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There are five mysteries that the Blessed Mother shared with three children in Fatima, but the Sorrowful mysteries that include the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowing with Thorns, Carrying the Cross to Calvary and the Crucifixion are probably the ones that we relate to and connect most on an emotional level. Suffering is a real challenge for all of us. Meditating on these events over the next 40 days this Lent can help us mitigate the suffering we may experience now or in the future as we ponder our Lord’s intentional sacrifices as he prayed and fasted in the desert. Everything about the Rosary devotion is purposeful. The Blessed Mother gave us this tangible prayer tool, so she could walk with us as we struggle in this earthly life. There can be joy in the garden of life and even in the desert-- if we embrace the pain with understanding. Indeed, therein lies the paradox.

The New Year provides many wonderful growth opportunities to consider new resolutions to change and evolve into our best selves. We’ve all made resolutions. Some good habits stick and some fall by the way side with the best intentions after a few weeks. We hope to transform our minds and bodies in ways we hope will give us the ultimate happiness we seek. Well, I’ve always wanted to learn to knit. I love the concept of making something that has the creator’s energy and special intentions—a meaningful keepsake that brings warmth and joy to another. I embarked on such a project this past December and found the process to be quite enlightening. Learning new skills, making mistakes, starting over and over on a simple scarf was a challenge for me. I persevered and finished, but in the end the lessons provided transformative spiritual perspectives that lived beyond the creation. I almost gave up, but the knots were worth it.

There’s no other time during the year that is more stressful than Advent. The four Sundays leading up to Christmas is a time of joyful anticipation, but also great angst if we allow ourselves to get caught up in the secular traditions of shopping, decorating and planning. The to do list seems never ending. The Blessed Mother Mary on the other hand had the greatest challenges. She did not have the conveniences of our society. She had no idea how she was going to deliver the baby, where and when? It’s a wonder how she “pondered” so much in her heart during those weeks before the birth of Jesus. How did she keep her soul at peace as she waited to be the Mother of a King!

We sometimes hear inspiring and somewhat miraculous stories of random meetings with strangers that can’t be explained in earthly terms. Non -believers call these ‘coincidences”. Well, I had such an experience recently with my new landscaper who stopped by to give me an estimate for pruning services for my property. I don’t even know his first name, but when he learned I had been sick--he asked me if he could pray for me and with me? I’ve been struggling physically and mentally for 17 days with an unresolved virus that has attacked my lungs causing great anxiety and physical pain. His visit opened my heart, my lungs and my mind to an even deeper understanding of the power of prayer and the way God chooses to heal us in unexpected ways. In some ways, you could say “pruning” has taken on a new meaning for me.

1 Corinthians 14:33 reminds us that “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace”. On any given day - confusion, fear, self-doubt, stress and anxiety permeate our best -intentioned plans. Even when we do everything we can to be peace-filled human beings we are still challenged every day to maintain those feelings of peace because our world is filled with such chaos. Are you committed to a life of peace? Do you insist on it? Trusting in God will lead you toward a sure path that supports this goal no matter what is going on in the world. If you are channel of peace you’re also that much closer to living out your true vocation and helping others. To have peace—you must desire it and commit to believing it’s possible no matter what.

Greg Boyle shares in his Book: Tattoos on the Heart: “No daylight to separate us. Only kinship. Inching ourselves closer to creating a community of kinship such that God might recognize it. Soon we imagine, with God, this circle of compassion. Then we imagine no one standing outside of that circle, moving ourselves closer to the margins so that the margins themselves will be erased. We stand there with those whose dignity has been denied. We locate ourselves with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless. At the edges, we join the easily despised and the readily left out. We stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop. We situate ourselves right next to the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away.”

We’ve become a nation of labels: Pro Life, Pro Choice, she/her/he/him, liberal, conservative, LGTBQ etc. These labels have become a convenient way we are identified, but oftentimes those labels become points of contention, confusion and judgement especially amongst those we love. These labels seem to be at first harmless, but over time we place people in a category that assumes they share the views and opinions of everyone else in that box. What would Jesus say about labels if he walked amongst us today?

Let Grace Ring! We celebrate our freedoms this July 4th, but are we really free? Are we still bound by the expectations of our world that places a high priority on success, achievement of goods and social status? Are our wants and needs binding us in invisible chains that cause emotional unrest? Are we simply going through the motions of our daily lives and neglecting to take inventory of how we truly feel? Can we embrace the freedom to act in accordance with those promptings of our heart? Let's invite God into these conversations about how we can experience true freedom within His will for our lives?

On June 24th, we honor the Feast Day of John the Baptist who had a significant role in preparing for the coming of Jesus. His Mother and our Blessed Mother were family and despite this close relationship he died a gruesome death that was instigated by hatred. John lived quite a radical lifestyle and today he’d be judged as being a bit crazy. He lived so honorably so why was he allowed to suffer? What can this Holy Saint teach us today?

May is the month we honor our Blessed Mother--our Queen of Heaven and Mother to Jesus. It's also one of the busiest months for Moms as we navigate the many activities of our children and end of school plans. There just never seems to be enough time to just relax. We meet another Mary in Luke's gospel who is happy to just be with Jesus at His feet while Martha( her stressed out sister) is busy managing the details of attending to the guests. According to Jesus--it was actually peaceful Mary that chose best. Let's ponder this further.

Social media and advertisers try to dictate our values, thoughts, and predispositions as consumers of goods that are hardly "good" for us. If we fail to strengthen our non negotiable behaviors that support our wholesome core values and faith beliefs; we will be drawn into situations that can truly lead us away from our true inner selves. Marijuana is one example of a product that once forbidden is now decriminalized and far from the cure for all that ails us as the world would have us believe. Now is a good time to ponder that true healing from our pain from our Divine Physician might be the real miracle we need.

Today's society is inundated with messengers of all kinds. Most are assertive and deliberate in their words and actions. Sometimes the loudest voices get the most attention for messages that might not even be best for our soul's well-being. St. Joseph was a quiet, trusting and humble soul who stood in the shadows. He was chosen to be a messenger for us to teach us about virtues that are lasting, but he spoke rarely. Sometimes contemplative actions carry more meaning. If only we remain quietly disposed to receive them will we learn the lessons intended for our souls.

Valentine's Day is not always a day filled with loving sentiments for all. Many people actually feel great depression and loss of hope on this one day. Social Media and tv commercials present many visuals and messaging that would imply that everyone has someone to love. While statistics sky rocket with growing and alarming incidences of alcohol/drug abuse, depression, anxiety and suicide--we know this is fake news but, it still has the power to alter your senses and impose negative thoughts that are anything but loving. One simple scripture phrase from John 15 is all you need if you have faith to believe.

Every time I embark upon a new year I begin that journey with new goals for living my best life and being the most fit instrument of God's grace. Emotionally or physically I always have work to do. February is that month when I reflect back to January's goals I set for myself--how many times I have felt so discouraged because despite my enthusiastic desire to make changes; I have fallen short time and time again after just 31 days! For some reason this month I've been thinking about how many times our Lord used "fish" and "fishing" as teaching moments for His apostles especially when they have felt discouraged. Those same lessons can make a difference for us in 2022 to encourage us to stay in the boat and forge ahead with our goals because God is always guiding our rods. Continuing to cast our nets can be transformational with courage, confidence and commitment to His will for our lives.

These were the last words our Blessed Mother speaks as found in Scripture. This simple yet impactful directive launched the ministry of her Son, Jesus at the Wedding Feast of Cana. The old adage, "Mother knows best" rings true for this intuitive exchange when Jesus himself questions His mother's suggestion to help. It's so hard to watch our children suffer or struggle with painful choices today--not every child heeds our advice. Today's reading is a reminder to reflect upon the role of the Blessed Mother in our family life. She is still pointing us to her Son-still imploring us to do "what He says".

New Year’s resolutions can offer hope, but also anxious expectations. We set out to put ourselves on a path of what we think is best for us. We look at others, listen to well meaning friends and are impacted by social media posts that attempt to define what is best for us---our looks, our opinions and even our possessions. Resolutions that come from a soul that is filled with Christ’s light guiding will help minimize feelings of loss and help us to not lose our way. Prayer is more powerful than resolutions.

The Christmas season is one of joy found in many family traditions that we embrace both spiritually and secularly. Let us be more aware of the real meaning of "why" we are celebrating Christmas, the "mass of Christ". Let's embrace this joyous time with those things that best influence our good decisions and offer us the most peace.

Scripture as the "living word" of God speaks to us today in ways that make sense of the chaos in our lives. It can provide a path to peace that offers clear directives for navigating those times when life feels like a desert and we are quietly suffering amidst the joy of the advent celebrations. Allowing God to quench our thirst is made more possible when we see the "holy way" by investing our time during Advent in a more prayerful and intimate relationship with Him.

Embracing the spiritual blessings in unfamiliar places with faithful souls that might worship differently than us is powerful. Today, Let's be open to be cleansed of anything standing in our way of loving our neighbor and being more like Jesus!

Sometimes there are miracles in the mess. The Mother of God was called to do the impossible. She gave her Father her "yes" without conditions. She pondered many things in her heart and remained patient and obedient. We are called to feel inspired by her walk when our lives are messy, cluttered and confusing. Our lives are unpredictable, but having a relationship with God as Mary did---offers the inner peace that she had. She lived to see the miracles of her Son's works--she trusted and we should do more of that too.