Continuing with the theme of motherhood this month, I would like to reflect on a specific attribute of the Blessed Mother’s care: The way she feeds us.
I am tremendously blessed to be a mother and to have had the opportunity to nurse my children when they were young. Although a demanding season of life, it was one of great self-giving that has brought me to a deeper understanding of our own Mother in heaven.
Some background info on nursing. The relationship of a nursing mother to her infant is designed for the mother to respond immediately to her baby’s cry and sooth with nursing. Through this process the infant learns: when I cry out my needs are met. This builds trust.
During nursing, a hormone is released in baby’s and mother’s brain, creating a bond between them and a sense of relaxation. Both feel good after a feeding. This helps them to fall back to sleep peacefully after those middle of the night feedings.
There have been some remarkable findings in the scientific studies of human milk. It contains strands of proteins and fatty acids contributing to brain and nervous system development that are not repeatable in man-made baby formula. A connection has been found between this and lifelong health and high intelligence. And although there are exceptions, as a general rule breastfed babies tend to be calmer.
Mother’s milk aids in digestion. It also contains immunity building antibodies to guard against sickness and disease. In fact, it has target specific antibodies against germs contracted by mother or baby.
Mother’s milk contains the perfect balance of nutrients just right for the baby’s immature body systems. It even changes to meet the unique growing needs of the baby.
Mother’s milk changes during the night providing higher fat and calories.. This is why when babies are in a growth spurt they will nurse frequently during the night.
A mother’s body is designed to produce whatever the baby needs, as it is needed.
In my experience of nursing I learned there was no greater comfort I could provide for my children. It nourished, soothed and lulled them back to sleep.
This how it is between The Blessed Mother and us, her children.
The spirituality of a total consecration to Mary, or Marian entrustment, consists of trusting her to to respond to our pleas and supply all of the graces we need as she sees fit. It is about trusting ourselves to her complete care.
She responds immediately to our petitions. Just like the nursing bond shared between mother and child, it pleases her to give us an abundance of graces. She has so much for us. The more we turn to her in trust and receive what she gives us, the more closely bonded we are to her.
In the spiritual life, a connection has been found between the daily intake of her graces and lifelong spiritual/emotional health, wisdom and peace.
This promote healthy digestion. With her graces operating in us, we are able to take in and process, digest, whatever life throws at us. Her graces are filled with target-specific antibodies that are sure to guard us against the sickness of evil as it comes at us. Our resistance is strengthened.
Just as mother’s milk changes to meet the health and growing needs of her infant, so are our Blessed Mother’s graces unique to our needs. Her mother’s milk is specially formulated for each one of us.
Our Lady of La Leche
Sometimes I am awake in the night and over the years I have noticed a pattern. If I try to fall back to sleep on my own I am unable to. But if I pray a Rosary, I almost always fall asleep peacefully after finishing the last decade. It is like being nursed back to sleep.
The comfort of Our Lady’s graces: mother’smilk, seem to reach us even on the physical level. And in her divine maternity the graces from those middle of night rosaries, thefeedings, reach us and whomever we pray for.
Her graces are available to us always and anytime. But I feel there is something unique about what she feeds us in prayer during the night. I believe these graces are particularly rich and abundant. When our need is great we need to turn to her more… to nurse more. Our Lady will fill us with all of the nourishing graces we need as she sees fit.
A very powerful nutrient she brings us is The Holy Spirit. This is an antibody specifically targeted for our times, filing us with His gifts to stand against the evil of the culture that attempts to push its way into our lives. The Spirit fills us with needed wisdom and discernment, as well as peace and unshakable joy.
The greatest milk she gives us is the gift of her son Jesus in the Eucharist. She fed Him mother’s milk as an infant, now we are nourished with him.
Mary Mother of the Eucharist
As part of my daily consecration prayer to The Blessed Mother, I ask her to give me the milk I need for the day. I also do this throughout the day in specific moments. Just as a mother’s body knows what her baby needs, so does she know what is needed for us, the Body of Christ.
In this reflection on mother’s milk, I have been thinking about how I continue to feed my children at their stage in life.
Even teenagers associate mom with food. Especially teenage boys like mine. Many of our interactions in a day have to do with what is to eat. But there is more to it than just this. They look to me for aid and assistance, for help. For love. Just in a different way than when they were younger. As this need changes in their growth, so does the expression of love and assistance I give them, the mother’s milk.
One thing is for sure, I need Mother Mary to do this. I need to be fed by her so I can feed my children.
If you are a mother, I invite you to reflect on the goodness that you impart to your children. And The gift you have in Mary’s divine maternity that fills you.
In this month of May I am inspired to write about our dear mother in heaven. The Holy Spirit has brought me some pieces of wisdom about her protective care I would like to share.
The first is from a dream I had many years ago. I was standing on the beach of a foreign island, with my back to the ocean. One of our sons was with me and we were facing a white building. We turned towards the ocean just in time to see a large tidal wave building up.
A crowd of people ran as it lunged forward and spilled onto the shore.
I then sensed God’s voice directing me: “Do not try to outrun it, move upwards.”
Instead of running with the crowd, we darted into the building in front of us and ascended the staircase to the roof. We looked over the side to discover we were elevated much higher than the water level and were safe from the destruction.
Sadly, the waters caught up to everyone who was on the ground. It seemed there was nowhere to escape its path as it spread into every space.
We remained protected where we were.
I have spent time discerning this dream over the years and have sensed The Holy Spirit leading me to an understanding of our safety in the Blessed Mother.
Trying to outrun a tsunami brings the risk of getting stuck in its path. When the tide attempts to consume us, a true escape plan is needed. One leading to a safe place above the current.
The Blessed Mother is the safe haven for God’s people in our times. Just as the building held us above the destruction, so does she elevate us above the tidal wave of evil closing in on humanity.
Not long after having this dream, I was in prayer one day and was aware of the Blessed Mother taking me to a pier overlooking the ocean. She showed me the choppy water underneath and I felt these words spoken into my heart:
“When it comes, it will be like you are looking down upon it, with no harm coming to you.”
I sensed the swirling waters were a foreshadowing of a time yet to come, but I did not feel afraid. I felt comfort in her presence and an assurance of her protection.
The third piece of Marian wisdom came recently while praying The Angelus. In my mind I saw a vivid image of a stormy sea at night. The waves were pounding against the rocks on the shore and it was pouring rain. Although the night was pitch black, a bright light pierced the darkness, coming from a towering white lighthouse.
The contrast between the black night and the bright light was very sharp.
I felt this was a symbol of Our Lady as a refuge in the darkness of our times. The guiding light leading us to a safe landing when we are caught in the storm.
“O Mary, your life and virtues are a beacon for us in the stormy night of this world.” Mary Day by Day meditations
Evil shows up in our lives in a variety of ways. Sometimes it rears up behind our backs and seizes us unexpectedly. Or like the churning waters under the pier, it simmers around us building up to a tidal wave. It can also be the stormy sea we are drifting on when caught up in difficult life trials, or just trying to navigate through cultural confusion.
Just when it seems it is about to engulf us, God provides the safe haven.
“The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. The cords of Sheol encircled me; the snares of death lay in wait for me. He reached down from on high and seized me; drew me out of the deep waters. He rescued me from my mighty enemy, from foes too powerful for me.” Psalm 18: 5-6, 17-18
He sends us our heavenly Mother to aid and assist.
Our Lady is the refuge in the storm.
Climb up into this Tower of Ivory who elevates us, putting evil under our feet.
God has sent her to us as the true escape plan for His people from the destructive current of demonic attacks, vice, impurity and cultural confusion surrounding us. The brewing tsunami… the consequences of sin that are catching up to us.
Like a child climbing into the arms of his mother to escape the barking dog or tortuous sibling, flee to her protection through the Rosary and Marian consecration.
Her Immaculate Heart houses the Holy Spirit, her spouse. Life in her is life in the Holy Spirit. This is a life that is set apart, encompassing peace, joy and purpose which elevates us.
This is the current needed in our times that we hope will surround and consume us. The current of grace flowing through Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
“All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you when you obey the voice of the LORD, your God.” Deuteronomy 28:2
She brings us to the heart of her son: Jesus, who leads us to walk as His disciples. This empowers us to live as children of Mary, beacons of light in the darkness.
May Our Lady keep you safe in her in these dark times, and may you live in the joy of her protection.
I would like to share with you an encounter of the risen Lord I recently had. Although I had planned to spend Easter week in rest I was kept on my toes with a round of family sickness and our children’s crazy schedules. I felt thrown off from our daily routine and was struggling to maintain some equilibrium. When the moment came I could finally make a holy hour I grabbed it. I hurried into the van trying to stay focused on time so I could get back and tend to whomever may need me.
But I was halted for a moment by a smell. It was a scent of lilies.
Realistically speaking I knew the chance of flowers in our minivan was slim, but instinct led me to check. I scanned the area only to see the usual empty water bottles, snack debris and collection of boys’ shoes (the least likely source), which confirmed there were no lilies in this messy vehicle.
I recognized this was real and not my imagination as I remembered a past Easter.
I wrote here : https://hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2020/04/17/our-alleluia/ about a miraculous smell of lilies I experienced Easter of 2016, the year of mercy. This happened three times during the Octave. Although unmentioned in the post, I recall one occurrence of this being in our old minivan we had at the time, which was also messy with kid stuff.
That year I was in the midst of some difficult circumstances and was feeling challenged in moving into the Alleluia of the resurrection. These encounters of the risen Lord were an assurance of His great love and a reminder of His presence. I now see it was also an invitation to move from where I was dwelling into the freedom and joy of the resurrection.
I posted this story Easter of 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, a time when we were all challenged to experience resurrection joy in the difficult circumstances.
I think God has a personal resurrection message for each one of us. The recurrent floral scent this year I think is a sign of a repeating message for me . I see this in the Gospel account of Mary Magdalene at the tomb.
“But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” John 20:11-13
I can relate to Mary as she struggles to process the troublesome events that have unfolded, affecting her ability to enter into God’s presence. How often do we remain stuck as God desires to move us forward with Him?
“When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.” John 20:14
He sends Mary an invitation to encounter the resurrection, to walk in newness with Him.
“Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”“Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She replied, “Rabboni” (meaning Master).” John 20:15-16
Mary experiences the Alleluia. Overwhelmed with distress, the miracle of the resurrection is realized when He calls her by name. I wrote in my last post: https://hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2023/03/15/abundant-grace/ about God meeting us in in our barren suffering. For Mary, the greatness of the Alleluia is felt in her mourning and desolation.
Sometimes the Alleluia is magnified in its greatness because of when we encounter it. The joyful impact of Easter is strongest as we emerge from Lent.
The Gospel tell us Jesus drove seven demons out of Mary Magdalene. I feel this encounter with Jesus was the final piece sealing Mary’s deliverance. She is moved from blindness to awareness and into her identity, her wholeness. By her will, she chose to believe in the risen Christ. This freed her to move into the mission of spreading the good news.
“Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.” John 20:17-18
Jesus meets us in the most unlikely moments of our lives. This can be during our greatest difficulties as we process through disbelief, fear or grief. Or when we are just caught up in the daily stress of life that can distract us from being in His presence.
Heaven’s scent meets us in our mess.
If we are open to His voice we will hear the invitation to move forward and encounter the risen Jesus and receive His summons for us.
The daily news can be very burdensome for God’s faithful in our current times. Each day we do not know what will unfold in Our Church, political world or our children’s safety.
But we are Easter people.
“We are Easter People and Alleluia is our song.” Saint John Paul II
The invitation for Mary is the same for all of us. To come out of ourselves where we dwell in the tomb of blindness and listen for his voice. To walk in our identity and freedom of living out the power of the risen Christ in us.
To proclaim the joy of the Gospel.
This is our deliverance.
One of this week’s post Communion prayers at Holy Mass says it all:
“Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life.”
May you be touched by heaven’s scent this Easter and move into newness!
As Spring unfolds in this Lenten season, beauty is born in the barrenness and I am reminded of the Lenten journey we walked through just three years ago during the 2020 Covid virus shutdown.
Like many of you, my heart is pained when I recall this experience.
It was no ordinary Lent.
We encountered deep deprivation in the absence of family, community and the sacraments, as we were stripped of these most essential elements of our lives. The confusion has left many feeling fearful, abandoned and disoriented.
I still have not processed through it all.
It was a time of scarcity in which God’s people had to be intentional in finding abundance. Despite the evil in the deprivation and injustices, He sought to bring about a greater good and did so. “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”. Romans 5:20
This Lent He has brought this experience up to me in my prayer as a place he wants to heal and restore.
Beginning with this story…
During the shutdown, my husband and I committed to keeping our weekly date night we had before Covid. Even if it meant just taking a drive or sitting in the driveway, it was essential.
In our area we were blessed for some businesses to remain open, so one night we ventured out for curbside dining . We sat in the empty parking lot discussing our challenges: the need for sacraments, the hope to sell our home, how to find another home with so few available, and my struggle with anxiety familiar to many during this period.
Our need was great, but resources few.
I was looking out of the car window while thinking about these things, and noticed a Robin hopping along the pavement near our car. After a few minutes of watching her I sensed God’s voice speak into my heart: “Pay attention”.
She was searching for food in a thin layer of gravel on the pavement, right next to a large grassy area. She repeatedly stuck her beak in, only to come up with nothing. I wondered, why search on the barren pavement rather than the grass rich with bugs? I was pretty skeptical this bird would find any kind of a meal in this search.
After a lengthy period of coming up short, she finally pulled an enormous, plump worm right out of the gravel. Then I heard the words:
“You will find it where you expect least.”
At the time I felt this was an assurance about our future home search, but now I can see so much more in His words to me that day.
God does great things in scarcity.
In the barrenness of the COVID season, I found time with my spouse I did not have before because he was working from home. Our family grew in deeper Eucharistic reverence. We still continue to make a daily holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament which we started then. After re-open we were able to sell our home quickly because of the low house inventory, and found an amazing house in an almost miraculous way. The greatest thing God did for me personally during this time was to begin healing me of a life-long struggle with anxiety.
I remember well the day we discovered COVID had come to our area and we were about to shut down. We were at a church function and everyone was afraid to touch one other. When I got into the car, I felt God’s voice speak into me:
“You have two ways to go: the way of fear or the way of Trust. Which way will you go?”
As He presented me with this choice I sat very still, thinking. I knew if I stayed in fear where I had been most of my life, it could be like living Hell enduring what was upon us. Or I could allow Him to heal me and break free of this grip in the midst of crisis.
That day I chose by an act of my will to step out and begin letting go of fear. It was a process that took time, but that day it began. The healing came in and through the COVID pandemic. As terror was entering millions of people globally, mine was leaving.
Directly in line with God’s words to me about the search for worms, I found big healing where I least expected it.
God is amazing.
When we are depleted, He does His greatest work in us. We must empty ourselves so He can fill us with His abundant life.
Just as He did.
“Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” Philippians 2:7-9
The goodness he brought to our family during that time He has since multiplied.
How have you experienced God’s abundance through the difficulties of COVID? How do you find abundance in difficult circumstances?
It’s worth mentioning that I homeschool a household of adolescent boys, aiming to impart the straight and narrow to them in a toxic culture. At the end of the day, I’m depleted.
We are daily Communicants, which is where I get my food to do this. Many days I am crawling to the altar, feeling like I have nothing. I am learning this is just the disposition He needs to fill me with His life and multiply it.
“They all ate and were satisfied.” Luke 9:17
He takes our little and does much with it.
Whether your low inventory moments are during a pandemic, the penitential season of Lent or just in the daily dying to self, He works through our insufficiencies to bring forth life. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
After a period of coming up short, we can become doubtful God will provide. Then out of nowhere pops up the fattened worm, where we expect to find least.
I have written on this blog about the dry period in Our Church and need for renewal. I believe God will work through this time to bring about something great. And I believe a big piece of this will come from the graces flowing through Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
She knows what to do in deficiencies.
“When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”” John 2:3
“The headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” John 2:10
Our total trust in her care brings us the abundant life in the Holy Spirit, the good wine.
I am inspired by the breakout of revivals in the Protestant Christian church and I believe it to be a sign of the good wine God desires to bring to the Catholic Christian Church. I believe He will pour His Spirit upon us if we are emptied enough to be open. When we live in a time of scarcity and resources are low, I believe there will be a powerful explosion of grace which He will multiply.
Just as the the emptying season of Lent leads us to being filled with the Alleluia of Easter, so will God bring forth life from scarcity because we are Easter people.
“We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.” Saint John Paul II
As Lent begins, I would like to share a recent prayer experience with you. Imaginative prayer is my favorite form of contemplation. Every day I meet The Lord in conversation as we walk on the beach. Most days are filled with beautiful skies and flying birds. Some days are overcast, but either way we are always walking together.
On a recent walk He pointed out to me what we were walking on. It was a white aisle runner for a wedding.
I realized we had been walking on this all along but my eyes had never seen it. It stretched out before us and behind us on the sand as far as I could see.
He explained to me this is the path to heaven, the eternal marriage. When I walk with Him, my spouse, I am on the path to my destiny.
He showed me the path behind us and I saw places where my footprints had trailed off of the runner into the sand. I understood these were the moments of my life when I had walked apart from Him.
Some footprints trailed far away, making random patterns and going nowhere.
Eventually they returned back to the runner.
I also saw places where my feet came off the path a few steps then made a quick return. Other places showed part of a footprint straddling the edge.
This glimpse He has given me has been a great gift in my life and has brought change to my heart. I since have a firmer awareness and resolve to stay close to Him and examine the moments I came off the path.
When I was young I was not a faithful Catholic for many years. The long trail off of the runner showed this period of my life. Instead of being on a progression towards heaven, I was going nowhere. Only walking in circles.
Thankfully I came back into my faith as a young adult and returned to the path, walking instead of wandering. I stopped living for self because I knew there was something better.
In marriage we must die… to self.
Along this bridal path I have faced the daily struggle with sin we all encounter, straddling the edge of the path at times. The moments we lose our footing in the battle of the heart, where we must fend off the fiery arrows designed to throw us off .
After having this glimpse I have realized even the smallest sin is a step away from God. I don’t want to step away at all or even lose my footing. This requires an awareness of my sinful tendencies and a willingness to allow The Holy Spirit to purge them out of my life.
In recent years I have sensed Him speaking into my heart: “Stayon the straight and narrow”.
As time progresses in our era, it seems the straight gets straighter and the narrow narrower. The faithful are being bombarded by the lies of the Antichrist movement even in Our Church, and the tide of evil grows stronger against us. This affects how we must live on a daily basis. It is difficult to live the Gospel in our times.
Thank God for Lent.
This is a beautiful season which allows The Lord to purify our hearts so we are able to grow more intimately in our journey with Him.
“He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.” John 15:2
In the pruning season of Lent, we can learn to examine what leads us to step off the path and be purified of it, so we remain in Him and bear fruit.
“Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” John 15:4
What leads us to step off the path?
Distrust and pride.
Like our first parents who moved away from God because they thought they knew better. And the Israelites who wandered in circles for forty years in the desert because they believed God would not provide.
When we wander, the journey is thwarted and we go nowhere. His word tells us apart from Him, we can do nothing.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
In His great mercy He actively pursues us when we wander. He meets us right where we are to lead us back.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
He sends us an invitation to return and remain in Him. He walks with us through the sunny and cloudy moments of our journey towards heaven.
How do we remain in Him in the difficulty of our times?
Make The Eucharist the very center of your life. “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” John 6:53.
This is the source and summit of our being. I will write more about this in a future post.
Seek His Kingdom and live it on earth. “But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33
Discover His will for your life and the mission He has for you in our times. He will show you the way. “And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’” when you turn to the right or turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
Pray for the desire to live in His divine will. This requires pruning.
“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12: 24
Call on the Blessed Mother, who brings us to her son. She helps us learn to walk, like a good mother who assists her children struggling with equilibrium.
And if you have strayed, return.
He awaits you.
May you die to self this Lent and grow deeper in your walk with Him.
I love the alignment of feast days in the Christmas Octave. This week we are blessed to contemplate the glorious feast days of St Stephen’s holy death, the Holy Innocents and the sufferings of the Holy Family in their flight to Egypt. The Church in her wisdom has carefully positioned these feasts so our meditation does not remain at the manger, but follows Christ from the bed of hay into his suffering: our salvation and destiny. This is a grace and a gift.
Suffering and martyrdom… not what most of the world thinks of during the Christmas season. But as Catholics we are called to more.
As part of this year’s Christmas festivities, our family watched “It’s a Wonderful Life”. One of my favorite scenes is when George Bailey rushes home after his awakening and newly found appreciation of his life. He enters with great exuberance upon seeing the bank examiner with the warrant for his arrest, shakes his hand and joyfully proclaims: “Merry Christmas! I’m going to jail, isn’t it wonderful?”
Recently I was in a moment of motherly suffering. It was a moment in which some small annoyances felt much larger than their actual size, you know how it goes in family life. I was sinking in tiresome Christmas baking, missing presents, teenager drama and a dog who had banged into my leg with her head cone for what felt like the 100th time that day. This was when I felt God bring my focus to this movie scene.
Because of the gift of heavenly wisdom, George Bailey no longer saw his trials in the same light. Through an action of The Holy Spirit, his perception was illuminated and renewed. Gratitude enlightened his mind to see everything in his life as a gift, from the financial hardships, drafty house and broken stairwell knob to the warrant for his arrest. He gladly welcomed these sufferings because of his longing to be where God destined him: home.
The saints who died as martyrs joyfully welcomed their arrests, tortures and death so as to enter their heavenly home. Saint Maximillian Kolbe’s words before his last breath were: “Ave Maria!”. Saint Joan of Arc’s last words at the burning stake were: “Jesus! Jesus!”.
Saint Stephen: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
In following Our Lord from the manger to The Cross we will experience sufferings even as a type of martyrdom. For most of us this comes as the daily personal martyrdom of dying to self, which can be pretty intense.
The question is, how do we welcome suffering? I know for myself I have yet a little progress to make before I greet it with the exuberant handshake and proclamation of George Bailey or the heavenly praises of the martyrs. But it is my goal and I will get there with the help of The Holy Spirit.
In this very Holy Week, let us pray for the grace of Christmas to fill and illuminate us with a renewed vision: a greater love for our destiny, our heavenly home. And to share in the joy of the martyrs, the love of the sufferings that come with the journey.
May we kiss the broken stairwell knobs of our lives and echo the songs of the martyrs as we joyfully anticipate our heavenly home.
Thank you God, for the gift of your son.
“God so loved the world that He sent His only- begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Every year I look forward to the harvest season. This year it has brought me to a reflection on the coming of God’s Kingdom. In the area our family lives we have been blessed with an abundance of fields ready for reaping. Recently when passing by a corn field I remembered a story.
When we moved to a rural town it was early spring and the countryside was blooming. The most beautiful display was a vast field of yellow wildflowers we drove by on the way to daily Mass.
The field in bloom
It was a glorious sight which stirred up gratitude within me for the blessing of wide open spaces.
We admired this beauty for several weeks. However, as seasons change so must the scenery.
One day we noticed the whole field had wilted almost overnight.
Within a matter of days the golden glow had disappeared and an unsightly brown had taken over.
The barren field
The once beautiful spectacle was now a dry and withered eyesore.
The quick death made it obvious the flowers were killed so the field could be cleared for some purpose. We started to speculate that maybe it was going to be built on.
Being new to rural life we still had more to understand about the changing seasons of agriculture, so it was easy to make assumptions.
I thought more about the field being built on and what a disappointment this would be. Land lost to residential growth was a familiar concept to us.
Some background to this story: We had just moved from a suburban neighborhood that had been located in the midst of quiet countryside until a builder came in with a master plan. Soon to follow were bulldozers, noise and a departure of the beauty we once knew. This experience played a role in our discernment to move to wide open spaces.
I did not welcome the possibility of this happening again in our area and wasn’t up for living a repeat.
As the weeks passed I became more convinced of the field’s fate each time I drove by and saw the desolation.
I dreaded residential growth coming to our area and felt angry at whomever was about to move it here.
Each day in our drive by I noted the progress. At one point the dirt appeared to have been moved which further confirmed my suspicions. I was anticipating the arrival of the bulldozer any day now.
But then one day we noticed something.
Tiny blades of green poking out of the soil.
Which grew into a noticeable pattern of rows.
Well, I guess there was a different plan for this field then we thought.
I was relieved to see this was happening, but also felt foolish for grumbling about a scenario that didn’t even exist.
I sensed God had a message in this for me.
Over the coming weeks as I watched the sprouts grow into plants, I began to feel the Holy Spirit teach me about trust…
…and waiting
It is true the wildflowers were killed. But for a much greater purpose than we thought.
There was no arrival of bulldozers or builder with a master plan as I had anticipated. But instead The Master arrived with His plan.
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
This is how it is with us and The Holy Spirit. He brings change into our lives when we think all is well, to prepare the soil for something new.
“See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19
Although beautiful to look at, the flowers were not meant to last. They were actually weeds. What came next was designed to bear fruit.
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” John 15:16
On our spiritual journey we experience periods of God’s closeness and consolations, but also trials and darkness when God feels far.
How we respond to the trials is very important so we do not fear the worst. This is when it is important to persevere in prayer and Trust. This equips us with eyes of faith to see past the desolation, to the unseen where God is doing His work.
“As we look not to what is seen, but to what is unseen. What is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
The same is true in our relationships, especially in family life. In the sacrament of Marriage we experience joy and The Cross. We journey through periods of wedded bliss and also the difficult trials when God is clearing the field.
The trials require effort to focus on the unseen work of heaven and avoid the temptation to judge or become angry with our spouse. Prayer will help us to have patience and Trust as God is moving the dirt and planting the seeds of The Kingdom in the marriage sacrament.
And it is the same for parenting. There are many celebrations in raising our young, but also great challenges. New seasons of child rearing unexpectedly arrive which we feel unequipped for. It takes prayerful effort to avoid discouragement and frustration and to Trust it is only a season in which God is growing them.
“See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient.” James 5:7
The same principle holds true for the journey of living in our times.
Like many of you reading this, I grew up in a much simpler time. Although not perfect, it was certainly more peaceful. People generally knew who they were and the family was considered a model for society. Telephones were connected to walls and people spent time together with undivided attention. Things were mostly good.
Now it seems we are living in a time of growing distress. Evil has a grip on the world and we wonder when it will end. Many people wonder why we must live through such times as these and fear what could come next.
My brothers and sisters, Saint Paul tells us: “where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” Romans 5:20. Distress is in the eye of the beholder. These are our times whichwe were created for. We have been given the mind, heart, gifts and graces for these times to help us thrive and build His Kingdom.
“The field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.” Matthew 13:48
I wrote here : https://hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2021/02/24/unpaved-road-ahead/ about Trusting when we don’t know what lies around the bend. In this story, I almost turned around and missed the glory of the Great Continental Divide because of fear. The road was bumpy and I lacked Trust in what I couldn’t see.
In the wake of the dead wildflower field I experienced something similar. My field of vision became clouded from judgement and fear.When I noticed the dirt had been moved, I worried about what came next.
But it was only the tilling of the soil.
I believe God: the Master Builder, is incorporating His plan of building His Kingdom here on earth.
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” Mark 4:26-27
The Holy Spirit is moving in our times to create something new. What can appear to be devastation is really a season of preparation. I believe we will experience something glorious just beyond this era, in a new season. A time of peace and an outpouring of The Holy Spirit. I wrote here: https://hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2021/11/23/giving-birth/ about preparation for birth. Labor pains can come on suddenly, but if we are trained up in focusing on the things of heaven and how to breathe, we will thrive through the contractions.
The Holy Spirit is our breath. When we have a relationship with this person of the Blessed Trinity, we have peace and are able to live in the joy of The Kingdom in all circumstances.
Just as God first sent us the Holy Spirit in the early rains of the birth of Our Church, I believe He will come alive in Our Church just when we need it… in the late rains.
Growth takes time but God is in the waiting.
“Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” Mark 4:28
“And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” Mark 4:29
As I continue to pass by this field I am reminded of God’s goodness.
God is always working, but we do not know what He is doing “For who has known the mind of The Lord?” 1 Corinthians 2:16. He takes care of all things in proper time.
He is a mystery and for this I am thankful because it reminds me of how Great He is and how little I am. The seeds of His Kingdom grow, but we know not how.
We must be patient in seasons of waiting… first comes the blade.
The best is yet to come. Be patient, Trust and look forward to the joy of The Holy Spirit.
In God’s perfect timing, I had been meditating on Psalm 139: The Inescapable God, when the monumental news of the Roe v Wade overturning came. God is good!
Our nation was under the curse of legalized abortion for 49 years. But God’s hand has just lifted this from us, all praise be to Him. We have prayed, pleaded and cried out to Him for many years, wondering when He will answer us. He has just given an answer, as if to say: “I am going to end this. The battle is not over yet, but I will end it with my hand.”
I would like to share with you where the Holy Spirit has taken me in reflection on this amazing event and beautiful Psalm of David.
Psalm 139 is a reminder of how well God knows each one of us, surrounding and protecting us as His faithful followers. I find His Word to be very comforting here:
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You beset me behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5
Beset means surrounded and covered, which paints a beautiful image of being hemmed in by God completely.
How amazing to realize we are known, loved, and surrounded.
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.” Psalm 139: 6
His hand is upon His faithful much more than we realize. The overturning of Roe v Wade points to this great reality.
It brings to mind a miracle of God’s hand I once experienced.
Several years ago our family was on a trip visiting relatives and late one evening a conversation ensued about coming trials and tribulations, a time of great evil and darkness. Something spoken along the way triggered a feeling of uneasiness within me. This was during a period of my life in which I battled anxiety.
Worry about the future and things we had discussed began to overtake my mind at bedtime, which made falling asleep difficult. I did my best to pray and stay calm, I was pregnant at the time so calm and sleep were a priority. But the more I tried to relax the more anxious I felt. This battle went on for what felt like an eternity. Just like our suffering under the curse of legalized abortion, I began to wonder when God would answer.
Then something extraordinary happened.
I felt a large hand come down and rest on me. It was so large that it covered my whole body. I will never forget the sensation. It was familiar, very much like my husband’s hand. It had a similar comfort but was different. It felt spousal. My husband was asleep next to me and this was not Him.
“You beset me behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5
A feeling of warmth moved through my body like a wave, beginning at my head and moving down to my feet. I felt such peace. I remember resting in this peace for a moment before falling asleep.
When I awoke in the morning I recalled the experience and felt it was an act of God. I have held this in my heart over the years and will be expanding on it more in a future post on spousal love.
Since then I have pondered what God wanted to show me through this encounter. Very often when God moves or speaks in our lives there are multiple tiers of meaning He desires to impart to us. Over time I have come to understand some things.
First is the understanding of His omnipresence. He is present to His faithful always, in all situations. And in times of uncertainty and distress He is closest to us, especially when we call on Him. In fact He is so present to us, there is nowhere we can go to escape Him.
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of dawn and dwell beyond the sea, even there your hand guides me, your right hand holds me fast.” Psalm 139: 7-8
I also have a greater understanding of His magnificent power. Just the touch of His hand extinguished my fears. God can do anything. There is nothing more powerful than He.
I also feel He conveyed to me that night His desire to bring peace. I cried out for help and He answered. He calmed the storm within, as if to say: “I hear your prayer, I am here.Peace, be still.”
“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
I was different after this. Over time I began to interiorize more deeply the things of God. His power and responsiveness to our needs, His peaceful presence and healing hand.
Even after this extraordinary experience, there was still a battle ahead. His hand lifted something that night, but what followed was a healing that took time. More was needed for me to be freed of anxiety. Just as He has done with His faithful in the Roe v Wade overturning, He placed His hand upon me and my unborn child as if to say: “I am going to end this. The battle is not over yet, but I will end it with my hand.”
God finishes the work He starts. Through the action of The Holy Spirit, I have since been freed of lifelong fear and anxiety. Praise be to Him! This has brought me the long-lasting peace that surpasses all understanding.
My hope and prayer is that God’s faithful will now be able to move forward with a greater awareness of His power and presence, and responsiveness to us. He desires to bring us peace, as if to say: “I hear your prayer, I am here.Peace, be still.” It is true that the battle of abortion remains, because more is needed for humanity to be healed and freed. We are in need of a global deliverance. This will involve some labor pains which I wrote about here: https://hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2021/11/23/giving-birth/
It will take a miraculous action of The Holy Spirit to bring this about. When The Holy Spirit moves, He brings us conviction of our sins and a greater understanding of who God is and who we are in Him:
Precious and unrepeatable, known and loved.
“You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.” Psalm 139: 13-14
This undeniable Truth brings healing and freedom. When humanity can begin to recognize their own dignity they will see it in the unborn child. I believe the overturning of Roe v Wade is a test. God has expressed His will and desire to end abortion. Will people accept this or continue to accept the lie?
For our nation to truly live out the freedom we are built on we must be healed. I believe God’s hand will move to end this battle and His Spirit will pour upon us in a way that is unimaginable. Through this I believe humanity’s sense of who we are in Him will be restored. Then we will experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.
In the meantime, pray for The Holy Spirit: The Helper, to come to us and bring a new Pentecost!
Recently our family was blessed to go on a wonderful beach vacation. We enjoyed it, but as is the case with most vacations, there were comforts of home to be missed. Mine was drinking water. My taste has been a bit spoiled by the pure water source in our home. Other water just doesn’t compare and sometimes still leaves me thirsty.
In my thirst, I felt The Holy Spirit bring to my mind the story of our well. I would like to share this story of God’s goodness with you as we draw near to the Feast of Pentecost.
About a year ago our family moved to the country and we have been building a homestead. This has been a step by step process which has taken a lot of planning and discernment. As we have prayed, my husband and I both felt we should get a well.
There have been some challenges along the way in bringing this to fruition. We spent a long period on a waitlist for the drilling. After several months the well company finally came, only for us to discover the size and weight of their drilling vehicle was not conducive to our property. So we had to turn them away.
Thankfully we found another company with a better vehicle. This was followed by more waiting though, including weather delays. Ground conditions must be just right to drill for water.
Finally the day arrived.
There is a joy in fulfilling something you feel God is leading you to do. Because of our humanity, there is also some nervousness in the unknown. This is definitely the case with drilling for water.
When the drill begins, the end point is undetermined. You might reach water at 100 feet, 600 feet or more. The cost is also undetermined. It is based on how deep you drill. And although it is rare, there is the larger risk of not reaching water at all. Drilling for water takes a leap of faith.
Before the workday arrived the contractor had showed us a map of the wells in our area and their depths. It seemed we had a good chance of hitting water quickly.
But, no guarantees.
Although we were saying yes to God in doing this our hope was for an inexpensive, shallow well.
The ground breaking was exciting.
Well drilling is a fascinating process. Large drilling rods are loaded onto a rig and driven into the ground one by one until water is reached.
Then a metal casing is inserted to seal and protect the well from groundwater contaminates. This provides a clean and sturdy vessel for water to adequately flow through.
We watched them do this for awhile. 100 feet… 200 feet. A few hours into it they were still loading and drilling at 300 feet.
Each new pipe loaded onto the rig brought with it an anticipation and excitement of hitting water soon.
400 feet… now we could see this well was not going to be quite as shallow as we had thought.
Load, drill, repeat.
And so this went on throughout the day.
At the end of the day they had drilled to 500 feet and had not reached water yet. They told us they would need to come back the next day to continue.
I was not feeling as much excitement as before. Just how deep will they have to drill?
The pile of rock sediment in the yard was growing.
It’s a funny thing about our humanity. When we step forward do God’s will, sometimes we assign our own expectation to the outcome.
When the next day arrived we knew we needed grace for this walk in Trust, so we went to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Afterwards, our pastor who had been praying for our well reassured us: “Today is Our Lady of Lourdes, you will hit water.”
When we returned home the rig was still at work.
Jesus, I trust in you.
By mid-day the depth was 600 feet and they were still drilling.
Load, drill, repeat.
Each new pipe loaded onto the rig brought with it a hope of the end.
I won’t mention what the pile of sediment in the yard was like now. And the fun the kids and dog were having in it.
Then the driller asked us an important question: “Do you want us to keep going?”
There was a temptation to stop, but it didn’t make sense to. We knew God had a plan, a purpose and a mission to accomplish through this. So we gave them the ok to press forward.
The waiting and anticipation began to feel like thirst.
700 feet and no water yet.
This drill was going deeper than we wanted it to. We wanted to Trust in God’s plan, but this was hard when thinking about the cost.
I turned to the Blessed Mother in the Rosary and made a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. While we were at prayer, the drillers penetrated through a thick layer of bedrock that lies deep underground in our area. Through this rock flows a rich abundance of water.
Water from a rock
Drilling through this was the most pressing and laborious phase. In hindsight I can see how this paralleled our interior trial.
The contractor said as they drilled through this layer, the sediment coming out of the ground change to a beautiful blue color. Which is interesting, because this was the same time I was petitioning The Blessed Mother.
Then… it happened.
Water at 780 feet
I felt such relief and a deep sense of celebration. God finishes what He starts!
There are great advantages to having a deep well. Especially one that reaches into the bedrock. In the depths of this rock flows a rich supply of clear water, so abundant that it is unaffected by drought.
The disadvantage of a deep well is it is more work to extract water. There is physical labor in pumping by hand and a higher cost for an electric pump.
But it was evident God was already blessing us with an abundance of clear water, surely He will provide the means to retrieve it. So we prayed for God to bring water that could be drawn out easily.
Then something interesting happened.
A few days later our youngest son noticed a stream of water trickling from the well cap. We thought it was a leak. After inspection it was discovered to be not a leak, but instead a natural flow of water.
The inspector told us we have what is called an Artesian well, which is rare to come by. These wells have water that flows from natural pressure without a need for pumping.
our well filled to the top with water
trail of water from the well
This creates a continuous flow of water, like a spring.
God is so good. Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.
The name comes from Artois, France where historically the best known flowing wells were dug.
How remarkable to find water on Our Lady of Lourdes feast day, then discover the type of well is like a spring from a rock and has an origin in France. And all as an answer to prayer.
To me, this was the evidence of Our Lady’s hand .
In Lourdes she asked St Bernadette to drink from the water in the ground.
She was asked to step out in faith although it seemed crazy. And the result was a spring. A continuous flow of healing water still present today.
There were moments during this adventure we wondered if we were crazy. And questioned if we were doing the right thing, especially when the drill started running deep.
But there is an important thing I have learned in all of this. God is so very big.
When we Trust in Him, He will do big things. It is no coincidence that when I gave greater surrender over in prayer, the flow of water came.
“Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls.”
Saint Faustina’s Diary entry No. 1602
When He asks something of us, we have to be All In. Which means accepting whatever comes with the yes we have given.
I can see how the drill through the bedrock symbolized our struggle in trusting His outcome.
Like the Israelites.
While in exodus God provided so much for them. But yet they became anxious and fearful, not trusting their needs would be met.
So He gave them water from a rock.
“They did not thirst when he led them through dry lands; Water from the rock he set flowing for them; he cleft the rock, and waters welled forth.” Isaiah 48:21
At the start of this project our hope was to have a simple shallow well. But He had a different plan.
It took time to recognize the blessings He was giving us in this, which surpassed the cost.
So often in our humanity we do not Trust what Our Heavenly Father wants to give us. Or we expect little.
But He has more.
In our trials and tribulation it is easy to get caught up in stress and fear, wondering when the end will come.
“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of ChristJesus.” Philippians 1:6
The weight of our trials can sometimes feel very pressing, like the labor of drilling through bedrock.
Or like the labor pains just before birth. Our well drilling experience felt very much like labor pains to me. The waiting , the unknown, the anticipation…thewater.
I believe as God drills through the layers of evil and sinfulness in the world, we will be freed and He will pour His Spirit upon us, like water.
For us individually, if we are open, He will fill us.
Just as ground conditions must be just right to drill for water, the soil of our hearts must be just right to receive His Spirit. Our wills have to be open and ready for Him to do His work within us.
As disciples we need to be healed and freed of our wounds and sinfulness, the things that place a barrier between us and The Lord.
The bedrock.
When are open to The Holy Spirit He permeates us.
Boring through the layers of muck and hardness in our hearts, providing a firm casing so we can live in freedom as clean and strong vessels for Him to flow through.
Sometimes the work that God wants to do within us takes time. And He may go deeper than we want Him to.
But there are benefits to going deep. Through the layers you reach the rock: Jesus. Out of Him flows clear, abundant water, unaffected by drought. Water from the rock
“Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’” John 7:38
The water is where we are healed, like at Lourdes.
Drilling through bedrock can be uncomfortable. But we have Our Dear Mother in heaven, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, to accompany us. As a good mother she is with us through the most difficult labor pains, helping us to give birth.
In Jesus the rock, is Our Lady who brings us to her son. Like the blue rock that came out of the bedrock during the drill. This happened near the end right before they reached water.
After the drill comes the blessing. The never ending stream of clear, good tasting water to drink from, which flows out to others from us.
Do you thirst for the good water that satisfies? Sometimes we grow accustomed to drinking the water that is not the most flavorful.
But God has more.
I’m talking about the Holy Spirit.
Now is the time for Catholics to boldly ask God for more.
Just as He told the woman at the well: “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10
He desires to fill us to overflowing with His Spirit. So like the artesian well, His love, mercy and grace will pour out of us continuously, reaching far and wide in ourChurch.
“Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
We have been in a dry season in Our Church for a long time, which I wrote about here : hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2020/05/29/breath-in-the-valley/
I sense that God is calling His faithful in these times to discover their gifts and put them into action for His kingdom which I wrote about here : hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2021/05/19/come-with-your-fire/
This Pentecost I invite you to drink of the water that gives life. Be open to The Holy Spirit! Be blessed, be filled .
“And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us “. John 1:14
I hope you all are finding peace in this joyous season of preparation.
Our family recently embarked on the journey of Christmas tree shopping. We normally wait until right before Christmas to find a good live tree, and usually at a great discount.
Well this year was a little different.
But as always, God in His omnipresence revealed His glory.
This past year we moved to a rural area, so this year I had some high expectations of finding great live trees on farms… only to find that everything around was very picked over. There were lots of what I would consider to be of the “Charlie Brown” variety: small, thin, lots of bare spots. Scrawny. This seemed to be the case everywhere we looked.
In this tiresome quest to find the perfect tree I began to consider purchasing an artificial. At least it would be full and have shape.
However, I found a nursery some distance from us that had larger live trees for sale. We drove up excitedly hoping to find something good, and ended up selecting one that was ok… which was the best of what they had. Well, at least it was tall.
When we set it up in our living room, I was disappointed.
It was more bare and uneven than what was obvious on the tree lot. No matter which we turned it, there was just no hiding the empty spots. There were too many.
Our Christmas tree this year
It seemed like it was just not meant to be for us to have a good, thick tree this year.
You know how sometimes you are in those situations where you just cannot get around something? No matter what you do, you can’t change the situation? This is where God is.
In my irritation I knew it was time to get out for my daily prayer walk, my medicine of Rosary combined with exercise. I prayed and gave my disappointments to The Blessed Mother. I lamented the fact that we ever even bought this ridiculous tree and the regret of spending any money on it. I felt ripped off. Should have gotten the artificial.
But I also experienced some guilt in my disappointment. Christmas is about the Incarnation, so why should I even be bothered about a tree? In the end it doesn’t matter. Which is true.
But there was a message in this.
As I gave my concerns to Our Lady, an image came into my mind of a Christmas book we have:
If you follow this blog, you know that God speaks to me most deeply at times through children’s literature.
When The Holy Spirit brought me the image of this book through Our Lady’s heart, I began to understand.
In this story, the pine trees growing in a European Forest do their best to look perfect in their appearance in hopes the queen will choose them as the Castle Christmas tree. They stand sturdy, refusing to move so their shape will be full and even.
However, one tree realizes the necessity of moving its branches
to guard
protect
and nourish the life around it.
When the Queen comes to the forest, this tree is ashamed because now its branches are uneven, thin and it has lost its perfect shape.
However, she sees something very important in it: the animal tracks underneath, the bird feathers and the holes where needles once were, that was food for wildlife.
Understanding fills her heart when she realizes the role of this tree and she brings it home to the castle.
God’s message in this for me went deep.
Firstly, in looking at myself and my need to do things perfectly…to be perfect. My disappointment in the tree was a reflection of this. My need to hide flaws. To be perfect in God’s sight.
In recent days, I have felt Him stop me when I experience disappointment in myself, stemming from a need to do everything right. Especially in my motherhood.
Last night before going to bed I realized we had forgotten to pray the O’Antiphon with our family Advent devotion. Right away I blamed myself for this. How could I forget something so important? I then felt His hand draw my eyes to the book sitting there.
The spirituality of St Therese of Liseux teaches that God is most attracted to us in our imperfections, when He sees our desires to please Him and our Trust in His mercy. Our littleness.
A funny thing about parenting and our human nature, we tend to notice mainly our flaws and mistakes.
But God sees so much more.
He spoke into my heart about how I had given myself entirely to my family that day. Like the tree with the bent and bare branches: protecting, feeding, giving life.
Like Jesus.
He showed me how He is pleased with me in this, and my disappointments are from standards I hold myself to.
God, in His infinite perfection, came down to us in the most imperfect of circumstances.
He was born of a perfect woman, who may have been ostracized because of being pregnant without a husband, during a time and in a place of ungodly leadership.
And in a stable with animals. Lying a in a feedbox to symbolize how He would become food for us.
Bethlehem means “House of Bread”.
“He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye, no beauty to draw us to Him.” Isaiah 53:2
And how one day he would give His very life for us.
“He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of great suffering, knowing pain, like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held Him in no esteem.” Isaiah 53:3
So He could come to us in The Most Holy Eucharist.
Where we are transformed, becoming more like Him.
“Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28
How beautiful we are to The Lord when we give of ourselves.
our tree decorated
This is what it means to live Eucharisticaly.
This Christmas, may you experience the power of God’s self-giving love in His son, Jesus.
![750+ Corn Field Pictures [HD] | Download Free Images on Unsplash](https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/corn-field-in-agricultural-garden-and-light-shines-sunset-picture-id1308606393?b=1&k=20&m=1308606393&s=170667a&w=0&h=tkED9HrJQWyHJy3KzBgjH70MgK3ZVMJS-u9w5D0DK1U=)
Breath of God 