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Here are this week’s must-reads:

+ “Do the work so God can do the miracle.’ It’s something a priest said over 3 years ago at a dinner for married couples, and we remember it every time the wedding at Cana comes up. Jesus told the servers to fill 6 stone jars with water, and each held 20-30 gallons of water. Have you thought about how much work that was? Drawing over 120 gallons of water from the well and bringing them to the wedding feast… because there weren’t faucets back then. It was only after the servers did all that work that they were able to witness Jesus perform his first miracle of turning the water into wine. 

They did the work, so God could do the miracle. And the same is true in your marriage. What is God asking you to do to strengthen your marriage? What work does he want you to invest in so he can perform a miracle?” — Surprised by Marriage

+ “Before the transformation, there’s an invitation: Do the ordinary. Carry the water. Trust that He is at work. Jesus takes the simple and makes it sacred. He turns the everyday into the extraordinary. Weakness into strength. Ashes into beauty. Death into life. Jesus takes water and turns it into the best wine.
What does that tell us? He can use whatever you’ve got, too.” — Ian Simkins

+ “When my husband and I said our wedding vows, we stood in front of the altar and held a crucifix between us. In that moment, we were a visible symbol of how we were to carry our crosses “until death do us part:” together, with Christ as our binding strength. Apart from the cross, there is no grace to suffer well. United to the cross, our suffering, especially in marriage, becomes something redemptive, refining, and unifying. In a true miracle of grace, God can bring spouses closer through their crosses, and in the process closer to him.” — Mariah Maza

+ Love begins at home. And how does it begin? By praying together.” (Mother Teresa)

Here’s a look at what’s featured in this week’s newsletter. Everything’s under $60. Sign up for it here – and you’ll also get access to last year’s best-sellers!

+ “Mary tells the wine steward to follow Jesus’ instructions — essentially telling him to have faith in Jesus, stand back and expect the unexpected. We too need to believe that Jesus will work in our lives if we just have faith in him. If we believe and expect the unexpected. He has great plans for us, much greater than we can imagine.” — Unleash the Gospel

+ “People aren’t longing to be impressed: they’re longing to feel like they’re home.” — Shauna Niequest

+ “We have to learn to lean into life as something beautiful even if it is not exactly what we expected. Trusting that God works all things together for good despite the challenges we face is a gift of worship we give to Him.” — Sally Clarkson // On the same topic, this short video was really powerful: On Sanctification and your heart’s desires: “Getting good at not getting what you want.”

+ “If you are feeling as though life is an eternal winter, filled with long, dull and difficult days, and you just want to hibernate from the hard stuff, this post is for you. I can still recall a deep January day, six years into Steve’s sickness. Through frustrated tears I confided to a friend how deeply my bones ached for change, for answers, for a break from the hard road we had towed toward healing. And at the end of my confession she said to me, “What if he never gets better?” Her question was not a question. It was a statement. A statement that stopped me in my tracks. And I stood there for the longest time eye to eye with God waiting for him to answer it for me.

“Without even realizing it, in the midst of all the struggles, I had embraced a “when and then” outlook on life… When Steve gets better, then we can get back to the life we planned together. I was letting my circumstances reign over, and negatively direct, my attitude and actions. Because it really felt as though all of our goals and dreams had been interrupted by illness, I wrongly assumed that the Lord must be taking an intermission, too.

“As I reflect back and consider the Lord’s kindness, I’d like to share with you what he so gently taught me… There is something for each of us right here, right now, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Even if that something is wrapped in suffering, doubt, fear or fatigue. We aren’t made to push through the hard things, but to practice being present in them – because that is where Jesus is. In fact, the most intimate place we can unite ourselves to him is on the cross.” — more here, by Susan over at Sole Searching Mama

+ “I have a non-negotiable every morning that sets the tone for my day — it’s a meeting with God that guides my day. This isn’t just a quiet time; it’s what I call my morning meeting — a sacred space where I lay down the pieces of my life and ask God, “What do I need to do today? What do I need to see?” It’s a moment of stillness, of checking in before the busyness takes over.” — Hannah Brencher

+ “There’s a deep wisdom we receive through our fidelity. Through being faithful to God when it seems like He’s not answering our prayers. When it feels like God isn’t showing up… When it seems like the situation isn’t changing… Am I still going to be faithful? Am I still going to love? This is the invitation in store for all of us as we embrace the new year.” — Sr. Miriam, Abiding Together podcast

+ “What is missing in the people who think the Rosary monotonous is Love; and everything that is not done for love is worthless.” — Sr. Lucia

+ “If we tell our children that faith is important, they need to see us living it. One of the most powerful ways to hand in the Faith to our children is for them to see us:

💙 Living a sacramental life
💙 Praying regularly
💙 Striving to live virtuously
💙 Loving the Blessed Trinity
💙 Learning more about the Faith
💙 Being a joyful follower of Jesus” — Olivia, Into The Deep

+ “Purpose Isn’t a Destination, It’s a Daily Yes- So often, we think of purpose as something we *arrive* at, but really, it’s a series of small, faithful yeses to where God is leading us today. And of course the catechism tells us our purpose is to know, love and serve Him. Am I making space to listen and respond to His call in the present moment?” — Lisa Canning

Here are the Fashion Finds this week: