Hail Mary; most holy Queen of Heaven
Overshadowed by love's pure expression
Crowned with glory like the shining sun
Great mother of Jesus; the Most High one
Clothed in robes made from a sea of stars
You held the hands that bore the scars
Queen of the Angels and of the Saints
What Stellar beauty Our Lady paints

"Okay Lord, here I am. Today, I'm just spending time with you. Come and meet me where I am. Be with me. I know you love me. I love you too. Thank you."

Oh, the places you'll go
All the people you'll meet
All the things you'll know
Without leaving your seat
Pull up a comfy chair
Open a book and look inside
Be transported anywhere
Come and join me on this ride
Get lost in a world apart
Visit lands near and far away
You can have fun and get smart
And you don't have to pay
Grab your passport to thrills
Romance, sci-fi, and mystery
Love, action, adventure, chills
Maybe a classic or some history
Don't judge a book by its cover
Take a look and give it a try
It may just be that you discover
It makes you laugh and cry
Like people, there are all kinds
Fat and thin, short and tall
If you look with open minds
They tell a story one and all

Today, I contemplate the cross and Christ upon it. I contemplate the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the unimaginable pain. If he hadn't, all suffering and sacrifice would be in vain. I want to be closer to Christ and to His Most Sacred Heart. I see the mark of the spear in His side that pierced his heart and from where the fountain of mercy and love poured. His death is on my soul and His blood is on my hands. I have probably broken every one of the commands. Still, He catches my eyes, and I understand? I have been forgiven. I am greatly adored. I am called to a more perfect union of Christ in me through prayer and daily actions. Let me not be led astray by the worldly attractions. I am not perfect, even far from it, in truth, but Christ within me fills me and completes me that His will would be done more perfectly. If, in your wisdom, we must suffer, then let our suffering glorify your Holy Name and may we unite our suffering with your own pain. We pray for the conversion of souls and repentance for the wicked, for such was what you suffered for.

Lord, as I contemplate the cross and you on it, help me unite myself more perfectly, more personally, and more intimately to you. Amen

What is more precious, more fleeting than time? So much of the world and our lives revolve around it. We have a set amount of it and all too quickly it is gone. What do we do with the time that we have? How do we spend it and what do we spend it on? Many of us try to do too much or do too little and regret our spending. We wish we spent more time with our families, our children, our friends: on the things that truly matter. This is all well and good, but how much of our time do we invest in our relationship with God, our time in prayer, worship and fellowship? How important is it and how important is it to us? Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in doing things that we forget to just be. We forget to stop, pause, or even slow down. We are always racing somewhere and we miss the beauty and the blessings that are all around. Let us take a little bit of our ever-precious time and spend it with God, the one who gives us this gift in the first place. Did God ever feel lonely and want someone to talk to him? Is there someone in our lives that we haven’t talked to or spent time with, in a while? Giving someone part of your time is one of the greatest and most meaningful gifts you can give someone. You give them the gift of your presence and it lets them know how special and loved they are because it’s not something that most of us give away freely.

Challenge: take some time today or in the next couple days to visit, call or send a message to someone you haven’t spent time with, in a while. Talk to them or, better yet, listen.

Challenge II: Spend some quality time with Jesus sometime during your day (everyday). Find a time that works and stick with it.

Challenge II Cont: Make it a point to go to Adoration at least once this week. If you’re feeling really bold, go to Adoration once each week during Lent and beyond. Experience and reflect on how it affects your day and your week when you do go

The Lord is faithful kind and gentle
And, in our souls, he makes a temple
What he starts he will see to the end
And is always there if you need a friend
The Lord remains faithful and true
Even in our infidelity to You
So often I falter, so often I lose sight
Of Your Way Your Truth and Your Light
So, Lord, help me come back home once more
Bring this ship safely back to the shore
How great is your faithfulness that reaches
How amazing the grace that teaches
That shows me what it is to be cherished
That I received life when one life perished
The greatest sacrifice that love could make
You knew full well what price it would take
And yet, through it all, faithful you stayed
It could've been different, still you obeyed
Lord, help me be more faithful in my walk
And live what I believe and not just talk

Holy Mary crowned with glory
Bright shining as the sun
Queen of Mercy and of Love
You crush the evil one
We are in your tenderness
In your kindness and endless grace
Children whom you love to bless
And wrap with sweetest embrace
Gentle woman blessed mother
Obedient to Our Father's will
Your faith in God was like no other
And that courage inspires still
Taken wholly up to Heaven
When this life on earth was through
Now we ask your intercession
Pray for us in all we say and do
Dear mother by virtue of the union
Lead us to your son our Lord
That, we too, may live in communion
In that Life and Love outpoured