Time and Eternity - Father Ben Luedtke

I can add nothing.  Just watch and learn.  Amazing.

What a Sunday!

This past Sunday was one of great rejoicing in our Church.

Not only was is Divine Mercy Sunday, (Jesus I trust in You), we also welcomed two giants in our recent history into the family of Saints; Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Saint John XXIII.

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 I love being Catholic!!!

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Cobblestones on the Path

If you think of life as a journey, and the journey to heaven as a path, then the events in your life could be considered cobblestones.  The stones line up, or meander here and there, but eventually you get where you're going--if you stay on the path!

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If you ever wonder if God has a plan for your life, you're not alone.  All of us question where we are headed.  Sometimes it feels like we're given a dream, only to have it snatched away and changed into something completely unexpected.  Often it feels like we have an emptiness that we don't quite know how to fill.

In my case it was the latter.

Ever since childhood my dream was to be married and have a big family.  Dream come true.

While there was a definite path leading up to my marriage, the part of the path I'm going to focus on comes after the wedding.  In the first 4 years of our marriage we had three children.  During our break between children #3 and #4, God distinctly told me to sign up for nursing school.  So I did!  

Six years, and 2 additional children later, I was a nurse.  I had no idea when I would get to use my degree, but I had it!  

Along the line, God told me to homeschool our children. So I did!  

I loved teaching and learning.  How much I had  missed in my own school experience, especially in the area of my Roman Catholicism.  My love for Christ and His Church bloomed into daily Mass attendance and frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and my prayer life bloomed as well.  As I taught the children, I learned about  quite a few wonderful Saints that I had not previously known. 

About four years ago, God told me to become the nurse manager of a new ultrasound clinic that our local crisis pregnancy center was opening.  So I did!  

I get to counsel clients and do ultrasounds for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. 

In February of 2011, God told me to start this blog.  So I did! 

All these things brought me great fulfillment.  But, in 2012, I started to feel like there was something missing.  I had this feeling that something was coming but I wasn't sure what it might be.  So, I began to pray and pray and pray.  

Last July, my dear one signed me up for a mom's retreat that was being hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.   While I was on the retreat, spending time with other moms and the wonderful, joyful Dominican nuns, the Mother Superior gave a talk in which she listed many Dominican Saints--some of whom I had learned to love during our homeschool days.  

And then . . . a friend of mine told me she was joining the Lay Dominicans . . . and my heart melted!  I knew this was what God was calling me to do.  

What do Lay Dominicans do?  They bring Christ to others through, among others things, writing.  They minister to people in the community through, among other things, counseling women in crisis pregnancies. They attend daily Mass and pray frequently throughout the day.  They study their faith so that they can better share it with others. All of my cobblestones, lining up!!

So, I have begun my journey into the Lay Dominican community.  My heart is full and happy.  The empty feeling is gone.  

If you are searching for what God has planned for you, don't give up!! PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.  (Remembering that prayer often means LISTENING!)  God will lead you as surely as He has lead me. 

Please pray for me on my journey.  I will be praying for all of you.  

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Late Night with Jesus

Ok, technically it's early morning, but I thought it had a familiar ring to it.

It's 1:57 a.m. and I'm awake again.  This is not an every night occurrence, but it happens often enough that it feels like a routine.  Most nights I just make the most of this time by praying; tonight I'm writing about it.

When you wake up in the middle of the night and you can't go back to sleep, what is your first course of action?

Do you go get something to eat, turn on the boob tube, snuggle with the baby (who may have woken you up)?  Do you lie there worrying, creating a list of things to do the next day, or frustrated that you're awake again, and would rather be sleeping?

I've done all of the above.  There is one more thing to try; pray.

I know that often I'm awakened by the Lord because the house is finally quiet and He wants some quality time with me.  I always need quality time with Him, but with a busy household (that has been busier and noisier lately with all the "snow/cold" days) our time together has been shorter and more interrupted than usual.

When you wake up, let Jesus be your first thought.  He will direct you from there.  He knows your needs and loves to hear you give voice to them.  He wants you to waste time with Him and if the only time you take to waste with Him is the middle of the night, He'll take it!  Often, He demands it.

Think about the four ways to pray; Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication (ACTS).

Don't give Jesus just your memorized prayers, which are wonderful, don't get me wrong.  What He wants most often is your heartfelt prayers.  The ones where you just talk to Him about everything that's on your mind.  If this is hard for you, try writing Him a letter.  Hey, you're awake anyway, you might as well get up and get a notebook and a pen.

Then there is a listening prayer.  Can you be still with the Lord?  Can you hear what He wants to say to you?  There's an old saying that states, God gave us one mouth and two ears so we should listen twice as much as we talk.  Same goes with praying.  God has much to say to us.  In the quiet, still, dark of the late night,  what is Jesus wanting to say to you?  Don't fight it.  He's got some good stuff for you!

I think this is what He wanted from me tonight so I'm going back to bed.  Happy praying!


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