Heavenly Father,
Thank you for anointing our lives with goodness. Prayers for those who have asked for my prayers, and for peace in Syria. In Jesus' name. Amen.
For my Protestant brothers and sisters, this is the day we Catholics believe Mary's earthly life ended, and when she was taken, body and soul, into Heaven. She didn't suffer through old age, or die; she was carried straight to Heaven. This is how special the Blessed Mother is in God's eyes.
I feel especially close to Mary since my father brought my mother a statue of the Blessed Mother when I was born; she sits in one corner of my bedroom. At the other corner in my room I have a framed picture of Mary with Jesus in her arms. She is my mother - she is our mother. :)
August rushed by me.
Time to return to work.
I felt anxious the week before the students arrived; this isn't uncommon for educators. We're as excited as the students are, lol.
During morning prayers I read the short biography of St Joan Antide-Thouret.
Her bishop asked her to take charge of a school. "At first she doubted her capacity for such a responsibility, but the bishop reassured her, "Courage, virtue, and trust in God are what are required, and it seems to me that you have these qualities." I felt as if God were speaking to me directly, and I was encouraged.
It was also within this month where the Lord began teaching me the understanding of the phrase, "Having faith in Christ."
I was talking to Jesus, like I usually do,
And I started thinking, "When will I really start having Faith in You?"
Jesus laughed beside me. I got the sense He's been waiting for me to ask myself this question.
"Ok, Jesus, what does it mean to Have Faith in You?"
"Well, when you are worried about something, say a prayer about your issue, handing the outcome to Me, then forget about it. Ask for My Grace to help you stop obsessing over the situation; I will take care of it. Faith means leaving your worry to me. You will know you have Faith when your thoughts are unoccupied with the issue. The "free time," the lack of worry creates allows you to concentrate on My Will in the Present Moment, which are the most important moments of your life."
Simple enough - when practiced often - and with God's grace, I'm getting better.
This month's collage is a collection of the above thoughts.
The top picture is a depiction of the story of Jesus walking into a town as a funeral procession is happening (Luke 7:11-15)NIV. Jesus learns that the only son of a mother, a widow, had died. Jesus feels pity for the woman, asks for the procession to stop. He raises the boy from the dead and gives him back to his mother. I love this story!
At the bottom of the collage is a picture of Jesus calling his mother to himself (the Assumption).
On the other side of the tree under the words "Blessed Among Us," is the title St. Augustine. I placed this there because the street parallel to my school is St. Augustine. :)
St. Augustine is the son of St. Monica. He was quite the hellion in his youth. He abandoned the faith his mother adored and threw himself into the world: drinking, drugs, sex. St. Monica continued to pray for his conversion, which eventually did happen. I feel like St Augustine guards our school. :)
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