The Front Porch

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

2011-02-09T11:16:00.003-07:00

Come and see...........YOU are unique....loved by God and made for MORE!

ENDOW helps women to come to SEE their beauty, their DIGNITY in the eyes of GOD! Come, learn...and grow in love! Check out all the ENDOW classes near you here.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

An ENDOW Tradition....choosing a virtue.......

2011-01-27T16:24:00.002-07:00

ENDOW Study Groups educate and encourage women to live more virtuous lives. At the end of each year, ENDOW sends out a special packet to each Facilitator. This packet contains a “Virtue Card” for each member of the ENDOW Study. We are directed to read the following prayer together:

“Come Holy Spirit, we entrust to you the work of furthering the holiness in the souls of each woman here today. Please guide our hands as we choose the virtue you desire us to work on diligently this coming year. We abandon ourselves to your guidance and welcome the light and assistance you offer to us in this New Year.”

After praying together, each member of the study reaches into the bag and choose a Virtue Card. This year I chose the Virtue “Courage.”

Here is a bit I found in a CNA article on Fortitude (courage)....

“Or: The Determination to Become Happy

In our lives many situations arise in which it becomes difficult to do the right thing, even when we know what it is. There may be all sorts of reasons for why it is disagreeable to act according to what we know is best. In order to stay strong, to do what is good, we need the third cardinal virtue, known alternately as fortitude, courage, or bravery. This is the virtue by which we do the right thing, even in the midst of hardship.

Fortitude helps us to overcome any dangers, obstacles, and fears; it enables a person to withstand whatever difficulties may block him from attaining his true goal.”

Read the full CNA article on Fortitude here.

Come Holy Spirit!

I pray that all the women of ENDOW receive the virtues God desires to make manifest in them!

“Without respect for life, freedom is in jeopardy"....

2011-01-25T10:01:00.004-07:00

March for Life......

.....many did it and we must join in prayer...read more here in a CNA article about those who assembled in Washington, D.C. yesterday FOR LIFE!

Pray for LIFE.

Come Holy Spirit!

The Lord is HERE! Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T14:52:00.003-07:00

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!

2010-12-23T07:15:00.001-07:00

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

2010-12-21T08:59:00.001-07:00

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.....

2010-12-16T09:24:00.002-07:00

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!

2010-12-14T13:18:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-12-09T10:12:00.003-07:00

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.....

2010-12-07T10:54:00.003-07:00

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! .....

2010-12-02T09:37:00.001-07:00

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!

ADVENT.....Prepare.....await....be ready..... be expectant.....Come Lord Jesus, Come!

2010-11-30T10:01:00.001-07:00

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 523-524) “ St. John the Baptist is the Lord’s immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way. ‘Prophet of the Most High,’ John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last. He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother’s womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being ‘the friend of the bridegroom,’

whom he points out as ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’ Going before Jesus ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah,’ John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion and through his martyrdom.

When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor’s birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’”

Let us be aware during this holy season of preparation that we too must decrease and that Christ within us must increase. Let us take the time to slow our minds and to sit quietly in prayer to prepare our hearts and souls for the coming of our Lord Jesus. Let us open our hearts to prepare to receive Our Lord more fully. St. John the Baptist, please intercede for all who are involved with ENDOW and all faithful souls may receive grace to actively set ourselves aside in pointing others to Jesus. May we become a full gift of self during this Advent season and until our Lord Jesus comes again in glory.

Called and equipped to be “living images”.......make a special visit.....

2010-11-23T16:57:00.003-07:00

What is a “living image?” St. Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, (St. Edith Stein) describes what she called “living images” as ordinary people who by their small daily actions revealed their deep love for Jesus Christ. St. Edith/Sr. Teresia once encountered one of these ordinary people when she entered a church to look at artwork and noticed a woman who was in the church praying. There was something very different in this as St. Edith was struck that she seemed to be in prayerful conversation with a person. This lady’s attention and prayer in front of the tabernacle in a Catholic Church struck Edith Stein to her core and increased her desire to her search for the truth which ended in a person...the Person of Jesus Christ. (more on ENDOW's St. Edith Stein study here).

In an article by ZENIT news organization recently, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his joy at a “Eucharistic Springtime” within the Church. The Pops says it is “manifested in the numerous people who pause before the tabernacle to enjoy a ‘conversation of love’ with Jesus.” (full article here).

We never know when we might be an influential “living image” when we visit Jesus in the tabernacle or in Eucharistic Adoration. What blessing we receive when we draw near to Christ in love and faith to experience his promise: “And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20)

During this bustling time of year spend time with Our Lord to have a conversation of love. This is certain to show our love to Jesus in a very special way while we increase our faith and make reparation for offenses to the Most Holy Sacrament.

I’m praying for safe travel for you all during this Thanksgiving week. COME HOLY SPIRIT!

The attitude of Gratitude! Let us GIVE THANKS..........

2010-11-18T11:37:00.002-07:00

Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito says in a recent CNA article ....“The attitude of gratitude is one that is part of God’s very nature. Gratitude is an expression of love. God is love and for all eternity gives himself away and literally sacrifices himself. It is that love which is his life as a community of persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In their eternal expression of love for each other, the persons of the Trinity also express gratitude to each other. That gratitude was so often reflected in the life of the Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, who always prayed to his Father in a stance of thanksgiving.”(full article here).

Let us pray that all who are part of ENDOW celebrate this wonderful time of year with heartfelt thanksgiving and step forward in actively living our lives with greater attention to gratitude! We thank God for all of the abundant blessings received through ENDOW studies!

Listen to your Mother.....WISDOM from Archbishop Charles Chaput.....

2010-11-16T09:31:00.004-07:00

Who must we follow during times of confusion?

Who must be our reliable guide?

In a recent article titled "In Culture of Confusion, Church the Only Reliable Guide" in CNA Archbishop Charles Chaput says "Over the centuries, the Church has often called her people to reflect on the 'Four Last Things'—death, judgment, hell and heaven. She has a good reason for doing so. Life is brief. And all of us, whether rich or poor, unknown or famous, will very soon encounter the Four Last Things, directly and personally......They’re very real, and they matter eternally....." Let us take time to LISTEN, to pay attention and to be lovingly shepherded......read the Archbishop's full article here.

Come learn what our Mother, the Church, teaches us by participating in an ENDOW study.....click here to see all the choices.

Be educated in order to educate....the responsibility of family......

2010-11-11T09:11:00.002-07:00

Have you ever spoken with an adult who said “Oh, I learned all about my faith in grade school and high school.”....YIKES! Can you imagine if the level of education in other areas of our lives was left at that level? If we assumed that we “learned it all” from the perspective of that young age? Would that be adequate to live life to the fullest? Absolutely not. We have an immense personal responsibility to learn our faith anew, in a deeper and deeper way, on a regular basis as we grow in age and maturity. I have always loved pondering the way Jesus, the divine Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, had to grow in wisdom in his human nature. Luke 2:52 tells us “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.”

How do we take personal responsibility for our growth in wisdom and stature, and increase in favor with God and man?

First and foremost, we grow through receiving grace and blessing in the Living Body of Christ, the Eucharist. As we encounter Jesus, our Living God in His Word and in Sacrament we grow in holiness and wisdom. In reflection of the very Trinity, as we so fully receive, we must pour forth all we receive back to God and to our neighbor. In a recent article from the Vatican Information Service titled “The Family Has Special Responsibility For Education,” Pope Benedict XVI is quoted as saying “St. Francis' evangelical life and his vocation to follow the path of the crucified Christ arose from his participation in Mass and his devoted reception of Holy Communion.......the sacred nature of the Eucharist means that it must be celebrated and adored with an awareness of the greatness, importance and effectiveness it has for Christian life...... Yet it also requires purity, coherence and sanctity of life from each one of us, that we may become living witnesses of Christ's unique sacrifice of love".

How can we be most cooperative in being the instruments in our Lord’s hands? How can we best become the living witnesses of Christ’s unique sacrifice of love? The “how” is to obey Our Father, to receive his Son in the Eucharist and to be open to learn more so that can more love our Beloved and draw others to the love we have for Him. ENDOW offers many classes which help women come to know the beauty and graces of this very holy calling, the calling for each and every soul. Here is a very nice summary of the studies offered by ENDOW.....say your YES to God’s invitation to grow in wisdom and stature, be drawn......come, be educated in a dynamic and blessed way through ENDOW studies.

Let us pray for grace for all souls to have this desire and to take responsibility to receive the Eucharist with “an awareness of the greatness, importance and effectiveness it has for Christian life” and to be educated so that we may live responsibly in providing what is most needed for our selves, our families and for building the Culture of Life.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful!

ENDOW wraps up a Pilgrimage to the Holy land...pray for safe travel home....

2010-11-09T08:51:00.003-07:00

ENDOW pilgrims show solidarity with Christians in the Holy Land.

The recent Mideast synod had as a main goal to strengthen the presence of Christians in the region, and one important way to do that is to promote pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstätt, Germany said, “The target of the synod was to strengthen the presence of Christians in the Middle East, and it is still a target of particular importance! This target has been looked at from different angles. One way to reach this target is to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Places, where Jesus lived.

For example, one can go on pilgrimage to Nazareth in Galilee, where the Basilica of Annunciation is built (to remember the annunciation of Archangel Gabriel, upon having visited the Virgin Mary), or to Bethlehem, in Palestine, to the Grotto of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, and to Shepherds' Fields.

Also, one can visit Jerusalem, the city of the Lord, which Jesus visited regularly according to Jewish rite of pilgrimage for prayer and to participate in the Jewish feasts. Jerusalem is also where Jesus overcame death for all humanity, for our redemption, and where he rose from death, and showed himself as the risen Son of God in front of his disciples on Easter day. A deeper view into the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord can be obtained when the pilgrim is visiting the Church of Holy Sepulcher.

Popes in the history of the Church have always encouraged pilgrimages to the ‘House of the Lord,’ and it is also important for Benedict XVI, who joined with the fathers of the synod in the hope that the spiritual impetus might be reactivated today.

To go on a pilgrimage signifies in the proper meaning of the word ‘to start on one's way’ to the Holy Places of the Bible. Every praying pilgrim can receive the grace of strengthening of faith once more in order to enrich his life in faith with God in a deeper and more fruitful sense.

The fathers of the synod would highly appreciate to see the faithful anew going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Places, which leads them further in the footsteps of the holy Apostles also to Syria, Cyprus and Turkey. This would also be a highly esteemed expression showing our solidarity toward the Christians living in these countries....” Read full article from Zenit: HOLY LAND IS IN NEED OF PILGRIMS.

Please check out the footsteps of our ENDOW pilgrims at this site Pilgrim Center of Hope. You can see where they have been by viewing a slide show.

Please pray for our ENDOW pilgrims as they travel home on November 10.

A few quotes from ENDOW’s Discover Your Dignity Part II Study......

2010-11-04T09:15:00.002-06:00

Autumn is a wonderful time to reflect upon the changing seasons and the fact that all of life, including our own, comes to an end. This can arouse fear within many of us in considering the unknowns which lie ahead of us. My study group in Boulder is presently concluding the ENDOW Study Discover Your Dignity, A Woman’s Journey Through Life, Part II. This study has been a tremendous blessing as it has given us a glimpse into the beauty and wonder of the final “season” of earthly life and to our ultimate destination, our entrance into eternal life. Have you ever considered the fact that God keeps on giving us unique and special gifts and missions right through our dying day? In learning and knowing a bit more about the very special years of growing older...and wiser, there has been much relief and even joy in anticipating these years. This study has facilitated some of the very best discussions within our group as women have shared loving stories of personal experience in these years as well as the joys of sharing these special years with Mothers, Grandmothers and elderly beloved. What a treasure box to explore, appreciate and anticipate! I highly recommend this beautiful study!

Here are a few quotes from the Study Guide....

“Family prayer has for its very own object family life itself, which in all its varying circumstances is seen as a call from God and lived as a filial response to His call. Joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, births and birthday celebrations, wedding anniversaries of the parents, departures, separations and homecomings, important and far-reaching decisions, the death of those who are dear, etc. -all of these mark God’s loving intervention in the family’s history.” Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 59

“When you are lonely, go and visit somebody who is still lonelier than you! .....In this you are going to find strength and consolation.” Pope John Paul II, You are a Treasure for the Church!

“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones-the ones at home. Let us ask ourselves if we are aware that maybe our husband, our wife, our children, or our parents live isolated from others, do not feel loved enough, even though they may live with us. Do we realize this? Where are the older people today? They are in nursing homes (if there are any). Why? Because they are not wanted, because they are too much trouble, because.....” Mother [Blessed] Teresa, In My Own Words

Treat yourself to learning more about the special plan God has for us all during the second half of life in this study. The plan of God revealed within this study have both relieved fear of our own elderly years and has increased our compassion and desire to accompany our beloved elderly on this sacred journey into eternal life.

Embrace this beautiful season.......and each year and season of our lives! May we all pray for our elderly and show them the love, respect and care that brings joy to God and to us all.

Check out more about this ENDOW study here.

All Saints’ Day and all Souls’ Day.......immersed within the Body of Christ...

2010-11-02T08:51:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated All Saints’ Day.... a Solemnity which was instituted to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and, according to Urban IV, to supply any deficiencies in the celebration of saints' feasts during the year.” Praise be to God for all of his saints!

Today we celebrate All Souls’ Day. Take a moment or two to soak deep within the blessing of being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses! Let us become deeply aware of the saints who assist us and the souls who need our offerings. The saints are praying for all souls and we can join them in our offerings for the dear departed souls who are being purified to stand before God. We are all intricately linked to one another as members of the Body of Christ. Let us intently help one another by our prayers and good works and we offer our joys and sufferings for another’s sake. When we do for others, we demonstrate our “yes” to living our commitment to ever increasing gift-of-self.

Take in the joy and strength of our loving interdependence. We are instructed.... “But the souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment of death will touch them. In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed to die, and their departure was considered an affliction, and their going away from us, a banishment. Yet they are in peace. And though, in the sight of men, they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality. Troubled in few things, in many things they will be well compensated, because God has tested them and found them worthy of himself. Like gold in the furnace, he has proved them, and as a holocaust victim, he has received them, and in the time of their visitation they will shine, and they will dash about like sparks among stubble. They will judge the nations and they will rule over the people, and their Lord will reign forever. Those who trust in him, will understand the truth, and those who are faithful in love will rest in him, because grace and peace is for his elect.” (Wis 3:1-9)

Sharing in ENDOW studies increases our knowledge and trust in the loving plan of Our Father. ENDOW is helping so many women, their friends and families shine forth as faithful souls on our journey together! Enjoy this blessed Solemnity of All Souls!

Holiness: The perfection of Love.....reflections by Jeanette DeMelo on ENDOW’s recent Conference.....

2010-10-28T06:58:00.004-06:00

(This article was published in the Denver Catholic Register on October 27, 2010)

Holiness: The perfection of love

By Jeanette DeMelo

Holiness and perfection seem so out of reach in my daily life. That stuff is for the saints and I’m no saint.

I stood challenged recently when Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles reminded a roomful of women that we are all called to be saints—holy and perfect.

Holiness is the perfection of love, he said. He explained this call to love in just such a way that I came away thinking it might actually be possible. Possible, that is, only by God’s overabundant grace.

Archbishop Gomez spoke to 180 women at the fifth annual ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) Catholic Women’s Conference, held at St. Thomas More Church Oct. 15 and 16. The theme was “Called to Be Saints: Living in the World but not of the World.” The conference explored the lives of Servant of God Dorothy Day, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Edith Stein.

In his keynote address, the archbishop spoke of St. Frances Cabrini who, together with her nuns, gathered stones and formed a simple image of the Sacred Heart on a mountain. The stone heart remains today at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colo.

By this example, Archbishop Gomez encouraged us to “gather stones into the heart of Jesus” and to “turn every corner of the world into a reflection of the Sacred Heart.”

Cautioning us not to lose heart when we don’t always see results, he said: “We live in a result-driven world. But the kingdom of heaven isn’t that way. It grows by little acts of faith…”

“The age of the saints is not past,” he continued. “In every age the Lord is calling out saints. In our day he is calling you … He calls us to have the courage to love, like Mother Cabrini, with the love that transforms hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.”

All of the conference speakers were keenly aware of the tendency to think of saints as drastically unlike “normal” people. Their stories made the saints real and showed that each saint’s life was a journey. They weren’t born saints.

Dorothy Day, whose life was presented by professor Terrance Wright, was seemingly the most un-saintly. Born in the late 19th century to a non-religious family, she was baptized Episcopal as a young girl but lost her faith during college.

Before she was 30, she got pregnant out of wedlock twice. Regrettably she aborted her first child.

God’s call was greater than her life’s chaos. Day kept her second child. She baptized her Catholic and became Catholic herself, believing “it was the greatest thing” she could do for her child.

Day eventually helped to found the Catholic Worker Movement, which spread Catholic social teaching. She opened houses of hospitality where the homeless and volunteers lived together in community.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who Day called “the Saint of the Responsible,” became her guide for living the little moments of each day with love. Day reminded those who worked with her that the little boy in the Gospel gave Jesus all he had, five loaves and two fish, and Jesus did the rest. Giving all daily was Day’s little way, and she reminds us that we too need to give Jesus all that we have and allow him to do the rest.

The other conference speakers presented on saints a little more commonly recognized for holiness.

Calling St. Catherine of Siena one of her best friends, Dominican Sister Catherine Joseph Droste presented on the life of the 14th-century lay Dominican mystic.

While there were many aspects of St. Catherine’s life that set her apart from the average 21st-century woman, Sister Droste suggested it was Catherine’s radical love for the human person that makes her so relevant today. St. Catherine knew that only by knowing God’s infinite love could we know ourselves and recognize who God calls us to be.

In studying the life of Edith Stein, author Elizabeth Mitchell said she found a soul sister. Mitchell presented on the 20th-century philosopher who converted to Catholicism after several encounters with “living images” of faith. For Stein, these living images were ordinary people who by their small daily actions revealed their deep love for Jesus Christ and their faith in God’s great love for them. Stein became a Carmelite nun and her life ended in martyrdom at the hand of the Nazis. Stein wrote extensively on the vocation of women and her writings offer both deep intellectual truths but also simple tips for keeping in the presence of God daily.

The 2010 ENDOW conference with its saintly theme came at a perfect time—a couple weeks before All Saints’ Day. Because of it, I won’t be so tempted to dismiss that day as a celebration for those who are so different from me. Rather, this year I will celebrate the saints as friends, soul sisters and prayer partners in a journey that we are all called to live. I hope you are encouraged to do the same.

Jeanette DeMelo is a founding board member of ENDOW. The 2010 ENDOW Conference talk CDs can be ordered at www.ENDOWonline.com.

ENDOW studies in action.......transforming lives and increasing love of Christ and of our Mother, the Church.......

2010-10-26T10:06:00.004-06:00

These words speak for themselves...I gathered them from a recent letter from an ENDOW participant to Executive Director Terry Polakovic:

“I felt a strong urge to write this letter........I have just started my first Endow class, “Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Women.” Even though I have only finished the first chapter and Appendix 1, I had to express my wonderment at what I have read thus far...........Just reading these few pages.......have caused me to stand in much more appreciation of the Catholic Church than I ever have before..........Because of this study I have become aware of how the Church has fought and defended the rights and dignity of women throughout the world. For years I was ignorant of this, but my eyes have finally been opened, leading to a much greater appreciation of the Church that has been a part of me all my life.......I thank the Holy Spirit for guiding me to this class.......I am looking forward with great anticipation to continue on with this course, and I would encourage every woman to take the opportunity to attend the Endow classes.”

This is the story of ENDOW. Here is “Love the learning. Build the friendships. Live the Faith” in living action. Praise be to God for the apostolate of ENDOW which helps bring women into knowing the fullness of their dignity and their role in humanizing and transforming society into a culture of life. Thank God for this living example of yet another heart converted to deeper understanding through an ENDOW study...and this is only after the first chapter of her first study!

“Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” Jn 7:38 Come Holy Spirit!

The heavens are telling the glory of God (Ps 19)...DID YOU KNOW?.....an autumn walk.......

2010-10-21T10:26:00.003-06:00

Autumn is a time of beauty and awe...the changing of seasons..the brilliant colors singing out to be heard with the eyes of our hearts. In ENDOW study guides there are little tidbits of information under the heading “Did You Know?” I was recently pondering the beauty of the aspen trees which are abundant here in Colorado and started linking some of the attributes of the aspens with the blessings I’ve received in my ENDOW study group. Here are some attributes of the aspens (tidbits I gathered from Wikipedia)... “their nearly round leaf shape on mature trees cause the leaves to twist and flutter in slight breezes...known for its leaves turning spectacular tints of red and yellow in the autumn....typically grows in large colonies derived from a single seedling and spreading by means of a large root system......the root system is long-lived.....sometimes for thousands of years.....sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground......the aspen colonies become very large with time....they are able to survive forest fires since the roots are below the heat of the fire.....with new sprouts growing after the fire burns out...fire indirectly benefits aspen trees, since it allows the saplings to flourish in open sunlight in the burned landscape..... don’t do well in the shade...”

Now...for the DID YOU KNOW? What do ENDOW study groups do? ENDOW is an educational program that brings women together to discover their God-given dignity and to understand their role in humanizing and transforming society. We come together to “Love the Learning, Build the Friendships and to Live the Faith.” These teachings are trustworthy and true. The roots of the Catholic Church run deep, and have held together in Christ for 1,000’s of years....The women of ENDOW seek to soak our hearts and minds into these teachings and we pray to be docile to the “slight breezes” of the Holy Spirit working within and around us. Those who open their hearts do come to show forth the beautiful and individual brilliance of our Creator with each “yes” to Him..the “spectacular tints” of each woman come forward to be seen, experienced and to transform those she encounters....and it is truly AWEsome to experience.

Let us pray that we all receive grace to open the eyes of hearts to all the beauty of creation, especially in seeing the unique, unrepeatable beauty of each life created by God.

If you haven’t joined an ENDOW study group yet, what are you waiting for? Come! You will be in AWE. Be strengthened and joined even deeper into the blessed and strong root system of our Catholic faith through the beauty and blessing of ENDOW study groups. Click here for information.

Ps 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in the sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Come Holy Spirit, set us ablaze!

So many blessings received at the ENDOW Conference “Called to be Saints”......

2010-10-19T08:11:00.003-06:00

The fifth annual ENDOW Catholic Women’s Conference went off with flying colors and abundant blessings this past weekend at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. Facilitators of ENDOW were treated to a very special pre-conference retreat by Fr. Scott Traynor titled “Behold, I am with You Always: Daily Life in Christ.” Fr. Scott led facilitators and friends of ENDOW through a wonderful day of joy filled teaching, meditation and prayer including a most beautiful celebration of mass in the company of 18 relics of beloved Saints. What an experience it was of the presence of the Communion of Saints! The faithful women of ENDOW were blessed to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the very presence of all of those blessed relics!

While some women participated in the pre-conference retreat, others participated in new facilitator training which was held for women to learn all about becoming facilitators and to experience an in-depth overview of ENDOW’s signature study guide “Letter to Women.”

The evening continued with a wonderful dinner together while we all listened to a very heartfelt, touching and moving talk by His Excellency Archbishop José H. Gomez titled “Strong Women and Holy Mothers: lessons from Scripture and the Lives of the Saints.” What inspiration we heard from Archbishop Gomez to imitate the holy, loving and prayerful lives of the saints who have gone before us....especially all of those “hidden and unknown” ones who were the mothers and sisters of so many well known saints.

Bright and early on Saturday morning, Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a most beautiful mass for all and, once again, it truly was a pure taste of heaven right there in the beautiful sanctuary of St. Thomas More....in the company of all the relics and of all the ladies of ENDOW. What a way to start off another blessed day!

We first heard all about Dorothy Day from Dr. Terrence C. Wright, and about St. Catherine of Siena from Sr. Catherine Droste, O.P, and about Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) from Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell. A real treat on top of hearing the excellent speakers was the opportunity to have ENDOW style small table discussions after each speaker. It was a terrific way to get to know new ladies and to experience the flavor of ENDOW for those who have yet to be involved in a study group. After a panel discussion by the speakers, the day wound up with many very happy hearts and smiling faces.

While the women’s Conference was in full swing there was also a very special ENDOW Teen Retreat and Conference titled “True Freedom. A Weekend Adventure.” The presenters were Kate and Brigid Sweeney from the ENDOW staff. Kate and Brigid always draw the hearts of the young girls into a deeper love of Christ and his Church through enthusiastic presentations which are filled with joy and humor!

A special thanks to all those who worked tirelessly on making this Conference what many have said “the very best one yet!” Rumor has it that the evaluations are full of words of praise and gratitude for a truly outstanding Conference! Check out the ENDOW website soon to purchase CD’s of the talks.

May God bring forth much fruit in our hearts and lives from this great time of fellowship in Christ.

Praise and thanksgiving to God for the time of great blessing and grace at the ENDOW Women's Conference!

Terry Polakovic, ENDOW’s co-foundress and executive director, to receive Papal Award: Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice....

2010-10-14T08:39:00.004-06:00

CONGRATULATIONS to TERRY!

The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For the Church and Pontiff) is a special award from our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI - given for exceptional service to the Church. Archbishop Chaput describes the award this way: "This is a uniquely important recognition. It comes directly from the Holy See. It is one of the highest honors the Holy Father can bestow on an individual. Pope Benedict, in his authority as Pontiff, grants the Cross in gratitude for sustained and exemplary witness to the Catholic faith and service to the Church."

“A devoted wife, mother and leader, Ms. Polakovic has served Catholic causes for many years,” the archbishop wrote.

“(The award) represents the work of so many different people who have dedicated themselves to the ENDOW program,” Polakovic said. “Countless people have spent thousands and thousands of hours on this project, so this award is really for them.”

Terry will be joined by others as she receives her award from Archbishop Chaput on November 7 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. (See full article from the Denver Catholic Register here).

Please pray in thanksgiving for all that Terry has worked so hard for in our Church and especially in ENDOW. Praise be to God for all she has done and for this very special recognition!

October is the month of The Holy Rosary......pray the “compendium of the Gospel” daily.....

2010-10-12T08:00:00.002-06:00

We have received a most beautiful gift and tool which truly paves a way for holiness in the Holy Rosary. An Argentinean Bishop recently said that saying the rosary is “a repetitive rhythm of praise and supplication..... In Mary, we praise the gift of God, God himself who gives us Jesus Christ. And through her, we pray to be able to receive him now and at the doorstep to eternity.” (full CNA article here)

Our dear Pope John Paul II gave us a beautiful teaching in his Apostolic Letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” in which he refers to the rosary as a “compendium of the gospel.” He says “The Rosary is one of the traditional paths of Christian prayer directed to the contemplation of Christ's face. Pope Paul VI described it in these words: ‘As a Gospel prayer, centred on the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation, the Rosary is a prayer with a clearly Christological orientation. Its most characteristic element, in fact, the litany- like succession of Hail Marys, becomes in itself an unceasing praise of Christ, who is the ultimate object both of the Angel's announcement and of the greeting of the Mother of John the Baptist: 'Blessed is the fruit of your womb' (Lk 1:42). We would go further and say that the succession of Hail Marys constitutes the warp on which is woven the contemplation of the mysteries.......” (read full Apostolic Letter here).

Join the faithful this month in forming a habit of saying the rosary daily and therefore deepening your faith and understanding through the rhythmic succession of prayer and contemplation through the joys, sorrows, glory and public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ with and through the eyes of Our Blessed Mother. Holy Mother of God, please pray for and with us during this month of the Holy Rosary!

Don’t miss the ENDOW Conference.......Called to be SAINTS......

2010-10-07T06:26:00.002-06:00

ENDOW’s 5th Annual Women’s Conference is next week, October 15-16 in Centennial, Colorado. Please come and join us! The Conference is for both adults and teens!

The 2010 ENDOW Catholic Women's Conference is an educational and reflective time where women of all ages can deepen their faith and rejuvenate their souls to experience anew the joy of living the fullness of God's grace.

Conference Features:
The ENDOW Conference features daily Mass, opportunities for confession, educational uplifting talks from prominent Catholic speakers, group discussions, and enriching fellowship with other women. With our theme Called to be Saints: Living in the World, but not of the World we will feature talks and discussions on the lives of amazing and holy women who lived in the world but were not of it. Join us this year as we unpack the lives of Servant of God Dorothy Day, Saint Edith Stein, and Saint Catherine of Siena. Our guest speakers this year include Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Sister Catherine Droste, O.P., Eileen Love, M.T.S. , Elizabeth Mitchell, Ph.D., Kate and Brigid Sweeney, Fr. Scott Traynor, J.C.L., and Terrence Wright, Ph.D.

Please plan on joining in...this is truly a “spa” for your soul! To register and read more, click here. Don’t miss this opportunity to gather in faith and learning with many wonderful women! I just “happened in” on the very first ENDOW Conference and was positively overwhelmed and filled with grace throughout the entire experience....and have been coming ever since! Is the Holy Spirit nudging your soul? Say “YES! I’ll be there!”

Blessed be God in all his saints!

We sing our song of love within the cosmic symphony.....

2010-10-05T09:24:00.003-06:00

At a recent concert in his honor, Pope Benedict XI delivered an address called "The Masterpiece of the Human Being Is His Every Act of Genuine Love"

Our Holy Father said “......human genius competes in creativity with nature, gives life to varied and manifold harmonies, where the human voice also takes part in this language, which is as a reflection of the great cosmic symphony........”

Pope Benedict invites us to reflect upon music and silence by analyzing how this particular musical interpretation “seems to represent the place and task of faith in the universe: In the midst of the vital forces of nature, which are around man and also within him, faith is a different force, which responds to a profound word, ‘arising from the silence,’ as St. Ignatius of Antioch would say. The word of faith needs great interior silence, to hear and obey a voice that goes beyond the visible and tangible. This voice also speaks through the phenomena of nature, because it is the power that has created and governs the universe; but to recognize it, a humble and obedient heart is necessary -- as the saint teaches, whose memorial we celebrate today: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Faith follows this profound voice where art on its own cannot reach: It follows it on the path of witness, of selfless giving of oneself out of love, as Cecilia did. Then the most beautiful work of art, the masterpiece of the human being is his every act of genuine love, from the smallest -- in the daily martyrdom -- to the extreme sacrifice. Here life itself becomes a song: an anticipation of this symphony that we will sing together in Paradise.” (read full article in Zenit here).

Let us beg God for this interior silence and for a humble and obedient heart so that we, like St. Therese of the Child Jesus, can confidently walk in selfless giving of oneself out of love. Let us prepare our souls to hear God’s voice and to shout our response of “Yes!” in joy, singing our new song to the Lord in all we think, say and do!

Praying together.....Pope Benedict's requests......

2010-09-30T09:04:00.004-06:00

Each month, Our Holy Father asks that we join in praying for his intentions....let us raise our eyes and hearts to heaven as we pray together in the beautiful month of October.

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for October is:

"That Catholic universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason".

His mission intention is:

"That World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity".

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful!

Kindness is the summit of fortitude.......an inspiring quote......

2010-09-28T09:34:00.001-06:00

The quote below, found in ENDOW’s “Discover Your Dignity: Part II” study.....(more on ENDOW’s DYD II here) provides us with a rich invitation to ponder how a strong woman lives out her vocation of love.

“The Bible does not praise the weak woman, but the strong one, when it says in the Book of Proverbs ‘it is kindly instruction she gives’ (Prov 31:26), because kindness is the summit of fortitude. The motherly woman has the privilege of this direct and important function----to know how to wait; to know how to be silent; being able, when faced with injustice or weakness, to turn a blind eye, to excuse, to cover shaming things up---which is no less a work of mercy than that of covering the nakedness of the body.”

Gertrud von le Fort, The Eternal Woman

"For both we and our words are in his hand, as are all understanding and skill in crafts." Wisdom 7:16

COME HOLY SPIRIT!!! Please give us your gifts to do the will of God for His glory! Please intercede for us, our Blessed Mother Mary!

How a humble "Thank You" is a true gift of self.......

2010-09-23T08:12:00.001-06:00

So, have you ever noticed just how difficult it is at times to receive a compliment? One perspective is put forth on this difficulty by Cheryl Dicklow in an article titled “Just Say Thanks” on CNA’s Catholic Womanhood site. Cheryl speaks about John Paul II’s teaching on feminine genius, the giving nature of women and how as natural givers it can be difficult to receive at times. Cheryl says “To take something, even in the form of a compliment, is almost foreign to many females. When Pope John Paul II spoke of the ‘feminine genius,’ he was speaking directly about a trait that is inherent in the nature of woman, what he called ‘the gift of self.’ Women are, by their very design, meant to give. They are wired to nurture and tend to others. Sure, some do a better job of this than others, but at her very core, a woman is created as a giver.....It doesn’t matter how often some radical feminists deny it: women are different from men. The truth our Faith teaches, though, is that this ‘different’ doesn’t have a value attached to it. The value exists in the full and complete phrase ‘different but equal’-- and complimentary......It is this very message that is at the core of who we are and how we can serve God.” (See full article here)

By developing the habit of graciously saying “Thank You” to a compliment, we are actually growing in becoming true gifts of self. Lets all put forth a special effort on cultivating the habit of thanksgiving by joining all of creation in this beautiful time of autumn in saying THANK YOU to God for creating each of us so uniquely...... and for surrounding us with the beauty of His creation. Let us pray to notice the goodness in all those we encounter...to graciously give and receive compliments as ALL good gifts are from Our loving Father.

To find out more about woman’s unique God-given nature and about the complimentarity of man and woman as God created us, please consider an ENDOW study......click here for more information.

Blessed John Henry Newman’s love of Our Mother Mary..........

2010-09-21T09:18:00.003-06:00

Before praying Wednesday’s midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the deep and filial devotion held by the newly Blessed John Henry Newman for Our Blessed Mother Mary. Our Pope spoke about how Blessed Cardinal Newman named his fist home in Birmingham “Maryvale” and how he dedicated his Oratory to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. Let us join our Church’s new Blessed in meditating upon Mary’s holiness and perfection and her role in being chosen to be the Mother of God. Let us seek intimacy with Mary through the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman as we join him reflection and prayer. He was moved to exclaim: “"Who can estimate the holiness and perfection of her, who was chosen to be the Mother of Christ? What must have been her gifts, who was chosen to be the only near earthly relative of the Son of God, the only one whom He was bound by nature to revere and look up to; the one appointed to train and educate Him, to instruct Him day by day, as He grew in wisdom and in stature?" (read full Zenit.org article here)

Blessed John Henry Newman, please pray that all the women of ENDOW, their families, friends and all souls may be drawn deep into the heart of Our Blessed Mother Mary, The Immaculate Conception. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

“The Whole Church Is Indebted to Courageous Women"...it is time to become the saint God intends you to be!

2010-09-16T06:39:00.001-06:00

It is Saints who change the world! What an example of using God-given feminine genius! Our Holy Father spoke about one of our Church’s most beloved saints, St. Clare of Assisi, in his Wednesday audience. St. Clare was a courageous woman who was rich in faith and capable of giving decisive impetus to the renewal of the Church. St. Clare had in her relationship with St. Francis of Assisi not only a teacher but also a very beloved friend. The friendship between these two illustrate that when two souls are inflamed by the same love of God, they draw from their friendship the stimulus to undertake the way of perfection. These two saints, like many others, have experiences profound friendship on the same path toward Christian perfection. Read the Zenit news article translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s address here.

ENDOW studies offer women the opportunity to come together to learn, build friendships and to live the Catholic faith. Imagine growing in holiness and walking the path toward holiness with other like minded women! ENDOW studies are starting up all over the country! Please check for here for studies near you.

Yet another way to experience a great opportunity of making new friendships while increasing in knowledge and holiness it to attend the ENDOW Conference! This year the title is “Called to Be Saints. Living in the world but not of the world.” The Conference is on October 15 & 16 in Centennial, CO. Come and deepen your faith and rejuvenate your soul at the ENDOW Conference. Experience anew the JOY of living the fullness of God’s grace. Hurry to find out more and to register here.

Yes....we can all be the saints that God calls us to become! Come Holy Spirit! Renew the face of the earth.

What do women want....for real?

2010-09-14T09:13:00.001-06:00

Check out this perspective found in an article from the National Review Online on “The new feminism of life as it is really lived.....” which looks at “the mythological mommy war which pits stay-at-home moms against so called working moms......” read full article here.

An invitation for YOU....come and embark.....discover YOUR dignity...

2010-09-12T12:09:00.008-06:00

(Kelsey Teran, a 23 year old participant in ENDOW studies in Boulder, CO...and my daughter ;) , was asked to share her thoughts about her participation in ENDOW studies at an upcoming event called "Date with Dignity." Below are Kelsey's thoughts.... )

One best comes to know an artist by examining his work. Who is an artist more worthy of examination than our God? Every beauty we can see with our eyes or imagine with our minds is the Art of our God, for he Himself is Beauty. The world as we know it, and far beyond what we know, is the wonder-full creation of The Creator. Should we not examine his work? And upon examining his work, should we not realize that we are his masterpiece? Are we - humans, that is - not the only creatures of this world given the prize of being made in His own image and likeness? We are his greatest work of art! St. Clement of Alexandria said, “To know ourselves has always been the greatest of all lessons. For, if we know ourselves, we will know God. And in knowing God, we will become like God.” Is it not our duty to examine ourselves, in order to know the Artist who formed us? So what are we, us humans? The most simple answer comes from The Beginning: Male and Female he created us (Genesis 1:27). And just as is the mystery of our faith and our existence, the most simple answer is also the most deep and awesome adventure. Endow is a journey of exploring what it means to be a human female - the perfect complement to a human male - the necessary component of the human race that allows us to exist in the image and likeness of our God. The human race is not complete as God’s artistic masterpiece without female, without woman. Women exist to humanize the world - to complete God’s image and likeness in this existence where “we cannot see him as we do an apple tree or a neon sign, that is, with no interior commitment” (Pope Benedict). We must look interiorly, look inside ourselves to know ourselves and thus to know our God, the perfect artist. Endow sets out to do just this. In our current world the idea of a female has become just that - an idea - and an idea does not have to be true to exist. We need to examine the human female on the level of Reality to know what she is, to know what she is as a human, body mind and soul. We deserve to be only exactly what we are. And this discovery of what we are and thus what we should be is in no way disappointing - it is as gazing upon the perfect work of the perfect Artist.

I will leave you now with two more things: first, a few lyrics from the song that has been playing repeatedly on my iTunes and also in my head which I find rather apropos when contemplating the beauty of male and female complementarity (from a song called January Wedding by the Avett Brothers):

“I hope that I don’t sound too

insane when I say there is darkness

all around us.

I don’t feel weak but I do

need sometimes for Her to protect me

and reconnect me

to the beauty

that I’m missin’ ”

and second, with a recommendation to seriously consider embarking on the journey of discovering what it means to be a woman, the woman you are intended to be, by walking the beautiful path Endow, through the work of the Holy Spirit, has put before you.

Thanks for listening :)

Kelsey Teran

To find our more about ENDOW and ENDOW studies which are beginning soon, please click here.

“Women Make a Special Contribution to Theology...........”

2010-09-09T09:22:00.004-06:00

As reported from the Vatican Information Service-Holy See Press Office:

VATICAN CITY, 8 SEP 2010 (VIS) - In his general audience, held this morning in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, the Pope dedicated his catechesis to a subject he began last week, that of St. Hildegard of Bingen, a twelfth-century German Benedictine religious "who distinguished herself for her spiritual wisdom and the sanctity of her life".

Referring to the mystical visions the saint received throughout her life, the Holy Father highlighted how "they were rich in theological content. They referred to the main events of the history of salvation and use a Mainly poetic and symbolic language. For example, in her best known work entitled 'Scivias' ('Know the Ways') she summarised (sic) the events of the history of salvation in thirty-five visions, from the creation of the world to the end of time. ... In the central part of her work she develops the theme of the mystical marriage between God and humankind which came about in the Incarnation".

"Even in this brief outline", Benedict XVI went on, "we see how theology can receive a special contribution from women, because they are capable of speaking of God and of the mysteries of the faith with their specific intelligence and sensitivity". In this context he encouraged all women "who undertake this service to do so with a profound ecclesial spirit, nourishing their reflections with prayer and looking to the great riches - still partly unexplored - of the mediaeval mystical tradition, especially as represented by such shining examples as Hildegard of Bingen".

Turning his attention to other writings by the saint, the Pope recalled how "two are particularly important because, like 'Scivias', they contain her mystical visions. They are the 'Liber vitae meritorum' (Book of Life's Merits) and the 'Liber divinorum operum' (Book of Divine Works) which is also known by the name of 'De operatione Dei'. The former ... underscores the profound relationship between man and God and reminds us that all creation, of which man is the apex, receives life from the Trinity. ... In the second work, considered by many to be her masterpiece, she again describes creation in its relationship with God and the centrality of man, revealing a powerful biblical-patristic kind of Christocentrism".

Hildegard was also interested in "medicine and the natural sciences, as well as music", said the Holy Father. "For her, all of creation was a symphony of the Holy Spirit, Who is in Himself joy and contentment".

"Hildegard's popularity led many people to consult her. ... Monastic communities, both male and female, as well as bishops and abbots all sought her guidance. And many of her answers remain valid, even for us", said the Pope.

"With the spiritual authority she possessed, in the last years of her life Hildegard began to travel. ... She was considered to be a messenger sent by God, in particular calling monastic communities and clergy to a life in conformity with their vocation. Hildegard especially opposed the German Cathar movement. The Cathars - their name literally means 'pure' - supported radical reform of the Church, principally to combat clerical abuses. She reprimanded them fiercely, accusing them of wanting to subvert the very nature of the Church and reminding them that the true renewal of the ecclesial community is not obtained by changing structures so much as by a sincere spirit of penance and a fruitful journey of conversion. This is a message we must never forget".

The Pope concluded: "Let us always invoke the Holy Spirit that He may bring saintly and courageous women to the Church, like St. Hildegard of Bingen, who using the gifts received from God, may make their precious and specific contribution to the spiritual growth of our communities".

AG/ VIS 20100908 (630)

COME HOLY SPIRIT! Please bring saintly and courageous women to the Church! Empower us to use the gifts we have received from God for the spiritual growth of our communities! St. Hildegard of Bingen, pray for us!

Happy Birthday Mother Mary!

2010-09-08T09:48:00.002-06:00

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Our life does not exist by accident, it is not an accident. My life is willed by God from eternity. I am loved, I am necessary. God has a plan specifically for me. Eternal love has created me in profundity and awaits me.

Pope Benedict XVI

Archbishop Charles Chaput calls for resistance to world’s intolerance of Christianity.......

2010-09-07T09:07:00.004-06:00

In a recent address given by Archbishop Charles Chaput in Slovakia on Liberty and Mission titled “Living Within the Truth: Religious Liberty and Catholic Mission in the New Order of the World” the Archbishop says “Our societies in the West are Christian by birth, and their survival depends on the endurance of Christian values. Our core principles and political institutions are based, in large measure, on the morality of the Gospel and the Christian vision of man and government. We are talking here not only about Christian theology or religious ideas. We are talking about the moorings of our societies -- representative government and the separation of powers; freedom of religion and conscience; and most importantly, the dignity of the human person.......In practice, however, we see that without a belief in fixed moral principles and transcendent truths, our political institutions and language become instruments in the service of a new barbarism. In the name of tolerance we come to tolerate the cruelest intolerance; respect for other cultures comes to dictate disparagement of our own; the teaching of ‘live and let live’ justifies the strong living at the expense of the weak....... We live in a time when the Church is called to be a believing community of resistance. We need to call things by their true names. We need to fight the evils we see. And most importantly, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that by going along with the voices of secularism and de-Christianization we can somehow mitigate or change things. Only the Truth can set men free. We need to be apostles of Jesus Christ and the Truth he incarnates. So what does this mean for us as individual disciples? Let me offer a few suggestions.........” Please take the time to read Archbishop Chaput’s full address here.

What does “feminine genius” look like? Pope Benedict XVI speaks of Hildegard of Bingen...and of Mulieris Dignitatem.....

2010-09-02T09:07:00.008-06:00

How blessed we are to have such beautiful Church teachings! This week, Our Holy Father spoke about the role of women in the life of the Church. He referred to John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “Mulieris Dignitatem” (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women). Our Holy Father expressed his thanksgiving for all the manifestations of the feminine ‘genius’ which have appeared in the course of history, focusing on one saintly woman in particular: Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard was a mystic who was the recipient of many visions and supernatural gifts. Hildegard is put forth as an example of those who used great discernment and who rightfully respected Church authority to guide them in using what they received from God.

The Catholic News Agency reports “‘Benedict XVI also recalled her mystic visions which she first shared with people in confidence, including her spiritual director, a fellow sister and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. ‘As always happens in the lives of the true mystics,’ said the Pope, ‘Hildegard also wished to submit herself to the authority of wise people to discern the origin of her visions.’........’This,’ taught the Pope, ‘is the seal of an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit, source of every charism: the person (who is the) repository of supernatural gifts never boasts, does not flaunt them and, especially, shows total obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities.......

Every gift distributed by the Holy Spirit, in fact, is destined for the edification of the Church, and the Church, through its pastors, recognizes their authenticity.’” (read the CNA article here).

It is the time of year when many ENDOW studies are beginning for the fall semester. Studying the beautiful Apostolic Letter mentioned, Mulieris Dignitatem, is sure to be a great blessing in the lives of many women. This Letter sheds light upon the beauty of our God given feminine genius. How are we called to use our God given feminine gifts in humanizing our culture? Come find out in an ENDOW study of this Apostolic Letter written by John Paul II in the Marian Year of 1988. This document is written in the form of a meditation. In a meditation, we ponder the truths of the faith and the role faith plays in our own lives. In Mulieris Dignitatem, John Paul II meditates on the anthropology of man and woman, God's intention for their relationship, and the result of original sin. He also explores the relationship that Jesus had with women and the reason for the all-male priesthood. Please click here for more information about an ENDOW study of Mulieris Dignitatem.

Growing in “God’s style”....Pope Benedict XVI directs us......

2010-08-31T06:04:00.002-06:00

How do we women of ENDOW see ourselves? Do we live according to the “style of pagans” or to the “style of God?” In speaking to a group of his former students about this past Sunday’s gospel, Pope Benedict teaches the about the divine style. As reported in an article in Zenit The Pope says “ ‘The style of God is different....He invites us to his table, we who are lame, blind and deaf; he invites us who have nothing to give him.’" (read full article)

The Pope explains how we experience the divine style....”above all in the Eucharist, during which we are called to allow ourselves to be touched by gratitude to God, who invites us to his table even though we are full of faults.”

Might this be a nudge to encourage adding daily mass (or an additional mass or two a week) into our weekly worship of God? Arise and GO.....to experience divine style...at mass when we ask for forgiveness.... “a forgiveness that changes us, that makes us more similar to God, in his image and likeness." Come Holy Spirit!

Happy Birthday to Bl. Mother Teresa...let us LOVE....

2010-08-26T09:02:00.004-06:00

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

She would have turned 100 years old on Aug. 26

“‘By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.’ Small of stature, rocklike in faith, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was entrusted with the mission of proclaiming God’s thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. ‘God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor.’ She was a soul filled with the light of Christ, on fire with love for Him and burning with one desire: ‘to quench His thirst for love and for souls.’ (read more from the Vatican website here)

So, let’s get personal. How do we LOVE? How do we DO as Blessed Mother Teresa encourages “small things with great love?” Some excellent advice on living humbly and living true love can be found in an article written by Alice Von Hildebrand called “On True Love” found on Catholicity.com. Here are some words from the article : “A great sign of true love is the loving patience that one has toward the weaknesses of the beloved. It can be his idiosyncrasies, his temperament, his mannerisms (we all have them); it can be his physical frailties, his psychological oddities, his intellectual inability to follow a straight line of reasoning; his disorder, or his fanaticism for order. If a monk is constantly given occasions to ‘die to his own will’ (as St. Benedict says), the same is true of marriages. John Henry Cardinal Newman writes that even in the deepest human relationships, when love is authentic, life in common will give one plenty of opportunities to prove one's love by sacrificing one's preferences.........Mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, moods; physical, psychological, and intellectual weaknesses are either interpreted as positively as possible or are borne with patience. Benedict writes about monks striving for holiness who nevertheless almost inevitably cause irritation for those living close to them...” To read full article, click here.

Let us pray today for the intercession of Blessed Mother Teresa that with each thought, word and deed we may become more loving toward God, ourselves and our neighbors.

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother Teresa! Pray for us!

We are called to build a civilization of love.......The Pope asks for Our Blessed Mother’s intercession......

2010-08-24T08:31:00.006-06:00

In the past two weeks the Church as celebrated two feasts of our Blessed Mother. The Assumption and the Queenship of Mary. Who better do we have as an example of perfect obedience to God’s will than our Mother Mary? Pope Benedict had this to say as reported in a recent article from the Catholic News Agency: “The ‘sovereignty of Mary’ is ‘completely relative to that of Christ,’ who was exalted by the Father above every creature, the Pope explained. ‘(B)y the design of grace, the Immaculate Mother was fully associated with the mystery of the Son … (She) shared with the Son not only the human aspects of this mystery, but, through the work of the Holy Spirit in her, also the profound intention, the divine will, in a way that all her existence, poor and humble, was elevated, transformed, glorified, passing through the 'narrow gate' that is Jesus himself.’ ‘Yes,’ said the Pope, ‘Mary was the first to pass through the open 'way' of Christ to enter into the Kingdom of God, a way accessible to all men.....’” ..read more.

Our Blessed Mother intercedes for us and helps us, God’s beloved children, pass through the narrow gate, the “open ‘way’ of Christ.” Find out about a terrific way to become more familiar with the role for Our Blessed Mother in God’s plan for his Kingdom by participating in ENDOW's study titled “Redemptoris Mater (Mary, Mother of the Redeemer)" click here for more information. This encyclical was written by Pope John Paul II in 1987. In this study, we come to see how Our Blessed Mother is surely a model for all of us today. Presently, Our Blessed Mother is active in loving us right into heaven. In this encyclical, Pope John Paul II says “‘She cooperated, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, with a maternal love. Here we perceive the real value of the words spoken by Jesus to his Mother at the hour of the Cross: ‘Woman, behold your son’ and to the disciple: ‘Behold your mother’ (Jn. 19:26-27). They are words which determine Mary's place in the life of Christ's disciples and they express-as I have already said-the new motherhood of the Mother of the Redeemer: a spiritual motherhood, born from the heart of the Paschal Mystery of the Redeemer of the world. It is a motherhood in the order of grace, for it implores the gift of the Spirit, who raises up the new children of God, redeems through the sacrifice of Christ that Spirit whom Mary too, together with the Church, received on the day of Pentecost.”

Let us pray today for Our Mother to intercede that we each come to know exactly how to help build a civilization of love and to do our parts in transforming society. On this day, the feast day of the faithful Apostle and martyr St. Bartholomew, let us also ask his intercession in bringing all of God's children into unity of mind and heart in building a culture of love.

“Ella”....a deception...attacking conception.....

2010-08-19T10:36:00.003-06:00

The name of God in Hebrew is “El,” coming from a root word meaning “might, strength, power.” The FDA has recently approved a new drug by the name of “Ella.” The claim for its use is to “prevent pregnancy for up to five days after unprotected sex.” I can’t help but wonder why the name Ella was chosen. Is "preventing pregnancy" the only possible effect? Does this drug suggest and make it possible for a mother, the very carrier of God’s gift of life, to choose to “be god” and to decide to end the life of her child who might be living within her? Might this be yet another enabling of the age old deception of “you will be like god” (Gen 3:5) in choosing against the will of God? Does this contribute to the culture of death? Such a soft, lovely, feminine name......Ella.....one which reflects a feminine version of the Hebrew “El.” Some descriptions of the name “Ella” say “other.” Perhaps this name will prove prophetic.....one acting as an “other god” in deciding whether a new life should be allowed. There is much to pay attention to about what is being presented under the delicate and inviting name “Ella.”

There is a lot of information buzzing about concerning this newly approved drug. An article on Fox News quotes Jeanne Monahan saying “‘The FDA opted against including the critical fact that ella can cause an abortion on a baby already implanted in its mother's womb in the drug labeling information,’ Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council, said in a statement.” (to read full article, click here)

Another article by Matthew Perrone (AP) has this to say “....the drug has drawn criticism from anti-abortion groups who say it is closer to an abortion pill than an emergency contraception pill.

Groups including the Family Research Council argue the drug is chemically similar to the abortion drug mifeprestone, which can be taken to end a pregnancy up to 50 days into the gestation period. That drug has been associated with severe infections and bleeding after abortion. However, FDA reviewers reported no life-threatening medical side effects with ella.

The most common side effects with the drug included headache, nausea and abdominal pain, according to an FDA release.” (to read full article, click here.)

It is time to “keep our eyes peeled,” as my Dad used to say, for horrid deceptions which attack God’s gift of life....and attack it “in sheep’s clothing.” Let us all pray in thanksgiving for the very gift of life and work to defend it! Come Holy Spirit! Open the eyes of our hearts.

From Summer Into School: Four Ways to Ease The Transition

2010-08-17T05:44:00.003-06:00

We hope you enjoy this article by Ginny Kubitz Moyer

It’s that time of year again. Teachers are decorating their classrooms, brand-new lunchboxes wait to be filled, and kids who have savored the delights of vacation are looking downright glum. If you’re a hardcore summer fan, you too may find it tough to get excited about the return of school. It’s not easy to exchange the relative leisure of vacation for the tyranny of the alarm clock, the inflexibility of pickup times, and the challenge of shepherding your family through another academic year while (hopefully) keeping your own life in balance.

Luckily, the start of school does not have to mean the end of sanity. Here are a few ways to ease the transition, making Back-to-School a positive, fun, and even spiritually enriching time for you and your family.

1. Make a New School Year’s Resolution. When I was a kid, I adored buying school supplies. The folders were clean, the pencils smelled like cedar, and the crayons hadn’t yet been blunted by use. If you’ll bear with my English teacher riff here, those supplies are symbolic of the beginning of the school year, when everything is fresh and new. If your kids are old enough, talk about what they hope to accomplish during the year. Do they want to participate more in class? Limit the number of after-school activities to create more time for the one they really love? You can even pen some personal goals for yourself, like reducing school-year stress by exercising three times a week (this one always works for me). Don’t attach guilt to the resolutions, but do check in and reevaluate them as the year goes on. It’s a great way to get kids reflecting on their own priorities.

2. Focus not on what you’re losing, but on what you’re gaining. Yes, it’s tough to bid goodbye to swimming pools and charcoal barbecues. But every season has its own charms. On my short list of autumn fun: taking the boys to the pumpkin patch, letting myself eat candy corn again, smelling wood smoke in the air. Even if school itself doesn’t generate any smiles, get your kids talking about fun experiences they had last fall. Pull out some photos if you need to refresh their memories (or your own).

3. Pack a letter along with the juice box and string cheese. At times throughout my childhood (and early adolescence), my mom would tuck a handwritten note into my lunchbox. “I love you! Enjoy the Cheese Puffs! Love, Mom.” When I was very young, these little letters helped me deal with the homesickness I often felt at school. When I was older, they were a subtle, non-intrusive reminder that my mom wanted to stay connected to me. Though I couldn’t have articulated this at the time, I loved the fact that I was holding something handwritten, something that Mom herself also touched. That’s instinctively comforting for kids, who sometimes need a little shot of motherly encouragement in the middle of a long school day.

4. Get mindful and remember that nothing stays forever. “This too shall pass,” my grandmother always used to say. While that is a comforting mantra when you’re so stressed out you can’t see straight, it also captures the bittersweet reality of parenting. Someday you will miss the four-year-old who, though exhausting, dances with excitement upon showing you the letters he traced at preschool, or the exasperating teen who makes an unguarded comment revealing how much she still values your approval. I always try to remember that wishing away the negatives of a certain phase of parenthood inevitably means wishing away its joys, too. So if the school year is ratcheting up your stress level, try this little assignment: pause, breathe deeply, and think, “This won’t last forever.” Savor what’s good about the present moment. In the classroom of life, it’s one of the most important lessons we’ll ever learn.

****
Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God, which received a 2009 Catholic Press Award. She’s also an English teacher, weekend gardener, sporadic exerciser, and proud mother of two young boys. Visit Ginny's blog (click here) for thoughts on Mary, faith, parenting, and the occasional ode to Jane Austen.

Encouragers need encouragement too.....

2010-08-12T05:02:00.003-06:00

We women are most certainly created to bring forth life. We open ourselves to bearing life, we open to carry love and to be encouragers of others. It is such a gift to find a new source which helps us stay informed and connected....and to be encouraged in our vocation of love. Growing in faith and knowledge helps us become more effective vessels of love and life. At ENDOW, women gather in small groups to learn and to encourage each other to run along on God’s intended path toward holiness. What JOY there is being together in this active pursuit! To find our more about ENDOW and all the upcoming classes near you, please click here.

In addition to getting together in person, in ENDOW studies or other faith and education building opportunities, it is a great help to be attentive to good sources which keep us up to date on many of the current issues we face as Catholic women in today’s culture. Catholic News Agency has launched a new site called “Catholic Womanhood, Wisdom, Purpose, Fulfillment,” a new source where Catholic women can access to read about such issues and be encouraged and informed in our active lives of faith. Let us all pray for grace as we pursue the universal call to holiness within the Church and our society. To check out this new chock-full-of excellent information site and be encouraged as Catholic women, click here. ENJOY!

In search for Truth, St. Benedicta of the Cross found that truth had a name: Jesus Christ......

2010-08-10T04:51:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast day of a beautiful saint who searched for the truth and “at the end of a long journey, she came to the surprising realization: only those who commit them selves to the love of Christ become truly free.”

During his homily for the canonization of Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) on October 8, 1998, John Paul II had this to say about St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross:

“St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was able to understand that the love of Christ and human freedom are intertwined, because love and truth have an intrinsic relationship. The quest for truth and its expression in love did not seem at odds to her; on the contrary she realized that they call for one another.”

He said....."The love of Christ was the fire that inflamed the life of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Long before she realized it, she was caught by this fire. At the beginning she devoted herself to freedom. For a long time Edith Stein was a seeker. Her mind never tired of searching and her heart always yearned for hope. She traveled the arduous path of philosophy with passionate enthusiasm. Eventually she was rewarded: she seized the truth. Or better: she was seized by it. Then she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. From that moment on, the incarnate Word was her One and All. Looking back as a Carmelite on this period of her life, she wrote to a Benedictine nun: 'Whoever seeks the truth is seeking God, whether consciously or unconsciously.'" ........To read John Paul II’s entire homily on Edith Stein, please click here.

At the end of a long journey, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross came to the surprising realization: only those who commit themselves to the love of Christ become truly free.

Interested in learning more about this amazing saint and her blessed search for truth? ENDOW has a wonderful study on saint titled: Edith Stein: Seeker of Truth. To learn more and to find a class or information on facilitating an ENDOW class please click here.

Make room for the Divine guest.......make a habit of hospitality!

2010-08-05T07:22:00.004-06:00

Today our Catholic Church celebrates the dedication of St. Mary Major in Rome. This basilica is the oldest church in the West dedicated to the honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy Mother of God. Our Blessed Mother uttered the perfect “Yes” to God in offering all of herself in becoming the Mother of God. Tomorrow we remember Transfiguration of the Lord. We recall the very glory of God revealed in Christ Jesus upon Mount Tabor (photo at left: The Church of the Transfiguration). How can we open our hearts to welcome God, the Divine Guest? How shall we imitate Our Blessed Mother and Our Lord Jesus? This week, Pope Benedict XVI taught a group of altar servers about the Eucharist, Jesus’ greatest gift to us. As reported by the CNA (Catholic News Agency), our Holy Father says this about the Eucharist: "It is a precious good," he said, "a treasure whose value cannot be measured, it is the Bread of life, it is Jesus who makes himself food, support and strength for our daily path and open road to eternal life; it is the greatest gift that Jesus left us." (read more).

Each day this summer, among the moments of preparing for visiting guests in our homes, let us pay special attention to actively prepare for and invite Jesus to dwell within our hearts. We can do this by receiving Him in the Eucharist, having prepared our hearts through prayer and the sacrament of reconciliation. In addition, we can develop the habit of setting our minds on Jesus, moment by moment, inviting Jesus to come and stay with us through spiritual communion. May we all form this habit of hospitality of constantly inviting the Divine Guest into our hearts. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful!

Precious gift of HUMAN LIFE...our duty to protect, to cherish and to treasure......

2010-08-03T11:39:00.010-06:00

Have you ever slowed down to consider how much you value life? I will never forget an observation which made me aware of how different cultures and families within them value life. Years ago our son went on a soccer trip to Costa Rica and he came home with a very interesting observation. He was so moved by the behavior of the family who hosted him. He told us how they respected the life of each bug in their home. When they saw a bug in their home, they captured it gently and took it outside to live. He contrasted their behavior to our more callous behavior of killing spiders and bugs in our home. We had lost sensitivity for the lives of bugs. We justified killing them as they were merely “pests.” That observation has stuck with me and has raised my sensitivity to every life, especially for each human life. What must we do to promote an increased awareness of the preciousness of human life in our homes and in our culture?

As babies are being aborted, many hearts are being deeply harmed and becoming more callous towards the dignity of life. The very real effects of this on women are sometimes called “post-abortion syndrome.” A recent article in CNA (Catholic News Agency) tells that the Vatican is preparing a new document on the effects of abortion on women. This growing problem “was made manifest in all of its gravity when 20 years ago, after the devastating earthquake in Armenia (1989), a team of doctors from the Sacred Heart Catholic University traveled to the region to provide medical assistance and discovered that many women had undergone as many as 20 abortions or more. For them, having an abortion had become something like having a cup of coffee. Thus they talked about the dramatic phenomenon of completely erasing any moral sensitivity to the issue of abortion.” read full article.

Please take this moment to pray for increased sensitivity and awareness of the value and dignity of each and every human life. What can women of ENDOW do to help turn the tide from abortions becoming “like having a cup of coffee?” How can our culture be transformed into a culture of life? As Catholics, we are well instructed through the teachings of the Church on how to live lives which promote a culture of life. As we patiently wait for and look forward to new documents on these issues of love and life we can choose to look deep into the timeless teachings we already have on the dignity of life. One such encyclical, titled Humanae Vitae (On Transmitting Human Life), was written in 1968 by Pope Pius VI. The ENDOW study by this same name delves deep into this important instruction on the transmission of human life. To find out where ENDOW’s Humanae Vitae studies are being offered, click here.

Celebrate the richness and blessing of grandparents!

2010-07-29T08:15:00.001-06:00

This week we celebrated the feast day of Sts. Joachim and Ann, beloved parents of Our Blessed Mother. Many of us travel during the summer to visit our parents or grandparents or to visit our children and grandchildren. What blessing and wisdom there is to be shared by our treasured grandparents. A CNA article reports that our Holy Father acknowledges grandparents “with appreciation for the religious, spiritual, human and social richness of grandparents.....(read more).”

Part of the "feminine genius" John Paul II teaches about includes the gift of maternity, but when he speaks of maternity he is not limiting the experience solely to a biological reality. At ENDOW, all motherhood is highly treasured and valued. Have you ever considered becoming a spiritual mother or grandmother? To learn more about this blessed calling please click here.

Let us run to hug our grandparents with hugs of arms and/or prayers! We thank God for the treasure of our grandparents. Sts. Joachim and Ann, pray for us!

Don't miss ENDOW's Terry Polakovic & Brigid Sweeney on "EWTN Live"...Wed, 7/28/10..8pm CDT

2010-07-27T20:55:00.007-06:00

Please tune in to see ENDOW's amazing opportunity to share the ENDOW mission with more and more women! Terry Polakovic and Brigid Sweeney will be interviewed by EWTN's Fr. Mitch Pacwa on Wednesday (7/28/10) 8pm EDT. How about encouraging your friends who might like to learn a bit more about ENDOW and it's mission to tune in as well? This is a great opportunity to help more people learn about the important work ENDOW does in transforming our culture.

(Please forgive me for previously posting an incorrect time.....I hope some of you did get to see it...it was a terrific show!)

Viewing later: Encores will be run on Thursday, July 28th at 1am and 9am and Sunday, August 1st at 4pm. Also, following the taping, a copy of the show can be purchased here.

We are never alone! Our Holy Father speaks about praying the “Our Father...”

2010-07-27T09:42:00.003-06:00

As we pray, we draw into closer and closer friendship with God. Today I saw this beautiful butterfly doing exactly what he was created to do. Trough prayer, we can ask for the grace to do what our Father has planned for our lives...“Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you...” (Is 43:4, RSV) Imagine! These are the true words of our Father in heaven to us.

The Lord’s Prayer “is the most perfect of prayers..” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2763). When we gather together in prayer at mass, in our ENDOW studies....in our families...even when we are by our selves, we are never alone when we pray the Our Father! An article from ZENIT reports Pope Benedict XVI’s instruction to the faithful on the Lord’s Prayer. Our Holy Father says “Every time we recite the Our Father our voice interweaves with the voice of the Church, because no one who prays is ever alone.” In saying this prayer we all know and love, “We are before the first words of sacred Scripture that we have known since childhood. They fix themselves in the memory, they form our lives, they accompany us until our last breaths. They reveal...”(read full article).

I encourage all women of ENDOW to spend time today praying the Our Lord's Prayer with focused attention. You might ask in prayer, “What will you have me do for you today, our loving Father?” Let us join into this blessed interweaving of voices by praying now “Our Father who art in heaven......."

SUFFERING converted to ministry....Fr. Paddy lived JOY in taking up his cross.....

2010-07-22T10:09:00.005-06:00

Suffering is sometimes so hard to understand. Today we read about a Catholic priest who is thought by many to have been a living saint. The obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for Fr. Patrick Rager of Pittsburgh, PA tells how Fr. Paddy “was an example of heroic virtue” to all who knew him. “He gave such a witness in his priestly ministry to what it means to take up one's cross and simply, quietly bear it. But he did it in a way that converted it into a ministry. He was a constant source of support, encouragement and spiritual strength for people all over, not only the United States, but different parts of the world......” (read more).

Fr. Paddy was “inspired to priesthood by his childhood pastor at St. Mary Magdalene..” Today, on this feast of St. Mary Magdalene, let us pray for her intercession that Fr. Paddy rest in peace and all may come to know more about the Christian meaning of suffering through his example. “Suffering is something which we will all experience in our lives. When we suffer in union with Christ, it can be a source of innumerable graces and blessings, a powerful means through which our lives are transformed and made holy. We saw this example of suffering lived deeply and authentically in the life of the author of this apostolic letter, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.........” This powerful apostolic letter is studied in the ENDOW class: Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering).

Growth and CHANGES!

2010-07-22T07:00:00.003-06:00

Hello everyone! There is a bit of change in the air here on The Front Porch. As many of you know, ENDOW’s Executive Director, Terry Polakovic, has been caring for this blog since it’s beginning along with a few other faithful contributors. Thanks to their efforts, The Front Porch has become an informative, wonderful and relaxing place to spend a moment or two. While Terry and the others will continue to contribute, I, Janet Teran, have been asked to regularly update the blog. I will be doing my best to keep an eye out for ideas and articles of interest which have to do with our mission at ENDOW. ENDOW is, as most of us know, a Catholic educational program that brings women together to discover their God-given dignity and to understand their role in humanizing and transforming society.

I am excited and am extremely grateful for this opportunity as I have a very deep love for ENDOW and all that the Holy Spirit is doing through this organization of faith filled people. I humbly ask for your prayers as I set out to keep you all comfortable and informed in this “gathering place” called “The Front Porch.” Please take a moment to check out the ENDOW website (Click Here)....there are so many new things happening as ENDOW continues to be blessed...such amazing growth and many new opportunities. During these lingering days of summer, I encourage you all to prayerfully consider joining an ENDOW class this fall or perhaps you will consider becoming a facilitator and starting a study! My family, friends and I have been blessed in more ways than I could ever count through my facilitation of ENDOW studies and through my association with ENDOW.........might this suggestion be THE ONE you have been waiting for? Please, go ahead....just say YES! To check out some classes which might be calling especially to you, please click here. I look forward to our time together here on The Front Porch........and Thank you! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful!

Midsummer Already? Embrace every moment.....

2010-07-18T20:48:00.006-06:00

Ginny Moyer, author of the award-winning book, Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God, has written a fun, practical, and poignant column on mommyhood and faith. Ginny has offered to share her insights with we women of ENDOW. Here’s to enjoying these precious and playful days of summer! We hope you enjoy Ginny’s insights, inspirations and suggestions.

Moms in Midsummer:

Four Tips for Enjoying the Season

By Ginny Kubitz Moyer

Summer has been in full swing for a few weeks now, and if you’re like me, you’re savoring it. If you’re like me, though, you also get a shock every time you glance at a calendar and realize it’s July. Time is passing, a truth that is only magnified when you spy overly zealous retailers stacking school supplies on shelves. At moments like this, you just might start to wonder whether you’re making the most of your summer, emotionally and spiritually.

Fear not. Here in the mid-summer mark, I’m happy to offer a few ways that we moms can embrace the season, using it to strengthen our family ties and recharge our spiritual batteries.

1. Learn from your kids and how they play. Remember when you were a child, and those warm summer evenings seemed endless? Tap into that spirit by heading outside with your own kids. Draw with chalk, build a fort, blow bubbles, play soccer. Most of all, watch them as they play. They’ve got it down, that unselfconscious sense of the here and now, not worrying about tomorrow. When I see my son gleefully pedaling his trike down the warm sidewalk, I really understand Jesus’ words about how we need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. If we can emulate our kids’ innate ability to glory in the moment, we’re finding a little bit of heaven on earth. A warm summer day or evening is the perfect time to start.

2. Jump into a project that feels too daunting the rest of the year. I’m not talking a necessary evil, like cleaning the garage, but something that feeds your soul. A few years ago, I spent a summer writing my book Mary and Me. I’d park myself in front of the computer every morning and tap away at the keyboard until the midday sun broiled me from the skylight above. It was wonderful to have a summer in which to let the project build momentum, to live fully in the author skin for a while. Maybe your project involves starting a blog, learning how to cross-stitch, finding the perfect enchilada recipe, or reading the collected works of Jane Austen. Whatever it is, there’s plenty of summer left. Dive in.

3. Give your kids some one-on-one time. Growing up, my sister and I each went to summer camp. The weeks never overlapped, so whichever child stayed at home got to spend a day with Mom, totally dedicated to activities of our choice. My special day usually involved a trip to the doll store, some time at the library, perhaps an ice cream cone. The one-on-one time with my mom was precious, and it was exciting to be the one to plan our activities. Even though my boys are younger, I’m making it a priority to spend the occasional day or afternoon with each of them, individually. It’s a great way to build those relationships, and to create some pretty sweet summer memories in the process.

4. Do an al fresco nighttime prayer. There’s something magical about an evening when you can sit outside without needing a sweater. During the summer, I often slip out to the backyard and spend a few quiet moments in the dark. Though I love my house, it’s also a place where dishes and laundry cry out for attention, where I think of all that remains undone. In the yard, though, I’m in a more peaceful space. It’s a great place to let the hum and buzz of the day recede. Try sitting out on the porch or taking a slow walk around the block. Review the day, and all its joys and challenges. Recognize the sweetness of the season. Invite God into the life you are living, right here, right now. There’s no more beautiful way to end a summer’s day.

****

Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God, which received a 2009 Catholic Press Award. She’s also an English teacher, weekend gardener, sporadic exerciser, and proud mother of two young boys. To visit Ginny's blog for thoughts on Mary, faith, parenting, and the occasional ode to Jane Austen, click here.

Good Parents make good families..and sometimes even Saints!

2010-07-16T22:51:00.007-06:00

July 10 was the feast of one of the Church's beatified married couples, Blesseds Louis Martin and Marie-Zélie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse. We at ENDOW encourage all parents to pray to these two holy Blesseds who raised their child, St. Therese, to become a great Saint and Doctor of the Church with her “Little Way.” They are on their way to sainthood as well. Blessed be God! We parents know the great demand to raise our children in the faith and the call to encourage them to live as God intends, constantly attentive to the will of God and following His leading. When parents seek to know and obey God in their homes, there is a JOY of new life which pours forth from their family in the form of faith filled and loving children.

The article “Building a Family-Friendly Society” featured on ZENIT illustrates the central importance of good families in society....."Families founded on marriage offer society essential goods through the generation of new citizens and the increase of social virtues," he said. "Thus, they have a right to a just cultural, juridical and economic recognition.".....(See full article:click here). Blesseds Louis and Marie-Zelie Guerin Martin and St. Therese, please intercede for all families to be strengthened in love and be true witnesses to the importance of the family for society.

Love is in the air....Please give me eyes to SEE!

2010-07-15T09:35:00.008-06:00

When we meet new people it is sometimes a bit scary as the expectations of ourselves and of others get so high. Is this person too good to be true? Am I not good enough? Coming to know ourselves as beloved (like St. John, The Beloved Disciple) in the eyes of God helps us live our true God-given dignity. In a Catholic News agency article titled “I’m not Good enough for you” by Anthony Buono, there are suggestions of how to let go of fear and live more fully in relationship. Some advice presented in the article for those who are looking for a spouse or for anyone looking for greater peace between loved ones: “For the pursuit of marriage, it is imperative that we never make the mistake of thinking that we are dating a saint, and we are too sinful, weak, or broken for that person. It is also imperative that we do not put that other person on too high of a pedestal, and remember that they, too, are a sinner. If you are ever dating someone who comes across as believing there is nothing wrong with them......" (to see full article, click here).

So very many women who participate in ENDOW classes have come to better understand this harmony in relationships that God intends for us. In knowing more fully that we are all beloved, “as is,” in the eyes of God, we soon experience a richer and more authentic harmony in all of our relationships. A couple of ENDOW classes to consider are Discover your Dignity I the journey of a woman’s life from birth through her late 40’s and Discover Your Dignity II the journey from mid-life to the end of life.

Our Holy Papa knows best! Be not afraid of Papal encyclicals!

2010-07-13T16:57:00.005-06:00

Kevin Clarke, a theology teacher at St Joseph Academy in San Marcos, California has studied Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical "Caritas in Veritate" with his 12th grade morality class, exposing the students to the Pope’s teaching on authentic human development. A Zenit article reports: “In this interview with ZENIT, Clarke explains how the students exceeded his expectations in their ability to grasp the principles of the encyclical, and the importance "Caritas in Veritate" will have in their lives as they enter college and then into the professional world. Click here to read the full article. Interested in learning more about encyclicals? ENDOW’s Humanae Vitae and Redemptoris Mater studies are terrific ways to become familiar with encyclicals while diving into greater knowledge of Church teaching.

Holiness Never Goes Out of Style

2010-07-07T11:22:00.006-06:00

The Holy Father has some good fashion advice for all of us ENDOW women: Holiness never goes out of style.

Catholic News Agency explains: "The Holy Father dedicated his Sunday homily to reflections on the life of St. Celestine as he visited the Italian city where the relics of the 13th century saint and Pope are kept. In a message filled with lessons on life, the Pope especially highlighted the importance of silence to finding God, the fact that faith is a gift and the lasting power of holiness." Click here for the full article.

50 Year Anniversary of the Pill

2010-05-10T20:56:00.001-06:00

Detroit, Mich., May 7, 2010 / 07:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).-

Responding to a recent Agence France Presse (AFP) article that criticized Catholic teaching on contraception, well-known professor, Dr. Janet Smith, said that in her opinion, the poorly researched piece “was inaccurate and slanted from the beginning.”

In light of the recent 50th anniversary of the Pill being released to U.S. markets, the AFP reported on Thursday that in spite of Church teaching, the majority of Catholic women today use contraception.

“Catholics use the pill the same way everyone else does ... Priests don't even preach against it any more,” Jon O'Brien, president of the dissident group Catholics for Choice, told the AFP on Wednesday.

AFP also made reference in the article to a commission of bishops and lay people who recommended in 1968 that the Church should change its position on contraception. The AFP article argued that Pope Paul VI “ignored” the commission in his writing of “Humanae Vitae” and “banned” Catholics from using the Pill.

The article also mentioned that less than five percent of Catholics use the “rhythm method,” which it called the one of the “birth control methods allowed by the Church.”

During a phone interview with CNA on Thursday, Dr. Smith, a professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, said that it was obvious the writer of the AFP article did “minimal research.”

Not only did the writer mention the “rhythm method,” a term that Smith said “no one is using,” but the commission surrounding Pope Paul VI was “simply an advisory panel.” The Pope, said Smith, did not “ignore” anyone by opposing contraception, but rather, upheld the tenets of the faith on the belief that birth control would have devastating societal consequences.

The AFP article, she summarized, “was inaccurate and slanted from beginning to end.”

Defending the Church's teaching that contraception affects society in negative ways and is immoral, Smith noted that “more than one out of three babies in the United States are born to a single mother, one out of four pregnancies are aborted,” and that “more than one out of two marriages end in divorce.”

“If people were living by the Church's teaching on sexuality, those things wouldn't be happening, and those things are a path to misery,” she underscored.

“People born out of wedlock have a very hard life, as do their children. People who get divorced have a very hard life as do their children, and their friends and their family,” Smith asserted, adding that on the other hand, “people who don't get divorced and stay married and raise their children, generally have very good lives.”

“Couples who use natural family planning almost never divorce,” she pointed out. “The divorce rate at tops, we think is around 4%.”

In light of these facts,“who looks foolish?” she asked. “The Church for not changing a teaching that almost guarantees happiness or a culture that is pushing an agenda that almost guarantees misery?”

Also, “it is really, patently absurd for women to be putting chemicals in their body to correct a condition that is not a defect.

“Fertility is a perfectly healthy condition,” Smith emphasized.

While it is true, said Smith, that many Catholics do not follow Church teaching on contraception, many Catholics “also don't abide by the Church's teaching about not having sex before marriage and not getting divorced and even, I'm sorry to say, having abortions.”

Smith even referenced areas outside the realm of sexuality that Catholics “are at odds with their Church,” such as, resistance to Church teaching on receptivity towards immigrants.

Contraception is “not an isolated teaching that's being ignored.”

On the reasons why many Catholics today are disconnected from Church teaching, the noted professor offered two explanations. “One, is that the influence of the culture is just overwhelming – the prominence of the media and the slant of the media on everything. Catholics are going to Church at most, once on Sunday but they're watching TV and reading the media hours and hours and hours of every week.”

“So what's going to have more influence on them?” she asked. “Their Church or their culture?”

The second reason for the modern disconnect between Catholics and Church teaching is “the dissent that happened in the 1960s against 'Humanae Vitae,'” Smith explained.

“A lot of priests were actually taught in the seminaries that the Church was going to change its position on contraception and therefore they shouldn't really bother to teach the Catholic faithful about it,” she said. This confusion over Church teaching on human sexuality is why “John Paul II made it one of his flagship items of his pontificate.”

One of Pope John Paul II's seminal works, the “Theology of the Body,” has “taken off like wildfire around the United States,” Smith told CNA. One the main purposes of the writings, she explained, “was to defend the Church's teaching of contraception.”

According to Smith, the U.S. is responding. “Young people all over the place come to huge conferences” on the theology of the body “and certainly, the training in the seminary is very different now – seminarians are learning the Church's teaching.”

Smith herself has had “over a million” copies of her talks on the Church's teaching regarding human sexuality distributed in recent years.

Reflection: The Catholic Church, and Those who Love Her, Are Best Understood in Christ Crucified

2010-05-04T10:29:00.001-06:00

God has given his children an indescribable and indispensable treasure in the fullness of truth that is contained in the Catholic Church alone. When a man, woman or child finds this truth and adheres to it, there is a wonderful, radiant security that rests in their heart.

DENVER, CO (Catholic Online) - When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified True God and True Man, cruelly fixing his sacred Humanity upon a Roman Cross. As they looked upon the Crucified Son, the rulers "sneered" at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God." The soldiers, too, "jeered" at him, calling out, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself." (see Lk. 23:33-38).

It appears that the soldiers who mocked Jesus did not understand who he truly is. We could say that they failed to distinguish or recognize reality as it is; for it is reality that the Man they nailed to the cross was-is-the Son of God. In their misunderstanding, they jeered at him. "If you are who you say you are," said they, "save yourself." The soldiers had in mind that the Messiah of God should act differently than he indeed willed to act; they could not understand why he would not use his power in a way that they imagined it ought be used.

We see this same type of jeering and mocking continue on this very day in the way the Catholic Church, which Christ himself founded a short time before he hung on the cross, is persecuted. There are those today, in effect, who exclaim of the Church: "If you are who you say you are, then act as I imagine you would." But what type of Church is it that they imagine God would install in the midst of the world? One inhabited by sinless men completely removed from a fallen humankind who inhabit a fallen world? One that is not truly Mother Church but, rather, a distant and unknown stepmother?

It is unnecessary to go into detail concerning the scandals of abuse which periodically surface within the Church. Suffice it to say that every devout Catholic who sees the Church correctly and in the light of reality as it is, is saddened and disappointed and even angered at these tragic, sinful events. Yet precisely because these Catholics recognize the Catholic Church for what she is, they remain ever-faithfully in love with her; obedient to her words of truth, thirsting for her sacraments of life-especially the highest of all sacraments: the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in Eucharist.

Read the rest of this article at catholic.org, the site of first publication.

Nun Sense: Women in the Catholic Church

2010-04-30T17:27:00.005-06:00

This article by Kathryn Jean Lopez first published on National Review Online, interviews Sister Prudence.
________________________________________________
A Habited Women Speaks
In his New York Times column this month, Nicholas Kristof wrote about “A Church Mary Can Love.” If you didn’t read the column, you might not be shocked to learn its contents: He’s not that into the Vatican, and he doesn’t think the Blessed Virgin would be either. He’s more into a priest who reportedly told him that he “would build a condom factory in the Vatican to save lives.” However, Kristof also wrote something sensible: “I’ve come to believe that the very coolest people in the world today may be nuns.” Amen. And in the following interview with Sister Mary Prudence Allen, I think you’ll begin to see why. Sister Prudence is with the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., an order with a special focus on health care.

Sister Prudence is also a philosophy professor and a published author, having written the two-volume The Concept of Woman and contributed to The Foundations of Religious Life: Revisiting the Vision (a compilation from the other “nuns” in the health-care debate, the ones who stood by the bishops conference’s objection to the abortion provisions in the legislation — and by Catholic doctrine on the most innocent human life).

Read the interview here.

Introducing ENDOW Intensives

2010-04-27T17:36:00.001-06:00

On a recent morning in one of our staff meetings, someone brought up again how the real mission of ENDOW is educating women, and we wondered how well we were hitting that goal. It is always of concern to us that we may be missing a significant portion of the female population – those women who are simply too busy and unable to commit to an eight week study. How can we reach them? Would they be interested if we could think of a way to fit ENDOW into their schedule? We tossed around ideas of how to make ENDOW accessible to these women and we landed upon the idea of ENDOW Intensives.
The idea was to offer a “turbo-charged” class – one that would condense an 8-week study into a 7-hour day. It would mean that we would have to distill each chapter down to its essence, highlighting key points, being selective about which passages to read aloud, and spending less time lingering on the discussion questions. But the trade-off seemed a good one. While not exactly a precise replica of an ENDOW class, the Intensive would introduce the concepts and the content of an ENDOW topic in a fast-paced and, we hoped, inspiring way. The benefits were obvious – women would be able to immerse themselves in a study and walk away filled up with new information and refreshed and energized about their Catholic faith.
We are happy to report that we debuted ENDOW Intensives earlier this month. Eileen Love taught Letter to Women to a group in the scenic mountain town of Edwards. At the same time these women were in class, ENDOW’s Brigid Sweeney taught Girl Genius to their daughters, the 8th graders at St. Claire of Assisi. The fire of ENDOW was lit and the message of New Feminism is spreading. The young girls had a great day and the women were excited by what they heard and many expressed a desire to continue studying. Then, these past two Saturdays, Intensives on Letter to Women and Edith Stein: Seeker of Truth were offered at the John Paul II Center.
From the feedback we are receiving, we are pronouncing ENDOW Intensives a success. The next one we are presenting is slated for late June in Houston. We’d love to see as many of our Texas sisters as possible! And we will be putting more on the calendar, so watch this space for information and tell your friends!

My Route to ENDOW – A Witness Story

2010-04-08T11:14:00.000-06:00

By Judi Piccone

If we believe that God desires us to know the truth then we must be open to seeking it. I am reminded of this when I think of the journey He has brought me on to encounter His Truth and faithfulness through ENDOW. His love for me placed my spiritual voyage on a path to ENDOW and although it has not been easy, I am certain it was purposeful.

My story begins many years ago when I became interested in an international ecumenical Bible study. It had many thriving Colorado locations to choose from and it seemed perfect. It welcomed women of different Christian denominations to gather and study Scripture. In my mind it was noble, even productive to the cause of uniting Christians and its message of being “ecumenical” drew me in. I was encouraged that there were other Catholic women involved, who like me, were searching for more. We wanted to be fed but it needed to accommodate the diapers and daily duties of life. With Catholic Biblical School being too daunting, MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers - a Christian mom and tot group) not enough and no other suitable Catholic program available, this seemed perfect. I became deeply involved.
Although I was a very active and faithful Catholic, I know now I was subtly being led away from my religious roots. Thankfully, God brought me down the path of truth and I am grateful that I knew to listen. After five very involved years in the program, it had been revealed to me by an insider that they were not ecumenical at all, but that the leadership was trained to welcome Catholics only to convert them. NO! This could not be true! At that point I realized I needed the truth and with God’s grace I found the courage to contact the National Director, a woman I did not know, and I asked if this was a fact. After some discussion and some beating around the bush, she finally said, “Yes, we only welcome Catholics to convert them.” While I was grateful for her honesty, I was devastated because I was entrenched in the program and I realized then that I had to cut the dead limb, close the door, and walk away.

Where was I to find Him now? He had brought me to this realization but what purpose did it have if there was nothing similar in the Catholic Church to fill that void? It was a painful process but God is abundantly generous and faithful. Thanks to a group of faithful women who chose to listen to Him, ENDOW was started. It was exactly what I needed and has filled that void in such an amazing way. There have been many truths revealed - like how I am special and unique as a woman of God (Letter to Women), how God gave me Mary to be my companion (Redemptoris Mater) and the joy in uniting myself to His suffering (Salvifici Doloris). These and many other studies have shown me His faithfulness as they have strengthened and fortified me. Through ENDOW, Christ has shown me how deeply He loves me and I am profoundly humbled.

Arleen Mack, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado

2010-04-01T21:07:00.000-06:00

Lenten means a time that I, as a busy mother and wife, force myself to make time to work on my own spirituality. It seems that there is never a "right" time to make time for me, but because the well runs dry, I make time in Lent. The way I find that time is to give my faith life a higher priority in my time allocation. I stay away from unneeded shopping, lunches and coffee dates and instead attend two Endow sessions and parish soup suppers to keep up with my women friends. I also minimize my reading to only my spiritual selections. I work hard to find "quiet time" and stay away from the busyness of life. For the Lenten Season I really try to practice good discipline in time, treasure and talent, hoping some of the behavior change may become habits!

Eileen Hierholz, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado

2010-04-01T21:06:00.000-06:00

Eileen Hierholz, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado
I have come to find that the things we choose to "fast from" are really the things in this life that we have made into our own "little gods" for various reasons to various degrees. We are so blessed to have the wisdom of the church that gives us this special time to reflect on those things which keep us farther from Our Lord and closer to our attachments, which also keep us from giving of ourselves to His service and others in need. Of course, there is so much more, such as a deepening of awareness of the mercy of God. I look forward to a spiritually renewing and holy Lent.

Two Reflections today

2010-03-31T11:04:00.001-06:00

Megan Rogers, ENDOW facilitator, New Mexico:
My husband and I recently moved to a new military base and it is in a rural area in the desert. Lent to me is just this, a merciful act by God to call me to a place remote and without the many comforts and convenience of a city, to be with Him. Lent is embracing change, learning to depend on God (once more) and to be courageous in following His will, even if it means barren deserts and wrestling winds; a reflection of my soul at times.

Julie Wong, friend of ENDOW, Ohio:
This Lent, the Lord has led me to focus on several different themes. The first is to strive to become poor before Christ, as He has made Himself so poor on the Cross before each one of us. It's so easy to let my heart become entangled and chained down by various distractions and desires...He is gently calling me to let Him strip and cleanse my heart of everything but Him. When I let Him do this, so much freedom and peace is found!

The second theme is learning to embrace my littleness and weakness. St. Therese of Lisieux's "Little Way" is becoming more and more beautiful to me as I daily realize my radical need for God. Instead of trying to become "perfect" and then feeling perpetually frustrated and discouraged, Jesus is calling me to become still and peaceful within His arms. He wants me to trust that if I simply surrender myself to Him with all of my faults, He can do great things in me! His Sacred Heart will do EVERYTHING for us if we only LET HIM!

Judith Watson, ENDOW facilitator, Indiana

2010-03-31T11:03:00.000-06:00

For me, Lent is a time to bring more silence into my life, in order to hear the Holy Spirit speak to me. I am a news-aholic and I tend to have a TV on all of the time so that I can keep abreast of all of those "news alerts." During Lent, I strive to keep the house quiet, do more spiritual reading, and spend time pondering where I have been spiritually and where I need to go. And I clean! Thanks to my daughter Jill, I discovered an excellent way to detach from things, in a 40 Bags for 40 Days exercise of cleaning closets and drawers, getting rid and giving away those items that can be of use to someone else, or that just need to be tossed out. Manual labor is a good time for pondering what is important in life. At the end of Lent, I hope to have a clean house, both physically and spiritually! I also hope that at the end of Lent I have developed a good spiritual habit that I will keep with me even when Lent is over. My Lenten exercise becomes an Easter gift for my soul.

Monica Harden, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado

2010-03-30T10:28:00.000-06:00

Lent is a time dedicated to bringing us closer to Christ. These are a few of the changes that I am attempting this year.

Sacrifice: Christ gave his life for us. Our little sacrifices of luxuries and non necessities are a tiny price to pay.

Reading: Scripture, Lives of the Saints, Articles, new find; Beatitudes by Raniero, Cantalamessa. Then contemplating on how these readings work in our lives

Giving: I have so very, very much. Give a lagniappe (a little something extra) where ever I can. This can be done in kind words, little gifts and extra prayers.

Michaelene Hearn, ENDOW facilitator, Michigan

2010-03-30T10:27:00.002-06:00

Lent is a beautiful time to hide intimately in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a time of total surrender; to fall in love with Jesus or renew love with Him, through prayer, fasting, mortifications and sacrifice. It is a time to listen closely, be open to the Holy Spirit and experience God's love.
Strip me, cleanse me, forgive me and help me to love you, Lord Jesus, more than ever before. The passion and death of Jesus Christ, testifies to the immense love and forgiveness He has for mankind. The institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, is the greatest gift he gave us before his death. The sorrowful heart of The Blessed Mother, Mary, compassionately teaches faith, trust, courage, perseverance and hope. Lent is growing in conformity to God's Will, that we may experience fully the joy of His Resurrection and awesome caress of His Divine Mercy, forever in eternity. I love you, Jesus! Thank you for your loving me! Amen.

Kathy Middleton, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado

2010-03-30T10:27:00.001-06:00

Lent is a time for me to get a sense for what God is doing in me in each year. It is a time of spiritual "spring cleaning". I often find that my efforts to find things to do or give up for Lent pale in comparison to what God reveals to me during this time. Hidden cobwebs, dust bunnies, dark corners, all become exposed and it is surprisingly humbling when I see the dirt that has accumulated in my soul! But it doesn't defeat me, because Lent is like God coming in with his 'sweeping' grace, his cleansing mercy, his startling "shaking out" of all that needs to be purged. hopefully, when I cooperate and allow Him to do His work, I can be more free to proclaim Him in my life as the year continues and as spring and Easter bring us new hope, warm winds, and flowers, hopefully, we also bring these gifts to a hurting world.

Lora Ostach, ENDOW facilitator, Michigan

2010-03-29T10:54:00.001-06:00

Lent is a very special time of year. It’s all about Baptism. Yes it’s a solemn, pensive and sacrificial time, “time in the dessert. But for me, Lent is an exciting time, filled with anticipation and awe. It’s the time when I recall my baptismal promise. It's the time I relive the special events in my life leading up to baptism day. You see, I was baptized as an adult at our Easter Vigil in 2006. I was there, in the presence of God, openly participating, basking in His Grace and reveling in His Glory, taking in every moment of those forty days of Lent leading to that most special day.
I remember like it was yesterday the Rite of Election on that First Sunday of Lent. It was my commitment to the Catholic Church as I signed my name in the BOOK of the ELECT and was blessed by the Bishop of our Archdiocese. I remember the three weeks of Scrutinies and how I reflected on my own life and my sins and allowed God to scrutinize me and heal me. The traditions of praying, fasting and almsgiving began to take hold in my heart and gave me the help I needed to prepare my soul for Christ and His gift of Eternal Life that He was about to give to me. The parishioners, my catholic mentors were reflective, solemn, sincere. Palm Sunday was like no other Sunday and Holy week was almost too much to bear. My heart was bursting with love and pain. I remember it like it was yesterday; I celebrate Lent like it was my first Lent.
Not everyone is lucky enough to remember their baptism and the events leading up to it. Lent is the chance to imagine all that it was, all that it is and all that it stands for and prepare for that glorious moment. Jesus wants us to remember.

Andrea Maciejewski, ENDOW facilitator, Michigan

2010-03-29T10:53:00.004-06:00

Lent is a very precious season for me. Since I was very young, I have relished the opportunity to "even now, turn back to Me with all your heart." I always find that the small sacrifices I try to make, small works of mercy I offer to Christ, and increased prayer has immediate consequences in my soul, as well as my day to day!

It is a great privilege and honor to be able to enter into the intimate Passion of our Lord. It is there that I truly find myself, and as I mourn my sins which crucified my Lord, He lets me know very clearly how much He loves me and makes me whole again. "For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world."

It is when I die in Him fully that I will one day rise with Him. Lent prepares me for this glory to come, in reflecting on His Dolorous Passion, and living the Resurrection!

Christina Kruis, ENDOW Facilitator, Calgary, Canada

2010-03-29T10:53:00.001-06:00

Lent is a time for me to really understand and think about what Jesus did for me. I have to question what He wants me to do to show my love for Him? Lent is a time to remember that Doing What Jesus Would Do is always right but not always easy. Easter is a huge celebration proving how much Jesus loves me.

Jo Ann Wilson, ENDOW facilitator, Ohio

2010-03-29T10:51:00.000-06:00

I have a "Love, Dread " relationship to this time in our Church season. Lent is a time of my own personal "dying and rising". It is a time I strip the house of many accessories and holiday decorations to remind myself of the call inside to shed those attachments, habits and even relationships that draw me away from God. To allow Him to come into my Heart in a new way inviting Him to "have His way with me" that I so often compromise.

I "treat" myself to reading spiritual books in the afternoon. I find cooking less draining as I make simpler meals and still feel "good about it". I reach out to those relationships I have neglected, and I take the time to truly allow the gift of husband and family to cause a welling up of thankfulness in my heart in a new way.

I love the new life renewal that comes during this time, but the shedding part and even the initial "quietly facing myself" part is often painful. Only God's love and knowing He is with me every step as I struggle to be with Him makes the dreading part even part of the loving part!

Terelyn Santos, ENDOW facilitator, Texas

2010-03-26T10:07:00.001-06:00

Lent is an invitation from the One I love to spend intimate time with him. It's a time to take a deeper look within myself under his loving and merciful gaze. It's a time to walk in the "desert" of purification with Someone who doesn't want to judge me, but help me become "white than snow", truly "pure of heart". It's a time of transformation that occurs by letting go and accepting grace. It's a time to experience the fullness of God's love for me and give thanks!

Brief Thoughts...

2010-03-25T14:00:00.001-06:00

a.Shar Messaros, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado: To me Lent means….really paying attention to the sacrifice Christ made for me and spending more time with him in prayer

b.Ann Kelm, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado: Lent is Spring Training for Christians!!!

c.Valerie Staples, ENDOW facilitator, California: Lent is a time for us to reflect on the love and sacrifices of God and what we can do to perfect our souls so that we might love and sacrifice like He did. I love it for that reason

d. Michele Schmidt, ENDOW Facilitator, Michigan: To me, Lent means..... Psalm 51:12" “A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.” A time of renewing my spirit and opening my heart to the magnificence of God.

e.Pat Nash, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado: Lent means daily Mass, additional Adoration time, and growing closer to God in my journey with the Lord.

f.Cindy Simmons, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado: Lent is a time to "live" the passion of Christ with what He brings to me today. It's completely about my "Yes" to the shadow of death and trusting He will resurrect it.

Sharon van der Sloot, ENDOW Author and Advisory Board Member, Calgary, Alberta (Canada)

2010-03-24T11:38:00.000-06:00

As a convert to Catholicism, it took me a while to figure out what this ‘Lent thing’ was all about. At first, I thought it was just about me, so I gave up meat on Fridays and stopped eating dessert and potato chips. I felt very holy. It took me a while to realize that the practice of Lent isn’t just a Church sanctioned diet plan! Thank goodness God is so patient and loving with us, because it took me some time before I came to see that Lent is not so much a ‘turning away’ from things as it is a ‘turning toward’ Christ.

I now see Lent as a time to examine my life in God’s presence, to recognize those things which prevent me from drawing closer to Him, and to see what areas of my life need to be transformed in order to be more like Him. It is a time for change! A few weeks ago, our parish priest upped the bar when he pointed out that our Lenten penitential practices are not meant to be something that we do for 6 weeks and then forget about; they are meant to be the beginning of a true conversion of heart that will continue throughout the entire year. So this Lent, I haven’t made any grand plans for major ‘spiritual surgery’. Instead, I have tried to pick small ways that I can be more Christ-like, ways in which I hope to be able to persevere despite my human weakness: things like praying with greater attention and love, giving of myself and of my material resources to others with greater generosity and love, and fasting not because of any self-imposed diet plan, but to strengthen my will and to grow in my love for Christ. And in the end, perhaps Lent is just about that, about love – because God is love. It is doing everything out of love, not for me, but for God and for His greater glory.

Madelynn Winstead, ENDOW Board Member and editor, Colorado

2010-03-24T11:37:00.000-06:00

How does one speak about the season of Lent in one simple paragraph? This is a difficult task, choosing one’s words very carefully, getting the most out of every syllable. My first thought was simple and straightforward: “I was made for Lent, born with a hair shirt, as they say.” So perhaps it’s only my melancholic temperament, which draws me to this yearly time of self-denial and penitential practices. And yet, Lent is so much more than giving up chocolate and turning off the television (although these things are admirable and good). For me, Lent is a process that requires tilling the soil in preparation for spring. It’s doing the hard work, breaking new ground and clearing away the debris of fear and failure, compromise and complacency. This is the work that causes a sweat and makes your muscles ache. It requires us to dive into deep water, where we know we can no longer stand. A few years ago, I said good-bye to my son on Ash Wednesday, as he gathered his company of Marines and boarded a plane for Iraq. That Lent was seven months long and at times I felt the water rising up to my neck. But that is the beauty of Lent, the beauty of keeping your head above the water line and learning how to "breathe" God.

Melissa Osborn, ENDOW Board Member and facilitator, Colorado

2010-03-20T16:37:00.001-06:00

Growing up Lent meant giving up chocolate for 40 days, except Sundays that Nana said were exempt days, and waiting for that big chocolate bunny on Easter morning. However, some things need to change. Not too many years ago I went to an Ash Wednesday Mass with my husband and Fr. Mike Glen spoke about getting involved in Lent beyond the traditional giving things up. He challenged us to make a commitment such as daily scripture readings, increased time and attention to spiritual reflection, or attending mass more frequently. That year my husband and I decided to read the gospel of Mark together little by little each night before bed. For both of us it brought a entirely new and wonderful meaning to Lent. Today I see Lent as a time to get more connected with my faith and with the Lord. Of course, I still wait eagerly for that big chocolate bunny on Easter Sunday - some things never change!

Natalia Fletcher, ENDOW facilitator, Colorado

2010-03-17T20:26:00.001-06:00

Last night I spent my time with Jesus in the adoration chapel. As it was my first Holy Hour since the start of lent, I noticed the bareness of the altar…no flowers, no additional statues, no special linens, just Christ. I was awestruck by the prominent presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Spirit led me to reflect on this as a visual reminder of what Lent is all about. Removing the “decorations” from our lives to focus on what is truly important…our Lord! All the chocolate, movies, dinner dates are all wonderful things we enjoy with Christ, but sometimes they become what we focus on and forget the man at the center of the altar. In sacrificing this Lent, and removing them I hope to see the prominent place of Christ in my life and rejoice at Easter when I get to once again enjoy them, but this time with Christ!

Michele Lentz, ENDOW facilitator, Minnesota

2010-03-17T20:25:00.001-06:00

To me, Lent is finding joy in the desert. While seeking ways to offer up some of life's comforts I am also seeking areas where I can turn to God for my comfort, strength etc. rather than to things of this world. It is a time to be reflective and observant. Even small acts of self denial tend to drive up in me a clearer picture of my attachments. By observing these attachments to the things of this world I then have an opportunity to reflect on the inclination to turn to the world rather than turn to our Lord. When turning to our Lord at such times (or any time for that matter) I can then make some strides into a closer union with Him. Needless to say, finding that closer union with Christ brings joy and peace as well. Therefore for me Lent is finding joy in the desert.

Ginger Giesen, Founding ENDOW Board Member, Colorado

2010-03-15T09:59:00.000-06:00

The season of Lent offers to me the daily opportunity to review, reflect upon, and go deeper into my relationship with Jesus and God. While this is a goal for every day of life, the season of Lent sort of gives me 'de facto" permission to take more time to contemplate and pray. During Lent, our Catholic community has an almost "hushed tone" to it if you'll let yourself tap into it. It's way too easy to stay enmeshed in the hustle and bustle of an ordinary day and not feel, and rejoice in, God's presence. Lent almost feels like a gift; a gift in which God has given us an opportunity to experience very personally the depth of His love and the love His Son has for us.

Ginger Giesen, Founding ENDOW Board Member, Colorado

2010-03-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kate Barta, ENDOW facilitator, California

2010-03-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

What does Lent mean to me? At this moment in the lovely, sunny afternoon as my kids are snoozing, I see the answer in slow motion in my mind's eye. I can see only Jesus' feet, walking through the sand in slow motion, the bottom tip of His robe flapping in the wind as the sand and dust rise up around His steps. He is walking toward His Cross, and I am caught in slow motion so that I can journey, once again, with Him. But hopefully more fully this time, more substantially, more attentively, more humbly, more lovingly. The thing is, I can only see His feet right now. I need all the time of Lent to be able to raise my gaze to the other amazing details of His pilgrimage. I am so grateful for this time to slow everything down, intentionally, and to focus on His journey. Today, it means bending low with gentle, absolute intentionality in order to share with my children about this all-new, 40 day pilgrimage through the desert with Jesus. It means reaffirming to myself and my family that He is the most important Thing, One, Love, Hope, we ever have. Lord, help me to remain in slow motion with You in my heart at every moment this Lent.

Terry Begler, ENDOW Participant, Colorado

2010-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Lent is for Lion Tamers

“ROAR!”
Standing at the kitchen counter slicing carrots, I looked up just in time to see my six year old leap from the ottoman and pounce onto the floor. He scampered up again and, standing at full muster, proclaimed, “I am a mighty lion!” Again, he leapt from the ottoman with cookie crumb claws scratching the air. Landing on all fours, he then prowled to the counter and, as he stretched on hind legs, nose just above the cutting board, snitched one of my carrots and asked, “Mommy, if you could be any animal in the world, what would you be?” As if to help with suggestions, he volunteered, “Would you be a tiger, a wolf or a lion like me?” “Hmmm…” Twinkling eyes, like the dawn of an idea, he prompted, “Would you be a whale, a sea lion or an octopus?” (I grew up in Southern California so he thought he was on to my way of thinking.)
I answered, “Tempting choices, especially the octopus…The better to hug you, my dear.” He giggled. “Honey, I wouldn’t choose any of those.” “Then what, Mommy? What animal?” he persisted. I set down my paring knife and said, “let’s snuggle for a minute.” So, I took his hand and we curled into the big comfy chair, and after we settled in I said, “If I could be any animal in the whole world, I’d be a bee.” “A bee…,” he repeated as perplexity furrowed his brow. “Why would you want to be a bee? Why would anyone want to be a bee? They sting!” “I would want to be a bee, but not just any bee. I would be a big, fat, fuzzy bumble bee!” “You’d be fat and fuzzy?” he chortled with a toothless grin. “Yes, I would be a big, fat, fuzzy bumble bee.” “Did you know,” I continued, “that the finest scientists in the world believe the bumble bee should not fly? Physicists, biologists and engineers have studied the bumble bee. They’ve weighed it, measured its wings and counted one hundred and thirty beats per second. They considered aerodynamics and every law of physics. In the end, they concluded that the bumble bee cannot fly.”
By the grace of God, not only does the bubble bee fly, it makes a significant contribution to our world through pollination.”
My beautiful sisters of ENDOW, this Lenten season and always, I wish you the faith of a bumble bee.

Sylvia Harmon, ENDOW participant, Colorado

2010-03-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

It seems like every year I ponder for weeks, the impending season of Lent. I look forward to it and try to figure out what I need to do to create a meaningful journey. I come up with so many ideas and my enthusiasm starts to bubble up for a Lenten experience that will make me a better human being, a holier person.

The day before Ash Wednesday I am usually without a decision as to what I will give up and add to my life to bring me closer to our Lord. I wake up on Ash Wednesday and go through the motions of fasting and attending Mass, again without a focus or decision on my plans. Through all the busyness of the week, my clarity is blurred. As usual, I’m trying to help my children make decisions of their Lenten plans, talking with my husband about what we can do together and as a family, listening to friends ideas and reading spiritual motivations online about Lent. Splintered as usual in too many directions.

Ash Wednesday is an “ashy” day for me – unclear. I am pulled into the season of Lent by obedience to my faith, yet the world and my daily duties are tugging me in the other direction.

Today is the day after Ash Wednesday and I always wake up on this day with clarity! I know what I need to do in order to grow through Lent and walk towards holiness. A good night’s sleep and prayer bring me into focus. I look forward to a season of prayer, living God’s mercy and developing a deeper prayer life with our Lord. I look forward to an awakening of my weaknesses and the strength to overcome them. I look forward to sharing God’s love with those less fortunate. I look forward to discernment. I look forward to the disciplined lifestyle that Lent promotes. I look forward to the joy on Easter day and in Heaven one day!

Madelynn Winstead, ENDOW Board Member and editor, Colorado

2010-03-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Lenten Journey

Reaching down into the darkness;
Moving slowly through moist earth;
The seedling grows by day unnoticed
Plunged into a primal search.
We are sensing, driving, reaching
For that sustenance by night;
An umbilical connection to unquenchable streams of Light
Our portion is acceptable;
The water drawn is livable;
These are the depths from which we cry;
Holding fast, holding fast as the hem of a garment passes by.

Kelly Dore, ENDOW participant, Colorado

2010-03-08T14:08:00.001-07:00

I was baptized Catholic but never understood anything about it, nor did I have role models to provide me with a strong religious foundation. I saw people do unspeakable things to other people, then go to Mass on Sunday and pray for redemption, just to do what they wanted again on Monday. I never understood Lent, why should I give anything up when I was already suffering in my childhood? It did nothing more than to affirm my conviction that when I grew up, I was going to control every thing about my life and the environment of my children and future husband. I learned to not count on anyone, especially not God, yet I could never figure out why I always had a void in my daily life. It took almost 28 years to realize that nothing is ever perfect or completely controlled, even less when you have a significant lack of faith. I did grow up; unbeknownst to me God had my path planned out. I became so blessed to marry a man who loves and embraces Christ, cherishes his family and understands the complete and pure roots of his faith. We have also been blessed to have 4 children. Having an amazing marriage and building relationships with my husband and children awakened something in my heart and put me on a journey to learn and embrace my Catholicism.

I remember Lent 3 years ago, in particular. Life had quickly consumed us, between diaper changes, stacks of laundry, homework and extra curricular activities; my husband called to remind me that we could not eat meat on Fridays, so I should remember that when I fixed meals. I was annoyed at the thought of giving up something when I did not understand the symbolism or sacrifice. But I decided I would make an effort that year and needed to choose what to give up. The obvious were sweets, caffeine, to exercise more and definitely try to fit in more “me” time. They were all superficial things that everyone other good Catholic was doing, but I just could not choose. I just had an empty feeling; there was something major missing. After all, I did have everything in control; our schedules, our meals, the bills, the kids education, our marriage, our faith…Why did I feel like I was failing? I did not like the lack of control I felt in not figuring out something so easy to give up. I was frustrated, then a little angry, then I just didn’t think that I should try to be Catholic anymore.

I remember breaking down and just asking God to give me a sign as to what I should give up. I remember feeling a huge weight lift off of me, it was so clear, everything. Offer everything to God. In that moment, my spiritual life changed. Lent has become so much more than just giving up something that I should probably do with out on a daily basis. Lent is something that I no longer focus on just the 40 days before Easter; I try to live it all year long. It means that daily, I offer up with every fiber of my being to God- my heart, my feelings, and my choices. It means that I have to surrender all control of what I wanted for the things in my life. Especially in my family, I had to have complete trust in my husband in our marriage. I had to have complete trust that the foundation we have built for our children is solid enough for them to make good decisions even when we are not around. It is the realization that I do not “own” my kids, they are gifts from God, merely given to my husband and I to raise and be examples of Christ’s love. Most of all it is living to know. So many times I would say that I hoped God was listening, I hoped God would provide or I hoped God would answer me. It is deeper than that; it is surrendering to my hope and believing in my faith. To know that God will provide and forgive me through all of my imperfections. It means that I no longer fear God, I no longer get angry when I cannot control what He wants for me and I no longer judge His plans for my life. Feeling grateful and understanding the love and sacrifice God and Jesus Christ made for us. That is what Lent means to me. Oh yes, I also do give up something superficial each year as well. This year it is sweets, I finally understand the symbolism of the sacrifice and it is worth it everyday.

Martha Reichert, ENDOW Board Member, Colorado

2010-03-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

There has been some talk recently, in my circle of friends, about fasting. This is Catholic code for, “Lent is coming!” My friends and I were marveling at how hard it is to deny ourselves – especially when it comes to food and drink. Why is this, we wondered? Whenever I ponder things of this sort, I like to turn to the saints to see what they think. There is a story that St. Teresa of Lisieux relayed in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul. St. Teresa’s sister, Celine, was attempting to explain heaven to little Teresa: she showed her two glasses, one large and one small. Celine filled both glasses to the rim. “Which one is full?” she asked. “Both are full, ” little Teresa answered. This is how heaven is – God fills each of us to our maximum capacity.

Terry LaVelle, ENDOW Board Member, Colorado

2010-03-03T21:47:00.002-07:00

I look at Lent as an opportunity. It is an opportunity for me to become closer to God through personal improvement. I can select an item from my behavior bag and try to correct it, improve it, or eliminate it. The result is not only a gift for me, but also for those affected by the behavior I select. How can life get any better than when we please both God and those around us?

Lori Gallagher, ENDOW Participant, Indiana

2010-03-03T21:47:00.001-07:00

Lent is a time of reflection that the community comes together to remember the sacrifice fo Jesus. We all slow down and realize the only importance here is to Love and Serve God. Everyday this should be done, but we go on and do our will, busying ourselves. This is like a retreat of joy and sorrow as we see the loves that everyone feels for Jesus and the sorrow that our sins had to have him be taken away.

Denise Sinclair, ENDOW Facilitator, Pennsylvania

2010-03-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lent has always been one of my favorites seasons of the year. I like to dig in and see where God is calling me to change and with His grace, hopefully die a little more to my selfish and sinful ways.
This year I entered the desert a little early. I made a silent, directed retreat for three days. (Feb. 9 to11)
I didn't quite know what God would reveal to me this year, but it turned out to be an encounter with self. He showed me ways that I have offended Him and others. Ways I was unaware of, until His light shone on these areas of my life.I was quite surprised, but grateful for His insights. One of the psalms asks God "to show me my unknown sins." I have often remarked to people that they may be unknown to us, but ask the people we live with or know...they are sure familiar to them. I look forward to continuing this journey of looking into my heart and asking God to help me see my unknown sins. I invite all of you to do the same and then to thank God for the grace of knowing so we can change and reflect Him, even so slightly.

Madelynn Winstead, ENDOW Board Member and editor, Colorado

2010-02-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Winter Fast

In midwinter
the silence is deep calling on deep;
A footprint or footfall unheard;
The hidden root of springs long forgotten
And yet present in minute potentiality.

It is the biological prototype that holds the secret—
The Word that speaks out of chaos into being;
While a thousand variations on the theme of white and grey
Wait for that first steel shaft of sunlight
To penetrate each layer deeper still.
As Death’s dark angel sheaths his sword.

Janet Teran, ENDOW Board Member and facilitator, Colorado

2010-02-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

Lent to me is a blessed time of opportunity to concentrate on a lessening of me. During this time of grace, I beg for extra grace to imitate St. John the Baptist when he said “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30). My beloved Dad used to joke by repeating the phrase “Selfa-denial! Selfa-denial!” when we were called to sacrifice in various ways. Putting aside some of my excesses and practicing a bit of “selfa-denial” is one way I actively join in the process of becoming less of me and more of Christ Jesus. I love walking with Christ through Lent by joining with Him in these small sacrifices knowing in full HOPE that Resurrected Life in Christ is just on the other side His Passion and Crucifixion. As I strive to be a full gift of self, selfa-denial by selfa-denial, I joyfully await the promise of fuller New life in Christ! Come Holy Spirit!

Valerie Haas, ENDOW Facilitator, Colorado

2010-02-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

Instead of dreading Lent like I did just a few years back, I now have a more “bring it on!” attitude and approach Lent as a wonderful way to “get back to the basics”. The basics, of course, are prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

My increase in prayer during the season of Lent has taken different forms over the years including Lenten devotional books, scriptural reading, the rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but this year I am trying something new. I am meditating on and praying for an increase in the virtue of love. To assist me in this, I am reading “I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux”. I am journaling as I work my way through this wonderful book and will pray for the courage to apply its teachings to my daily life – now and beyond this holy season.

My almsgiving will include charitable giving, which I like to think as not only giving of my money and belongings to the less fortunate, but also, freely giving of myself to those in my midst each day – my husband and children. I assure you, I know I am weak so this giving will not be heroic; it will be simple but will be done out of love. When I am tired from a long day and my one-year-old is crying while everyone else has disappeared from the dinner table to leave the clean-up for me, I will bite my tongue and will look at the little crucifix I have near my kitchen sink. This will remind me of the heroic love Jesus displayed and will certainly humble me to realize that clearing the table and washing dishes is hardly equal to His sacrifice! You wives and mothers know, there are probably hundreds of these opportunities every day – to bite our tongues and give simply to our families with a loving attitude.

Fasting has not changed much for me over the years. I get stuck in a rut giving up the usual things and but it is always challenging. The difference now is that when I’m being tempted to take just a half of a cookie (“I surely won’t go to hell for that!”) and it’s Saturday night and that glass of wine has my name on it (“Really, does God expect me to be perfect at all times?”), I rejoice when I am able to overcome the temptations and I can almost literally feel the graces being given to me by our Lord. What strength and peace comes from those moments!

While I know the graces received from practicing prayer, almsgiving and fasting are immeasurable, my focus on them tends to fade during different times of my life – particularly with the busyness that comes with raising 4 children. However, the older I get, the more I actually look forward to Lent every year as a way to prioritize my spiritual life and get back to the basics. Lent…bring it on!!!

Terry Begler, ENDOW Participant, Colorado

2010-02-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

Recently, I was reminded that the term “Lent” literally refers to the lengthening of days, or spring. It’s a fact I’d buried so far in the recesses of my mind that I’d forgotten it. One reason is that Lent has come to mean so much more than a season. Still, if I had to compare Lent to a season, I would say it feels like winter, just as the trees are exposed without their leaves for the gardener to prune dead wood.

This Lent, I find myself on a quest for the obvious truth. Before you dismiss this reflection, I recognize the contradiction within that statement. A quest is a journey, a pursuit. When truth is obvious, what need is there to search? I have come to recognize that simple truths often become lost and sometimes buried amongst the messages of our world. To illustrate, you’d merely need to peak into my closet. Shoes significantly outnumber days of the week. Some are well-worn favorites, some for special occasions, a few for exercise, while others are painfully uncomfortable. There’s even a frivolous pair that I bought on a whim. I’m embarrassed to admit that a few are dusty from heel to toe and I’ve held on to some because they’re of good quality but out of fashion. Why hold on? What good is it? Moreover, this collection requires that I acknowledge messages I’ve internalized about personal gratification and whether the difference between my wants and needs has become too vague. Digging a little deeper, I must consider where I sit on the continuum from groomed to high-style and how my choices reflect my values. This Lent, I gathered those dusty shoes and several other pair and packed them in a box for charity. Next, I tackled the wardrobe and then the dresser drawers. As I cleaned the closets all through the house, I realized that this experience mirrors a spiritual process. In the quiet of packing, I found myself looking to see where resentment sat, gathering dust. Old injuries held painful places and I can’t help but wonder the point in holding a grudge. As for sharp words, there have been too many and they were usually colored the same. I never truly considered that the beauty of the Lord’s Day becomes diminished by trivial chores and errands. This Lent, I recognize that I am tremendously blessed. I have plenty to share with the less fortunate. More importantly, I receive the gift of reconciliation and am freed from the burden of sin. Just as the gardener trims the dead wood to prepare for new growth, I will eagerly embrace the coming of
spring.

Casey Sprehe, ENDOW Youth presenter, editor, and author, Colorado

2010-02-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

Lent is my spiritual training for my marathon in life. When I decide I want to run a race, I always have to back-pedal a couple months and train for it. The training is hard, and it's my least favorite part of the race. I want to give up, but there is the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, so I keep running. The challenges are tough, but I become stronger/faster only when I meet and exceed them. Race day and the finish line become attainable because I trained.
Lent is the same way. God gives me a chance to share in his Easter Sunday. It's exciting. I want to do it. However, it comes at the cost of his Good Friday. Just like training for a race, it's hard, and Lent is my least favorite liturgical season, while I'm in it that is. He calls me to sacrifice and do penance. I can't do it alone. But I know he's true to his promises, and if I keep meeting him in his sufferings, he'll be there to help me. He's like my trainer. He calls me deeper into his passion and death, so that I can rise with him in his victory.

Erin Baxley, Young Adult ENDOW participant, Colorado

2010-02-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

As for Lent, it's one of those things that I don't really look forward to, but I love the feeling afterwards--like going to the dentist. Typical human that I am, I don't like to make sacrifices and fast and part of me dreads this season for those very reasons. But once my human nature takes a break, it gets easier to see how prayerful, how melancholy, and how beautiful Lent really is. Culturally, we're so trained for an 'instant' society; we're don't have to anticipate anything anymore. It can be really satisfying to let the anticipation of Easter build, culminating in the Triduum when the Church is at it's height of beautiful traditions. Sacrificing and fasting included, it's well worth the wait!