😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Brian and I got home Monday after spending six days in Indianapolis, IN for the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress.  WOW!  60,000 people laughing, crying, singing, and on their knees in Lucas Oil Stadium, silent, in adoration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit was moving in and through us, as we were sent forth from the Congress to love and serve the Lord and each other, as He is calling us to. 

There was so much good information.  I have 13 pages of notes that I need to unpack, meditate on, and guide me to move forward from this encounter with the Lord.  So, what am I going to do about it?  For my Walk to Emmaus friends, that’s a question we ask at the end of each Walk.  First of all, after intense experiences with the Lord, you leave changed, although the world you return to hasn’t changed.  That’s where we step in with God’s guidance.  Before we got back home, I made some calls and tapped into the Augustine Institute, Formed program to help increase my education of our Catholic faith.  If you’re interested, contact your parish office to see if they have a parish code that you can use to get the content for free. 

I also left the Congress knowing two things for sure.  1) I want to contact our Archdiocese to become involved with the Cursillo program, which is the origin of the protestant, Walk to Emmaus experience.  2) I want to build a community of Catholic Christian friends.  Every person has a variety of friends in their life and this is one area that I see is lacking in my life at the moment.  

All revivals must be rooted in repentance, which was a BIG part of the Congress.  There were a multitude of priests hearing our confessions and absolving us from our sins, which then allowed us to be open to healing, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Here are a few quick notes, with some of my thoughts added, from Day 1:

Adoration is essential to our relationship with Christ.

A fruit of adoration is imitation.  The more we adore Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist, the more we are able to imitate Him.

Have you ever seen sea turtles?  They are born into a place they don’t belong, to get to a place they are destined for.  They are born on a beach and as soon as they are born, they have to fight and struggle to get to the sea before they are eaten.  That fight and struggle on the beach helps to strengthen and prepare them for their watery journey.  We are like those sea turtles.  We are born into a world filled with sin, which we were not meant to be in.  Therefore, we fight and struggle to get to our true destination in heaven with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#AugustineInstitute – Formed

https://www.augustineinstitute.org/program-and-resources/formed-subscriptions

#MavericCityMusic – Rest On Us

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Have you ever had the feeling that someone is out to get you?  Last week I shared with you about the mulch speck in my eye.  Last Monday evening Brian and I had another experience.  A heavy rain was moving through our area, but it lightened up as we were heading out to meet a friend for dinner.  It was about a 45 minute drive to our destination.  Brian opened the garage door with the button in our vehicle and we drove out of the garage.  Brian pushed the button multiple times, trying to close the door, but it wouldn’t close.  He tried the other buttons as well, to see if they would work.  Nope, that door was not going to close.  Brian backed up to get closer to the door and tried the buttons again.  It still didn’t close.  So, I went in the garage and grab the garage door remote from my car.  That worked and we were on our way. 

About 25-30 minutes into our drive, we came to an intersection with a multicar accident.  I told Brian, that’s why the garage door wouldn’t close.  We’ll know for sure if the button works when we get back home.  We continued onto our destination and had an enjoyable dinner with our friend.  When we arrived back home, one push of the button and the door opened.  Once parked in the garage, one push of the button and the door closed. 

We don’t always see or receive the signs/proof of God’s workings, but there was no denying this.  100% God shielded us from being in that accident.  Thank You Lord, for once again protecting us.  It is clear that You still have plans for us to continue Your work in this world.  I pray that we will always have the clarity and wisdom to choose You first and Your plan for our lives.  Trust!  Trust!  Trust in the Lord!

As a reminder, the National Eucharistic Congress is 07/17/24 – 07/21/24 in Indianapolis, IN.  Some tickets are still available, but if you are unable to join in person, click this LINK to livestream the events.

Please join me in praying for the National Eucharistic Congress and please add your own prayers.

Lord, I ask for Your blessings and mercies on all the volunteers, those attending, and those that will be moved by the National Eucharistic Congress, in Indianapolis, IN, 07/17/24 – 07/21/24.  You are truly present in the Holy Eucharist and desire to always be present within us.  May we humble ourselves to become worthy vessels of Your presence, as we carry You forward in the mission You have given us all, to preach repentance, healing, and forgiveness to every lost and hurting soul.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray.  Amen!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#NationalEucharisticCongress

#MatthewWest – Don’t Stop Praying

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I had an experience last Friday that caused me to think of two things. 1) Andy Benard from The Office.  2) Matthew 7:1-5.  Yep, that probably sounds like an odd combination. 

Brian and I were shoveling some mulch into the bed of the truck.  The mulch was dry for the most part and it was a little windy, so as we threw the shovels full of mulch, some of the smaller particles blew on us.  We finish getting what we wanted, put the shovels in the bed, dusted off, then we were on our way to our next stop.  What happened next, I’m not exactly sure, but as we were driving, I think it was a piece of the mulch dust that got into my left eye.  First of all, a tiny speck in your eye can be very painful.  I waited in the truck, trying to clear my eye while Brian quickly ran into the store.  We had one more stop that we wanted to make, but my eye was hurting too much, so we came home to rinse my eye out.  That’s where Andy Bernard comes in.  On The Office, Andy was trying to break into the acting business and he landed his first acting job in a work safety movie, in which he had to clean his eyes at an eye wash station.  I can’t help but laugh thinking about that scene.  It certainly was a challenge for Andy, but it helped me realize I had to keep my face down, so that the water and mulch particle could run out of my eye. 

As Brian was driving, I was trying not to rub my eye.  Actually, I tried to hold my eyelid away from my eye, so that whatever was in my eye wouldn’t scratch it.  That was when I started thinking about Matthew 7:1-5,

‘“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’ 

That little speck sure did feel like a plank in my eye. 

Thank God, it was only in my eye for about an hour and there was no injury to my eye.  That situation keeps playing over in my mind.  1) I believe God protected us from what might have happened if we would have continued onto the third stop we were planning to make.  I also believe one hour of an irritated eye was far less pain than the pain we would have felt otherwise.  2) Everyone has some size of speck in their eye that causes us pain, to see unclearly, and to lash out at others from time to time.  I certainly don’t like feeling those things and I imagine you don’t either.  But I am once again reminded that it is by God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness that those specks and all the side effects of those specks can be washed away, so that we don’t have to continue living in that pain.  Jesus Christ suffered anguish on the cross so that you and I don’t have to feel that pain.  His living water, that He poured out for us, is all we need to wash us clean.  Thank You Jesus!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#Blanca – Even at My Worst

😎🐫Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Wow! What an incredible two days with Jesus, participating in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route at St. Brigid Parish in Xenia, OH.  I have just a few pictures that I want to share with you here, but I also attached the link to the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph that has more pictures from 07/01/2024.  I’m hoping the 07/02/2024 pictures will be added soon.

The first two pictures are of Jesus in the monstrance.  The first picture is from 07/01/2024 and the second is from 07/02/2024.  I took both pictures while Jesus was on an altar, completely shaded in a picnic shelter.  For both pictures, there was full sun out and I did not use a flash.  In the picture on 07/01/2024, it looks like the monstrance is glowing.

This next picture beautifully shows some of the hard work that went into preparing for Jesus’ arrival.  I honestly don’t know how many yards of colored pine mulch they used to honor our Lord and Mother Mary.  So many youth were involved in constructing these beautiful pieces of art.

This is just a portion of the pilgrimage line on 07/01/2024.

On 07/02/2024, we walked about 9 miles with Jesus, on the streets of Xenia, but mostly along the bike path.  It was absolutely incredible, the reverence most people showed as we passed by.  Some just kept on their way and I believe some thought we were a distraction and disruption in their travel.  But then there were others that paused and bowed their head, made the sign of the cross, knelt on the concrete in their work clothes, and some that cried as Jesus passed by. 

We laid a trail of rose pedals along the entire path.  I prayed that each pedal dropped was a lost soul that would turn and run back to Christ. 

Another honor I had, but don’t have a picture of and up until about 30 minutes prior to it happening didn’t know I was going to be doing, was that I had the privilege of being the left, front pole bearer of the canopy that covered Jesus and Fr. Blenman for about 2 miles of the pilgrimage.  What an absolute blessing and honor to stand in the position of covering/protecting Jesus and being prepared to defend Him, if anyone would have tried to attack.  Thank You Lord that the journey was peaceful!

I would like to share with you one more picture I took along the pilgrimage on 07/02/2024.  I know there is a lot of green in this picture, so look close.  There is a body of water in this picture, which is covered by a lot of scum, and has a beer bottle and water bottle floating in it.  I thought this was a perfect picture of what our life looks like when we don’t allow the living waters of Jesus Christ to flow through us.  We get all stopped up with trash and covered in scum.  When a body of water, which our human body is about 60% water, has a steady current and movement, scum doesn’t take over and trash passes through.  The cleanest, clearest, purest water is the living water that flows from Jesus Christ, to and through us.  Don’t allow your waters to become blocked, scummy, and full of trash.  You have a choice.  Seek Christ!

You still have two weeks before Jesus arrives at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana on 07/17/2024.  Checkout the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage link below and if at all possible, walk a mile or two with Jesus.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#NationalEucharisticPilgrimage

https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/

#CincinnatiCatholicTelegraph

Photo Essay: Jesus is Here!

#NationalEucharisticCongress

https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  JESUS IS COMING!!!!!  July 1-2, 2024 the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route will be making a stop and overnight stay at St. Brigid Parish in Xenia, OH.  This is super exciting and you have the opportunity to be a part of this historical moment.  I’m really at kind of a loss for words about this.  I don’t think anything I can say would even come close to what this experience will be.  There are some things in life that you just need to experience and I believe this is one.  I spoke with one of my sisters who was able to take part in the National Eucharist Pilgrimage on the St. Junipero Serra Route as they passed through Colorado.  It’s amazing, or maybe I should say God inspired how many people this pilgrimage will touch…How many lives will be changed. 

Two weeks ago, the expectation for the St. Brigid festivities was about 250 people for July 1^st and 225 for July 2^nd.  As of June 24^th, those numbers had grown to an expectation of 600+ people each day.  I believe God is calling even more to be there with Him.  If you don’t like to come to events unless you are personally invited, this is me personally inviting YOU to join me in experiencing Jesus’ true presence in the Holy Eucharist.  This is me inviting YOU to experience Jesus’ grace, forgiveness, and mercy.  This is me inviting YOU to come and adore Him during the overnight adoration from 6:30 PM July 1^st through 7:30 AM July 2^nd.  This is me inviting YOU to publicly walk with Christ 4:30 PM on July 1^st and following 7:30 AM Mass on July 2^nd.  Will you come to Him?

Click the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage link below to find out where you can meet Jesus on the road to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana between now and July 17, 2024.  Find the Pilgrimage route close to you and experience Christ burning within your heart, as did the pilgrims who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. 

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#CrystalLewis – People Get Ready

#NationalEucharistPilgrimage

https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/

St. Brigid Parish Xenia, Ohio National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Registration

Click to access FINAL-2-St-Brigid-Pilgrimage-Detailed-Flyer.pdf

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I would like to share one of this week’s aha moments with you, but first, you may have noticed that today’s post is later than normal.  I typically write my thoughts on Tuesday evening and have it set to be posted at midnight Wednesday morning.  Well, I had today off from work, so on Tuesday evening, my mind was kind of in weekend mode.  I don’t write my blog on the weekend, so it didn’t cross my mind.  This morning when I sent my good morning text to my girls, I realized it was Hump Day and I didn’t write my post yet.  It’s interesting how one change of thought or perspective can absolutely throw you our of sync. 

Now, to what I really wanted to share with you today.  It’s actually something that my dad sent out regarding St. Anthony of Padua.  One of the things that St. Anthony is known for is being the Patron Saint of Lost Things.  So, he is a source to pray to for assistance in trying to find your lost and misplaced things.  A few months back a non-Catholic friend and I were talking and St. Anthony can up in the conversation.  She then shared with me a rhyme/prayer that I didn’t remember hearing before.  “Tony, Tony look around, something is lost and must be found.”

Something else I didn’t know about St. Anthony, as stated in the Dynamic Catholic Saint of the Day link below, is that “…one of his most meaningful contributions was to make the complex theology of the Scriptures accessible to the common people. He used simple, relatable analogies to explain the teachings of Jesus. Using this approach, Anthony brought a remarkable number of lost people back to Jesus.”

As the story goes, the reason St. Anthony became to be known as the Patron Saint of lost things is because “Anthony had a book of psalms that he absolutely loved. One day, a monk stole the book and left the Franciscan community. Anthony prayed with all his might for its return, and soon the monk was struck by immense guilt and brought the book back. 

Soon after Saint Anthony of Padua’s death, people began praying to him whenever they deeply desired the return of a lost item. And this devotion broadened over the centuries.”

We actually were parishioners at St. Anthony parish for many years and my girls attended school there.  My husband was also received into the Catholic Church at St. Anthony parish.  So here is my aha moment for the week.  It never crossed my mind to pray for St. Anthony’s help for lost souls to find Jesus, but I am now.

Being that I’m so out of sync today, just for fun, I thought we should have an Nsync song to close us out.  Enjoy!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#Nsync – I Want You Back

#DynamicCatholic – Saint of the Day, June 13

https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/saint-today-0613.html

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I would like to offer you a portion of the first liturgical reading from Saturday, 06/08/2024.

2 Timothy 1-5: 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingly power: 2 proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers 4 and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted by myths.

5 But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

When I listened to this reading, regarding verses 3-4, I thought, “Wow, this this so true.  He (Paul) is talking about our current times.”  Unfortunately, many people throughout our history have probably said the same thing about this passage.  And even more unfortunate, I’m sure many more in the future will also say the same thing. 

Verses 3-4 are exactly why we need to take our commissioning in verses 2 and 5 seriously.  God never said our life, our work would be easy.  He did say that He would always be with us.  Faith is not a convenience; it is a choice that at times can be very challenging to live out.  For most, going to work and earning an income to care for yourself and your family is not always convenient and can be very challenging, but think how much time in our lives we dedicate to work.  Just a fraction of that time and dedication can go a very long way in your faith journey with the Lord. 

Call upon the Lord to speak clearly the commission He has for you, so that you may with confidence and conviction know that you are where God desires you to be, with those He has given you to evangelize to.  Don’t let the word evangelize scare you.  God has already stitched His word into every fiber of your being.  You have it all.  It has been given to you, that you may in turn give it, share it with others. 

Matthew 28: 19-20

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

Amen!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#MattMaher – All the People Said Amen

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Do you like to be in the presence of your friends?  I would guess most people would answer yes, but that could look very different for each person.  What do you like to do with your friends?  That could vary, depending on how long you’ve known each other and how well you know each other.  It could also vary based on the category of friend you’re thinking of, such as work, sibling, childhood, church, adventurous, chill, and so on.  In Dr. Emerson Eggerichs’ Love and Respect program, he discusses face to face and side by side relationships.  Depending on if you want to engage with someone or if you are perfectly content just being in each other’s presence without hardly a word spoken, may also play a factor in who you might contact to spend time with.  Sometimes we choose to spend time with someone, just in case they may need us, such as during the end stages of someone’s life.    

Last Sunday was the Feast of Corpus Christi, in which we celebrate the most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  In Bishop Robert Barron’s homily for Corpus Christi Sunday, he spoke of the power of Eucharistic Adoration.   Eucharistic Adoration is something I’m still new at.  I’m still in that discovery phase of this relationship and find myself wanting to go back to learn a little more each time. 

Eucharistic Adoration is one of those events, moments, experiences, that I could tell you the details of, but is hard to fully comprehend until you experience it.  Something that I greatly appreciate about our family of parishes is that they offer many opportunities during the week for Eucharistic Adoration.  I find that my time spent in Eucharistic Adoration is a combination of a face to face, engaging relationship and a side by side, quiet presence.  There are times when much is being spoken, plans are being laid out, and concerns and fears are being discussed.  There are other times fully engulfed in silence, which could be me waiting on God or God waiting on me to engage with Him.  In all reality, there are also plenty of times in which my mind wonders off and I have to reign my thoughts in, hence God waiting on me.  At Mass Sunday, during his homily, Fr. Lee said nothing has changed the world as much as the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  I don’t know if that is something that could quantifiably be determined, but by faith I believe.  There are truths in this world that will only be revealed by and through God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Which is why it is so important that we open ourself to and commit to spending time with God.  Go ahead and schedule date night with God right now.  Seriously, put Him on your calendar.  Plan something special for Him.  Be creative.  Will it surprise Him…no, but He’ll be excited and you just might surprise yourself. 

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#Dr.EmersonEggerichs – Love and Respect

#BishopBarron – The Power of Eucharistic Adoration

#St.MichaeltheArchangelFamilyofParishes