Transformed by Grace

You know how some questions just…stick with you?  For the longest time, one of those questions for me revolved around suffering for Christ . It's a central theme in our faith, right?  We talk about offering up our sacrifices, uniting our pains with His. But then, my mind would wander to the Bible, filled with promises of safety and abundant life. And yet, history (and our Church's calendar!) is packed with stories of saints who faced unimaginable hardship, persecution, and even martyrdom.  How did that all square up? It felt like a big, beautiful, yet somewhat perplexing dilemma. Well, something clicked for me recently. I was catching some Catholic reflections on YouTube, specifically from the "My Catholic Life!" channel. And then I heard a line that just…landed. It was something about people waiting for the coming glory of God . And suddenly, it was like a light switch flipped in my head. Think about it: the saints, those incredible men and women of faith, weren'...

Mother Teresa, a beacon of compassion and service, understood the transformative power of humility. She believed that true spiritual growth is rooted in selflessness and surrender to God's will. Her 15 points offer a practical guide to cultivating humility: Focus on Others 1. Speak as little as possible about yourself: This goes beyond avoiding bragging. It's about turning inward, focusing on one's own shortcomings and areas for growth rather than external validation. This practice cultivates self-awareness and prevents self-absorption. 2. Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others: This isn't about isolation but about setting boundaries. It's recognizing that everyone has their own journey and that excessive involvement in others' lives can distract from one's own spiritual growth.   3. Avoid curiosity about things that do not concern you: It is about discerning what information is truly beneficial to you and focusing on one's own developme...

I came across a line on LinkedIn that stayed with me: “When you work on something big, the universe tests your resolve in many ways.” But the more I reflect on my own life and faith, the more I realize—maybe they aren’t tests at all. Maybe they’re preparations. Many months ago, I watched a Christian film about a small cake shop owner who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, firmly standing by his beliefs. The backlash was fierce. Court cases. Loss of business. Emotional strain. And yet, he stood firm and eventually, he came through it. Stronger. Deeper in faith. Wiser. At the time I wondered, “Why did it have to happen at all?” But then I looked at the long spells of dryness, of feeling abandoned, that I went through recently I kept asking: Why, Lord? What is the purpose in this season? And then it clicked. It wasn’t punishment. It wasn’t even a trial. It was strengthening. God wasn’t testing me to see if I’d break but rather He was training me to carry more than I ever thoug...

Dear Rhema, This morning I woke up with abundant joy after months. I had a dream, so vivid and comforting, it felt like a kiss from heaven. In the dream, you were born healthy, peacefully and naturally.  No sooner had I opened my eyes than Ryan hugged me with his usual whirlwind of questions but this time it was all about you: “Will baby call me Anna?” “Is baby going to cry a lot?” “Are baby bones squishy?” It feIt as if heaven gave us a shared dream, where you and I were already together and Ryan was right there, stepping into his big brother shoes loving you in his unique way.  The dream and this early morning interaction was a melody I did not know I needed. It felt like a prayer answered ahead of time. For the past few months, especially after being admitted with a threatened miscarriage two months ago, I’ve been carrying this constant fear of loss. No matter how hard I tried to pray it away, fear sat stubborn in my chest. I'd try to reach out to God, but I’d slide right b...