O Lord hear, O Lord forgive us. We have lost the awe of You. Have mercy, have mercy. O Lord, cleanse Our hearts which are divided. Stir the faith that we once knew We’re thirsty, we’re thirsty. O Lord restore The church that bears Your name. O Spirit send A revival to this nation. Breathe on us again, Breathe on us again. Breathe on us again. O Lord restore The…
Let us start afresh in 2021 with a commitment to honor the Blessed Sacrament. Pledge to: Pray a daily Rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet Attend daily Mass Fast by skipping one meal per day Give alms Abstain from media Sign up HERE.
Now I just need to do it. My spirit is unsettled. There is a knot in the pit of my stomach. Can you relate? It’s been a rough year. But in spite of all the obvious hardships of 2020, I have been luckier than most and can even say that there have been many blessings during this weird year. Our business has been down but we are doing ok. We…
It is highly unlikely that anyone subscribed to this blog needs to listen to this story by Paul Harvey to believe in the incarnation, but it is a creative parable about the incarnation and it moved me, so I share it with you on the eve of the celebration of Christ’s birth. ENJOY! This famous story as only Paul Harvey could tell it was aired over ABC Radio, on Christmas…
In all my 64 years of life I have never had such a God-focused Advent and I am grateful for the grace, because that is what it is – GRACE. God has always been in my sight, even from early childhood. I always knew I needed Him. The reasons for needing Him have shifted from a need for freedom from fear in my early years to simply longing for more…
By Bishop William Joensen: Reprinted with permission from Iowans For LIFE. I am pleased to join you as bishop and pastor of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, as a brother in Christ, and a witness to the dignity of every human life. While we would obviously prefer to be together in person sharing a meal and feasting on the musical fare our fine musicians serve us tonight, we are…
Did you see “Love Reaches Everywhere” at the conference? The title “Love Reaches Everywhere” was inspired by words Ellen created for a Mary’s Meals t-shirt. Whether you saw it or not, it is worth watching again for a spiritual and joyful boost as you head into Advent. You will find it at the end of this post. What you may not realize is how Mary’s Meals and the Christ Our…
One of the highlights of the Christ Our Life Conference is always the hour of adoration on Saturday night. It is so powerful to be in the darkened arena worshiping our Lord with a multitude of true believers. One of the surprises this year, and a clear sign of God’s wonderful creativity, was the way adoration blessed so many of you online! Of course we all would have preferred to…
The reading for today, Friday, October 23rd, is from Ephesians 4: 1-6 and, it brings to mind the talk from Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers on day one of our conference. Deacon Harold was talking about marriage, and particularly the incredible stresses put on the family during the Covid pandemic. People are worried about jobs, their kids’ schooling and so much more. And in addition to the stress of the pandemic, people…
My husband Tom and I took a day trip yesterday to enjoy the leaves and the glorious Iowa countryside. One of the things we did in the car was listen to a video by Fr. Michael Gaitley, a Marian Priest. The previous evening we had watched a video entitled “Bakhita, From Slave to Saint.” These two things, the video and the talk by Fr. Gaitley, were an amazing and inspiring…
