video – Daily Graces

Second Sunday of Lent 2023

Published on March 2, 2023 by Kate2 Comments

It’s about the be the second week of Lent already if you can believe it. For some of us, perhaps it feels like Lent has been dragging on as we struggle to persevere in our chosen fast. I have had up and down days for sure. It is insightful to take last week’s message about fruits and see how the Holy Spirit is working in my life. For one of my fasts, I’m choosing to do a full fast on all the Fridays of Lent (as in the Ash Wednesday and Good Friday fasts of one regular meal and two smaller ones that don’t equal the larger). I have never been good at fasting, and I was rather nervous about it this year since for nearly 11 years I have always been either pregnant or nursing.

I was surprised to find I wasn’t struggling all that much with hunger. I figured my kids would be begging me to eat something by 3pm because I was getting so hangry (hungry/angry). This doesn’t mean I wasn’t struggling. On the contrary, I was struggling immensely because I couldn’t control my thoughts about food. When will I eat next? What should I eat? How long has it been since I’ve eaten? I wonder why I’m not more hungry than I feel? The Holy Spirit’s work seems to be twofold – detachment from food and disciplining my thoughts. It’s only been 2 fasting days so far and I can already see progress in both of these areas.

Speaking of progress, it’s funny (and not so funny) how sometimes we have to learn the same lesson a few times before it really sinks in. Take Peter, who we are looking more closely at in this week’s video. I mentioned the show, The Chosen, and how it beautifully displays the scene of Jesus walking on the water. Peter, too, walks but only when he keeps his attention fixed on Jesus. When he looks around at the waves and wind he becomes scared and begins to sink. Again at the Transfiguration, Peter beholds the most incredible sight as he witnesses Jesus’ full divinity on display. And then he looks down, back to earthly things. God literally interrupts Peter to draw his eyes back heavenward.

I also brought up a passage from the book of Exodus regarding the Israelites Red Sea crossing. They had not crossed yet, but had turned to see the chariots of Pharaoh closing in on them. With the sea at their back, they felt trapped and began to panic. Being still was the farthest thing from their minds. And yet, this is the command of God through Moses.

Do not fear! Stand your ground and see the victory the LORD will win for you today. For these Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you have only to keep still.
Exodus 14:13-14

Stillness is hard. For some of us, we aren’t even still in our sleep as our mind wrestles with the problems of the day and the worries of tomorrow. Restless, busy, anxious, worried, full, overwhelmed. We spin on our hamster wheels day after day without seeing any real progress. What’s the point of it all?

The hard truth is that our life isn’t about us. It’s about God. We were made not for ourselves, but to give God glory and praise. We were made for relationship with Him, not with the world. When we recognize that fact, we take our first step off the merry-go-round. Fear not – let go of what you are afraid of. Are you busy because you are afraid to be seen as lazy? Are you anxious because you want to be in control of everything? Are you restless because time shouldn’t be wasted or seen an unproductive? Are you overwhelmed because you want to please everyone so you don’t say no?

Letting go of fear means we can look beyond ourselves and see what God is waiting to give us. Have you ever tried to give something to someone while they are running away from you (you with toddlers, you know what I mean). It’s hard! It’s messy, uncoordinated and usually doesn’t go well. God isn’t going to shove His blessings upon you while you run in the other direction. He waits, He is waiting. He is waiting for you to let go of fear and to be still so that He can fill you with His love and grace.

Be Still.

If you need more encouragement, look again to Peter. Peter, who clung so strongly to fear that he denied even knowing Jesus during Jesus’ trial, is who Jesus chose to be our first Pope. Peter was too scared to say he was a follower of Jesus to a few people. And yet at Pentecost, he preached a speech so moving more than 3,000 people were baptized in a single day. The same Spirit that filled Peter fills each of us who are baptized.

There is much the Holy Spirit would like to work in your life. Are you ready to let go of fear? Be still before God, release your fears to Him and watch His wonders unfold.

First Sunday of Lent 2023

Published on February 23, 2023 by Kate1 Comment

I cannot thank you all enough for the warm reception I’ve received since joining the YouTube community. This is a new thing for me and I am definitely not comfortable yet. But, two videos down and I’m happy to say I don’t hate it, so that’s a good start!

Without going into exactly what’s in the video – you’ll have to go watch it yourself for the full reflection AND, it’s under 6 minutes, whoot! – I wanted to share a little bit more about times of preparation.

If you stop and really think about it, we are always preparing for something. It can be big things, like how childhood is preparation for adulthood, or super small, ordinary things, like preparing onions for tonight’s stew, or any number of in-between things. Preparing for a presentation at work, preparing for seasonal changes, preparing lesson plans, preparing for that potentially confrontational phone call. Some part of our mind is in preparation mode. Always.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

If God is working all things for good, then even our back of the mind preparations can be used for His purposes.

How?

There is always an end goal in mind when it comes to preparations. Even if the event fails to take place, there was still something driving the preparations. You don’t prepare for nothing, there’s always something. You get to a specific point and can look back and discern if your preparations were enough, worth the time, could have gone better, etc.

We are in the season of Lent, a season of preparation. Ah, you see how it connects now. What is the event we are preparing for? Easter, of course. But more than just this Easter my friends. A lifetime of Easters. For the eternal Easter in heaven. Each Lent, we should be farther along in our preparations to our ultimate goal – heaven. How is this Lent bringing you closer to that heavenly reality of endless Easter?

I was sharing about this week’s video with my kids. They are loving this whole new “YouTuber” status they think I have. In the video, I offer the Fruits of the Spirit as a lens through which we can look at our Lenten fast to see what God is cultivating in our lives. As I explained it to them, I was quickly interrupted: “Oh, like temperance? That’s a virtue people can grow in by fasting.” and “What about modesty or forbearance?” and “I bet people grow in patience over Lent.”

Yes! Yes! Yes! I should have talked to them before recording because a thousand times, YES! The virtues they have been striving to live as a school community would have fit perfectly alongside the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Quick shout out to our wonderful school, St. Mary’s in Derby, KS, which takes the time to look closely at a specific virtue each quarter as a whole school. It’s a small thing, but it’s not so small at all when an 8, 10, and 11 year old can hear me speak about God working in people’s lives and be able to specifically identify virtues which can help someone grow closer to God. You are amazing St. Mary’s, we love you!

So, if after watching the video, you find you want to look even more closely at how God is using this season of Lent to prepare you for whatever He wills for your life, consider the following list of virtues to be an excellent addition to the Fruits of the Holy Spirit:

Four Cardinal Virtues (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1804-1809)

Prudence
Justice
Fortitude
Temperance

Seven Cardinal or Heavenly Virtues which Counteract the Seven Deadly Sins

Chastity counteracts Lust
Good Works (also known as Charity) counteracts Greed
Temperance counteracts Gluttony
Diligence counteracts Sloth
Patience counteracts Envy
Kindness counteracts Wrath
Humility counteracts Pride

I hope these lists, along with the reflection video for this Sunday, are helpful for getting a conversation started with God in prayer about where He is taking you and what He wants you to be preparing for.

Seeking to Remain: A YouTube Announcement!

Published on February 19, 2023February 19, 2023 by Kate1 Comment

Well, the Holy Spirit has been at it again. First things, there are no new Lenten journals this year. I don’t know what it is about Lent but I have a hard time figuring out a journal in the style I tend to create which makes sense across the span of the 40 days of Lent and Holy Week. But this isn’t stopping the Holy Spirit from inspiring other ways to share with you all.

Seeking to Remain is my brand new YouTube channel for Lent, 2023. I will be posting weekly Gospel reflections which I hope will encourage you in your Lenten journey. I’ll be sharing insights into the passages themselves, at times offering wider context for what’s going on, and thinking about ways we can carry the messages we find into our coming week.

Whole books, whole collections of books, have been written about the Gospels. We have 2,000+ years of research, reflection and inspiration to draw from. A lifetime is not enough time to fully experience the richness of tradition and wisdom God has gifted to the Church.

That being said, I am not going to be making lengthy , 40+ minute long videos which tease any number of nuances or challenges from the readings. A. I don’t have that kind of time. B. I’m guessing you don’t either. Or if you do, you’re already watching that kind of content.

My goal is 5-7 minute videos. That’s it. Short and to the point with minimal ad interruptions. I want these brief minutes to become sacred space for you to spend time with God during Lent. No matter how busy we are, we can find 5 minutes out of a whole week to dedicate to God. If you find you have more time, read the full Gospel passage before or after watching the video. Spend time talking with God about what you heard and what He is asking if you.

I’m going to try to post on the blog as well when new videos come out. As with all social media, subscribe to the channel if you want up to date notifications in the event I don’t also get the chance to post here. I won’t be hounding you for likes, comments, etc in the videos. The point is sacred space, not likes or subscription milestones.

So, without further ado, here’s video 1 of the Seeking to Remain YouTube channel for Lent! May you have a Lent full of connection with God as He continues to draw you closer in His love.