Sunday pics and Little Flowers

Here are a few pics from after church today-

Today we started back with Little Flowers.  This year we are learning the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The girls are so sweet and precious.  I thank God so much for giving Julia such SWEET and kind friends.  We studied the life of St. Teresa of Avila.  She is a Doctor of the Church because of her extensive writings.  She is particularly known for her prayer life and great humility as well as her mystical experiences.

We talked about her prayer life and how prayer is about speaking and more importantly listening to God.

While the girls colored her image I read about her life from this book-

St. Teresa of Avila has many famous quotes-

"I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him."

"Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices."

"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers."

“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one Glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing. “

"Christ has no body now, but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ looks compassion into the world.
Yours are the feet
with which Christ walks to do good.
Yours are the hands
with which Christ blesses the world."

And my very favorite quote is this poem/prayer that she wrote:

Majestic sovereign, timeless wisdom,
your kindness melts my hard, cold soul.

Handsome lover, selfless giver,
your beauty fills my dull, sad eyes.

I am yours, you made me.

I am yours, you called me.

I am yours, you saved me.

I am yours, you loved me.

I will never leave your presence.

Give me death, give me life.

Give me sickness, give me health.

Give me honor, give me shame.

Give me weakness, give me strength.

I will have whatever you give.

We talked about Who the Holy Spirit is and how we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at baptism.  We talked about symbols of the Holy Spirit (dove, flame, etc) and what they remind us of.  We then talked about the gift of Wisdom and how its the first among the gifts.  We talked about Solomon and how he desired wisdom above all things and how wisdom is different from intelligence.   I read to them about the gift of Widom.  

When they completed their album pages they had cookies and water and then played Simon Says to help get to know each other (we have a few new girls).  

Such a sweet time with the most precious little girls!