My mother held on to her faith to the last moment. But as her faith and her firm trust in her God were the last thing that was still alive in the throes of her death, I am confident that she will have met a very merciful judge and that she is now my most faithful helper, so that I can reach the goal as well. —St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
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In honor of today’s feast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, I read more into her life and came across this quote she said about her mother when she had passed, which coincided with her vow renewal in 1936.
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Isn’t that what we want, too? As primary educators of the faith for our children, our vocation as parents is to raise up saints, to work toward the sanctification of ourselves and our children so that when we do pass from our earthly life, we not only bask in the splendors of Heaven with the everlasting Triune God, but also intercede for our loved ones as they still make their pilgrimage. What a powerful and most beautiful gift to give. Praise God for holy families and the gift of intercessory prayer from the saints who’ve gone before us. St. Teresa, pray for us. ⌂
#feastday #stteresabenedictaofthecross #edithstein #domesticchurch #catholicfamily #parenthoodissanctifying #youremyvocation #projectblessed #BISsisterhood #thishouseyourebuilding #badcatholicdads #intercessoryprayer #raisingsaints #catholicmomthoughts #catholicmom #catholicdad #alltheprettychurches
The common life, whether in the family, the parish, the religious community or any other, is made up of small everyday things. This was true of the holy community formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, which reflected in an exemplary way the beauty of the Trinitarian communion. It was also true of the life that Jesus shared with his disciples and with ordinary people.
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Let us not forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to details.
The little detail that wine was running out at a party.
The little detail that one sheep was missing.
The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins.
The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom delay.
The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had.
The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for the disciples at daybreak.
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A community that cherishes the little details of love, whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in accordance with the Father’s plan. There are times when, by a gift of the Lord’s love, we are granted, amid these little details, consoling experiences of God. —Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 143-145 ⌂
#popefrancis #gaudeteetexsultate #theholyfamily #theholytrinity #domesticchurch #liturgicalliving #projectblessed #catholicliving #catholicfamily #catholicmomthoughts #familiessupportingfamilies #raisingsaints #BISsisterhood #thecatholicwoman #catholicgentleman #badcatholicdads #catholiccreative #goodnewsfeed #createdtocreate #catholicartisans #bedeeplyrooted #womenintheword #lampandlight #shewritestruth #illustratedfaith
Hard work, struggling to meet the bills, taking long road trips, prayer and simple devotions: this is what the real Gospels tell us about the Holy Family...
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It’s so…ordinary. And in a way, isn’t that what makes it scary?
If the Holy Family were so different from us, we’d be free of our obligation to imitate them. But Scripture and the Catechism point to our duty to make our homes holy as theirs was holy.
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God entered history through a family in order to make family life holy and show us how to live in our homes. The hard work, the piety, the obedience, the active seeking for God’s will—all these are virtues we can imitate at home.
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—Mike Aquilina, Love in the Little Things (Chapter Forty: By Way of the Family)
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#loveinthelittlethings #talesoffamilylife #thishouseyourebuilding #domesticchurch #catholicfamilies #theholyfamily #familiessupportingfamilies #catholicparenting #projectblessed #BISsisterhood #thecatholicwoman #catholicgentleman #badcatholicdads #youremyvocation #pursuejoy #goodnewsfeed #gritandvirtue #liturgicalliving #bedeeplyrooted #womenintheword #lampandlight
“Do you hope that when your children grow up, they will become saints?”
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After praying Lauds earlier this morning, I was inspired to read St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Advice to Parents for the first time. He wrote on the privilege of this vocation and the responsibilities of raising up children in the faith. It was a good read and posed some really good and challenging questions and points for further reflection, including the one above. I’ve bookmarked the entire letter and this specific question because it’ll be beneficial in keeping myself and my husband accountable, especially in moments when we need to reminded of specific ways in educating our children in virtue by what we say & do, and making corrective actions that will benefit them in time, which will then bear fruit for them as they grow into men and women, and hopefully, eventually saints. .
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#saintalphonsusliguori #feastday #livesofthesaints #orapronobis #liturgicalliving #projectblessed #catholicliving #catholicmomthoughts #raisingsaints #BISsisterhood #thecatholicwoman #catholicgentleman #badcatholicdads #catholiccreative #goodnewsfeed #createdtocreate #catholicartisans #bedeeplyrooted #womenintheword #lampandlight #shewritestruth #illustratedfaith
