Come as a Servant

The spirit of gratitude was upon you

For He had cured you of your many infirmities.

Magdalene, Joanna, Chuza and Susana,

In a time when it was uncommon for women to be in ministry,

Your faith and strength led you from your homes in Galilee. 

You gathered together your belongings

And in joyful service set out with Him and the Twelve

As He journeyed from town to town…….. 

Day by day you were with Him as He preached the good news of the God’s kingdom.

Your spirits danced within His presence as His love and mercy showed no bounds.

You understood when He said that He had come to serve and not be served,

And you vowed to follow in His footsteps.

Oh holy women of Galilee, pray for us that yearn to follow Him today,

That we too, may have the grace to come as a servant.

(Adapted from Luke 8 1:3 and Mark 10:32-45)

Pass it on...

In the days of your prophet Deborah,

You saved Israel by the hand of a woman.

In quiet wisdom she stood beneath her tree,

Guiding the searching ones in your Law.

She saw the threat of tyranny to her simple people.

She came to you for help and you answered her.

She listened.

Miryam of Nazareth, Woman of Strength & Wisdom, Ann Johnson, Ave Marie Press


Like Deborah beneath her tree, quiet time with the Lord refreshed my soul. Thankfully, we have a neighboring church close by that has an adoration chapel; I love to visit it often.

I can’t help but notice when I am there the number of women present, it’s a wonderful sight. Many have their rosary beads in hand, a few have open bibles, some just sit quietly with eyes closed, and others hold journals on their laps, with pen in hand.

Like Deborah, they bring their cares and their gratitude to the Lord. They come to Him for help, in their union with God, He hears them and answers. His gentle spirit embraces them as it does mine; together we are strengthened for what lies ahead.

I am thankful for the holy women that God has put in my life, especially those in my own family. Like the women in the chapel, their faith, courage and strength, have been such an inspiration to me. I only pray that I can pass it on.

Who do you have in your life to be thankful for? Who has been a blessing in your life? Please let them know, it is up to us to pass it on.

Do Your Part and Trust Him To Do The Rest

In the days of the beautiful Esther

You saved Israel by the hand of a woman.
In graceful obedience the young Hadassah came before Ahasuerus, mighty king. 1



Something in his eyes told me he was troubled, that he might be hurting. Yet, something in his demeanor told me that he wasn’t ready to talk about it; not right now. However, a woman knows her own very well and long after he had said goodbye I could still see the look in his eyes.

Heal within him all that is wounded, was my prayer for him.

Later that day, while driving home, the prompting of the Spirit stirred within my heart. “Bring your burdens to me and I will give you rest”, was my invitation from the Lord.

So I went to a nearby church and found the Lord waiting for me, exposed in the most Blessed Sacrament. Kneeling before Him, He welcomed me with the gift of peace. Gratefully, I unburdened my heart  on his behalf and the prayer of Esther came to my mind.

“My Lord, my king, you alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you” Esther, Chapter C;14

The image of Queen Esther and the thought of her graceful obedience filled my thoughts. Through fasting and prayer she interceded for the salvation of her people Israel. And God in his great mercy heard her cry for help and answered her plea.

As I meditated on this image, I knew the Lord was telling me to go and do the same. Be obedient, do my part and trust him to take care of the rest. I thanked Him for the answer he gave, and prayed for the grace to do His will.

As Esther sought solace for her fear,
So do I seek comfort in these terrible times.
As Esther heard the death-cries of her people,
So do I hear the cries in my own days.
As Esther would have given her life for her people, so would I give mine.
As Esther’s actions empowered her people in their struggle, so would I act………. 2

My God, my rock, my all,
My trust is in you alone.

1,2   Miryam of Nazareth, Woman of Strength &  Wisdom, by Ann Johnson 

Vocare

I'm not sure if it was the snoring of our dog or if it was the restlessness of my husband that roused me from my sleep last night. What I do know is that it was 3:00 a.m. and I was staring into the darkness of our room rather than enjoying the peacefulness of my dreams.


Turning to my side and tucking the blankets tightly around me, I tried to go back to sleep, but a single word kept playing over and over in my head, "vocation". I had read an article before going to bed this night entitled “The Vocation of Christians in American Public Life” which led me to reflect on my own vocation as a Catholic wife, mother, grandmother, and woman in the world today.

As I thought about the vocation I have been called to, I thought about the strong women of faith in my own life, the ones closes to me that have led me by their examples, like my mother and grandmother. I thought of the many women of faith that I have prayed with in our times of need; I thought of the women of courage and conviction I have read about like Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day.

The woman I thought about the most however, was our Blessed Mother Mary. Called to be the “Mother of the Redeemer”, Mary showed us how to fulfill our call to spritual motherhood by becoming the handmaid of the Lord. She was ready to serve God according to His will.

I came to realize that in following Mary's example our vocation cannot be a passive one, but an active call to action; after all her beloved Son was considered quite radical.

According to St. Louis de Montfort’s "The Secret of Mary", this calling requires a sincere desire for the gift of humility, unceasing prayer, complete self-denial, abandonment to divine Providence, and obedience to the will of God.

This is a tall order for most of us; it sure is for me, and the grace and help of God is absolutely necessary for us to put these virtues to practice. But, just like anything we strive to achieve; we must first desire to achieve it.

God bless you and yours always.




Take From Ave Maris Stella

Virgin all excelling,

mildest of the mild,

free from guilt preserve us

meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless,

make our way secure

till we find in Jesus,

joy for evermore.