Motivational Monday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Happy Feast Day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton!

This educator was my favorite saint growing up. In my own childhood Catechism class, I first heard this ♪song♫ (Matthew 6:33) when we watched a video about her life…

With my own dreams of helping establish a Ca†holic school in my hometown, I look to St. Elizabeth for inspiration and seek her intercession.

Working Woman’s Wednesday: Patience = Virtue

Dr. Grassi cites scripture in sustaining patience:

1. Romans 8:28 ~ GOD works for the good of those who ♥love♥ Him ✌
2. Genesis 12:2, 7; Hebrews 6:15 ~ Abraham receiving the ☼promise☼ later in life
3. 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Galatians 6:10 ~ Paul advising patience with other †faithful† people

I read his testament on patience yesterday, which was wonderful timing because it was just what I needed in multiple aspects of my life:

1. getting through my dissertation defenses
2. seeking a career advancement
3. dealing with difficult people

Before I read his passage, I realized how patience helped me through those obstacles mentioned above:

1. I received encouragement from my professors
2. I received my latest teaching assignment
3. I received a fresh perspective on someone

These were reasons to thank GOD!

When I went through my Confirmation classes, I sought patience as a virtue and still continue pursuing it through all aspects of my life. We live in a world of

• instant gratification
• sense of urgency

Yet …

If we patiently wait, we’ll have more reason to ☼celebrate.

As we commonly say, and I first heard from my eighth grade math teacher:

Good things come to those who wait, for they will be ☼rewarded☼ ten-fold.

Plus, as my buddy, Big D has mentioned:

Anticipation creates ☼excitement.

Spiritual Sources

• *Grassi, J. E. (2013). Guts grace and glory: A football devotional. New York, NY: Thomas Nelson. (p. 69)

Soul Saturday: Scripture Strategy

As I prepare for my service to our Church as commentator*** today, I continue to seek the Holy Spirit‘s guidance.

Lector✌ & Church ♫Singer♪ Prayers | ***Courtesy Straight from the ♥Heart♥ … A †Prayer† Companion (Rev. Fr. Ladra, Marío José, 2007)

Dr. Grassi, in Guts, Grace & Glory, approaches scripture like a linebacker* ~ so I’ll do the same, per these positions:

• Stance ~ “starts with the right foundation”

Our heart home was built on stone, which serves as a solid foundation for unwavering ♥love & faith✌ full of flowers + stores festive traditions every season!

So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!

~ Matthew 7:24-27

Book of Matthew, Chapter 7 | **Courtesy The Catholic Rainbow Study Bible: Good News Translation (2nd ed.) (Rainbow Studies, Inc., 2000)

• Alignment ~ line up with the right people

Double✌ E-Team: Evangelista EVIE y Educator Elaine ~ mi corazón♥ ~ at her house blessing

Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.

~ Proverbs 13:20

Cupcake Cheers: QT w/ Evie after I made a sweet treat run ~ looking forward to tonight’s dinner after we serve at Church for Vigil Mass

Do not be fooled. “Bad companions ruin good character.”

~ I Corinthians 15:33  

• Assignment ~ “study the playbook” (The Bible**) to “know the plays” {for the truth and our service as we proclaim GOD’s Word}

Christ’s message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.

~ Colossians 3:16  

The Tabernacle: The Blessed Sacrament

So Jesus said to those who believed him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

~ John 8:31-32

Spiritual Sources

• *Grassi, J. E. (2013). Guts grace and glory: A football devotional. New York, NY: Thomas Nelson. (p. 69)
• **Rainbow Studies, Inc. (2000). The Catholic Rainbow Study Bible: Good News Translation (2nd ed.). El Reno, OK: Rainbow Studies International.
• ***Rev. Fr. Ladra, Marío José. (2007). Straight from  the ♥Heart♥ … A †Prayer† Companion. (pp. 146-147).

Thirsty Thursday: Perfect Plan

Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the †LORD† your GOD, am with you wherever you go.

~ Joshua 1:9*

Bishop Mike ~ who reminded me to look at the †cross† for renewed hope, ♥love♥ and trust ~ sent me this beautiful †cross† that was blessed by Pope Francis during his *Stateside* visit!

Live by the †cross†: For more ☼floral☼ religious symbols from the clergy, please see the OLG medal from ♥Bishop Mike♥ & the ♥Pope Francis♥ coin

I received this generous gift from my spiritual mentor in great timing: the day before my latest conference call with my professor** to practice my dissertation defense ~ in which I advanced to my first committee defense (preliminary presentation to my professors on board)! This reminds me of how the Bishop has always come through for me ~ particularly when he gave me the Holy Spirit blessing and medal right before I took my comprehensive examinations for my Master’s degree almost a decade ago!

He will not let you down.

~ Bishop Mike

While we live in a world where ✌peace✌ is but a wish, our Heavenly Father has the BEST in store for us that is yet to come …

♪♫CHRIST be our Light ~ ☼shine☼ in our ♥hearts, shine through the darkness♪♫

*♪♫Do not be afraid, I am with you … I ♥love♥ you, and you are mine♫♪

*Bible Reference = My Mantra during my **Run-through

• Rainbow Studies, Inc. (2000). The Catholic Rainbow Study Bible: Good News Translation (2nd ed.). El Reno, OK: Rainbow Studies International.

Sunday Fun Day: F These

Close-up of mi Gringa: my white girl with green eyes

HBD, ♥Sweet Annie♥!

Stats Cat is on the prowl with no growl…

Today is the Annie-versary  of my Stats Cat‘s birthdate!

Cat in the Box! Cute things come in Target packages!

So, that’s F for Feline …

I can’t leave out Grad Cat! These Baby Blues are here to seduce! ♪I am Siamese, if you please♫

& F also is for:

Quick Cat Comedy / Feline Funnies: Since our bathroom has dual sinks, Big Asia likes to jump into the right one & “drink out of a fountain” ~ the other day, I turned on the left faucet & noticed her trying to sip from the right! {repping our *Dallas Cowboys* by sporting my TS dress from my fellow cat ♥lover’s collection + headband, earrings & paraband from my speech student‘s son + St. Benedict scapular jewelry from my blessed bestie}

* Food * ☼Flowers☼ (still in season) –> * Fall

How sweet of Mami Aya to bring us Mocha Tres Leches for Annie‘s birthday!

I never thought that 2 of my fave flaves could be combined … 1st: Choco-Flan. Now, Mocha Tres Leches! #SweetLife

Annie leads the purrfect life because she’s easy to please …

Still in full bloom from the ☼summer☼

Content Angel Annie in her natural habitat: soaking in the ☼sunshine☼

Spring showers helped this baby blossom!

My tiny tea cup cat’s fave hot spots: the windows! Here she is at the window behind my piano peering out into our garden…

Part of our backyard view complete with lush green grass (most definitely the best-mani on the block, hands down)! We’re enjoying the summer ☼sun☼ while we can before autumn officially starts soon. After receiving more precipitation at the ½way point this year following our previous full year’s totals, I wonder how much we’ll get next season?

Heavenly Hibiscus: My private elementary school student‘s science fair ~ that won honorable mention ~ flower that we started growing without ♪music♫ (his share with) last winter has blossomed during past ♣spring♣ showers & reached full bloom this ☼summer☼ at 1½’ tall by this fall!

+ F also is for: ☼ † ♥ ✌

* †Faith✌ * ♥Family♥ * Football

Now that football season has kicked off, this sports spirituality book will do just the trick to keep my soul on a roll while I keep working on my own sports study (been investing 12-15h/day on it lately ~ ’til this weekend so I could focus on my Church readings)!

†Reverent† Annie sits still before *Game Time* to read religiously!

#HBD ♪ #SweetAnnie ♫ #CATchOfTheDay #Birthday ♥ #GameDay #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #DC4L #CowboysFan #CowboysFam #CowboysAnn #Birthday Grrrl #PURRfectMoment2PAWS✌ #PURRfectMoment2PRAY† #PURRfectMoment2PLAY #PurrfectSunday☼ #PAWsitiveForeCAT #PAWsitiveCATitude #GameCountdown #Touchdown #BirthdayScore #BirthdayCat #JerseyCat #StatsCat #HolyCowcat #Catcow #Meow #CATholic #AnnieRosary† #DISPObustAFlow

Go, *Dallas Cowboys* against your NFC East Rivals, those Philly Eagles today!

☼Sunday☼ Selfie: While my Holy Cowcat reps our *’BOYS* I rep the purrty Bday Grrrl with this Hello Kitty cupcake tee + cat earrings & cupcake helix (ear cartilage) ring in addition to this *Dallas Cowboys* headband

Thirsty Thursday: Lead Me LORD

Before Back-to-School

S is for … Spiritual * Scripture * Sports at the 1st school for my doc research!

I went through a few Bible reading plans:

Our Blessed Mother shrine at my aunt’s garden pond during my bday vacay

Find Purpose in Your Work

• 1 Samuel 3:7
• Ephesians 1:9
• Luke 24:28
• 1 peter 4:10
• Genesis 12:1
• 1 Corinthians 9:12
• James 1:17

†Lessons learned: Glorify GOD through the gifts with which He has blessed us, according to His plan

… Do small things with great ♥love. ~ Mother Teresa

For Leadership Effectiveness

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• Deuteronomy 17:18-20
• Joshua 1:8

Pope Francis, courtesy Catholic Relief Services

Good for Business: Devotions from Time of Grace

• 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12
• James 5:1-4
• Titus 2:9-10

†Lesson learned: Serve with care and respect for others

Throwback Thursday: There are 2 things you should practice in life: #gratitude & #forgiveness ~ Dr. Fe Reyes-Dollete #WordsOfWisdom from my Tita who wants us to uphold our family’s #legacy #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #ReyesReunion * #BirthdayTrip2015 #HappyTrip * Lolo Tico & Lola Rosa🌹 • Titas Fe & Aida • Mami Aya • Titos Art & Dr. @robert_chief_cpd #OurBlessedMother #FamilyTree #garden #love #Filipiniana #MagandaKaTalaga #MahalKita ☝🏽️✌🏽️🙏🏽👏🏽🌠🌟⭐️✨💫👑💐🌳🏡💝💖💟💗💓💞💕❤️💛💚💙💜

If I’d make time to teach Religious Ed again this year, I’d so show (& ♪sing♫ along) this to my Cathechism students:

5:55 ~ make a Bday/BTS wish!!! ✌

Thirsty Thursday: Forever Faithful

♪I’m forever yours … Faithfully.♪ ~ ♫Journey♫ 

Every single 🌅day, I pray🙏🏽

But what’s the purpose?

Rather than focusing our energies on 🌎worldly🌏 wants, we have a greater power💥 that transcends our own lives!  

At Mass💒 (in memory of my friends’ family’s loved 👼🏽one on his one-year anniverary) last weekend, the priest who delivered the homily🎤 pointed out two types of hunger:

• Physical 💪🏽
• Spiritual ✌🏽️

Lately, I’ve sought GOD’s guidance on how to glorify Him as I pursue my own personal and professional goals to draw me closer to Heaven ~ not necessarily bring me the ☝🏽️success that I initially desired💝 on this 🌍Earth.

~ Psalm 37:4 

Rosary Mysteries (4th decades) to meditate on this week:

• Transfiguration of †JESUS† (☼Luminous☼) ~ Matthew 14: 1-5
• Assumption of ♥BLESSED VIRGIN MARY♥ (✌Glorious✌) ~ Feast Day August 15th 

First 3 photos taken at the University during recent fun run

Thirsty Thursday: Religious Study

Devout Catholics pray.🙏

 So do Dynamic Catholics, who also engage in the other three signs that include:

• Study

According to Matthew Kelly (2012), reading👓 Catholic books📚 regularly draws us closer to our 🌞faith.

All it takes is just five pages📖 per day …

You’ll be amazed at how much you learn about our religion and answer such questions as:

• Why do we practice certain rituals in Catholicism?

One Catholic💒 worth studying is 😇 Saint Pope John Paul II (who passed away exactly a decade ago as of this month and has his 95th birthday next month) ~ who my parents visited in 🇮🇹Italy⛲️ during my dad’s USAF✈️ tour of Europe (where I was born in 🇩🇪Germany)!

As we reach our final moments on 🌍Earth🌏, we still won’t know EVERYTHING, but we can die⛪️ trying to absorb as much information as we can to bring us closer to His☝️ 👼Kingdom!

My St. Pope JP2 †cross† from 🌺Brownsville🌴 & the 🌹Rosary🌷 that he blessed⛲️ in Italy🇮🇹 from my CHRIST Bro Joe for my 🎈birthday🎁

#LifelongLearners✌️

My little kiddos👼 learn and teach a great deal in 💒R.E.

 

Source

• Kelly, M. (2012). The four signs of a Dynamic Catholic: How engaging 1% of Catholics could change the world. Cincinnati, OH: Beacon.

Motivational Monday: †Jesus Christ†

What better role model on Heaven and on Earth do we have out there than †JESUS CHRIST† Himself?

My R.E. students went through the Stations of the †Cross† to have an idea of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice

The man died for our sins and sits at the right hand of GOD. So much for American Idol and wherever else ~ we have our Ultimate Universe Idol!

Ms. Easygoing Evie made the perfect palm †cross† at our Passion ☼Sunday☼ Vigil

During Lent, I read Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.

Killing †Jesus†: History (O’Reilly & Dugard, 2013) — NY: Holt.

• It made more sense out of scripture, as well as provided vivid descriptions based on the authors’ own first-hand observations of the Holy Land sites and their extensive research

• It humbled me to the point that I contemplated and appreciated the crucifixion even more (I actually teared up when I sang ♪Were You There♫ as cantor at Palm ☼Sunday☼ Mass)

Examples to Follow

• Jesus Christ ~ for being a nonconformist against status quo for the sake of promising ♥love♥, ☼hope☼ and †faith†  
• Mary, Mother of Jesus ~ for accepting GOD’s will by remaining pro-life and supporting her son
• Joseph the Worker ~ for providing for his family and teaching his son about their beliefs and hard work
• Mary Magdalene ~ for redeeming her past sins and remaining a loyal lifelong friend even after death

Must-See TV

• Finding Jesus on CNN
• Killing Jesus on FOX News
• A.D. The Bible Continues on NBC

Thirsty Thursday: Wear The Word on Our Sleeve

On our first day of Religious Education, my Church Bestie, Evie, suggested that we wear Bible-inspired shirts.

Religious Tees for Church Classes

Since then, I’ve been sporting a different one ever week (with the exception of last night when I featured George Strait with his ♥LOVE♥ is Everything shirt in both my speech and our RE class ~ I pointed out his nervousness before his final concert to my Public Speaking students then played ♪I Saw GOD Today♫ at Church).

OLG in Mission, TX

3:33 ~ make a †prayer†!!!