁣⁣⁣
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• Proceeds from registrations will go to abuse recovery ministry in the Church.⁣⁣⁣
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Thank you @1brooketaylor for being willing to enter in with me again. And to @joyfilledfamily @runningmyselftogether @chroniclesofstrength @solesearchingmamma #riseupandrun21

The difference between Peter and Judas

Fulton Sheen on the difference between the failures of Peter and Judas... and on the reason that people leave Christ...⁣
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“It is interesting to make a comparison of Peter and Judas. Our Lord warned both that they would fail. They both failed, they both denied or betrayed the Lord and they both repented. But the difference in the word repent is that Judas repented unto himself and Peter repented unto the Lord. They were the same up to that point. St. Paul therefore says there are two kinds of sorrow, the sorrow of the world and the sorrow of true faith...”⁣
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“... We do know the reason of the fall (of Judas) and may that reason sharpen the resolution of our will so that we will not fail the Eucharist. If we could read the hearts of those who have left, faith broke, it snapped somewhere making light of the Eucharist, anything at all but no longer the sense of the invisible and the beautiful presence of Christ.”⁣
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Save us, Lord, from the sins of both Peter and Judas. Grant us the grace to cling to Your Eucharistic beauty and throw ourselves on your unfathomable Mercy. Amen.

**quote excerpt from Conference # 10 given by Archbishop Sheen for the Priests of the Archdiocese of Washington at Loyola on Potomac Retreat House during their annual Priest’s Retreat, 1974.

The Gentle Instruction of Paul

Joining with #fridaycolloquies to let the light of Christ flood our feeds. I was going to add a favorite saint quote but then read today’s first reading and my heart stayed there.⁣⁣
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Paul with the gentle instruction and piercing hope (Hebrews 13:1-8)...⁣⁣
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“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.⁣⁣
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Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.⁣⁣
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Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.⁣⁣ Thus we may say with confidence:⁣⁣
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The Lord is my helper,⁣⁣
and I will not be afraid.⁣⁣
What can anyone do to me?⁣⁣
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Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” ❤️⁣⁣
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Thank you @littlelightfamily for the invitation and inspiration. May God be glorified in all these posts and his people consoled and fortified.

Tirelessness for 2021 (Word of the Year)

My word for 2021 is TIRELESSNESS. I found it in the Advent meditations of a priest who wrote in a Nazi prison while waiting for trial and execution.⁣⁣
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It’s a mouthful of a word but I knew it was right. 2021 needs a word that orients toward action and virtue. Because really, the time is now.⁣⁣ Then I randomly chose a second word. (More about that in a minute.)⁣
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In 1944, in the midst of the most depressing circumstances, Father Alfred Delp wrote:⁣⁣
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“All of this is waiting and keeping watch for the coming of the Lord. . . . We must know the intimacy of God, the certainty of God within life. This great virtue of tirelessness is called for here: the tirelessness, which is touched by the Lord and, with the strength from his touch, keeps rubbing the sleep from its eyes and stays awake. . . . [K]eep journeying and keep awake. This is the law of the successful and liberated life.”⁣⁣
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Staying awake.⁣⁣
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Lord knows how tired we all are. And sometimes most weary because we have been traveling without Him.⁣⁣ I do not wish to be asleep for the coming year. I wish to be commissioned. It’s a frightening request. And yet...⁣⁣
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What would you do with your life if you were not afraid of losing anything but Christ?⁣⁣
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Imagine!⁣⁣ At the end of it all is the ultimate Joy. We cannot lose if we have stayed with Christ. God is with us!⁣
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The word I got from the random generator was... CHILDLIKE.
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I’ll take that one, too. The first is a virtue, the second is a quality... a posture. Where shall I go without my Lord’s strength? Nowhere. Abba!⁣
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How shall I know tirelessness and joy without being emptied of all the self-importance of adulthood?⁣
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With all of our striving, we must be able to continuously throw ourselves into the arms of our Father and our Blessed Mother...⁣
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I am tired. Awaken me.⁣
I am afraid. Encourage me.⁣
I am lost. Rescue me.⁣
I am cold. Warm me.⁣
I am broken. Heal me.⁣
I am weak. Strengthen me.⁣
I am arrogant. Humble me.⁣
I am sinful. Redeem me.⁣
I doubt... show me the way.⁣
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Tirelessness.⁣
Childlike.⁣
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My patrons for 2021 are St. Joan of Arc and St. Thomas Becket. AMDG⁣

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. ❤️

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. 🔥

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.