Trust in the Lord with all your heart

To Jesus through Mary! Greetings to you and yours from Joy Valley! Welcome to August, the month devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary! 

The readings for Mass tomorrow carry the theme of trust. Trust that God will provide for us. Trust that He loves us deeply and extends his mercy generously. Trust that He knows what’s best for us, even when it feels like He’s not hearing or answering our prayers. As our world continues to deal with all sorts of fears and anxieties stemming from the pandemic, political unrest, and religious persecution, it is good to remember that God IS in control of everything and our job is to remain as little children, trusting in a loving Father. 

Today we’ll talk about simple trust and waiting on the Lord, the Transfiguration and fishes and loaves. So, without further ado, let’ s get into this! 

Hears Our Every Word
Sometimes when you pray, do you feel like your prayers go unanswered? It can be frustrating to pray for something for a long time and experience no discernible answer, but we can’t lose hope that God hears your every word. Have confidence in Him and check out this piece from the National Catholic Register for a timely reminder of His care for you! 

Some Things Never Change
Before the pandemic hit, many of us kept an hour of adoration at our local parishes. Being in front of the Blessed Sacrament is, to paraphrase Fulton Sheen, radiation therapy- basking in the glow of the Son. Keeping with that metaphor, these nuns in Paris have all the spiritual Vitamin D they need! Check out this order of nuns who have kept uninterrupted adoration of the Blessed Sacrament since this day in 1885!!! 

Transfiguration
We will celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord on August 6. To learn more about this important event in the Life of Christ, we found this article, 10 Things You Need to Know About Jesus’ Transfiguration to be very helpful in breaking down the important details. 

Saint Spotlight
On August 4, we celebrate the Feast of St. John Vianney. This simple and humble priest was relegated to Ars, a small village in France because it was determined that his quiet simplicity would be best suited at an out of the way country parish. He spent many hours in the confessional and humbly took care of his flock. It didn’t take long for folks to recognize his holiness and they, themselves, started growing in holiness. Check out this link to learn more about this incredible saint! 

August, the Month of the Immaculate Heart 
To learn more about why the month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, head over to Catholic Culture. This article, 10 Ways to Celebrate the Immaculate Heart of Mary this August, has some really great ways to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary during this month dedicated to her. 

Nifty News
We often hear that the sacraments are a source of grace and even healing. We typically associate this grace and healing with confession or anointing of the sick, but this story tells the miracle of a deathbed marriage leading to healing! In an age when marriage is being attacked on all sides, it’s good to be reminded that sacramental marriage has immense power and grace! 

Liturgical Living
Here are some great ideas for celebrating saints and feast days this week. 

Fishes and Loaves crafts and activities for kids

The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

–St. John Vianney coloring page and video

Marian Center Update
As we mentioned last week, we made the difficult decision to not host an in-person Marian Conference in 2020. We’ve sent a letter to everyone in the mail, but you can also read it here.

Thankfully, it’s easy to practice social distancing while attending our exhibit on Marian Apparitions! We are open for our full schedule from Tuesday-Saturday, 10 to 4. Hope to see you soon!

To Christ Through Mary, 

Katie Moe and Lori Mercer


P.S. Please forward this email to friends and encourage them to sign up for our email newsletter.  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.