Finding God's Goodness, Uncategorized

Week Thirty-Six. Tempted to Doubt. Facing Truth.

Valuing My Body. Temperance with love leads to chastity.

In order to grow into our best self, we usually need to stretch our thinking and make changes. Whether it is in a daily spiritual examination or in the rooms of recovery with a Fourth Step, we make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. For some of us, no challenge seems more formidable; there’s nothing more difficult than facing ourselves as we really are. It’s hard to face the truth of how far we are from our true nature and God’s purity of heart.

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Week Thirty-Four. My Portion. My Honor.

Month Eight – Valuing My Body. Temperance with hope leads to self-control. 

Do I let God draw me towards the good? As a performer or achiever persona, my tendency is to be successful at all costs. This was a self-preservation tactic that I learned at a young age. In the middle part of life, as I explore meaning and purpose, I’m learning the importance of knowing my authentic self as that is the person I need to be in the world, not some image I’ve created of myself. Deep connection is high on my list of values. This includes the divine connection as the Lord is my portion.  As I value myself and practice the virtue of temperance and seek God as my portion, I’m given the gift of hope.  

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Week Thirty-Three. Beautiful Hope. Self Mastery.

Month Eight – Valuing My Body. Temperance with hope leads to self-control. 

Resistance can open us up to deeper and more mature values. Our tendency for fleshly and sensual enjoyment can make us blind and insensitive to deeper values that spring from love. As I learn self-mastery, I grow in my love of inner truth.

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Week Twenty-Nine. My Mindset. Invitation to Trust.

Month Seven – Valuing My Body. Temperance with faith produces modesty.

As we seek to follow Christ and bring light in this world, we have choices to make. The simple day-to-day choices we make eventually add up to the sum total of our life. I’m given the invitation to follow the way, the truth, and the light. Does my thinking trust that this is enough?

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Week Eleven: Perfect Love. God of Life

Month Three: The Virtue of Prudence. Valuing God and finding love.

Who is the God of my life? You are the God of my life. The God of perfect love. So why do I act and think in ways that I despise? Because I have free will and I have a choice. I can choose to constantly turn towards You or run away from You. I can hide but You’re always there and You find me.

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Finding God's Goodness, Uncategorized

Week Six: Meaning. Immersion

I’m learning about the spiritual quality of immersion. It takes effort to stay immersed until wonder reveals itself. I must constantly turn my heart to the good and stay the course in fortitude until my seeing becomes believing becomes seeing. The word immersed comes from the Latin meaning “dip in.” It means giving myself completely to an endeavor until it reveals its meaning.

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Gift of Goodness – December 30, 2021

A bit of goodness to start your day.

The Prophetess Anna

There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. 

Luke 2:36-38
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Gift of Goodness – November 27, 2021

A bit of goodness to start your day.

Learn how to be chaste from St. Augustine.

“Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet!” This infamous prayer of the young Augustine of Hippo (354-430) reflects the inner conflict of any soul who recognizes the virtuous thing to do yet fears the demanding struggle against human urges and passions. In his Confessions, St. Augustine was not afraid to admit his utter powerlessness in the face of sexual temptation. 

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Gift of Goodness – October 22, 2021

A bit of goodness to start your day.

Venerable Justin Popovic states that every prayer and every gospel virtue gradually conquers death in us, while all together they establish victory over death and bring us to eternal life.

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