Healing Milestone (SoulCore, Fitness, Courage)

In the last two months, I’ve earned my Personal Trainer and SoulCore Leader certifications. If you know me, you know that these victories run so much deeper than collecting titles...⁣

In 2018, I wrote:⁣
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“I don’t know whether to accept this sedentary life and the constant pain and decline—aging on fast forward—or whether to fight...⁣ And how does a woman fight when she’s so broken? How does she raise her body in praise when she cannot even rise from her bed?⁣ I know I’ll have to rise from the heart because my body is useless. Begging for the heart of my Savior and His Blessed Mother. With their courage, I pray to accept the cross of disease... and still keep the door open for hope of healing.”⁣
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On the days I couldn’t walk, couldn’t rise, couldn’t breathe under the weight of grief... I never imagined that I could feel physically strong again. Yet here I am.⁣
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SoulCore is a perfect fit for my life, namely because prayer is at the heart and not my ability. It’s about Relationship not perfection. If my body is weak on a given day, then I bring what I can. And if all I have is my broken body on a mat... I will rest there with my Lord and His beautiful Mother.⁣
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I went to the gym today and had some face tremors. Out of my control. I don’t know why my body malfunctions. As they increased, I felt sorrow rise, I told my husband about it (because I need his hand), and I finished my workout with renewed purpose.⁣
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Eventually, I will lose my physical health completely and succumb to illness, age, death. So I will build my foundation on permanent things...⁣
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And keep fighting for every step in between. Last Summer, I ran a 5k seven years after being told I would never run again. This year, I plan on doing it again...⁣ Maybe running, maybe walking, maybe crawling... I give it all to Jesus.

Sweet Savior, make me brave. Amen. ❤️⁣
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* NOTE* I will be focusing mostly on in-person @soulcoreproject classes (we need to be with people again) but also working on digital options for my broader community. Sign up for my email updates to stay in touch. ❤️

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.

Masking in Church (My Article in Crisis Magazine)

My article on masking in church is live this morning at Crisis. Please share it with your friends, family... and perhaps your pastor: The Audacity of Exhaling
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“In the parish church, the joyful and the anxious come together to exhale in exclamations of praise, thanksgiving, and lamentation. It is time to breathe again together, without anxiety, before the Throne of Grace, and to reveal, without shame, the delightful imprint of the Imago Dei in our beloved faces.”⁣
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Read my full piece at the Crisis Magazine website. Much gratitude to the bold and faithful editors for their willingness to host this important discussion... and for inviting me to the table.⁣
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Serviam. ❤️

Spiritual Bouquet Coloring Page

Looking for Catholic Valentines? I created a spiritual bouquet printable a few years ago that you or your kids can color and customize.⁣ We have used it for Christmas gifts and general use but think that the twin hearts with the “Beloved” banner make it especially nice for St. Valentine’s Day.⁣ Click here for more info: Spiritual Bouquet

Pro-life or Pro-Birth? Toppling the Straw Man

There’s an argument used against pro-life Christians that some Catholics have been carelessly throwing around lately. They think it’s a clever way of speaking about social justice. It’s not. And I’ll tell you why...⁣
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The phrase is: “You’re not pro-LIFE, you’re only pro-BIRTH.”⁣
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The implication is that pro-lifers don’t love the baby or mom beyond birth. After birth, they don’t care, don’t help, don’t support.⁣
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It’s ridiculous on its face. A straw man argument. A stale canard used primarily by people who are pro-abortion or by young pro-lifers who have been taken in by confusing rhetoric. And what most young Catholics don’t know is...⁣
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... that it was first used in 1994 by a heretical pro-abort religious sister named Joan Chittister. She didn’t use it because she’s pro-life from womb to tomb... she used it because she isn’t. It was an attempt to shame conservative Christians into supporting her preferred social programs. And to undermine the integrity of their anti-abortion work.⁣
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Sometimes her quote is shared online with a picture of her before she shed her habit. But you should know that she is no traditional nun. And she is pro-abortion.⁣
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How do I know? Because when I was a feminist pro-abort, she was one of my heroes. (Down with the patriarchy. Up with women priests. Forward with reproductive rights.)⁣
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I encourage Catholics to reject this “pro-birth” phrasing since it is designed to obscure truth and manipulate the conversation.⁣
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You don’t have to prove your pro-life commitment to anyone but the good Lord. And you don’t have to support specific social programs in order to be dynamically pro-life.⁣
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To those Christians who want to suppress the focused anti-abortion message in the name of “social justice”....⁣
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I have the authority to cry out against abortion even if I cannot help all those directly in need. I am only one woman and I do my best. But abortion is the torture and murder of children... and I am compelled by love to cry out against it. My authority to speak rests on Christ, not on my perfection. Not on my works.⁣
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I am pro-life. I am also pro-birth. There is no contradiction. And I will not be manipulated into silence.

Packaging books and praying for you...

A happy angle. Packaging and mailing some books today. And the sun is actually shining in our dark little corner of the Midwest.⁣⁣
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If you need a little sunshine and renewal in your life, I invite you to click on my profile link and consider picking up a copy of my book, The Sunshine Principle: A Radically Simple Guide to Natural Catholic Healing.⁣
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Not every day or year feels illuminated for us. Sometimes we are stuck in the darkness for a while.⁣⁣ We’ve got to get better at making our own sunshine... and allowing the Holy Spirit to reach the darkest corners of even the most difficult days.⁣⁣
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When I package books, I pray for you. I pray for the person whose hands will hold the pages open. Praying for healing, for hope, for a breath of fresh air... of respite.⁣⁣
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That has always been my great hope for this book. To help hold the space for you just for a moment... so that you can see the Son.⁣
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.⁣⁣
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O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Motherhood (A peek into my future)

It’s been almost 5 years since my last pregnancy. So perhaps that season of my life has passed. I don’t know. I had a dream last night that I was pregnant and it wasn’t shocking...⁣ but I know now what it is like to look into a future without my own new babies to hold. And I am starting to feel, for the first time, the soft desire that a woman might feel for grandchildren.⁣
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It’s not a strong feeling. Just something I recognize lingering on the edge of my life. A little peek at my future.⁣ How funny to think that because I married so young, I could technically have a child younger than one of my grandchildren! And that thought, my friends, makes me laugh... ⁣
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... and also makes me feel very tired.⁣
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Motherhood is explosive. It has blown me to bits along with all of my ideas of perfection. A constant descent into humiliation and a steady rising into a true and magnificent calling...⁣
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A contradiction. A startling adventure. A consoling monotony. A painful stretching.⁣
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Lead me, Lord, to my truest self. Where I look down at my hands and see Yours. And agree to have my heart expanded beyond the limits of human reason.⁣
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I can do this if You make me not afraid. And then someday, I will rest...⁣
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But not yet. Please make me tireless...⁣
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I would like to take a break. Take a breath. Close my eyes. But I have a few more miles to go. And a few more transitions to make. Blessed be God forever. ❤️

For Your Informed Consent...

Highly recommended book for 2021…

Vaccination: A Catholic Perspective by Pamela Acker

I like this book because it consolidates a mountain of info into a simple read. After a decade of researching on my own, it's a welcome resource.⁣
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Some of you already know that I'm the mom of a couple vaccine-injured kids. I never questioned the science. I never questioned anything...⁣
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Until the first injury.⁣
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Even then I didn't question much. They told me it was rare and that my child shouldn't get a booster, but that was it. Nobody paid our medical bills. Nobody stayed up with us at night holding our child through seizures and daily vomit. Nobody told us we could report it.⁣
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And so we moved on with our new sorrow and worries. Then 10 years later, it happened again. Different shot. Different kid. Different injury. Lord, have mercy.⁣
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There are some thing you can't undo and it hurts every day. It was not all my fault but I cannot deny that I failed to do due diligence after the first injury. That fact pierces.⁣
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I did not have true informed consent. I just believed what I was told.⁣
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After the second event, I was forced by necessity to learn about what was happening to my child. And I fell into a painful and eye-opening world of study.⁣

I never wanted to be THAT MOM. I would give a lot to be able to undo the circumstances which forced me to be.⁣ I'm not an "anti-vaxxer" and I caution against using a word that has become a bludgeon used to silence grieving families who ask questions.⁣
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This book is not "anti-vax" but a summary of what you should know to make informed decisions. A beginning.⁣ I didn't know that the shot which injured my infant was only safety tested for 4 DAYS. There's a lot I didn't know.⁣
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The world wants to talk about the "miracle" shot currently in the news. The one that isn't FDA approved and doesn't even stop transmission. But the foundation of my response predates this jab by years... and will exist after it passes. I support...⁣
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•Medical freedom.⁣
•Informed consent.⁣
•Reverence for the body.⁣
•Preference for God's design.⁣
•Ethical medical advances which do not interfere with conscience, natural law, bodily autonomy, or rights of the family.⁣
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AMDG ❤️

Molon Labe! (Death has no power)

In 480 BC, the Persian king Xerxes invaded Greece with a great army. King Leonidas of Sparta stepped forward boldly with his army to try to stop the Persians. The trouble was...⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The Spartans only had 300 soldiers.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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In spite of small numbers, Leonides confronted the massive Persian army. Knowing his certain victory, Xerxes sent an ambassador to demand that the small army lay down their arms.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ But Leonidas said:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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MOLON LABE (“Come and take them”)⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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What followed became known as the Battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidas was defeated. But his effort played a role in discouraging Persian interest in the war.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ And planted a seed of courage for the ages...⁣
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The phrase was taken up in the American Revolution and by freedom lovers since. During the Texas Revolution, Mexico demanded that Texans surrender their cannon...⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The reply? “Come and take it.”⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I embrace it as an American, but also as a Christian who sees the signs of the times and is preparing for onslaught and perhaps earthly defeat.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I say “Molon Labe!” as a shout of defiance to the armies of death and bondage. To those who would steal the heritage of faith and freedom from my children and target their bodies and souls.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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My weapons are truth, fidelity, grace, mercy and charity. Every one of them is in the possession of Christ the King.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ My "troops" are at His disposal. I welcome His authority. I ask Him to conquer me first and then vanquish the designs of my enemies.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Defiance against evil requires a radical spirit of humility that will not be silenced by fear... and which lays down all arms at the feet of the rightful King. Death has no power.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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That is the way I desire to enter these times. Knowing that death is a guarantee in any life. Yet if I have given all to Christ... then I am certain to LIVE.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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When the enemy, like Xerxes, meets my weakness, he knows my death is imminent. But because I have given over possession of all of my weapons to God...⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Not even the power of death can destroy me.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Molon Labe 🔥

Consecration: A Fierce Tenderness

Little hands collected “flowers” for her crown and made decorations for her space. It was the middle of quarantine and they played sweetly, oblivious to the growing madness of the world. So innocent and spontaneous in their devotion.⁣
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They had no idea how close she really was to them and to their family. How tenderly yet firmly she led us and protected us.⁣
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Fast forward...⁣
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Today is New Years Day and 2020 is over, but that calendar seems completely overshadowed by the Solemnity...⁣
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She is so close to us. How privileged we are!⁣
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Mary carried me through this past year. She arranged everything. She stayed with me so closely that I could not help but fall into her arms during times of grief and rely on her more and more.⁣
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I stumbled so many times over myself and over the anxiety of the year. And over and over she picked me up, bandaged my wounds, and reoriented me toward Christ.⁣
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I cannot recall a more transformative or healing year than 2020.⁣
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She drew me in all year. In October, I renewed my Marian Consecration. By December, I saw an unfolding of miracles. I wish I could tell you all that has transpired. I can’t. But I can tell you this...⁣
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My hope has been restored. Because I have seen what God does through His people and through His cherished mother. He does not spare mercy. He is the Good Shepherd. He will find you when you call. He will rescue you.⁣
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I’m handing over 2021 to the Mother of Mercy and her King of Glory. I have already confidently placed more desperate prayers at their feet.⁣
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Whatever comes will come. May we meet it with holiness, trust, and burning charity!⁣
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Happy Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God! Blessed be God forever! ❤️

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⁣

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?