Look at your Father when He's talking to you!

Our family morning prayer routine was interrupted last week because of our family's involvement in two different Catholic camps. My husband and oldest daughter attended Holy Mass at another parish. I and the rest of the kids participated in morning devotions with others in VBS.

Wanting to hear the daily readings one morning, I turned on EWTN and proceeded to get myself made up for the day. Br. Leo read the first reading and the lead the responsorial psalm. But, when Brother sang the Alleluia before the Gospel...I heard my soul being called. I'll never forget it....I was leaning over my bathroom counter into the mirror applying my mascara. I hear Him calling me out of the mirror and into His Presence. As every woman knows, once the process of applying mascara begins it must be carried out to the end!
Therefore, being in the middle of my plans for the moment I did not responded with obedience. It was more like a..."yep...I hear you...just a sec...be right there...coming...." but not moving. Then I suddenly saw myself in a new way. I stood there looking at myself looking at myself! While reflecting on my imagine I heard a voice inside my heart tell me, “You want to hear  God, but won't take your eyes of yourself!"

In that moment I realized the root of all my stress and anxiety and lack of peace was ME!   I know God has a plan for every moment of my life. What I have forgotten is that I am not to depend on myself for the fulfillment of His plans. I need to stop paying so much attention to what I am doing…and focus on what He is doing through me.

And when my Heavenly Father wants to talk to me....I should at least look in His direction!

A Little Saint

A friend of mine died suddenly last Sunday. Her funeral Mass was yesterday. She was a wife blessed with four beautiful children to nurture and educated while waiting to one day meet the several other babies she held only in her heart.

She always reminded me of Caroline Ingalls (Ma) on Little House. My friend was a simple and humble woman of pure sweetness and great FAITH!  She did nothing to attract attention to herself in anyway. Nothing about her would make her stand out in a crowd. Yet, she stood out in the hearts and lives of so many. My estimate is that there was close to 1000 people at her funeral in a city 3000 miles from where she grew up. No one there was a co-worker, no one was there to make an appearance out of political or business motivations or high society expectations …. Only pure hearted family and friends who loved her so much.  Six priests presided over the Mass and 3 deacons assisted simply because they wanted to be part of the last moment of the story of a special soul. One priest that knew her well referred to her as “a little saint.”

It dawned on me just today, (Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), that my dear saint wore the scapular. The promise is that one who wears it devoutly will exit Purgatory before the next Saturday after death. I don’t think she had to wait that long.

She was a “little saint” well in advance.