Faces of Mercy {Plus Free Stuff!}

Published on January 30, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

During this incredible Jubilee of Mercy, especially during the upcoming season of Lent, Pope Francis is encouraging us all to recognize and engage in the corporeal and spiritual works of mercy. As a parent, sometimes we forget that our day is filled with these acts of mercy – we clothe the naked baby that is streaking out the front door, we feed the hungry spouse who worked a late shift, we instruct the ignorant child in the ways of courtesy, morality and self discipline, we comfort the afflicted teenager who is suffering their first break-up, we bury the dead when we say goodbye to our own parents or relatives.

As a mom, though my day may be filled with opportunities of mercy, sometimes I’m less than filled with a merciful spirit and temperament. Recently, through the awesome website catholicmom.com, I found out about an incredible opportunity for moms, and all people really, to help us grow in mercy.

During all of Lent there will be an online conference taking place called Catholic Conference 4 Moms. There are going to be 27 speakers presenting on topics that really spoke to me. Not only do the presentations sound great, they will be available for download whenever is convenient for you all of Lent!. Plus, by registering, you will get a digital swag bag full of online goodies and discounts.

Are you part of a mom’s group? Wouldn’t it be incredible for you ladies to be able to come together and reflect on this important topic of mercy? Or maybe you and some friends have been talking about getting together but can’t quite seem to make your plans work. Why not invite them over to your house (Lysol or Pledge wipes and scented candles work wonders!), everyone bring something to share, and watch a presentation or two? If you think that your parish would be interested, the conference has discussion packets and information about hosting the conference videos on site. These topics and presenters are dynamite and are sure to inspire you however you view them.

Here are just a few of the topics I’m excited about (I’m excited about all of them really, but here are the ones I’m really really excited about)

What the World Needs Now is Spiritual Mothers – Pat Gohn

Mercy Begins in the Womb – Jennassa Terraccino

Mercy Calls Us to Witness: Becoming a Contagious Catholic – Kimberly Hahn

In His Mercy He Has Sent Us Angels – Mike Aquilina

Mercy in Marriage – Karee and Manuel P. Santos, M.D.

Suffering, Forgiveness and Mercy: How God Can turn Evil to Good – Rachel Muha

I could keep going, each presentation looks interesting and relatable for me, how about you?

I’m very excited for this conference in more ways that one. Not only do I plan on participating, I am so happy to share that through this blog, I am officially promoting the conference as an affiliate. It is a win-win-win for everyone.

Hopefully, this blog will encourage you, my dear readers, to consider participating in this opportunity. Win!
When you (I hope) register, you will receive a $4 discount if you use my promotion code (so instead of paying $14.99 for the conference you will only pay $10.99). Win!
When you use my code, I will receive a small financial kickback from the conference as thanks for supporting them and spreading the word about the conference. Win! This money will go directly to my small ministry here on the blog and support my writing ministry. This is an easy way that you can support me at no extra cost to you and both Ben and I appreciate it immensely!

My coupon code:

Graces

For barely the price of a book, and with no shipping costs, you can have access to all of these presentations, a digital swag bag and the spiritual support of moms from around the world – yes, this is going global! As a special bonus, on February 20 the conference will have Jennifer Fulwiler presenting live at 10:30am EST and a Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3pm EST.

The conference will start on February 20 and the presentations will be available all of Lent. I hope that you are feeling inspired and are ready to dive into Lent with these presentations and reflections as your sure and steady guide.

God bless

Separation

Published on December 28, 2015December 9, 2015 by KateLeave a comment

I hope everyone enjoyed the Advent Reflections. In case you missed any, you can always check them out under the “Advent Reflections 2015” tab or the Archive. I enjoyed writing them. I hope they inspired you to have a peaceful and thoughtful Advent.

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a more traditional post. Recently, I’ve started subscribing to a styling service. It seems rather silly, to have a complete stranger “style” you – I’ve never been “styled” before and am still uncomfortable with the term. Don’t know why, just am. Anyway, in one of the shipments I received a new purse. I didn’t need a new purse, but it was such a good color and I was drawn to it. It was something I

would have seen in a store, went, wow, what a great purse, but never would have actually picked it for myself. (One of the reasons I’m doing this is to push myself outside of just jeans and simple t-shirts. Nothing crazy, just a bit more put together).

I’m so glad I made that decision. My current purse has become the diaper bag plus purse. There are goldfish and crumbs in every corner, it is full of clothes and diapers, toys and books, my wallet is in there somewhere and I can never find my sunglasses except, ironically, on cloudy days. When we load up with waters and snacks, I’m pretty sure it weighs as much as my 15 month old daughter. It’s just a lot.

I’m fine with that. It’s my choice not to keep my purse and diaper bag in two separate spaces. It’s easier to load up one bag rather than two. But, when I’m on my own (which isn’t often but does happen), it’s a rather ridiculous scene. I have two choices – unload all the diaper bag items, since I won’t need them when I’m at the commissary by myself or on a date with my husband. Or, I can carry them unnecessarily with me, being weighed down by my diaper bag child instead of my actual children.

Enter the new purse. I never thought of option three until it arrived and I needed to come up with a reasonable excuse to be OK the expense. Right now it is sitting empty on its hook. That’s right, completely empty, there isn’t a single thing in it. It is waiting for my next solo trip out of the house, even if it’s just to choir practice. When Sunday rolls around, I will get this beautifully empty purse down and put in it my wallet, some chapstick, and car keys. That’s it. Well, if it’s sunny then sunglasses too but the likelihood of that is slim, even in California right now.

Separate spaces. It’s a novel idea, at least for me. I’m not trying to divide my roles in life, mother – wife – woman. But it is nice to have some breathing room between them sometimes. Yes, I am always a mother even if my children aren’t present around me. But I don’t need to carry all of my “mother” stuff to every place I go. Sometimes it’s nice to focus more on the wife/woman side of things, like when I’m on a date with my husband. Now, when we go out, I can get my wallet out without asking him to hold a can of puffs or a couple board books.

I think that this separation is important, especially in marriages. Ben has deployed now a number of times and when he is gone we skype as often as we can. We have learned the hard way that if we only talk to each other when the kids are around, our marriage suffers. We aren’t able to communicate in a deep enough way when we are being interrupted by stories of the day’s activities, imaginings and sweet but distracting musings of a 3 and 4 year old. We need time to ourselves. It is a healthy thing and one that marriage counselors and experts all agree on (as far as I am aware).

I’m grateful for this purse. It’s helping me identify my desire for and the importance of me-time, marriage-time and family-time. I had no idea when I embarked on a “styling” adventure I’d find this wealth of grace at the bottom of a purse.

Advent Reflections – December 24, 2015

Published on December 24, 2015December 23, 2015 by KateLeave a comment

What Could the World Be?

And now we have reached the day before the day, Christmas Eve. Today may well contain the most anticipation, require the most patience, and obtain the least notice. Today takes the longest and goes the quickest. Our anticipation for Christmas can fully consume us as we prepare feasts, clean our homes, greet guests and wrap presents. So, before you launch into your final Christmastide preparations or choose your Christmas Eve party outfit, I hope that you find a few moments to take stock of your Advent experience. Have you prepared your heart and your home for the Christ-child?

If you have been following these Advent reflections, you know that I have tried to present a number of qualities or characteristics that I believe could be beneficial for all persons. Using Mary, the Mother of God, as well as our growing understanding of the Motherhood of Jesus, as the starting point, we all spent time reflecting on these valuable characteristics.

So the final question really is simple.

How could your life change if you choose to highlight these characteristics, to cultivate them, to make them your own, so that they came to you as easily and simply as breathing?

To truly live these characteristics – openness to life, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, unconditional love and unity – requires dedication, devotion and perseverance. As we saw yesterday, each one draws on elements of the other. It is impossible to love unconditionally but withhold forgiveness. There can be no unity without a special, undiscriminating openness to life. This is really a package deal. How radically could our world change if these were the guiding principles of our daily life, of our political endeavors, of our financial decisions, of our social interactions?

The life that Mary inspires is the life that Jesus desires. Above all things, Mary’s purpose is to bring us to her Son. When you go to Mass tonight or tomorrow, pay special attention to the figure of Mary in the nativity scene. I think I can safely promise you that when your eyes discover her place in the stable, you will immediately follow her gaze to her child, the newborn Savior of the world.

If we choose to follow Mary, to adopt those things she holds dear as our own, we will find we can look no other place than into the eyes of Christ.