The Lord is HERE! Merry Christmas!

JOY to the world!

Let earth receive her King!

Christ the Savior is born!

Come let us adore him, alleluia!

Praying for all to be filled with the love and light of Christ Jesus!

Merry Christmas to ALL!

Come Emmanuel! God with us!

Called to re-evangelize the world.....yes, YOU.....recieve the LIGHT of CHRIST!

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the 76-year old Capuchin friar who is the official preacher of the Papal Household, recently spoke of the call to re-evanglize our world which is experiencing these three obstacles of accepting the Christian message: atheistic scientism, secularism and relativism. Fr. Cantalamessa encourages us with the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John which say “Take courage: I have conquered the world." Read full CNA article here.

How do we bring the light of Christ to our world which needs true light? Let us ask in prayer as we ready ourselves to more fully receive Jesus into our hearts this Christmas. One way to equip ourselves is to facilitate and ENDOW study. Our late Pope John Paul II taught about this time of the New Evangelization. One of my favorite ENDOW studies (I must admit, I have loved them all!) is Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations). Pope John Paul II encourages all the faithful to continue to grow in understanding of the Church with these words from a 1979 homily: "The Pope expects a noble and generous effort on your part to always know better your Church. The Second Vatican Council wanted to be a council about the Church. Take the documents of the Second Vatican Council, especially Lumen Gentium, and study them with loving attention."

Set out to BE the light of Christ we are called to be....read more here about ENDOW’s Lumen Gentium Study.

Christ be our light!

Come Lord Jesus!

Give the gift of facilitating an ENDOW study.....

If you haven’t facilitated an ENDOW study....might this be the call to give this gift to the women of your parish? Please prayerfully consider facilitating....it is a blessing which cannot be fully described! Please check out the available ENDOW studies here and start planning a new study group. Bringing women together to discover their God given dignity...and to grow in the love of Christ and his Body the Church! .....YES! God loves a cheerful giver!

It is time to REFLECT.........women of ENDOW, reflect!

What a beautiful and SPARKLY SEASON we are enjoying....

.....candles...light....shiny things reflecting and sparkling LIGHT during the darkest days of the year......Look around....SEE.....be alert......watch! So many beautiful and SHINY reminders of reflecting....what does “reflect” mean? Reflect on the meaning of reflection.....

“to give back or exhibit as an image, likeness...” Are we preparing to best and fully REFLECT being created in God’s image and likeness? Called to reflect........called to BE the LIGHT of CHRIST to all.......take inspiration from all the shiny things of the season....silver balls.....sparkly snow....Christmas lights........make a “glance” to God.......reflect and GIVE THANKS........ask him to BE reflected in us......as the moon so beautifully reflects the sun....May we be shiny reflections of God’s love....let us make manifest JOY this week! Let us reflect on our call to reflect and SHINE and to be God’s light to those around us! SPARKLES........and bouncing light.......dancing.....JOYOUS.......enjoy each REFLECTION! .....I thank God for the many reflections of God’s light and love in the women of ENDOW! What a sparkly group of hearts set on fire!

LET US REFLECT!

Immaculate Virgin, our sweetest Mother, pray for us!

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Benedict XVI visited the image of the Immaculate Conception in Piazza Di Spagna in Rome. His address was titled "Her 'Message' Is None Other Than Jesus, Who Is Her Whole Life.” He spoke of “Immaculate Mary” who, with a “look of hope and compassion,” looks upon each of us with the “very love of the Father and blesses us....She behaves as our advocate and knows fully the power of Divine Grace. Our Mother knows “nothing is impossible for God.”

Let us thank Our Blessed Mother for always being with us and let us ask her to interceded for us to live in the joy of being loved by God and by being blessed by Him as His beloved children. (full Zenit article here)

Blessed Mother, please intercede for us that the gift of your son, our Lord Jesus, comes to dwell within our hearts! Prepare all hearts to humbly and fully receive your Son, Our Lord.

Slow down....say NO to being swept away by the rush of commercialism.....

During this second week of Advent.......let is keep preparing our hearts.....Stop into a church to pray...... Attend mass during the week..... Say a rosary for those who need special graces this season.......offer up frustrations for graces for others.........let your heart sing JOY TO THE WORLD by giving of self to God and others as we wait in joyful hope!

Imagine.....God’s promises are always greater than our expectations! .....

JOY!

Be expectant!

How blessed are we to live in the certainty that we are loved by God and are protected by His perfect Providence? Pope Benedict XVI continues to highlight women saints in his weekly audiences. He says that St. Julian speaks about God’s love as being like maternal love: tender, sweet and full of goodness. Pope Benedict says “Only when we open ourselves totally to this love, only when we allow it to become the one guide to our existence, does everything become transfigured and do we find true peace and joy which we can pass on to others.” Read more about St. Julian of Norwich in a recent CNA article here.

Open the biggest gift of all today! Invite and expect Infinite Love Himself!

Let us open our hearts to fully receive the gift of God who is Love.

Come Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful, enkindle in them the fire of YOUR LOVE!

Come Lord Jesus!