Week Three: Be Confident

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Did you know that God can do...anything?

We forget that, sometimes. And it's really hard to pray well when that happens.
He created the heavens and the earth and everything in them; in Him we live and move and have our being!
So when we pray, why do we act as though He's powerless?
- Family Wisdom: I believe in God.
  
  The saints are our extended family in faith, and we have the great gift of learning from both their experiences and their mistakes. This week, consider what St. Joan of Arc has to say about confidence in the Lord.
  As a young girl, St. Joan of Arc led armies to defend Catholic France from English invasion, fighting in some of the 100 Year War's key conflicts.
  When asked if she was afraid, she responded, "I am not afraid. God is with me. I was born for this."
  St. Joan is one of a multitude of saints who accomplished terrifying and miraculous feats with superhuman courage because they knew that God was with them, and they acted on that knowledge. Through Him all things are possible!
Pray
- Phrases to repeat this week
  "Jesus, I trust in you."
  "Hope does not disappoint."
  "God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me."
  "The Lord is my rock and my salvation."
- "Jesus, deliver me from the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute."
  From the Litany of Trust
- Psalm of the Week
  Psalm 46
  "Be still and know that I am God."
Read
- In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart, the Journal of a Priest at Prayer.
  "You are right to put your trust in My merciful goodness, for I am faithful to My friends and all that I promise them I can give them. I ask only that you not tire of waiting upon Me.
  Your human way of calculating things and of measuring time does not correspond to My own simple perception of all times and ages in an eternal now.
  Your prayers now will not be without effect in ages to come, and the prayer of may who prayed to Me in ages past is availing to you now. My arm is not shortened nor is my Heart closed to your requests."
- The Catechism #2732
  Did you know that Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is all about prayer? While it continues to convey essential teachings of the faith, like the first three parts, Part IV has the feeling of spiritual reading and is an incredibly fruitful way to enter into the Catechism.
  "The most common yet most hidden temptation [in prayer] is our lack of faith. It expresses itself less by declared incredulity than by our actual preferences. When we begin to pray, a thousand labors or cares thought to be urgent vie for priority; once again, it is the moment of truth for the heart: what is its real love? Sometimes we turn to the Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is? Sometimes we enlist the Lord as an ally, but our heart remains presumptuous. In each case, our lack of faith reveals that we do not yet share in the disposition of a humble heart: "Apart from me, you can do nothing."
Act
- Revisit a Favorite Saint
  Read about the amazing miracles the Lord worked in the lives of His saints, and remember, He wants to do that with each of us.
  Read a story, watch a video about them, or ask a friend about his or her favorite saint.
  If you picked a saint of the year, this is a good time to do more research!
- Give Thanks
  Think over your life and see the ways that God has worked and the people He has worked through. It's a helpful way to recognize His providence in your own experience and recall that He is present and active in each of our lives.
  Once you've thought through that, offer a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord and consider thanking someone who helped play a part in the story.
- Act With Confidence
  Is there a difficult conversation you've been putting off? A leap of faith you've been afraid to make?
  If it feels impossible on your own, that's probably because it is. The good news is that you are not alone--God is with you, and you were born for this.

Family Wisdom: I believe in God.

The saints are our extended family in faith, and we have the great gift of learning from both their experiences and their mistakes. This week, consider what St. Joan of Arc has to say about confidence in the Lord.

As a young girl, St. Joan of Arc led armies to defend Catholic France from English invasion, fighting in some of the 100 Year War's key conflicts.

When asked if she was afraid, she responded, "I am not afraid. God is with me. I was born for this."

St. Joan is one of a multitude of saints who accomplished terrifying and miraculous feats with superhuman courage because they knew that God was with them, and they acted on that knowledge. Through Him all things are possible!

Pray

Phrases to repeat this week

"Jesus, I trust in you."

"Hope does not disappoint."

"God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me."

"The Lord is my rock and my salvation."

"Jesus, deliver me from the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute."

From the Litany of Trust

Psalm of the Week

Psalm 46

"Be still and know that I am God."

Read

In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart, the Journal of a Priest at Prayer.

"You are right to put your trust in My merciful goodness, for I am faithful to My friends and all that I promise them I can give them. I ask only that you not tire of waiting upon Me.

Your human way of calculating things and of measuring time does not correspond to My own simple perception of all times and ages in an eternal now.

Your prayers now will not be without effect in ages to come, and the prayer of may who prayed to Me in ages past is availing to you now. My arm is not shortened nor is my Heart closed to your requests."

The Catechism #2732

Did you know that Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is all about prayer? While it continues to convey essential teachings of the faith, like the first three parts, Part IV has the feeling of spiritual reading and is an incredibly fruitful way to enter into the Catechism.

Act

Revisit a Favorite Saint

Read about the amazing miracles the Lord worked in the lives of His saints, and remember, He wants to do that with each of us.

Read a story, watch a video about them, or ask a friend about his or her favorite saint.

If you picked a saint of the year, this is a good time to do more research!

Give Thanks

Think over your life and see the ways that God has worked and the people He has worked through. It's a helpful way to recognize His providence in your own experience and recall that He is present and active in each of our lives.

Once you've thought through that, offer a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord and consider thanking someone who helped play a part in the story.

Act With Confidence

Is there a difficult conversation you've been putting off? A leap of faith you've been afraid to make?

If it feels impossible on your own, that's probably because it is. The good news is that you are not alone--God is with you, and you were born for this.