Fired Up!

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Ah, what a difference a weekend makes!

Last weekend I attended the MCCW Pacific Region Conference (MCCW is the Military Council of Catholic Women), and it was fabulous! 30 wonderful women retreated together to fire up their faith. We had a great key note speaker, Marie Joseph from "Fired Up Catholics". She is a very compassionate and believable speaker, and very entertaining too! Her testimony is baffling, in the sense that you are in awe of how much she overcame through the power of the Holy Spirit. I could have listened to her for another three days, and so I'm happy that we all got her book "Faith on Fire". It is "... a practical way to grow in understanding and knowledge of the Catholic faith, providing ideas for experiencing a rich spiritual life each day. It includes a thirty-day spiritual cleanse and a personal journal to assist the reader in developing habits that lead to a lifetime of virtues." Once I've read it, I will post a thorough review. Can't wait!

The other key element of the weekend were the sacraments. We started our retreat with a reconciliation service and Mass, so that we all could receive the fruits of the Holy Spirit this weekend even better in a state of grace. We had Mass every day, and it truly helped to nourish us spiritually and to fire up our faith!

Also helping were the great music that we were treated to all weekend, and the beautiful environment of the retreat center. Nestled into lush, green, Hawaiian hills, with spartan, but welcoming rooms. So refreshing for our souls!

Some of the ladies who have been to conferences before kind of warned us about the reality shock that hits us when we go home all fired up and then the sink is full of dishes, the laundry needs to be done and the kids are crying. But I have to say, so far it's all good. I have more spiritual energy (although physically I'm in need of some serious sleep), and I think I have learned some things that will stay with me forever. The flame of my faith is definitely burning a little brighter!