Category Archives: Tidbits for Your Day

What Madness! ~ Father Lasance, Peace Not as the World Gives

29 Saturday Oct 2022

Posted by in Peace....Leaving Worry Behind, Spiritual Tidbits, Tidbits for Your Day

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Painting by Kathryn Fincher

by Father Lasance, Peace Not as the World Gives

PEACE OF HEART

A great secret for preserving peace of heart is to do nothing with over-eagerness, but to act always calmly, without trouble or disquiet. We are not asked to do much, but to do well. At the Last Day, God will not examine if we have performed a multitude of works, but if we have sanctified our souls in doing them.

Now, the means of sanctifying ourselves is to do everything for God and to do perfectly whatever we have to do. The works that have as their motive vanity or selfishness make us neither better nor happier, and we shall receive no reward for them.

Patience hath a perfect work; that you may be perfect, failing in nothing. —James i. 4.

Whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. —Col. iii. 17.

PEACE IS FOUND IN CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD

God desires only that which is best for us, namely, our sanctification. “This is the will of God,” says the Apostle, “your sanctification” (Thess. iv. 3).

Let us take care, therefore, to subdue our own will, uniting it always to the will of God; and thus also let us endeavor to control our mind, reflecting that everything that God does is best for us.

Whoever does not act thus, will never find true peace. All the perfection which can be attained in this world, which is a place of purification, and consequently a place of troubles and afflictions, consists in suffering patiently those things which are opposed to our self-love; and in order to suffer them with patience, there is no more efficacious means than a willingness to suffer them in order to do the will of God.

Submit thyself then to Him, and be at peace” (Job xxii. 21).

He that acquiesces with the divine will in everything, is always at peace; and nothing of all that happens to him can make him unhappy. “Whatever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad” (Prov. xii. 21).

But why is the just man never miserable in any circumstances? Because he knows well, that whatever happens in the world, happens through the will of God. —St. Alphonsus Liguori.

We deceive ourselves greatly if we think that union with God consists in ecstasies and spiritual consolations. It consists alone in thinking, saying, doing that which is in conformity to the will of God.

This union is perfect when our will is detached from everything, attached but to God in such a manner that it breathes but His pure will. This is the true and essential union that I ardently desire, and continually ask of Our Lord. —St. Teresa.

WHAT MADNESS!

Man, being endowed with a will of his own, possesses the awful power of resisting the will of the Almighty; but this he does at his own great peril; for his true happiness both here and hereafter is bound up in submission to that will.

Whenever he refuses to obey his conscience, he sets himself against God, for conscience is the voice of God. In this life he may defy His Maker; but not forever. The Almighty must prevail in the end.

What madness, then, to resist the irresistible! What madness to treat one’s best friend as an enemy!

“Be you humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the time of visitation, casting all your care upon Him; for He hath care of you” (I Pet. v. 6, 7).

Submission and confidence is my proper attitude, submission to God’s power, confidence in God’s kindness; for thus the divine omnipotence will be placed at my service. “He will do the will of them that fear Him” (Ps. cxliv. 19).

THE INFINITE WISDOM OF GOD

In all His dealings with man God shows Himself infinitely wise. He has given him intelligence to know his duty and free will to do it; and this free will He never takes away, however much it may be abused.

He helps him with His grace to overcome the concupiscence of his corrupt nature and waits for him with unwearied patience, sending him afflictions, indeed, but only to wean him from the dangerous love of this world, which attracts him as the flame attracts the moth; for the one object of this good Father is to save His child from casting himself into eternal misery and to secure his lasting happiness.

Yet, man will not trust himself to God’s guidance. He thinks, poor fool, that he knows his own interests better and can take care of himself. He will put himself unreservedly in the hands of a physician and take cheerfully the remedies he prescribes, however unpleasant, for he holds bodily life and health to be worth any price; but of life and health eternal he reckons little.

For my part, I will leave myself in the care of the good God, Who knows infinitely better than I do what is profitable to me. It would be folly, indeed, not to trust One Who loves me so well.

“The love of parents is made manifest only through sacrifice, respect for the human nature of their children, companionship and a deep interest in the studies, the work, the play and the progress of their children. It does not injure the children by coddling them; it does not stunt them by unreasonable severity in its demands and punishments.” -Fr. Donald Miller, C.SS.R., 1950’s

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The Gift of Peace ~ Father Lasance

09 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in Peace....Leaving Worry Behind, Tidbits for Your Day

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by Father Lasance, Peace, Not as the World Gives

PEACE, THE GIFT OF THE INFANT JESUS

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. This was the song of the angels in the Holy Night.

Peace, the gift which the divine Child brought with Him from above, will not be bestowed on those individuals who are endowed with a good understanding or a good memory; it will not be granted to those who excel in bodily strength, who are remarkable for their personal beauty or for their noble birth; it will be given solely and exclusively to the men of good will, no matter if all else be lacking to them—intellectual superiority; distinguished beauty, a splendid physique, high position.

And who is the man of good will? He who desires and asks and strives after nothing else but solely and wholly what God wills.

Solomon, having prayed for wisdom, received every other good thing along with it; and we too, if, like good Christians, we leave ourselves in our heavenly Father’s hands and have no other wish but to please Him, shall most certainly have many temporal blessings poured out upon us.

God will never send us a life wholly free from suffering, for that is not the way to heaven; but He will give us peace, that peace which surpasseth all understanding, leading through storm and sunshine to eternal joy. “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth do I give unto you” (John xiv. 27).

HEART OF JESUS, OUR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

The peace of our soul depends on the proper observance of four sets of relations—i.e., with God, by love and conformity to His divine will, with men, by justice and charity; with ourselves, by the due subordination of the body to the soul, of the inferior appetites to reason; with inferior creatures, by making them subservient to our last end. The better we observe these four relations, the greater our peace of soul.

In heaven alone shall we enjoy this peace in its perfection. On earth, even its imperfect possession is an unspeakable blessing, the nearest approach to true happiness.

Again and again Christ wished it to His disciples: “Pax vobis” (Peace be to you) was His frequent form of address. “Peace I leave you, My peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.” (John xiv. 27.)

“Learn of Me .. . and you will find rest to your souls.” (Matt. xi. 29.)

The Church in its Liturgy prays again and again for peace. “May the peace of the Lord be always with you.”

Now, the Sacred Heart is called “our peace and reconciliation” in the same sense as, in another invocation, it is called “our life and resurrection”—viz., the Sacred Heart is the cause of our peace and reconciliation.

“He is our peace,” says St. Paul (Eph. ii. 14) “. . . that He might reconcile” us to God. This peacemaking influence of the Savior we attribute to His Sacred Heart.

Our “peace and reconciliation” are the direct result of the shedding of the precious blood, which has its source and well-spring in the Sacred Heart; moreover, the work of pacification and reconciliation is peculiarly the outcome of the love, and therefore of the Heart, of the Redeemer.

The one, great, everlasting longing of the Sacred Heart is our “reconciliation” with His Father and our final admission to the ever-lasting bliss of heaven. For this He lived on earth, for this He died, for this He dwells throughout the ages in the tabernacle.

Peace, says St. Augustine, is serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart, the bond of charity.

SERENITY OF MIND

Our mind is like the sky, that may be either resplendent with sunshine or darkened with clouds. The clouds are gloomy thoughts, rash judgments, suspicions, uncharitable feelings—all, in short, that destroys interior peace.

TRANQUILITY OF SOUL

Our tranquility is disturbed by thoughts about the past—its faults, failures, and mishaps; the present—its troubles and sorrows; the future—its possibilities and apprehensions. The remedy for all this is confidence in God, conformity to His holy will, abandonment to the guidance and protection of Providence.

SIMPLICITY OF HEART

This may be defined as an active spirit of faith, which makes us simple, sincere, and straightforward in our relations with God and with our neighbor.

THE BOND OF CHARITY

To have peace of heart there must be charity in thought—avoiding envy, suspicion, jealousy, and all that embitters the mind; in word—avoiding calumny, detraction, unkindness of speech: in action—by being kindly and thoughtful in act toward others. even generous and self-sacrificing at times, and free from selfishness.

All these things we shall find in Him who was “meek and humble”; who came to give `peace on earth to men of good will”; and who so often invoked the sweet blessing of peace on His disciples of old.

PRAYER FOR PEACE

Give peace, 0 Lord, in our days; for there is none other that fighteth for us, but only Thou, our God.

Let there be peace in Thy strength, 0 Lord.

And plenty in Thy strong places.

Let us pray…

0 God, from Whom proceed all holy desires, all right counsels and just works; grant unto us Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be devoted to Thy service and that, being delivered from the fear of our enemies, we may pass our time in peace under Thy protection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Indulgence: 100 days, every time.—Pius IX. May 18, 1848.

(My note: I say the above prayer each evening.)

PRAYER FOR FIDELITY AND CONFORMITY TO THE DIVINE WILL

O Lord almighty, Who permittest evil to draw good therefrom, hear our humble prayers, and grant that we remain faithful to Thee unto death. Grant us also, through the intercession of most holy Mary, the strength ever to conform ourselves to Thy most holy will. Indulgence: 100 days, once a day.—Pius IX. June 15. 1862; Leo XIII, July 19, 1879.

“Life is too short to spend it doing things that don’t get you where you want to go. For instance, if it’s important to you to read aloud to your kids, but you find yourself rarely doing that, you’ll feel the disconnect and it will discourage you. You’ll feel off track and out of sorts, but might not be able to put your finger on why.
Spend some time thinking about what you DO want in your life. Then make those choices each day. When you live intentionally and with purpose, it will make a tremendous difference in your life and the lives of those you love.” – Charlotte Siems
Sermon on the Battle of Lepanto with events leading up to the battle, who was in the Holy League’s fleet, & why we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Victory aka Our Lady of the Rosary. The great victory over the Muslim Turks…

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Happiness in a Home ~ Fr. Lasance

24 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by in Attitude, FF Tidbits, Tidbits for Your Day

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f7f0e3d6e87fd159841050ea766d8a43Tidbits from Father Lasance…..

My Prayer Book

What is it That Secures Happiness in a Home?

Before everything religion. Let all love well our good God; let all observe the commandments of God and the Church; let all say their prayers morning and night, let all put their trust in Divine Providence.

In the next place, union; let the members of the household be affectionate toward one another, having only one heart and one soul, not saying or doing anything that can pain any one of them.

Then again, the spirit of sacrifice; we must be ready to do without something in order to make another member of the family enjoy it, we must give up our own personal tastes to conform to the tastes of others.

Finally, pliancy of character; not to be hard to deal with, touchy, sour, proud; not to be obstinately rooted on one’s ideas, not to grow impatient about mere nothings, but to have a  large mind and a generous heart.

The home of a family whose members possess these qualities is a paradise on earth.

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There are other things than merely food and clothing, which make up a a good home. Love and kindness are essential to a happy home; – not the mistaken love and the foolish kindness which give way to every selfish whim of childhood, but the patient, far-seeing virtues that look beyond the present to the child’s future life here and hereafter.

Children, particularly boys, need to be studied and understood. They need to be treated justly, but kindly.

The tolerant father and mother who try to understand their children are too few. They want to drive the boys, whereas they should rather try to lead them.

It is of very little use for parents to preach the virtues to children while they themselves disregard them.

If you would have children just and kind, well-mannered and truthful, be all these things yourself first. These virtues practiced by the parents, and insisted upon kindly and firmly from the children, are what go to make up that which truly deserves to be called “a good home.”

-The Sentinel of the Blessed Sacrament

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The Power of a Smile

An excellent remedy for “the blues” and preventive of dumpishness will be found in the suggestion, “Keep the corners of your mouth turned up”; in other words, keep a smile upon your lips, even when you are alone.

Try it. It acts like a charm, It keeps one in good spirits, and it drives the frown from other faces too. It acts like sunshine. It warms and brightens all it falls upon. A smile will suppress the angry retort that is dancing on the quivering lips. Smiling faces make a peaceful, happy home.

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“True love gives strength of character and assists in the acquisition of self-control. It never takes advantage of another for the sake of personal gratification. To preserve bodily integrity before marriage, a young man must also possess some knowledge of women. Good and pure-minded women inspire respect and make the task of a young man easy, for he will have no difficulty in keeping the right distance.” – Father Lovasik, Clean Love in Courtship

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A mother of eleven, grandmother of twenty-five discusses the dynamics of Catholic family life that helped them to form their children into God-fearing, joyful Catholics….

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A must-read for the married and those considering marriage! This guidebook to finding a happy marriage, keeping a happy marriage, and raising happy children has been out of print for over 50 years…until now! From the master of the spiritual life, Raoul Plus, S.J., it contains loads of practical and spiritual advice on family life. Have you been looking for a handbook on marriage and raising children that is based on truth? You’ve found it!

The saints assure us that simplicity is the virtue most likely to draw us closer to God and make us more like Him.

No wonder Jesus praised the little children and the pure of heart! In them, He recognized the goodness that arises from an untroubled simplicity of life, a simplicity which in the saints is completely focused on its true center, God.

That’s easy to know, simple to say, but hard to achieve.

For our lives are complicated and our personalities too. (We even make our prayers and devotions more complicated than they need be!)

In these pages, Fr. Raoul Plus provides a remedy for the even the most tangled lives.

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The Faults of Good People/Our Daily Task

09 Wednesday Mar 2022

Posted by in Tidbits for Your Day

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by Father Daniel Considine, 1950’s

The Faults of Good People

  1. Touchiness, i.e. over-sensitiveness with regard to points not of so much importance.

A touchy person takes offense where none is meant. . . . To me it is very remarkable how one comes across people really very good, but who let things rankle in their soul.

Let us efface ourselves, give up the luxury of being touchy. We ought to desire to be an instrument of spreading God’s glory, and we ought to fit ourselves for this.

It is extraordinary how we find touchiness in those who would go through fire and water for Our Blessed Lord.

One of the qualities of a sterling soul is an absence of touchiness. We ought to be thinking of God’s interests and the good of souls, and we waste our time over such trifles.

  1. Jealousy

If only we could eliminate jealousy from the religious world, what good we should do! Sometimes we haven’t an idea that we are jealous. How can we know?

Watch – because we are not jealous about things in which we don’t expect to excel, we think we are not jealous at all. We all have our ambitions; some wish to shine in society, others, again, wish to pass for very holy.

When you hear others praised in a line you want to excel in, ask yourself why you are a little unhappy.

We might almost say of jealousy, that it dies just a minute before we die, or after.

If we could get people to work together without jealousy, it would help God’s work immensely. . . .

Are there any against whom I feel tempted to bear a grudge? Any of whose misfortunes I feel a little pleasure in hearing? Why am I willing to listen to conversation disparaging to someone else? Can I cleanse my soul of touchiness and jealousy? How can I become more and more unselfish, and efface myself?

Let me put aside considerations of my own satisfaction. . . . Ask Our Lord in Holy Communion to free you from touchiness and jealousy.

Our Daily Task

‘Do thy day’s work like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’

How these words seem to strike home to every one of us! ‘Thy day’s work.’

What is our day’s work? Can it be true that each son of Adam has a work allotted to him by God on which he is expected to be busy, for surely the Apostle’s words mean as much as this.

They are indeed addressed immediately to Timothy, but no one of us is supposed or permitted to stand in the marketplace of life all the day idle.

We all are by nature servants; we are parts of the great human machine, an intelligent machine, a living organization which should carry out God’s purposes in this world which we inhabit.

There is no place for drones in the hives of men. For each of us there is a position and duty assigned, each one of us has to perform his own portion of the general task; we must complete our own share of the universal plan.

To be a worker, to have, that is, something definite in life entrusted to our charge is the same as to live; we hold our life, we lease our life from God on that condition, we must be engaged on His business, we must execute His commands.

He is a most liberal and a considerate Master, but He will not, He cannot forgo His claim to dictate, and to direct our lifework.

It is not simply that He desires us to labor in order to keep us good, and to occupy our time, but there runs through all this mortal life, through all this existence of the world, a Divine design, which the Creator of it is accomplishing by means of us His creatures, in which He seeks and has appointed our aid.

See, then, what is meant by the conception of duty. We all have an object here. Our Lord Himself at His last Supper said to His Father: ‘I have finished the work that Thou gavest Me to do.’

What is this object, how am I to discover it? In most cases, it is settled for us by our circumstances.

Any work, if it be work and honest work, can be made God’s work if we do it for God. It need not be lofty, it need not be difficult; it may be, it probably is, common, ordinary toil such as is the lot of most men.

What God requires of us is that we do what we have to do, that we live our lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, that is that we seek the companionship, that we fight under the colors of Our Blessed Lord, that we associate ourselves with Him, that we recognize Him as our Comrade, as our Chief.

Our day may be a short one, or it may be prolonged through many weary years, in faithfulness even to the end.

What matter if in either case we are fulfilling our Master’s Will?

Life without God is empty and mean; if lived for God, it is, whatever our station, rich and fruitful and noble.

Everything we do each day, we do for our families and ultimately for the love of God. Our daily duties are a springboard towards heaven and will be the way in which we gain our own salvation and bring blessings upon our family. -Finer Femininity Painting by Jeffrey T. Larson

Thank you, Kristin!

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With more than one million copies sold, My Daily Bread is a true Christian classic. It’s simple, yet carefully crafted daily reflections have led thousands to a drastically improved interior life and a deeper love for Christ.

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Don’t Be Idiotic/The Value of My Life – Tidbits from Fr. Daniel Considine, S.J.

07 Sunday Nov 2021

Posted by in Spiritual Tidbits, Tidbits for Your Day

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baby-g63b885a2f_1920by Fr. Daniel Considine, 1950’s

The Value of my Life

There is no such thing as ‘the world’ to God. Each one of us is a world to Him. It is a common mistake not to think half enough of ourselves. To think of ourselves in “general” is an imperfect way of thinking. We each cost the Eternal Son of God His Blood. We are so important to God, we carry out His Will.

In spite of my sins and imperfections, God follows all my history with incessant care and interest. What does it matter if in this year I am a little better or a little worse? In God’s eye a great deal.

It is not only possible, but practicable, for us all to make a mark in Divine History. Acts of virtue, acts of love of Him will make me memorable for ever and ever.

The thought of this, and the effort to fulfil it will color my grey life, and make me ashamed if I dare to think it empty.

My poor life is of the utmost value in God’s eyes. We must try to realize our nearness to God, and His claims upon us. One great privilege of the spiritual life is, there is no time in it. The intensity of an act needs no time, and one moment can hold more than ten years.

There is more danger of our not hoping enough than of our hoping too much. Don’t put your standard so low. If you want to go high, the higher the things you think God wants of you, the better.

Breathe the air of God’s promises, and raise your hearts high. God wants a great deal of us. You have never hitherto believed that He really does. You say to yourself, if God wanted me to be a saint, He should have given me a very different character.

Whether you are a Carmelite or living in the world, there is not the smallest difference in the love God wants of you. Hitherto I have not realized what God wants of me.

The highest gifts of prayer, what are they compared with the gift of His Body and Blood!

When He asks us to look up and see His face, we will look down. When He wants us to walk forward, we will shut our ears to His invitation. Difficulties will vanish at once if we can only bring ourselves to believe that God loves us so.

We must have unconquerable hope in spite of apparent difficulty. Don’t let your heart sink with the false feeling that “somehow God doesn’t care specially for me.” The saints combined humility with the unshaken belief in God’s great love for them.

The Spirit of Penance

We ought not to lose heart when we find there are plenty of occasions on which we might very well practice mortification – and don’t.

It is much better to take two eggs and say to yourself, “How unmortified I am!” than to take only one and wonder how soon it will be before you are canonized.

Honesty is another name for humility sometimes, and if only you are honest, you’ll very likely get so thoroughly ashamed of yourself that you’ll get mortified and do with no egg at all.

If you are dishonest with yourself, you’ll never get on: not to practice mortification, and then to find false reasons for our neglect, is bad.

Saint Paul said: ‘I chastise my body and bring it into subjection'(1Cor. ix. 27), but we should not be discouraged because we can’t carry out much bodily austerity, or think that on that account we can’t hope to get very near to God.

Self-mastery has no necessary connection with bodily austerity. What is wanted is the subduing of the spirit: the body counts for nothing. But if the body is a difficulty and a hindrance to this end, we must bring it into subjection.

When God wants great bodily mortification He makes a soul know it, and gives the desire for it so strongly that the soul would suffer more by not doing it than it does in the austerity.

You ask, then, is it possible for me to be a true servant of God without performing wonderful austerities? Yes, great grace is often given without great bodily penance: the Little Flower of Jesus is an instance of this.

If you don’t get what you desire in the spiritual life, it has nothing to do with your not fasting every day.

It is no small penance in these days merely to bear with yourself; and if you bear properly with yourself and with your neighbor, God will give you the highest graces.

With yourself: nervous apprehension, variability of temper, depression, succession of moods – these have a great tendency to interfere with our peace, making us think we are vacillating in our love of God when that is not really the case.

Don’t be idiotic!

When you have found this or that disturbance produced by a fit of nerves, don’t straightway fancy something is wrong with your soul. You are being carried away by false notions and making a great mistake if you think you can’t be good because you don’t feel good.

To feel “rotten,” and yet have patience with yourself, remaining quiet and keeping your recollection: to maintain evenness of temper; not to be influenced by changing moods; to be always serene; this is to practice real austerity and high virtue.

The feeling of depression, when all faith and hope seem lost, and we can’t do anything, is a great trial. But to endure it patiently is great virtue.

Read Saint Teresa with intelligence: she says the most trying part of sickness is the inability to fix our thoughts on God. But she says we must not let that matter: the important thing is to submit to the will of God, to accept our sickness with patience, and suffer for God even if we cannot keep our thoughts fixed on Him.

Indigestion, ennui, bodily weakness, are often more difficult to bear properly than bodily austerity.

Some people are impatient because they cannot go daily to Holy Communion. If you can’t go, bear the deprivation quietly for God’s sake.

And don’t talk to everybody about your health, and, above all, about your nerves. To hear some people talk, you would think they didn’t believe God knows what nerves are.

Accept your sickness from God, and in these black hours be very content to have Him and no other as a witness to your pains of body and of mind.

If you can’t do more than suffer in silence, be willing not to do more. If you know someone who acts in this way, you know someone who is very pleasing to God.

With your neighbor: most of us have a good deal to put up with from our neighbors, yet we generally forget what they have to put up with from us.

Still, we have difficulties even with very good people. They are not omniscient, they often make mistakes, and they treat us according to their ideas. It is part of the way in which God wishes to sanctify us.

Conceited as we are, we should be much worse if we were not corrected by others. There are many excellent parts in our characters, but some dreadful gaps. We are like trees that have not grown straight.

If we would let Our Lord have His way, and bear with what He does for us through our neighbor, we should grow more symmetrical.

Why are we not more considerate? Why do we form such harsh judgements? Here indeed have we great scope for true austerity.

The person who says, “I do not love my wife or my husband any more,” acknowledges simply that “the will to love” is absent. Such a person lacks good sportsmanship too, for a good sport will take pride in succeeding in every adventure, and marriage is one of life’s chief adventures. -Cana is Forever, by Rev. Charles Hugo Doyle https://amzn.to/2XOV5I1 (afflink)

Coloring pages for your children…. (Click on the picture to get full-size)

video recommendation

“Sooner or later a man’s habitual thoughts come out in his life and character….” by Father Lasance, 1934, Holiness & Happiness

Do you need some great reading suggestions? Visit My Book List.

Tidbits for Your Day by Emilie Barnes

05 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in by Emilie Barnes, Organization Skills, Tidbits for Your Day

≈ 2 Comments

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365 Things Every Woman Should Knowby Emilie Barnes

Did you make your bed this morning? No, I’m not your mom. Yes, I’m from a generation that was taught to make their beds every morning. And I do.

Frankly, a made-up bed is so much more welcoming at the end of a hard day than a tangle of sheets. The message centers on clutter.

A wise person once said, “Clutter wearies the spirit and fights against serenity.”

These days there’s enough clutter of heart and home to last a lifetime. It’s so much nicer to “order your day,” as the Scripture says. That gives you more time for the really important things God has for you to do. We all need a place where we can rest and relax and refresh ourselves spiritually and physically.

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Be honest: How many plastic bags do you have folded together in that kitchen drawer? And what about all those magazines stacked beside your bed? And is there any woman who doesn’t have a “fat wardrobe”… and a “thin wardrobe”…just in case? Why hang on to them?

Get some boxes and start labeling and storing away the important items you may need to find quickly and easily. Take those clothes you haven’t worn in a year or more to a local charity. Let someone use them instead of just keeping them in your closet. Recycle those plastic bags and magazines. You can do it!

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Why do it now? There’s always tomorrow.” Procrastination may seem fine today, but it’s not a very good way to lead your life. I can pretty much guarantee you won’t accomplish much.

Putting things off until tomorrow is the universal “effectiveness killer.” We say things like “I hope” or “I wish.” How frustrating and how negative!

If this is you, here are some simple tips to get going:

• Make little tasks out of big ones. Hardly anything is really hard if you divide it into small jobs.

• Make a commitment to someone, and ask your friend to hold you accountable.

• Set up rewards for accomplishing tasks.

• Give yourself deadlines.

• Resolve to make every day count.

Be a woman of action. Treat each day as being precious. The truth is, when it’s gone, it never comes back.

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Today why not do a spontaneous act of kindness? Write a note to someone who would never expect it. Put a rose in your hubby’s briefcase. Return a shopping cart for someone. Let someone merge into traffic and give him or her a big wave and smile. A thank you note out of the blue to someone who’s said something nice about you will bless his or her day.
Give another driver your parking spot. Leave a gift of money for someone anonymously. Call your mom or dad for no special reason. Send a letter to a teacher and thank him or her for all they do. Ask an older person to tell you his or her life story. The Holy Bible reminds us to “entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

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“The Sacrament of our marriage will impart to us the graces necessary to keep our good resolutions. How few understand this Sacrament! How few prepare themselves for it and expect to receive from it the graces it can give to those who seek them worthily.” – Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J., Christ in the Home

 

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video recommendation

Leane and Theresa from Finer Femininity discuss the lovely Catholic customs and traditions in the home during the Advent and Christmas season.

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Coloring pages for your children….

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Fall FB Banner Meadows of Grace

Make a statement with these lovely and graceful handcrafted aprons….fully lined….made with care! Available here.
 
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Drawn from Archbishop Sheen’s bestselling books, these 28 reflections will lead you day by day through the Advent season. Eloquent quotes are paired with beautiful Scriptures on the themes of the season―patience, waiting, gift, hope, humility, joy―and more. Spend a few quiet moments of each day with one of the 20th century’s greatest preachers, preparing your heart to receive the Savior of the world.

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A Good Scrapbook, Etc. – Tidbits from Fr. Lasance

20 Tuesday Jul 2021

Posted by in FF Tidbits, Tidbits for Your Day

≈ 1 Comment

Always a treasure, My Prayer Book by Fr. Lasance gives us some thoughts to ruminate upon today….

Divine Providence – Resignation – Fidelity
Be faithful to your duty and abandon yourself to Divine Providence. We know that to them that love God all things work together unto good (Rom. viii. 2 ).

Divine providence watches over every creature. The very hairs of your head are all numbered, says our lord. (Luke xii. 7).

 T, and be ever directed toward Him, that is, we should be disposed to receive all things from the Hand of God, from His justice, and from His bounty, with humble submission to His blessed will.

Good and evil, health and sickness, prosperity and adversity, consolation and dryness, temptation and tranquility, interior sweetness, trials and chastisements, all should be received by the soul with humility, patience, and resignation, as coming to us by the appointment of God. This is the only means of finding peace in the midst of great troubles and adversities.” — Bishop Challoner

Piety – Fervor in God’s Service – Prosperity
Motto: “All in God; all with God; all for God; Deus meus et omnia;  My God and my all.”- ST. FRANCIS OF Assisi.

“With two wings a man is lifted up above earthly things,” says Thomas a Kempis; that is, with simplicity and purity. Simplicity must be in the intention, purity in the affection.

Simplicity aims at God. Purity takes hold of Him and  tastes Him.”

“Religiousness shall keep and justify thy heart; shall give joy and gladness” (Ecclus. i. 18).

“Piety is profitable to all things” (Tim. iv. 8).

“The just shall flourish like the palm-tree he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus. They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God” (Ps. xci. 13, I4).

“To be faithful in little things is a great thing,” says St. Augustine; and, “to maintain fervor,” says Father Petit, S. J., “it is a good plan to choose one exercise, however small, and to perform it every day in the best manner possible.”

Let us perform some pious exercise, or say a little prayer, for instance, the Memorare, every day, with great fervor, to obtain the grace of perseverance and a happy death.

“Only serve Jesus out of love, and while your eyes are yet unclosed, before the whiteness of death is yet upon your face, or those around you are sure that the gentle breathing is your last, what an unspeakable surprise will you have had at the judgment seat of your dearest 1ove!” — Faber

“Let us pray, and, like sowers sowing  their seed, let us not faint; the time when we shall reap is not far distant.” — ST. AUGUSTINE.

One day we shall look up into the face of our dear Lord; may He then say to us: “Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. xxv.)

Self-Restraint

He is Most Powerful Who Has Himself in His Power. – SENECA.

A tone of pride or petulance repressed,

A selfish inclination firmly fought,

A shadow of annoyance set at naught,

A murmur of disquietude suppressed,

A peace in importunity possessed,

A reconcilement generously sought,

A purpose put aside — a banished thought,

A word of self-explaining unexpressed, —

Trifles they seem, these petty soul restraints,

Yet he who proves them such must needs possess

A constancy and courage grand and bold.

They are the trifles that have made the saints;

Give me to practice them in humbleness,

And nobler power than mine doth no man  hold — Leaflets

A Good Scrapbook

Many men of literary taste, and  many professional writers, have the practice of gathering the most just and most striking thoughts they meet with in the course of their reading; they thus form a repertory which grows richer day by day, and becomes in the end an invaluable treasure.

Here is an excellent device which we ought to make use of in the spiritual life. We read the Gospel, the writings of the saints, certain ascetic works; let us faithfully note down the thoughts which make the most impression upon us, and even the personal reflections which these thoughts suggest to us.

In a few years we shall possess a collection more precious than all our books of piety, and one which we may read again and again with great profit, especially in moments of ennui and sadness.

Each phrase of our little note-book will become like a ray of light to dissipate the darkness of our soul, or a drop of balm to calm our sorrows. –Rev. Matthew J. Russell, S.J., The Art of Being Happy

“One evening I was in their home about dinnertime. She was busy in the kitchen putting the final touches on the dinner when her husband came home from work. This happened to be payday.
He came into the kitchen, kissed her, and handed her his paycheck. She immediately stopped what she was doing, put her arms around him and said, ‘I know how hard you have worked for this … how many long hours. Thank you for providing us with so many comforts, and making it possible for me to stay home and care for the family.’
But this was not enough. She went into the living room where the children were all playing on the floor. She made them all stop and stand up.
‘Look,’ she said as she held up the paycheck. ‘See, your father has worked hard to earn this money. Now, Jane, this means you can have a new pair of shoes, and Johnny, you can have your bicycle fixed.’
The father stood there beaming. Not only did his wife appreciate him, but taught their children to.
In his eyes, she was a beautiful woman.
I’m not sure she did this every payday, but I know that here was a home where the man was appreciated for his daily efforts.
And I know that this ordinary woman was not so ordinary. She knew how to appreciate a man and this is why she was beautiful to him.” -Fascinating Womanhood https://amzn.to/2NAXkGv (afflink)

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  • turn their homes into havens of welcome and blessing
  • build a lifestyle that beautifully reflects their unique personalities
  • enrich their spirits with growing things (even if their thumbs are several shades shy of green)
  • make mealtimes feasts of thanksgiving and kitchen duty fun
  • establish traditions of celebration that allow joy to filter through to everyday life

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

Fr. Lasance Tidbits for Your Day… Reading/Faults of Those We Love, Etc.

16 Sunday May 2021

Posted by in Family Life, Tidbits for Your Day, Virtues

≈ 2 Comments

Reading, a Molder of Character

The inspiration of a single book has made teachers, preachers, philosophers, authors, and statesmen.

The first book read by one has often appeared before him through life as a beacon which has saved him from many a danger. On the other hand, the demoralizing effects of one book have made profligates and criminals.

Many youths and adults now in prison trace the beginning of their downfall to the reading of a bad book.

A man’s character is shown by the books he reads.

Good books add to the happiness of a home. The true university of these days is a collection of books.-Carlyle

The Bible, “The Lives of the Saints,“ and “The Imitation of Christ “ought to be well thumbed.

It is quite reasonable to look for a Catholic magazine and a Catholic newspaper on the library table of the Catholic home.

The Catholic press ought to be supported by every Catholic family. It is a mighty apostolate; the good it does is incalculable.

The house is no home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as for the body.-Ossoli.

People are not usually better than the books they read.-Anonymous

There is no friend so faithful as a good book. There is no worse robber than a bad book.-Italian proverb

The books which help you most are those which make you think the most.-Theodore Parker.

A habit all should cultivate, is oft to read and ruminate.

Tears not how much but how well we read. -Anonymous

Books should to one of these four ends conduce:
For wisdom, piety, delight, or use.-Deham

The Faults of Those we Love

Who does not know, alas, the touching charm with which death envelops all memories? The faults of those who are gone are forgotten, for we have ceased to suffer from them.

We feel only the void which our loved ones have left, and however wayward their course, we can recall a time in their lives that was good, sentiments that were noble and touching. This period and these sentiments are our most vivid memories, and suffice to make us regret them.

Ah, why should we only discover the virtues of those who love us when it is too late to appreciate them, to enjoy them, and to let our loved ones see that we appreciate them!

Little Kindnesses

No single great deed is comparable to the multitude of little kindnesses performed by those unselfish souls who forget their own sorrows and, as true followers of Christ, scatter happiness on every side, and strew all life with hope and good cheer.

The Power of Silence

What a strange power there is in silence! How many resolutions are formed – how many sublime conquests effected during that pause when the lips are closed and the soul secretly feels the eye of her Maker upon her.

When some of these cutting, sharp, blighting words have been spoken, which send the hot indignant blood to the face and head, if those to whom they are addressed keep silent, look on with awe, for a mighty work is going on within them, and the spirit of evil or their guardian angel is very near to them in that hour.

During that pause they have made a step toward heaven or toward hell, and an item has been scored in the book which the Day of Judgment shall see opened.

They are the strong ones of the earth, the mighty forces for good or evil, those who know how to keep silence when it is a pain or grief to them.

Keep Your Eye on Heaven

If the sun is going down, look up at the stars; if the earth is dark, keep your eye on heaven. With God’s presence and God’s promises, anyone may be cheerful.

Use Your Gentlest Voice at Home

I would say to all: use your gentlest voice at home. Watch it day by day as a pearl of great price; for it will be worth more to you in days to come than the best pearl hid in the sea.

A kind voice is joy, like a lark’s song, to a hearth at home. Train it to sweet tones now, and it will keep in tune through life. -Elihu Burritt

St. Francis DeSales says:

“Accustom yourself in all that you do to act and speak gently and quietly, and you will see that in a short time you will completely control that abrupt impulsiveness.“

“Courage! Let us keep on in the low valleys of the little virtues. I love these three little virtues: gentleness of heart, firmness of mind, and simplicity of life.“

“Do not be quick to speak. Say much by a modest and judicious silence.“

“Great evenness of temper, continual gentleness, and suavity of heart are more rare than perfect charity, yet very desirable.“

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

We seek happiness in many things yet we aren’t really happy. Why? You have made us for yourself & our hearts are restless till they rest in you, O Lord.

❤️🌹Our first line of defense is the bond we must have with our husband. Besides our spiritual life, which gives us the grace to do so, we must put our relationship with our husband first. It is something we work on each day.

How do we do this? Many times it is just by a tweaking of the attitude, seeing things from a different perspective. It is by practicing the virtues….self-sacrifice, submission, thankfulness, kindness, graciousness, etc.

The articles in this maglet will help you with these things. They are written by authors that are solid Catholics, as well as authors with old-fashioned values….
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Tidbits for Your Day: Spruce Up/Declutter, Etc. – Emilie Barnes

12 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by in by Emilie Barnes, Organization Skills, Tidbits for Your Day

≈ 3 Comments

365 Things Every Woman Should Know

Hobbies:

When you’re passionate, your enthusiasm is contagious!

When you get involved in an activity or a project that you really love to do, you suddenly get out of yourself. You may be volunteering with at risk children, helping the elderly, coaching a sports team, teaching knitting, or creating memory books-whatever you’re excited about doing is worthwhile.

One author said, “Every hobby teaches you something.” What are you learning?

 Spruce Up!:

If you’re spending more time in your kitchen but enjoying it less, it’s time for a few changes.

• If space is part of the problem, store pots on a hanging rack.

• Put “like items” together, such as spices and oils.

• Use baskets to keep things organized.

• Spruce up your kitchen window with some glass shelves and plants.

• You can brighten any kitchen by painting the ceiling white.

• Why not install wonderful under-cabinet task lights? What a difference they can make. Or perhaps add a lamp for soft lighting.

 De-Clutter:

If you’ve got that cluttered or claustrophobic feeling, you’ve come to the right place.

Here’s a great guideline: For every purchase you bring into the house, something else has to go.

With a new blouse or shirt, out goes an older one. A new table? Out goes the former one. These items are great for a garage sale.

Life can get very complicated, and stuff seems to accumulate. Then that “bunched in” feeling occurs.

So the next time you purchase an item, give a like item away or set it aside for a garage sale. Become a giver!

 A Woman of her Word:

Today I encourage you to do what you say you’re going to do. We get into trouble when we don’t keep our promises.

And sometimes we’re not even aware we’ve made a promise. We say, “I’ll call you tonight” or “I’ll get back to you to set a date for lunch,” but don’t follow through.

Does this sound familiar? Get out of the habit of offering to do things you might not do.

Your friends would rather not hear an “I will do” statement if it’s not going to happen.

A friend of mine says, “It takes so little to be above average.” And she’s right!

Develop a reputation for being a woman who does what she says. Your life will have more meaning and people will enjoy being around you.

 Gratitude:

A little “thank you” goes a long way. Never take anything for granted. When you do something courteous for your husband, use it as an opportunity to remind him that he’s loved.

Say, “This is just another way to show that I love you.” This may sound terribly old-fashioned, but be willing to treat that guy of yours like a king …so he will treat you like a queen.

Build your husband up in your children’s presence. It is up to you to assure he is a hero in their eyes. They should know why he works so hard….and that it is the reason for the roof over their heads and the food on the table. That time when Dad arrives home needs to be a highlight in their day! -Finer Femininity

 

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  • turn their homes into havens of welcome and blessing
  • build a lifestyle that beautifully reflects their unique personalities
  • enrich their spirits with growing things (even if their thumbs are several shades shy of green)
  • make mealtimes feasts of thanksgiving and kitchen duty fun
  • establish traditions of celebration that allow joy to filter through to everyday life

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

Patience, Nagging, Sincerity – Catholic Family Handbook

29 Monday Mar 2021

Posted by in Catholic Family Handbook - Fr. Lovasik, Catholic Home Life, Loving Wife, Tidbits for Your Day

≈ Leave a comment

Painting by Al Buell 1910-1996

by Father Lovasik, Catholic Family Handbook

Ask God to help you be patient

Even people who constantly strive to please God have a goodly share of hard things to bear. This is the reason patience is so necessary for happiness in marriage.

Be constantly prepared to bear disagreeable things.

When there is an abundance of the good things, there is danger of becoming too occupied with passing and material considerations. Be grateful to God for them.

When disagreeable things, reverses, sorrows, and disappointments come your way, put your confidence in God, who will strengthen you.

Ask for patience. In the mercy of God, reverses are sometimes sent to awaken your wayward conscience or to test your love of God. When God so tests you, you must never be wanting in love and confidence and patience.

Be honest and sincere

You owe your spouse truth and sincerity. Our Lord is the greatest example of these virtues. He wished everyone well and was never anything but kindness itself in word and deed. He never made use of men for selfish ends, but spoke and acted openly, sincerely, and uprightly.

Honesty and sincerity bring about confidence and a spirit of loyalty. Few things contribute more to the success of a marriage.. Such confidence bolsters a husband’s flagging courage and inspires him with the will to win and to measure up to the high opinion that his wife and children have of him and his abilities.

The enemies of honesty and sincerity are nagging, miserliness, jealousy, and in-law trouble.

Avoid nagging

Nagging is not always the fault of women, yet it seems that they often fall victims to this disagreeable habit that spoils family happiness. Do not be a nagging wife.

Do not try to remake your husband. Prize your own individuality and be willing to put up with his.

Do not expect your husband to render daily reports on where he was, why, when, and with whom. Be an eager listener, but a reluctant inquisitor.

You must assure yourself of your husband’s unwavering devotion. The result of your placing implicit confidence and trust in him will not incline him to take advantage of your refusal to snoop or pry, or to step out of line.

He will be won by decency, gratitude, loyalty, and trust, but never with fear.

A sincere and trusting wife will have a great influence in shaping her husband’s life. Stand by your husband and share with head and heart his successes and failures.

Give him due encouragement, but have the courage to drive home a sometimes unpleasant truth.

Never be afraid of responsibility, but be prepared to embark on a new course of life with your husband, should the need arise.

You will bring to your husband the love and inspiration he needs in the many problems of life, and that love and inspiration will weave threads of gold in his life’s pattern.

Wealth, fame, and power are no satisfactory substitutes for the hard-earned joys of the married life, for not one of them can satisfy the hunger of the heart for love.

When your husband knows he is married to his most trusted confidant, your influence soars. -Matthew L. Jacobson https://amzn.to/2MtbcTT (afflink)

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All 5 Maglets! Catholic Young Lady’s Maglet, Catholic Wife’s Maglet, Sunshiny Disposition, True Womanhood and Advent/Christmas Package of 5!

Available here.

Description

Finer Femininity is a small publication compiled to inspire Catholic women in their vocations. It consists of uplifting articles from authors with traditional values, with many of them from priests, written over 50 years ago. These anecdotes are timeless but, with the fast-paced “progress “of today’s world, the pearls within the articles are rarely meditated upon. This little magazine offers Catholic womankind support and inspiration as they travel that oftentimes lonely trail….the narrow road to heaven. The thoughts within the pages will enlighten us to regard the frequently monotonous path of our “daily duties” as the beautiful road to sanctity. Feminine souls need this kind of information to continue to “fight the good fight” in a world that has opposing values and seldom offers any kind of support to these courageous women. Inside the pages you will find inspiration for your roles as single women, as wives and as mothers. In between the thought-provoking articles, the pages are sprinkled with pictures, quotes and maybe even a recipe or two.

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“Oh it’s purely delightful to cuddle up with a cup of tea and my Finer Femininity Maglet. 🙂 I LOVE IT! Can’t wait for the Christmas edition!!” -Elizabeth V.

“This book is very refreshing to read. It is very beautifully written and easy to read. This book encourages you that your efforts are worth it, enlightens you to do better in a positive way and gives you confidence that you can be good in a not-so-good world. If you want an all-around good book this is it. I look forward to each new publication!” -Emily

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Here is a complete guide to mature, responsible, even noble behavior in our complex modern society. Written in the 1930s by a wise Jesuit priest and steeped in the wisdom of the ages, these pages teach the timeless principles that have led countless souls to true success and lasting happiness….

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