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power. grace. wisdom. wonder.


While in the midst of a building anxiety, I ran out to see Wonder Woman. I had heard great things about it, and was intrigued by Sister Miriam's enthusiasm and love of the movie. When I pulled up the show times, and read the headline, "Power. Grace. Wisdom. Wonder." I grabbed my bag and youngest son and headed to the 3pm showing.

Power. Grace. Wisdom. Wonder.

This sounds like someone I know.

I am on day 26 of 33 Days to Morning Glory, a Do-It-Yourself Retreat in preparation for Marian Consecration. This is my second time consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary. And both times have miraculously coincided with some of the deepest seasons of suffering. I know. I should stop doing this. But that's the catch when you encounter Jesus; when you have truly been rescued by Him. You keep on following. No matter how hard. Not because this faith of mine is a bag of crazy, but because this faith of mine is the only path that leads me to anywhere worth being. I recognize I am nothing without Him and so I continue to seek Him, and what better, faster way to find Him, than by going to and through His mother. Plus, since we can not avoid suffering, as I continue to learn over and over and over again, doesn't it make more sense to learn how to suffer well? To respond out of love rather than fear? And who better to learn from, than the woman who stood at the foot of the cross. The woman of such power, grace, wisdom and wonder.

And so with a large tub of popcorn...which by the way, I did suggest to the AMC concessions girl that they re-name that...I really would rather not admit to eating a tub of anything...maybe take a hint from Starbucks and give it a name like a grande popcorn. Sounds less fat and more foreign chic, right? So there I sat with my son, with our grande popcorn and Sprite Zero, with my nest of anxiety and fear lodged in my heart, and the hope that this movie, with such great reviews, would speak to me and relieve me and send me home in peace.

It did not.

Send me home in peace, that is.

But it did do something better.

It sent me home with the desire to fight harder for that peace.

To persevere.

To endure.

To be stronger.

To be braver.

To be a loud voice.

To be motivated by compassion.

To show mercy.

And to do absolutely everything out of love.

(it also inspired me to lose weight and grow my hair out and get lip injections, because good grief, Gal Gadot is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen)

Physical perfection aside...this movie did something deep inside of me...something that brought me to tears. My children will tell you that I cry at everything. (And they are right. I am a crier. Even cried at the movie Marmaduke, which I admit, is totally pathetic. Must have been a rough day or something to get so worked up over a fictional dog.) But these tears I cried were necessary and good and totally valid.

Wonder Woman so clearly confirmed what I already know, but often forget, because of that whisper that does not leave me alone. EVER.

It shook my focus off of my anxiety and back to its source: the devil.

It reminded me that evil is real.

That everyone is in a battle.

And that joy and sorrow are inseparable.

(And how many blogs talk about Marmaduke and the devil in the same post? I am either a genius or a total moron)

I believe that all women have wonder woman strength and beauty and courage within. We may not have a physical shield and sword (and well, carrying those around at the mall or in town might not go over so well) but we can put on the armor of God. Every single day, when we arise, we should put on the armor of God. (Ephesians 6)

Because we are all in battle, we must never let our guard down.

I highly encourage you to draw close to Our Lady, the strongest woman I know.

I also encourage you to read Scripture every day, even just a little, because His Word is your weapon.

And if you haven't prayed the rosary in a while, grab your beads and get to work.

Immerse yourself in truth and pray for His wisdom and power to possess you.

Whatever battle you are currently fighting, and I know that you are....remember, you are not fighting alone.

That same love that hangs on the wood of the tree, and saved you over 2,000 years ago, will fight for you today.

That same love.

We are all wonder women, we are all warriors. We are all daughters of a King, and we have a war to win. So let us call on the Holy Spirit, and pray for His fruits; and let us fly to our Mother, thanking her for leading us to her son, asking her for the graces that break through our fear and anxiety and push us towards the front line; fully armed in her mercy and love, trusting in her power and grace. Covering us in her wisdom and wonder.

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