Monday Miscellany: At Summer’s End

Welcome to this week’s edition of Monday Miscellany! It’s been a busy few months for me and, as a result, this blog has been sadly neglected. I feel like I’m just getting into a good summer routine and now SUMMER IS ALMOST OVER! Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to posting semi-regularly soon. In the meantime, I’ve been collecting some interesting tidbits to share with you.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Last Friday, July 31st was the feast day of this powerhouse saint and founder of the Society of Jesus, a.k.a. the Jesuits, who is most well known for his Spiritual Exercises and Examen (a wonderful bedtime prayer habit!). I discovered two exquisite prayers penned by St. Ignatius and immediately fell in love with them. Perhaps they will be as helpful and inspiring to you as they’ve been to me.

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Responding to the Coronavirus with Grace

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The panic around COVID-19 has increased dramatically over the last few weeks as it suddenly got a lot closer to home. I think most people never expected the coronavirus to be more than a news story, never expected it to have much of an effect on their personal lives. It’s safe to say that at this point, nearly everyone in the world has been affected, either directly or indirectly, by the pandemic.

Last Friday, March 13, we were notified that our diocese had canceled all public Masses until further notice. I was absolutely stunned. I was prepared for the closing of schools but not for this. The following Sunday, we watched a live-streamed Mass. While I’m very grateful for the modern technology that allowed us to watch the Mass that day, I missed being present in church, missed worshiping in community, and most of all, I desperately missed receiving the Eucharist.

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3 Things on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales

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Let us do three things, my dearest daughter, and we will have peace: let us have the very pure intention of will to do all things for the honor and glory of God; let us do the little that we can toward that end, according to the advice of our spiritual director; and let us leave it to God to take care of all the rest.
St. Francis de Sales

Intention. God can perform amazing works through us when we offer him our sincere desire and intention to do His will. Just this simple act of wanting to please God can help us to discern what steps we should take to achieve that goal, and furthermore, we can trust that He will give us the graces we need to accomplish it. In this instance, it really is the thought that counts. Our Heavenly Father knows that we will need His help in order to carry out His will, but He desires that, like obedient children, we be willing to say “yes” to His plan.

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