right now.

So last Sunday, we were watching the mass with Fr. Mike Schmitz and he said something in the homily that has stayed with me all week. He said ( I’m paraphrasing here) we can’t encounter God in the past or the future, only in the present.

Obvious? Maybe. Profound? Definitely. If we actually believe this, it has the power to change our attitude, our perspective and our life!

How many of us are guilty for playing on repeat the mistakes of the past, or the way things should have gone? Or how about the worries of the future? How much time is wasted thinking about what might happen, what could be, or the perfect scenario?

Photo by Franck Denis on Pexels.com

What Father Mike is encouraging us to do, is to radically trust in the power of God working in the present moment! Isn’t that freeing?! Just think: actually letting go and surrendering all that happened in your past, and all that you worry and fear for in the future. Just living moment to moment with your Heavenly Father.

Lord Jesus,

You see each one of us right now. You know our hearts, and our thoughts. You see the burdens we carry from the past and the fears that we hold for the future. We surrender all of these moments, worries, anxieties and hopes to you. We want to live in the freedom that you have won for us on the Cross. We want to live with you right now! Come Jesus into our hearts and meet us in this exact moment. Show us how to live a life that is truly present to you and your people. Send your Spirit to guide, inspire and enlighten us. We love and thank you.

Amen.

in the wind.

Your in the wind,

the flame, the light.

Holy Spirit,

Our souls ignite.

Set us ablaze,

With your own love,

Decend on us,

O Holy Dove.

More than ever,

We choose anew.

In these dark times,

To trust in you.

Photo by Nita on Pexels.com

the Lord’s Day

O living hope,

True source of peace,

You show us that,

Love does not cease.

Raised from the tomb,

We came to see;

The power of,

Your victory.

O Perfect Love,

Burn in our heart,

That we may never,

Drift apart.

Photo by Adrien Olichon on Pexels.com

Star of the Sea; Hail Mary

Fingers move from bead to bead,

Prayers like incense rise.

Mother Mary hear our prayer,

Listen to our sighs.

Implore your Son to hear us,

Comfort and provide.

For you will not forsake us,

True and faithful guide.

Teach us to trust in Jesus,

Just as you have done.

Fix our eyes upon on the Cross

Where victory was won.

yes to trust.

It’s really nice to have a solemnity in the middle of Lent! Especially this Lent. I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it hard to fast and keep up my Lenten observances with all this covid chaos. The temptation to eat away my sorrows with chocolate is strong …

Today is the solemnity of the Annunciation of our Lord, and I think this solemnity is exactly what we need to hear right now. Why? Because Mary can teach us something about our current situation.

• 

  trying to transfer my artistic ideas into reality…. #trying

Mary, received the incredible and UNEXPECTED message that she was to conceive Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. She didn’t request this, she didn’t plan for this, and she surely didn’t know how things would turn out.

Fast forward to today. World leaders are up in arms, countries on lock down, hospitals overloaded, families in isolation, people are dying, infection rates are sky rocketing, and many are anxious and fearful. We didn’t expect this. And we definitely didn’t plan for this…

Perhaps accepting our current situation like Mary, is exactly what we need to be doing! To take on this attitude of the handmaid of the Lord. Of course, Mary’s situation is lightyears away from a comparison to Covid-19- but it’s about finding the right approach to a complicated, and unplanned time, like Mary. She trusted in the Lord, with a trust so pure and loving.

I pray that we, like Mary, can use this time of uncertainty, to trust in the Lord more deeply! To surrender our fears and anxieties to He who came into the world, to redeem his beloved people.

the voice of God

Today I was really inspired by the many uplifting Christian posts I found while pursuing the WordPress “blogosphere”. I was looking through several different faith related categories, and the content was so positive, relatable, genuine and honest. It was refreshing and I praise the Lord that so many people are sharing about their faith life, and walk with Christ. It’s beautiful to read.

These bloggers reminded me of a post that I’ve been meaning to write for awhile but just never got around to. How do we hear the voice of God? How do you know that God is speaking, moving, acting and initiating in your life?  I’ve engaged in this topic with friends before, because I find it fascinating. I mean, if we all have a unique and personal relationship with God, he’s going to speak to us in different ways, right?!

Photo by Ricardo Esquivel on Pexels.com

Since he created us, He also knows the best means of communication to use with us. For example, I often feel God moving in my life through tears. I used to resent this gift because I thought it was embarrassing, or looked weak. However, I’ve grown to appreciate the tears because they are a tangible sign that God is speaking to me. It’s a sign that my heart is melting at the presence of my Lord and Saviour. Sometimes it’s song lyrics that will bring me to tears, a kind gesture of a person or a beautiful prayer in mass.

Another way I hear the Lord is through His words. Not audibly, but in the silence my heart during adoration, or when reading Sacred Scripture. These are beautifully intimate moments with the Lord that I like to record in a journal to meditate more deeply on!

I would love to hear how you hear the voice of God? What does it sound like/feel like to hear the voice of God in your life?

Photo by Vidyagauri Jadhav on Pexels.com

spiritual seasons.

Hi!

I realized something today. I will never be one of those scheduled blogging types, managing to faithfully post each week… it feels like forever since I’ve written. Sorry for the delay!

There has been a LOT happening in the past few months, because were moving back to CANADA! Back to the land of my ancestors, the land of maple syrup, the land of my childhood. It is a very blessed and beautiful time in my life right now, with so many things (big & small) falling into place. It feels great.

Over the past two years, I didn’t say “things are falling into place” very often. It actually felt like I was constantly faced with one obstacle after the other. Instead of doors opening, doors were slamming. Instead of prayers being answered quickly, waiting was required. Instead of joy overflowing, despair was creeping in.

Photo by Josh Hild on Pexels.com

I am starting to learn that indeed, there are seasons of the spiritual life. I’m sure there are Saints or theologians who have expressed a similar concept with much greater eloquence… but this is how I have felt the “seasons” lately:

Spring Season– many moments of consolation, growing in the spiritual life, feeling the rays of the Son.

Summer Season; mostly moments of consolation, everything seems to be in bloom, constantly basking in the presence of the Son.

Fall Season– moments of consolation & desolation, lots of change in the spiritual life, seeing yourself/world/God in new “colours”.

Winter Season- primarily moments of desolation, feeling cold and far from the rays of the  Son, faith/spiritual life feeling bleak/grey.

So, whatever season you find yourself in right now, if you can, thank the Lord and remember it won’t last forever! That is sooo much easier said than done. I spent the past two years in pretty wintery conditions… and I definitely wasn’t always praising the Lord for my moments of desolation. But sometimes it takes someone who is in a slightly  “warmer” season, to remind you that you are not alone, it won’t be like this forever, God is faithful, God is working in your life, and the grey skies will turn to blue.

Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

May God continue to bless and strengthen us as we battle through the spiritual seasons of life. Let’s continue to pray for each other, that we do not take the moments of consolation for granted, or waste the precious moments of suffering.

You are loved! God bless!

Monk Wisdom; lesson on love ❤️

The reflection in the Magnificat today by Dom Augustin Guillerand, O. Cart ( French Carthusian monk) is really special! I won’t quote the whole thing, but just a couple lines that I think are so relevant and beautifully put:

” Why does God, who is love, keep us waiting? Because he is love, and seeks love. Love that does not know how to wait is not love.To love is to give ourselves…”

How many of us are asking God to answer our intentions, hear our pleas, send our spouse, send our baby, speed up time, slow down time…

It’s such an overwhelmingly human experience. Many times, it’s very good reasons that we pray these things. But even still, sometimes God demands that we wait. When we learn to wait, we learn to love! I find this so beautiful and helps to give more purpose to our seasons of waiting.

God has a loving plan for our lives. It might not feel that way right now- but he does. These times of waiting ( as painful or confusing as they might be) are an opportunity to grow in love.

And when that prayer is answered (on our terms or in another way) we will have used this time of waiting to prepare our hearts to love our spouse, baby, vocation, new life circumstance even more. And this love will be ever deeper and more beautiful.. because it was grown I’m waiting and faithfulness.

He is good, you are loved

The Holy Spirit can move in the most small and wonderful ways sometimes. It’s been a really tough few days, with lots of things coming up and trying to steal my joy.  But randomly, during my morning jog today I looked down at my pointer finger and gazed on it’s print. I reminded myself that this finger print is one of a kind, non-repeatable, and uniquely mine. It’s simply there as a sign that my Father has chosen me and loves me.

A little later,  I needed to listen to some praise songs to lift my soul. It was a new song that I hadn’t heard before, but I decided to give it a try. The first lyrics were:

“Through your story is My fingerprint” 

Cool hey!? I guess God wanted to continue speaking through this theme of finger prints & identity. God will use even the smallest of things to speak His truth to us. We are apart of His story, and He apart of ours. He wants to speak love, truth, and joy into our hearts!

Photo by Isandréa Carla on Pexels.com

For anyone struggling right now, finding themselves in a dark place, finding it hard to remain motivated, feeling lost or unable to pray, take a moment to listen to this song:

Good & Loved- Travis Greene & Steffany Gretzinger

This song is upbeat, truthful and inspiring. I just felt that they could praise with the words I couldn’t say, and they helped raise my spirit to a higher place. Sometimes when we can’t do it ourself, we need to let someone else do it.

So today, I want to pass along the message that God spoke into my heart. He wants you to know, wherever you are, and however you are feeling in this moment:

YOU ARE LOVED.

You have a Heavenly Father who crafted and formed you in your mothers womb (Pslam 139:14). He has never left you, nor will he ever leave you. No matter what we have done, no matter how far we have walked away, he is loving us with an incomprehensible love. For those times that it doesn’t feel like it, just look down at your fingerprint. There is only one of you in the world, carrying those precious fingerprints, and that is not an accident.

God bless xxx

 

coffee chaos.

In the past week or so I keep coming back the fact that:

We live in a CHAOTIC world.

It started last week when I was having my prayer time in the morning. I had the door to the balcony open on my left, I had just put a load of laundry on in the kitchen and I was about to enjoy my cup of coffee! A few minutes passed, when I noticed the stunning melody of the birds outside. They were singing and chirping so beautifully. They seemed to be proclaiming some sort of joyful masterpiece. It sounded like mini praises being lifted to the Lord. Then, at what seemed to be the same moment, my ears narrowed in on the load of laundry that was washing to my right. The cycle was advancing, and the faster it went, the louder it got.

Instantly I felt divided between two “worlds”.  To my left out the window was peace, joy, prayer, God, and beauty. To my right in the kitchen was machines, work, noise, distractions and busyness.

It struck me again how often we feel torn between this world (the right side) and the eternal world (the left side).  We enter into this space of beauty, prayer, contemplation, or joy but the noise of the world is constantly trying to dominate with it’s messages;  be productive, make something of yourself,  be important, earn enough money, be perfect.

Photo by Chevanon Photography on Pexels.com

This “right side” world can sometimes seep into our own thoughts and actions without even knowing it. And while there is nothing wrong with my washing machine in the kitchen, it was a great “God moment” where I was reminded of the importance of true silence, peace and prayer. This world is constantly throwing signs, lights, messages, ideologies, false gods, and obstacles in our way. I think that the Lord calls us out of the noise, into the silence and beauty of his presence. It’s there, when we put the phones away, turn the T.V off, and walk away from work for a little while, that we will find his joy. A joy that often comes in unexpected places; sometimes even in your own backyard.