bryanfrias:

In today’s Gospel reading, the parents of baby Jesus are told that their little child will become the downfall and the rise of many, that he’ll be a sign that the world will contradict, and that, because of this, the thoughts of many would be exposed in the light of truth. In…

hope-movement:

As I take time Lord, as I lay for hours in Your presence, as I ponder Your word, learn from Your scriptures and meditate on Your truths - I find my heart, spirit and mind is strengthened. Of sacrifice, love, trust, obedience, surrendering and submitting; I read. Oh Lord, how I long to be of great faith, of great use, of great willingness. Through reading Your word Lord, I find myself desiring more and more of You, more and more of Your wondrous self within me. I find that I cannot clear myself out of this dross quickly enough- I am impatient with my sin, my mistakes and my disobedience. Your word inspires me to do great things, to act instantly and immediately towards all that may hinder me and hold me back. How blessed I am Father that You have provided me, equipped me and allowed me to read Your word… Not a word that is slow, fading and withering Lord, but Your word, that which is alive, and a wellspring of knowledge of all that is You. Give me understanding and wisdom Lord, that I may turn those pages with care and patience, to learn, feel, change, grow and love within my journey. Thank You Father, for Your manual to life… The Bible.

Happy Advent Season! :)

I was just meaning to write a quick post of what’s been happening!

Since today’s the First Sunday of Advent season, I thought I’d do some research on what Advent is all about.  And after about 30 minutes to an hour of web-search, the definition of Advent I’ve come up with is:

A spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ— His birth, His coming into our lives through grace, and preparation for His second coming.

Seems legit.

So, special preparations, you say? Well, there’s this book called Rediscovering Catholicism (great book, I tell you) that focuses on us becoming the best version of ourselves—reaching our most holiness.  I remember reading a whole chapter in it just about the importance of fasting in our Christian lives.

Also, there’s this site, (click me) that gives a guide on ways to improve our fasting experience, and I’ve just gotten to a part that really spoke to me.

“Your motive in fasting must be to glorify God, not to have an emotional experience, and not to attain personal happiness. When your motives are right, God will honor your seeking heart and bless your time with Him in a very special way.”

Personally, I’ve had trouble in the past with fasting where my true motives were dis-illusionally (sp?) centered.  So, with this Advent, I’m striving to truly live up to the daughter that God calls me to be. I’m striving to seek Him, understand Him, glorify Him.

And, I’m personally posting this to hold myself accountable to my fasting proclamation— ‘tis on the internet, so it’s forever on here!

And, like I’ve invited a few of my brothers/sisters to this small but significant cause, I also invite you guys :)

Message me if you’re interested :)

If not, I hope you are also engaging in your own journey to deeper spirituality..
I bid you a good luck, a good night & God bless!

spiritualinspiration:

10 Tips to Help Your Prayer Life

1. Choose a specific place to pray away from distractions so you can concentrate. Ringing phones and crying children will sabotage your “quiet time” before it gets started.

2. Pray at the same time every day, if at all possible. Make it part of your regular routine and it will become habit. Write it into your schedule and then treat it just like a daily appointment.

3. Pray out loud. Many people can pray under their breath or in their minds for long periods and still maintain intensity, but for most of us it’s a quick ticket to dreamland. When we pray out loud we have to form intelligent sentences. We have to concentrate more on what we’re praying about.

4. Keep a note pad handy so you can jot down different things that come to mind while you’re before the Lord. Sometimes you’ll get great ideas totally unrelated to what you’ve been praying about. If you jot them down you can quickly get back to the topic at hand without being too distracted.

5. Make a list to keep track of your prayer needs. This can be done several ways. Prayer needs can be listed by category like “Church,” “Family,” or “Unsaved friends.” Or they may be listed by the days of the week. Each day you pray for a different set of needs. You may want to include prayer everyday for a different area of society that has a tremendous influence on the direction of our nation. These seven categories include 1) the church and religion, 2) the family and the home, 3) the media, 4) government, 5) education, 6) business and commerce, and 7) the arts and entertainment.

6. Redeem time for praying out of unused corners of your schedule. Those who have to drive to work can use the time talking with the Lord instead of screaming at traffic (just don’t close your eyes!). Busy homemakers can combine prayer with housework, especially if the task doesn’t require a lot of concentration. Joggers, swimmers and cyclists can use their workout time for prayer. Sometimes my best times with the Lord have been chats during long, early morning walks or jogs along the beach.

7. Change the pace during your prayer time. Include praise, thanksgiving and singing as well as petition. Spend some of your time reflecting on the Scripture, meditating on it and digesting its meaning.

8. Keep a prayer journal. Here are two variations of this idea. The first is to keep track of what you prayed for and when you prayed for it. Leave a space to jot down the answer when it comes. This will help you to keep alert to God’s answer so you can thank Him promptly. Sometimes prayer answers come in the back door and you don’t want them to slip by you. The second variation is to write the entire prayer in your journal. Make it a personal letter to the Lord on a daily basis. Just write “Dear Lord” instead of “Dear Diary.”

9. Pray with someone else. Though some prayers can only be said in solitude, there will be times when you’ll want to join hearts with another person in prayer. If you commit to meet on a regular basis, the accountability can really help build consistency. Such prayer trysts can become powerful, life-changing events.

10. Pray one-sentence prayers. If the thought of laboring over a topic wears you out, pray short, sincere prayers instead. A sentence or two may be all that’s needed to exhaust the topic for you for the time being. If so, just move on to the next item without feeling guilty for your brevity.

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ucatholic:

Saint Cecilia is said to have heard heavenly music inside her heart when she was forced to marry the pagan, Valerian. A wealth of music, art and festivals in honor of St. Cecilia has grown from this little bit of information from her biography. She is the acclaimed patron saint of music,…