My dearest little Gianna. ♥️ Ever since she was born she has always been most content in my arms. Some days it can be tough or tiring to carry her. I always feel a little guilty having to set her down. My sweet little love. I always remind myself that one day I will look back and, despite my tired arms, I will want to hold her a little longer and a little tighter. ♥️
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The other day I read an excerpt from the “Story of a Soul” that brought joy to my heart. This is from a passage in a letter that St. Zelie had written. St. Zelie is the mother of St. Thérèse, the little flower. 🌹
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“This poor little thing (speaking about Therese) doesn’t want to leave me; she’s continually at my side. She likes going into the garden, but when I’m not there she won’t stay but cries till they bring her to me. ... Little Therese asked me the other day if she would go to Heaven. I told her ‘Yes’ if she were good. She answered: ‘Yes, but if I’m not good, I’ll go to hell. But I know what I will do. I will fly to you in Heaven, and what will God be able to do to take me away? You will be holding me so tightly in your arms!’ I could see in her eyes that she was really convinced that God could do nothing to her if she were in her mother’s arms.”
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Now whenever I hold Gianna I picture St. Zelie holding her little Therese, how tired her arms must have gotten too! 😆 What a gift it is for me to hold you, my sweet little Gianna. 😊🥰🙏♥️
Recently I found out about a holy boy named, (Venerable) Carlo Acutis. He was born in 1991, grew up with the same technology as you and I, and he even created a website dedicated to sharing Eucharistic miracles with others. His life was ordinary and yet his love for God seeped into everything he did.
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His witness made me reflect upon my own life. Weak and broken as I am, I desire to share my love for Christ in everything I say, do, and am, like Carlo. He has given me great encouragement to share my life and faith in love, even when it comes to my blog/social media.
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I hope to take some time this Lent to keep up with my blog. I may not be able to post a whole lot, but I do hope to share here and there about family life as a Catholic. What a great joy it is for me to do so 😊
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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:14-16.
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Thank you @mhunterkilmer for sharing about Ven. Carlo Acutis. His example and life are greatly inspiring me. 🙏♥️
“Finally, bear in mind that those of you who are working hard each day to earn the money to provide food and drink, clothing and shelter for your own families, and those of you who cook and clean at home, are already practicing these corporal works of mercy, at least outwardly. Why not practice them inwardly now as well, from the heart, not grudgingly or merely out of routine, but with compassion and love for your spouse and children, doing all to the glory of God and giving thanks to God the Father for providing for all your needs (see 1 Cor 10:31, Col 3:17). In this way, as St. Paul wrote, the simplest daily chore becomes ‘a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,’ a true ‘spiritual worship’ (Rom 12:1)” Robert Stackpole.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on this account! My time has been consumed with being a faithful Catholic, loving wife and mother, as well as starting a small business and creating earrings. It has been busy over here to say the least! I just haven’t had as much time to keep up with blogging! I find though that if I am not writing I yearn for it. I don’t consider myself the best writer, but I do enjoy it. So I hope to continue in some capacity, even if it be rather small. 😊
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I originally began my blog, Love Begins at Home because once I became a Catholic wife and mother I saw how our culture has moved so far away from love and family life. It has always been a desire of mine to be a stay at home mom. The world wasn’t afraid to tell me how foolish I am to desire these types of things. Not to mention I am out of my mind to want a big family.
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I wanted to start writing my thoughts down when it came to living as a Catholic, pro-life woman, wife, and mother. I have seen how easy it can be to start thinking like the culture. Let me just say that you don’t have to think like them. At all, in fact. Jesus Himself didn’t think as the world did and the world hated Him for it.
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Love requires sacrifices and suffering. It shows the depth of our love when we are willing to endure the worst for the good of the other. In my own wedding vows I vowed that I would love my husband “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” To mirror God’s love for us. Jesus could have just come and done a good deed to save us as His merits would have had infinite value, but instead He taught us that it is in the suffering and sacrifices that we learn how to love. To die to ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him. ❤️ The world will never tell you this though nor agree with you.
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So I pray that in this journey of dying to myself and picking up my cross to follow Christ you may find some encouragement! That we could walk together in JOY knowing that eternal love awaits us on the other side of Heaven. Don’t be discouraged. You are fighting the good fight and we are fighting together for LOVE! 😊❤️🙏
One of the greatest gifts of love God gives to us is the Mass, Calvary represented. Where Jesus, true God and true Man, offers Himself as a sacrifice out of love for us. An unreserved gift of Himself. A Human Heart that finally loves in a divine way. A love that offers everything to God the Father infinitely and unconditionally.
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When we go to Mass we are able to kneel at the foot of the cross with our Blessed Mother Mary, St. John, St. Mary Magdalene, as well as all the Holy angels and saints. The Holy Spirit gathers those present into the Body of Christ which is then offered to God the Father through Jesus in the Eucharist by means of His representative, the priest. At Mass we are able to offer Jesus everything out of love. All our sufferings, joys, material possessions, sacrifices, time, duties, friends, children, spouses, family, love, and our very selves body and soul. Remember this when you are performing all the little everyday tasks of ordinary life. ALL of this can be offered to Jesus through Mary at Mass, where Heaven meets earth and the crucifixion is re-presented. Where Jesus unites what we offer Him to Himself and His sacrifice on the cross giving each offering of ours infinite value.
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“And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank it. And he said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” Mark 14:22-24. When we receive the Eucharist at Mass we become one with Jesus. We become what we eat. In the Eucharist we receive Christ - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We unite ourselves to Jesus in the Eucharist both physically and spiritually. We become “little hosts” to be distributed throughout the world!
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Simply put, the Mass is the height of love. No wonder Padre Pio said, “If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass.”
