The Year of Faith...

This past month we began in the Church the Year of Faith....the Holy Father asked that we take the next year to pray and study and ultimately grow more in the virtue of Faith....

Yet the thing about the virtue of Faith is it is not something you can teach yourself...it is something you receive...it is a gift, and in order to receive the gift of Faith it is important that we be open and Empty...



A favorite quote from Mother theresa..."God cannot fill what is full, he can only fill emptiness, deep poverty.  And your "yes"is the beginning of being or becoming empty". It is not how much we really "have" to give, but how Empty we are so that we can received fully in our life and let him live His life in us"

When we are empty we can receive the gift of Faith, Hope, and Love...

We can look back at our childhood and receive all the good blessings again...that we often forget about as an adult...

Me in my Granny's garden

This is Courtney...although Jeremiah tells people it is him...

We can experience those blessings in the faces of our Children and the joy that they bring...

Me as a baby...

Courtney as a baby...

We can strive to be better persons for them...and in the process make more room within as we empty ourselves...to be filled with the Faith that we are called to have...the Faith of a child...

not a childish faith that is superstitious and immature...but a deep trust in knowing that we are well watched over...

That this is all a journey...

That the end is something work fighting for...and hoping for....

And in the meantime we can embrace where we are today...with the Faith of a mustard seed...to move Mountains...by letting go and Letting God move...

He often moves in our day to day as he spoke to Elijah...not in the Thunder...rather in the quiet of the wind....the whisper of a baby's coo...the words of a little boy saying "I love you..."

My Blessings Board

Or through the actions of your children...

Right around the time my Grandfather passed away, a novena to St. Therese was beginning (Nine days of prayer for a particular intention). I was praying as best I could...but missed several days amidst the traveling and life in general.
St. Therese often sends Roses from Heaven...it is what she said she wanted to do from heaven...shower the world with roses to let people know of God's love for them.

I never received a rose on her feast day...not a big deal...but later in October one afternoon I asked her to pray for my special intentions...and to also please be with my Grandfather...and together to pray and watch over our Family...

A few days later Jeremiah handed me her prayer card...On it was a picture of St. Therese...I I thanked him and told him She was St. Therese, one of my favorite Saints...and he replied, "yes mommy...she wants to give you some roses..." I looked at him and said ..."you want to give me some roses Jeremiah?"...he answered..."No mommy, She does"...

This story to me shows the beauty of Faith...When I was ready...Empty inside...the Lord answered the cry of my heart through the innocence of my child....and She showered with with Roses through the innocence of my son...

So I ask you to think about something you can do in this Year of Faith...take the opportunity...Make the leap if you need to...

He will always Catch you!