Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Exciting Opportunity for Our Amazing Catechists Community!

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Have you ever thought about writing for AmazingCatechists.com?

If so, I’d love to hear from you!

Even though we are still blessed with thousands of visitors to this site, every single month, and the site is packed with over a thousand incredibly varied free resources, I have to admit, I haven’t been doing much with the site lately.

For the last several years, I’ve been building a Catholic coaching business, teaching online, podcasting for homeschoolers, and—just lately–creating a brand-new video-cast about the intersection of faith and talent, called Wonderfully Made. (I’ve already started production and will be launching in the near future. I’ll tell you more about that, soon!)

But back to my need for contributors to this wonderful little site.

There was a time when this site was “my baby”! We had a group of a dozen or so regular contributors, and I tended the site with daily care. Over a short period, I and my volunteers watched joyfully as AmazingCatechists.com grew by leaps and bounds!

What started out as a totally unknown start-up site in 2008, soon became well-known in catechetical circles. With a thriving audience reading their work, the site helped some get the attention of Catholic book publishers. It became a platform for many new and up-and-coming writers and speakers to get noticed and then to leap-frog out to other bigger, more established sites and events.

Because I’ve been a best-selling writer and speaker in the Catholic world for over ten years, I would talk with many of these publishers at Catholic conferences, and they would tell me,

“You’ve got some very good writers, there. We’re keeping an eye on AmazingCatechist.com!”

However, because I got so very busy writing, speaking, traveling around the country, teaching, and publishing…I inadvertently allowed the site to fall into disuse. It’s bothered me for quite a while, but I was busier than I’d ever been, spinning plates and trying not to let any hit the floor, as I freelanced my head off and paid for my daughter’s college. I felt the Lord saying, “It’s okay. Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll tell you when to get back to AmazingCatechists.com.”

Well, my daughter graduated in June of this year–with honors and no debt–and her very tired, very proud mom heaved a HUGE sigh of relief.

So, guess what?

It’s time to breathe new life into this beautiful “baby,” with the help of dedicated catechists, educators, parents, and ministry heroes like you!

If you’re intrigued, please drop me a line with some ideas about the kind of work you’re interested in doing, and tell me a little about yourself! I’m listing some possibilities at the end of this post, to jumpstart your thinking, but I’m open to suggestions!

For instance, I’m always open to students with a passion for the Church, retirees finally getting to devote time to ministry, and any of the thousands of unsung heroes giving of themselves so generously out in the vineyards of the Lord.

What that means is that you don’t have to have any publishing experience at all! And you can start building your own publishing and speaking platform right here!

All you really need to get started is a love of God, faithfulness to the authentic teachings of the Church, and a desire to serve.

There’s no money in it, but believe me, God will pay you back in full—and then some. He is incredibly generous.

And He will use your work to touch the lives of others, lifting their spirits with your generous contributions, and providing them with practical, free support when they need it most.

So…

I’m praying that, if you’re getting that little Holy Spirit nudge right about now, you’ll reach out to me and start a conversation.

I’d love to hear from you!

Write to me here: lisa@mladinich.com

I can’t wait to meet you.

In Jesus through Mary,
Lisa Mladinich
Owner, AmazingCatechists.com
and WonderfullyMade139.com

A little brainstorming…

  • Are you a Catholic catechist, homeschooler, parent, grandparent, Catholic educator or student, ministry leader, evangelist, or apologist with experiences to share or tips that might be helpful to others?
  • Do you enjoy reviewing books, art, music, apps, or media that our niche Catholic readers would enjoy?
  • Do you have a knack for turning lessons and concepts into graphic resources that help parents and catechists hand on the faith to the children in their care?
  • Are you experienced in running retreats, conferences, and other faith-based events—in person or online—that have taught you valuable, sharable lessons?
  • Are you creative and eager to share your teaching techniques, classroom management strategies, and innovative ideas for handing on the Faith?
  • Would you like to try your hand at interviewing Catholics about their walk of faith, their original programs, or their successes in bringing new Catholics into the Church?
  • Do you create art, videos, music, fiction, or anything else out-of-the-box designed to help draw others closer to God?

How Prayer is a Mother’s Best Helper

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Spoiler alert: this article includes a discount code and free shipping on a must-have resource for mothers!

I once heard my grandmother ask, “How do mothers go through life without praying each day?” Then she added, “It would be impossible.”

I come from a long line of praying mothers. My great-grandmother was famous for singing hymns while she scrubbed the laundry. My grandmother led her children in prayer before she had surgery. My mother left me little daily notes in the kitchen during my high school and early adulthood years, telling me she was praying for my latest exam, job interview, or challenge. The note would often include a quote by a saint, or a line of Scripture. The Family Rosary I pray with my husband and kids is not only one of my favorite times of day; it makes our family stronger.

The Catechism teaches that prayer is a means of obtaining God’s grace and it is necessary for salvation. “It is He,” the Catechism teaches eloquently, “who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him” (2561). And prayer is the “go-to” helper for any Catholic mom who knows how to keep her head above water AND enjoy the swim.

Just as our children turn to us for their every need, we may turn to God for the family’s needs, and He will provide. This reminder is a grace. I think the answer found in 1 Corinthians 3 sheds much light on this. St. Paul, speaking to men he called “infants in Christ,” wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” As mothers, we are working hard in the fields, planting and watering but it is God alone who causes the growth. Whenever I recall that verse, I can feel a burden lifting from my shoulders.

Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers

To help offer a plethora of ways to lift that burden from our maternal shoulders, there is the new Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers. This beautiful but easily portable book is is equally at home on your coffee table or in your workbag. It’s filled not only with a huge compendium of traditional prayers, but also the writings of real-life mothers discussing how they pray and how it affects their lives. It includes over seventy Catholic writers sharing their favorite prayers and #prayerstories. It offers serenity for busy new moms and a welcome gift of thanks for the seasoned mothers in our lives. There are reflections to see old prayers in a new way and new prayers to help you express just what you are feeling… today. There are a wealth of prayers for every possible need and each touchstone on the journey of a mother.

Contributions in the book include prayers and stories about praying them ranging from the Angelus to the Anima Christi, from the Psalms to the Rosary. There are younger moms and older moms represented in the book; as well as spiritual mothers and adoptive mothers. My writings in the book cover the many stages of motherhood: from praying while in labor, to consecrating our children, even praying now for our children’s lifelong faith in God. Here’s a trailer for the book:

I asked the editor of the Ave Prayer Book for Mothers, Heidi Hess Saxton her opinion of why moms need to pray every day and what made her want to lead this project and get this book in the hands of as many mothers as possible. This was her answer:

I grew up in a Christian household and was taught to believe God answered prayers, who is always ready to meet an urgent need or work a small miracle in a dire situation. And to be honest, I’ve had more than my fair share of small miracles.
It wasn’t until I became Catholic in my early thirties that I realized God doesn’t always ‘grease the wheels’ for us. Great mercy can come out of great suffering, and there is a dark side to expecting God to provide not only my daily bread, but the margaritas and cake as well. In reality, it is when we are at our weakest and neediest that we can best hear the beat of the Sacred Heart. That has been the experience of every great saint … and that became my experience when I became a foster mother at the age of thirty-eight to three little kids under the age of five. I prayed in the shower, in the rocker, anyplace I could catch my breath because I KNEW I didn’t have strength to do this on my own. And that is why I wanted to do this book – to help ALL mothers, to keep them company when they are struggling to find the light.

The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers helps remind us in wonderful, life-affecting ways that it is “God who causes the growth.”

For a limited pre-order window (until October 15), Ave Maria Press is allowing me to share a discount and free shipping on this book. At checkout, enter the promo code “MOSELEY” and that will give you the discounted pre-order price, plus free shipping.

Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers

May each mother who reads it be greatly blessed!

Ease Your Burdens and Find Hope through The Seven Sorrows of Mary

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September is the month in the Catholic Church that is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. It is amazing that this devotion, focused on Our Lady’s Sorrows can truly help uplift us and reduce the anxiety or burdens we carry. In the words of Pope St. John Paul II, “Turn your eyes incessantly to the Blessed Virgin; she, who is the Mother of Sorrows and also the Mother of Consolation, can understand you completely and help you. Looking to her, praying to her, you will obtain that your tedium will become serenity, your anguish change into hope, and your grief into love.”

Sure enough, as we journey with Mary in her pain, we come to realize three beautiful lessons:

  1. Mary understands our pain so completely and offers compassion and graces to us that will truly heal our broken hearts.
  2. The sufferings we endure can be used for good; can be offered up in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary; and can help us grow in compassionate love for all Mary endured.
  3. Uniting our sorrows to the sorrows of Mary not only prevents a lukewarm heart, and sets a fire of love ablaze in us, but also makes us more joyful as we grow accustomed to turning sorrow into meaning through prayer.

The Seven Sorrows devotion involves praying seven Hail Mary’s a day, each one while meditating on one of Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows, which are:

  • The prophecy of Simeon.
  • The flight into Egypt.
  • The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple.
  • The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
  • The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
  • The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross and preparation for burial.
  • The burial of Jesus.

Here’s an online prayer companion for the Seven Sorrows Devotion, featuring beautiful art and reflections for the required seven Hail Mary’s and corresponding reflections.

And the Seven Sorrows Rosary involves dwelling upon each of the seven sorrows as you would one of the mysteries of the Rosary, with seven Hail Mary’s instead of a decade. Begin each sorrow with an Our Father. As you contemplate the sorrows, imagine walking with Mary and offering her your loving presence and support, your willingness to stay with her as she watches her beloved Son’s suffering. Here’s a moving prayer companion for the Seven Sorrows of Mary Rosary, complete with meditations, art and music, also on YouTube.

Check out this book for more specific ways to contemplate, pray and dwell more deeply with the seven sorrows of Mary:

Finally, what could give greater joy to our Heavenly Mother’s Sorrowful Heart than consecrating ourselves to her Son’s Sacred Heart? Here is a link to a free 33-day consecration to the Sacred Heart that includes prayers and reflections delivered daily to your inbox – all leading to personal consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The next group consecration starts on September 15th!

As We Celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Heart this August… We Give Our Hearts

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August is the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the feast day has traditionally been celebrated on August 22. We can put our anxieties aside by resting in Mary’s Immaculate Heart. After all, the Memorare reminds, “Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgins of Virgins, Our Mother.” So in a more profound way this month, let’s fly to our Mother’s Immaculate Heart!

Our Lady of Fatima asked us to pray the Rosary every day. In the words of St. Padre Pio, “Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” Happily, there’s ways to keep your Rosary fresh and charged with new levels of love. This book, Sacred Braille is filled with ways to honor Mary’s Immaculate Heart and to breathe new life into your Rosary. Whether you pray the Rosary daily, sometimes, or rarely, it will forever cure you of any impulse to think of the Rosary as “monotonous” and replace it with a renewed excitement. The book also includes devotions to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. And here is a set of Rosaries you can pray online that feature beautiful art and meditations.

Our Lady of Fatima requested the First Five Saturdays devotion as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For five months in a row on the first Saturday of the month, make an act of reparation to Mary by receiving Communion, praying the Rosary, keeping Mary company for another fifteen minutes by meditating on the Mysteries, and going to Confession within 8 allotted days. If you are reading this after the first of the month, mark your calendar and resolve to start next month! It’s a beautiful devotion that never fails to produce rich rewards. Here’s more about how to do it.

Our Lady of Fatima famously told us, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” She also said, “Don’t lose heart… My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” August 22 is not only the traditional feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, (which is where the August devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart comes from) but also the feast of the Queenship of Mary. This reminds us that we should honor our Blessed Mother’s royalty through being loving servants to her even as we are her children.

A wonderful way to serve and love the Immaculate Heart of Mary more deeply is by doing a Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus — especially one that also promotes devotion to Mary. This 33-Day Consecration to the Sacred Heart is available online, and sends free daily emails for each day of the Consecration, complete with prayers, reflections, beautiful Catholic works of art, music, and even a daily podcast directly to your inbox. These guided daily devotions take so little time (10 to 15 minutes total) but will be time well spent. They can aid and inspire us to better prepare our hearts for Jesus and honor His Mother’s Immaculate Heart. At the end, you’ll consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. August, the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, is a perfect time to begin.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary protect and bless you and your family!

Catholic Friendship Teaches Teamwork

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“Okay wait, let me try.”

Silence.

I clear my throat and try again.

“Lilly, let me try.”

I watch as Lilly, my roommate, struggles fruitlessly with the lock. She and I are on the third floor of some random storage building, trying to retrieve the stuff from our unit so we can haul it back to our dorm and get it set up for Sophomore year. Unfortunately, our key isn’t working. Considering the unprecedented disaster this whole trip has been, our unit’s refusal to unlock is something I should have expected. It took us a half hour just to get inside the building, since neither of us had ever rented a unit before, and Lilly didn’t know we needed a security code.

“I don’t get it.” Lilly mutters, removing the key and reinserting it for the fifth time. She jiggles the lock, turns the key left, then pulls at the door.

Nothing.

“Oh come on.”

She gives the door a frustrated yank. Still nothing.

“Do you think we should call somebody?” I ask, wanting to be helpful. I realize at this point that the best I can do is offer advice and moral support, since Lilly seems uninterested in giving me a shot at unlocking the door.

Lilly, knowing this situation is absurd, laughs in an exasperated kind of way. “I would feel bad calling somebody because we just can’t use their key.”

“But it’s designed so terribly!” I say indignantly.

“Maybe I’ll try the other key,” Lilly pulls out her keychain.

“Oh! Why didn’t you that be—”

“It’s a duplicate key.”

“Oh.”

I watch hopefully as Lilly fiddles with the duplicate key. I’m so absorbed that I don’t realize the ceiling lights snapping off one by one. Not until the overhead light turns off with a foreboding *click* do I realize what’s happening.

“Hey!” As I take a step back and look up, the bulb flashes on again with a happy *pop*!

The stupid lights are motion sensitive.

This is a predicament whose solution will require teamwork. So, while Lilly kicks the door to our unit and picks at it with the key, I run up and down the corridor so that the lights stay on. Whenever I jog past Lilly, I call out either an insightful comment like “Maybe this isn’t actually our unit” or an enlightening statement like “I’ll have to use the bathroom soon.”

I pause for a moment, leaning against the unit and watching Lilly struggle with the key. “Would it help to get an employee?” I suggest it like it’s a novel idea, and not something I’ve mentioned a million times already.

“It would help me if you let me concentrate.”

“Well I think it would help everyone if I get an employee.”

Lilly looks at me for a few seconds. “Okay,” she says finally. “I’ll call someone.”

“Nice.” It’s been an exciting adventure at the storage unit, but it’s starting to give me the heebie-jeebies. There aren’t any windows and the dumb lights keep turning off.

Once the employee arrives, she unlocks our storage unit in five seconds flat. Maybe we ought to feel embarrassed, but Lilly and I are too busy laughing about it. Having finally gained access to our stuff, Lilly and I load up a trolley and shut the door to our unit. I don’t remember how to get out of the maze of units and corridors, but thankfully Lilly is better at directions than I am. I realize that if it weren’t for Lilly, I’d have gotten hopelessly lost— assuming I’d have been able to locate our unit in the first place. But I also know that if it weren’t for me, Lilly would still be wrestling with the lock and complaining.

I wait in the parking lot while Lilly goes to check out at the office. A few minutes later, she shuffles over to the car.

“Soo..” she laughs uncomfortably. “We were supposed to have left the door to our unit open.”

“Don’t tell me we have to go back up there and close it.”

“Yep! Haha. Isn’t this an adventure?”

I wish the adventure weren’t happening on a 90 degree day, or when I’d only slept for five hours the night before. But I do have Lilly with me, and that makes all the difference.

In the end, we managed to close the unit door without incident, though we did have to go back one more time to retrieve the lock and key we’d accidentally left behind. Lilly kept the key and I kept the lock. They’re a good reminder that, when life gives you lemons, you can turn them into lemonade faster if two sets of hands are working together.

Team work makes the dream work.

“Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” –Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Catholic Friendship Teaches Compassion

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The evening is off to a great start, especially for a Monday. Swing Dance Club is an event I’d rather eat my hat than miss, and it’s awesome to start off the week with a good time with my friends. But a short time later, I find myself sitting in my dorm room clutching a left foot that’s radiating pain from here to Mexico. I’m wishing that my friends Milo and Lilly were with me, but they’re at Walmart buying me a compression wrap. Milo and Lilly are the dance partners whose overenthusiastic swing move had resulted in my falling and hurting my foot, but our friendship is so far withstanding this setback.

Suddenly, Milo bangs open the door to my dorm and sweeps in with Lilly close behind him.

“Hey hey,  how’re you feeling?” he asks brightly.

“I’m fine,” I reply, even though I’m not. Since Milo and Lilly already feel responsible for my foot sprain, I don’t want to make them feel any worse than they already do. I give what I hope is a convincing smile.

Without warning, Milo dumps an armful of candies on my lap. “I remembered that you like Milky Way bars. I also got some Snickers and Reese’s, Lilly mentioned that you liked those. I wanted to get 100 Grand bars too, since they’re your favorite, but I couldn’t find any. I also was thinking of—”

“Hey Helen,” Lilly cuts off Milo. “Want me to put on some music? You can pick anything you want, even… even Taylor Swift.”

I look at the both of them, not sure who to thank first. Milo had returned with candy I didn’t ask for. Lilly had offered to play Taylor Swift, which for her is the ultimate sacrifice.

I address Lilly first.

“Aw thanks Lilly! Yeah, turn on ‘London Boy’.”

Perhaps Lilly is regretting her offer, but she plays the requested song anyway. I’m instructed by Lilly to stick out my leg, which I do with as much dignity as I can muster, and Milo tries to compression wrap my foot. While my two friends begin arguing over how to use the wrap, I eat a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Sure, my foot is hurting like crazy at this point, but the rest of me is feeling pretty good. I only met Lilly and Milo two months ago, but they’re taking care of me like my family would.

The adventure continues for several hours, with Milo entertaining me with stories and Lilly Googling my symptoms. Eventually, I fall asleep with Ibuprofen by my bed and instructions from Lilly ringing in my ears. (“Make sure you wake me up if you need anything, okay? Anything at all!”) The next morning, I find out that my foot is broken in two places. Although I had never broken a bone before, I knew instinctively that having a fractured foot wouldn’t entitle me to days filled with Milky Ways and Taylor Swift. As it turned out, I spent six weeks shuffling around on crutches, which necessitated my getting up at the ungodly hour of 7:20 AM to make it to my early classes. My foot needed to be iced for several hours every day. I wasn’t even able to get my own food at the cafeteria. But my broken foot opened my eyes to the kindness that surrounded me. From the night of the ill-starred October swing dance session to the December day that I discarded my boot and crutches, my college friends showed me what true Catholic compassion was.

For Lilly, letting me listen to Taylor Swift in the dorm was only the beginning of her honorable sacrifices. Even when my cumbersome walking boot made us both late for class, or she had to carry me to the Wellness Center, Lilly wouldn’t complain. And Milo had a way of materializing every time I found myself looking down a staircase and wondering how I could possibly navigate it. Had he not been there to help me, I promise I would have faceplanted on the landing every time. At night, when I had to stay in and ice my foot instead of going out, Catherine and Lucy made sure I never got lonely. We’d drink tea and talk about everything under the sun. Catherine, who was a lacrosse player and had plenty of experience with injuries, would always help me elevate my foot properly. To chase away the winter blues, Megan would visit my dorm and sing songs while playing the ukulele. Kieran reminded me that I was “a champ,” Justin carried my backpack for me, and I could always count on Thomas to pick up my meal from the cafeteria. There were so many people who helped me constantly— some who I barely knew.

I can’t say that I’m glad that I broke my foot, but I can say that many good things happened as a result. Those weeks spent on crutches gave me so many opportunities to witness the self-sacrifice and compassion, not only of friends, but of strangers. And I was reminded time and again that acts of kindness don’t need to be dramatic in order to have an impact. Always act with compassion. You never know the difference you can make— or to whom you can make a difference.

“Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40).

Catholic Friendship Teaches Community

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As I sit down on my bed, I receive a non-committal text from my friend Maya saying that she might drop by my dorm later that night. Not that I would say it to her face, or to her phone I guess, but I’d rather she not come. I’m stuck in the doldrums and I don’t feel like summoning the energy to pull myself out of them. I’d rather that Disney+ pull me out. I guarantee that The Mandalorian would do so more gently than Maya. I grab a granola bar, get under the blankets, and open up my laptop. I’m feeling more than a little anxious. I have a week’s worth of homework to do, and a paper to write for Professor Adorno. My train of thought is chuffing down an unhappy track. 

It’s 9:30 PM. I’m on my third episode of The Mandalorian, trying to take my mind off homework for a while, when out of the blue someone slams on my window with terrific enthusiasm. I suddenly remember Maya’s text about visiting me that night. A moment later I hear what sounds like a mob banging on my door. Thoroughly annoyed and ready to give Maya a piece of my mind, I march to the door and throw it open.  

Yes, Maya is there. Yes, Maya is dropping by like she said she would. But Maya has brought with her five other people who now enter my dorm room and wander about like visitors touring a museum.  

“Maya, what—? Oh, hey Joey.  Maya, why did you…?  Nico, could you please be careful with that? Hi Milo, yeah, just don’t spill any, please. Maya, I thought you said – “ 

“Hey Helen!” Catherine emerges from the group. “Can I have a Pop Tart?” 

“What? Oh yeah, yeah of course.” I give Catherine the Pop Tart before getting Maya’s attention. “What’s going on?” 

Even though she can hear the note of annoyance in my voice, Maya refuses to answer my question until I put on my shoes.  

“We’re all going out to McDonald’s,” Maya finally replies as I tie up my laces, “and we’re taking you with us.” The second part of her sentence is delivered as a fact rather than a suggestion. 

“But…” I look longingly over at my dimming laptop screen, which is about to shut itself off. “I’ve got to…” I trail off. I can’t say I’m doing homework; The Mandalorian is still on my laptop for the world to see. But I’m just not in the mood to go out. I’m still in the doldrums.  

“Oh come on, stop being such a lump on a log.” Maya begins pushing me out the door. 

I hastily grab my room key, Joey puts the spyglass he was fiddling with back on my desk, Catherine happily finishes eating my last Pop Tart, and Milo shuts the door behind us as the parade marches to the parking lot. 

Adorno’s paper, which had been my biggest source of anxiety, gets dumped for a more pressing concern, as Nico announces that all seven of us are riding in a car designed to seat five. I’m a big fan of personal space and try shooting down this plan. 

“Guys, I’m not sure if we should…” 

“I’ve got shotgun!” Nico jumps into the front seat as Maya starts up her Honda. The rest of the gang piles into the backseat.   

The last thing I want to do is to squish into this sardine can. 

“Helen, are you getting in?” Lucy looks at me encouragingly from over Milo’s knee. “You can get in on the right side, there’s some room here!” She wiggles her foot an inch to the left in a valiant effort to create more space for me. 

Behind me is the road leading back to my dorm and The Mandalorian. In front of me is a carful of my friends, all happy to see me and wanting to cheer me up. My decision is made. 

Treading on Catherine’s feet in the process, I sit down next to Lucy. Everyone whoops excitedly, Joey launches into a funny story, and Maya peels out for McDonald’s. In that moment, I’m the happiest person on campus. 

During my time at college, I’ve learned that the presence of community is not to be ignored or taken for granted. It’s tempting to push people away when you’re stressed, or to cling to the mentality that you don’t need support and are able to power through rough patches on your own. But when you’re at your lowest is when you need your community the most. While the ride to McDonald’s didn’t win any awards for comfort, it provided me with the encouragement I didn’t even realize I needed. The time spent with my friends made it easier to face my responsibilities. As Catholics, we understand that ‘it is not good for man to be alone’. The Mandalorian is an awesome show, but that’s not what will drag me out of my dorm to buy ice cream at 10:00 PM. When you’re feeling low, don’t close the door to your community. It won’t do you any good anyway. They’ll just bang on your window instead. 

Catholic Friendship Teaches Forgiveness

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It’s a beautiful day on the Belmont Abbey College campus, but within Room 105A of the O’Connell dorms a storm is rumbling. The hum of the air conditioner is irritating me, and I’ve re-read the same sentence three times. I want to clear my throat, but I don’t want to make any noise. My roommate Lilly is sitting on her bed across from me, and she and I are both glued determinedly to our copies of St. Augustine’s Political Writings. Lilly and I are currently not speaking to each other, as we have just had a heated disagreement and are now sitting in deafening silence. Maintaining this silence is difficult for me, since I can rarely hit the five-minute mark without saying something to Lilly. I’d love to tell her about who I saw at breakfast, or the good grade I just got, or at least ask her if we could have our friend Maya over tonight… but I’m not about to sacrifice my dignity and go crawling back. Instead, I’ll give her the silent treatment. Once Lilly notices how unusually quiet I’m being, she’ll realize that I’m mad, and then she’ll feel bad. But I won’t spare her a glance, and will instead wordlessly continue my homework with noble suffering.  

Lilly puts on her headphones. 

Drat. She’s not going to notice that I’m sulking if she’s busy listening to music. I need to accidentally-on-purpose get her attention. I try throwing a sock clear across the room and into my hamper, but sadly this is too regular an occurrence for Lilly to glance up. Perhaps I should take a more direct approach?  

“Hey,” Lilly says as she moves her headphones off one ear. 

“Yeah, what’s up?” I respond in what I hope is a miffed tone. 

“What’re the pages we’re reading for Dr. Hren?” 

“24-46.” 

“Okay that’s what I thought, thanks.” 

“Yep.” 

“Yeah.” 

Lilly puts her headphones back on. 

Okay, that made some waves. Unfortunately though, I’m not feeling sweet revenge. I’m feeling uncomfortable. My misery is going unacknowledged, and, for some reason, Lilly is acting as if nothing were the matter. I’m just sitting on my bed, disgruntled, in my own personal cloud of dejection. I should be doing my homework, but my mood is making it difficult to focus. As I grab my room key and walk to the bathroom, I try to worry less about Lilly and more about my midterm grade for Dr. Hren’s class. 

I’m sitting down on my bed, post-bathroom trip, and realize something’s been placed on my copy of Political Writings. What is that, a bug? I squint: it’s an Oreo. 

“Hey, Lilly?” 

“What’s up?” Lilly takes her headphones off. 

I hold up the Oreo. “Is this for me?” 

“Yes!” Lilly looks at me with a smile kind enough to make me feel like garbage. “I’m sorry I upset you earlier, and I wanted to cheer you up.”  

“Oh,” I consider the Oreo in my hand. “Thank you,” followed by a weak smile. 

Lilly beams at me before putting her headphones back on. I eat the Oreo, feeling stupid. This Saturday’s argument with Lilly had taught me a valuable lesson that I would not forget: forgiveness. 

This Oreo olive branch became the solution to our disagreements. Lilly would leave an Oreo on my bed, or my book, or simply hand it to me, or in some cases where emphasis was needed, chuck it at my head. But the Oreo would always come with an apology that, like the Oreo itself, I couldn’t help but accept. It wasn’t long before I picked up on this practice. If I used Lilly’s mug without asking, or left our window open and bugs got in, or I spilled Gatorade on her copy of The Theban Plays, I’d offer her an Oreo.  

While I don’t remember what Lilly and I were arguing about that Saturday, I do remember that she forgave me, and in doing so taught me how to apologize like a Catholic instead of sulk like a heathen. Asking for someone’s forgiveness requires more than an Oreo; it requires humility, and that you acknowledge what you did wrong. But I realized that it’s better to lose your pride than to lose your friend, and that while requesting forgiveness isn’t pleasant, it’s a lot more palatable when there’s an Oreo involved. I was able to focus on my homework a lot more easily, too, which Dr. Hren was thankful for. Forgiveness truly makes the world go ‘round. 

 

Find Refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Through This 33-Day Consecration

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Ever hear the timeless expression, “wear your heart on your sleeve” to indicate showing vulnerable love? In the image of the Sacred Heart, what I find so poignant is how Jesus points to His revealed, unguarded Heart, leaving Himself vulnerable out of His desire to give His heart to us and to receive ours in return. He truly wears His heart on His sleeve, so to speak.

Colloquial expressions can be taken for granted, but I dig deeper when I hear an over-used expression, such as,“Home is where the heart is.” I ask, whose heart? I say our home is where the Heart of Jesus longs to live. The Sacred Heart should be that from which our earthly home forms its beat. In my new book, Our House of the Sacred Heart, the red house (pictured on the book’s cover and described in its pages) serves as a concrete metaphor for this reality ― that the Sacred Heart is our true home sheltering and embracing us no matter what befalls us… if we invite Him. “Say to the Lord my fortress, my refuge, my God in whom I trust!” (Psalm 91:1-2)

What inspired me to write Our House of the Sacred Heart was the realization that I had been experiencing the presence of the Sacred Heart at work in my life all along and that the devotion had been handed down through five generations of my family. I spent so much time as a child in the house of my grandparents. It was a red house, brightly painted, the same color as the Sacred Heart. Inside it, I encountered a strong, time-tested faith that spanned many generations and left a big impact on me. This house became a metaphor for the refuge Jesus’ Heart provides. It taught me through the signal graces I experienced there that I can trust in Jesus no matter what. I started writing Our House of the Sacred Heart not long after the 2020 lockdowns had begun. Suddenly no one was visiting each other’s houses… everyone was just sheltering in place. I thought of how the heart of Jesus welcomes everyone. In my book, Our House of the Sacred Heart, the reader is invited to journey more deeply into that heart. We journey through 33 life lessons shared, each based on one of the lines in the Litany to the Sacred Heart. Each lesson includes an unforgettable story connecting moments in Scripture to our contemporary lives; inspiring prayers; devotions; discussion questions; and full-color classic art.

The way I’d sum up the message of these life lessons is this: I teach how to do what the hymn “O God beyond All Praising” advises: “whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill, we’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still… to marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways and make our joyful duty a sacrifice of praise.” Seeking refuge and closeness to God in The House of the Sacred Heart brings us greater faith, hope, love… and joy. The book offers practical ways to consecrate your heart and enthrone your home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

If you work to become what I call a “student of Grace” you’ll train your ear to hear the Sacred Whisper and train your eye to be attentive to the clues God leaves in each of our lives, like breadcrumbs leading us home to heaven. This goal might sound difficult or lofty but it is actually practical. I call it “the gift of the poet’s eye,” to pay attention to how the Word made flesh, the Author of Salvation, is calling you to see the poetry in your life… the symbols of faith, the beauty that comes through challenge.

The book gives practical tips for how to make YOUR house a house of the Sacred Heart. It teaches how to plan an Enthronement ceremony, led by the priest or father of the home, making Jesus the King of your home, and Mary the Queen. The details of how to do this are outlined in one of the chapters in my book and once you enthrone your house to the Sacred Heart, you’ll notice it’s a game-changer! Other tips for how to make your house a house of the Sacred Heart include ways to decorate and devotions to incorporate and the book gives those in detail. Our House of the Sacred Heart is available on Amazon and anywhere books are sold.

I invite you to join a growing community that is embarking upon the online 33-Day Consecration to the Sacred Heart! At the time of this writing the Feast of the Sacred Heart is coming up this Friday… (June 11, 2021) but anytime is a blessed time to draw closer to Our Lord’s Heart! Sign up there with your name and email and for 33 days you’ll get brief, guided podcasts emailed to you each day!  It won’t take a lot of your time each day but it will be time well spent. Can you spare 10 minutes for God? Then, you’ll be praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while also journeying a work of reparation one day at a time, and at the Finish Line on Day 33, Consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There’ll be stunning art, music, beautiful prayers and reflections. Can’t wait to journey with you! I hope you’ll register today.

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make our hearts like unto Thine.

Your Talent, God’s Purpose: FREE Event

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Greetings, Friends!

Talent awareness improves professional performance, relationships, and teams–which translates into all spheres: marriage, ministry, and business.

As a certified coach specializing in cultivating natural strengths, I feel deeply called to the mission of helping Catholics really shine in this dark world–now more than ever. I’m passionate about helping them to ditch misunderstandings and false shame about their talents, stand with confidence in God’s design for their lives, and experience the growth and enthusiasm that comes with that holy and humble clarity.

To that end, I’ve started doing free online events, and this month’s is called, “Wonderfully Made: Your Talent. God’s Purpose.”

Timing

We will start at 8:00 pm ET on November 12th, in my Zoom room, and run about 60 minutes. If people want to stay and chat or ask questions beyond that point, I’ll linger, but my prayer and presentation together should be no more than 30 minutes, with time for people to get settled beforehand and Q&A afterwards rounding out the hour.

Access

The Zoom link and password are at the bottom of this post.

Those of you who sign up here by midnight November 11, will receive a reminder the day of the event. No registration is needed, but you’ll need to be on my mailing list to receive a reminder.

 

Invite Your Lists

I’d be grateful for any support, especially prayer, and your presence would be wonderful. You’ll probably see this invitation in other places, too, as I get the word out. I’d appreciate your help with sharing.

FYI, my primary audience tends to be Catholic women, but I also work with and welcome men, teens, young adults, and people of other faiths (as long as they’re not hostile to Catholicism). Feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested.

Again, this is a free opportunity to have fun learning, to share your own insights, and to help me discover how best to serve our community.

Thank you, so much!

Blessings,

Lisa Mladinich

Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach

lisa@mladinich.com

Join Zoom Meeting at 8:00 pm ET, November 12th

https://zoom.us/j/6312359340

Password: 111220

Meeting ID: 631 235 9340

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