Me and Teresa at St. Boniface in Lafayette, Indiana

I wanted to share with all my readers one amazing example of God’s blessings that have poured down on me since beginning the process of Total Consecration to Mary. Although it’s been only a few months, I still am flabbergasted by this one event.

I am a writer and public relations professional by trade and run my own business. I’ve been through many ups and downs with my business, and I am now seeing it wasn’t until I let go of MY plans for my life and career that God began his work in me. I once had aspirations of growing and running a large company with many employees, but situation after situation has revealed to me that’s not what would bring me happiness or fulfillment.

Around this time last year, I came to grips with what God was trying to show me. I took a big step and handed over some current work that was not fulfilling or bringing me joy to a fellow co-worker to instead focus on the things that were fulfilling and bringing me happiness. It’s not easy to GIVE UP work, let me tell you. But I felt very called to do so, and as soon as I did it, I knew it was the right thing. Slowly, I’ve delved more into work that aligns with my Catholic values and that I feel called to do.

Earlier this summer, I began in earnest to get to know Our Lady better and I came across a pamphlet for Total Consecration in our Blessed Sacrament chapel. I was curious, so I looked up St. Louis de Monfort and read a couple of his books. After much study and hearing Gary Zimak on Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo mention he was going to lead a group through Consecration via his podcast, I was sold. Even before we started the preparation, I began daily, as a trial, offering up the merits of all my actions, goods and works to Mary for her safekeeping and distribution.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been listening to Catholic Radio Indy and came to really enjoy Teresa Tomeo’s drive time (9-10 a.m.) show every morning. As soon as I dropped my kids off at school, I’d tune in and listen to a Catholic perspective on the news of the day and learn about new books and Catholic teachings from all the great people she interviewed.

One day, I went to her website and saw she had her own PR/communications firm… Hmmm… So all summer long, I toyed with the idea that maybe I should try to email her just to see if she might need any freelance help. But I thought that was a total long shot. Well, finally in August, the calling was so strong, I just up and did it. Lo and behold, she emailed me back within the hour, saying yes indeed they needed some help and they were especially interested in my experience working with non-Catholic media and particularly with travel journalists. That was a hole her team was just saying they needed to fill!

I about fell off my chair.  (Side note: I prayed to Mary before sending the email and praised God when I got this response back. Never hurts to send an important email off with a prayer attached!) After talking with the head of her team of communications professionals, they added me to their team and I am now working on projects that match my values and further the spread of the Catholic faith. What a blessing!! Every project is bathed in prayer for whomever we are working with and we get to share and talk about topics that we’d be discussing anyway. I can’t think of any other work I’d rather be doing.

Just last weekend, Teresa spoke at a parish in Lafayette, Ind., near mine and so I had the opportunity to meet her in person, hear her entire story live and assist her with selling, signing books and more throughout the day. I still cannot believe I was helping Teresa Tomeo, whom I listen to on the radio every day! I’ll share more about her talk in a future blog, as it was incredibly inspiring.

So my point here is this. Give your life up to God and amazing things will happen. It’s not all going to be pleasant, because we all know that God calls us to suffering, as well, but it will all be satisfying and fulfilling and likely bring you things beyond your imagining.

As Pope Francis recently said: “God always surprises us, he overturns our categories, he wreaks havoc with our plans. And he tells us: Trust me, do not be afraid, let yourself be surprised, leave yourself behind and follow me!” This was certainly one of God’s joyful surprises for me. Thanks for messing up my plans, God :).

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Courtesy of the Oblates of Divine Mercy

At mass a few weeks ago, we had a guest speaker who leads an organization that helps women heal after an abortion. She quoted from the Diary of St. Faustina, to whom Jesus appeared and spoke of his infinite love and “divine mercy.” This is where the image of divine mercy (with prisms of light radiating from Jesus’ heart) originates, as well as the Church’s Feast of Divine Mercy, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, etc. This quote really stuck with me, and it’s an image I keep bringing to mind again and again as I gaze upon Jesus on the cross.

From Jesus: “Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace. Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.” — Diary of St. Faustina, p. 1074.

The word “snuggle” is what gets me! The idea of “snuggling” close to Jesus’ merciful heart really touches me and has opened the floodgates of love for our Lord. I encourage you to meditate on it today and see how it speaks to you. Let me know!

I recently consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary and love this song on K-LOVE. I just thought I’d share because I realized over the weekend that the lyrics are exactly what you are doing when you consecrate yourself. You give your life entirely to the Lord so that he can use your life to do his will. It’s a great song! Take a look at the lyrics and listen to a sample of the song on K-LOVE.

“Lift My Life Up” by Unspoken

You brought me this far
So why would I question you now
You have provided
So why would I start to doubt
I’ve never been stranded
Abandoned or left here to fight alone
So I’m giving you control

I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
You can have it forever
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I leave it in your hands
I lift my life, lift my life up
Have your way in me
Have your way in me

If peace is a river
Then let it sweep over me
I’m under fire
I know it’s refining me
When I hear you calling out
I follow now wherever the road may go
I know you’re leading me home

Take my life and let it be all for you
Take my life and let it be all for you

I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
You can have it forever

Take my life and let it be all for you

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It’s hard for me to even put into words the spiritual riches wrought for me by Catholicism. I have trouble even contemplating the depths of the treasures I have available to me and which I have only begin to mine. In addition to the vast expanse of knowledge from saints of times past and of Holy Mother Church, there have been some additions to my day-to-day life of which I am so surprised but grateful for.

There is community in Catholicism. Those of us who strive to be devout and true believers naturally attract one another, I believe. Whether you find like souls on Twitter, at Daily Mass or in Eucharistic Adoration, they are there if you keep your eye out. Be open to communicating, listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and get involved where you feel called. You will find them.

Here are just a few of the immense spiritual riches I’ve found in Catholicism that I feel so blessed to know:

Spiritual Bouquets – I’ve recently started working with a group of Catholic communication professionals — after a great gift of grace from our Mother Mary. They introduced the idea of a spiritual bouquet to me. When it’s an important day for someone — say a birthday, anniversary or something for which they need prayers — instead of offering them “physical” gifts, offer them “spiritual” gifts. Recently, this group put together a “spiritual bouquet” for someone’s birthday and each member offered up items like: a novena in their name, daily mass communion, a rosary or a series of rosaries, time spent in Eucharistic Adoration in front of our Lord, etc. Together these constituted the bouquet and were presented to this individual as their gift. Have you ever heard of anything so lovely? I am so touched and pleased at this thought of being able to support someone spiritually. Beautiful!

Prayer Groups – I’ve also found my way into a prayer group for moms with a devotion to Mary. Each day one of the members sends an email with a thought for the day, along with a link to that day’s novena prayer, and encouragement to fast if able, pray a daily rosary, offer up daily communion, etc. — all for the intention of an increase in holiness of all the families in the group. One of the members pointed out that our Mother Mary said in a vision that when praying together, the whole group merits from all the prayers. So if six rosaries are prayed you benefit from all six, not just the one you said. How blessed! If you’d be interested in joining, shoot me an email at lyn AT catholicnewbie.com and I’ll hook you up :)!

Bathing Your Work in Prayer – Another new one to me is to surround your work with prayer — whatever kind of work it may be. It can all be offered up to the Lord or Mother Mary for our gain or another soul’s gain. Ask for prayer from other Catholics when you are undergoing a particularly difficult day, pray for your fellow workers (especially for ones who would never expect it!), say a prayer before beginning work, as well as at lunch and on conclusion of the day. Sending an important email? Pray a Hail Mary and ask Mary to give you the words our Lord would have you say. You won’t believe how much more blessed your day will be and how much more smoothly it will go.

Pray for Someone You Do Not Know – Pick someone you may not personally know (pick their name out of a phone book) or choose a distant member of your family. Pray for them daily. It’s wonderful to know you are helping someone without the pride that comes along with them knowing about it. It feels so good to help other souls!

Total Consecration to Mary – I’m also doing my Total Consecration to Mary (read more here) and there are something like 1500 people going through it with me from across the world. I found this group after learning about it on the radio and am being led by Catholic author, speaker and podcaster Gary Zimak. Rather than stumbling through this alone, it’s wonderful to know so many other people are going through it with me. We may not talk or even know each other, but just the spiritual support of praying for one another is enough to lift me up.

What spiritual riches have you found in Catholicism? Please share!