Our Members' Blogs

Showing posts with label Lora Goulet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lora Goulet. Show all posts

Friday, September 19, 2014

Slaves (Esclavos)

By Lora Goulet
Madonna by Herman Richir
(Wikimeida Commons)
When we are slaves to worry,
Our Most Blessed Virgin Mother
Leads us into the Presence of Jesus,
The only One Who can free us.
And when our loved ones are enslaved by fear, 
The prayerful encouragement of Our Lady
Helps us to be a Saint Peter Claver for them.

Cuando somos esclavos de las preocupaciones, 
Nuestra Santísima Virgen Madre
Nos lleva a la Presencia de Jesús,
El Unico que nos puede liberar.
Y cuando nuestros seres queridos están esclavizados por el miedo 
El aliento orante de Nuestra Señora
Nos ayuda ser el San Pedro Claver  para ellos.

Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God
Pray for us sinners, now,
And at the hour of our death. Amen.

Dios te salve María, llena eres de gracia, 
el Señor es contigo. 
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres 
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús. 
Santa María Madre de Dios, 
ruega por nosotros los pecadores, 
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amen.

Lora originally wrote this for her blog mommynovenas.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Jesus was waiting for us

By Lora Goulet



 

 With tachycardic angst we found ourselves in a traffic jam. Meanwhile, a midsummer thunderstorm had left it's most beautiful remnant, a glorious rainbow. Then, a labyrinth of one way streets delivered us to the front steps of an old yet elegant Catholic Church. Three doors were locked. The Holy Spirit directed us to the fourth door, hidden behind a little porch's colorful flowers. There a kind Carmelite brother escorted us into the marvelous sanctuary of the Church...


where Jesus was waiting for us to visit Him.


Lora blogs at mommynovenas. 

Monday, June 2, 2014

Mary and the gifts of the Holy Spirit

By Lora Goulet


Painting by Francesco Albani, Wikimedia Commons.


Mary lived the gifts of the Holy Spirit.


1)Wisdom - The Blessed Virgin Mary said yes to carrying Jesus in her womb. The highest of these supernatural gifts, this gift enables us to love and desire our Creator above all things.

2)Understanding - Mary waited patiently for Jesus' water to wine miracle and taught others to obey Him. This gift is the supernatural ability to grasp teachings of our faith.

3)Counsel- Escaping to Egypt, a land hostile to their beliefs, the Holy Family lived according to the precepts their God given faith. This gift supernaturally helps us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance in all of our actions.

4)Fortitude- The Most Holy Mother of our Savior valiantly followed Jesus in Via Crucis.nbsp;This gift is the supernatural courage to uphold our faith even unto death.

Continue reading at Lora's blog mommynovenas.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Facing temptations while fasting

By Lora Goulet



File:Robert Kemm Gebet vor dem Stierkampf.jpg
Painting by Robert Kemm (Wikimedia Commons).



Prayer and fasting cause a holy peace to flourish deep within our souls. Therefore, during a fast, it is not unusual for the evil one to attack with external (usually interpersonal) disruptions, provoking an internal "crankiness". Our obligation to forgive others coincides with a necessary examination of our own conscience.

Our hearts must be willing to repent. How humbling it is to confront that for which we require forgiveness! This can be more painful than the struggle against cravings for things of this world. We may even be tempted to give up praying and fasting. The strength to persevere comes from total reliance on Jesus. We are then free to experience the peace that comes from forgiveness and acceptance of God's will.  


"And Jesus said
'Father forgive them 
for they know not what they do.'"
Luke 23:34 
Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible


Lora has written a short series on prayer and fasting for Lent at her blog mommynovenas.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Abandon yourself to God

By Lora Goulet




Abandonment to Divine Providence (Tan Classics TC2211) Jean Pierre de Caussade - Paperback



Contemporary trends bombard us relentlessly. We are encouraged to demand unrealistic outcomes from painstaking plans. This often leads to frustration. Failure, by the world's standards, is the most likely result.

Abandonment to Divine Providence offers the reader a clear view of the supernatural rewards of complete surrender to the perfect and holy will of God. Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade's classic work presents us with the option to free ourselves of the burden to acquire wealth, popularity and status.

Quietly living within God's will fills our every day with the joys of holy simplicity. We are strengthened to bear our trials with constancy and hope.

This is an excellent book for a spiritual journal.


Read Abandonment to Divine Providence on line at Catholic Treasury or puchase a copy at TAN Books

Lora originally posted this on her blog, Mommy Novenas. 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Can prayer and fasting solve your "unsolvable" problem?

By Lora Goulet


File:Bread and Pitcher.jpg
Bread and Pitcher by Lucille Wallenrod (Wikimedia Commons).


The Holy Gospel teaches us that the disciples of Jesus were powerless to resolve the affliction of a young boy. It must have been frightening and exhausting for the both the child and his father. Jesus illustrates the role of faith, trust and surrender to His Will, when facing any seemingly insurmountable crisis.

It takes faith to turn away from earthly distractions and ineffective solutions to problems. Daily tasks and concerns absorb precious minutes and hours with the greatest urgency. Spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and actively seeking spiritual nourishment requires faith that Our Blessed Lord is in control of every outcome. His Will for our lives is perfect and holy. Prayer and fasting help us to recognize and obey God's will for us.

~Jesus spoke to the father of the child~
 "And Jesus saith unto him: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:22
~The disciples asked Jesus why they were unable 
to cast the demon spirit form the child~
  "And He said to them: This kind can go out 
by nothing but by prayer and fasting." Mark 9:28

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible


Lora blogs at mommynovenas.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Prayer and fasting

By Lora Goulet


File:Hans Thoma 001.jpg
Adam and Eve by Hans Thoma (Wikimedia Commons)



Prayerful fasting powerfully strengthens our intimacy with God. The first act of obedient fasting He required of mankind was to refrain from eating from a specific tree in the Garden of Eden. Our union with our Lord is so threatening to the evil one that he attempts to pervert even our most sincere efforts at fasting. Our souls can be driven away from our Heavenly Father by succumbing to temptations ranging from excessive eating to unhealthy distortions of fasting. May Jesus protect us and our loved ones from deception as we endeavor to draw closer to Him this Lent.


And the Lord God took man and put him into the paradise of pleasure to dress it and to keep it. And He commanded him saying, "Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death." Genesis Chapter 2 Verses 15-17 Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible.     

Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Why hath God commanded you that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?" And the woman answered him saying, "Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die." And the serpent said to the woman, "No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened and that you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil." 
Genesis 3:1-5, Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible.

 See more posts on fasting at Lora's blog  mommynovenas.

Friday, March 14, 2014

The Rosary, a balm for crisis

By Lora Goulet


File:Thebible33.jpg
Photo: Wikimedia Commons





A crisis, makes it so easy to forget the vast power of quiet prayer. "Solutions" are not always the answer to a problem...
  
 Trustingly being still and letting events run their course is more difficult than giving in to the impulse to "do something", or worse yet to "say something."  After all, "Silence is golden!"     

 There's something beautiful and peaceful about praying the Rosary. It is a soothing "balm" for emotional crisis. Meditation on the events of the life of Jesus elevates the soul. The mind is released from the bondage of the fear of events beyond human control. Calling upon the Holy Spirit for help, opens the heart to prayer. The Almighty Father's power to fulfill His will is more immense than the entire blue sky above. Mary and Jesus never stop interceding for their children.

 Hail Mary, full of  grace, the Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of GodPray for us sinners, now; And at the hour of our death.  AMEN.

 En Los Corazones de Jesús y María


Lora originally posted this at Camino La Mancha.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Good Father Gus

By Lora Goulet






Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Rome in the year 1886, Venerable Augustus Tolton overcame the stigma of being an ex-slave. Facing multiple obstacles with true patience and charity, "Good Father Gus" persevered, following God's will with a heart filled with Christ's love. He joyfully shared hope with the faithful whom Our Lord placed under his care.

His story is one of heroic virtue fueled by deep love for Jesus. Father Tolton responded to cruelty and persecution  with unconditional love.

Listen to the inspiring story of his life as presented on the CD From Slave to Priest @ Lighthouse Catholic Media.

Learn more about the cause for his sainthood >here @ The Cause for Canonization of Father Augustus Tolton.


 Lora blogs at mommynovenas.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The beauty of intercessory prayer

By Lora Goulet



File:Lucchese School Late 15th Century - Virgin and Child with Saints Nicholas, Sebastian, Roch and Martin - Google Art Project.jpg
Virgin and Child with Saints Nicholas, Sebastian, Rock, and Martin
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)


While Joshua was fighting against the enemies of his people, Moses lifted his arms in prayer to Our Lord. Whenever his arms were elevated in prayer, Joshua's battle was succesful. When his arms fell from exhaustion, Joshua was about to be overcome. So, Aaron and Hur supported Moses' tired arms. Joshua overcame the enemy with the help of Moses' intercessory prayer.

Burdened by grief, sorrow, indecision and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, exhaustion steals my soul's strength to make any connection with God in prayer. Then I realize that at these times, Jesus, Our Blessed Mother,  and all of the angels and saints are helping me in the spiritual battle that takes place during prayer. Jesus promised never to leave or forsake us.

We are never alone in prayer. We are always uplifted and strengthened by Our Blessed Lord's unconditional love. We are cheered on during spiritual struggles by the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  How beautiful it is that throughout eternity, we have the supernatural gift of encouraging each other through prayer.

"And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame. But if he let them down a little Amalec overcame."
Exodus 17:9-11  
Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible


En Los Corazones de Jesús y María. 


Lora wrote this at her blog Camino La Mancha.

Monday, January 13, 2014

A story of mother praying for her children

By Lora Goulet



File:Wilhelm Maria Hubertus Leibl 008.jpg
Three Women in Church By Hubertus (photo
credit: Wikimedia Commons)




My mother recalls that when she was a little girl, there was a woman at Church who she always saw quietly praying her Rosary~before Mass began, and again after Mass. My mother described the woman as being serene and focused, only occasionally glancing to smile briefly at others. My mother often wondered for whom this woman was praying so intently~perhaps she was praying for her children.

So impressed by this story, I've had my mother tell it to me again. I can almost visualize the quiet praying woman. 

Recollection of this story occupies my mind more frequently with time. Whenever friends at church converse asking each other to lift our loved ones in prayer, the woman in my mother's story comes to mind. I never actually saw her, yet I have a perception of her~quietly kneeling and completely focused as she devoutly prays her Rosary.


Lora blogs at  mommynovenas.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Incomparable is the Beauty

By Lora Goulet




 
 
Incomparable is the beauty

of Our Blessed Mother's love for her children.

From her Immaculate Heart

Mary infuses us with the purest and loveliest peace.
 
Our Lady's Heavenly Maternal embraces

lift our hearts, victoriously overcoming every trial.

Ever joyful are the hearts of her children

~steadfastly protected by the graces she delivers to us~

directly from our Almighty and Eternal Father.
 
Miraculously strengthened in faith through all adversity,

Mary's children thrive within the mercy and love of Jesus

as the clearest discernment from the Holy Spirit

freely flows through our hearts.
 
"All thy children shall be taught of the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of thy children."
Isaiah 54:13
Douay-Rheims catholic Bible
 
 
Lora blogs at mommynovenas.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Beware of detraction

By Lora Goulet



File:Ralph Hedley (follower) An argument from opposite premises.jpg
An Argument from Opposite Premises by Hedley
(Wikimedia Commons).




Misinformation deepens the piercing injuries caused when senseless insults are launched. 

"Cafeteria Catholic~Angry Traditionalist~Modernist~Schismatic!" 
 
How spiritually damaging it is to speak ill of our fellow Catholics, especially when objecting to the many wonderful, colorful, diverse cultural expressions of our immense love for Jesus. Draining us of all peace, healing, loveliness, and dignity, namecalling's choking claws overshadow the miraculous, infinite tranquility, beauty, holiness and love which Jesus suffered and died to plant within our souls.

"Detract not one another my brethren."  James 4:11 (Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible).


Lora blogs at mommynovenas.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Always with me

By Lora Goulet




Always with me
in my apron pocket, 
in the glove compartment of my car,
in my purse or backpack, 
nestled in the jackets of my Breviary and Bible,
on the bulletin board in my kitchen
Always with me 
on my bedside table,
tightly held while I sleep
Always with me
in the middle of the night
whenever I am afraid, or hurt, or crying
or concerned with an important decision,
reminding me of Jesus' healing miracles
Always with me
as I walk with Jesus through a lifetime of 
blessings, trials, discernment, loss, 
abundance, graces, anguish, joy, indescribable peace,
praying that at the hour of my death He will be
Always with me
 
 
The Rosary is the Gospel Prayer
within which we contemplate the life of Jesus through the heart of Mary
 
 
Lora originally posted this at Camino La Mancha. She also blogs at mommy novinas.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Complexity of grief

By Lora Goulet



File:Flemish School c1530 Christ As the Man of Sorrows.jpg
Christ as the Man of Sorrows, Flemish School (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).




complexity of grief 
 ends and begins horrific pain
loss inexpressable
departs and returns so unexpectedly
unbroken ice on a river before the thaw
looks so quiet
invisible undercurrent
ruptures and casts aside everything in its path
unleashes tears unstoppable
thunderous turbulence 

assured that He hears
our quiet garden prayers
Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Holy Rosary
His most tender and glorious Sacred Heart is our home
Jesus is always with us
His perfect compassion

He understands our circumstances
having loved so deeply
left with emptiness
mirroring the love 
Our Heavenly Father feels for His children
His passion and suffering in union with our sorrows
He sends His angels and saints to help us
as together we course the narrow turbulent path 
to the indescribable beauty of being with Him forever...


"His mercies are new every morning"(Lamentations 3:23)

En Los Corazones de Jesús y María

Lora originally posted this at her blog Camino La Mancha.
She also writes at mommynovenas.