Being joyful doesn’t just happen. It’s a decision we make regardless of how tough things might be right now. Here’s how to change your attitude, refocus, and become a joyful person with God’s grace. Find out more in my latest episode of Simply Holy.
A person who is dying doesn’t waste words on frivolous things. They don’t have the time and often not the strength, either. There are many things Jacinta could have said at that moment, but she chose what was most critical for others to know. The apparitions had made Jacinta wise beyond her years and she understood that her parting words to Lucia must bear fruit long after her death.
As we move toward the reopening of the country, we need to be taking a long, hard look at ourselves and how COVID-19 has changed us.
For most of my life, I’ve understood St. Joseph only in relation to Mary and Jesus. He’s Mary’s husband, our Lord’s foster father. I honored him but didn’t directly relate to him. I didn’t necessarily look to him as a model for my own behavior. That’s changing.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, priests are being called into great heroic action by offering the sacraments to the sick and dying, finding creative ways to serve parishioners, and maintaining empty parishes with limited staff support. In response, Houston-based Vocation Ministry is set to launch the first-ever nationwide “Uplift Your Priest” campaign from April 20 through May 1.
It’s always a good idea to count your blessings; it’s an even better idea to count them now in the midst of hardship and uncertainty. It will lighten the burden of COVID-19 and change your perspective.
The strangeness of COVID-19 won’t ruini the meaningfulness of Holy Week if you remember three things: the fact of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection; the power of God; and our reason for JOY.