Come Away and Rest Awhile

Come Away and Rest Awhile:

A Catholic Life: Prayer for Patience in Accepting God's Will

A Catholic Life: Prayer for Patience in Accepting God's Will:

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PrayerCards

PrayerCards:

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Year of Faith

St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

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God's Plan

PERFECT   LOVE
~ Author Unknown ~

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone. To have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God to the Christian says, "No, not until you're satisfied and fulfilled and content with living, loved by Me alone and giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me, to have an intensely personal and unique relationship with Me alone.

"I love you, My child, and until you discover that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with Me -- exclusive of anyone or anything else, exclusive of any other desires or belongings.

"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow Me to bring it to you. You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait.

"Don't be anxious and don't worry. Don't look around at the things you think you want. Just keep looking off and away up to Me, or you'll miss what I have to show you.

"And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love far more wonderful than any you would ever dream. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready, I am working this minute to have both of you ready at the same time, and until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me and the life I've prepared for you, you won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me, and this is perfect love.

"And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love. I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me, and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty and perfection and love that I offer you with Myself. Know I love you. I am God Almighty, believe and be satisfied."

Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of...

Compline with the Nashville Dominicans

Danielle Rose - The Saint That is Just Me - YouTube

Danielle Rose - The Saint That is Just Me - YouTube:

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150 Reasons Why I'm Catholic (You Should Be Too!)

150 Reasons Why I'm Catholic (You Should Be Too!):

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Daily Readings of the Catholic Church

Daily Readings of the Catholic Church:

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Daily Meditations from 'The Journey'

Daily Meditations from 'The Journey':

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Leticia Velasquez - A Special Mother is Born

Sacrament of the Sick

Lord God,

you have said to us through your apostle James:

 “Are there people sick among you?

 Let them send for the priests of the Church,

and let the priests pray over them,

anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.

The prayer of faith will save the sick persons,

and the Lord will raise them up.

If they have committed any sins,

 their sins will be forgiven them.”

Lord, we have gathered here in your name

and we ask you to be among us,

to watch over our brother/sister 

We ask this with confidence,

for you live and reign for ever and ever.

God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and reconciliation of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, +
and of the Holy Spirit. 
R. Amen.

LAYING ON OF HANDS

In silence, the priest lays his hands on the head of the sick person.

ANOINTING

The priest anoints the sick person with blessed oil.

First, he anoints the forehead, saying

Through this holy anointing
may the Lord in his love and mercy
help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. 
R. Amen.

Then he anoints the hands, saying:

May the Lord who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up. 
R. Amen.

Father in heaven,
through this holy anointing
grant N. comfort in his/her suffering. 
When he/she is afraid, give him/her courage,
when afflicted, give him/her patience,
when dejected, afford him/her hope,
and when alone, assure him/her of the support of your holy people. 
We ask this through Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
by the grace of your Holy Spirit
cure the weakness of your servant N. 
Heal his/her sickness and forgive his/her sins;
expel all afflictions of mind and body;
mercifully restore him/her to full health,
and enable him/her to resume his/her former duties,
for you are Lord for ever and ever. 
R. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ,
you chose to share our human nature,
to redeem all people, and to heal the sick. 
Look with compassion upon your servant N.,
whom we have anointed in your name
with this holy oil for the healing of his/her body and spirit. 
Support him/her with your power,
comfort him/her with your protection,
and give him/her the strength to fight against evil. 
Since you have given him/her
a share in your own passion,
help him/her to find hope in suffering,
for you are Lord for ever and ever. R. Amen.

May God the Father bless you. R. Amen.

May God the Son heal you. R. Amen.

May God the Holy Spirit enlighten you. R. Amen.

May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.

Tony Melendez - Never Be The Same

Another Perfect Stranger (Subtitrat)

The perfect stranger

Empty me by Chris Sligh

My Cross

My most beloved Jesus,

I embrace all the sufferings

You have destined for me.

I beg You by all You suffered

in carrying Your cross,

to help me carry mine

with your perfect peace

and resignation.

I love You, Jesus my love

I repent of ever having

offennded You.

Never let me saparate myself

from You again.

Grant that I may love You always

and then do with me as You will.

Laura Story - Blessings

dependence on god - About.com : Christianity

dependence on god - About.com : Christianity:

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Acceptance is an important ingredient

in the recipe of SURRENDER.

To ACCEPT what is,

what has been, what could be.

To accept one's tears and one's cross.

To accept one's joys without the guilt

of feeling that one does not deserve

the treasure she has found.

Much of our suffering comes from

non-acceptance.

Much of our energy is wasted

resisting what already is.

Acceptance however,

does not mean accepting evil,

of not giving a fight to do what's right.

But it means fighting in another way,

a fight that does not focus on resisting evil,

but that which focuses on

surrendering and attracting what is good.

Through acceptance, we defeat our denials.

We accept the darkness for what it really is.

But we remain unafraid,

knowing that darkness

cannot prevail over the light.

When we are of the light,

no darkness can defeat us - ever!

Holding Heaven

Holding Heaven by Ron DiCianni | Christian Art - Christian Framed Prints | Tapestry Productions

"I Will Carry You" - Selah

There were photographs I wanted to take

Things I wanted to show you

Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes

Who could love you like this?

People say that I am brave but I’m not

Truth is I’m barely hanging on

But there’s a greater story

Written long before me

Because He loves you like this

So I will carry you

While your heart beats here

Long beyond the empty cradle

Through the coming years

I will carry you

All my life

And I will praise the One Who’s chosen me

To carry you

Such a short time

Such a long road

All this madness

But I know

That the silence

Has brought me to His voice

And He says…

I’ve shown her photographs of time beginning

Walked her through the parted seas

Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes

Who could love her like this?

I will carry you

While your heart beats here

Long beyond the empty cradle

Through the coming years

I will carry you

All your life

And I will praise the One Who’s chosen Me

to carry you

letting go

Sometimes you have to let go

to see if there was anything

worth holding on to.”

The Cross

The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on His Elect on earth. There is nothing so necessary, so beneficial, so sweet, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus. If you suffer as you ought, the cross will become a precious yoke that Jesus will carry with you.

St. Louis de Montfort

To Find My Strength By Natalie Grant

To Find My Strength

Sometimes my heart gets weak,
Sometimes my soul feels 

 the edge of the night.
Sometimes my will, my foolish pride,
Carries me far, 

far away from Your side

And when I lose my way, I know 

I look to You to find my strength.
Carry me to the end of my days
A steady hand to lead me through,
Arms of faith to bring me back to You
I will keep my eyes on love,
Set my heart on things above
When my soul is so afraid,
I look to You to find my strength

Sometimes my hope, it slips away.
Sometimes my dreams 

 come crashing down
Sometimes my life, this crazy life,
Has a heart, has a heart of its own

And when I lose my way, You know

I look to You to find my strength. 

Carry me to the end of my days
A steady hand to lead me through,
Arms of faith to bring me back to You
I will keep my eyes on love,
Set my heart on things above
When my soul is so afraid,
I look to You to find my strength

When the tears keep pouring down,
And my lips can't make a sound,
I know You hear my prayer,
And Your strength is always there

I look to You to find my strength.
Carry me to the end of my days
A steady hand to lead me through,
Arms of faith to bring me back to You
I will keep my eyes on love,
Set my heart on things above
When my soul is so afraid,
I look to You to find my strength

And when I lose my way, I know

I will keep my eyes on love,
Set my heart on things above
When my soul is so afraid,
I look to You to find my strength

And when I lose my way, I know...

Natalie Grant "The Real Me"

The Real Me

Foolish heart looks like we're here again
Same old game of plastic smile
Don't let anybody in
Hiding my heartache, will this glass house break
How much will they take before I'm empty
Do I let it show, does anybody know

But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Cause you see the real me

Painted on, life is behind a mask
Self-inflicted circus clown
I'm tired of the song and dance
Living a Charade, always on parade
What a mess I've made of my existence
But you love me even now
And still I see somehow

That you see the real me
Hiding in my skin,  I'm broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Cause you see the real me

Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me
You're turning the tattered fabric of my life into
A perfect tapestry
I just wanna be me,  I want to be me.

But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Cause you see the real me
And you love me just as I am

Wonderful, Beautiful is what you see
When you look at me...

Prayer

"God speaks in the silence of the heart, and we listen. 

And then we speak to God 

from the fullness of our heart,

 and God listens

. And this listening and this speaking 

is what prayer is meant to be: oneness with God,

 oneness with Jesus."

 

“I know that I have to move from speaking about Jesus to letting him speak within me, from thinking about Jesus to letting him think within me, from acting for and with Jesus to letting him act through me. I know the only way for me to see the world is to see it through His eyes.” 

Making all things new

Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our lives. It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness . . . But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us.” 

Being the Beloved

Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life 

because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the 

"Beloved".  Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of

our existence.” 

― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

True Friends

“There is a twilight zone in our hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Even when we know quite a lot about ourselves-our gifts and weaknesses, our ambitions and aspirations, our motives and our drives-large parts of ourselves remain in the shadow of consciousness. This is a very good thing. We will always remain partially hidden to ourselves. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves. We will never fully know the significance of our presence in the lives of our friends. That's a grace, a grace that calls us not only to humility, but to a deep trust in those who love us. It is the twilight zones of our hearts where true friendships are born.” 

Compassion

Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear,  confusion, and anguish.  
Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears.  
Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless.  

Compassion means full immersion in the condition of  being human.” 

Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and  broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.

Hope

I have found it very important in my own life to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in hope.  I am finding that when I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God,  something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen for me.

(Finding My Way Home)” ~ Henri J. Nouwen.

Gratitude

Gratitude ... goes beyond the "mine" and "Thine" and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.

Reclaim your identity

For as long as you can remember, you have been a pleaser, depending on others to give you an identity.  You need not look at that only in a negative way.  You wanted to give your heart to others, and you did so quickly and easily.  But now you are being asked to let go of all these self-made props and trust that God is enough for you.  You must stop being a pleaser and reclaim your identity as a free self.”

Caring Friends

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” 
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey

My Journey in Faith

 

 

"though he was in the form of God, [

Jesus] did not deem equality with 

God something to be grasped at. 

Rather, he emptied himself, taking 

the form of a slave, coming in 

human likeness; and, he humbled 

himself, becoming obedient to 

death, even death on a cross"  2:6-8).

I Look to You

I Look to You

I love this song.  I've probably heard it 1,000 times over the last week.  I fell in love with it on Glee. Then when Whitney Houston died last week, they have played it over and over.  R. Kelly wrote this song for her.  Yesterday he sang it at her funeral.   Truly beautiful.

When I started this blog, it was just an experiment.  I used to write a lot.  I've even published a few articles about grieving and in regards to the Ministry I feel the Lord is leading me.  I guess I have had a "writer's block".  

So, not too surprising, I turn to music to help me out...  I used to write the music too.  I have not even played the piano or guitar in several years.  It's not that I don't have the thoughts,  probably have too many thoughts, but I'm having trouble getting the words out and on paper or typing at the computer.  It is wonderful that when I cannot find the words myself, I can share the music with you. Music can transport us to experiences, people, places, makes us happy, sad, etc.  St. Augustine says that "He who sings, prays twice."  God knows what is in the depth of my heart. 

The last few years have been challenging to say the least.  My health problems, being on a feeding tube for over 4 years now.  Port-a-cath's. CT Scans, Blood clots and a mass in my left lung, now with acute renal failure.  Blood thinner shots daily in my abdomen... too much one week, not enough the next.  I don't get over one thing before I get something else.  I told one of the Sisters that I am not scared.  Well, I am anxious. Even our Lord asked our Father to take the cup. He was subject to the Father's Holy Will. It would be easier if we knew exactly what the problem is, so we can either treat it or accept it.   Is "this" my Cross that God has sent to me? I must pray for healing and also for surrender. 

I turned 50 in October, and I have to think about a lot of things.  Especially my health.  We are all going to die one day.  We are not guaranteed the next breath we take. our very next beat of our heart.  I have always said I would rather die of a disease rather than heart attack or in an accident.      

So, right now I lay it all down at Jesus' feet.  I can do that... but most of the time I take it back.  I guess a game of  "tug of war."  

Let the words to this song speak to you...

I Look to You

As I lay me down

Heaven hear me now

I'm lost without a cause

After giving it my all

Winter storms have come

And darkened my sun

After all that I've been through

Who on earth can I turn to?

I look to you

I look to you

After all my strength is gone

In you I can be strong

I look to you

I look to you

And when melodies are gone


In you I hear a song


I look to you




About to lose my breath


There's no more fighting left


Sinking to rise no more


Searching for that open door




And every road that I've taken


Led to my regret


And I don't know if I'm gonna make it


Nothing to do but lift my head






I look to you


I look to you


After all my strength is gone


In you I can be strong


I look to you


I look to you


And when melodies are gone


In you I hear a song


I look to you






My levees are broken


My walls are coming down on me


My rain is falling


Defeat is calling


I need you to set me free


Take me far away from the battle


I need you to


Shine on me!


I look to you


I look to you


After all my strength is gone


In you I can be strong


I look to you


I look to you


And when melodies are gone


In you I hear a song


I look to you


I look to you