Psalms 119:10
With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
For those of you who have smart phones, there are so many great apps to help with confession. It's pretty easy to tell when you have committed a mortal sin but those venial sins can be a little tricky. These apps (and also the book Catholicism for Dummies) clarify what some venial sins are that we commit on a rather regular basis. We love our Lord so much but we are human, we all sin, and we all (hopefully) feel remorseful for our sins. Thankfully we have been given the gift of reconciliation and it is this sacrament that brings us back into good graces with our Father. If we truly seek Him, reconciliation is the best way to show our desire to keep His commandments.
I think that reconciliation is the hardest sacrament for us to accept. It is hard to humble ourselves, not just to God but to a priest. Will he judge us? And we want to confess our sins but may hold back out of fear of what the priest will think. I have to admit that reconciliation is something I also struggle with. It is offered once a week and with four kids, being sick, and trying to get things done on the weekend, it is easy to dismiss going. But when I finally gather up the courage to go, I can't explain the lightness I feel when I leave. I know that I am not the only one who feels the same sensation. It is like someone taking a ton of bricks off of my shoulders and (this may be the pregnancy hormones speaking) when I think of the gift God has just given me by forgiving me, I could truly break down and cry.
We ask God to help us to not wander from His commandments. We have to put the work in every day, but we also need to come to Him when we have failed. Go to your Father. Ask Him for His forgiveness with humility and sincerity. You will not only be forgiven, you will feel redeemed and more able to follow His commandments. We may be making the same mistakes over and over despite our best efforts not to, but when we confess this to God, He knows we are trying. He knows our intentions and He will help us overcome that which keeps us from having a good relationship with Him.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Friday, December 13, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Psalms 143:10
Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
The power of prayer, I truly believe in the power of prayer. And when we are most lost and most in need of Him, I believe that He will guide us if we open ourselves up to do His will, even if it is not the path we wanted to take. He will always lead us to prosperity and prosperity presents itself in different ways. Our egos often get in the way or maybe it is our fear that blinds us at times. Whatever it is that deters us from carrying out His will, we should pray to overcome it so that we can be closer to Him.
He only wants good things for us. With the tragedy at Sandyhook coming up, it can sometimes be hard to believe this. I remember sitting in my hospital room holding a brand new baby, just hours after giving birth to my fourth child and crying uncontrollably. Maybe it was my hormones but to hear that so many parents had lost their precious children while I was bringing a new one into the world, made little if no sense to me. I felt such sadness for those families, the burden can feel unbearable. I can't imagine how those mothers and fathers felt that day.
I have seen many interviews and videos done by the families of those lost that day, and there is always a common theme. Through the pain, they have realized His presence in their lives more than ever. I watched a video today by one of the parents of a beautiful little girl, and they said throughout the video that their daughter's death, though it brought immense pain, has guided them to a new mission in life and has taught them the power of God. The power He has to bring someone through such tragedy and to bring them to a greater cause. The death of their child is senseless only if they don't use it to help others, raise awareness, or do some greater good.
Out of great suffering comes great good. We have to believe this otherwise suffering would be senseless, suffering would be for nothing. There has to be a greater purpose. He has to be constantly leading us to a greater good, otherwise, what would all this be for? Each day we are doing our best to do His will, because if we aren't, we are doing things for nothing. Jesus suffered greatly, but it was for such a greater good, and He knew that His Father would not have Him suffer in such a way if it wasn't for something that was meaningful, and I can't think of anything more meaningful than saving mankind and giving us the gift of eternal life.
I don't know what everyone's situation is today or what it will be tomorrow, but I implore you to pray to God, that He helps you find the meaning in each day and leads you out of whatever suffering may be hindering you. Believe in the power of prayer and the sureness of His will.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
The power of prayer, I truly believe in the power of prayer. And when we are most lost and most in need of Him, I believe that He will guide us if we open ourselves up to do His will, even if it is not the path we wanted to take. He will always lead us to prosperity and prosperity presents itself in different ways. Our egos often get in the way or maybe it is our fear that blinds us at times. Whatever it is that deters us from carrying out His will, we should pray to overcome it so that we can be closer to Him.
He only wants good things for us. With the tragedy at Sandyhook coming up, it can sometimes be hard to believe this. I remember sitting in my hospital room holding a brand new baby, just hours after giving birth to my fourth child and crying uncontrollably. Maybe it was my hormones but to hear that so many parents had lost their precious children while I was bringing a new one into the world, made little if no sense to me. I felt such sadness for those families, the burden can feel unbearable. I can't imagine how those mothers and fathers felt that day.
I have seen many interviews and videos done by the families of those lost that day, and there is always a common theme. Through the pain, they have realized His presence in their lives more than ever. I watched a video today by one of the parents of a beautiful little girl, and they said throughout the video that their daughter's death, though it brought immense pain, has guided them to a new mission in life and has taught them the power of God. The power He has to bring someone through such tragedy and to bring them to a greater cause. The death of their child is senseless only if they don't use it to help others, raise awareness, or do some greater good.
Out of great suffering comes great good. We have to believe this otherwise suffering would be senseless, suffering would be for nothing. There has to be a greater purpose. He has to be constantly leading us to a greater good, otherwise, what would all this be for? Each day we are doing our best to do His will, because if we aren't, we are doing things for nothing. Jesus suffered greatly, but it was for such a greater good, and He knew that His Father would not have Him suffer in such a way if it wasn't for something that was meaningful, and I can't think of anything more meaningful than saving mankind and giving us the gift of eternal life.
I don't know what everyone's situation is today or what it will be tomorrow, but I implore you to pray to God, that He helps you find the meaning in each day and leads you out of whatever suffering may be hindering you. Believe in the power of prayer and the sureness of His will.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Isaiah 40:8
Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Oh! How true, how true, how true! I think about when I was a kid, especially during those angst filled teenage years, and how everything seemed so permanent. Everything meant the end of the world! Having experience on my side, I realize now how silly things were back then, how temporary and how fleeting!
Jobs will change, friends will come and go, neighbors will move, and children will grow, but God's word will forever be there guiding us through all the changes in our lives. There is nothing more constant or reliable than God's word and His love for us. The scripture is an amazing testament to how much God cares for us, His children. Despite our mistakes, He never gives up trying to help us be reunited with Him in heaven.
Another thing I love about the scripture is that even though the words are thousands of years old, they are still relevant to today! How can that even be possible other than for the grace of God? Look at how many things in our world become practically useless as time goes by. Computers, printers, tvs, vcrs, gaming systems, vehicles, phones, etc. The list goes on. Even a house built ten years ago shows it's datedness. But God's words are not dated. They are for the here and now. They are useful and necessary.
I am always astonished to find that when I am going through a difficult time or have had a trying week, that God's words seem to be reaching out to me at the Mass. How does He know exactly what I need to hear and how does He send it to me so quickly? And how is it that His words can have such meaning to me and then having a completely different yet pertinent meaning for my neighbor? How is it that one passage can reach so many people in their times of need, even though their needs are all different? God is truly amazing, more so than we can even begin to comprehend and I am truly grateful for His words each and every day.
On a side note, I have been feeling pretty sick lately but will get to my blog as much as possible, please forgive my absences!
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Oh! How true, how true, how true! I think about when I was a kid, especially during those angst filled teenage years, and how everything seemed so permanent. Everything meant the end of the world! Having experience on my side, I realize now how silly things were back then, how temporary and how fleeting!
Jobs will change, friends will come and go, neighbors will move, and children will grow, but God's word will forever be there guiding us through all the changes in our lives. There is nothing more constant or reliable than God's word and His love for us. The scripture is an amazing testament to how much God cares for us, His children. Despite our mistakes, He never gives up trying to help us be reunited with Him in heaven.
Another thing I love about the scripture is that even though the words are thousands of years old, they are still relevant to today! How can that even be possible other than for the grace of God? Look at how many things in our world become practically useless as time goes by. Computers, printers, tvs, vcrs, gaming systems, vehicles, phones, etc. The list goes on. Even a house built ten years ago shows it's datedness. But God's words are not dated. They are for the here and now. They are useful and necessary.
I am always astonished to find that when I am going through a difficult time or have had a trying week, that God's words seem to be reaching out to me at the Mass. How does He know exactly what I need to hear and how does He send it to me so quickly? And how is it that His words can have such meaning to me and then having a completely different yet pertinent meaning for my neighbor? How is it that one passage can reach so many people in their times of need, even though their needs are all different? God is truly amazing, more so than we can even begin to comprehend and I am truly grateful for His words each and every day.
On a side note, I have been feeling pretty sick lately but will get to my blog as much as possible, please forgive my absences!
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Thursday, December 5, 2013
John 3:36
John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
In my journey to enrich my prayer life, I am constantly hearing God through the things within my environment. It's like, "Yes, God, I hear you. I hear you calling me to more prayer." He is so thorough though, making sure that I don't get side tracked or put this on the back burner as is the case with so many things in life. So the other day, while driving to pick up my big kids, I was listening to Relevant Radio and the priest on there tells the listeners about prayer.
He is calling everyone to more prayer. No amount of praying is too much and God answers ALL prayers. What a concept!! He answers ALL PRAYERS! Ok, well I have been praying about something for a while now and I am so excited because the priest said, "God answers all prayers." I start to feel so happy because of course a priest would know, he has a special relationship with God and he passes his wisdom on to us and now he has confirmed to me that GOD ANSWERS ALL PRAYERS!
Good thing I didn't turn the radio off because in the next sentence the priest says, "and sometimes we need to consider that the answer is 'no'". What? So God doesn't always have to say yes?! So I can pray and pray and pray and pray, and sometimes He is going to respond with "No"? Ok, fine, I have to put my relationship with God back into proper perspective now.
We are His children. Now as a mother I know all too well how much children like to ask for things. And I also know that sometimes they ask for things that they want but really don't need or they ask for things that aren't good for them. As much as I would always like to tell my children "yes", I often have to say "no", for their own good.
Well, looking at my relationship with God in this way makes my understanding of how He answers prayer much easier to accept. So I have to consider that even though I am asking Him, He may respond with "yes" or "no" and maybe I need to consider praying for something different. I believe in Him and I believe in His plan. As much as I want God to be listening to me, I need to also be listening to Him, it's eternal life I am striving for after all.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
In my journey to enrich my prayer life, I am constantly hearing God through the things within my environment. It's like, "Yes, God, I hear you. I hear you calling me to more prayer." He is so thorough though, making sure that I don't get side tracked or put this on the back burner as is the case with so many things in life. So the other day, while driving to pick up my big kids, I was listening to Relevant Radio and the priest on there tells the listeners about prayer.
He is calling everyone to more prayer. No amount of praying is too much and God answers ALL prayers. What a concept!! He answers ALL PRAYERS! Ok, well I have been praying about something for a while now and I am so excited because the priest said, "God answers all prayers." I start to feel so happy because of course a priest would know, he has a special relationship with God and he passes his wisdom on to us and now he has confirmed to me that GOD ANSWERS ALL PRAYERS!
Good thing I didn't turn the radio off because in the next sentence the priest says, "and sometimes we need to consider that the answer is 'no'". What? So God doesn't always have to say yes?! So I can pray and pray and pray and pray, and sometimes He is going to respond with "No"? Ok, fine, I have to put my relationship with God back into proper perspective now.
We are His children. Now as a mother I know all too well how much children like to ask for things. And I also know that sometimes they ask for things that they want but really don't need or they ask for things that aren't good for them. As much as I would always like to tell my children "yes", I often have to say "no", for their own good.
Well, looking at my relationship with God in this way makes my understanding of how He answers prayer much easier to accept. So I have to consider that even though I am asking Him, He may respond with "yes" or "no" and maybe I need to consider praying for something different. I believe in Him and I believe in His plan. As much as I want God to be listening to me, I need to also be listening to Him, it's eternal life I am striving for after all.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
It's so easy to get lost in the day to day. Life is so BUSY! There are always things to worry about, take care of, clean, whatever. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that even those mundane things we do every day can be offered up in His name.
No task is unworthy of being offered up to God. When I am running around with the kids and I can feel the stress building around me, I try to say a quick prayer to God that He helps me through this hiccup in the day. I never want to be "too busy" to be in conversation with God.
If I consider myself too busy to talk to Him then clearly I would be too busy to actually hear him. We have to find some time in every day, no matter how much time that is, to be quiet long enough for God to speak to us. We need to invite Him into our hearts each morning and thank Him for His guidance each night.
I have said before that I am enriching my prayer life and as I was exploring an app that I save all my favorite prayers on, I stumbled upon one that I really love. I'm sure many of you have heard of it but I'll share anyway. It's called a Daily Examination of Conscience using the CPR method.
C-Claim your blessings
It is so important to remember all of the things that we are truly blessed with each day. Health, home, children, jobs, food, heat, whatever. Anything that you are not in need of to me is a blessing. Then of course there are days when specific events or prayers are answered as well.
P-Pinpoint victories and losses
I include things big and small. If my two year old tested my patience and I was able to be cool, calm and collected, that is a victory! If I lost my patience with my spouse, well, that's a loss and something I can pray to God for help with.
R-Renew your loving commitment to Christ
This is my favorite part because it reminds me of what I am working towards each day. Each day is a new day to show God that I am trying to be more like Him and reaffirms that I will not give up on my journey to improve myself in the faith, spread the faith to those around me, and hopefully be a beacon for Him here on earth.
Each day is important and special and there is nothing that occurs or doesn't occur that isn't part of His perfect plan. Our job is to have faith as we go through our days and allow Him to come into our spirits and guide us. Not every day is going to feel special, but every day is special.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
It's so easy to get lost in the day to day. Life is so BUSY! There are always things to worry about, take care of, clean, whatever. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that even those mundane things we do every day can be offered up in His name.
No task is unworthy of being offered up to God. When I am running around with the kids and I can feel the stress building around me, I try to say a quick prayer to God that He helps me through this hiccup in the day. I never want to be "too busy" to be in conversation with God.
If I consider myself too busy to talk to Him then clearly I would be too busy to actually hear him. We have to find some time in every day, no matter how much time that is, to be quiet long enough for God to speak to us. We need to invite Him into our hearts each morning and thank Him for His guidance each night.
I have said before that I am enriching my prayer life and as I was exploring an app that I save all my favorite prayers on, I stumbled upon one that I really love. I'm sure many of you have heard of it but I'll share anyway. It's called a Daily Examination of Conscience using the CPR method.
C-Claim your blessings
It is so important to remember all of the things that we are truly blessed with each day. Health, home, children, jobs, food, heat, whatever. Anything that you are not in need of to me is a blessing. Then of course there are days when specific events or prayers are answered as well.
P-Pinpoint victories and losses
I include things big and small. If my two year old tested my patience and I was able to be cool, calm and collected, that is a victory! If I lost my patience with my spouse, well, that's a loss and something I can pray to God for help with.
R-Renew your loving commitment to Christ
This is my favorite part because it reminds me of what I am working towards each day. Each day is a new day to show God that I am trying to be more like Him and reaffirms that I will not give up on my journey to improve myself in the faith, spread the faith to those around me, and hopefully be a beacon for Him here on earth.
Each day is important and special and there is nothing that occurs or doesn't occur that isn't part of His perfect plan. Our job is to have faith as we go through our days and allow Him to come into our spirits and guide us. Not every day is going to feel special, but every day is special.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
John 16:24
John 16:24
Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
I feel like God is speaking to me (not like that is anything new!) but seeing as I am going through something that is completely out of my control, He knows that I need Him to speak to me more than usual. The feeling of helplessness is difficult to withstand and I know that He is the only one to guide me through.
So I pray. I feel Him calling me to have a stronger prayer life, something I have been trying to do for a while now. It always feels like there is something I am trying to improve when it comes to my faith journey! But seeing as that He is the only one in control over what happens in this particular situation, I know that He wants to enrich my prayer life and I am doing just that.
It helps too that I keep reading and hearing things on the radio asking people to pray more, quiet more, and read more of the scripture. It's like He is trying to reach me through every imaginable outlet. Imagine, even God utilizes the technology around us!
I am specifically working hard in my prayers to include His will and to understand that what I am asking for will be received, even if not in the way I expected to receive it. It is so important for us, as His children, to remember that He never forgets us. He cares about our wants and needs and we will never be forsaken if we keep Him at the center and build our lives around Him.
I have started to begin my day with a prayer, "Dear Lord, I do not know what will happen to me today. I only know that nothing will happen that was not foreseen by You, and directed to any greater good from all eternity. I adore Your holy and unfathomable plans, and submit to them with all my heart for love of You, the Pope, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen."
I say this even before my feet hit the floor so that I remember that everything I do during the day is offered up to Him. I pray for my current situation constantly and it is never far from my mind. Mostly I pray to just have trust in His perfect judgment and plan.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
I feel like God is speaking to me (not like that is anything new!) but seeing as I am going through something that is completely out of my control, He knows that I need Him to speak to me more than usual. The feeling of helplessness is difficult to withstand and I know that He is the only one to guide me through.
So I pray. I feel Him calling me to have a stronger prayer life, something I have been trying to do for a while now. It always feels like there is something I am trying to improve when it comes to my faith journey! But seeing as that He is the only one in control over what happens in this particular situation, I know that He wants to enrich my prayer life and I am doing just that.
It helps too that I keep reading and hearing things on the radio asking people to pray more, quiet more, and read more of the scripture. It's like He is trying to reach me through every imaginable outlet. Imagine, even God utilizes the technology around us!
I am specifically working hard in my prayers to include His will and to understand that what I am asking for will be received, even if not in the way I expected to receive it. It is so important for us, as His children, to remember that He never forgets us. He cares about our wants and needs and we will never be forsaken if we keep Him at the center and build our lives around Him.
I have started to begin my day with a prayer, "Dear Lord, I do not know what will happen to me today. I only know that nothing will happen that was not foreseen by You, and directed to any greater good from all eternity. I adore Your holy and unfathomable plans, and submit to them with all my heart for love of You, the Pope, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen."
I say this even before my feet hit the floor so that I remember that everything I do during the day is offered up to Him. I pray for my current situation constantly and it is never far from my mind. Mostly I pray to just have trust in His perfect judgment and plan.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
Monday, December 2, 2013
1 John 5:14, 15
1 John 5:14, 15
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
This is something I have just started to understand, that I can ask God for things or for things to be done, if and only if it be according to His will. I used to pray a lot for the things I wanted or needed and then was disappointed if my prayers were not answered. I didn't take into account that His will need always be done and that His timeline is perfect and that He never makes mistakes.
So now I try to pray in a manner that always includes the phrase, "if it be your will God" or "Your will be done". I am working hard on letting go the idea of my will be done and understand that God always knows what we need and sometimes we might pray for things that He knows are not really what we need. Even if we can't always see God working, we know that God is working.
Continue to send up your prayers to Him and trust in His will over your own. It is hard because our humanness causes us to long and yearn for things but if we continue to pray and trust, we will be rewarded and His divine plan will always be fulfilling.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
This is something I have just started to understand, that I can ask God for things or for things to be done, if and only if it be according to His will. I used to pray a lot for the things I wanted or needed and then was disappointed if my prayers were not answered. I didn't take into account that His will need always be done and that His timeline is perfect and that He never makes mistakes.
So now I try to pray in a manner that always includes the phrase, "if it be your will God" or "Your will be done". I am working hard on letting go the idea of my will be done and understand that God always knows what we need and sometimes we might pray for things that He knows are not really what we need. Even if we can't always see God working, we know that God is working.
Continue to send up your prayers to Him and trust in His will over your own. It is hard because our humanness causes us to long and yearn for things but if we continue to pray and trust, we will be rewarded and His divine plan will always be fulfilling.
Thanks for reading!
Busy Mommy Blogger
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