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Our God daughter

Meet one of the newest Catholics in town AND our God daughter, Lindsey.

Lindsey was received into the Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Louis through the waters of Baptism, (hence the gray robe).  Being an adult, she also received her first communion and confirmation.  It was an exciting evening filled with the Holy Spirit.

We met Lindsey through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) at our parish.  And it has been a blessing to watch her grow in her faith–she’s quite the book worm and has read quite a bit for someone entering the Church.  It’s awesome to see a new Catholic so on fire about the faith!

St. Faustina and Fasting

I am continuing to read St. Faustina’s Divine Mercy in My Soul as I recently finished A Story of a Soul. I hope to gain more traction in this book as we approach Divine Mercy Sunday.

I recently came across a paragraph that fails to leave my mind:

Today, I received some oranges. When the sister had left, I thought to myself, “Should I eat the oranges instead of doing penance and mortifying myself during Holy Lent? After all, I am feeling a bit better.” Then I heard a voice in my soul: My daughter, you please Me more by eating the oranges out of obedience and love of Me than by fasting and mortifying yourself of your own will. A soul that loves Me very much must, ought to live by My will. I know your heart, and I know that it will not be satisfied by anything but My love alone.

Our Lord permits Faustina to eat the oranges out of “obedience and love” and finds it more pleasing than an act of penance. Faustina was ill at the time and the fruit was intended for her to build her strength. Our Lord often reminded her to obey her superiors and that it pleased Him when she did so. What’s interesting is that there is a noticeable trait about Faustina’s desire for penance – it is a desire “of [her] own will”. It is not the Lord’s will for her to fast in this case since the virtue of obedience has trumped the act of penance.

There was something also within the last line though that further intrigued me. I believe I came upon a deeper understanding when I searched for the Church’s teaching on fasting:

The fourth precept [of the Church] (“You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart [emphasis added]. CCC 2043

Our Lord said to Faustina, “I know your heart, and I know that it will not be satisfied by anything but My love alone.” Faustina had obtained complete freedom of her heart as noted as the ultimate goal in the Catechism. This very freedom moves her to desire nothing but Jesus. Let that be our goal and serve as a reminder for the purpose of any penitential act we observe. St. Faustina, pray for us!

Sedar Meal

Yesterday we had our last day of “Meemaw School.”  Jackie planned a condensed version of the Last Sedar Meal for the kids taken from the book Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church by Catherine and Peter Fournier.  Each child and adult picked one of the apostles. Therese was Bartholomew; Futon was Jude; Gianna was Phillip; and I was John.  We talked about how each part of the meal and food was a reminder to the Jews of the first passover.  It was really neat doing this with these small souls.

Here’s Fulton reclining with the other apostles drinking some sparkling grape juice.

Mercy Saves

Sharon and I participated in the 40 Days for Life campaign in our diocese by praying outside the abortion mill this past Saturday. I went early in the morning and was pleased to see about 7 other prayer warriors already present. While I spent the time praying the rosary with the others, I could not help but plead to our Savior for His mercy to be poured out on the parents, babies, and abortionists whose souls and lives were at stake. Cars would pull in and I become more saddened as they completely ignored us and entered the facilities. I could tell my friends were also becoming dismayed. After having spent an hour I left to return to my family.

The following day at mass I came across a friend who had stayed after I had left the previous morning. A recent convert, he told me that this was his first time praying outside an abortion clinic and couldn’t help but feel discouraged seeing all those mothers give into despair. However, he proceeded to tell me that it wasn’t until after I left that a couple who had previously gone into the clinic came back out after a short period of time. The man gave them a “thumbs-up”, got into the car with his significant other, and began to drive away. As they exited the parking lot, they stopped next to the sidewalk counselor in our group and told her that they had decided to keep the baby.

My friends, the Lord does hear and answer prayers, especially when you plead for his mercy. As Fr. John Corapi boldly proclaims, GOD’S NAME IS MERCY.