Forgive me

for the light blogging. It's been a very needy, but grace-filled week (as opposed to last week, when dinglefritz here somehow forgot to pray for grace every morning, and then wondered why chaos rained down upon her all week.... duhhhhh).

As I have been taking care of Marie, who has a cold, I have been struck again at the privilege we as moms have been given to care for our children. We are handed, on a platter, the grace-filled opportunities to serve others so completely, as Our Lord has called us to do. Only God could call us to do something like this, and allow us to feel so filled in the process!

In the meantime, until I can have a decent chunk of time to sit down and actually blog, I leave you with an excerpt from an article written in the CATHOLIC MISCELLANY (our weekly newspaper):

PRAYER MADE JOYFUL

"...pure prayer is not necessarily found in our lofty thoughts or our majestic words. Not is it found in the intensity of our feelings. In fact.. when it comes to prayer you should never force feelings of any kind... pure prayer is found in the will, in the will to give yourself to God. Since the will has only one function, to say 'yes or no,' you can decide to say yes. It isn't that difficult.

Even if you feel dry as a bone when you pray or have wild distractions, it is still possible to pray well. Simply say, 'Lord, I am here, and I give myself to you as best I can.'...

God lives in the present moment, not in the past or future. Do not let the past drag you down. Do not let your fear of the future upset you. Laugh at these distractions. Simply give yourself to God as best you can, and enjoy your time with the Lord.

You may never be able to pray as well as you think you ought to pray, but that's OK. As long as you accept your limitations, you will be praying as best you can, and that's all the Lord asks. He accepts you just as you are."

Father John Catoir (quoting also from Abbot John Chapman)