Pray for Peace

 

Praying for peace with all my heart.

-Susan

Thank You For Your Yes!

 

 Lent is quickly approaching! An overwhelming thought came to mind as I considered how I would try to grow closer to God through the Mass and the sacraments. "Thank you, Lord, for the gift of the priesthood! How truly blessed are we to have men dedicating their lives for our sake. St. John Vianney said, "A priest is not a priest for himself; he is for you." So please join me this week, giving special thanks to priests throughout the world. They work tirelessly for the Lord and for each of us! How dismal life would be without the graces of the sacraments.

-Susan

@dwellingwiththespirit Thank you for your yes! #catholic #fyp #priest #inspiration #inspirational #lent ♬ Thank You Lord - Chris Tomlin, Thomas Rhett, Florida Georgia Line

The video includes inspired words from St. John Vianny. 

Making My Dreams Come True

 

  I woke up this morning to my usual routine. Half-awake, half asleep, I follow my dog to the backyard door. As I slid the door open to let him out,  the entrance to one of last night’s dreams opened as well. Today, my yard is filled with snow and ice, but my dream showed me a beautiful summer day.  

  Last night I found myself standing in the middle of my yard when a friendly face from my past walked towards me. “I think you should move the garden to the middle of the yard,” my friend said.

  “Why would I do that? I like it over there on the side. This way, I have all this open space to do what I want.”

  “Because it doesn’t work that way. The garden has to be in the middle if you want it to grow.”

  The idea seemed ridiculous to me as I looked across my yard. I was about to argue when I noticed my friend was gone. I saw the packs of seeds he left behind. Seeds of hope, love, kindness, peace, and faith. I suddenly understood my friend’s suggestion. The garden of my dreams needs to take center stage in my life. It’s not something that should grow neatly in the corner. I smiled as I realized how wise my friend had become.  

  My dog brushed by me as I stood in the doorway, eager to get back inside the warm house. As we headed towards his bag of treats, I looked at him and said, “I think today is a good day to do some digging!”

-Susan

Trust Me

 

 I watched my daughter and granddaughter play the "trust game" earlier this week. "Go ahead and just fall back," my daughter said. "I'll catch you." My granddaughter didn't even hesitate as she just fell backward. My daughter caught her as promised, and they laughed before doing it again. 

 Later that evening, while praying, I suddenly remembered their trust game. Trust suddenly became a focus of my prayers. Trust definitely isn't a game; it is the key to changing your life. St. Faustina was instructed to have the sentence "Jesus, I trust in you" underneath the Divine Mercy Image of Jesus. Two of the central themes of Divine Mercy are to act mercifully to others and to trust in God's merciful love. Jesus told St. Faustina, "The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is--trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive." (Diary of Divine Mercy).

 I've decided to devote the next week to honestly reflecting on how much I trust God. I would like to invite you to do the same. This week ask yourself, "What problem or fear am I praying about? Do I really trust God with this situation? Do I really trust His Plan, or am I expecting Him to consult me for suggestions?" Perhaps the reason Jesus said we need to become like children to enter the kingdom is because children don't have as many trust issues. So often, adults tend to worry, analyze, and try to control. Do yourself a favor and allow yourself to fall into God's arms. As adults, we tend to concentrate on falling instead of focusing on the hands that will save us. This week listen for God's voice as you pray. Listen as He says, "Go ahead and let go, I'm going to catch you."

-Susan