Advent teaching from Johnnette Benkovic

The ancient prayer form called Lectio-Divina is a perfect way for us to enter into an ever deepening relationship with God, and the season of Advent provides us with the perfect opportunity to use it. The following six steps lead us in this beautiful method of prayer:

 1. First, prepare to meet with God.

Come to your time of prayer with expectant faith, knowing that this prayer meditation on the Word of God will yield fruit in your life even if it is not immediately apparent. Before beginning, rid yourself as much as possible from distractions. Turn off the television, radio, CD player, and — the cell phone. This is a time to be alone with God and to hear His voice in the inner confines of your heart.

2. Select a Scripture passage.

While there is no right or wrong way to select a passage, during this Advent season readings relating to the coming of the Messiah are particularly appropriate. Use the readings of the day from the Sacred Liturgy, the Office of Readings, a Scripture study guide, or the infancy narratives. The passage need not be lengthy. The goal here is not to make progress in reading the Bible, but to make progress in your relationship with God.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Ask the Holy Spirit to remove any interior obstacles or blocks that might prevent you from hearing the word of God. Ask Him to give you knowledge and understanding, wisdom and hope. Ask Him to illuminate any areas of your heart that need to experience His healing and light.

4. Read the passage of Scripture  s-l-o-w-l-y.

Make yourself present to the Word through an act of faith. Consider the context of the passage, what is being said in the passage, and what the specific application might be for you in your life.

5. Listen for God’s voice in the “bottom of your heart.”

What is God saying to you through this passage? Is He teaching you a lesson, explaining a great truth, shedding light on a circumstance in your life, “revealing the fundamental cause of a present day difficulty?” Listen, listen, listen.

6. Voice a response back to God.

St. Teresa of Avila said, “All that should be sought for in the exercise of prayer is conformity of our will with the divine will, in which consists the highest perfection.” With that in mind, what resolutions, decisions, or changes do you wish to make in your relationship with God, within yourself, or with others? Tell God what they are and use His grace to follow through with them. Take the first step immediately.

Prayer is the gateway to divine union and intimacy with God. Through it we are informed, reformed,and transformed. Our heart is healed. Our spirit is purified. Our soul is made whole. During this Advent, promise to make time for prayer every day. See what a difference it will make in your preparation and experience of the coming of the Lord.

Today’s Spiritual Exercise:

Select one of the following two passages from Sacred Scripture. Pray it using the Lectio-Divina method described in this post. Keep a journal and record your insights and inspirations for this passage. Be sure to formulate a response back to God.

Psalm 25: 1-5

Matt. 3: 1-3

Some resources to make your Advent more meaningful:

In Coversations with God: Advent/Christmas Edition

Dawn of the Messiah by Dr. Edward Sri

Watch and Pray: An Advent Reflection with Fr. Edmund Sylvia, C.S.C.

[The blog post above is from the teaching series that Johnnette gave a previous Advent: http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?s=advent&paged=6.]

Find Johnnette here: www.womenofgrace.com

The "Yes" of Advent

I am pleased to welcome Sarah Reinhard to "Catholic Moms Talk" today. Sarah is a wife and mother, author and blogger. She blogs at SnoringScholar.com and is the author of a number of books for families, including Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families and A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism.

The “Yes” of Advent

Some years ago, for reasons that I don’t even fully understand myself, I started walking around with a big bah-humbug chip on my shoulder.

I would grump my way through Advent, resist all attempts at smiling and celebrating anything related to the dreaded C-word, and pretend it was all okay.

And then, inevitably, I would find myself at Midnight Mass.

In our small parish church, wherever I was seated, I would smell the incense. The priest and procession would come, with Baby Jesus in their midst. Father placed Jesus in the Nativity, and Mass commenced.

Every year, I’d walk out into the crisp Ohio night after that Mass and somehow was changed. The bah-humbug chip would be gone, replaced by emptiness and a fullness that combined within me.

In my non-Catholic upbringing, the closest I came to the experience of Midnight Christmas Mass was in the before-bed singing of my Aunt Charlotte.

Aunt Charlotte was the only adult I’ve ever known who believed in Santa Claus and could make me believe. Somehow, I never really bought into it, unless I was with Aunt Charlotte. She had a way of making the magic of Christmas come alive, and she did it while teaching me about the wonder of the Advent wreath and the beauty of preparing.

Her belief in the magic of Christmas was really a faith in the truth of the Incarnation. She had a childlike simplicity in her approach—before she died unexpectedly a few years ago, she began asking me about my devotion to Mary. I struggled to explain it to her in a way that would share the beauty of my love for Mama Mary with her—in a way that would make it as real as the trust she had in Jesus and Santa.

Christmas Mass makes me think of Aunt Charlotte and Mama Mary in equal measure. And getting to Christmas Mass, through the journey of Advent, has made me struggle to throw that grudge away from me.

I want to enjoy this season of light and joy. I want to be ready for the King.

This year, I think I’m going to be closer than I ever have been. I’m blaming my kids for this: my seven-year-old has been reminding me of Aunt Charlotte this year.

On the one hand, my seven-year-old has it firmly in mind that it is Advent. She knows it’s not Christmas.

And yet, she’s not afraid to have fun, to laugh, to enjoy herself. She’s been regaling me with her opinions and thoughts about Santa’s love for children in ways that hearken to my aunt.

Each evening, my seven-year-old reminds me that we need to light the Advent candle. She’s interested in what this week’s focus is, in what we’re preparing for, in what this journey is leading to.

Her insatiable curiosity is inspiring in a way I haven’t felt since I was slightly older than she is, and Aunt Charlotte grabbed my shoulders and turned my head. With excitement in her voice, she exclaimed, “Look! In the sky! Do you think…?”

It’s really about a Yes, isn’t it? For me, it all comes back to the Annunciation, to that young girl who said Yes to God’s incredible proposal.

Can I say Yes this Advent? More importantly, will I?

Advent Week One: A Time of Preparation, A Time of Prayer, Part I

Advent Week One: A Time of Preparation,

A Time of Prayer, Part I

Great events are marked by great preparation. A wedding, the coming of a new baby, graduations, special anniversaries, significant birthdays, and celebrations of all sorts are often months in the planning.

Christmas is a spiritually significant event. And so it follows that Christmas is preceded by a time of serious preparation. Advent is that time. This liturgical season helps us prepare for the spiritual reality of Christmas — the gift of our salvation through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How then can we make our Advent experience more fruitful?

All true spiritual preparation begins with prayer. Prayer is to the spiritual life as lungs are to the physical life. Without prayer, spiritual life cannot be sustained. It languishes, suffers and dies. For the Christian, prayer is not optional. It is essential.

Throughout the ages, great men and women of faith have shared their experiences of prayer with us. What they have written is helpful. It educates us, encourages u and enlightens us. St. Teresa of Avila tells us that prayer is simply conversation with God. St. Francis de Sales says, “The chief exercise of prayer is to speak to God and to hear God speak in the bottom of your heart” (Letters to Persons in the World, 3, 11). And John Cardinal Newman states, “As speech is the organ of human society, and the means of human civilization, so is prayer the instrument of divine fellowship and divine training” (Miscellanies, 203).

But, in the end, the only way to pray is to begin. And the only way to pray well is to pray often. As one spiritual writer says, “The only way to pray is to pray; and the way to pray well is to pray much. If one has not time for this, then one must at least pray regularly. But the less one prays, the worse it goes” (Dom Chapman, Spiritual Letters).

And why shouldn’t we pray much. In prayer, God lifts our hearts and minds to Him. Through prayer, He calls us into intimacy with Him. From prayer, we  grow to spiritual maturity. And because of prayer, “the fundamental cause of present day difficulties” is removed (Pope Pius XI, Caritate Christi compulsi, 1932).

How, then, can we pray better? Meditating on Sacred Scripture is one way. Sacred Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself, and through it He speaks to us. With each reading, God instructs us, guides us, leads us, and answers our deepest needs. Using Sacred Scripture as a means of entering into prayer, then, is the best way to improve the quality of our prayer time.

Lectio-Divina is a centuries-old way of praying with Scripture. This way of praying can deepen our advent experience and help prepare us to receive the abundant life Jesus Christ longs togive us this Christmas. Tomorrow we will discover the six steps of Lectio-Divina and begin to utilize this ancient and efficacious prayer form.

Today’s Questions for Reflection

To what extent am I willing to make this Advent a truly holy time of preparation?

What practical adjustments may I have to make to follow through with my commitment? 

Which adjustment can I make today?

[The blog post above is from the teaching series that Johnnette gave a previous Advent:http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?s=advent&paged=6.]

Find Johnnette here: www.womenofgrace.com

Hark, a Herald Voice Is Calling...

I am thrilled to welcome Johnnette S. Benkovic to "Catholic Moms Talk" today. Johnnette is the Founder and President of Women of Grace®, a Catholic apostolate for women featuring a number of outreaches including conferences, media, study groups and more. She is also Founder and President of Living His Life Abundantly® International, Inc. (a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit corporation). After years of being a non-practicing Catholic, in 1981 Johnnette experienced a deep conversion back to her Catholic faith. Her conversion sparked a new vocation: that is, one of sharing the Gospel message through the utilization of media. She has been an inspiring and consistent presence on Catholic radio (1987) and in Catholic television (1988) ever since. You can find Johnnette here: www.womenofgrace.com

Johnnette is the Executive Producer of the Women of Grace® television program, a program highlighting contemporary issues from a Catholic perspective which also discusses authentic femininity™ in the world today. She is also host of Women of Grace® Live, a call-in radio talk show airing five times a week. She is heard nationally on AM/FM stations, Sirius Satellite 160, and internationally via short wave radio.

In addition, Johnnette is a popular conference speaker, published author, retreat director, and seminar presenter. She is the author of several books including Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life, Grace-Filled Moments, Living Life Abundantly: Stories of People Who Have Encountered God, Experience Grace in Abundance: Ten Strategies For Your Spiritual Life and The New Age Counterfeit. She also developed the internationally recognized Women of Grace® Foundational Study Series which has transformed thousands of women worldwide through the healing love of Jesus Christ.

On the personal side, Johnnette lost her son Simon in a tragic vehicular accident, just after he returned from Iraq as a decorated soldier. Soon after Simon’s death, she lost her beloved husband of more than thirty three years, Anthony, to terminal brain cancer. Through these tragedies, Johnnette was strengthened by her faith, family, friends and the prayers of the many wonderful supporters of Living His Life Abundantly® and Women of Grace®. Family life is very important to her. She enjoys time with her daughters, grandchildren, extended family and friends.

Hark, a Herald Voice Is Calling

Hark, a herald voice is calling;

                                

“Christ is nigh,” it seems to say;

“Cast away the dreams of darkness,

O ye children of the day.”

Lo, the Lamb, so long expected,

Comes with pardon down from heaven;

Let us haste with tears of sorrow,

One and all to be forgiven.

                                               Roman Breviary,

                             Hymn En clara vox redarguit at Lauds

For Reflection: 

Advent is a time to watch, wait, and make preparation. How do I see all three of these reflected in the above hymn? How am I employing these in my life as I begin this Advent season?

Come back to visit "Catholic Moms Talk" tomorrow for another (longer) Advent Reflection by Johnnette.

Find Johnnette here: www.womenofgrace.com                                           

Affairs of the Heart

I am very happy to welcome Genevieve Kineke to "Catholic Moms Talk" today. Genevieve is a wife, mother of five, and convert to the faith. Her latest book is Set Free: The Authentic Catholic Woman's Guide to Forgiveness (Servant Books). She can be found online at feminine-genius.com.

“Affairs of the Heart”

There is a common question that asks if there are more stars in the sky or grains of sand on the earth. Such distractions can be amusing, not only for the sake of comparisons, but also to remind us of the vastness of the universe. Our Lord is immense, indeed.^*

While God is creator of those things too big to contemplate, he is also the one who counts the hairs on our confused heads, showing that he is also the master of every detail (cf. Luke 12:7). From galaxies to dust particles, he has it all in hand. But what is that to a busy mother?

I recently came across a detail that leapt out at me—a minute element of life that we can all understand in a portion of the private revelation Jesus gave to Saint Faustina:

“Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart… When will it beat for Me?” (Diary, 1728). 

Heartbeats! Now we've delved into a woman's world—the universe of love and affection, of mood and inclination. While the number of hairs on our heads is academic—quite superfluous to our vocation—the pulse of those around us is the very thing we monitor in various ways.

Surely, we know who once made our hearts leap, and perhaps we've been privileged to make a life with them at our side. Our children often bring about those pitty-pats of joy and delight as well. But there are other jolts that are more ominous—an unexpected email, a phone call relating a medical emergency, or the face of a friend that signals crisis. 

What brings this reflection together, though, is the arrival of Advent which has a life of its own—a life that is wrapped in memories, family events, and acts of piety. There are the meals, the gifts, the cards, the gatherings. There are the pageants and the concerts, the plays and the recitals, and amidst it all we pray. We internalize all of these dutiful actions scattered along the path to Christmas, and see our participation in each as an extension of our love for others.

But when we make this journey towards the Crib, what does Our Lord read in our heartbeats? Do we realize that he is close enough to monitor our very pulse from second to second? In assessing our calm (or anxiety!) he knows what our priorities are. He senses our anticipation, our frustration, even the occasional wave of dread—but over what? Is the elevated pressure a measure of our longing for Christ, or a response to the peer pressure to keep up appearances? When our hearts skip a beat, is it over neglecting Christ, or due to impending responsibilities? Do we fuss about mundane details or about those occasions that reveal our lack of love? Does our heart race for him and his intentions, or merely concerning the frivolities of our own making? 

Picture, if you will, the unborn Lord living beneath the heart of Mary, which beat steadily in confidence and love. Her priorities were his, her anxiety felt only on his behalf, her anticipation lay in embracing him alone. Their hearts beat in unison, the Immaculate one depending on that which was Sacred, hers having been spared by the piercing of his. 

Follow your heart, in the coming weeks, but not in the worldly sense. Attend to what agitates it, what excites it, and what it fears—so that you'll know what Christ already knows. There is so much that we do that is oriented toward him and his splendid nativity, but not all. That which still tarries in the world must be laid at his feet so that it can be purified. When your heart finally beats for him, you will truly be his—and all will be well. 

Mrs. Kineke is a married mother of five. She can be found on-line at feminine-genius.com.