Every day is Mother's Day

Friends of Faith:

Every day should be lived like a Mothers’ day.

“Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. Jn 15: 9-13

The joy of motherhood comes with the discipline of sacrifice. It comes because a mom is naturally given to care unconditionally. A mom has no expectation of getting something back for their love, yet they would give up everything they have to see their child rewarded by success, peace, comfort or joy. 

It is in giving that we receive because the greatest gift is the joy of seeing someone we have cared for and sacrificed for receive the blessing of an answer to a heartfelt prayer.

‘When the Holy Spirit asks us if we like the idea of love, we respond enthusiastically. But even though the Lord has actually commanded us to love, we balk and make all kinds of excuses and compromises…  A mother’s love is a sacrificing love, an unconditional love, a love that protects their children from danger and death, and that encourages them to grow and become all they can become. Mothers are the living examples of how much God loves us. May their presence in our world help all of us to love others more tenderly and more unselfishly.’ USCCB Meditation by Msgr. Paul Whitmore

Heavenly Father, You gave us Your Son and his mother, Mary, as human examples so that we would know what you meant by unconditional love. Help me to follow their example in my daily routine by living unselfishly, by honoring your commandments, by respecting the lives of the born and unborn, and by never comprising your truths. Thank you for the gifts of everyone who has acted like a mother, or who has ever been a part of my life by serving me in any way. Amen.

Will I find joy by loving unconditionally?

Mothers, Fathers, husbands, wives or children: will I follow the example and act in the Spirit of the greatest mother, Mary, by giving up my own happiness so that others may receive God’s blessings?

May your joy be completed by the sacrifices you make for all those you serve in love this week,

Blessings,

Charlotte

Grown in love

Women of Faith:
I am grown in the choices I make. I choose to be grown in love.

Love is not a feeling; happiness is a feeling.
Love is not an emotion; anger is an emotion.
Love is not a state; confusion is a state.
Love can include feeling and emotion and leave you in a state,
But love is, at heart a decision.
Love sees the imperfections, sins and failings and says, “I still choose to love you.” --Mark Hart, Blessed are the Bored in Spirit

We are grown in love thru God.

I choose to weed out the lies which our fed to me by the media and influence all of our lives—the lies that say we can do no wrong. We are all sinners with imperfections, so we must choose to make God a priority so that we can grow closer to him.

The lies that say “it’s all about me and what’s important to me, and how I feel about me, and if I am happy in me.”It’s about putting God in each of those statements for it will only be his judgment in the end.

The lie that says our wrong choices are unforgivable, so there is no hope for me. God always forgives, but it is our choice to forgive others and to ask for forgiveness so that we may be forgiven: “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And the lies that say we have a “right to choose.” Yes, we have a choice… but if we choose death over life, if we choose to sleep in instead of going to church (keep holy the Sabbath), if we choose anger over unconditional forgiveness then our choice is not God—our choice is not love.

Everything we have is a gift from God: Our time, our bodies, our children, the air we breathe, and the food that sustains us. Do we give thanks by choosing to let His seed be firmly planted in the soil of good friends and a God enriched environment?

I choose to be firmly rooted in my faith by truly trusting in the words of scripture—his words which fertilize me. I choose to be regularly fed by daily prayer, weekly attendance at mass and receiving him in the Eucharist so that my soul will be filled by the body and blood he gave us on the cross.

I choose to be watered by His grace because I seek His grace.

I choose to be warmed by the SONshine when I choose to give everything back to God in prayer and thru forgiveness.

Love One Another. As I have Loved You, so You should also Love One another.
John 13:34

Heavenly Father: We praise and thank you for the Spirit that gives us grace (thru water), fertilizing us thru your holy word and blessing us in the gift of your Son. May our choice be to love others as you love each of us. May we seek to be chosen by you, and may our choice be to serve you by serving each other. May we all choose to be grown in love, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Weed out the bad seeds, be firmly rooted in Christ thru your choices, be watered by the grace of forgiveness, fertilized by scripture and may the Son shine on you this week,

Happy Valentine's Day,
Charlotte

Today is Special

Women of Faith:

Today is special. No, it is not my anniversary or my birthday. It is the beginning of an ordinary week. I am not expecting any extraordinary gifts, births or deaths or even to go anywhere or see anyone I would not normally see.

So why do I say it is special?

Think about the times you have taken the time with one of your children and later proudly heard them say, “Mommy helped ME (color) this today.”

Think about the times a struggling teenager says, “MY _______ told me I could do it.” And because they believed, they achieved.

Think about the times you talked to a friend and they said, “I was hoping YOU would call today.”

Think about how you make your spouse feel when you pull them back into the room just to say, “I need you.”—to share another hug, another kiss, or an “I love you.”

To be quite honest, I know today will be special JUST BECAUSE I am focused on YOU, not me. I have said it will be special so my actions will follow my thoughts and my thoughts have already made it so.

I will find the blessings, because I am looking for the blessings. I will feel love because I will give love. I am what I think I am. I will go beyond my “normal” boundaries and reach for more. Today will be special because I CHOOSE it to be.

Being blessed, feeling special, loving--these are not feelings, but rather the action I create, the memories I seek to make.

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." Mt 22: 34-40

The WHOLE LAW depends on our love. It depends on what we do, not what we feel.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor 13: 4-7

Love is an action which entrusts in us the ability to overlook our humanness and feel the blessedness.

Heavenly Father, You have blessed me with this special day. You have asked me to do only one thing, to love. Help me to love with all patience, all forgiveness, all hope. May we reflect Your love, revealed to us in Your son Jesus and shown to us in his cross. Help me to endure my sufferings and burdens. Send Your Spirit to me so that I may share Your love. Amen.

When we love as God teaches us to love then our day will be special not because we are seeking something for ourselves, but rather because we are choosing to make someone else have an extraordinarily special day!!

Make this message be your “forward” today.

Blessings on your special day and on whomever else you bless with your love,
Charlotte