Illuminated By Joy

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a Blessed Advent! Christmas is now less than 24 hours away, and that means last minute shopping and preparations. However, one thing that many of us (including me) often forget to prepare is our hearts. Jesus is coming, and we don't even spend time truly preparing the one thing that he really cares about. But remember, Jesus always accepts a sincere offering no matter how late you start preparing it. So let's start right now. To me, one Christmas theme that always seems to come up is new beginnings. Christ's birth brought an new beginning for the Church, and for you. He wants to give you a new beginning. How can you let Him do that? Maybe you're still holding a grudge against yourself or another person and it's time to let go. Maybe you're struggling with something and still haven't offered it to Jesus. Or maybe, like me, you keep following Jesus halfheartedly and never seem to truly give yourself to Him. Whatever it is, take

 Hello all! Sorry I've been absent for a while. Luckily Ava has still been posting, so you haven't been entirely deserted.  Happy Advent! Anyway, today's post isn't directly about Advent, but it is related to it.  Advent is the beginning of the Liturgical year, and so it is a time of spiritual regeneration. Here are my four tips to grow in the spiritual life based on my own experience.  1. Pray the Rosary often and well.  I found that praying the Rosary every day, though it can be hard to stick to, very beneficial to the spritual life. But especially saying it well, as it was meant to be said,  meditating on the particular mystery associated with the decade as you say it. It might be hard at first, but it will get easier as you go on. (Warning: Don't break your habit of saying the rosary every day no matter what, or else you will lose the habit. I've learned this the hard way.) 2. Recieve Holy Communion often and very well.   This is so  important, as the Euchar