Living with Hope

Prayer for Generosity

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:44:28 -0400

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.

- St. Ignatius of Loyola

Photo

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:38:16 -0400

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength"

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:36:40 -0400

““Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength””

- St. Francis de Sales

Photo

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:56:40 -0400

Photo

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:35:14 -0400

Prayer is nothing else but union with God. In this intimate...

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:32:06 -0400

Prayer is nothing else but union with God. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can ever pull apart. This union of God with a tiny creature is a lovely thing. It is a happiness beyond understanding.

— Saint John Vianney

"Jesus does not belong to the past. He is our Contemporary! Jesus is for us today! This Newness of..."

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:32:45 -0400

“Jesus does not belong to the past. He is our Contemporary! Jesus is for us today! This Newness of Life is a present experience. Jesus is LIFE, and thus He is present to us today.”

- Bishop Paul Etienne (Cheyenne)

The End of Lent: Rising with Christ

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:09:00 -0400

“…Jesus revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanel from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We also will come with you.’”

-John 21

_______________________________________________________________________________________

We have entered into Holy Week. Which means our hearts and minds should be focusing on the Lord’s passion and preparing for His glorious resurrection… but for most of us somewhere deep within us there’s the thought and relief that Lent is almost over!!

I remember back when I was a teenager my Holy Week was not filled with contemplation and prayer of the significance of this week, but instead I was planning breaking my lenten fast and preparing for my feast on Easter. If I had given up candy then I was planning which candy bars I was going to go buy, and which one I’d eat first, and how much I could eat without puking all that deliciousness back up… gross but true.

But as I’m getting older and slowly understanding what the Lord desires for me and my life, my desire has changed from wanting to celebrate the end of Lent to celebrating the Resurrection and my new life in Christ!

The realization that we are called to rise with Christ (Romans 4:6) escaped me for a long time.

And I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t completely understand this “new life” concept: I have friends and family who don’t completely get it, I work with teens who don’t even know Christ is offering them new life… but when I read scripture I realize Peter didn’t get this either.

“I am going fishing…” said Peter, who seems to always be putting his foot in his mouth.

I think that verse reveals a lot more about Peter than most people realize. When I read that verse, I see Peter trying to return to his old way of life… before Jesus, Peter was a fisherman… after Jesus, Peter just assumed he would go back to being a fisherman. But obviously that wasn’t what Jesus had planned for Peter! Jesus desired that Peter’s life would truly be changed…

And if this is true wouldn’t Jesus’ desire be the same for us?

Lent is a time of conversion… not a test of will-power. What was the point of these last 40 days if as soon as Lent ends we run right back into the “world”? After Jesus spent 40 days in the desert He didn’t return to Nazareth to resume his life there, he started his public ministry. Jesus wants our lives to be changed just like Peter’s was… I don’t know how Jesus wants to change your life but I know He doesn’t want His resurrection to be celebrated without you rising with Him.

So let us use this Holy Week to prepare to rise with Him. Don’t let these last few days of Lent pass us by without us dying to ourselves so we can rise with Christ.

catholicccy: “I have nothing left. But I have my heart and with...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:10:27 -0400

catholicccy:

“I have nothing left. But I have my heart and with that I can love”

-Blessed Chiara Luce Badano

Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Holy Week.

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:57:35 -0400

Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Holy Week.

Photo

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:56:18 -0400

"The darkness and shadows of oppression of faith tried to conquer before, but indeed have always..."

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:07:13 -0400

“The darkness and shadows of oppression of faith tried to conquer before, but indeed have always failed.”

- Bishop Kevin Vann (Fort Worth)

Photo

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:18:46 -0400

"The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an abyss of love, a sure refuge, where we can take shelter in every..."

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:30:13 -0400

“The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an abyss of love, a sure refuge, where we can take shelter in every difficulty, and we can be sure He thinks more about us than we think about our own affairs.”

- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (via saintsandangels)

“Be living witnesses of the greatness and beauty of...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:35:00 -0400

“Be living witnesses of the greatness and beauty of Christianity.” - St. Gianna

Photo

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:12:53 -0400

"Laugh and grow strong."

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:12:36 -0400

“Laugh and grow strong.”

- Saint Ignatius Loyola (via fathershane)

"We cannot isolate certain hours of our day and set them apart from our life in Christ. God is..."

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:52:00 -0400

“We cannot isolate certain hours of our day and set them apart from our life in Christ. God is present everywhere, and to be a Christian is to recognize his dominion in every place, at every hour.”

- Cardinal Donald Wuerl (Washington)

restlesshippo: “The Con” - a video presented by AUL (by...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:00:06 -0400

restlesshippo:

“The Con” - a video presented by AUL (by AULvids)

"To read sacred scripture means to turn to Christ for advice."

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:19:04 -0400

“To read sacred scripture means to turn to Christ for advice.”

- St. Francis of Assisi