by thinkingfromhope | Sep 25, 2020 | 10x your Hope
He’s the one who frees you from past wounds through His wounds.
The One who rejoices in your successes when no one else cares or is jealous.
The one who says I came to free you from vanity, sensuality, and pride.
The One whose heart beats your name –thrum, thrum, thrum– with the song of, “I love you.”
The one who sends out rays of Grace’s to deep soak you in His ways that bring joy, life, love and truth.
Oh, truth can be unpleasant but only if you are not walking with Him, then truth is glory,glory like a soft rain bringing dawn to the sky.
He’s the one who says put your life under a rule, resolve to do good, and examine your conscience to let him heal you and to laugh in joy with Him.
Want more from the Life of Jesus? Sign-up for 
St. Ignatius Tuesday’s right here and learn from one of the greatest saints who probed the mind of Christ and wore it like a helmet: St. Ignatius!
–Jennifer Lindberg
by thinkingfromhope | Sep 15, 2020 | 10x your Hope
By Jennifer Lindberg
Casting your net is hard sometimes because we aren’t sure what we will catch: a deep drought of peace or something unpleasant, unmentionable, and smelly?
Oh, but this net that Christ wants us to cast is about going to the depths of holiness and finding something wonderful because holiness dwells in all of us.
Why do we feel holy when we walk on holy ground entering the hush of the cathedral and gazing at the wonder of art made by human hands? Why do we stand enraptured in front of Raphael’s painting of the Ascension? How does our stone-cold hearts alight as we gaze on still colder marble that seems fluid and moving in Michelangelo’s David or Pieta? David’s thumb is on the sling and you are sure he is pressing it and a stone will fly. Mary holds Christ in the Pieta, and you are sure her chest heaves in a huge sigh of surrender.
This net that is cast comes to us at our baptism where we receive the Holy Spirit to nourish and protect us in the greatest net of grace ever created. That church where the water was poured over you head three times with the Sign of the Cross was done within a church of strong walls to give you the stronghold of faith. The candle and lights burring are symbols for the light of Christ going into us so that we may shine before men and lead them, even if at times all we have is a waning flicker. That light given to you at baptism will not go out. All the statues of saints and angels are our witnesses to the life possible within us and how to live it.
Cast your nets deep and believe in the holiness that resides in you because of your Baptismal promises. Your net is cast to receive abundance in grace, not abundance in sin, the dredges of filth that are not worth you.
Cat you net to know that in times of difficulty God is still present. Cast you nets to know that in times of blessing and gratitude you need to drink it in to sustain you in desolations. Cast you nets to know you can pour your heart out to the Lord and He will hear you. He will answer you in His time and His way. When Peter cast his net, he had caught nothing all night. It was ludicrous to cast the net again, especially in a place where the seasoned fisherman knew there were no fish! Christ’s way was better even when Peter questioned it. We are God’s living temple on earth. We carry His Presence in us from our Baptism and every time we receive the Holy Eucharist. We are Christ’s lights shining the way sometimes as a beacon and sometimes like a tiny flame, but both provide the light needed for every situation.
Cast you nets in trust, you living temples of God made in His Image and know that each day you live in Gods’ love. Each day you are in in the presence of Holy God – Cast off and be filled with the dignity that is yours to claim in a faith-filled life full of grace and not the dredges of sin.
Scripture passages to hold close to your heart this day:
Cast your nets: “He said to them, ‘Cast you net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ So, they cast it, and now were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish” John 21:6
Pour your heart out: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8-9
Your body is a temple: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19
by thinkingfromhope | Sep 5, 2020 | 10x your Hope
Photo and story by Jennifer Lindberg
A Missionary of Charity sister, the order St. Teresa of Calcutta established, venerates the relics of her founder, known as Mother Teresa to millions across the globe.
“This saint of charity whose love and mission rippled throughout the world would soon touch me in the depths of my heart.”
The greatest news stories of 1997 centered around Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Princess Diana of England dying. I had my choice to cover Mother Teresa or Princess Diana. I chose Diana.
I was a young up-start 20 something who knew very little about my Catholic faith. I had no devotion to Mother Teresa at this time. Not in the 12 years of the Catholic School education I received was her name mentioned. She wasn’t studied as a great witness of the faith or the Gospel. I knew her from her face being splashed across vast television networks as this woman helping the poor in Calcutta. I was just a child when Mother Teresa started her ministry. The depth of her work didn’t reach to my small hometown. Calcutta was “someplace,” over there. Mother Teresa impacted nothing I did. But this saint of charity whose love and mission rippled throughout the world would soon touch me in the depths of my heart.
The newsroom thought I’d want to cover Mother Teresa of Calcutta since I was Catholic. I thought they were crazy. I was going to cover Princess Diana. I’d watched Princess Diana get married on television as a little girl. It was a fairy-tale come to life for little girls across the world. I didn’t know Mother Teresa was living with the real prince charming: Jesus Christ. Of course, I was going to cover the death of Princess Diana. I found a woman who had a collectible doll of Princess Diana complete with the long-train in doll-size and wrote stories about how Princess Diana touched hearts and inspired dreams. I forgot all about Mother Teresa.
After St. Mother Teresa’s death she was everywhere. Books, stories, and newscasts. I couldn’t miss her anymore. Since I was Catholic I thought I should read about her. Her simple truths touched my heart. Her authentic love lifted my soul. I felt Mother Teresa cared for me as much as she did the people in Calcutta. She imparted wisdom to me about God that I didn’t realize you could even know. Her encounter with Christ helped my own. She was unflinching and unashamed of her love of Christ, speaking out against abortion, and telling people they could come to Calcutta but first they should put love into their own home.
Mother Teresa made me realize that I was always in the presence of God. She became my friend and mentor, being very generous to me. I started learning about the intercession of the saints. Now, Mother Teresa wasn’t a saint yet, but who could doubt one had walked in our midst? I began reading as much about her life as I could with all those stories of her faith planting seeds of hope, faith, and love into my own heart. I didn’t know how they would grow.
I regretted not wanting to know her when she was alive but Mother Teresa would have no regrets for a spiritual daughter. After my first son was born, I got to meet the woman who took up the reins of Mother Teresa’s order: Sister Nirmala. A mission trip with a priest in Tijuana who knew her well began further study of her life for me, culminating when I was able to venerate her relics at the cathedral in Indianapolis. From Mother Teresa I learned Christ thirsts for me. The very words launching Mother Teresa into her role as defender of the poor, the unborn, the unwanted and the unloved.
I might have found Mother Teresa later than most. All is Providence. All is God’s timing. That dear old soul has touched my soul. Now it’s my turn to spread love and joy where ever I can. On this feast of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta may you get to know Christ better than before and get to know a woman who loved him so.
by thinkingfromhope | Sep 2, 2020 | 10x your Hope
The great humility of Sister Nirmala
By Jennifer Lindberg
That time I said the dumbest thing to St. Mother Teresa’s confidant.
Oh, it wasn’t just any nun, it was Sister Nirmala, the superior of the entire Missionaries of Charity order when Mother Teresa stepped down.
Yeah, it’s blooper worthy of my memoir when Sister Nirmala reaches for your nine-month old and you say, “Are you sure, he is heavy?” My son weighted 10 pounds at birth and was almost toddler size as a baby, so I had precedence. She looked so tiny to me. I was sure my hand would fit around her waist.
Humility is often won in surprising ways. Ignoring me and taking my son in her arms her face alighted in the most beautiful smile of looking at one of God’s little ones and loving him. I felt it. Her very presence was calm, confident, but laced with a silent strength. Sister Nirmala was tiny in stature but a match for any Goliath. Working long hours ministering to the multitudes, lugging bags of rice to feed the poor, and praying her heart out.
Here’s 7 things everyone should know about Sister Nirmala:
-
Mother Teresa baptized her when Sister Nirmala was 24-years-old
-
She was born Hindu in the upper Brahmin caste in India.
-
One of her sisters became a Carmelite nun
-
Under her leadership she expanded the Missionaries of Charity to 134 countries!
-
She was the first assistant to Mother Teresa and head of the contemplative wing that was founded in 1979.
-
When asked what made Sister Nirmala special, Mother Teresa said “because she is a Missionary of Charity.
-
The government of India bestowed the second highest civilian award for her services to the nation.
Sister Nirmala led the order when Mother Teresa was still alive in 1997. Mother Teresa died six months later. Sister Nirmala never saw herself as anything but a servant, once stating God never asked her to be Mother Teresa.
“He always asked me to be Sister Nirmala only,” she said.
She didn’t care that she was in Mother Teresa’s shadow. She just kept doing her Father’s work. What a witness to never comparing yourself. She was not afraid to follow in Mother Teresa’s footsteps. She was not jealous of Mother Teresa’s fame. Instead, she learned from it. Like everyone else, she loved Mother Teresa, who was called a saint while walking this earth. The secret to Sister Nirmala’s success really isn’t a secret. Any of us can do it. Sister Nirmala prayed, worked, and trusted in her talents – she had a doctorate in law. That’s humility, security, and gratitude in a time-tested nut-shell!
Sister Nirmala died June 25, 2015 from a heart ailment. We will celebrate Mother Teresa’s feast day this week, and I am grateful for the impact the Missionaries of Charity had on my life. It was just a moment that I met her, but has forever lived in my heart and lifted my soul.
Coming soon: My story: When Mother Teresa died, I chose Princess Diana as a working journalist. I’d be honored if you signed up for my email list where I curate special free gifts for my followers. Thank you for considering it. Heaven’s best to you, Jennifer
Recent Comments