Happy 16th Birthday Catherine Therese!!

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Although you'll never read this my sweet Catherine, I love you. 16 years ago you changed our life forever. All of your siblings have done this in their own way but you have done so in a very special way. You have made me more empathetic, compassionate, and much more prayerful. Your smile lights up the world around you and we are all blessed by it.  It's not easy living with a saint. You remind me of my weakness and limited time on this earth. You challenge me to go deeper within myself and find what the Lord is trying to teach me...usually patience. You are made in His image and likeness but He uses you so that I can see my own beauty, goodness, and shortcomings.  You struggle mightily against me with every bath, diaper change, and wardrobe change. I struggle mightily with Him against all the changes He wills in my life. You depend on me and your mom for even the simplest of things. You teach me to depend on Him for everything and not rely on my on strength. You teach me that I
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The Beatitudes of the Saints

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Matthew 5:1-12

The Beatitudes are simply amazing. Every time I pray through them there is something that catches my eye and my heart. The thing I noticed today was that throughout the discourse Jesus' address follows a "blessed are "they"' pattern. At the end it changes to "blessed are you."

Why the change? Am I not merciful? Poor in spirit? Meek? etc? Am I destined to be the only one who is persecuted? 

Too often have I read the Beatitudes in this light. Too often have I seen a division which is truly not there. Jesus is not speaking of one group in the poor in spirit category while another is in the meek category. He is not categorizing or labeling different folks forever alienating them from one another. He is not saying that those who mourn will be comforted but they might as well forget about inheriting the earth because that belongs to the meek.

No, the Beatitudes are the marks or signs of sancitity. Those who hold these qualities are those who will be rewarded with the blessings. This is the check list of the saints. I've never read about the life of a saint who possessed 95% of these qualities. All of the saints were poor in spirit, mourning, meek, desiring righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and were persecuted for righteousness sake. Blessed were they in all those things. Some were so blessed with those qualities that the final blessing of Our Lord was placed upon them in the form of martyrdom.

Looking to dive deeper into this check-list of the saints. Click here.

FROM THE SAINTS - "We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory." - Saint Bernard of Clarivaux

Click here to read more from James M. Hahn - Blog - Books 
Check out his ongoing memoir about life with his special-needs daughter.

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God bless you - Jim Hahn
* Contains affiliate links. No, that doesn't mean that the kids should leave the room. Rather, it means that if you click on a link, and if you purchase something, I may get some financial remuneration for that click and buy. All that means is that my kids will finally get to eat, just kidding but I may get something, just so you know...

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