Breath of My Soul

COME, O Creator Spirit blest,

And in our souls take up Thy rest,

Come with Thy grace and Heavenly aid,

And fill the hearts which Thou hast made. 1

Spirit of Christ, breath of my soul, joy of my heart;

It is Your “Divine Wisdom” that I seek.

Help me this day and always to,

Deny myself all that is in me,

That keeps me from You.

Grant me the grace to conquer my pride,

And to be ever mindful of the words that leave my lips.

 

Spirit of Christ, breath of my soul, joy of my heart;

May I never seek greatness in this world,

But, through holy obedience,

Prefer the role of a servant.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow

The Father and the Son to know,

And Thee through endless times confessed

Of both the Eternal Spirit blest. 2

(1,2) Veni Creator

Persistence

The jelly beans were in a glass jar up on top of the counter when my granddaughter, just under the age of two, quickly spotted them. Her grandpa had given them to her before and she remembered how much she had enjoyed them.


She ran over to the counter, looked over at me with expectation and said, “Candy”. I gave her a few of them and walked away, thinking I had satisfied her, only to hear cry out louder, “Candy”. “I just gave you candy “, I replied. “Candy, candy, please!” she continued.

Though I was reluctant to give more at that time, she was so persistent, I eventually gave into handing her a few more.

God requires that we be persistent. Recall the parable that Jesus tells about the necessity of praying and never losing heart. 1

"In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.

"There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.'

"For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,

yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'"

And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said;

now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?

"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:2-8

God wants to demonstrate His love for us by responding to the needs we present to Him. 2

Prayer: Lord, we are your children, may we always look to you with expectant faith , knowing you care about our every need.

(1,2) Benkovic, Johnnette. Full of Grace : Woman and the Abundant Life, Servant Publication. 1998 ed.

Blessings

Day is done. Everyone here has quietly settled in for the night. The house is peaceful and it’s a perfect time to pray and reflect on all that has gone by.


As I sit here by the lamplight, my heart is filled with gratitude for I am given an awareness of the many blessings God has sent me this day.

Blessings come in many forms. Today my blessings came in forms of laughter shared with family and time spent well together, attending holy mass with my husband and neighbors, but most of all, receiving Christ in the Eucharist; the nourishment of my soul.

I end this day with the Fifth Luminous Mystery, “The Institution of the Eucharist”, fruit of the mystery, love of our Eucharist Lord.

1. I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

2. Jesus took bread, blessed it: "Take and eat, this is My Body."

3. Taking the wine: "This cup is the new covenant in my Blood, shed for you."

4. At that eucharistic meal, Jesus celebrated the first Mass.

5. At every Mass the sacrifice of Calvary is made present.

6. At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Orders to perpetuate this sacrifice.

7. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."

8. The Eucharist is a sacrifice inasmuch as it is offered up, and a sacrament inasmuch as it is received.

9. In the Mass we offer ourselves to God, and God gives himself to us.

10. The Mass will be fruitful in the measure of our surrender to the Father.



Prayer: May I grow ever mindful of your presence in the Eucharist, may my longing for you increase.



The Luminous Mysteries

Not Again!

She had struggled with her quick temper many times in the past, and many times she had told herself that she wouldn’t let it get the best of her next time. But, here was next time and she was behaving the same way! “Why did I do this again”, she asked herself.


Overcoming personal struggles are not easy. Even the Apostle Paul said, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate (Romans 7:15).

The Lord knows we aren’t perfect, but, I think He appreciates our struggle. In our struggle we acknowledge our flaws and we open ourselves up to change. It is our openness to change that draws us ever closer to Him.


Prayer: Lord, I acknowledge to you that I am not a perfect person. Grant me the grace I will need today to continue the struggle with a grateful heart, and to make amends with anyone I may have offended.

The Decision

We make many decisions in our lives.

Some of these decisions are easy and some of them are hard. You see, every decision that we make requires something from us; it requires a “yes” or a no.

When the angel came to Mary and told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of our Lord her decision was an immediate “yes”. “I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

As women, God calls each one of us by name and asks us if we will bring His Son into the world today. He asks us to carry Him in our hearts, and to birth Him into the lives of others.

Like Mary, we have a decision to make. God will never force us to do anything. And, if we say “yes” like she did, it will require something from us.


Prayer: Lord, give me the graces I need to decide for you today, that I, too, may be a bearer of your Son.

The Juggler

Her juggling act was superb! The more she practiced, the better she got. And, it seemed as though every week she was adding another ball, then another ball. As a result,her juggling act was getting bigger and bigger, and  practice took up more and more of her time, until it consumed her.

 

She began to get cranky, a sign of fatigue. And the simple things she loved to do, well, there just wasn’t time to do them. Depression was becoming a frequent companion. Happiness had lost itself along the way.


Driving home one night, after another long day of juggling, she drove by a church and decided to go in. As she entered, she blessed herself with holy water, and taking notice of how quite everything was , she took a seat close to the tabernacle.

It took a minute or two to settle herself down; she was so use to juggling. As she relaxed, many thoughts, memories and people came into her mind. She began to talk to God in a way she hadn’t done in a long time, and wondered why it had taken her so long to come there.


When she was done talking, she just sat there before Him, silently and peacefully. And when it was time for her to go, she thanked Him for listening and for being there. She felt so refreshed, and wondered if she would continue to juggle as much as she had before.


Prayer:  Lord, help me to see my addictions for what they are, and grant me the grace to overcome them.


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Be Open

They had both been complaining about each other for years. It was often a complaint about small things that they had let grow into big things. But, it was always about something.

“I’ve told him many times” she would say, “but he just doesn’t get it”. He would shake his head as he told his friend, “You can’t tell her anything, she never listens”.

And so it went. They had both become so sure that it was the other one that was wrong; they became deaf to one another.

Sadly, this situation happens all too often to many of us in married and family life. We think we are right and our pride takes over. As we close our ears, we close our hearts.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus looks up to heaven and groans, and said "Eph'phatha," that is, "Be opened." (Mk 7: 34). He is referring to the deaf man that He has just healed. But, the Lord is calling each of us to be open as well.

Prayer: Lord, open my ears to your word and my heart to forgive.

The Gift

A strong set of lungs and a face like an angel were the first thoughts I had of this little granddaughter of mine.

I held her in my arms and looked up at her father, whom I had also held just like this many years ago.

Offspring of my offspring~joy of my heart.Suddenly, the term family tree had taken on a new meaning; it became a reality.

The gift of life is so precious.

'Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession (Genesis 48:4)

Prayer "Thank you Lord for precious gift of life"

Dawn in Suburbia

The alarm clock goes off, the bathroom light goes on, the dog yawns and my husband kisses me goodbye. It’s 4:50 a.m. and I am grateful that I have about twenty more minutes to lie here before I get out of bed.

The weekday morning routine seldom varies. The coffee pot is percolating and this quiet time alone with God is my favorite part of the day. Funny, I never thought of this before, but caffeine and the rosary are an awesome combination! The caffeine stimulates me, while the rosary strengthens me providing the grace I need to start the day.

Today, while praying the Sorrowful Mysteries, I think of Jesus carrying His cross, and wonder what the day will bring. Family and friends come to mind, and I entwine these thoughts of them between each small bead.

Dawn in suburbia brings hope and promise. Today is a gift to be used wisely.

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5: 11).