LENT 2018:

Filling Our Grace Well

The most effective way to refill our ‘grace well’ comes through the other gifts God has for us.  Primarily, prayer, Sacrament, and Scripture, or what I affectionately refer to as the “Grace Trifecta”.  The secret is simple, and not really a secret, immerse yourself daily in conversation with God – ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and I guarantee that door will be flung open!!

Entering into Conversation with God aka Prayer (and other Lent Ideas)

• Rosary as prayer abacus. I employ this alternative use for the Rosary when I am having either a very distracted day or one filled with many prayer requests. For each bead, I bring to mind someone needing a prayer – offering that bead’s prayer for their specific intentions. At the end of the Rosary, I have prayed for at least 55 people. In praying the Rosary, grace abounds.
• Turn your inner voice to one of constant communication with those in heaven. Engage your Guardian Angel, Blessed Mother or favorite Saints (aka Your Saint Posse) in dialog. You will find the conversations not only more useful and encouraging, but it will also help you move closer to St . Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing”.
• Do you feel like you spend all day in your car? What about praying for the intentions (known or unknown) for those in the houses you pass in your travels.  I call this, “praying my town.”  I offer prayers as I pass by homes of sick friends, families with new babies, as well as the police and fire stations. I also pray for the souls in Purgatory, with either the Requiem Prayer or this short prayer, “Jesus, Mary I love you, save souls” when I drive past a cemetery.

Lent 2019:

New Post at Catholic Sistas: DO YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR LENT?

While it may seem a little early to be thinking about Lent, this important season in the Church will be here before we know it.  The Valentine’s Day displays adorning the stores, even before Christmas had officially ended, provided a heart-filled reminder of the swift movement of time between holidays.

Additionally, thinking about Lent in order to formulate a plan well ahead of Lent for practicing prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, is prudent. I am a planner. I really enjoy making lists, checking them twice, and crossing each task off the list. That is probably why I enjoy using my DAYBOOK//CATHOLIC PLANNER so much!  Not surprising, I am already thinking about my Lenten plan.

THE GRACE TRIFECTA

Each year along with the Lenten tenets of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; I try to include my usual, daily three-fold plan of connecting with the Lord that I’ve dubbed, “THE GRACE TRIFECTA.”  This is daily participation in some form of prayer, sacrament, and the Scriptures. It builds a firm foundation of faith upon which we can grow even deeper in love with Christ during Lent. 

WHY STRIVE TO BE FULL OF GRACE

The Blessed Mother illustrates the blessing of being filled with grace. Her fiat would have been impossible with the gift of grace she’d received from God. Grace is… the undeserved yet freely given gift of God’s holy spirit within us. It is that gift of Grace that helps us to answer yes when God calls upon us, to choose the right path, and to continue to grow in faith and love.  Grace is a critical ingredient provided by the Lord to recognize the mystical and beautiful of the Catholic faith, to deepen our desire to know and love him; and to strengthen our resolve to remain faithful.

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH LENT? …read more