Embracing Motherhood: "If today you hear His voice..."

Sunday, October 7, 2007

"If today you hear His voice..."

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the Lord who made us.
For he is God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock
he guides.

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (Psalm 95)

***

Do we hear our Lord's voice today? Is He calling us through our spouses and our children? Is He speaking to us through our neighbor who wants ten minutes of our time (when we are in a hurry) to vent about a problem, hoping for a loving response? Is our Lord calling us through our duties in our household that sometimes seem to loom over us with a burdensome pressure? Is our Lord asking us for ten minutes of our time to retreat to our hearts to truly listen to Him? Is our Lord asking us to meet Him in the Blessed Sacrament where He waits for us; wanting to shower us with His love and blessings and tremendous peace? Is our Lord perhaps calling us to reach out to the lonely around us, allowing His love to shine through us to transform their hearts and bring them closer to Him? Where is our Lord calling us? Do we dare ask Him?

5 comments:

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...: Thank you for this reflection on one of the most beautiful of the Psalms.; October 7, 2007 at 10:17 AM
Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle said...: Thank you, Barb. Let us pray that we will stop to listen for His voice!

God bless,
Donna; October 7, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Andrea said...: Great post! I love that song!; October 7, 2007 at 7:46 PM
Tracy said...: What a wonderful reflection and such a good reminder for all of us, I hope that I can do just that, slow down and listen to his voice.

thank you!; October 7, 2007 at 9:58 PM
Angela Walker said...: Wow Donna! I totally needed that today. I'm a little slow in reading but the one line of this that really spoke to me was: "Is our Lord calling us through our duties in our household that sometimes seem to loom over us with a burdensome pressure?"

That is exactly what is going on with us. We have been going through so much at home the last two weeks and it's really wearing on me. Of course, they are minor, but annoyances nonetheless.

Thanks for this perspective!
Angie; October 9, 2007 at 2:05 PM

Embracing Motherhood

"In this small volume, Embracing Motherhood, Ms. Cooper O'Boyle offers a sensitive reflection on what it means to tune into faith, hope, and charity, living out the vocation of raising children, passing on our Catholic faith, and providing our kids with the necessary roots and wings to live virtuously. Mothers and fathers too can grow spiritually from this book, and draw inspiration from her tender perspective. This is a substantive and practical gem as well as an ode of joy for God's gift of motherhood!"~Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York

Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers-To-Be

I wrote this book while on complete bed rest during a high risk pregnancy with my fifth child, Mary-Catherine. Blessed Mother Teresa whom I knew at that time, gave me a foreword for the book. Pope John Paul II blessed it. It is a book to celebrate pregnancy as a wonderful time of anticipation as mothers await childbirth and it offers the expectant Mom the opportunity to transform her pregnancy into a novena of prayer to God. It's a "baby book" for the unborn baby! An expectant Mom will be able to follow her baby's progress and record her thoughts and prayers as well as save her ultrasound pictures to cherish in years to come.

Here's a link to my chat with Brian Patrick on the Son Rise Morning show discussing pregnancy and motherhood. My spot is about 3/4 through the segment. Click here.

A Catholic Woman's Book of Prayers

With all the mixed messages that women receive from society today, women can be distracted from--and even unreceptive to--the deep and abiding love that Christ has for them. Whether single or married, religious or consecrated, parenting children, or spiritually mentoring others, women need to know that the Lord understands the many challenges they face, their desire for inspiration, and, above all, their need to be affirmed as women.Through this book of original and traditional prayers from one of the top ten most fascinating Catholics of 2009 as rated by Faith & Family Live, women can realize God's divine Love, thrive in inspiration from Saints and the Church and rest in the affirmation of the "feminine genius." (order above by clicking book image)

My radio segments with Teresa Tomeo on "Catholic Connection" on Ave Maria Radio

First,*** Second,*** Third, *** Fourth, *** Fifth - Prayerfully Expecting and how I met Mother Teresa,*** Sixth - Addressing the comments in the media about Mother Teresa's supposed "crisis of faith",*** Seventh - Culture's pressure on our girls,*** Eighth - Halloween, All Saints and All Souls Days,*** Ninth - Thanksgiving: Keeping it sane, simple, & holy,*** Tenth - Christmas reflections*** Eleventh - Discussing the International Women's Congress in Rome*** Twelth - Discussing our Vatican trip as delegates*** Thirteenth - Discussing Holy Week*** Fourteenth - Interview with Teresa about my new book, Catholic Saints Prayer Book *** summertime prayer and proper summer attire for Mass, among other things, you can listen here. My two newest books coming out in early October, Teresa's new book and our EWTN segments airing all throughout August by clicking here. Teresa Tomeo and me discussing my new books and other topics brought up by the callers who called in to the show and won copies of my books, just click here. you can click here to listen at any time. Teresa and I chatted about the new book I am writing as well as taking the time to pause and recharge your "batteries" by going on retreat and with prayer. Pressures on Moms these days and some prayer strategies. Just click here. Back-to-School - Just click here to listen. Here's an Autumn theme - Halloween, All Saints Day, retreats, news, helping the youth, and more. Just click here to listen. A Christmas theme: "Jesus at the Post Office," Just click here to listen.

Catholic Exchange

"Donna has submitted a number of articles that have found a place on the Catholic Exchange website, enriching our readers with her insights into the lives of modern women. She writes with a broad comprehension of the rapidly changing scene of this world, and with deep understanding of the challenges faced by Catholic women – and all women – today. It is clear from her writing that she believes in the power of women to make the world a better place and she is not afraid to challenge women to start that transformation in their own hearts and homes. Catholic Exchange readers have been very blessed to have Donna share her thoughts with them and as editor, I have been blessed by the high professional quality of Donna’s work." --Mary Kochan, Senior Editor

Radiating Christ

Dear Jesus,help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let then look up, and see no longer me, but only Jesus! Stay with me and then I will begin to shine as You shine, so as to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be mine. It will be You, shining on others through me. Let me thus praise You in the way You love best, by shining on those around me. Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears for You. Amen.

Composed by John Henry Cardinal Newman and one of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's favorite prayers. She TRULY LIVED this prayer!

Totus Tuus

Immaculate Conception, Mary, my Mother. Live in me. Act in me. Speak in and through me. Think your thoughts in my mind. Love, through my heart. Give me your dispositions and feelings. Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus. Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior. Possess my soul. Take over my entire personality and life. Replace it with yourself. Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving. Pray in me and through me. Let me live in you and keep me in this union always. – Pope John Paul II

In addition to my books, I have written for...

The English edition of L'Osservatore Romano (Vatican newspaper)

Currently write for national publications: The National Catholic Register and the Our Sunday Visitor newsweekly. Have written for: The Catholic Transcript, The News Times, The New Milford Times, Hearth magazine, Canticle magazine, Lay Witness magazine, Faith & Family magazine, CarbLite magazine, On the Web - Catholic Exchange, Catholic Lane, and Catholic Online, and Catholic Mom.com. I wrote a parenting column for Irish Family Press (print edition), a Catholic weekly newspaper published in Ireland, (online edition now available). My articles have appeared in other countries, such as Nigeria and Singapore. My book Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers has been translated into Russian.

PRAYERS ARE NEEDED...(prayer requests change periodically, so please look through) for a man who died whom his sister feels what not in a state of grace, for a woman I met at a retreat I gave in Texas whose baby died, for a woman who struggles with her husband's addiction and for help for the family, for a young family in need of prayer, for a friend with breast cancer, for families everywhere who struggle in our culture today, for the folks at EWTN who work hard to bring you Catholic news and inspiration. Let's be sure to pray for all of our priests everywhere who are certainly in need of prayers to continue their work each day!

Parents are the FIRST and foremost educators of their children!

"Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. For it devolves on parents to create a family atmosphere so animated with love and reverence for God and others that a well-rounded personal and social development will be fostered among children. Hence, the family is the first school of those social virtues which every society needs."--Gravissimum Educationis (one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council)