Finding Joy in the day, Day 176 (Year 2)

Seeing baby C, and playing with her

'And so, dearly beloved, make firm your resolve, knowing that you cannot do anything greater for your spouse Christ Jesus than persevere and finish under the yoke which you have taken up through him, aware that the enemy sometimes makes the way seem too narrow or too long.'

St. Catherine of Bologna

(p.s. MB I bet you can relate to the TOO LONG and TOO NARROW- sorry you are going through that!)

Finding Joy in the day, Day 175 (Year 2)

Safe travels home to Appleton
Catching up with my amazing sister

'Of a hundred, and perhaps a thousand, of these articulated locutions, there is hardly one genuine. It is difficult, even for spiritual masters, to discern the true from the false, those of the Spirit of truth from those of the devil, who knows so well how to feign effects like in appearance to those of the Spirit of God. Therefore it is best to enjoin on him who has them to drive them away, to humble himself before God, and to protest that faith, with the Scriptures and the advice of his spiritual father, who speaks in God's name, are sufficient for him. Thus he glorifies God in distrusting himself, in humbling himself, in esteeming himself unworthy of such favors, and is thereby freed from illusion.'

St. Paul of the Cross

Finding Joy in the day, Day 174 (Year 2)

Putting pieces together
New friend

'A man ought never to say one word in his own praise, however true it may be, no, not even in a joking way.'

St. Philip Neri

Finding Joy in the day, Day 173 (Year 2)

Getting some art in the mail
Fun at Target

'In the warfare of the flesh, only cowards gain the victory; that is to say, those who fly.'

St. Philip Neri

Finding Joy in the day, Day 172 (Year 2)

Getting to know people
New friends

'Listen now to what they say about love for our neighbor: "I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience also bears me witness in the Holy Spirit: I have great distress and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were severed from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites" (Rom. 9:1-3). Moses and the other saints speak in a similar manner.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

Finding Joy in the day, Day 171 (Year 2)

Joking around

'Each man's knowledge is genuine to the extent that it is confirmed by gentleness, humility and love.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

Finding Joy in the day, Day 170 (Year 2)

Sunny morning

'They are deprived of the sight of God, a torment far more excruciating than all other pains. Let us reflect that among these suffering souls are parents, or brothers, or relatives and friends, who look to us for succor. Let us remember, moreover, that being in the condition of debtors for their sins, they cannot assist themselves. This thought should urge us forward to relieve them to the best of our ability.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Finding Joy in the day, Day 169 (Year 2)

The story of my sister and her husband and their courage
Visit from my family

'Blessed the one who considers those who sleep in their coffins in graves and has rejected every foul smelling desire, for he will rise in glory when the heavenly trumpet sounds, rousing all the children of humankind from sleep.'

St. Ephrem of Syria

Finding Joy in the day, Day 167 (Year 2)

Hearing from a friend after a long time

'Long-suffering and readiness to forgive curb anger; love and compassion wither it.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan

Finding Joy in the day, Day 168 (Year 2)

Chatting with Dad

'Make a nosegay of the sufferings of Jesus, and wear it on your bosom, or else keep yourself absorbed in God in pure faith; let your soul be rapt in the thought of His sufferings and His love. Remain in this sacred silence, in this holy admiration, which increases the love of God.'

St. Paul of the Cross

Finding Joy in the day, Day 166 (Year 2)

Supportive friends and prayers

'In your patience you shall possess your souls.'

Luke 21:19

Finding Joy in the day, Day165 (Year 2)

Seeing pictures of happy mom and dad and baby
My good friend visiting with my niece

'No passion is worse than an uncontrolled tongue, because it is the mother of all the passions.'

St. Agathon

Finding Joy in the day, Day 164 (Year 2)

Great great news
An exciting addition

'Steadfast faith is a strong tower; and for one who has faith Christ comes to be all.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

Finding Joy in the day, Day 163 (Year 2)

Time outside without it raining
Triple sacraments

'Conformity to the will of God is an easy and certain means of acquiring a great treasure of graces in this life.'

St. Vincent de Paul

Finding Joy in the day, Day 162 (Year 2)

Doing a little journaling
A friend

 

'Let us give ourselves over completely to our dear and good heavenly Father. Let us always love Him, and our hearts will be enlarged. There must be no standing still. Our love must become a flame which destroys within us all that does not unite us intimately with Him.'

St. Conrad of Parzham

Finding Joy in the day, Day 161 (Year 2) Feast of the Assumption

Visiting with my sister and bro in law
A nice place to sit

 

'The prayer which humbles the soul, inflames her with love, and leads her to the practice of virtue, is not susceptible of illusion.'

St. Paul of the Cross

Finding Joy in the day, Day 160 (Year 2)

Finding what I needed in my car

'You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.'

St. Augustine

Finding Joy in the day, Day 159 (Year 2)

Getting outside

'When people say that it is impossible to attain perfection, to be once and for all free from the passions, or to participate fully in the Holy Spirit, we should cite Holy Scripture against them, showing them that they are ignorant and speak falsely and dangerously. For the Lord said: "Become perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48), perfection denoting total purity; and: "I desire these men to be with Me wherever I am, so that they may see My glory." (John 17:24) He also said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Matt. 24:35) And St. Paul is saying the same as Christ when he writes: ". . . so that we may present every man perfect in Christ." (Col. 1:28) and: ". . . until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13) Thus by aspiring to perfection two of the best things come about, provided we struggle diligently and unceasingly: we seek to attain this perfect measure and growth; and we are not conquered by vanity, but look upon ourselves as petty and mean because we have not yet reached our goal.

Those who deny the possibility of perfection inflict the greatest damage on the soul in three ways. First, they manifestly disbelieve the inspired Scriptures. Then, because they do not make the greatest and fullest goal of Christianity their own, and so do not aspire to attain it, they can have no longing and diligence, no hunger and thirst for righteousness; (cf. Matt. 5:6) on the contrary, content with outward show and behavior and with minor accomplishments of this kind, they abandon that blessed expectation together with the pursuit of perfection and of the total purification of the passions. Third, thinking they have reached the goal when they have acquired a few virtues, and not pressing on to the true goal, not only are they incapable of having any humility, poverty and contrition of heart but, justifying themselves on the grounds that they have already arrived, they make no efforts to progress and grow day by day.

People who think it is impossible to attain through the Spirit the "new creation" of the pure heart (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) are rightly and explicitly likened by the apostle to those who, because of their unbelief, were found unworthy of entering the promised land and whose bodies on that account "were left lying in the desert." (Heb. 3:17)'

St. Symeon Metaphrastis

Finding Joy in the day, Day 158 (Year 2)

Getting to see my sister tonight

'O Jesus and Mary, let my entire consolation in this world be to love you and to suffer for sinners.'

St. Bernadette Soubirous

Finding Joy in the day, Day 157 (Year 2)

Sun in the window

'They are the flower of the Church's growth; the grace of the spirit finds in them its beauty and delicacy; they are our pride and bloom; in them praise and honor have their perfect and incorrupt work; they are God's image reflecting the Lord's sanctity; the more illustrious portion of Christ's flock. In them exults, in them beauteously flowers the glorious fecundity of our mother the Church, and the more virginity adds to its number the more that mother's joy increases.'

St. Cyprian of Carthage

Finding Joy in the day, Day 156 (Year 2)

A peak of sunshine
Day coming to an end

'I have heard thy sighs, and the desires of thy heart are so pleasing to Me, that had I not instituted My divine Sacrament of love, I would do so now for love of thee, so as to have the pleasure of dwelling in thy soul and of taking My loving repose in thy heart.'

The Lord, to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Finding Joy in the day, Day 155 (Year 2)

Seeing mom and dad
Spending time in the sun

'So then, my brothers, let us give off a sweet spiritual fragrance, a perfume that each one produces for themselves by a blending of the virtues, as a truly master perfumer. This perfume is blessed. This perfume is sweet to God. This perfume attracts angels, but repels demons. With this perfume women ran behind Jesus, as it says in the Song of Songs [1,4 LXX].'

St. Theodore the Studite

Finding Joy in the day, Day 154 (Year 2)

Hoping to talk to a friend
Feeling close to others

'We should be careful to preserve great purity of heart in the love of God, loving nothing but Him, and desiring to converse with Him alone, and with the neighbor for love of Him and not for our own pleasure and delight.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Finding Joy in the day, Day 153 (Year 2)

Taking lots of naps
Doing a little coloring

'Guard your mind, and you will not be harassed by temptations. But if you fail to guard it, accept patiently whatever trial comes.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

Finding Joy in the day, Day 152 (Year 2)

Forgiveness
Mercy and Compassion

 

'More determination is required to subdue the interior man than to mortify the body; and to break one's will than to break one's bones.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Finding Joy in the day, Day 151 (Year 2)

Little baby smiles
Beautiful flower garden tour

'May the will of God be done, may the Lord be forever blessed. I wish neither more nor less than the will and the good pleasure of God, whether in time or in eternity; I can will only that which my God wills.'

St. Paul of the Cross

Finding Joy in the day, Day 150 (Year 2)

Friends to visit

'Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators: they are traditionalists.'

Pope St. Pius X, 'Our Apostolic Mandate'

Finding Joy in the day, Day 149 (Year 2)

Prayers from friends
Mom and Dad visiting

 

'The benefits to be derived from spiritual reading do not merely consist in impressing on the memory the precepts set forth, but in opening the heart to them, that they may bear fruit.'

St. Louis de Blois

Finding Joy in the day, Day 148 (Year 2)

Lightning flashes
Good night sleep

'The dear Lord knows what is going on. We must pray. The good Lord will take pity. We must not lose patience.'

St. Conrad of Parzham

Finding Joy in the day, Day 147 (Year 2) St. Alphonsus Liguori

A little bit of laid back day
Lovely bouquet card from my momma!

“He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts God can do all things.” 
Alphonsus Maria de Liguori