Trying to contain my vanity today! I just purchased the leather bound, 4 volume Liturgy of the Hours and they arrived yesterday. I have been wanting them for some time and have watched ebay, hoping to purchase at a good price as they are very expensive. Well, I found them on sale at Amazon and my husband said to go ahead! They are beautiful - but I need to check myself and not get carried away - oh but they are beautiful!

Great post at Blog-by-the-Sea on 10 tips from praying written prayers. So much to absorb I need to read it again.

Catholic Carnival

The Catholic Carnival is up at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering!

Beautiful Picture...

Just a beautiful picture! Would love to be there praying with them.

My first meeting...

I attended my first Carmelite meeting this weekend, beginning my journey to discern a vocation of becoming a lay Carmelite. I attended a couple of meetings a few years ago and felt it just wasn't the right time. Two years later, it's still very much on my heart and my journey begins again. Classes for Aspirants don't begin until September, so until then I can "visit" each month and I'll be doing my own reading and studying.

My goals for this month are to start incorporating the daily commitments. I've been praying the morning and evening prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours and will try to add the night prayer as well. When I first started doing the morning and evening prayers it just felt so jumbled, but I feel like I'm starting to understand and get the rhythm now.

My next hurdle is adding 1/2 hour of mental prayer. Now, you wouldn't think that would be so difficult but I am finding it a challenge. This is not a time to pray the Rosary, etc...but a time to detach from the world and be with God. Detachment from the world...working on that one.

"Through the Holy Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children, given confidence to call God "Father" and to share in Christ's grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory."- St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto