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TOTAL W(H)INE

Jesus made it. My kids do it. I drink it. In vino veritas.

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By: Emily May 2, 2018

E4

Posted by:Emily

Proud Louisiana native. Reluctant DMV resident. Imperfect Catholic (why it's called "practicing"). Fabulous domestic goddess. Trophy wife to Nick. Model mom to Evelyn and Baby Boy in June. Fluent in sarcasm. Lives to laugh.

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Attitude of Gratitude

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A Look on the Bright Side Birth Stories Book Reviews Catholic Culture Family Guest Writers Lent 2019 Marriage Media NFP Recipes Stories of Conversion Tell It Like It Is This Mom's Opinion Tips and Tricks

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As an architecture student, I studied a lot of buildings. My favorite of them all quickly became the Gothic Cathedrals. With the grotesque turn architecture took in the early 20th century towards the glorification of the ego and contempt for the humanity of beauty, these stone and glass giants became even more important, formidable monuments to a time when faith in an omniscient God drove creativity and ingenuity to achieve wonders the world had never seen before. When I got the news yesterday about Notre Dame, I wanted to cry. I believe that tears are the appropriate response to the destruction of beauty. But my tears didn't come. I am devastated by the loss of this gem, but I was almost instantly reminded of this truth - the most beautiful thing in Notre Dame was in the Tabernacle, and that Beauty resides in every tabernacle in every church in all the world. It's not lost on many of you that the timing of this tragedy falls during Holy Week. It's really not out of character for our loving God to remove even good things from our lives so that we can refocus more clearly on Him. He takes close friends, financial security, stability in all forms, a beautiful building that led many to Him - He takes these things away so that He can pave the way for something far better, a relationship where we find perfect peace, where we want for nothing because we have Him, where the things in our life can come and go without giving us a moment's worry because we accept all as gift from Him. I've seen many people recall the words of Our Lord to St. Francis, “Rebuild my church.” This is that moment for each one of us! I pray that Notre Dame will be rebuilt to her former glory, but more than that, I pray that the spirit of God will be rebuilt in each of our hearts.
***ANNOUNCING A NEW SERIES!*** This Easter season, I am thrilled to be able to introduce you to these 14 women from all over the country (plus Canada), of all different ages and stages of life, who all have one thing in common: converting to the Catholic faith. They will be sharing their unique stories of how their journey of faith eventually led them to the Catholic Church. Click the link in my bio for details of when you can read their stories! Now, show these ladies some love with a double tap and a share! 🙌❤️😊 @jassi.l.c @annadunham @destedwards @sotexanblog @lizziegonzwong @beckyhuebner #katehuebner @workandplaydaybyday @talithaseibel @barefootabbey @dailydivinemercy @hollymvaughan @koalamomblog @johnnawilford
Happy Holy Week! One of the things that struck me in recent years was calling Christ’s death and suffering His passion. If you think about how we use that word passion, this is the only context I can think of where it describes something so horrific. In most other contexts, when we describe people as passionate or we talk about our passions, we are highlighting gifts and talents that we possess, things that drive who we are. And yet, this perfectly describes Christ’s suffering. His passion was our salvation. All of Scripture can be summarized as a love letter from God to His people, a passionate plea for them to come to know, love and serve Him. This calling reaches its climax on Calvary, the ultimate expression of unconditional love which has been God’s passion since the moment of our creation. We get to hear the Passion story twice this week, both today and Friday. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate in you a deeper understanding of Christ’s passion for your soul. • #heyearnsforyou #totalwhinelent #lent2019 #HolyWeek #PalmSunday • This is my last Lenten reflection post so that I can focus on Holy Week as well as a new project. I want to thank you for journeying with me!
I am my beloved's,/ and his desire is for me. Ch 7:10 • The word for "desire" here is used only two other times in Scripture according to my Bible's notes, both in Genesis. The first, (3:16) is when God tells Eve her desire shall be for her husband. The second, (4:7) God tells Cain after he does accept his offering that sin would desire him. Are we to assume then that this desire is only bad? If we look closely at all these scriptures together, we can see that desire needs to be properly ordered. Eve's desire for her husband was not bad, for God told them to be fruitful and multiply before the fall. Sin's desire for Cain is something that Cain ultimately had control over, though he chose not to exercise it. Desires are not bad in and of themselves, and can point us in the right direction if we invite God into them. God told Cain he would be tempted, and what is temptation but an opportunity to turn to God for the grace's needed to overcome them? Eve's desire for her husband could consume her or it could help her to be considerate of Adam and her role as his helpmate. This goes back to why we have been making sacrifices all of Lent. The things we are giving up are not bad in and of themselves, but our desire for them can become improperly ordered to the point that we place them above God. We have been resetting the balance, asking God to help us put Him above all other desires, even the good ones. We're only week away from Good Friday. The long fast of Lent is almost over. How have you grown in your desire for God? Share in the comments!! • #heyearnsforyou #totalwhinelent #lent2019
How graceful are your feet in sandals,/ O queenly maiden! Ch. 7:1 • If you read on through verse 4, this man describes the beauties of this woman in the oddest terms to our modern ears. Her belly is a heap of wheat, her neck is an ivory tower and - my personal favorite - her nose is like the tower of Lebanon. So this chick had a big gut, freakishly long neck and a huge schnoz. Not exactly Vogue's cover model. But make no mistake, he is head over heels - er, beautifully sandalled feet - for her. He is held captive by her beauty. I don't think we can spend too much time contemplating how God sees us and loves us as His beautiful creatures. Satan loves to trap us in the lie that we are not worthy of being loved because of this fault or that failing. But Christ came and died as He did to make sure we understood something vitally important. He does not love us because we are perfect, but just as we are, right where we are, in all of the ugliness of our sin, and calls to us and beckons us to receive His love. Jesus told St. Faustina that the greatest suffering He endured was from the souls who sin and believe their sin is beyond His forgiveness. Such a disposition does nothing less than make a lie out of Calvary. Today, plan to make a good examination of conscience, asking God to show you exactly what He sees in you. Then, make a good confession sometime between now and Easter, release your sins to Him that they may be forgiven, and rejoice that without your permission sin can no longer have the final say in your life. • #heyearnsforyou #totalwhinelent #lent2019
It's #CsectionAwarenessMonth, and I have a couple stories featured on the blog! No matter how your baby entered the world, you gave birth exactly the way you were meant to! God is a master of turning our pain into unfathomable beauty!
I won't get to put together a reflection for today since we are expecting this little lady's grandparents in town for a visit! Our parish priest, who Evelyn loves, caught her playing in the side door after Mass, and thought she'd enjoy standing in the alcove, which she definitely did! I'm still tremendously saddened by the endemic scandal within the church, but I am so thankful for the incredible priests I've been blessed to know throughout my life and ministered to in our current parish. Today's sweet interaction reminded me how many good priests we do have in the Church who need our prayers and support to remain our good shepherds. Pray for conversion, and pray in thanksgiving for those good priests we all know. • • • #totalwhine #thosemysteriouspriests #FultonSheenprayforus
His speech is most sweet,/ and he is altogether desirable./ This is my beloved and this is my friend,/ O Daughters of Jerusalem. Ch. 5:16 • I found it interesting that when the woman describes her beloved, she particularly notes what he says as part of what makes him attractive to her. The man always describes her appearance. We can go all the way back to Genesis and see this play out with Adam and Eve. He is so captivated by her beauty that it inspires him to declare her his equal. I like to think that it was what Adam said that captivated Eve. The words that Jesus speaks to us are also “most sweet.” This is not a saccharine sweetness, often betraying a lack of sincerity. They are words that sustain us, that illuminate who we truly are, and assure us that we are worthy of love. They are rich and real, spoken by one who is our true friend. When Jesus says in the Gospels, Do not be afraid, Peace be with you, I am the bread of life, do we take Him at His word? Do we let those words move us towards a deeper love for the One who loves us beyond description? Next time you hear the Gospel, at mass this Sunday or during daily reflections, remember this: these are the words of One who is altogether desirable, words that are most sweet for your soul, and the words of your True Friend. • #heyearsforyou #totalwhinelent #lent2019
Sometimes these hooligans capture life with two under two with a single facial expression. Thomas is every mom ever. • • And yes, he is wearing a girl bib cause I refuse to shell out $5 at Burlington for bibs with boy things. #momoftheyear
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