Tag: gratitude

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A Way to Practice Gratitude

It can be easy in our modern world to fall into the trap of envy and jealousy. When we dedicate our energy and focus on what others have, we can get lost in what we don’t have.

But God hopes to remind us of a powerful truth through the practice of gratitude.

Today, Fr. Mark-Mary shares a secret for growing in gratitude and harnessing the power of living in the reality of who God has chosen us to be.

(See Ephesians 1:3-10)

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Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and . . . Uh-Oh!

What are alms? Why must we give them? Am I supposed to go broke for Jesus?

Fr. Mike Schmitz encourages us to be charitable this Lent, emphasizing how almsgiving is a foundational part of living the Faith. In being joyful givers, we imitate Christ, who became poor for our sake, and we show our gratitude for God’s grace. These are just a few of the reasons Fr. Mike offers in this video as to why we should exercise almsgiving according to our means.

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Weathering the Storms of Life

A tree with strong roots can weather any storm. If you have not

done so already, the day to start growing those roots is today.

Gratitude, respect, and discipline are three powerful ways to

ground and nurture your relationships. But keep in mind also, that

trees sway in the wind. They are not rigid. Even the largest and

strongest trees sway when the wind blows. Allow for uncertainty;

you can be sure it will come. Find the lesson in the unexpected; it

has come to help you in your quest to become the – best – version – of –

yourself. Try to enjoy mystery; it will keep you young.

Matthew Kelly

From The Seven Levels of Intimacy

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Minute Meditation – Another Year Ends

As another year draws to an end, let us pause before the manger and express our gratitude to God for all the signs of his generosity in our life and our history, seen in countless ways through the witness of those people who quietly took a risk. A gratitude that is no sterile nostalgia or empty recollection of an idealized and disembodied past, but a living memory, one that helps to generate personal and communal creativity because we know that God is with us. God is with us. Today the Word of God introduces us in a special way, to the meaning of time, to understand that time is not a reality extrinsic to God, simply because he chose to reveal himself and to save us in history. The meaning of time, temporality, is the atmosphere of God’s epiphany, namely, of the manifestation of God’s mystery and of his concrete love.

—from the book The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections from Pope Francis
by Diane M. Houdek

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10 Things We Forget When We’re Feeling Overwhelmed

“Overwhelmed feels like being buried alive. It feels like you are drowning. It’s a state of panicked anxiety and when we are in that space we are not thinking clearly. Here are 10 things we forget when we feel overwhelmed…

1. Not everything we think is true. Our mind plays tricks on us. What’s the truth here? You cannot do it all at once. That’s true. You cannot handle it all at once. That’s true. You can handle it one thing at a time. That’s the most important truth in this situation.

2. This is temporary. This too shall pass. You’ve been here before and you got through it. You will get through this.

3. You got this. You can do this. You know how to get through this, you know what you need to do, you just aren’t thinking clearly at this moment.

4. You don’t need all the answers and a total plan to move forward.

5. Feelings are not always connected to reality. Overwhelmed is a feeling. But you are not your feelings, and your emotions are not your life.

6. We forget to breathe. In stressful situations we sometimes hold our breathe without even realizing it when what we need is the exact opposite. Oxygen makes clear thinking possible. Breathe deeply. Fill your body with the oxygen your mind needs to navigate this situation.

7. Doing nothing will only sustain these feelings of being overwhelmed. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Change something right now. Overwhelmed is a feeling of helplessness. Take back your power immediately. Do something to move you out of this state.

8. Gratitude changes our state of mind every time. What are you grateful for? (see 4 signs)

9. Our problems are usually not as bad as we think they are and not as unique as we think they are. Ask any therapist. Other people in history have been through some version of what you are going through and they found a way…

10. It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around. The smallest step in the right direction can shift the momentum of your life.

We all get overwhelmed from time to time. This isn’t the last time it’s going to happen to you, but it is time to develop a strategy to deal with it.”