Category: Finding Jesus

“Tenacious Holiness” was the label my sis in law put on it…

It got me to thinking and defining things.

It’s being disciplined to do the Godly even if we might not feel like it. Do the Godly until your heart catches up. Tenacious means to keep a firm hold of something. To be tenacious in our faith, we must keep a firm hold of our faith every day in all situations. We cannot become distracted.

In July 2021, Jacob Tanner (an evangelical) wrote, “Christians are commanded to redeem the time” (Eph. 5:16), “be instant to always preach the Gospel” (2 Tim. 4:2), “continually work to take every thought captive to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5) “and pursue peace and holiness” (Heb. 12:4). “Far from being a calling to laziness, the Christian is called by Christ to continually be at work towards holiness. In fact, the command to pursue holiness is exactly like the command to “be holy as I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). It is a command for active obedience in the life of the Christian. While this should never be understood as a prerequisite for salvation, nor as a requirement to keep salvation, the truth is that the one who loves Christ will keep His commandments (John 15:14) as evidence of the salvation that has been experienced. As Hebrews 12:4 also says, without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Thus, the Christian is both shown to rest in the positional holiness of Christ and encouraged to pursue practical holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit. This also means the Christian must actively fight for holiness by constantly putting sin to death.”

JT and I (although we attend different churches, we are both Christian) agree on this.

I had never considered the below:

Patience can be tenacious. In Psalm 31:24 we learn to “Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” The harvest does not happen instantly as anything worth doing takes time. Galatians 6:9 says “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”

Frankly, previously tenacity always seemed to be somewhat of a negative.

I am grateful to my s-i-l for enlightenment.

09.05.2023

74⁰F S@17mph SR0631 SS1931

Morning Offering given

Village peaceful.

Sultry already

Coffee good

The man sleeps

Rode the train last night (again) in my dreams. I have no clue where I was going or, for that matter, why I was headed there.  I made this same trip last week, in my dreams.  I was not afraid, but the tone of the ride was perilous. Others were definitely afraid, some cowering. I sat quietly watching the scenery pass by in my bonnet and Sunday dress.  We are North bound, the track is windy and old.  Sometimes, we come to almost a complete stop. The going is slow.  I can hear someone telling the ticket taker that this section of track doesn’t exist.  I don’t understand why he would say that because it obviously did. We were on it.  I knew that just ahead, we would break out of the trees, the land would be flat, and the sky would be beautiful. I also knew I would wake up before we reached our destination in my own bed.

Funny how the mind works.

Tuesday devotions… are the day to honor the Holy Face of Jesus. Blessed Maria Pierina was told by Jesus. “I firmly wish that My Face reflecting the intimate pains of My Soul, the suffering and love of My Heart, be more honored,”

I am fortunate to be a member of the Catholic Church. Each day, there are opportunities to know Jesus more fully.

Sundays are little Easters

Mondays are devoted to the Holy Spirit

Wednesdays to St Joseph

Thursdays to the Last Supper and on 1st Thursday the act of reparation.

Friday are for penance and 1st Fridays for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “In the excess of the mercy of My Heart, I promise you that My all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in My displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and My Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.”

We have grown lax in teaching these devotions to our children. In return for our sloth/or acedia in this area of our faith, hearts have grown luke warm to tepid. PROVERBS 16:18.

Jesus invites us to take up his cross daily LUKE 9:23. These devotions help us do that.

Know you are prayed for.

08.31.2023

45⁰F clear SSE@9mph SR0645 SS1940

Morning Offering given

Village Chilly

Coffee good

49 years we celebrate today

I’d do it again in a heartbeat

It all comes down to the graces received in our sacramental marriage. We by no means had 49 years of marital bliss. We had 49 years of the Holy Ghost working on our hearts and minds. 49 years of trying to put the other first. 49 yrs of working thru the hard stuff. 49 years of receiving unconditional love from each other. 49 yrs of praying for each other.

Example: Sunday… (him) Jesus, I pray for my wife. Each day, teach me how to lay down my life for her and live in a way that glorifies you and her. Keep her healthy lord and allow me to create space for her emotional, mental, and spiritual growth in a way that aides her health. Teach me how to build her up rather than break her down. I love you, God. Help me to love her the way you love the church. Amen. (Me) Blessed Mother, help my husband and I to be more and more committed to you and your holy Catholic church. Please help us to grow in faith and to pass that faith onto our children. May it permeate every aspect of our life, so there is no question Who we put first in our lives so our children see this and learn from it. Thank you for our faith. May we never take it for granted. Amen.

So far, it works, and by the grace of God, it will continue to work.

Know you are prayed for.

08.23.2023

76⁰F clear WSW@12mph SR0616 SS1954

Morning Offering given

Village sultry

Coffee good

The man sleeps

We arrived home late last evening. Hot, tired, and grateful.  Our pilgrimage to view the incorrupt body of Sr. Wilhelmina had ended.  We had packed everything possible into this trip. My mind is sort of a jumbled pile of packages waiting to be sorted into some semblance of order.

Birthday greetings to my gdd Mallori.

Incorrupt body of Sr. Wilhelmina

I took this photo myself yesterday in the chapel at the Benedictine convent of Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Gower, MO. Sr was the foundress of this order of contemplative nuns. She died 4 yrs ago. Her body was exhumed to move it to a new location after construction.

Sr’s life can be read about in a book called “God’s Will”

ISBN 978-164999059-4

Know you are prayed for.

08.22.2023

74⁰F fog SSE@7mph SR0636 SS2006 excessive heat warning today

Morning Offering given

Conception Abbey is peaceful

No coffee

The man sleeps

Looks like today will be a hot one. I will hope this means the line for viewing Sr. Wilhelmina is short.

I read an article a few weeks back that cautions one to be cautious in thought and action when viewing Sr. Although her body appears incorupt, she is not as yet deemed an incorruptible. Rome will make that decision sometime in the future. The touching of objects to her body in belief that she is an incoruptable would be in error.

Last evening, Bro Cyprian reminded us that the only thing our Lady/or a Saint should do is lead us/point us to Christ. He went on to say we need to stop, look, and listen for God’s voice in this. Repeating several times the need to focus on the quiet, unplug from the world that seeks to create noise in our minds, preventing us from focusing on God.

When asked if his life got dull and boring, he responded that it does at times (which is the case in all vocations regardless of the one it is), which in turn creates a challenge to persevere in prayer. It was in persevering that he found the answers he had been seeking.

I appreciated his candor.

Know you are prayed for.

Conception Abbey

Here for the night at the Benedictine Monks. Marian Hall. Great gift shop.

Long bus ride

Nice driver

Good Conversation

Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet with Fr Redfern.

Discussion on Incorruptables

Compline with the Monks

Q&A with Bro Cyprian

Retired Archbishop of Dubuque Jerome Hanus in residence here. Although not present at this time.

Exhausted

Knees not as bad as I thought they would be.

08.21.2023

65⁰F clouds SE@7mph SR0618 SS1957

Morning Offering given

Village quiet

Coffee good

The knees are a challenge this morning. I suppose it will be this way, so I offer up all my knee discomfort for the souls in Purgatory.

We are off to Gower,MO, to see the remains of Sr. Wilhelmina. It is going to be a hot and humid pilgrimage. Hopefully, this will lesson the line and wait time.

Watchman will spend time at J’s.

Know you are prayed for.