Girlfriends (A Podcast for Catholic Women)

What do you need to let go of? I’m going to make you think a bit with five ideas for stuff you might be holding onto—physically, emotionally, or spiritually— that’s no longer serving you. We discuss the burden of physical clutter, the emotional weight of past hurts, the need to control others, the false virtue of busyness, and the effect of ego on our identity.

I promised you this link to the Litany of Humility.Here is all the information about the upcoming Girlfriends marriage challenge. Don’t miss it!

Takeaways

Letting go of physical clutter can lighten your emotional load.

Forgiveness is a continuous process that requires effort.

Holding onto hurt only prolongs your pain.

You cannot control other people's actions or feelings.

Busyness can distract you from what truly matters.

Your identity should be rooted in being a child of God.

Decluttering can create space for new opportunities.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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This week’s special guest is Juliette Bean, daughter of our host Danielle Bean! She joins us to discuss dating, discernment, and marriage preparation from a Catholic perspective. Snippet From the Show God can bring good out of even our simplest choices. For episode shownotes, text GIRLFRIENDS to 33-777 or visit www.ascensionpress.com/girlfriends.
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What do you do when God seems distant, and you’re left wondering if he’s even listening?

In this Renew & Restore Lenten session, Claire Dwyer helps us understand spiritual dryness—why it happens, how to navigate it, and what we can do to remain faithful even in seasons of silence.

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Author Lindsay Schlegel joins us this week for a show where we discuss how parenting can help us grow closer to God. That is the theme of Lindsay’s book, [Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God](https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Forget-Say-Thank-CatholicMom-com/dp/1594718091/ref=sr11?crid=3QCGKARKIO9VS&keywords=don%27t+forget+to+say+thank+you&qid=1565968942&s=gateway&sprefix=don%27t+forget+to+say+%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1). You can learn more about Lindsay and her work at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com. Also, look for a new podcast Lindsay will be launching very soon, called Quote Me. I also share feedback from listener Ann-Marie who shared pictures of her Mary garden and a Litany of Kindness that she wrote. Check out her prayer below. Snippet from the Show “All of the things we want for our kids, God wants for us in an even more perfect way.” SHOWNOTES LITANY OF KINDNESS . . . When I meet with those I have an aversion towards, Jesus help me to choose kindness. When I compose bitter responses to others, Jesus help me silence my thoughts and turn to your heart. When I am tempted to bear a grudge, Help me see myself as I am: a pouting, childish weakling. When I am tempted to be envious of others, Help me be thankful and content with the many gifts you’ve given me. When I am tempted to judge another by their outward actions, Remind me I know not of her motives. When I find myself in a difficult situation, Help me to lovingly accept whatever you send into my life. When I am impatient and angered by those around me, Jesus, deflate my pride and help me choose humility. When there is a lack of trust in a relationship, Help me not to be suspicious of him/her, but to turn my thoughts to you. When I am given to over sensitivity, Help me avoid brooding over real or imagined slights. When I am with an overly sensitive person, Help me choose to exercise patience and charity. When I am self seeking and full of pride, Help me remember and consider my own sins. When I perform a kind deed, Help me offer it to you and not dwell or boast about it. When I perform little actions of consideration, Help me remember that God sees my sacrifice and is pleased. When I have pain, sorrow and suffering, Help me hide it in You, and be kind and cheerful to others. When I am irritated by those around me, Help me bear their burdens, as Christ bears mine. When I am frustrated by another, Help me to love them because I love Christ in them. When I am tired and discouraged, Help me choose to carry out my vocation as helper. When I am contentious and find fault with others, Help me cultivate an agreement as it is not all about me. Give me the grace to offer you a heart free from resentment, And the strength to pray for those who have hurt me. Train my eyes to be kind, recognizing faults, but seeing past them for love of you, Jesus. For all I see and hear, give me the grace to put on a kind interpretation, Which will help destroy the bitterness of my judgments. Help me forgo some trifling right, bear offenses, and renounce having the last word, So that I cultivate kind thoughts in my heart instead of an argument. To give joy to others, I must have it myself. Help me possess simple loving thoughts to dispel the clouds of depression, as you are the source of all joy. When I am weary and know not what to do, remind me that my vocation is to put on love and do my own tasks well. When trying to cooperate with others, help me put aside my own views when justice is not violated, in deference to those of others. Give me the grace of heroic self denial. In all occasions, around all people, remind me that I am not bound to speak out at all. Kindness, good will, charity, and forgiveness may run directly contrary to my feelings and inclinations—help me do them anyway. The obligation to undo the hurt caused by my unkind words does not disappear by my ignoring it. Help me to silence my overgrown sense of curiosity and resist the urge to give unsolicited advice. Help me to never say behind a person’s back what I would not say to his/her face, and to mind my own business. Help me remember that harsh words cause wounds that are hard to heal, and that the best remedy to angry words is silence. When I observe human weakness and am tempted to be sarcastic, remind me it does not glorify God. Remind me that destructive criticism is foolish and futile, and that it says more about me than the person I criticize. Help me always look for the good in the world and in your children and speak of it frequently. When I am wrong, help me admit it quickly and emphat...

We all deal with annoying people sometimes. Whether the annoying person is a stranger at Mass, a co-worker, or your own husband, here are some ideas for ways we can answer God’s call to love every human being, even if they are getting on our nerves. 1) Pray to see them as God does. Every person is a precious child of God. It can be hard to see that when they are getting on your nerves, though. Ask God for the grace of seeing each person as he does, in all their dignity and worth.
2) Recall a time when you were annoying. We all have bad days. It can help you be kind to someone else who is having an “off day” to recall a time when you were annoying yourself. We all need love and kindness and an extra dose of mercy at times.
3) Know they are probably hurting. Hurt people hurt people. Especially if someone is being angry, rude, or unfair in a way that does not make sense to you, recognize that they are probably wounded and suffering. It’s not an excuse for bad behavior, but it can go a long way toward helping you be more patient with it.
4) Offer to help. Are they complaining or acting up about something you can help them with? Find a way to help them with whatever they are struggling with, or at least offer to help so they know they are not alone.
5) Ignore what you can. If you can possibly ignore their annoying behavior, DO IT. Keep pulling your mind away and onto other, more important things.
6) Remember what you can control. You cannot control others’ words and behaviors, but you can control how you respond to them. When faced with a challenging person, reciting your Morning Offering or using the Jesus Prayer can be a great way to offer up the challenge to God.
7) Reduce contact with them if you reasonably can. You can always give someone space when they are in a bad mood, or reduce the amount of time you spend with someone who is a negative influence in your life. Resources and Announcements

• At the start of the show, I mention that the March for Life in Washington DC is an official Pilgrimage site with the opportunity for a plenary indulgence attached to it. Here is more information about that.
• This week I also share my response to an email from listener Jessie who is struggling with using NFP to space pregnancies in her marriage.
• My newest book, Giving Thanks and Letting Go: Reflections on the Gift of Motherhood is available for pre-order. Until January 31, 2020, use code “BEAN” at checkout and get twenty percent off!

Events

• February 20-23, 2020: Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Anaheim, CA
• Saturday, March 7, 2020: You’re Worth It Retreat at Precious Blood Parish in Jasper, IN
• Saturday, March 14, 2020: Women’s Conference, Fresno, CA
• Saturday, March 28, 2020: Women’s Conference in Norwich, CT
• Want me to come to your community to speak or give my retreat, You Are Enough, based on the themes in my book? Get all the information here!

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• Text the word GIRLFRIENDS to 33-777 to get the shownotes!
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