Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Why We Should Pray With Our Children From an Early Age

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Hi All!

This is my ten-minute discussion with Matt Swaim on the Son Rise Morning Show, today!

We cover why it’s important to pray with children from an early age, what they learn, and how to help our teens and young adults who have lost their faith. Just the simplest points are discussed, but we could go a lot deeper.

I’d love your comments, suggestions, and questions in the chat!

 

Here’s where you can order my book, “Heads Bowed: Prayers for Catholic School Days.”

I’m looking forward to your comments!

Blessings,

Lisa Mladinich

Follow me on Facebook!

Always Discerning, An Ignatian Spirituality for the New Millennium by Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J.

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I have had this book by Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J. for 2 years sitting in my to read stack, always near the top but somehow getting overlooked. Maybe it wasn’t time before now.

This book was excellent; of course, since it was written by someone “hailed as a world authority on Ignatian spirituality” it would be. But it’s not a heavy, textbook read. It made so much sense. I was taking pictures of the text and sending them to my friends and posting them on social media as I read. It is a very accessible book. I often feel like I am “always discerning” and it can get overwhelming and tiresome, not only for my brain but possibly others, if you know what I mean. Which you do if you are also “always discerning.”

The topics covered range from discerning in a Christian way, the great discernments in our life, why discernment is good, desolation and consolation in relation to discernment, gratitude and putting it all together. Each part has 4 to 6 short chapters, a section called “Touchstones” at the end of each part and a beef excerpt of a talk, homily or letter (usually, but not always) from Pope Francis. Fr. Tetlow also begins each chapter with a quote from Pope Francis. A feature of the book format I loved are the callouts, highlighting a key point on various pages.

One idea that has really stuck with me is about engaging our heads, hearts and hands in discernment. It is not about one of those aspects, it’s about using all of them to live out our baptismal call. The chapters on consolation were a help to understanding the concept better and seeing it in my life. He says, “but in fact, just accepting, on a dull workday morning, that God has made me holy is, in itself, a spiritual consolation.”  Another often recurring theme in life is detachment, that line between wanting what is good and becoming consumed with it, letting the desire control you. Think about this instead: “Spiritual detachment requires accepting my true feelings and ideas but wanting to follow them insofar as they lead me toward God.”

There is much wisdom in this book. And it was written for us, in our time, using contemporary examples and writings to respond to them.  Whether you are a student of Ignatian spirituality or not, you can gain much by reading this book. I know I will go back and read different sections again, as the need arises in my spiritual life.

Always Discerning is available on Loyola Press and Amazon.

NEW: Homeschooling Saints Podcast

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Hi Everyone!

I am proud to announce the Homeschooling Saints Podcast, sponsored by Homeschool Connections! I’m the host, and we launched today with our first episode, “Do You Have to Be Crazy to Homeschool?” with Mary Ellen Barrett, along with a short feature on praying the Rosary together as a family, with Chantal Howard.

Tune in, subscribe, share, and leave us an honest review!

And enjoy these tracks from our amazing composer, Taylor Kirkwood!!

First: Doxology, our theme song! Second: Watchful Teacher, our special feature music!

My Way is Not Always The Answer

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I Did It My Way…..

We all know the story of how Abraham and his wife Sarah tried to sidestep God’s promise that they would have a child despite their old age ( Gen 16:1-16). Rather than trusting and waiting on God to fulfill His promise, these two used her maid Hagar to result in that long-awaited child only to end up with family jealousy and turmoil that still rages today through their descendants.

This initial story of a fall reminds us of a very familiar human tactic with God.  We ask Him for something and then set a subconscious, unstated deadline on that request.  This time limit may not be express or concrete as in a certain date, but it will at least be an openness to finding some sort of shortcut to our desired goal.  We ask God to find us a mate and then go on 45 online dating sites to sift through pathetic examples of potential mates which will either lead nowhere or, worse, somewhere worse than where we are now.

Others will ask God for a job and grab a job God clearly would not want them to have. Still other folks will pray for something and then grow impatient and even bitter when the desired result does not come. I have often been guilty of this, using my supposed petition more as a purchase order than a humble request from a Creator to Whom I owe everything I have and am already.  Therein lies the core problem:  we should spend most of  our day thanking this wonderful, generous, and loving God who invites us to trust and love Him enough to ask for more.  However, our weak and defective humanity leads us to go overboard and either ask for too much or, just as bad, please-mand, which is my new word meaning demand with a please on top.

Abraham and Sarah were so wrapped up in what they wanted, what they probably felt that they deserved, that they did not stop to consider what God wanted and deserved from them:  simple faith and patience.  All too often, we sing Frank Sinatra’s hit My Way, proud to have handled things our way on our time and on our terms.  However, is that what God deserves from us?

Close Your Human Eyes and Practice Blind Faith

As defective people moving in a defective world, we need to close our eyes from time to time and ask ourselves who or what our daily GPS is or should be.  All too often, we will find that expediency and practicality often push us to find our own way on our terms without even asking God to chime in.  We will fool ourselves into pretending that we are doing a very busy God a solid by handling things ourselves. After all, how sick of you would your plumber be if you called him every single time your sink was slow?

The truth is, God wants us to be assertive and independent in many ways, for that is how we will grow as human beings. However, God’s definition of those traits does not include brushing Him off like some meddling uncle.  Our Lord wants us to always have Him on speed dial when we need Him.  It never hurts to ask for God’s help and give God time to respond,  His way. That is not to say that we will foolishly wait four decades for something we need to decide soon. What it does say is that we should give God a reasonable time to respond. That response by the way, may be no response, which may still be a response on God’s terms.  Begin with the conviction that God knows what is best for us and run with that.  Abraham and Sarah did not do that above; they gave God the keys and then used a brick to open things their way.

The Gideon Pill

I refer to the Gideon Pill as God’s way of showing us who is boss.  He will wait beyond our patience or beneath our means to accomplish miracles, just so we know who performed those miracles. The Israelites  had to wander in the desert forty years before entering the Promised Land due to their disobedience and lack of faith. God waited until there was no doubt He was doing the work for them and until He had stamped out the last of the disobedient doubters (Num 14: 1-21).

One of my favorite Bible stories is that of Gideon; a military leader, judge, and prophet chosen by God to defeat the Midianites and avoid slavery for his people.  God reduced Gideon’s army to 300 men against a vast enemy in order to leave no doubt who was responsible for the victory( Judg 7:2-8). We all need the Gideon Pill from time to time, being put in situations where seemingly God is the only way out just so we can grow in faith, appreciation, and obedience to such a wonderful God.

Abraham’s Recovery

An even more famous story than those noted above is Abraham’s great response of obedience to God’s request that Abraham sacrifice his only son Isaac ( Gen 22: 16-18).  God knew how much Abraham waited for and loved his son, so He put Abraham to the test of sacrificing everything for God which, of course, Abraham passed with flying colors.  Abraham had learned his lesson from the Hagar mistake. He knew that loving and trusting God is not something you dip your toe in. You are either all in or you should get out.  Nothing of this world is worth losing God.

Conclusion

This world tells us to show off and prove we can handle everything ourselves. Certainly, one of the signs of maturity is the greater ability to be independent and self-reliant. However, regardless of our age, we all need God at all times and need to remember that. Like Abraham and Sarah, we sometimes think we know all the answer but, like Gideon, we all learn soon enough that God is pulling all the strings one way or the other.

This world tempts us to run everything in our lives our way, on our time, on our terms. What we need to avoid, however, is that we are not running away from God in the process.

2019  Gabriel Garnica

Book Review: 10 Promises of Jesus by Marge Steinhage Fenelon

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My video review of this book is available on youtube at the Home Catechesis YouTube Page (CLICK HERE!)

 

One of the most common objections to Christianity is not rooted in philosophy or doctrine but rather the existence of evil and suffering in a world that Christians profess to be created by a Loving God. The Church wisely states, “no quick answer will suffice. Only Christian faith as a whole constitutes the answer to this question….There is not a single aspect of the Christian message that is not in part an answer to the question of evil” (CCC 309).

Within the classroom or an exchange of scholars this conversation will focus on Salvation History and the Church’s corresponding doctrines. For the average person struggling with and through a traumatic event, something else is needed to provide the answer that comes from the “Christian faith as a whole.” That approach of providing witnesses to God’s work and the power of Hope, has been crafted together in the book 10 Promises of Jesus by Marge Steinhage Fenelon.

Each chapter of this book begins with a Promise of Jesus. The explanation of the promise is often short and simple followed by a real life story of someone experiencing both suffering and Hope through the corresponding promise. Each chapter features a new story with different forms of suffering and different acts of Hope.

This book is a quick and easy read. I only wish one additional point was made in the book; it is nothing major, but rather an additional point to be made in the footnotes. On page 51 a long footnote is provided to explain “last rites” but fails to mention 1 of 3 sacraments celebrated in this liturgical celebration: Confession/Penance. Penance is only mentioned within the circumstance of someone not able to make it to Confession. It also would have been a wonderful opportunity to explain the importance of the sequence of the rites within the context of the Sacraments of Initiation.

Thus, just as the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called “the sacraments of Christian initiation,” so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life “the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland” or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage. –CCC 1525

Penance/Confession restores us to Baptismal Grace. The “last rites” of Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Communion mirror the Sacraments of Initiation in their proper order of Baptism, Confirmation (uses an anointing with oil too), and Communion. As you can see, it is not a major issue, but my love for sacramental theology would have loved to have seen it included!

While this book obviously is a benefit to those suffering through something, it is an excellent resource for catechists. Students often ask questions of a personal nature in response to catechetical content. They hunger to understand if the faith has any relevance for their daily life. This book will provide catechists with examples of the Christian Faith in action during times of suffering.

 

My video review of this book is available on youtube at the Home Catechesis YouTube Page (CLICK HERE!)

 

Advent #GIVEAWAY and Interview With #aromaRosary Inventor, Chantal Howard

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UPDATE: Comments were turned off by accident but are now ON. Feel free to enter! So sorry for any inconvenience!–Lisa

Guadalupe Rosary Bracelet

Beloved Readers, we have an exciting and unusual giveaway: an Our Lady of Guadalupe rosary bracelet that diffuses essential oils, as you pray!!! Talk about awesome!

TO ENTER, please tell us in the comments why you would like to win!

The popular Our Lady of Guadalupe aromaRosary Bracelet will be awarded on December 12th, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, so enter right away!

And start praying the Novena to Our Lady, which starts today (December 4th)!

 

Now, meet aromaRosary’s inventor, Chantal Howard! 

Welcome, Chantal! Please give us just a few glimpses into your world so that we can get to know you a bit more personally.

I am a Byzantine Catholic by birth, giving me a great love for icons, chant, and the Divine Liturgy. I am an oblate of the Community of St. John and, therefore, identify myself as Eucharistic, Marian, Seeker of Truth, and devotee of all things truly Catholic. I have a charismatic side, a traditional Latin-loving, veil-wearing side. Above all, I want to live a life of prayer, holiness, and heroic virtue. The New Evangelization is knit into who I am.

Rosa Mystica Rosary Bracelet

Chantal HowardI have been married for nearly 15 years to the man of my Jane-Austin-like dreams.  I can truthfully say Peter and I are a work in progress.  But I rejoice in the Mercy of God that is helping us to put lofty ideas of love into practice with greater gratitude and tenderness. I love that I get to share life with a man of such conviction, passion, and fidelity – to me, to Our Lady, and to Our Lord.

My five children are the pure light of my life. We homeschool.  I admit, though, that our homeschool has been interdependent with much family collaboration and even part-time school going opportunities to help round out our family dynamic, allowing for me to be as active in work as I am.  This is the nature of the “School of the Family,” as it has developed for us. The desire to nurture them in health, in mind, in spirit, and in creativity and joy is foundational and much of that I can give to them, but I also realize that I am not fully sufficient alone.  I laugh when I hear the not so popular expression, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and yet can we really deny the fact?  So, we had better choose our villages carefully.  In our case, our family is our village, and so we have recently relocated to Northern Idaho to be near all my siblings and my mother so that we can foster our kids in the context of family, faith, farming, good food, and adventure.

Tell us about the nature of your work.

Victory Heirloom aromaRosary

My Grandaddy began the entrepreneurial streak in our family as an inventor. My mom and dad firmed it up by building a family business. I grew up helping to answer phone calls, strategize marketing plans and work in the field. As my mom homeschooled me, this practical work in business became second nature. Since then, I have not ceased drumming up new ventures. Ministry, writing, dōTERRA, and my family have offered platforms to launch entrepreneurial dreams in more directions than I ever imagined – Catholicpreneur style. In addition, as a young person I was a highly competitive gymnast and high-level athlete, in several arenas.  This promoted a lifestyle of fitness and wholesomeness that has been a steady undercurrent in my life. Together, these life experiences have brought me to where I am today as a “natural solution coach.” I help families find health and happiness through an essential oil-inspired wellness lifestyle, without New Age overtones.

Where did your passion for the rosary begin, and why do you see it as such an important mission to bring to the world?

As a young person my parents rested all their hope of us remaining a faithful family on the prayer of the Holy Rosary. Through their inspiration, we began early chanting the rosary in a Byzantine style, and I have never turned back from loving the rosary and wanting to bring it to life as—not just a prayer but—an experience that helps us traverse from our earthly dimension to the spiritual plain of contemplation.  (You can check out the audio CD in the Byzantine style that we produced as a family, here.)

How did your passion for essential oils and the rosary together take shape?

The Rosary is a gift that has been given to all of humanity to heal our wounded nature.  It offers us a way to ascend to the heights of our calling as children of God by tethering our fidgeting hands, our wandering minds, and our wayward souls to the life of Christ. In light of my work coaching so many people who are wounded physically and emotionally, the support of essential oils tied to the rosary struck me as a natural bridge.

A few years ago, Immaculée Ilibagiza spoke to my heart, as she shared her story of suffering and triumph through the power of the rosary with 30,000 other individuals. It just so happened that she was the keynote speaker at a large, global essential oil summit I was attending. As she shared, I marveled at her passion and unhindered dedication to sharing the rosary with the world.  Here, in one moment, two of my greatest loves in life were colliding before my eyes—essential oils and the rosary! As I drove across the county, I reflected on my personal visit with Immaculee, her powerful gesture of throwing her rosary to someone in the crowd, and all I had just learned about the movement of essential oils in health care. My heart overflowed with inspiration and the desire to bring to our hurting world the solace and rich blessings of essential oils and the rosary. Thus this effort was born.

Describe an aromaRosary.

Every aromaRosary is hand-crafted to hold and diffuse essential oils, to expand the prayer experience.  Using natural stones and lava rock and other ceramic, metal, or wood beads, we have designed rosaries that can withstand the intensity of therapeutic grade essential oils that have been chosen carefully to reflect the mysteries of the rosary.  These blends are symbolic and calming, to help promote an atmosphere of prayer.  Together with fingering the beads, chanting the prayers, and smelling the aromas of sanctity, we can more fully engage our senses and focus our prayers.

Unpack for us briefly the four essential oil bends you have chosen.

We use four unique blends. The Joyful Blend is comprised of frankincense and other oils that help create an aroma reminiscent of the Nativity.  The Luminous Blend is a blend of citrus oils that reflect the light and miraculous nature of the Luminous mysteries. The Sorrowful Blend is woody and earthy, with Myrrh and other wood oils that are an aromatic encounter with the cross and the mysteries of Christ’s suffering.  The Glorious Blend offers floral notes and Easteresque aromas that are gentle, soft, and Marian.

Do you have resources that would help others to learn about aromaRosary and your work as a coach and speaker?

Please visit us at aromaRosary.com. We’re having our Advent sale, right now!  I would welcome your comments, your reviews, your support of our efforts, and of course I would love to work with you. I offer coaching and essential oil training.  We have a dynamic Catholic team of essential oils coaches throughout the country and we want you to be a part of what we are doing to heal families and evangelize in the process.

aromaRosary-2.jpg

Thank you, Chantal!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment below about why you’d like to win the Guadalupe aromaRosary Bracelet! A random drawing will take place on the evening of Wednesday, December 12th.

NOTE: you must have access to a mailing address in the United States, to win!

 

This Just In: God Wants Us to Re-Gift!

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The recent Gospel on the poor widow’s mite ( MK 12: 38-44) reminds us that loving God means giving Him everything we have at all times.  The 3 poorest folks in Christ’s time were the handicapped, beggars, and widows. Given this reality, many would snicker at any poor widow foolish enough to give what little she had to corrupt men running a corrupt temple. However, we might do well to consider three valuable lessons from this Gospel and the widow’s example.

Keep Your Eyes on God and Nowhere Else

The widow must have been a pathetic sight in the eyes of a superficial and judging world. Clearly destitute and likely desperate looking, she must not have inspired much admiration to earthly eyes. Many in her state would have been too ashamed or too self-conscious to even approach the place of offering. However, this woman only had eyes for God and nobody else.  Inspired by a true love of her Lord, she merely wanted to express that love in some tangible way. Needing every coin she could get her hands on, she nevertheless trusted that God would provide as she sacrificed.

One thinks of Cain murdering Abel (Gen 4:1-8) because Abel gave his best to God while Cain did not and resented God being more pleased with Abel’s total giving. Abel gave God his best because God is all that mattered to him.  By contrast, Cain clearly loved himself more than he loved God because he kept his best for himself. Likewise, one is reminded of Abraham preparing to offer his only son Isaac simply because God asked him to do so (Gen 22:1-19).  What greater love, obedience, faith, and trust can one have than to be willing to offer one’s only child to please God? My youngest daughter is mystified that God would ask anyone to do such a thing, but I have told her that it was all a test and Abraham passed with flying colors.  Abraham’s willingness makes sense if one keeps one’s eyes on God. However, the more we let our gaze stray toward this world, the more absurd Abraham’s actions appear to us. Keep your eyes on God because He is all good, all just, and all loving–and let your faith and love do the rest!

God Will Multiply Our Humility and Subtract Our Arrogance

Let us note God’s majestic irony!  Abraham offered his only son and God rewarded his obedience by multiplying his descendants.  The boy offered Christ his only food of five loaves and two fish and Our Lord rewarded his unselfishness with food for everyone (Jn 6: 9-14). Now, that boy brought that food either for himself or to sell it to a hungry crowd. Either way, he scrapped his self-interest to serve God and set the stage for a miracle of multiplication.

If God blesses our humble offerings, we may expect Him to reject arrogance and self-interest. In the case of the poor widow’s offering, we note that Christ dismissed the ample offerings of the rich and scribes as so much empty self-affection.  Again, no matter how much we give, if our intentions are merely to look good or appear holy, that giving is not genuine and sincere but self-interested and superficial.  We should only seek to impress God and, even then, more with our motives and actions than with our mere words.

Over 140 years ago, a little, poor Philadelphia girl named Hattie May Wiatt discovered that her church needed a larger Sunday school building to accommodate the many children who were unable to fit into the smaller structure that existed then. She wanted to do something to help but, sadly, died very soon afterward. Her mother gave the pastor Hattie’s purse containing 57 cents (the equivalent of     $15 dollars today) which little Hattie had saved to help.  Moved by her unselfish and humble generosity, the pastor informed the congregation.  Soon, newspapers spread the news of this little girl’s actions, inspiring many donors. As a result, not only a larger Sunday School, but also a hospital and an expansion of Temple University resulted. From this little, innocent girl’s unselfish love of God’s Word, a multiplication miracle occurred.

God Has Given Each of Us The Right Gifts to Offer

As a New Yorker, I have seen just about everything.  One day, a man entered a subway I happened to be taking to work and began singing. He was easily the worst singer I have ever heard.  Now he was clearly trying to sing well, but his voice was just terrible.  The people began giving him money, so he would go away. Despite his hefty haul that afternoon, I would argue that this man was not offering the right gift to others.  I am fairly certain that my singing would make that poor man sound like Frank Sinatra but, thankfully, God has given me a few gifts to offer back to Him and others. I can write, speak, and teach well enough to offer these to Our Lord, and I will continue to try my best to offer these humble offerings. I know that I have a long way to go and that I need to keep trying harder, but I am ready to keep up the effort as best I can.

We all have a responsibility to discern what gifts God has given us.  We all then have a responsibility to figure out ways to offer these gifts for the love and service of God and others in that order. Any gifts we use merely for ourselves, much less to harm others or ignore God, are not fulfilling God’s purpose. The right gifts, then, are those gifts clearly given to us by God based on our talents and aptitudes. People who cannot stand the sight of blood are not called upon to be doctors, and folks who hate math are clearly not called to be engineers. However, all of us are called to serve God through the gifts He has given each of us.

Our duty as children of God can best be summarized by one of my favorite saints, St. Therese, “The Little Flower,” who once said that one’s goal must be to present oneself before God with empty hands because one has given away all of God’s blessings to others.  This great, humble, yet profound saint also said that when one loves, one does not calculate.  Let us each love God and others so much that we do nothing but offer our talents and gifts in service and love leaving all calculations and judgments to God Almighty.

2018  Gabriel Garnica

 

HOT TOPIC: Same-Sex Attraction (SSA)

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I’d like to introduce this topic by saying that I believe, personally, that there are many possible roads leading to the experience of SSA. For some, it is emotional/physical deprivation or abuse that creates the deep-seated need for same-sex affirmation and affection, but for many young people raised in loving homes, it may be cultural influences bearing down through indoctrination, peer example, and the destruction of intimate friendships by an over-sexualized society. I’m not an expert, so feel free to disagree with me, but this 3-minute video, created by a young woman who has identified a clear path to her SSA, uses “spoken word” (rhythmic, like rap) to powerfully express her legitimate, personal experience. Please share it around.

 

 

Breakthrough Resources

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Coaching happens in the gap between where you are and where you want to be

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Dear Friends in Christ,

Attached are the resources I shared in my recent webinar for Catholic creatives, utilizing coaching techniques to break through in life and art. Please feel free to email me with questions or to request additional resources. I may eventually create a monthly newsletter for breakthrough resources if it seems helpful, but in the meantime, I will keep updating this page.

Text or Email the word COACHING for information on private breakthrough coaching and/or groups for Catholic creatives.

Text: 631-235-9340

Email: lisa@mladinich.com

Coaching is About Your BEST Life:

  • Breakthrough: a prayerfully facilitated exploration of your challenges, personal values, dreams, and goals brings accelerated progress toward living a powerful life
  • Empowerment: learning to live into your authentic values and vision creates clarity and momentum, as you acquire skills that last a lifetime
  • Satisfaction: learning and growing beyond your expectations, while knocking down barriers to success
  • Teaching: optional group sessions provide a like-minded association of Catholic creatives prayerfully connecting and providing support, as participants learn from each other’s insights, struggles, and successes

Private Coaching:

  • 1 free, private introductory session to help you decide if coaching is for you
  • 3 private, 45-minute sessions per month, by phone
  • Sessions begin with a brief prayer, which you may lead if you like
  • Each session is a gentle, guided exploration of whatever brings you to the coaching conversation
  • As the client, you are always in charge of the focus of every session
  • As your coach, I listen deeply and prayerfully to what God is speaking into your heart
  • I stay open to wherever that exploration takes us and ask powerful questions that help you step into new perspectives
  • Coaching provides clarity that allows us to co-design steps toward your goals, with your preferred level of accountability
  • Many additional resources are provided or recommended, as needed
  • It is my pleasure to provide ongoing support between sessions
  • $180 per month

Breakthrough Group Coaching:

  • 1 free, private introductory session before your group begins
  • 2 group sessions per month, online
  • 1 private lesson per month, by phone
  • No more than five participants to a group
  • Every online session includes a short presentation on a topic of interest to the group
  • One-on-one coaching, LIVE, in the group–with each participant in control of the focus of their coaching
  • Takeaways, support, and observations from the group accelerate growth
  • $125 per month

CREATIVITY BOOSTERS (summarized from recent webinar)

  1. Mind-mapping for non-linear brainstorming: https://www.mindmapping.com/mind-map.php
  2. Writing with pen and paper to get ideas moving faster
  3. Working out to release the subconscious
  4. Napping to awaken to creative ideas
  5. Dressing up to change your perspective
  6. Reading to calm your brain and generate ideas

RIGHT-BRAIN ACTIVATORS

  • Asking open questions: who, what, why, how, when?
  • Doing something backward (writing, walking, using your non-dominant hand)
  • Naming wrong (spend a few minutes pointing at things and saying the wrong name for them)
  • Sensory stimulation (get outside and use your senses)

Breakthrough Resources

FREE self-assessment tools for gifts and clarifying purpose: (Perhaps start with the VIA strengths test—a well-regarded alternative to Clifton Strengths.) This site has other assessments as well. https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter

values-exercise (superb worksheet for identifying core values, as a basis for visioning and purpose work)

Creating a Statement of VisionPurposeMission (worksheet with Scriptures)

18-Wheel-of-Life-Exercise

LIFE_CALLING_ASSESSMENT

Goal-setting Worksheet (.jpg)

Remember that you are irrevocably gifted and called:

For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

(Romans 11:29)

Resources: Faithful Priests, Bishops, and Lay People Rally the Church in the Midst of Crisis

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UPDATED

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I will add to this round-up of resources, as new and important videos, articles, and letters come across my desk, so our readers have a central place to look for help in responding to the current and ongoing crisis of predatory behavior in the Church. Please share more links in the comments.

UPDATED: 9/11/18

Our Lady’s Prophecies Being Fulfilled? (Aleteia)

(Exclusive) Cardinal Caffarra: “What Sr. Lucia wrote to me is being fulfilled today”

Prophetic Witness of the Laity in the Present Crisis of the Church

The Truth about Sexual Abuse by Clergy

 

Here’s a meme floating around on the Internet, quoting my favorite “Venerable” Fulton J. Sheen. I’d love to know the source and give credit!

UPDATE: Taking the Gay Priest Issue Seriously

(WARNING: The first section of this article includes a brief, but graphic, description of a sex act)

Taking The Gay Priest Issue Seriously

UPDATE:  The Sermon That Cost a Brave Priest His Job:

The Sermon That Cost A Brave Priest His Job

UPDATE: What is Reparation? And Why is it My Best Response to Evil? (Aleteia)

What is reparation? And why is it my best response to evil?

UPDATE: Long Island Priests Fasting in Reparation for Abuse in the Church (Aleteia)

Priests on Long Island undertake 25-day “communal penance of fasting”

UPDATE: Dr. Janet Smith on the need to “eradicate” homosexual networks in the Church: 

http://cal-catholic.com/another-catholic-woman-speaks-out-after-mccarrick-revelations/

A letter from Catholic women to the Holy Father, which now has over 15,000 signatures (The National Catholic Register reports):

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/we-deserve-answers-now-catholic-women-pen-letter-to-pope

 

Must-Watch Videos:

How to Recognize Judas in Your Midst: Fr. John Lankeit, rector of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, delivered this powerful message to his flock, referring to heretical and immoral clerics as “Father Iscariot”:

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/dan-burke/must-watch-video-how-to-recognize-judas-in-your-midst#.W4tjfgSX0K_.facebook

GREAT homily: History of the Invasion of the Church by Marxists and Predatory Homosexuals, and Our Lady’s Plan: An outstanding and informative homily from Fr. Robert Altier of St. Raphael Parish in Crystal, MN (recently shared at this website):

http://amazingcatechists.com/2018/08/our-lady-is-coming-to-clean-house/


Articles With Helpful Links and Testimonies:

Oklahoma Archbishop Paul Coakley : I’ve ‘deepest respect’ for Viganó. His claims demand ‘deeper examination’:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/oklahoma-archbishop-ive-deepest-respect-for-vigano.-his-claims-demand-deepe

The above LifeSiteNews article also provides links to the statements of other Catholic leaders, as well:

Cardinal Raymond Burke, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Tyler Texas, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Springfield, Illinois Bishop Thomas Paprocki.

 

Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s letter to the people of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin. He has been aggressively pursuing this issue in his own diocese for years, so he addresses his flock with clear moral authority:

https://www.catholicaction.org/bishop_robert_c_morlino_s_letter_to_the_faithful?utm_campaign=support_bishop_morlino&utm_medium=email&utm_source=catholicaction


Bishop Joseph Strickland of Galveston, TX, calls for an investigation of the Church at the highest levels and orders his priests to disseminate Archbishop Vigano’s 11-page letter via their bulletins and social media:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/texas-bishop-urges-thorough-investigation-of-allegations-against-pope-franc


Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron comments on the scandals, calling them “demonic and diabolical,” and calls for “the Vatican” to appoint qualified lay-people to investigate. (Prayers that the right people at that level are tasked with this important initiative!):
https://www.thetablet.co.uk/texts-speeches-homilies/4/1182/brandon-vogt-interview-of-bishop-robert-barron