Saturday, December 01, 2012

Donna-Marie is Rooted in Love


Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle has a beautiful new book, Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women, that explores what it means to be a woman striving to be a reflection of Christ everyday, in all things.

In the course of her exploration, Donna-Marie shares a number of personal stories (her own, and those of others), some of them extraordinarily painful. Through these often startling and dramatic anecdotes, she demonstrates that no matter how difficult life becomes, we can turn to Christ and find comfort and healing, growing closer to Him in the midst of suffering.

And Donna pinpoints the ways in which we women can be much harder on ourselves than we need to be.  An excerpt:
I think that we women can become our own worst enemy by worrying that we're not doing enough to please others and God, too. We actually heap more responsibilities (whether they be actual or emotional) than is necessary upon our own shoulders. We deal with so many demands for perfection in our lives. Many of the saints spoke about how a whole lot of us might never do very big things in life (or what some might consider "big" things.) But we can lead simple yet faithful lives by doing small things with great love. This is very pleasing to God and is actually the secret to real holiness as both St. Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta preached. And, yes, God calls all of us to become saints.

Perhaps the irony is that, as many women struglle with the demands of our society and the mass media to become "perfect," achieving perfection is simply being faithful to the duties of our lives. God looks at perfection much differently than do we.

Abandonment, loneliness and loss, health problems, crime, and numerous other sufferings -- such painful situations and heartaches can eventually become avenues of grace. Donna knows that. She has faced her own personal hardships and isn't afraid to share them in the hope that her experiences can inspire and encourage other women. Donna-Marie strives to be a whole-hearted disciple of Christ, and she wants the same for every single one of us.

For more information, and to visit other stops on Donna's blog tour, check out her Rooted in Love blog.



5 comments:

Jennifer said...

I think I need this right now,

LizEst said...

Looks like a great read. Thanks for hosting the first stop on the blog tour. God bless you, Karen.

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle said...

Thank you very much for your beautiful post, Karen and for kicking off my Rooted in Love blog tour!

God bless you and yours as we begin Advent tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

I have read the book myself and wholeheartedly agree, Karen, with what you have written.

May we all draw closer to Our Blessed Mother during this Advent season. She, in turn, will always lead us to Her Son. There can be no other way. To Jesus, through Mary!

Lorraine

Karen Edmisten said...

Donna, it's my pleasure! And ladies, I think that there is something for everyone in this book, so I know you'll enjoy it, benefit from it.