Praying for the Stars and Stripes

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Today, July 4th, marks the anniversary of a day in 1776 when the 13 colonies claimed their independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was signed and adopted and continues to be a guiding force in our country today though many people have forgotten exactly what it says. Most will likely recognize this sentence from history class but perhaps, amid all the backyard barbeques and fireworks displays this weekend, we all could find a little time to refresh ourselves on the document in its entirety and recall precisely how our country was born. 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I’m thanking that Creator everyday for all the blessings He’s given me. I ask everyone to please pray for our country, not just today but all days and in all seasons.

A Prayer for our Country

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection. Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of marriage and family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life. Amen.

A State of Grace

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Photo by Photo by Arina Krasnikova

Our family is currently celebrating the arrival of a new member. We welcomed a new niece into the world recently and are over the moon to soon meet this beautiful baby girl. In the days leading up to her birth my sister was on a mission, hunting for parishes all over town in search of priests available to administer confession. She was determined to be in a state of grace when bringing her daughter into the world.

What a beautiful gift to their family to know that this new momma was in friendship with God when she gave our parents their first grandchild! On one hand, being recently confessed was a safeguard for my sister, should anything go wrong during the birth. Thankfully, it didn’t and both mother and baby girl are healthy and happy. By ensuring she was in communion with God as much as possible my sister also enabled her daughter to be born surrounded by grace and love. What better way to begin a holy and blessed life? It was the very best running start my sister could give. 

This got me thinking about how often we all run to confession when embarking on a journey or undergoing an important medical procedure. Life is full of risks and of course it’s not feasible to receive absolution from a priest every time we cross the street but it’s certainly something that should always be forefront in our minds as we proceed through life. The Catholic Church requires that its members receive the sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year but how often on any given day do we turn away from God, even in small, seemingly mundane ways. We need sincere and regular Reconciliation to maintain a state of grace to receive Holy Communion and to be in friendship with Christ. 

My husband and I generally try to make it to confession every couple of weeks and emergency, short notice Reconciliation is rare for us at this point but as Catholics we all ought to leap at the opportunity to renew our relationship with the Lord. We should all run to confession as often as possible even if it means hunting all over town for available priests.

This is Amazing!

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Walking with Jesus in Glenwood Springs

The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, in my childhood home no less! It’s such a blessing to encounter stories like this, especially ones involving the vibrant, gorgeous Colorado town where I grew up. This was a welcome read and I’m sending prayers to the community of St. Stephen Catholic Church that they can continue to walk with Jesus in all things.

I Need My Man

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In a world full of girl bosses intent on shattering that (imagined) glass ceiling the “I don’t need no man” attitude is nearly inescapable. It’s everywhere and often accompanied by some amount of condescending head bobbing and finger snapping. I’ve certainly fallen prey to it in the past. It’s so pervasive in society that it’s even seeped into the hearts of practicing Catholics.

We heard it in our very own Catholic marriage prep while in discussion with current married couples. One woman boasted this logic even as her husband sat beside her. How can you imply that you don’t need a man when the man you vowed to give your life to sits quietly by? What can possibly be his purpose in this arrangement if you’re so perfectly invincible on your own? If this is true, why on earth did you get married in the first place?

Ignoring the implied and overt rudeness which comes with this statement, it’s not a sentiment I share. Of course everyone, regardless of gender, is capable of great worldly success by their own merit. You can do anything you set your mind to if properly driven. As Fr. Mike Schmitz highlighted in his Catechism in a Year series, no human on Earth is half-made. God created us to be complete beings in His image, each a union of the body and soul. But without each other, we are unable to carry out God’s ultimate will for us to “be fruitful and multiply.” Men and women are complements to each other, both equally necessary to share in God’s work of creation.  

Can you honestly say that there is any undertaking in life that would not be improved and made easier by the assistance of a supportive and loving spouse? Are you really so flawlessly competent that you’re better equipped to take on the world on your own than beside a man who has promised to cherish and protect you? We are a society so utterly incapable of admitting our own deficiencies that we would rather spend our lives alone and hurt our loved ones in the process than confess the reality that we might actually need them, that we are in fact better together. 

Yes, I need my man. I’m human, fallen and in need of God’s saving grace. I’m error prone and could have easily been distracted on many occasions from the path to holiness if not for the man walking beside me, and we’ve barely been married a year. I was successful, independent and financially stable before I ever met my husband and my life has become infinitely better since then. It brings me unending relief and joy to follow him as we both journey toward the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Photo by MART PRODUCTION

Every now and then, the reality of my Catholic infancy is driven home in a moment of ignorance as was the case last week when I almost missed a very important day on the liturgical calendar. On June 16th Catholics everywhere celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was the Friday following the Corpus Christi octave and, much like Divine Mercy Sunday, this Catholic feast calls to mind God’s unconditional love for us. Out of this love He sent His only Son to live among us and with a human heart, thereby enabling our salvation brought forth through Christ’s death and resurrection.

“We love because He first loved us.” (John 4:19) Although the feast has come and gone, the entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the perfect time to begin or renew this particular devotion to our Lord.

An Objective Opinion

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I’ve been known to gush about my mom in writing on a number of occasions. She’s every bit the sort of aggressively hospitable woman I strive to be. She’s passionate, spontaneous and extremely pushy when it comes to her loved ones living their best lives. However, today’s post is about Dad, the generally unsung hero in our lives; a man of logic and straight lines and hard work. 

Throughout my childhood the need for two loving parents, a mother and a father, was always abundantly clear to me. They serve very different purposes for their children. Dad was the objective opinion in our household and still is to this day. He’s the calm voice of reason in times of crisis, whether that crisis be my broken down Audi halfway between my summer internship and school or a big breakup with my long-time college boyfriend. He’s my go-to when work gets tough or the AC goes out in my house and was the help hotline the first time I did my taxes. 

Even before we came to the Catholic faith, my dad embodied the ideals of St. Joseph, the patron saint of families, fathers, engineers and workers to name a few. Over the years, my dad’s constant mission was to provide and care for our family. It was far from easy at times and there were many long nights at the office but he always made sure to be home for dinner. Thanks to his dedication, my sister and I enjoyed a carefree childhood of bedtime stories and goodnight kisses, memories which we both still cherish to this day. 

As we grew up and began to encounter trials of our own, we were always able to lean on his example. It’s why anything less than our best never quite cut it in our house. I also know that many of the blessings that my sister and I enjoy are largely due to the constant prayers which my parents send up on our behalf. Thanks Dad, for all of the prayers and objective opinions over the years. We love you!

He’s a Romantic

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We recently passed one year as husband and wife and did not miss the opportunity to celebrate. I’m still baffled at the lengths to which the hubby will go to woo and spoil me. After driving for less than an hour we came to Serenity Springs, a set of romantic cabins for two tucked in the woods. They were complete with idyllic ponds filled with friendly ducks, geese and one polite swan as well as some short walking and biking trails through the trees. Our two short but happy days honeymooning at the cabin were the perfect way to welcome in our second year of married life. All of this was entirely planned and orchestrated by my wonderful man. Thank God for sending me such a romantic!

The Near Occasion of Sin

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For a large portion of my life I believed, as many people do, that my actions mattered more than my thoughts. I was raised to be a good law abiding citizen, to respect my elders, to be kind and courteous and compassionate to everyone, whether I liked them or not. However, I also felt free to think whatever I wanted. By this logic I could judge random folks on the street for everything from their poor taste in shoes to their questionable smoking habits so long as I remained polite and civil in my words and actions. I could call my sister all manner of unfortunate names when she annoyed me as long as it was only in my mind. I could engage in a profane and road ragey tirade every time someone cut me off in traffic as long as this tirade could never be perceived by fellow drivers.  

Thought matters. God knows our hearts and our minds. It’s why we graciously thank our friends and family for all of those birthday presents that we didn’t even ask for. It really is the thought that counts and even if we didn’t get exactly what we wanted we know that those gifts all came from places of love. 

Our thoughts precede our words and actions which is why it’s generally far easier to avoid negative temptations altogether than to try to resist them. This is exactly what we are called to do as Catholics. At the conclusion of every Catholic confession the priest provides us with a penance to perform in reparation for our sins and asks us to recite an act of contrition in which we “firmly resolve with the help of God’s grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.” Sinful thoughts can lead us to all manner of situations in which we turn away from God; the sin of scandal, jealousy, or even the worship of false gods through addiction. In today’s fast paced world with a wealth of entertainment and information at our fingertips it’s easier than ever to fall into an endless screen addiction. 

We are all called to be Christ for the world even in those moments when no one is watching. To live truly Catholic lives we must always work to keep our thoughts, words and actions clean and to approach every situation through the lens of genuine love and service for our neighbors. 

God Bless the Grill Master!

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This is not a nature photo but these home cooked BBQ ribs that the hubby tended for four hours on his day off looked too good not to share. I can confirm they tasted as delicious as they look. ‘Tis the season! It’s a time of year when all the grill masters take charge of Saturday night dinner and thank God for that! Although we try to live liturgically and abstain from meat on Fridays, the week is full of opportunities to fire up the grill.