… OR TRY TO!

To be honest with you, I can hardly stay focused in life. So much has gone on I haven’t posted in two months… I mean – my brain can hardly keep up. Enter Prayer, Essential oils, change of diet, cutting back on doing… but still – it’s hard to focus these days.  Heck, I have been trying to finish this post for days, y’all, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! ha

Welcome to the CWBN Blog Hop.

On any given Sunday, as you know, it is hard to get to Mass without one or more of the following happening:

• Someone not wanting to go.
• The toddler throwing a fit and getting something all over your only ironed skirt/blouse.
• Family arguments.
• Remembering you meant to go to confession and stressing about it.
• Arguing with one or more people because you are running late.
• Forgetting the envelope and feeling bad for it.
• Insert your own things here… I mean we know there are more.

Add societal issues, bills to pay, major life issues and whatever else you can think of… AND while you know you need Mass, you need the Eucharist, you need the Gospel… life can be a source of chaos, even in the most pious Catholic people and their families.

Then you get to Church, boy child is on time to Altar Serve, front pews have availability, you have the envelope, everything went well that morning, everyone gets settled and you kneel to pray.  AHHHHH it’s so nice.

And then one of your people announces they are hungry because they forgot to eat, there are babies crying, someone comes late and needs to sit in your pew, someone forgot to put on their whole outfit and you catch yourself starting to be judgmental, the cantor has on leggings and when she bows, you think – Dear God, I hope she has on undergarments. Or the odd times that you are so exhausted you actually nod off in Mass and do the head-bob, etc. Sigh… Oh yes, all of this has happened (and more).  Then you think – Oh no, a bad attitude in the Sanctuary, Jesus is right there and I’m acting like this. That pesky old Satan, he needs to leave me alone. Sound familiar?  Sigh.

But we know this — we must stay close to Jesus and His Mother – our Mother. Do you remember when Mother Angelica said this?

Focus on the LIGHT! You are never closer to Jesus than when you receive the Eucharist. Focus and Faith are about discipline (clearly I lack it from time to time).

What Can You Do To Focus…

For me, I look at Our Blessed Mother, the Angels and Saints… and breathe. It’s so beautiful at Saint Patrick Cathedral.  I pray for Mary and the Angels to help me focus. I look around at all the Saint Statuary and ask them to help too. I’m serious. They know I need to be there, to listen and to learn. Because no matter how many times I hear the same readings, there is always something to learn. The sense of calm that comes over me when I know the Saints and Angels are right there with me, praying for me…. it really helps me focus.

Looking up at Mary above the Altar @ St. Patrick Cathedral, Fort Worth

Put Electronics Down at least 1/2 hour before Mass.  You don’t need news, weather, email, FaceBook, etc.. when you are walking into Mass.  It’s truly not the right time to be on electronics. You know this.

Read the Readings before Mass. I try to read the Daily Readings before Mass, and I also follow along while especially the Gospel is being read. I have to be honest, there are times we are in Mass and we can’t hear or understand the Priest, so  preparing ahead and reading along are great ways to stay focused. We go to Mass to learn and preparation always helps the message sink in better. You remember high school/college right? I mean you didn’t go to class unprepared did you? Don’t go to Mass unprepared either.  I use my Magnificat, but there is also an App called the iMissal. My husband uses it.

Wear the Veil. One thing that helps me is wearing a veil. I wear the veil because Mary lead me to wear it, but one of the benefits of it is that you can hide behind it and you can wear it so that you can’t look around you. This truly helps me some days.  It has helped me focus on Jesus and the Altar.  Here are some in my collection.

I love them all. Four Veil Companies represented here. ❤

Get to Mass Early and get settled. This is essential, especially if you have littles. You want to get the bathroom breaks and the who’s sitting by whom’s out of the way.

Sit Towards the Front Near Jesus. First of all JESUSis physically present at Mass. The same Jesus who healed the sick, turned water into wine and died for our sins. You must concentrate because He calls us to be there. And, the Priests, Deacons, Cantors, and Altar Boys can see you, and in our case the Bishop… you pay attention in Mass. I mean – it’s just the truth.  You want to be both a good example and a willing participant, which brings me to…

Require Participation. You must participate and you must require your children and spouse to participate too. For some reason it’s very distracting to me if they are not participating
too. Participation breeds focus. You have to look up the pages for the songs. You have to follow along in the Hymnal/Missal.  You know what is coming next and you are ready for it.

I will leave you think about this…

Don’t you just love her?

I don’t focus every Mass, but I try…. and when I falter in Mass, I redirect myself quickly. God knows your heart. Do your best.  Focus takes Perseverance. Remember the old saying, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” That, for infinity…

Thanks for joining us on the CWBN Blog Hop this month. Please check out the other bloggers and leave them some love. We are all so busy right now. And they need it!

Hugs & Blessings,

Em

Happy Tuesday!

Today I am joining up with Catholic Women’s Bloggers to share with you our experience on how our Catholic Faith has shaped our lives in a Blog Hop titled Why I love my Catholic Faith.  The hop is hosted by Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You. And y’all, these women are super talented. I’m not sure why they let me hangout with them, but I’m thrilled they do.  Go check out their posts for inspiration and great stories.

Welcome back to my sorely neglected blog. Y’all, I’m in a season of neglect. The evil one has thwarted several attempts to draw closer to God, by seriously causing chaos – in my life and in my mind. I have so much to do, I do nothing. For example, I don’t finish a Bible study. Why? Because I’ve taken on three, and  have so many other things on my mind, I end up not doing any.

Rest assured, this is a season. If you have not walked through something like it, you will. So know that you are never alone in anything you walk through. Currently, in our life season, my husband continues to travel, our house is up for sale. Our realtor is not great… I could give you a list, but in charity, I shall keep it to myself. My child is needy – because he can sense the tension and therefore, I don’t get things done – like blog posts, card making, baking for friends catching up on reading, AND to top it all off, an old injury creeped up on me and I’m having surgery tomorrow.  I seriously feel like I may have lost all or part of my mind. HA

So many things have gone wrong, I actually said to my husband, “I give up. I can’t do this anymore. I’m a good person. I thought God was on my side, but you know what – I’m over it all. Why do bad things keep happening?  God has forsaken me/us!” I thought to myself, “I never deserved the life I was given… the abusive mother and all that entailed, the miscarriages, the lack of money, etc. etc. etc.” I was a very abused child, and made bad decisions in my life – and all of it came bubbling to the surface in an angry and emotional hour or so.  I could go into more detail, but I’m hopeful we’ve all had those moments and I don’t really need to give you a bigger picture of my little hissy fit/breakdown, etc.

Before I go on, let me share with you the definition of Forsaken:

I looked it up because I wanted to prove to myself, you see, that God had in fact forsaken me.  And then I laughed and cried…  Do you get why?  I’ll explain… staring at me from the page was ME! I was so frustrated, I actually said aloud that I was done with God – in that moment, I meant it because I was so upset. Sigh. Um – I’m the one who was forsaking Our Lord.

Reading the Magnificat the next morning, the first Bible verses was Jeremiah 29:11 (I’ve added 12 & 13 as well(:

Jeremiah 29:11-13:  For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and com and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.

The Psalm was #38. With this explanation: The penitential psalms very often speak of sin as a sickness brought on by the attack of enemies. Their vivid descriptions of the sinner’s sufferings, remind us again and again that the misery of sin is not what God wants for His beloved children.

I could go into a long explanation of my Faith and why I love it. I could talk to you about The Rosary, Confession, Mass and the beautiful Prayers and hymns… I could tell you about the Body of Christ – both His body and blood He gave up for us, AND the Body of Christ that is His great Church. I could tell you about how I thought I was Catholic, and when I found out I wasn’t I embraced Lutheran Faith, and how glorious and right it was when I finally came back and brought my husband with me. Our son was already Catholic.

However, what I want you to know is that every day, I am reminded how much God loves me. No matter what I have been subjected to in my life due to someone else’s poor choices or mine, God loves me!  We live in a great time, where social media brings Faith to our inboxes; bloggers like this group of faith-filled  Catholic Women Bloggers, The Magnificat, and so  many other books – DAILY, minute by minute – I am reminded that God is all around me.

The Catholic Church has given me a zillion tools to hone my faith and be closer to God, whether I feel close to him every moment or not. I don’t know why my faith is so immature sometimes. I wish I did. But I know that God always reminds me of His presence – and I am so thankful for that. Daily reminders y’all! ❤

Personal Request:  Prayers needed. Things will be difficult in our home the next few weeks. I am having surgery on both feet. Let me explain. In the left ankle – an old fracture needs to be fixed, some bone spurs need to be shaven and arthritis cleaned out. Currently it’s bone on bone. On the right foot, the big toe joint will be partially replaced, arthritis cleaned out and the bone shaved.

Through the weekend, I will be in bed, legs propped up and icing my legs one hour left, one hour right – only getting up to go potty and such.  For the following 3+ weeks, I will not be able to drive or do a whole lot – though I am allowed to walk. I will be on major meds – which I am not good at taking.   Soooo – In your charity, please pray for my husband as he endeavors to take care of me after surgery.  That the house runs smoothly and he and my child survive. I know they will. But I do everything, so it will be interesting. You know how it is, Mamas.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. I would love your feedback. And please, stop by the Original Post, and check out the others!

Oh and let me leave you with one last thought. Last night, I said to my husband, “I’m afraid. I’m afraid of the surgery and how much pain I’ll be in and how you guys will do, etc.”  I literally then opened my email, and this was there:

Ok, it’s not a great picture, but you get my point, right?  God works fast y’all. There are reminders everywhere.

Photography by Emily Davis

One last thing – one of the best parts of the Catholic Faith, to me, is the study of Saints. They struggled, they went through awful things.. and they managed to serve the Lord in such glory they were canonized for it. Amen! Let’s be like them.

Why I love my Faith, is because all day, every day, there are so many examples of how much God loves me and how blessed I am.

Pray for me – I’m praying for you!

Many Blessings, love and hugs,

Emily