Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever. Praise be His most Holy Name. Praise Him who was, is, and is to come. Praise Him; praise Him; praise Him! He is all-knowing, all-loving, all- powerful. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He consoles, convicts, comforts, and confirms.
Thank You, God, for all thy benefits. Thank You for forming Your Body here on earth. Thank You for consoling us in our trials. Thank You for convicting us of our sins, and comforting us as we turn away from them and toward You. Thank You for confirming all that we believe has been revealed by You. Thank You for the Simeons and Veronicas You have placed on our “way” to help us. Thank You; thank You; thank You!
We are sorry for all our offenses. We are sorry when we fail to notice all that You have or are doing in our lives. We are sorry for our lack of trust in what You will do in our lives. We are sorry for turning a blind eye when You have prompted us to notice what we can do to console You. We are sorry for our forgetfulness and short-sightedness. We are sorry for relying only on ourselves for answers, grace, and peace only You can provide. We are so sorry, Lord.
Do you have friendships grounded in faith? Maybe your lives crossed for a season, and now you cannot sit and visit the way you once did. Maybe you do not have as much in common as you once did. Somehow, though, you can contact each other and it is as if not a day has passed.
I have friends like that. Through the years, God has placed people in my life, and has built a little “village” of true friends in the faith. Ones I can call to ask to pray for me. Ones to whom I can vent or unload, and they will patiently listen. Ones to whom I can ask for advice, and they will always offer it based on what will steer me toward holiness.
Recently, one of these friends reached out to me to pray. She was very vague in her request, only mentioning that it was not personal. She knows that I have a day each week to pray and listen. That very week, as usual, I did and shared with her what I sensed, not knowing if it would pertain to what she was seeking.
In my imagination, I could see a field full of bluish-purple flowers with whitish-yellow centers. I sensed the words,
Notice how unique attraction is – Nature attracts what is beneficial –
What must I do to grab your attention? Are you attracted to what is beneficial? No – you must train your body and spirit to be…SUPERnatural.
Train and conform your will daily – that is your cross. Train, train, train.
I shared these words and a simple drawing of the flower I imagined with my friend who responded with an image just as I had imagined! Similar to the one attached, but a whole field of them. She recognized the flowers as morning glories. Then she added “as in 33 Days to Morning Glory – Our Lady is all over this…” I still don’t know what “this” is, but it seemed to help her in whatever she needed to hear.
The words I sensed, though, are for us all. We are called to rise above our natural tendencies. We are called to carry our cross daily. Thanks to the friendship built on faith, I can confidently add that we are to ask the Blessed Mother for her help, perhaps through consecration to Jesus through Mary.
Do you have friendships grounded in faith? Are you asked to pray for others? Has God used you to help others by praying, listening, and sharing? Share your stories with others. You never know who needs to hear them!
Photo by Emily May on Unsplash
