Tag: Virtue

Being Loved

Just Say No

Smitten With Goodness

Do you have a hard time with boundaries, keeping the right order in your life? Once something is allowed to creep past its appropriate place in your life and you are unable to say no to it, it becomes idolatry. And our hearts are idol making factories.

When God created the first couple (Adam and Eve), He instructed them, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die” (Gen. 2:16-17).

Inherent in this command was the recognition of their ability to say “no.” God had instilled in His highest creation the strength they needed to honor what He commanded.

They could resist and choose to honor God.

They could say “no” to the serpent’s temptation.

How well do you say no to things in your life that distract you for God. Have you fallen asleep to His voice and nudging? Start saying no and live in freedom, let’s not act as slaves!

Being Loved

How’s It Going?

Smitten With Goodness

What if I told you that true freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want—but about being free to live as God calls you to live? That’s what real freedom is: the ability to do God’s will, to worship Him, and to love as He loves.

And here’s the truth: many of us are held back by the comforts and distractions of this world. Too often we have a disordered amount of screen time, unhealthy food or drink habits, and/or a lack of discipline pull us away from the freedom Christ offers. We are Christians but we live as slaves.

Last year, I read the bible in its entirety with the Ascension Bible in a Year podcast. I was in tears as I finished. It was such a gift to immerse myself in Gods word, get to know his character and hear him speak to me. It changed my heart. It was tough to remain faithful but through perseverance I was able to achieve the goal. I thank my son for his nudging a few years ago who said you’re a Christian but haven’t read the Bible?

I’m certain God is stretching me this year into a deeper understanding and relationship. My mantra is:

Make. Every. Effort.

It’s hard for me to stay focused and go deep into things. All the “good” things out there are overwhelming and always seem to catch my attention. I know I’m tired of living on the surface which is where distractions lead me. Freedom is worth fighting for, once we know what it is.

Being Loved

True Freedom

Smitten With Goodness

“And above all, be on your guard not to want to get anything done by force, because God has given free will to everyone and wants to force no one, but only proposes, invites and counsels.”— St. Angela Merici

We have difficulty understanding this, just as a blind man has difficulty understanding color, but our difficulty doesn’t alter this fact: God’s omnipotence and omniscience respects our freedom. In the core of our being we remain free to accept or reject God’s action in our lives—and to accept or reject it more or less intensely. God wants us to accept him with all our ‘heart, soul, mind, and strength’—in other words, as intensely as possible. But he also knows that we are burdened with selfishness and beset by the devil, so it will take a great effort on our part to correspond to his grace. … Every time our conscience nudges us to refrain from sharing or tolerating that little bit of gossip, every time we feel a tug in our hearts to say a prayer or give a little more effort, every time we detect an opportunity to do a hidden act of kindness to someone in need, we are faced with an opportunity to please the Lord by putting our faith in his will.” —Fr. John Bartunek, The Better Part

Being Loved

Taste and See

Smitten With Goodness

O Lord, you are the Word of life. As a new day dawns, we pray:

Jesus, light our way.

O Lord, your Word gives wisdom to the simple: 
– make us simple of heart. 

O Lord, your Word is sweet to the taste:
– grant us the discernment to prefer its taste to any empty words we may hear this evening. 

O Lord, your Word is steadfast, abiding for ever:
– keep our feet firmly on the path to everlasting life. 

May the word of Christ dwell in us richly, and bring us to life everlasting! (Col 3:16)

Amen

Being Loved

THE JUBILEE PRAYER

Smitten With Goodness

Father in heaven,

may the faith You have given us in Your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of Your Kingdom.

May Your grace transform us

into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation

of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of evil vanquished, Your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.

To You our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise forever.

Amen.

Being Loved

Grace Be With You

Smitten With Goodness

In a recent session with my Spiritual Director, we were discussing distractions and growth in the spirit. As I commend my spirit to my Creator, grace surely follows. Enjoy the following meditation she shared with me.

GOD’S LOVE FLOWS FROM ME AS GRACE

If I understand another person’s circumstances, grace flows from me easily. But if I witness mistreatment or injustice, my capacity for understanding may shrink. In these moments when I wish to reclaim the gift of God’s grace, I turn within to open my heart.

I remember the magnificent spark of God shines in every person. People’s actions and behaviors may not always reflect their divine nature, but if I am able to see them as divine beings, I can access the healing power of grace. I still recognize when something isn’t right or fair, but I do so lovingly, holding in mind and affirming each person’s inherent value. I honor myself and my loved ones while maintaining a spirit of forgiveness, allowing kindness to surge through me.

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

—2 Timothy 4:22

Being Loved

Too Comfortable?

Smitten With Goodness

Choose me over your comfort.

As the One who called you to this surrendered life, I am trustworthy to guide you through it. As you lean on me and my understanding, I will empower you to walk in the way of love with every step. Submit your ways to mine, and you will find that your life is overflowing with mercy and grace. I have called you to an overcoming life, but you cannot overcome the world by your own strength. You must rely on my power at work within you to do it, and you have access to my limitless might through fellowship with my Spirit.

You have heard it said that my ways are above your human ways and my thoughts are higher than your own. This is true. I know you better than you know yourself, and I will lead you into everlasting life as you depend on me. Greater joy is yours through my Spirit-life than any you could imagine experiencing outside of me. There is fulfillment of every longing. No one can escape pain in this life, but you can also experience endless delight in me as you venture through it. So join your life to mine in full surrender today.

From I Hear His Whisper for Women written by Brian Simmons

Being Loved

The Deepest Love

Smitten With Goodness

How often do we reflect on God’s deep love, shown in sending His Son to live, teach, and die for us? Isaiah understood something that we so often forget—God revels in us so fully that He wishes to envelop us completely in His light. He wants to cover us in His glory so that others may see the magnificence within His creation. He desires our hearts to overflow with His love and our love for Him.

It’s so easy to forget that amidst the darkness of this world, and in our pursuit of following God’s law and avoiding sin, the point of everything is love. God deserves all the glory, and only He is to be worshipped. But we forget, either because of past hurts or current struggles, that we come from God and belong to God, and that there is nothing God wants more than to unite us to Him and celebrate our existence. He pours out His riches to us in our daily blessings—the food we eat, the families and communities we build, the homes in which we live, the air we breathe, the innate goodness that marks us as His own, and so much more.

Rise up in splendor, Jeru­salem! Your light has come,/ the glory of the Lord shines upon you./ See, darkness covers the earth,/ and thick clouds cover the peoples;/ but upon you the Lordshines,/ and over you appears his glory./Nations shall walk by your light,/ and kings by your shining radiance./ Raise your eyes and look about;/ they all gather and come to you:/ your sons come from afar,/ and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. 

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,/ your heart shall throb and overflow,/for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,/ the wealth of nations shall be brought to you./ Caravans of camels shall fill you,/ dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;/ all from Sheba shall come/bearing gold and frankincense,/ and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. Isaiah 60:1-6

May we remember that we are God’s cherished people, called to reflect His glory, now and always.

Inspiration

A New Perspective

Smitten With Goodness

With the start of another new year, we can use the calendar to help us with new resolve. So many times are attitudes affect our vision of how we see the world. We can believe the right things and do the right things, but we must have love at the foundation of everything.

Mary can be our role model for a new loving perspective. She achieved so much by her silent presence along with her son at many of the moments of his life, his birth, his first miracle at Cana and his death on the cross. She is for a model of silent contemplation as she ponders with great faith and devotion the mystery that unfolded before her in the life of her Son.

What perspective do you bring into this new year? Will you work tirelessly to seek God in everything? Will you strive for your faith to be visible through your actions? Do you plan to tell your family and friends you love them? How often will you tell God you love him? Will you give God thanks for your many blessings? Will you be bold in your faith? How do you plan to grow interiorly? Will you trust God’s plan and know you are exactly where you need to be? Will you endure the suffering you experience well? Will God come first in your life?

Ponder these things in your heart for a new loving perspective for 2025! Let’s be smitten with Gods goodness.