{"id":47648,"date":"2014-05-23T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=47648"},"modified":"2014-05-22T23:07:55","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T04:07:55","slug":"pickin-crumbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/05\/pickin-crumbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Pickin’ up the Crumbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"doodle<\/a><\/p>\n

I wasn’t going to write a post this week.<\/strong> <\/span>But I came across a quote on my friend Maria Scaperlanda’s<\/a> facebook that made me pause – and since there are no coincidences, here is the post.<\/p>\n

That’s my take away for the week – from this very long, wearying, pushing-the-limits week:\u00a0There are no coincidences.\u00a0Starting Sunday night I was\u00a0totally sick and completely out of commission for a day and a half, and in recovery two days are that. At the same time I was hit with other unexpecteds – classes started early, my schedule was switched, the workload turned out to be double – basically my perfect plan for the last semester of graduate school all but disappeared. Oh and don’t forget the long uncomfortable dentist appointment and another physical ailment following the first!<\/p>\n

But there are no coincidences.<\/strong><\/span> During those hard days of being sick \u00a0I must have prayed thousands of Hail Marys. My only prayer was getting through the current moment. That continued to be my prayer as I gave myself to\u00a0being present with my clients throughout the following days at work, even as my tired body protested. Lord – grant me the grace and strength for right now!\u00a0By the grace of God the moments passed, and I slowly got better.<\/p>\n

As I tried to jump back into my week, the tiredness hit me again and I had to pray for help right then and there. Just at the right moment, \u00a0exactly the right song came on KLOVE (It happened twice – the song was “There is a Way<\/a>” by NewWorldSon , specifically those lines – “you think you’re on your own, gotta do it on your own ridin’ solo). And He reminded me I’m never alone.<\/p>\n

And at just at the right moment my friend gave me some of my own ‘medicine,” reminding me\u00a0what I had once told her when she was sick – sometimes being sick is God’s way of telling you to slow down! I needed to hear that again.<\/p>\n

Those non-coincidences happened a few more times throughout the week too – He kept reminding me: be open, listen, I am here – here and now.<\/p>\n

All throughout the wearying week I was forced to be in the moment because I couldn’t think (or pray) any farther ahead than that. It was frustrating and exhausting – not a pretty sight. But then – He reminds me that that’s all there is anyways –<\/em> the present moment<\/span>. The present moment is where \u00a0love, holiness and connection is born.<\/p>\n

I could lament that it took suffering to remind of this – but I won’t curse the way He works – because it works.<\/p>\n

It all came together when I read that quote Mar\u00eda has posted:<\/p>\n

“Those who have abandoned themselves to God always lead mysterious lives and receive from God exceptional and miraculous gifts by means of the most ordinary, natural and chance experiences in which there appears to be nothing unusual. The s<\/span>implest sermon, the most banal conversations, the least erudite books become sources of knowledge and wisdom to these souls by virtue of God\u2019s purpose.<\/span> This is why they carefully pick up the crumbs which clever minds tread underfoot, for to them everything is precious and a source of enrichment.”
\n~Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J. , The Sacrament of the Present Moment<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And all those blessings and gifts he mentions – they are for everyone – that invitation of abandonment to God is open to all. Blessed be God for the “sacrament of the present moment.” May these bread crumbs of this past week not be lost on me! And may these blessings in turn bless others. Amen. (…and happy Friday<\/span> \ud83d\ude42<\/strong> ).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wasn’t going to write a post this week. But I came across a quote on my friend Maria Scaperlanda’s facebook that made me pause – and since there are no coincidences, here is the post. That’s my take away for the week – from this very long, wearying, pushing-the-limits week:\u00a0There are no coincidences.\u00a0Starting Sunday… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[998,2182,908,50,2180,2138,101,134,74,2372,2371,1721,702,2370],"class_list":{"0":"post-47648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-blogging","8":"tag-contemplative-prayer-in-daily-life","9":"tag-divine-providence","10":"tag-faith","11":"tag-marian-prayer","12":"tag-marian-spirituality","13":"tag-mary","14":"tag-meaning","15":"tag-prayer","16":"tag-providence","17":"tag-religious-music","18":"tag-spiritual-journey","19":"tag-suffering","20":"tag-the-problem-of-pain","21":"entry","22":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":180209,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/180209\/","url_meta":{"origin":47648,"position":0},"title":"Advent: The longing in our hearts for Love Incarnate","author":"Rachel","date":"November 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"May the Lord make you increase and abound in love,\u00a0for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FirstSundayAdvent2015Shrine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/FirstSundayAdvent2015Shrine-550x550.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/FirstSundayAdvent2015Shrine-550x550.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/FirstSundayAdvent2015Shrine-550x550.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":339830,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/mary-never-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":47648,"position":1},"title":"Of Mary, Never Enough","author":"Rachel","date":"December 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\"De Maria, nunquam satis!,\" St Bernard of Clairvaux once said. Of Mary, never enough! \u00a0In these last few days before the great feast of Christmas, perhaps you're feeling harried or haven't had time to prayerfully prepare, or just aren't quite into the Christmas. Or perhaps you're drowning\u00a0in carols all day,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mary","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3104-630x630.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3104-630x630.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3104-630x630.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":366208,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/02\/importance-consecration-marys-immaculate-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":47648,"position":2},"title":"The Importance of Consecration to Mary’s Immaculate Heart","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"February 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is a homily from Sunday, February 19, 2017 at St Mary's Cathedral in downtown Austin, TX, promoting Marian consecration to the Immaculate Heart. [powerpress] You can find resources for doing the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary at MyConsecration.org. \u00a0 Here is a homily from Fr. Kevin Rai on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immaculate Heart of Mary","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/immaculate-heart-of-mary-550x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/immaculate-heart-of-mary-550x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/immaculate-heart-of-mary-550x400.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":152263,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/something-greater-than-ourselves\/","url_meta":{"origin":47648,"position":3},"title":"Something Greater Than Ourselves","author":"Rachel","date":"September 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In a little less than 2 weeks, on October 11, Bishop Joe Vasquez will celebrate Mass at the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, and to give thanks for the first year anniversary of the Shrine. What might inspire\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Homepage-3-e1425572889342","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Homepage-3-e1425572889342-550x326.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Homepage-3-e1425572889342-550x326.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Homepage-3-e1425572889342-550x326.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36516,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/prayer-and-temperament\/","url_meta":{"origin":47648,"position":4},"title":"Prayer and Temperament","author":"Julia Motekaitis","date":"February 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This week has reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3:8. There has been a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Many of us are still processing the resignation of our Holy Father Pope Benedict the XVI... and with Mardi Gras, Ash\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"folded hands","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/folded-hands.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":303730,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/303730\/","url_meta":{"origin":47648,"position":5},"title":"Therese of Lisieux & The Marian Jubilee of Mercy","author":"Rachel","date":"October 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It's possible that St Therese of Lisieux is one of those saints of whom we hear so often that we think, well, we already know that story - next! Yet\u00a0I think we often only capture her \"slogan\" of childlikeness, and in skipping over it, we miss the profound and prophetic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image taken from littleflower.org, no image credit information available","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/writing1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47648\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}