More blogging

I'm doing more blogging over at www.highheelsandgrits.blogspot.com so don't forget to catch up with me over there!

I'll be back here sporadically.

But for now, I'm Living Life to the Fullest!

Jesus Take the Wheel!

The reading today is Matthew Chapter 5:3-12  a.k.a. The Beatitudes
 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven.

Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

Did you read the above? Or did you skip over it all?  Just wondering...

 
When I hear this verse I often picture a poor little old lady who is meek. She wears torn and dirty clothes (poor), and she is a widow in morning.  She is nice to all people (merciful) and led a good life (clean of heart). 

Do you picture this type of person when you hear the beatitudes or is it just me?
 
Today as I heard this reading in the car ride into work I thought to myself "Why do I think this little old lady is the only person getting into heaven?" I want to get into heaven....why can't I picture myself with these virtues?  
Then I had my Jesus Take the Wheel! moment:  "Holy Spirit, enter my mind and soul, guide my thoughts and open my eyes to the scripture.  I am not a poor widow, but show me how I can be meek, poor in spirit, mournful and merciful."
 
Sounds kinda miserable right?  Why would we want those 'negative' thoughts and feelings.  Well, I think it is in those experiences that we search for God, when we call on God, when we come closer to God. 
 
Where am I poor in spirit?  Do I have poor spirit when I look at society, child education, natural resources, governments, unmotivated parishes? What can I do about it?
Who or what do I mourn? The lonely, the dying, the imprisoned, the lost, the confused?  What can I do about it?
How can I be meek? In my role as a daughter? A sister? A wife? An employee? A parishioner? A volunteer?  What can I do about it?
Who's righteousness do I hunger and thirst for? My own? or others?  What can I do about it?
Am I merciful? Or am I quick to judge and point the finger?  What can I do about it?
Do I have a clean heart? Have I been to confession lately?  Am I making amends with my past mistakes and changing my ways? Or am I confessing the same thing over and over again?  What can I do about it?
Am I a peacemaker? Or am I a shaker? Do I walk into a situation hoping to bring peace, but instead do I disrupt the natural order of things?  What can I do about it?
Have I been persecuted? Or am I in a 'bubble', unexposed to the trials and tribulations of a true martyr?   What can I do about it?
 
With the question ending each of those What can I do about it? the first response is PRAY. As much as I want to change this and fix that...if it's not in God's plan it's not going to happen. 
 

• "Until you are convinced that Prayer is the best use of your time, you will not find time for Prayer" - Father Hilary Ottesmayer O.S.B.
• "Faith without works is dead"  - James 2:20
• YOU are the answer to someone else's prayer.  Do not be afraid to do God's will.  If your prayers are to be answered, someone else must find the courage to do God's will. 

 
 
Read Pope Francis' Homily today (and everyday!):
Eight Sessions from Ascension Press about the Beatitudes the series was in April...but you can still watch Thomas Smith talk you through a spiritual journey with the beatitudes.  SPOILER: He explains that the 8 beatitudes ARE the life of Jesus.  Jesus was meek, merciful and persecuted.  He says FOLLOW ME not in a single-file line...but in his way of life.  BE the Beatitudes like Jesus is.....
 
 
 

Habemus Papam!

We have a pope! Habemus Papam

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina is now Pope Francis I of Rome and the Universal Pope.

As an announcement was made over the intercom at my office Catholics rushed to the library for a live stream of the event.  More than an hour later cups of wine were raised in the air as a toast to our new Shepherd. 

I have never experienced this day before.  Our previous Pope, Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, was the 265th Pope.  He was elected on April 19, 2005.  Umm, I was alive then.  I was a sophomore in college!  I should have felt what I'm feeling today on April 19, 2005.  But I didn't.

I guess you can never be good at faith.  When you say "you have such great faith!" to someone, you know they are rolling their eyes at you and thinking to themselves "No, I don't."  It's called humility.  But it's also true.  Faith is a practice.  You work at it, you get better at it, but you never accomplish it!  Hopefully on your death bed you will accomplish it.  But holy people, priests, nuns, lay people, deacons....they are all practicing their faith.  (You Yogi's know what I'm talking about).

So today when a Deacon's wife screamed over the intercom "What have white smoke!  We have white smoke!"  I felt like my sister just told me she was going into labor.  (none of my sisters are pregnant.)  But this anticipation of a new life, a birth, an unknown full of love and dignity.  My heart was racing, my stomach was filled with butterflies.  My Lord, My God.  You have come to us.  You have come to your faithful.

And can I just say how totally awesome the Church is?  Say what you want about 'old fashioned' and 'tradition'.  But three points:

1. NO ONE KNEW who the next Pope was going to be.  There was no leak, only respect.  There was no amount of money for the first news station to translate or get the first photo.  The Church doesn't need money.  It needs faithful Catholics.  The media had to have video, facts and figures on all 115 cardinals who where in the Papal conclave.  For once the media didn't get to make up the news.  They had to work, research and be prepared.  I think that's called journalism.  I'm not sure, I was only the producer of my high school TV station...
2. It took 2 days.  It wasn't on our time.  It was on God's time.  US Presidents start lying to us, I mean running for election, two years before they are elected.  What a waste of time!  Do your job right and you'll be elected!  The Church picks the leaders from all over the world, all demographics, all walks of life to cast a vote on the new leader of the Church.  Why?  Well, because contrary to politics, the Pope is the boss of the Cardinals who are in charge of the Bishops, who lead the Priests and the Deacons...etc. It's a hierarchy, they obey and it works.  But really the only job of the Pope is to pray for the Church.  Cardinals, Bishops and Priests are going to do what they need to do for their faithful, and the Pope just keeps praying they do God's will.  Our president prays on what?  National Prayer Day?  Actually, I know the Texas Legislature prays before every meeting, so maybe our government does pray.  They just don't put that in the news.
3. and  Latin is back.  Pope Francis I is from Latin America.  So believe it or not this means he is an American Pope!  Maybe not YOUR version of America.  But he's an American pope.  And there are a lot of people in the United States of America who can relate to him.  South Americans and Central Americans are already saying "He's like me!". Embrace it.  Another kind of Latin is back too: the Latin language!  When the world needs a universal language, I can very well see Latin becoming just that.  The Cathedral in my town have many portions of its mass in Latin.  It makes the ceremony seem very universal, which is that the Church is.  Universal.

Next time there is a pope elected, which will totally happen in my lifetime, I will have learned Latin and Italian so that I can listen to our Pope and understand his message.  Even though, this time, I was listening through a translator but still felt his message of peace, humility and evangelization. 

Visit the National Catholic Register to see what happens behind the scenes of the papel election. 
Also, boycott main stream media when it comes to your faith.  The  Da Vinci Code is fiction.  The Secret is FICTION.  Don't base your faith (or lack there of) on stories.  The Church has a huge network of apologetics who study the Church and can answer all questions and concerns.  Get your information from: http://www.catholic.org/  an up-to-date, seriously hip and informational website.   And pray often!

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all Your faithful people, mercifully look upon Your servant Pope Francis I, whom You have chosen as the chief Shepherd to preside over Your Church. We beg You to help him edify, both by word and example, those over whom he has charge, that he may reach everlasting life together with the flock entrusted to him. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Living Life to the Fullest and praying for Pope Francis I.

If I had a penny for every time....

If I had a penny for every time Budget Savvy Diva posts a great deal on her blog - well I wouldn't count the pennies, she helps save much more than that!

I few deals that are running out soon!

RedBox 10 days of deals - ENDS 2/26

Each day between now and 2/26 you can text the word DAYS to 727272 to get a Redbox Rental Code. You could get one of the following:

A 50¢ discount on your first rental day of any disc

Rent one DVD and get another one free for your rental day

Upgrade from a DVD to a Blu-ray Disc for free for your first rental day

and some games...see Budget Savy link for more information

 

FREE 8x10 photo print on canvas - ENDS 2/28

• Perfect for wedding photos, bridal portraits or family photos!

FREE Paper

• Who doesn't need copy paper or printer paper?  Done.

FREE Subway - 3/11-3/16

• Free Subway sandwiches to the select few.  My west Texas region doesn't qualify, but maybe your area does!

Tresemme OoLaLa!  Exp. Tomorrow? 2/20

• $3 off a bottle of Tresemee product.  I just happen to use this on my hair, so I watched the commericial, downloaded the coupon app and got my coupon!  Now I just need to find a CVS.

Add Budget Savvy Diva to your Google Reader so you can get her HOURLY updates on deals near you!

Living Life to the Fullest, and saving a little as I go!

-Rachel