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: Supplication Way

†The Prayer Way† wraps up with Supplication, for others, and ourselves.

When we or others who we know about are in need, we petition prayers for GOD to grant those requests. At our Advent Penance last week, I confessed to the priest about my admitted resentment toward my mother and my sorrow for feeling like I’m breaking the 4th Commandment. He advised me to accept our own and others’ weaknesses and appreciate that I still have my mother around. Therefore, I continue to give gratitude for my blessings and pray for ~ as well as help ~ those less fortunate, especially those who have experienced loss of loved ones, as well as remind myself that CHRIST JESUS had to bear His Cross and endure torture. We maintain our faith and ♥love♥ in Him to lead us along His righteous path toward Heaven.

In †GOD† we trust …

Here are the rest of our ACTs to practice everyday as we pray …

• ♥Adoration♥ 
• Contrition
• ♣THANKSgiving♣
  

  This prayer embodies all of the above …

Our Lady of Guadalupe (who we celebrate mañana)

O Most Pure Lady of Guadalupe, obtain for me from your divine Son the forgiveness of my sins, blessings on my work, healing of my illnesses and needs, and everything that you believe is best for me and for my family. O Blessed Mother of †GOD†! Do not despise our supplications, but instead, free us from all danger. O Lady full of glory and of blessings, we ask all these things through †CHRIST JESUS† Our †LORD†. Amen.

Sources

• Fr. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C. M. “From the Spiritual Director.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal, Vol. 47, No. 3: Fall Bulletin (2014).*
• Jesus Our Life Activity Book, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, Lesson 2, (p. 34)**; “Kinds of Prayer,” Chapter 15, Lesson 3 (p. 59)***. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).

Thirsty Thursday: Contrition Way

†The Prayer Way† continues with Contrition

“May the †LORD† be in your ♥heart♥ and help you to confess your sins with true sorrow.” ~ Rite of Penance

There are times in our lives when we make mistakes that we may regret and repent, or we at least learn from them and don’t repeat them anymore. When we have a conscience for venial sins (non-mortal sins ~ meaning that they don’t kill our spirit and keep us from †GOD†), then we confess them and reflect on how to redeem ourselves. Yesterday, my childhood Church had a Penance service in which we confessed to our priests from our local Catholic parishes.

Act of Contrition

O my †GOD†, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my †GOD†, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Check out our other ways to pray…

• ♥Adoration♥ 
•  THANKSgiving
• Supplication  

Sources

• Fr. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C. M. “From the Spiritual Director.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal, Vol. 47, No. 3: Fall Bulletin (2014).*
• Jesus Our Life Activity Book, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, Lesson 2, (p. 34)**; “Kinds of Prayer,” Chapter 15, Lesson 3 (p. 59)***. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).
• Jesus Our Life  Student Text, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, “I Choose to Love God” (pp. 45-49); Chapter 20, “The Sacrament of Penance” (p. 95). Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).

For me personally, I’ve admittedly broken some of the Commandments, so I’m confessing having committed those sins, preventing myself from breaking them again and making peace as I approach a more holy life. As we enter Advent season and prepare for Baby JESUS’ birth, I encourage my fellow believers to this CHRISTmas Challenge of daily devotions and good deeds: Random Acts of CHRISTmas Kindness (RACK).

CHEERS to this time of year, as JESUS’ birth is very near ~ NO worry about presents, for His presence that we need indeed is here!

Thirsty Thursday: Adoration Way

First and foremost, for me, ☼everyday☼, †The Prayer Way† starts with ♥Adoration♥   

San Antonio, TX (February 2013)

As a matter of fact, I spend every Thursday morning (my only day off from work out of the week) in my holy hour of obligation at our ♥Adoration♥ †Chapel†, and any other time when I can make a point to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.

Our Lady of the Lake University (where I’m earning my Ph.D.) ~ San Antonio, TX (March 2014)

Each and every one of my prayers begin with praise, because †GOD† deserves our glory, as we give our ♥LOVE♥ for Him.

San Antonio, TX (April 2014)

How about you join me in devoting even just one hour out of the week to ♥Adoration♥ ~ simply to ♥LOVE♥ our †LORD†? If you have an Adoration Chapel with the Blessed Sacrament, I encourage you to commit to one hour of one day out of the week on a regular basis. Even if you don’t have one, keep adoring Him anywhere and everywhere ~ as I promise you: worship works wonders for your soul.

* “My soul magnifies the †LORD†, and my spirit rejoices in †GOD† my savior” ~ Luke 1:46-47

On THANKSgiving and the Thirsty Thursdays ahead, I’ll continue The Prayer Way series with the other ways that we †pray†, as follows …

• ♣THANKSgiving♣ 
• Contrition
• Supplication  

Sources

• Fr. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C. M. “From the Spiritual Director.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal, Vol. 47, No. 3: Fall Bulletin (2014).*
• Jesus Our Life Activity Book, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, Lesson 2, (p. 34)**; “Kinds of Prayer,” Chapter 15, Lesson 3 (p. 59)***. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).

†GOD† bless YOU ALL this ♣THANKSgiving♣ and always!!!

Thirsty Thursday: Livin’ on a Prayer

♪We got to †pray† just to make it ☼today☼.♫

Bon Jovi sings, and MC Hammer raps The TRUTH! And I, for one, indeed live every single day by this: no day is complete without prayer.

Way to get through the day, all day everyday: PRAY!

This Thirsty Thursday quench unravels the H and 5 W questions of prayer.

How

Growing up, many of us were taught certain ways to pray, such as:

• kneeling and bowing down while folding our hands
• genuflecting and doing the Sign-of-the-Cross for those of us who are Catholic

Throwback Thursday: My First Communion

However, we may not always engage in formal rituals when we pray, depending on our activities during the day.

Why

Some may pray for their wants and needs, but the essence of prayer is

to be closer to †GOD† and listen to His plan.

Therefore, we pray for His will and His way to guide us to His calling. Also

we praise and glorify Him; hence give Him THANKS.

When

The times of day when we pray don’t have to be limited. We can be in constant communication with the LORD. Here are a few of mine:

• when I wake up for His morning glory
• as I get ready for the day
• before every meal
• before every trip
• before every shift
• before every test
• before every workout
• when I go to sleep to guide me through the night

Where

Anywhere on GOD’s green Earth is the perfect place to pray. Church is an obvious spot where we worship together. This morning, I have my Adoration hour at the Chapel, and one of my prayers at the Blessed Sacrament actually mentions that while we pray there, we also must pray where prayer is scarce.

What

While there are prescribed prayers, the fact that we’re living and breathing GOD’s Word is most important. There’s so much scripture for us to incorporate in our prayer, so it is a manner of really letting those verses from the Bible soak in. If we absorb these passages instead of simply going with the motions by just saying those words, then we’ll capture what prayer is all about:

letting †GOD† into our ♥heart♥.

Throwback Thursday: My Confirmation

Who

To whom do we pray? To GOD, of course, or the higher power in whom you believe. Those of us who are Catholic also may have special prayers for the patron saints, who led their lives serving the LORD and set examples to strive for holiness.

5:55 ~ make a †prayer†!!!

Thirsty Thursday: Pray on It

Sleep on it … Drink on it …

When the going gets tough, we’ve heard the first tip and the second one as a cowboy song by country star Blake Shelton. So, how about you pray, both as a form of praise and as a form of guidance? Hey, it may even help you sleep at night.

Last weekend, our Deacon proclaimed the Gospel (Luke 24 ~ which I also read at our Anniversary mass) about the Walk to Emmaus, in which Father Bob emphasized the significance during his homily: the 11 Apostles ran in the dark during a time when there were no sources of light to see where they were going. If we believe in the midst of darkness, we can see the light of the Holy Spirit leading the way. That being said, my student pointed out the importance of the Holy Spirit:

Let us always keep The Lord in our hearts, for He will move us if we remain open to Him. We can reach peace as a result of giving our all to GOD, leaving everything in His hands. By accepting His will above our own, we can maintain faith that He will see us through.

Earlier this week, I experienced a most sorrowful circumstance, it was an example of how good He is despite that His plan may go beyond our understanding. It reminded me of the last time I saw my paternal grandmother alive three years ago this month. That was the most humbling time of my life because I realized how much compassion I felt for my helpless Mama Eufemia, who I gave a sponge bath in her death bed, that even in her dying days, she comforted me by hugging and rubbing my back when I cried on my last night with her.

Speaking of my love for my grandparents, I’m grateful to GOD for giving me all of mine and my parents to influence me. Here are Throwbacks for National Nurses and Teacher Appreciation Week. Through prayer, my grandparents and parents have done well in their lives, not just for themselves and our families ~ for GOD.

My LOLA ROSA the Teacher & my LOLO TICO the Nurse

My NANAY AYA the Graduate Nurse

GOD Bless You & Happy Mother’s Day, especially to MAMA MARY!!!

Thirsty Thursday: Lessons of the Cross

Happy Easter Thursday!!!

Throwback Thursday: Celtic Cross w/Crown of Thorns & HOLY SPIRIT Dove (Philippians 4:13) ~ Fresh Ink as seen on Formal post

On Good Friday, I posted the Way of the Cross, so if you followed along, I invite you to consider how we can apply JESUS CHRIST‘s Passion to our own lives in the form of compassion for Him and His people.

[Stations in bold. Lessons in italics. (Some lessons are the same in different stations — if  you’ve learned other lessons, please care to share!]

1. JESUS is condemned to death. Accept criticism ~ We all have our own cross to bear.
2. JESUS is laden with the Cross. Accept accountability ~ We all can help solve problems. 
3. JESUS falls for the first time. PERSEVERE ~ DON’T give up, even in struggle. 
4. JESUS meets His mother. Seek comfort from others ~ We are not alone. 
5. JESUS is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross. Render aid to those in need ~ We all can help. 
6. Veronica wipes the face of JESUS. Render aid to those in need ~ We all can help.
7. JESUS falls for the second time. PERSEVERE ~ DON’T give up, even in struggle. 
8. JESUS consoles the women of Jerusalem. Render aid to those in need ~ We all can help. 
9. JESUS falls for the third time. PERSEVERE ~ DON’T give up, even in struggle. 
10. JESUS is stripped of His garments. RESPECT ~ We all entered this world in purity. 
11. JESUS is nailed to the Cross. GOD is the only Judge ~ We need NOT bully or hate. 
12. JESUS dies on the Cross. Remember the LORD’s LOVE ~ He sacrificed for ALL of us. ♥ 
13. JESUS is taken down from the Cross. Consider others while they are still alive ~ We will all leave this Earth sometime.
14. JESUS is laid in the Holy Tomb. Sharing is caring ~ We all can spread the wealth of health, joy, peace & blessings, for as we were born with nothing but GOD’s LOVE, we will take nothing more than GOD’s LOVE when we depart. 

GOD Bless Y’all!!!

GOoD Friday

♪†JESUS, remember me, when you come into your Kingdom…♫

That message stays with me as I reflect on Christ on the cross. On this Good Friday, I encourage you to read along with me the Passion of the Lord, according to John ~ from the Book of John, Chapters 18-19 (John 18:1-19:42) and open up your mind, heart and soul. If tears stream down your face, like I’ve experienced, it shows your overflowing cup of faith in Him, that you too yearn to be His humble servant, and to know Him is to love Him. ♥

Here are the Stations of the Cross that I provided for my family last year. I included pictures that I took at Our Lady of San Juan del Valle and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, my first home in the Rio Grande Valley.

Walk with JESUS

Way of the Cross

Happy Easter☼