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Here are this week’s must-reads:
+ “Instagram isn’t real. It’s a highlights real. What is real is your unique path to Sainthood. It’s so beautiful and when we spend so much time looking at someone else’s path to Sainthood, we’re missing all the glory and the beauty and the stunning views that’s on ours.” — Brick House in the City
+ “The “impractical” aspect of beauty reveals that God is not interested in humanity simply surviving. We are not given the bare essentials and told to make do with what we have. Our hearts mirror His own heart and the same is true of our desires. We long for beauty and we seek it out, whether in truly fulfilling or devastating avenues. This attraction to the beautiful is planted in our souls by the One who is Beauty. He is not a God of “just enough” but One who generously pours out an abundance.” (Trish Irvine, Catholic Stand) I’ve loved that since first reading it.
Two years ago, @ritaatopenwindow and @julievwalsh invited me to join them and speak at the regional Catholic Women Bloggers Network Conference about Beauty ✨ — how God works through beauty and how we can use it in our work too — Beauty that’s not meant to *impress* people (or cause comparisons), but beauty that is meant to *engage* with people (this is so important to me), to allow for a conversation and relationship. Bishop Barron has said that beauty is the arrowhead of evangelization, and I believe it. ❤️ And this weekend, two years ago, was a seriously beautiful one with the women I got to meet there. One of my favorite memories from the last few years. Let’s look for some of God’s beauty today — its easier when we get in the habit of looking, and let’s thank Him for it, for how He wants to give us more than we need. Thank you, Lord, for being a Father of abundance. 🙏 — read here
+ “First, let’s ask the Lord, “Where are you sending me today?” Who do you want me to love with your truth and your compassion today? Secondly, let’s pay attention to his response. Perhaps he’ll reply to the question of “Where are you sending me?” by who he sends to you. Let us receive those the Lord places in our paths today, they may be someone new or they may be someone we see everyday (kids, spouse, etc), and intentionally, and PRAYERFULLY!, try and love them with the love of Christ which is: kind, patient, compassionate, merciful, courageous, true, sacrificial, proactive…” — The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
+ “We have our blessed mother to remind us to have that kind of faith: to lay down anger, to melt resentment away; trusting that God’s purpose for me is far greater and far beyond the end of my own nose. So I try to get out of the way.” — Carolyn Svellinger
+ We’re praying the St. Jude Novena! His feast day is October 28th, you can sign up to pray with us here. Pray More Novenas also has a novena for the election — if you’re interested in that, you will have to sign up for it here (even if you’re already subscribed to PrayMoreNovenas.com).
+ “In light of Heaven, the worst suffering on earth will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” — St. Teresa of Avila
+ Fr. Burns’ Meditations Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
+ “And if we walk on and talk on and work on and pray on and hold on and love on in faith, we shall overcome. Overcome weakness, overcome fatigue, overcome exhaustion, overcome pain and loneliness, overcome frustration, overcome the prejudices and the stereotypes, the anxieties, the grief, the fear, the negative attitudes–all those barriers and boundaries that keep us apart, overcome racism and classism and sexism and materalism, all those “isms” that keep us apart.” — Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Ph.D.
+ We celebrated St. Luke’s feast day over the weekend! Did you know that some credit him with this painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa?
+ I made some pumpkin cinnamon cookies for my husband & me this weekend — check out the recipe here. We also painted our front door!
+ “Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12 6-7) God is attentive to us. He knows us. And He is involved in every little detail of our lives — in what’s going on today, in what’s been going on for months now. Sometimes, though, we can’t see it in the present moment (and I know that can be very painful). Sometimes, it’s easier to recognize His presence and attentiveness in retrospect. I’d love to hear: how have you noticed Him being involved in the details in your life recently? — read here
+ “Learn to see God in the details of your life, for He is everywhere.” — St. Teresa of Avila
As always, here are a few pictures of what’s included in this week’s
Catholic Wife, Catholic Life Newsletter!
I share this newsletter every Monday and it always includes two gluten-free recipes, a reflection & prayer based on Sunday’s Mass Readings, and links to budget-friendly fashion & home decor.