Here is an article I wrote for the Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly in honor of mothers everywhere. It’s titled, “Following Mary’s steps in hope, faith, and love.” Enjoy!
A Tribute to Mothers!
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Tag Archives: prayer
What changes do we need to make to show mercy?
How do we show mercy to others?
Mother Teresa said:
“When our sisters were in Ceylon, a minister of state once told me something very surprising. He said, “You know Mother, I love Christ but I hate Christians.” So I asked him how could that be because it is such a contradiction, since Christ and Christians are one. Then he answered me, “Because Christians do not give us Christ, they do not live their Christian lives to the full.”
In continuing our series “Mother Teresa and Mercy” I spoke with Anna Mitchell this morning on the Son Rise Morning Show about how to show God’s mercy in the Year of Mercy.
You can hear our short radio chat here.
I shared a simple but hopefully helpful 4-Step plan to a more merciful YOU! I’ll briefly share it here, but try to take a listen to the show for the entire plan.
1) Be prayerful! We need a strong foundation of prayer to become a more merciful person. The mercy we offer to others will quickly become depleted if we don’t have prayer to back it up! We need a strong prayer life! Mother Teresa had preached that she could not have done the work that she did without a strong foundation of prayer. She said she needed to receive Jesus in the broken BREAD of the EUCHARIST every morning at holy Mass in order to go out and care for the broken bodies of the poor.
2) Admit that you are not always right. This is an important first step to becoming a merciful person. It might be very hard for some to admit. Pray for humility. It is essential to possess humility in order to offer mercy to others. It is such an important virtue to practice. This requires that we die to ourselves–that we look outside ourselves and become more ready to give Christ’s love to others.
3) Be prayerfully attentive. The Blessed Mother at Cana was prayerfully attentive. She realized that a couple was without wine at their wedding feast. She asked her Son Jesus to do something about it. Then, she told the wine stewards, “Do whatever He tells
you.” What does He tell us? He says, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to Me.” We need to show His love and mercy to others. This might require that we step beyond our comfort zones to do so.
4) Get to know your Guardian Angel! Our Guardian Angel will show us opportunities to become more merciful. By the way, I did a couple of shows on the holy Angels with Fr. Andrew Apostoli on EWTN’s Sunday Night Prime TV show. You can see them on my TV page of my website. Our Guardian Angels will assist us in being merciful to others! They will show us many opportunities. Let’s not forget to ask for their assistance!
Again, you can listen to this morning’s radio visit right here.
Novena Bracelet as First Holy Communion or Confirmation Gift
Created by Donna-Marie–this is the first of the Prayerfully Hoping and Expecting Novena Bracelets (featuring a Guardian Angel medal) and created for First Holy Communion and Confirmation girls!
You might have heard about my Prayerfully Hoping & Expecting NOVENA bracelets. You can learn more here.
[Every bracelet purchased benefits an unwed or struggling mother because I donate copies of my mothering books, as well as monetary donations to a wonderful pregnancy center]
See more about the bracelets here. Scroll down the page to find this one.
Stay tuned for Novena Mother/Daughter bracelets!
The heroic role of the mother
“You lifted my spirits, pointing out how motherhood is a ‘sublime calling,'” she told me.
A very beautiful part of my ministry to mothers, families, and women is that I often feel blessed when hearing from someone who expresses her heartfelt thanks for my work. It causes me to stop right then to give glory to God, thanking Him for using His little servant and working in that person’s heart.
I recently received a beautiful email from a young expectant homeschooling mother of five children. I asked her permission to share part of it.
Here it is:
I must tell you how much your books and talks have affected my life. I am not even sure how I discovered you. I think it was an Amazon search years ago for Catholic motherhood. The first book that I’ve read by you was Embracing Motherhood, which made me feel elevated in my status as a mom. You lifted my spirits, pointing out how motherhood is a “sublime” calling. For years, I just wanted my mom and mother-in-law to come beside me and lift me up and praise the work I was doing, but the reality is that they grew-up in a very feminist generation and seem to be blind to the validity of this work. So, your writings filled that need for validation for me.
Next, I started listening to Everyday Blessings For Catholic Moms on my Kindle as I went around cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. The kids always knew when I was folding clothes bc the theme music would blare out 🙂 Then, I read The Domestic Church, and one of my favorite passages in that book (which I double highlighted) was when you said that “Blessed (soon to be saint 🙂 Teresa’s advice was to not be ashamed of humble work which is a huge part of mothering: an extraordinary vocation in which little saints are raised inside the hidden confines of the homelife amid the nitty-gritty, humble work of the mother in the home.” That one statement helps to bring me back to a place of peace when I am tempted to grumble and get discouraged with the nitty-gritty of it all.
She continued…
I cannot express to you what a miracle it is that a girl like me (raised in a non-church going home with a mom who thinks I have lost my mind to be open to this many children…and consequently, she has not offered any support or help) is on the path that I am on. I owe it to the great influences of women like you! You have come into my home and spoken words of faith and encouragement. Your words have given me strength when I’ve been tempted to agree with my naysayers that I am nuts for doing this. Your work renews my sense of purpose and inspires me to go on when every bone in my exhausted body says, “Just quit; put them in public school; and, put your feet up with a latte.” ?Next, my goals are to order the Miraculous Medal book, the Mother Teresa Friendship book and the Children’s book on Angels. I will read them all. Please don’t ever stop writing!!!!! Keep the nourishment coming! Your books are my spiritual direction. They are my friends.
My dear Reader, I want you to know that your loving words and actions mean more than you might ever know. The culture does not make it easy for the heroic mothers who are trying their best to raise Christian children. They are constantly bombarded by the crazy mixed messages of the culture and are not often encouraged in their beautiful sacrificial role of serving their family. Protecting their family from the influences of the evil in society and working hard to teach, care, and most of all, love their children can be tiring.
That mother you see who seems to have it all together, might actually be deeply hurting inside because she craves some motherly affirmation–some kind of shot in the arm to keep her going. You can be the one to help her to know that she is so treasured by God and extremely important to her family in a sometimes thankless job, humbly working through the nitty gritty details of life in the family.
Please go out of your way, and perhaps even push a bit beyond your comfort zone to encourage the many mothers in the trenches raising their little saints to heaven. They need our kind and loving words of encouragement and affirmation. Please help that frazzled or worn out Mom in the grocery store or on the plane–wherever the encounter unfolds and the need arrises. Let her know that her work and sacrifice are SO very important. After all, God has entrusted her with the human being!
I am absolutely sure that you will find countless opportunities–even just in your daily life as you encounter mothers and grandmothers–to help uplift them in their sublime vocation of motherhood – that beautiful vocation of LOVE.
Catching up!
I returned recently from a whirlwind trip to Lafayette, Louisiana. I spoke at a beautiful women’s retreat alongside Johnnette Benkovic. Graces were flowing indeed. It was wonderful meeting all of the lovely “thirsty” women. They were there to nourish their faith and to share with one another. I told them that I firmly believe that when women gather together at times like this–WATCH OUT!–because with God’s grace we have the power to change the world!
Just prior to that my visits on Women of Grace were aired on EWTN TV. You can see all five of them here for a limited time.
Here is a recent article in a Canadian newspaper with an interview of me expressing the importance of a mother’s mission. I will be speaking about a mother’s vocation in Toronto this week end. Please keep me in your prayers.
A recent article in the National Catholic Register highlighting my Lenten book is here.
Did you know that I make these Novena bracelets exclusively for the EWTN Religious Catalogue?
Have you seen my special bracelets fitting for any woman? They are a prayer aid and help to celebrate human life. Check out the various styles here.
I need to finish a few writing projects and prepare for my trip to Toronto. Please keep me in your prayers and now that you are in my prayers!
How’s your Lenten Journey going?
How’s your Lenten Journey? Half of the season of Lent has passed. We have a half more to go!
This morning John Harper and I chatted briefly about the season of Lent and the fact that we are half way through this holy penitential season in which we are meant to grow in holiness. We called our segment it a “Mid-Lent Spiritual Tune-Up.” If you missed it, you can listen here anytime. I hope you have a few moments to listen to our chat.
Are you nourishing your faith with spiritual reading? Take even a few moments each day to read from the lives of the saints. It can help to keep you focused and give you a great shot in the arm to get you through your busy days.
Remember–don’t give up! Keep going! Pray and work hard and Our Lord will certainly reward your efforts!
God bless you!
Prayerfully Hoping & Expecting
I am sharing some wonderful news. First of all, I have bundled my book Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers To Be with the very new Prayerfully Hoping & Expecting Novena Bracelets. You can see that in this link on my website. The two bundled together make a lovely gift for the expectant Mom or for one who hopes to be expecting someday. But, the novena bracelet is for any woman. Please read on to see why.
Here’s a little about my book which, by the way, dear Blessed Mother Teresa wrote the foreword to.
This beautifully crafted book is a reflection guide, keepsake, and prayer journal that offers inspiration for each month of pregnancy in the tradition of the popular nine-day prayer, the Novena.Your feet are swollen, your hormones are a mess, and you still crave too much ice cream. For every mother-to-be, the nine months of pregnancy can be demanding. Competing with the joy of anticipation is the frustration of bodily pain and limitation. In this intimate book, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle invites pregnant women everywhere to see their pregnancy not as a burden but as a living prayer to God. Connecting the nine months of pregnancy with the nine-part novena prayer tradition known to Catholics everywhere, Donna Marie shows how each month of pregnancy connects the mother to the great Catholic saints and teachers. Alongside the devotional and the catechetical helps are pointed references to the development of the child in the womb as the months of pregnancy progress. Includes a foreword by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and an Apostolic Blessing from Pope John Paul II.
Here is an endorsement:
A different kind of pregnancy journal. Imbued as it is with Scripture, exhortations from John Paul the Great, wisdom from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and both traditional and original prayers, it steeps expectant mothers in an atmosphere of holiness, reminding them that what they are experiencing is sacred.~Karen Edmisten
Here is a little background about writing this book:
I wrote this book Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers To Be during my own precarious pregnancy in which I was placed on complete bed rest. Very soon into my pregnancy I became deeply inspired to envision a pregnancy as a beautiful nine month novena of prayer as I awaited the birth of my unborn baby.
I wanted to share that inspiration and offer a kind of a prayer journal to other expectant mothers that could help them reflect upon their holy time of waiting, all the while as they pray and grow in holiness.
So, I put pen to paper (literally, since I did not own a typewriter or computer at the time) and I continued to write down all of the inspiration that was stirring in my heart. In God’s Divine plan, Blessed Mother Teresa would write the Foreword to this book. She had also encouraged me to continue to write for mothers and expectant mothers.
Women all around the world are using Prayerfully Expecting to create a living novena of prayer throughout their pregnancies.
Here is a little explanation about my inspiration this past Advent in which I created Prayerfully Hoping & Expecting Novena Prayer bracelets:
During the season of Advent 2015, I felt very inspired to create these novena bracelets to celebrate the sanctity of human life as well as to have a tangible means to pray for it.
one of the styles
As I mentioned above, these novena prayer bracelets serve many purposes. I have made each bracelet with nine beads to symbolize nine months of pregnancy. The number nine is also very significant in praying a novena of prayer. The bracelet will be a visual reminder to pray a novena for your own pregnancy, for your daughter, granddaughter, godchild, daughter-in-law, or niece’s pregnancy, and so on. It can be used to pray to conceive a child, to pray to adopt a child, to pray for your own children and grandchildren, and to pray for every pregnancy to result in a live birth and for the end to abortion.
Another style
I pray as I create each novena bracelet. Each bracelet will be constructed with an attached crucifix, Miraculous Medal, and most of them will also contain a pregnancy saint’s medal. It will be shipped to you in an attractive box with prayer cards inside. I encourage you to get your bracelet blessed so that it may serve as a blessed sacramental.
Another style
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You can see much more about the book and the newly created and handmade (by Yours Truly!) novena bracelets (including more styles) here. Hopefully, the information on the page will answer all of your questions.
In addition, I have more great news! The EWTN Religious Catalogue is carrying my bracelets. I have designed a special one that is exclusive to EWTN. You can see the information for ordering right here at the EWTN Religious Catalogue.
Here is an image of the special EWTN bracelet:
Special EWTN novena bracelet
My visits on Women of Grace!
I was blessed to have visited with Johnnette Benkovic, host of EWTN’s Women of Grace television show. The shows aired this past week. In case you weren’t able to tune in due to some schedule changes with EWTN’s Pope Francis visit to Mexico coverage, here is a link in which you can view all five shows at your leisure.
I hope that you will enjoy the shows. I suggest you try to watch them soon while they are live on the website.
Chatting about Lent on the Son Rise Morning Show
[I have no idea why the wording is backwards on the image above!]
I recently chatted with Matt Swain on the Son Rise Morning Show about Lent with our families. My latest in my Lenten series is Bringing Lent Home with Pope Francis. You can listen to the archive here at your leisure.
Let’s make this Lent count!
A FUN yet serious Lenten chat with John Harper this morning
In case you didn’t get a chance to tune in to our wonderful chat this morning on Morning Air. Here is a link of my chat with John Harper. I had a great time chatting with him about Lent, families, and even the fact that we both have Polish grandmothers!
You can purchase all four of my Lenten books here for only $11.00!
What are your Lenten plans?
What?! Is cleaning a toilet miraculous?
A Simple Grace recently interviewed me about the faith, love and prayer. They have used a couple of my responses in their new magazine. The piece is titled, “Author of ‘Bringing Lent Home with Pope Francis’ shares her secret for discovering everyday miracles.”I believe that the full interview is in the hard copy of the magazine.
You can see my response about love, prayer and cleaning a toilet here!
Enjoy!
Christmas Joy amid challenge
It was a blessed and happy Christmas in so many ways. My grandson was here for his very first Christmas! I was surrounded by my five children, my husband, my daughter’s husband, and one daughter’s significant other–all coming together to celebrate in the heart of my home. Needless to say, I was extremely thankful. It was a whirlwind of crazy and blessed few days filled with so much activity and precious moments shared together.
Oh, wait a minute! Did I mention there was a brand new puppy too? One of my daughters has a new puppy and he came to visit too, romping around in Christmas paper!
There were so many beautiful moments, but I cherish the moment when I gave my little grandson one of his very first Christmas gifts. When he saw that it was a board book with bright and cheery pictures he smiled and pointed at the pictures and immediately turned his head to look into my eyes and smiled so wide he made me smile too. It was as if he was saying, “Grandma, I love this book! Thank you!”
That little precious moment warmed my heart.
This is a different precious moment with a different book enjoyed first thing on Christmas morning. But I will always remember my darling grandson’s little angelic face smiling and looking into my eyes as he looked at his present from Grandma.
There were some challenges for me to endure this Christmas time, as well. I won’t go into them now. But, I think you’ll see as you read these stories that there are all sorts of challenges interwoven throughout all of this Christmas JOY. Amid the struggles are stories of joy and blessing, and even miracles too that warm my heart and cause me to praise God. I want to share a few of them with you.
Babies born at Christmas time
I’ll start with the babies. In recent days, I know of two babies that were born safely (one for whom I was praying while in utero which had a serious medical condition). One Mom lost a lot of blood in childbirth and needed additional prayers to recover. Her baby was born early and was having trouble nursing. I was keeping them strongly in my prayers and checking on them. I asked others to pray as well.
She emailed me to say, “God has used you so beautifully to bring us grace in this house and I do not know how to thank you Donna. Thank you for the best Christmas gift.” I was so humbled and blessed by her words. I felt deeply thankful that because of God’s grace, my simple desire to continue prayers for them had made such a difference in their lives.
The other baby was diagnosed before birth with Skeletal Dysplasia (Dwarfism) which can sometimes be fatal. When asking for prayers from me before the birth, the Mom explained, “At this time Doctors are telling us to be optimistic but prepare ourselves because they really do not know if she’ll survive. Her rib cage has not formed properly, the ribs are about half the length they should be, meaning they do not meet the sternum. We have been praying through the intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos for a miracle, that her rib cage will be healed.” She also expressed that no matter what, she would love and care for her baby.
Very recently I received a message from the Mom to say that she was in labor–to please pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby, and to ask others to pray. I did just that and waited.
The precious baby girl was born just the other day. Her rib cage is fully formed! Thank God! This is truly miraculous and an absolute answer to prayer! The newborn is in the NICU but is doing well thus far. Let’s pray for this baby and family. The doctors are currently testing for another condition which could cause bone fractures. I pray that will be ruled out.
God’s perfect timing
Then there is the order of the 150 Miraculous Medals that I needed to send to a far off place to a woman who had requested them to give to homeless people. I tried to expedite the delivery because I wanted to ensure the package would be received in time for their Christmas festivities. But, even with careful planning and a “guaranteed” delivery time, it still didn’t seem that it was going to make it on time. Yet, I still sensed that somehow the medals would arrive in God’s perfect timing. I knew I had to leave it all in God’s hands because there was nothing more I could do. I sent an apologetic email about the possible late delivery.
A few days later, I received an email from the woman. “I wanted to let you know of how things worked out all in God’s perfect timing…First, the letter I helped compose, somehow didn’t get printed in time to go into the bags either, and the lady who runs the Soup Kitchen ended up going around individually talking with each person, holding their hands, and giving them the letter personally. How beautiful!” She said.
“And now, I am quite sure that this is what God wants of me too,” she explained. “It would be so much easier to just put the gift in the bag and not have personal contact, although the gift handed in person will obviously be so much more meaningful.”
The delayed delivery caused this woman to re-think the way in which she would gift the medals. She now planned to hand deliver each blessed Miraculous Medal to each homeless person who visited the Soup Kitchen.
The medals had indeed arrived on time. I smiled when I read her email about “God’s perfect timing.” Another bit of Christmas joy I thought! What a blessing!
Totally transformed by a kind gesture
Another story really warmed my heart too. Yesterday, I called my elderly ex-mother-in-law on the phone to see how she was doing. If you have read my memoir The Kiss of Jesus, you would know that we are still in touch on a regular basis. She is very dear to me.
Elizabeth just very recently transitioned to a long term medical facility and told me during our phone call that her roommate who is 97 years old had a very tough week and had almost died. A few days after her troubling ordeal, the woman seemed very forlorn. Elizabeth, feeling sorry for Arlene and seeing her so quiet, called out to her from her side of the room. But Arleen just sat there, hung her head and did not respond.
Elizabeth recalled to me that suddenly she had an idea. She decided to quickly pick up a photo from the table beside her bed to show it to her depressed neighbor. It was a picture of her great-grandson (my grandson!) with whom she enjoyed a very special visit on Christmas day.
She wheeled herself over in her chair and showed Arlene the sweet picture. Her roommate suddenly lit right up and started asking all sorts of questions about Elizabeth’s great grandchild.
“It was like she was totally transformed when she saw his smiling face,” Elizabeth told me over the phone. “It brought her out of herself and she was happy again!”
Elizabeth handed the photo to Arlene and told her to keep it because it seemed to make her so happy. I told Elizabeth that my heart was so warmed in learning about this very sweet exchange.
“You helped her so much by reaching out to her.” I told Elizabeth.
“Well, my little great-grandson helped her without even knowing it!” She said.
As we conversed I also told Elizabeth that I was very proud of her for the way she had transitioned into her new environment (which had come about very suddenly just about a month or so ago).
“And now you are even helping others to feel better!” I said. I wanted her to feel encouragement and affirmation.
Even more JOY…
Even as I write this reflection, I heard from a woman who reached out to me before Christmas begging prayers and feeling very scared. Further testing had been ordered for her after her mammogram had detected a mass in one of her breasts. She had said, “I just received some not so good news and I am really upset.” The poor woman had to wait until after Christmas to go back in to the doctor to check further. I promised my prayers.
I just got word from her that the mass is gone. She explained that the radiologist was very certain that there was no mass evident in the follow up testing.
The woman said, “I claim her [the radiologist] words as healing in Jesus’ name. Thank you Donna so much for all you do for all of us.”
As you can imagine, I am praising God!
God never stops working through our gestures of love and prayer.
Merry Christmas!
Mother Teresa and Mercy
Pope Francis declared an Extraordinary Year of Mercy which officially started on December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. It will end on Nov. 20, 2016, on the feast of Christ the King.
The biblical theme Pope Francis has chosen is “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Traditionally, every 25 years the Pope proclaims a holy year, which features special celebrations and pilgrimages, calls for repentance and conversion, as well as providing special opportunities to experience God’s grace through the sacraments, especially confession. Extraordinary holy years, like the Holy Year of Mercy, are less frequent, but offer the same opportunities for spiritual growth.
Pope Francis said, “Let us not forget that God forgives and God forgives always. Let us never tire of asking for forgiveness.”
Pope Francis continued, “I am convinced that the whole Church — which has much need to receive mercy, because we are sinners — will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time.”
There’s so much that we can say about this great opportunity for grace and there are countless things we can do during this Year of Mercy. Therefore, I decided to do a regular radio show called “Mother Teresa and Mercy.” I’ll discuss practical ways in which we can be merciful and to grow in holiness, basing it on the wisdom of Blessed Mother Teresa with whom I was very blessed to know as my spiritual mother for about ten years. She still mothers me from heaven!
You can hear the first short segment of “Mother Teresa and Mercy” right here at your leisure.
God is always surprising us!
I recently experienced a beautiful encounter at my parish during a book signing after Mass. A woman came up to me and said she wanted to purchase my memoir The Kiss of Jesus which she wanted to gift to her sister who lived out West. She said she hoped she could surprise her sister with the book in thanksgiving for all her sister had done for her.
She went on to explain that her sister had gifted four of my books to her in recent years. As she was telling me, she pointed to my book The Domestic Church: Room By Room and recalled how that book helped her immensely.
“This book, The Domestic Church, brought me back into the Church! It also made me be sure to get all of my children baptized,” she recalled. “I also have an altar in my home because of this book.”
She was referring to my encouragement to parents to establish a prayer table or prayer corner in their homes so that they can raise their family in the faith more tangibly. They can hopefully be drawn to the Sacred rather than the secular with the holy reminders of the sacramentals and sacred images on and near their prayer table.
My heart was soaring, knowing that this woman had come back to the Church because her generous and caring sister had gifted my The Domestic Church book to her. God is so amazing! I thought.
The woman pointed to other titles on the table that her sister had sent to her and seemed to be so surprised that they were there in front of her.
The story gets even better.
The sweet woman at my book table went on to tell me that she was in disbelief that I was a parishioner at this particular parish.
“Don’t you usually go to this Mass?” she asked me. “I have seen you here before.”
She was trying to figure out whether or not I was just visiting this evening with my books or if I had been the woman she had seen all along.
I confirmed that I was indeed a parishioner. She was astounded. I told her that I try to keep a low profile at my parish.
“I watch you all of the time on EWTN and I read all of your blogs!” She told me. It took a moment for her to wrap her head around the fact that the author she was following for years was nearer to her than she could have imagined.
“You look shorter on TV!”
She had not realized that the woman she had seen at Mass at a distance was me.
We both smiled. Again, I felt deeply grateful to God that He had worked in this woman’s life through my books and television shows.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary inspires us to help the poor.
Happy feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary! She inspires us to help the poor. Even from a young age she was thinking about and helping the less fortunate.
As a daughter of royalty, Elizabeth was thrust into many responsibilities as well as her future marriage which had been arranged by her father. This arrangement caused her to be separated from her family at a very young age.
Elizabeth lived up to her duties, as well as took care of the countless needy people who came to her gate for bread. In serving the afflicted, there were times Elizabeth gave away the royal clothes and goods.
Perhaps my very favorite story about St. Elizabeth was when she allowed a sick leper to sleep in her bed when her husband was away. Her husband Ludwig returned unexpectedly and his mother, who always found fault with Elizabeth, summoned Ludwig to see who was in his bed. Upon throwing back the blankets, Elizabeth’s husband did not see a leper but miraculously saw Jesus lying there.
Constantly caring for the severely ill, Elizabeth became deathly ill and died at the young age of almost twenty four. Miraculous healings soon began to occur at her grave located near the hospital she founded. Elizabeth was canonized only four years later.
St. Elizabeth is the patron saint of Secular Franciscans and Catholic Charities.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke about her:
Elizabeth practiced assiduously the works of mercy: she gave to drink and eat those who came to her door, she got clothes, paid debts, looked after the sick and buried the dead. Coming down from her castle, she often went with her maidservants to the homes of the poor, taking bread, meat, flour and other foods. She would hand the food out personally and carefully oversaw clothes and shelter for the poor. This behavior was reported to her husband, who not only was not annoyed, but answered her accusers: “So long as they don’t come to the castle, I’m happy!” Placed in this context is the miracle of bread transformed into roses: While Elizabeth was going through the street with her apron full of bread for the poor, she met her husband, who asked her what she was carrying. She opened her apron and, instead of bread, magnificent roses appeared. This symbol of charity is often present in depictions of St. Elizabeth.
Hers was a profoundly happy marriage: Elizabeth helped her husband to raise his human qualities to the supernatural level and he, on the other hand, protected his wife in her generosity to the poor and in her religious practices. Ever more in admiration of his wife’s great faith, Ludwig, referring to her care of the poor, said to her: “Dear Elizabeth, it is Christ whom you have washed, fed and looked after.” A clear testimony of how faith and love of God and one’s neighbor reinforce marital union and make it even more profound…”
~ Pope Benedict XVI, Oct. 20, 2010.
Conrad of Marburg, St. Elizabeth’s spiritual adviser, wrote a letter in support of her canonization:
“Elizabeth was a lifelong friend of the poor and gave herself entirely to relieving the hungry. She ordered that one of her castles should be converted into a hospital in which she gathered many of the weak and feeble. She generously gave alms to all who were in need, not only in that place but in all the territories of her husband’s empire. She spent all her own revenue from her husband’s four principalities, and finally she sold her luxurious possessions and rich clothes for the sake of the poor.
“Twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, Elizabeth went to visit the sick. She personally cared for those who were particularly repulsive; to some she gave food, to others clothing; some she carried on her own shoulders, and performed many other kindly services. Her husband, of happy memory, gladly approved of these charitable works. Finally, when her husband died, she sought the highest perfection; filled with tears, she implored me to let her beg for alms from door to door. Good Friday of that year, when the altars had been stripped, she laid her hands on the altar in a chapel in her own town, where she had established the Friars Minor, and before witnesses, she voluntarily renounced all worldly display and everything that our Savior in the Gospel advises us to abandon. Even then, she saw that she could still be distracted by the cares and worldly glory which had surrounded her while her husband was alive. Against my will, she followed me to Marburg. Here in the town, she built a hospice where she gathered together the weak and the feeble. There she attended the most wretched and contemptible at her own table.
Apart from those active good works, I declare before God that I have seldom seen a more contemplative woman.”
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Pray for us and teach us to love the poor, St. Elizabeth! As your husband realized and exclaimed, “Dear Elizabeth, it is Christ whom you have washed, fed and looked after,” pray for us that we will strive to care for the poor too. Amen.
Heartfelt words from a woman on the path to healing
A woman just reviewed The Kiss of Jesus and disclosed that because of the book and God’s Infinite Grace, she is now on a path to healing. Praise God!
“The inner most devastating details shared within this book spoke directly to my soul and have given me a real hope that God is with me…and also given me an understanding that this spiritual journey she presents (which is all too familiar) is purposeful and necessary in its purification of the soul perhaps or some other meaningful teaching that needs to be learned. I’m grateful for the courage Donna-Marie used to forge through revealing such painful experiences. I’m on a path to healing myself because of having read it and of course, more importantly thanks to God’s infinite grace.”
Let’s say a prayer for her and for all women experiencing difficulties and dark nights. May God bless them in great abundance!
The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 14!
Today our The Kiss of Jesus blog tour stops at “Water Into Wine.”
Lisa writes:
“I love when a memoir provides both the shock of the unfamiliar and an intimate sense of shared humanity. Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s new memoir, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross, does all of that and more.
With incredible courage, through the gripping story of her life, Donna-Marie reveals to her many fans that she is wounded, like they are. She has made mistakes, suffered from abuse and humiliating losses, lived in poverty, fought to protect her children and clear her name, and struggled alone as a single mom.
Walking in faith sometimes seems like walking in the dark. I seemed to grope blindly a lot throughout my life, but with a certainty, or at least a strong hope, that there would be light–somewhere. I needed to trust God fully with my life and I prayed to do so. When I found myself in darkness I continued to search for God there, and I strove to serve Him each day in the people He put around me, starting in my own family. (p. 116)
Life, she admits candidly, has not gone according to plan. But because she has persevered in handing it all over to God, step by step and day by day, it has all come right; and she has done more than just survive: she has triumphed by joining her own suffering to that of her crucified Lord:”
The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 10!
Today’s blog tour stops at the Patheos blog, Season’s of Grace with Kathy Schiffer.
In her post titled, Hope for the Suffering: Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle Inspires in Candid Memoir, Kathy writes:
I remember the first time I saw Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle on EWTN. She seemed so delicate, so mild-mannered, so firm in her Catholic faith. Later I met Donna-Marie at a meeting of the Catholic Writers Guild, and her image as a strong faith leader and an inspirational speaker was reinforced in my mind.
Her writing is truly inspirational–reading her books, one can’t help but resolve to be holier. When, in December 2012, I participated in the blog tour for Donna-Marie’s book Rooted in Love: Our Calling As Catholic Women, I wrote:
“Donna-Marie brings to her writing a softness, a peaceful witness born of time spent in prayer.”
Such grace-filled encouragement must, I thought, be born in a childhood of devotion, a youthful hunger for Christ, and a model family life.
That’s why I was shocked–really, SHOCKED!–to read the earthy revelations about her earlier life in Donna-Marie’s deeply moving memoir, The Kiss of Jesus.
[You can read the full review here.]
The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 9!
Today’s Blog tour stop is at Peace Garden Passage.
Rozane writes:
“I am finding it more and more difficult these days to carve out adequate time for indulging in my longtime passion of reading. But Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s memoir, “The Kiss of Jesus,” had me blissfully rediscovering the delights of sneaking a flashlight and book under the covers each night, and staying up to the wee hours, quietly turning pages while my husband snored nearby.
For when you have a jewel that shimmers in your hands, the thought of it collecting dust becomes quickly dismantled, and “where there’s a will there’s a way” makes room.
It doesn’t hurt that Donna-Marie is a personal friend, and that memoir happens to be my favorite genre. Through that friendship, I knew this book was percolating a while before it came to light. In fact, Donna-Marie and I met in person for the first time, after a years-long online friendship, at a conference where she was set about the task of setting her memoir in motion…”
Meeting up with Roxane at the Catholic Marketing Network
Visiting with “Live Hour” on Archangel Radio
I recently spoke with the hosts on the “Live Hour” on Archangel Radio sharing about my life and my memoir The Kiss of Jesus. You can listen here at your leisure. I hope that you enjoy it.