When I wake up at night for no good reason, I reflect on God’s creation. It caused him just as much trouble to create the angels as these animals and the flowers on the trees.” “These tiny ants have proceeded from his thought just as much as I. Living a life of witness to Christ is not easy but in the end it will lead to something great. I value that song I learned to play with several measures that seemed impossible and the project I undertook that seemed it might do me in. But when I look back, I feel best about accomplishments that I worked at. It would be nice if it were easy all the time. Sometimes it becomes demoralizing when challenges come up as we work toward our goals. Whether it is slogging through a chemistry class or working a job we don’t like, he is a constant presence. It’s comforting to know that God is with us in our enduring. Not one of us has skated through life with constant joy and sunshine. When they grouse about going to school or the amount of homework they get, we remind them we value that which we work for. “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” We can speak in love, with a humble heart and be confident that the Holy Spirit will arrive like the cavalry to our aid. When we ask, God gives us what we need to build his kingdom. So I need to speak and I often do not know what to say, but I know that I will be given the words. Francis was a holy man whose actions reflected the Lord’s love but he didn’t shy away from speaking about the gospel. And it‘s a safe bet that I am not living so holy a life that my actions are enough. Jesus used lots of words sometimes the same ones over and over. Actions speak louder than words after all.” Except … that’s not what Jesus did. My first response to this was, “Yes! I can just try to live a good life. Francis, to preach the gospel always and if necessary use words. There is a quote, wrongly attributed to St. He asked us to make disciples and to do that, we need to talk. But Jesus didn’t ask us to be quiet and hang out in the background. Since relativism and “you do you, I’ll do me” is the mantra of the day, it would be easy to keep silent. It makes people uncomfortable to hear the truths proclaimed by the Catholic Church and more and more our society is uncomfortable with being uncomfortable. There is good reason to be afraid to speak of faith these days. “Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear” Catherine reminds me that even though it may seem insignificant, it is helping set the world on fire for God. I have faith that it is what God desires from me and for that reason alone it is important. I have not published a bestseller that inspires people to pray, and I am not on the speaking circuit revving up young adults. When I see what others get to do in order to be part of building God’s kingdom and compare it to my task, I feel like maybe what I am doing does not matter. “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Her quotes, though over six hundred years old, are still relevant today and can be a launching pad for our personal prayer. Her best known spiritual writing is The Dialogue. She died Apat the age of thirty-three and was later proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. She worked for the unity of the Church and was loyal to the pope. She became a third order Dominican, learned to read and write, and was known for her service to the poor and her involvement in politics. Catherine of Siena was born in 1347 in Italy.
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