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I will be brave!

Published on October 28, 2015February 8, 2017 by Dawn Marie4 Comments

It’s another Wednesday for Saint Maria Faustina KoWalska (what else,)

with a brief reflection on the Divine Mercy of God:

“Speaking of Christian mercy, we are referring to acts which are morally good. Theology not only describes human acts, but also gives the criteria for their moral evaluation. Action (also human thought) plays an extremely important role in every human life for it shapes and forms one’s personality and attitudes, and influences the development of one’s spiritual life, or does the opposite – humiliating or degrading a person, and inhibiting his or her development as a human being and as a Christian. It is actions that speak about who a person is; they influence one for good or evil; they reveal one’s similarity or dissimilarity to the image of the Son of God. Every action leaves a trace in man, multiplying or reducing the good; this is why human choices, decisions and actions are so extremely important.” Beauty and Richness of Mercy p.28

One of the many admirations I have for Saint Faustina (and truthfully ANY of the Saints) was her bravery. I marvel at the ability to act on the ‘Will of God’. There were critical moments, for all of them, to internally evaluate the choice God had presented. Each circumstance, different and unique in their own lived-out life; yet, each were called upon to make a Choice for themselves. And each, despite the doubt or difficulty involved, chose to take that brave step of trust!

God strummed upon their hearts in ways they eventually heard.

Have I been listening to the ways He has been speaking to my heart? These past two weeks God has presented me with 3 beautiful examinations (of conscious & heart,) to ponder. Each of the 3 have been a ticker-tape display of thoughts billowing down and around.

#1 As I volunteered in a Ministry I am a part of I pondered: Do I use the gifts/talents God has entrusted to my care? Do I use them wisely? Enough? Do I nurture them? Share them? Or have they grown stagnant? Do I bravely claim them, use them, and glorify only God through them?

#2 Came as a result of recently spending some beautiful time with the relics of Saint Maria Goretti. Her relics are currently on a tour throughout the United States for the first time as a Pilgrimage of Mercy, and Cuppycake & I spent some time with her during the scheduled stop in Columbus, Ohio. (Amazingly our daughter also shared in this grace when her parish in Chantilly, Va hosted St. Maria’s relics & also our eldest son as her remains made their way to Atlanta!) She is The Patron Saint of Purity and Forgiveness: Have I forgiven all the harm done to me? To my loved ones? Have I forgiven myself for the ways I’ve failed to be His representative? Am I pure in thought and deed toward others and self? Do all my actions represent pure intention of glorifying only Him?

#3 While at a movie theatre viewing WOODLAWN: (God can be so imaginative and present Himself just about anywhere our hearts have been left open.) Several lines strummed my heart-strings but it all began with, “Sometimes old dreams must die for new ones to begin.” What HAVE I been dreaming of, Lord? Have I held on too long to dreams not meant to be fulfilled? Have I missed the ones You desire for me to complete? Will I trust you enough to believe this messy, sometimes cruel, all-the-while wonderful life You have given me has been a portion of what is necessary, to reach “The Real Dream” of being with You one day in Heaven?

And suddenly I feel brave.

Because My heart sums it all up for me…

#1 Love what has been given to you. (For if YOU love who God has created you to BE…gifts, lumps, bumps & all…you will generously give yourself away…unapologetically!!) Because God must love it…it was His GIFT for you!

#2 Love beyond measure. (Thoughts but especially deeds and no matter the cost to you! God will never forget what you have forgiven.)

#3 Above all things…Love! (Even that which dies away must be cherished and loved for it has brought you to where you stand today. And it is what will lead you to where you wish to go…)

And so, I have written this 5 word message in my phone to look at in those moments I lack courage…

“Today I will be brave!”

Won’t you join me?

hugs n’ blessings to everyone stepping into their brave shoes!

Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours today was a beautiful affirmation He is speaking, (as He does everyday)…

and bravely I practiced listening!

“My commandment is this: love one another as I have loved you.” ~Antiphon 1

“There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.” ~ Antiphon 2

“You are my friends, says the Lord, if you do what I command you.” ~Antiphon 3

Psalm 63:2-9

A soul thirsting for God!

“O God, you are my God, for you I long;

for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you

like a dry, weary land without water.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,

my lips will speak your praise.

So I will bless you all my life,

in your name I will lift up my hands.

My souls shall be filled as with a banquet,

my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.

On you I muse through the night

for you have been my help;

in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand holds me fast.”

All about Helen!

Published on October 5, 2015October 5, 2015 by Dawn Marie9 Comments

Today is the Feast Day of my gal-pal, St. Faustina!!!!

(aka: Helen Kowalska before taking her vows as a Sister of Our Lady of Mercy!)

And oh, how I love her!❤️

We have even named our dog after Helen Kowalska! — Our dog’s name is…Helen Kowalska too!

In 2014 as I began reading St. Faustina’s personal Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, I had no idea the spiritual growth I would experience from the written experience of her life-lived out. But today I lift up prayers of gratitude for all I have gained through her example! God has moved me forward, in many aspects, as He clarified for me during that time spent reading her Diary, what it means to love beyond measure…regardless of the burdens or sorrows that may come. She continues to guide me and remind me that everyone deserves mercy!

I will always be grateful for this gift and the immense peace which has remained in my heart as a result.

Our Parish priest, Fr Larry Richards, has taught us a wonderful way of incorporating scripture into our daily lives. We have learned from him:

“No Bible, no breakfast! No Bible, no bed!”

This morning I decided to do my “breakfast portion” of Scripture in our Chapel prior to Morning Mass. And since it is a day all about her, I invited my gal-pal St. Faustina to be with me as I invoked the Holy Spirit; hoping she’d nudge Him in a direction that was merciful!

“Speak to me Your Word, Oh Lord, that I may know you, love you, and serve You.”

And (as I’d hoped in my heart) St Faustina, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, (I believe) nudged Him in a kind & gentle direction; affirming what has been (being) revealed to me for quite some time. As I randomly broke open the Word this is where He rested my eyes:

Lamentations 3: 55-62 & 24 “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for help!” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me; you will judge my cause! You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me. Lord, you have heard their insults, all their devices against me—what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long. …”The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.“”

A grateful giggle bubbled up inside me because of course St. Faustina would know the words I would rejoice over in celebration of this day for her! This restful heart He has been strengthening in me, she too found rest in these words as others mocked, judged & spoke poorly of her. And this is why she is so close to my heart! Her courage, to follow the ways of her Lord, despite the suffering she endured, has shone a light on my own humble attempts to love others despite what is returned to me. And to pray always for a conversion of heart; especially for those in need of the grace to love unconditionally in return.

Thank you St. Faustina!

For giving abundantly to me, through your example, with each reminder of what it means to place our trust in Him!

Enough thanksgiving from me…now it’s ALL ABOUT Helen!

When this saint was born in Poland on August 25, 1905, her parents named her Helen. In her short life on earth, she carried out the important mission of teaching the world about the mercy of Jesus. From the time she was seven years old, Helen knew she wanted to live a life consecrated to God as a sister. When she was twenty-five, she entered the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, taking the name Sister Faustina.
Her work was simple. She cooked, tended the convent garden, and answered the door. Her kindness, serenity, and spirit of recollection were remarkable. But few people knew the real depths of her spirituality. God blessed Sister Faustina with many extraordinary gifts, including visions, prophecy, and invisible stigmata.
In one of the visions Sister Faustina had, Jesus appeared in a white garment. He raised one hand in blessing and touched his heart with the other. Two rays of light, one red, the other pale, spread out from his heart. The red ray represented the saving blood of Christ; the pale ray stood for the cleansing water of Baptism. Jesus said, “Have an image painted just as you see me, with the words ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’” Jesus told Sister Faustina that the Sunday after Easter was to be the Feast of Divine Mercy.
Sister Faustina kept a diary in which she wrote down everything that Jesus wanted the world to know about his mercy. In it, she wrote about prayer as a loving relationship with God. Jesus told her that she was his secretary. It was her special work to encourage people to trust in the limitless mercy of God.
Jesus promised forgiveness and abundant graces to anyone who would honor the Feast of Divine Mercy. Devotion to Divine Mercy consists in trusting in God’s goodness, loving one’s neighbor, remaining in the state of grace with the help of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and receiving Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday.

After only thirteen years of religious life, Sister Faustina died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938. She was thirty-three years old. Pope John Paul II declared her a saint on April 30, 2000.

Jesus told St. Maria Faustina, “I expect you to show mercy always and everywhere. You cannot excuse yourself from this.”

The best way to show that we trust in the mercy of Jesus is to be merciful and forgiving to the people who hurt us.

Are we willing to do this?

hugs n’ blessings to all those who love enough…to forgive!

Helen reminds us to pray for all those who (for today,) cannot! — Helen reminds us to pray for all those who (for today) cannot!

(Part Three) The DM Trifecta!

Published on August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 by Dawn MarieLeave a comment

On Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000, before some two hundred and fifty thousand pilgrims and the television cameras of the world, Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska, ‘the great Apostle of Divine Mercy’. In doing so, he also approved the Divine Mercy message and devotion by declaring the Second Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday” for the universal Church. In one of the most extraordinary homilies of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II repeated three times that Saint Faustina is “God’s gift to our time.” She made the message of Divine Mercy the “bridge to the third millennium.” He then said, “By this act of canonization of Saint Faustina I intend today to pass this message on to the third millennium. I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their neighbor. In fact, love of God and love of one’s neighbor are inseparable.

Yippee!!

Today is the final day for the completion of my first blog-series!

The release of the third part in The DM Trifecta!

I have loved writing this three-part series and am grateful for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in doing so. (Because…I’m not that smart, without Him, don’t you know!) I do pray it has inspired you to grow just a little closer to God.

As St. Faustina showed to the whole world, Christ desires us to embrace and immerse ourselves in His Grace and Mercy. May each one of you experience the power of the Blood and Water that poured out from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy, and may each of you find confidence and trust in this ever-present love of God!

Over the course of the past three Wednesdays…

because every Wednesday is for Saint Maria Faustina KoWalska (what else,) with a brief reflection on the Divine Mercy of God, here at hugsnblessings….

we have over-viewed the following:

The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
The Hour of Mercy

Today we will complete The DM Trifecta by looking at how each of us are called to examine the third part of this series, as partakers in

Spreading the Honor of The Divine Mercy

In short, St. Faustina’s mission consists in reminding us of the immemorial, but seemingly forgotten, truths of our faith about God‟s merciful love for men, and in conveying to us new forms of devotion to The Divine Mercy, the practice of which is to lead to the revival of the spiritual life in the spirit of Christian trust and mercy!

In discussing the essential elements of the Divine Mercy devotion, the spreading of the honor of The Divine Mercy as one of them is important, since certain promises of Christ are related to this as well: “Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire life as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior” (Diary, 1075).

The essence of The Divine Mercy devotion is found in the Christian attitude of trust in God and of an active love toward neighbor. The Lord Jesus said: “I desire trust from My creatures” (Diary, 1059), and He expects them to exercise mercy through deeds, words, and prayers. And further: “You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it” (Diary, 742). Christ wants those who worship Him to perform at least one act of love of neighbor in the course of each day.

Isn’t that beautiful! Isn’t that a world we all imagine? A world of expressing mercy through our words, deeds, and prayers to our brethren. Every day. No excuse. No reason to hold back.

The spreading of the honor of The Divine Mercy does not require many words, but always the Christian attitude of faith, of trust in god, and of becoming ever more merciful.

In her lifetime St. Faustina gave the living example of just such apostolic work. There is nothing that man needs more than Divine Mercy, that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights of the holiness of God. There is no greater time than now to become particularly aware of this. Christ himself chose to pass on to our generation through Saint Faustina this message. And it is a message that is clear and understandable for everyone. Anyone can come, look at this Image of the merciful Jesus, His Heart radiating grace and hear in the depths of his own soul what Saint Faustina heard, “Fear nothing l am with you always” (Diary, 586).

My prayer, brothers & sisters in Christ, is that you understand the great apostolic work that lies before YOU too. These aren’t lofty goals we’ve been given!

They are real, tangible, lived out missions we’ve been entrusted with!

May each of you find the courage, wisdom, and guidance necessary to trust in Jesus as you Spread the honor of His Divine Mercy!

Jesus, I trust in You!

and…may these hugs n’ happy blessings be with you as you do!