Self-Consciously Sinning?
Lilia Grundy strives to help herself and daughters battle the tug of war between ambivalence versus zeal for our Lord....READ MORE>>
A Year in Review: with YOU
Have you ever faced a yearly review with your boss? What about one with THE Heavenly Father? This CWP member shares how her last adoration of the year turned into a "Spiritual Performance Plan" - Make one of your own!...READ MORE>>
Stickers Don't Stick on Me
Do you ever feel like you don't fit it or belong? Do you worry about what others think or say about you? It's a common theme throughout our lives and this CatholicMom contributor sees her children are facing the same challenges. Some new inspiration ensues; the only one we need to please is God - Hear how...READ MORE>>
From Protestant to Catholic ~ Following the Nudge
After having practiced the Protestant faith for over 40 years, CWP member, Mim Philips couldn't help but feel the "nudge" calling her to find more answers as to why she was feeling like "something was missing." Hear how she answered that call...READ MORE>>
Representing Team Jesus
Do you belong to Team Jesus? If so, get out your t-shirt, hat, or any apparel you have and start sportin' your gear today! Learn how you can join the team! ..READ MORE>>
You Matter
"While we were sitting in the pew there one Sunday, Father looked all of us straight in the eyes and began his homily by stating, “You matter.” I was convicted as tears began to roll down my face.
As we enter a new year, I can’t help but feel a wave of sadness for all the people who don’t know this truth. I wish all could hear these words.
Father continued by sharing that our value does not diminish with age. Everyone, no matter how old, has dignity. And we all matter to the Lord....READ MORE>>
As we enter a new year, I can’t help but feel a wave of sadness for all the people who don’t know this truth. I wish all could hear these words.
Father continued by sharing that our value does not diminish with age. Everyone, no matter how old, has dignity. And we all matter to the Lord....READ MORE>>
Holy Moments at the Trappist Abbey
Guest contributor and CWP member, Kaye Lathe, shares her experience while on retreat at the Trappist Abbey - an unexpected gift (and many holy moments)!..READ MORE>>
A Fall Festival, Faith & Friends
New friends among pirates and witches – A coastal, road-trip to a fall festival affirms that all are welcome in the Catholic faith.. ..READ MORE>>
Experiential Faith
"Experiential learning, or 'learning by doing,' is a familiar concept. What about experiential faith? How can I live out a sensory experience of my faith?"
In today's article, @lilluvsjoeynanava shares some ideas for using your senses to deepen your faith...READ MORE>>
Sweet Saturday: A Box of Chocolates
Salted caramel, nutty nougat, peanut butter? Opening new bites of faith during a recent women’s retreat...Plus download a "Spiritual Gifts Assessment" for free - Unlock YOUR won gifts!...READ MORE>>
Training with Coach Christ
Do you train with Coach Christ? Do you have Spiritual stretch goals? Read how Lilia Grundy incorporated Jesus into her daily routine and how you can start on YOUR plan today!.... READ MORE>>
Hiking with Jesus in the Jungle
Sometimes you have to just get through the muddy mania and surrender to the sweat! Hiking Cerro del Mono (Monkey Mountain) in Punta Mita, Mexico moves Lilia Grundy into meditation mode.... READ MORE>>
A Catholic Woman’s Guide to Budgeting
"Budgeting: Do you love it or hate it? In my experience, people tend to fall on one side or the other, but few are indifferent to budgeting. Regardless of your perspective, I want to propose an approach that invites God into your finances and challenges you to align your budget with your beliefs. No matter what your income level is, it is possible, and it will require surrender, humility, and trust."
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My Boss (Jesus) Has My Back
"It’s easy for me to be stressed at work, but now, when I feel the anxiety building up, I shift my focus away from my colleagues and back to myself and my ultimate boss, in heaven." In today's article, "My Boss (Jesus) Has My Back," Lilia Grundy writes about trusting God at work and imitating him as a leader READ MORE>>
Pray, Work, Hustle (in That Order)
"I still believe it’s important to work hard to make things happen. Hustling does produce results. But just two years ago, the light switch finally went on. I hadn’t put God at the center of my career—or my life, for that matter."
In today's article, Lilia Grundy shares how she learned to pray first and hustle later. READ MORE >>
Christ's Summer Camp Car
Use your car this summer for Jesus! It can serve as an important evangelization tool
"We get to spend a precious amount of time in close contact with one another. Our rosary hanging on the rearview mirror is a reminder that we belong to Team Christ. The clouds, trees, and mountains outside the windows make for a beautiful backdrop to conversation..."
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Workday Meetings With Jesus
Do you feel far from Jesus at work or in your workplace?
"I walked inside the light rail for another long morning commute and chose a seat next to the window with a direct view to the snow-capped mountains. As I sat down, I let out a sigh, and I could hear my mind whisper, “All I want to do is get close to you.”
It reminded me of the scene from the 1987 movie classic “Can’t Buy Me Love” when the young Patrick Dempsey cries out to his love. Only, in my case, I wasn’t playing a part in a film. I was experiencing real feelings of exhaustion and sadness.
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Creating Kind, Corporate Connections
How can we create meaningful relationships in the workplace when it's difficult? This Catholic Women in Business article shares a story that sheds light on how we can build relationships at work with kind connections.
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Shoutout to the Shouting Dads
"I could already hear what became a familiar sound to me and my teammates, “GO BLUE BLUE BLUE BLUE!” my father shouted from the bleachers. His infamous saying had become well-known to parents and coaches alike."
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Mother Mary, May I?
“Oh, I envied the relationships that other women had shared about in our group meetings. I felt far away from that possibility. I did not feel worthy. The voice in my head ran on replay: Mother Mary, May I? In other words, could I approach?"...
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Mary's Menu: Honoring our Blessed Mother
“In recognition of the month of our Blessed Mother, I want to share some sentiments from the point of view of someone who wanted to learn more about Mary but had no idea where to start. I was so far behind. I wasn’t worthy. But my new church friends taught me: Pray, trust, and seek. And so, I did.”
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“In recognition of the month of our Blessed Mother, I want to share some sentiments from the point of view of someone who wanted to learn more about Mary but had no idea where to start. I was so far behind. I wasn’t worthy. But my new church friends taught me: Pray, trust, and seek. And so, I did.”
READ MORE >>
Valentine Chicks Leave an Easter Impression
What do chicks hatched on Valentines Day have to do with Easter?
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
“Mommy, the eggs are making noise!” my girls exclaimed.
“How could that be?” I thought to myself. “These chicks haven’t hatched yet!”
But I was totally new to the chicken egg incubation process, so I had no idea how it all worked. Sure enough, as I came closer to the incubator, and one of the girls placed the egg near my ear, I could hear it: a precious, tiny chirp, coming from inside the egg!
I was amazed and flabbergasted. READ MORE >>
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
“Mommy, the eggs are making noise!” my girls exclaimed.
“How could that be?” I thought to myself. “These chicks haven’t hatched yet!”
But I was totally new to the chicken egg incubation process, so I had no idea how it all worked. Sure enough, as I came closer to the incubator, and one of the girls placed the egg near my ear, I could hear it: a precious, tiny chirp, coming from inside the egg!
I was amazed and flabbergasted. READ MORE >>
There's a lot to my story with God
~Contributed by Claudia Gould
There's a lot to my story with God. Here is a little of it. I was raised Catholic and put through all the sacraments as a child. However, I clearly remember being in a Catholic school Mass as a 7 year old and thinking to myself that a loving God could forgive us all without the sacrifice of someone's life. I put the whole idea of Jesus in a closed compartment in my mind, and went on with life very much believing in God but not in Jesus. When I did attend Mass, I listened for what God might require of us all in terms of moral behaviour, but I picked and chose what I followed. I had a bit of a quarter life crisis at 26 years old and I walked away from a possible marriage and professional partnership that had both come about at the same time.
Feeling immense guilt, I went to Reconciliation, bawling. I hadn't been since my first one prior to my First Holy Communion at 8 years old. The relief I felt on receiving the sacrament set me on a path to figure out the truth about God. I stopped working overtime at work and started devouring books on different faiths and considered whether none had the truth about God. At the same time I was obedient to the great pull I felt to attend Mass each Sunday morning and in a few weeks added a Pentacostal church's service attended by a friend to my regular Sunday evening routine. It dawned on me one day that while God of course is omnipotent and could forgive us without a sacrifice, we needed to understand the sacrificial nature of love and Jesus' death was the perfect expression of that to us, he lead the way for our own lives to be sacrifices of love for others. Whether that is in fact correct theology, I am not sure, but that was when I felt I understood Jesus. This also coincided with a friend telling me her very practical, Catholic mother had found herself spontaneously praying in tongues during her daily prayer time, not knowing what praying in tongues was. That was the final step in converting me to believe in Jesus.
The next question was one of which Christian denomination to belong to. At first, the immense comfort I had with the sacraments of the Catholic Church had me favour it. Then I came across Scott Hahn's book Rome Sweet Home as well as other Catholic apologetics online which I found much more compelling than the opposing Protestant arguments. I am respectful of everyone's journey to God. However, as well as feeling at home in the Catholic Church, I feel it teaches truth on those important points of contention and has Jesus' authority to do so. So I am very committed to the Catholic faith in following Jesus.
There's a lot to my story with God. Here is a little of it. I was raised Catholic and put through all the sacraments as a child. However, I clearly remember being in a Catholic school Mass as a 7 year old and thinking to myself that a loving God could forgive us all without the sacrifice of someone's life. I put the whole idea of Jesus in a closed compartment in my mind, and went on with life very much believing in God but not in Jesus. When I did attend Mass, I listened for what God might require of us all in terms of moral behaviour, but I picked and chose what I followed. I had a bit of a quarter life crisis at 26 years old and I walked away from a possible marriage and professional partnership that had both come about at the same time.
Feeling immense guilt, I went to Reconciliation, bawling. I hadn't been since my first one prior to my First Holy Communion at 8 years old. The relief I felt on receiving the sacrament set me on a path to figure out the truth about God. I stopped working overtime at work and started devouring books on different faiths and considered whether none had the truth about God. At the same time I was obedient to the great pull I felt to attend Mass each Sunday morning and in a few weeks added a Pentacostal church's service attended by a friend to my regular Sunday evening routine. It dawned on me one day that while God of course is omnipotent and could forgive us without a sacrifice, we needed to understand the sacrificial nature of love and Jesus' death was the perfect expression of that to us, he lead the way for our own lives to be sacrifices of love for others. Whether that is in fact correct theology, I am not sure, but that was when I felt I understood Jesus. This also coincided with a friend telling me her very practical, Catholic mother had found herself spontaneously praying in tongues during her daily prayer time, not knowing what praying in tongues was. That was the final step in converting me to believe in Jesus.
The next question was one of which Christian denomination to belong to. At first, the immense comfort I had with the sacraments of the Catholic Church had me favour it. Then I came across Scott Hahn's book Rome Sweet Home as well as other Catholic apologetics online which I found much more compelling than the opposing Protestant arguments. I am respectful of everyone's journey to God. However, as well as feeling at home in the Catholic Church, I feel it teaches truth on those important points of contention and has Jesus' authority to do so. So I am very committed to the Catholic faith in following Jesus.
A Bowl of Rice, Minus the Butter
The day had arrived—it was “Rice Lunch Day” and I was anxious. You see, this day was the culmination to everything we had been putting into practice for the Lenten season as part of my third-grade religion project.
This was decades ago, but I still remember the scene vividly. Tables lined up against the wall in our cafeteria. Mothers (including my own) made their way inside to drop off crockpots of rice that they had volunteered to prepare for our class. This would be our lunch today—plain, white rice and water.....READ MORE
This was decades ago, but I still remember the scene vividly. Tables lined up against the wall in our cafeteria. Mothers (including my own) made their way inside to drop off crockpots of rice that they had volunteered to prepare for our class. This would be our lunch today—plain, white rice and water.....READ MORE
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Training for Spiritual Muscles
As I’m approaching what I call the “Hill of Death,” the seemingly never-ending incline near my home, I begin to breathe harder on my run, and the pain begins to kick in. It’s full-on hurting now, and I yell, “For my mom! For all those who are in pain today!"...
Yet, this has become my routine now: pushing my body through the pain I experience during my workouts as I offer it up for someone. I do it on my outdoor runs or in my home gym, and just as I near the end of my exercise time, I rev up the intensity intentionally....READ MORE
Yet, this has become my routine now: pushing my body through the pain I experience during my workouts as I offer it up for someone. I do it on my outdoor runs or in my home gym, and just as I near the end of my exercise time, I rev up the intensity intentionally....READ MORE
Celebrate St. Valentine’s day, the Catholic way
It’s February, the month of love!
When Valentine’s day is almost here, don’t forget about St. Valentine who started it all.
He is the Patron saint of Love, marriages, engagements, young people, greetings, travelers, bee keepers, people with epilepsy, and numerous churches.
Watch his story here
You can read more about him here
On this day of Love here’s a cute poem to the One who Loves us most. Get this free printable and decorate with fingerprint hearts. A great reminder for all the year round...READ MORE
When Valentine’s day is almost here, don’t forget about St. Valentine who started it all.
He is the Patron saint of Love, marriages, engagements, young people, greetings, travelers, bee keepers, people with epilepsy, and numerous churches.
Watch his story here
You can read more about him here
On this day of Love here’s a cute poem to the One who Loves us most. Get this free printable and decorate with fingerprint hearts. A great reminder for all the year round...READ MORE
Make Yours Sweet and Semi-Homemade
https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/make-yours-sweet-and-semi-homemade
Lilia Grundy @catholicwomenprofessionals realizes you don’t have to make all things from scratch, especially your faith life!
I’m a huge theme nerd: I give everything a theme. In fact, I can’t start any project without assigning it a subject and theme. Later in life, I jumped on the vision board bandwagon and started collecting pictures online and simply saving them onto a Word document for safekeeping; I could go back to these images later for inspiration.....READ MORE
Lilia Grundy @catholicwomenprofessionals realizes you don’t have to make all things from scratch, especially your faith life!
I’m a huge theme nerd: I give everything a theme. In fact, I can’t start any project without assigning it a subject and theme. Later in life, I jumped on the vision board bandwagon and started collecting pictures online and simply saving them onto a Word document for safekeeping; I could go back to these images later for inspiration.....READ MORE
A New Love Language: Do You Speak Corporate Faith?
"Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds! Sing praise to him, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds!” (Psalm 105:1-2).
I recently hosted a small virtual meet-up for women. Under the theme of setting faith goals for the new year, we closed out our work emails at the end of the business day, logged off our apps, and logged onto Zoom to connect and share our 2022 spiritual goals. Not surprisingly, we seemed to be in line with one another: We intended to spend more time on Scriptural reading, prayer, and praise and more time in adoration. We built a robust faith-filled list. As I listened to one attendee share that she wanted to work specifically on learning “to blend the language of (my) Catholic faith at work,” it struck me suddenly: We need a new love language, a new way to share our beautiful faith in the workplace! I call it corporate faith... READ MORE
I recently hosted a small virtual meet-up for women. Under the theme of setting faith goals for the new year, we closed out our work emails at the end of the business day, logged off our apps, and logged onto Zoom to connect and share our 2022 spiritual goals. Not surprisingly, we seemed to be in line with one another: We intended to spend more time on Scriptural reading, prayer, and praise and more time in adoration. We built a robust faith-filled list. As I listened to one attendee share that she wanted to work specifically on learning “to blend the language of (my) Catholic faith at work,” it struck me suddenly: We need a new love language, a new way to share our beautiful faith in the workplace! I call it corporate faith... READ MORE