The Best Way to Begin Advent - Rejoice! An Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture

[@HarleyGirl75]

I’m glad I have the app! Watched this the other night. Looking forward to daily videos!

[@pohyokelo]

I am not even Catholic.... but I look forward to Advent videos by Father Mark Toups every year! 😅😅😅

[@regis_red]

Happy Advent!

[@ornange]

Make sure to do the rejoice journals! They're so good!!! Happy Advent!! God Bless :)

[@mlp023]

Come on home!

[@angelamria]

Soooooo what is keeping you from going deeper and learning more? Let me just simply, joyfully and lovingly, invite you to come learn more, experience more, live more deeply your life with God.

[@LeeHall-n5r]

Spiritually exactly what The Lord intended for me to hear this wee hour of the morning! God Bless you all for your service!❤

[@fr.johnkerns7006]

Silence. Just what I needed to remember as I start this holy season. Thank you! -Fr. John Kerns

[@vimelendez4796]

I'm with father When I am in Adoration I need to sit in the front, or I'll start to watch people coming in and leave. At 77, I'm homebound. Now I have TV Adoration and my silence is in the wee early morning. It is a time to surrender to Jesus, the Father, and Holy Trinity. My prayer begins. This program is an answer to prayer. I asked, for the gift of silence Thank you... Blessing of the Two Hearts

[@vimelendez4796]

I'm in St. Augustine. Fl.

[@momoni512]

When I was younger, I was always with my grandparents. My grandma taught me a lot about the meaning of being silent to get in touch with God. She taught me, it's my one on one with The Lord. As a child with this kind of role model, I learned how to be open to The Lord. I learned how to love him just as he loves me. Yes with society, I always try my best to get some kind of silence. I don't even listen to the radio in the car. It stays off because on a busy day, that's my moment to have silence for The Lord. Thank you, and I'm so looking forward to this Advent. We all need to slow down and take a moment for Our Lord. It's our turn to give The Lord time just as he hears us, which also takes time.🙏 God Bless you.

[@SharonVoyer]

The sad thing for me is that I only watched this today! I missed living a few days without this! You three are beautiful to listen to...that time went by so fast. Thank you!

[@rachelgomes6470]

I look forward to this every year

[@TCM1231]

I need more of Sr. Josephine! God Bless

[@ms.jenkinskbclassroom6066]

Y’all are my kind of prayers! I’m in Louisiana, too😊. This was beautiful. I just pictured God with his arm across my shoulder sitting on my sofa together. I’m going to try to meet him there every night.

[@nikkid8834]

Only half way through and these are such great thoughts and questions to ponder! I particularly like Sister Josephine's affirmation "I'm getting stronger" Stronger in my discipline of prayer, stronger in cultivating silence, stronger in virtue

[@sodetsurikomigoshi2454]

"grow the 'silence muscle'". Spot on Sr.

[@Ladyoffidelity14]

Ooof that water example in the beginning. That hit home. I've been forgetting my water bottle for like 2 weeks now. I was venting to my coworker about it and she literally told me I drink too much 🤣 But on the silence thing. That wasn't just a punishment for me. It was abandonment I feel like, isolation too. If it was silent as a kid it was because I was trying to hide from an abuser. It was a coping mechanism as much as it was a punishment. I would rather disappear and be okay then be perceived and not be. I don't know if that makes sense? And silence was kinda scary because of that, because it meant I was trying to avoid danger. Hopefully that's not tmi but I doubt I'm the only one with the experience sadly. Other times though silence in adulthood was a relief because I chose it. And it was peaceful.

[@annanussear2091]

I'm starting late and I feel horribly about it, a few rosaries, chaplets, prayers, but what my heart really yearns for is silence. Silence to hear God's voice. To rest in Him, to share my heart. I am sorry Lord for not humbly put all else aside to be with you, and instead focused on mundane things that have no value. Please help me Lord to love you more and more and to serve you and honor you.

[@jodiclarke893]

Sr. Josephine Garrett mentioned in her reflection of our perceptions of silence, "Should I be giving these perceptions that much authority?" This is so good and, obviously, applies to our perceptions of many things, not just silence... to consider if they are true, if we are giving them too much authority and if it is time for them to be challenged. Thank you to all of you for your wisdom and discussion - I look forward to upcoming videos.

[@franolson2910]

Silence is beautiful. We can learn so much from being silent. The heart can lift.

[@Stella-er6fr]

I love the comment around letting memories, thoughts, pictures...come to our prayers. When I started being more aware of it, this is when I experienced a deep prayer time with amazing things revealed to me by our Father. Thanks for this video.

[@buddybrown8607]

Thank you for your reply. I have a tough time in silent prayer call Mom what you taught me to let it in and let God deal with it

[@shinrin-yoku3877]

God bless you 🙏

[@manuelvargas467]

Thanks fathers and sisters✝️🕊❤️‍🔥

[@andygarcia3599]

Bless You. Thanks You for helping me kick off Advent. I feel very privilegie to be a catholic abd we are all called towards that privilegie ew justo need some silence to hear that calling

[@dahliamama4999]

So excited!🎉

[@spblouin4270]

Thank you, Father Mark!

[@ian-pv5sv]

I work a very busy job as a surgery nurse, this was definitely something I needed. Thank you so much for this video!

[@angelamatherne2045]

Thanks!

[@LoveeeeelyM]

Thank you so much for your humanity. I’m ready with my rejoice journal. It’s my 3rd year with one and it has been so fruitful every year. Looking forward to this Advent. Pray for me. I’ll be praying for you ♥️🫶🏻🙏🏻

[@SweettoothMarie77]

Be with us Lord!🙏

[@helenrosario6857]

Such a joy, thanks SQ

[@AdrianFernandez82006]

I love this video session and it so nice and peaceful ☺️ 🎉❤😊

[@143mschrag]

Amen. In solitude, my Prayers and Reflections, first thing in the early mornings and sometimes in the evenings, have helped me aLot in dealing the daily life. It is the Best gift I give back to God, to have the openness of the Holy Spirit to Thank, Praise, Honor and Glorify Him through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the intercession of the Blessed Mother Mary. Regardless of how we see ourselves, God loves us All and That! is far more crucial than how others sees us as well. It is our hearts that God knows us by. Thus, give God that time He so much is yearning for. I am praying for all of you, God Bless 🙏🏻

[@declancronin437]

Thank you for a great work. To hear the Lord we have to Listen which I find difficult. Some people say that is the reason why God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we can listen to God twice as much as tell God what we want. I heard a Priest speaking on Listening recently and took the example in the Old Teastement when God spoke to Samuel and called him twice, but he did not hear. The third time God spoke to Samuel he heard and Samuel said to the Lord "speak Lord your servant is Listening" The priest said not to say to the Lord, "listen Lord your servant is speaking" God waits for us in silence. 🙏

[@VanillaBean15]

Thank You ❤

[@dianesilva901]

This is so helpful I do struggle with silence. I like what I am learning here

[@monicateleckisobolewski5844]

Oh yes. Silence is a huge challenge. For me is so hard, like a punishment. Many oriental practices have in common, silence, meditation.

[@DwellinginFaith]

AMEN

[@Ladyoffidelity14]

I love the memories thing too. I do that a lot 💖

[@ornange]

I did the 2023 Lent journal.. and wow. It was truly life-changing. so excited for this journey🫶🏻

[@nathanngumi8467]

Word.

[@freedominion7369]

🙏✝️💒

[@buddybrown8607]

God bless your father, I thought you were silenced!

[@IONov990]

I loved this video but is there anyway to remove ads from cutting into the middle of the video? During the meditation a distracting ad disrupted it.

[@buddybrown8607]

Silence is difficult for me I am trying to Endeavor in Mystic prayer and I am having a tough time. Any pointers?

[@sarralemon]

Do you pray in your head is that silence.

[@sarralemon]

When I am silent I fellasleep unfortunately. So what do you do?

[@shortstopmotions]

While you are falling asleep, tell God how you feel or what you need .Because even if you fall asleep ,God will be your last thought that night, and when you wake up, God will be the first thing on your mind.