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Sometimes people think they have to earn God’s attention so that God will take care of them. That’s not the way it is. What we have to do is acknowledge our weakness and be willing to have God deal with us as his children.
At Franciscan Media, we celebrate the saints in our prayers—and share their amazing, faith-filled stories with the next generation!
Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Think about letting go a bit. There are times we just need to let down our pride and dance. Right now, right here. As children we did this freely and without hesitation.
Jane Frances de Chantal was a wife and the mother of six. When her husband was killed, Saint Jane Frances took a vow not to remarry and sought to join a religious community. She was dissuaded by her spiritual director, Saint Francis de Sales.
Some people are not called to marriage. They are called to be single for the sake of the kingdom, but these are the exception. For most people marriage is the norm.
Within each of us is the potential to be a light focusing attention on God’s presence in our world. Clare of Assisi’s life reveals just how much light she shed.
I hold my newborn son; he holds my gaze. As I carry him in my arms, he carries my heart to a new place. I notice every shift of his eyes, every wince, every movement, and all the thoughts he has not yet learned to express. I feel every ounce of energy jolting through his body. Then I feel the energy slowly dissipate, trickling out into the nothingness, as I bob him up and down, swaying in the living room to Fleetwood Mac. His body relaxes as he closes his eyes.
Sometimes we leave Mass underwhelmed and unimpressed. We can blame the homily, the choir, or the noisy kids in the back row, but the truth is, those things are not what matters.
Saint Clare of Assisi referred to herself as a little plant. In many ways, she was a strong oak. The first woman to write a Rule of Life for her sisters, she insisted on the privilege of poverty until her dying breath, getting papal approval of her Rule just days before she died.
We owe love to our neighbor because God loves us and calls us to share his love with others. We have no right to refuse forgiveness to our neighbor because forgiving is part of loving.
