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Here are this week’s must-reads:
+ This is one of the most moving explanations I’ve ever heard about how the Father of the Prodigal Son ran to meet his son, and about what the robe & ring represent. Have you ever heard this before?
“The father knows he has to get there first, he has to cut through all of the false identities — the false words from these people that’s going to that tell the son he is worthless.” — listen to an excerpt here, and the full talk here.
What a reminder that our Father doesn’t want us to feel worthless either… that He wants to fight off the false identities that speak words of shame to us, words that can tempt us not to approach our Father.
+ “We can allow ourselves to be found by God and healed by his love through the concrete and daily practice of trust and gratitude…” — Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal
+ Exciting Announcement for Newsletter Members:
I now have a 25% off promo code you can use towards your total order from The Catholic Company. It’s an exclusive code for anyone who receives or signs up for my newsletter. You can sign up for it here! And here’s a newsletter from last month, to give you an idea of what you get when you sign up. Scroll down to see some pics of what’s featured in this week’s newsletter. 💕
+ “When our hearts struggle to absorb the Scriptures, the Word does not lose its power. When our emotions are slow to catch up to truth, the Lord doesn’t abandon us. In kindness, he urges us to press on — to keep reading. Keep absorbing. Keep the rhythm of coming to the Lord with your desperation.” — Glenna Marshall
+ I love to think of the saints in heaven, who have run the good race, cheering us on while we try to run it too. 
it makes me think of something some of my in-laws do when we’re at an event supporting someone else in the family. They cheer, “That’s my nephew!!” “That’s my sister-in-law!!” It’s love and pride for them. It’s really beautiful. Think of the saints doing the same for you. 
(You have to click through to hear the sound)
+ A prayer in honor of last week’s feast of the Annunciation, by Danielle Bean:
“Mary, I want to pray a Yes like yours. A Yes without conditions. A Yes without demands. A Yes without suspicion. A Yes filled with only trust and love.Sometimes, I manipulate the will of God. I squeeze it and try to shape into something that looks more like my own. Yes Lord, I pray, as long as it looks like this.Sometimes, I make a deal with God. I offer to exchange my submission for what I really want. Yes Lord, I pray, and now you give me this.Sometimes, I force myself to say the words. I doubt God truly wants good things for me, and in fact, I am pretty sure he does not. Yes Lord, I pray, and then brace myself for the worst.But I don’t want to pray like that. I want to say Yes like you, Mary. Without having to know all the details first, without demanding to know how it will all work out, without holding anything back out of fear, insecurity or selfishness.Teach me, Mary, to pray a Yes like that.”
+ “Holiness is happening in the midst of life’s circumstances.” — Mother Gloria Maria, OCD
+ Another one of my favorite poems about Mary’s Fiat: Fiat: “Yes to what I fear and cannot comprehend. Yes to what I hear and do not understand. Yes to what is near placed now in Your hands.” — A.J. Clishem
+ “Being Catholic is the most important thing in my life… All the good things that have happened in my life has been because of my faith, it goes hand in hand with my reunion with God through the Eucharist, if necessary I interrupt the filming, but I don’t stop going to Mass. It’s much more important than work.”- Mark Wahlberg
+ Mother Teresa’s Tips for Humility
+ “The fullest freedom I had ever known, the greatest sense of security, came from abandoning my will to do only the will of God.” – Fr. Walter Ciszek
+ When You’ve Discerned A Big Change: “Have you ever gotten this question before: “But will you use your degree and work experience??” when you’ve made a big change, a big move? Maybe it was a change in your career or in deciding to stay home with your kids… It seems like this question is brought up a lot in those instances as if to say, “But — But what about this?” “How can you do that after everything you’ve invested in this?” And I get the human inclination to ask this. But it can, at times, make you then feel like you’re making the wrong call — or it can make you feel like you can’t ever make that big of a change in your life just because of how you’ve spent the last five or ten years of your life… But you can. ❤️🙏 And it’s a brave thing to do, to make such a big change and leap of faith… And maybe it’s exactly what God is calling you towards… Have you ever received comments like this before?” — listen/read here and read through all the comments! They’re so good!
+ The measure of a good, beautiful and holy life….
+ “I learned that work, no matter how repetitive, undervalued or unseen, is a gift… That every task is an opportunity to show up and pursue excellence.” — Ane
+ On Forgiveness: How to begin, How to keep choosing it, And What it Means for Reconciliation
+ “When marriage and parenthood seem difficult, picture yourself with your spouse as an old couple who, just before you hear the Master’s summoning call, look back along the road you have traveled. That road did not seem nearly so rough when you were leaning heavily upon each other. You faced threatening enemies on the way with stronger courage because you fought side by side. Courage sprang from knowing that you did not work or walk alone.” –Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik. The Catholic Family Handbook
+ The homily Oscar Romero was giving when he was killed
+ Lastly, here’s what’s featured in this week’s Catholic Wife, Catholic Life Newsletter. I share these every Monday and they always include: two gluten-free recipes, a reflection & prayer based on Sunday’s Mass readings, and links to budget-friendly fashion & Catholic home decor. This week’s reflection is about the Prodigal Son, His Merciful Father — and focusing in on how the Father’s first emotion towards His lost son is love, not shame. Love and a welcoming embrace.
+ Those who sign up for the newsletter now also get
a 25% off promo code to use with The Catholic Company! +
You can sign up for the newsletter here.
