Walking with Jesus

I read this quote on Franciscan Media, “it should be no surprise that saints, indeed all Christians, will experience the same difficulties as their Master.” The responsorial psalm for today also reminds us that we are not alone in our sufferings. “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you…

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Into the Desert

Today’s gospel account from the book of Mark is a very short, to the point, account of Jesus going to the desert, being tempted, and returning ready to minister. If we look up the definition of desert, some synonyms for the word are barren land, wilderness, and dust bowl. Dust bowl stands out as we…

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Soak

I shared with you last year that every January I choose a word and a saint to focus on for the year ahead. You may recall that last year the word was Gift. This practice of honing in on the word “Gift” helped me tremendously to acknowledge that even my crosses are gifts. Sometimes I…

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Resilience

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

Did you ever have one of the moments that you know will be etched on your heart forever because of how spectacularly moving it was? I believe we are only given a few, and many may miss the beauty in them if they are not keenly aware. I had one the other day. We had…

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Choose Wisely

You are who your friends are. This is a saying that is tattooed on my heart. My mother said it to us so many times growing up, I now find myself saying it to my own children. You are who your friends are! Research shows we become most like the five people we spend the…

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Our Father

As I read today’s gospel reading, I thought, what more could I possibly tell our readers about the Lord’s Prayer? Quickly, a memory tore into my mind as if it had happened recently. As a young girl, I attended CCD, what we now call faith development. We met in the parish hall next to the…

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How to Suffer Well

Last month I was fortunate enough to hear Father Spitzer speak on suffering. It just so happens that today’s first reading is about suffering as well. So, I thought I would share some key takeaways from the talk. Each year, for the past few years, I have been invited to hear Father Spitzer give various…

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Grace Day Mass

Grace to you, GVM readers. On Saturday, August 12 at 925am Eastern USA time we will be live streaming our Grace Day GVM 10th Anniversary Mass.  The link below will give you direct access to it.  It will be saved for future viewing, as well. Thank you for your prayers and support over the last decade,…

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Deny Yourself

I went to bed last night thinking about my monthly reflection. I had not read the gospel reading yet, but as I lay there thinking, God placed a specific situation on my heart. I knew He was asking me to tell the story. This morning I sat at my computer and did a quick search…

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Be Amazed

Today’s gospel tells us about Jesus going into towns and villages to heal the sick and cure diseases. He healed a mute man who astonished the people when he could speak. Yet, their astonishment was short-lived, and their hearts were hardened again. How similar is our world today?! We may hear of a miracle or…

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