The Bridegroom Speaks

The Bridegroom draws us into His beauty, and therein, we too become more and more beautiful. In this episode, Laura reminds us of our original grace and dignity.

Jesus wants to be united with us all throughout each day. In this episode, Laura shares the meaning of the "nard" in The Song of Songs and how we can let every ordinary moment become an offering of our own nard to the Bridegroom.

In this excerpt from a Brides of Christ group, Hope's Garden heart-led study of The Song of Songs, Laura discusses verses 3:6 - 3:11 and how they paint a picture of the ancient teaching of the Cross as the marriage bed of the Bridegroom. This episode will give you a new perspective to take into your journey through Holy Week, focusing on the passionate love of Christ for each one of us.

In this episode, excerpted from the Brides of Christ study of The Song of Songs, Laura tells us why Jesus' love is more delightful than wine and then leads us in a peaceful meditation to meet Him, our King, in His rooms...the heart of our own hearts.

In today's episode, we share a portion of a talk Laura gave at a recent Hope Blooms Healing Retreat. Hope Blooms retreats are for women healing from betrayal trauma, that is the trauma of discovering a spouse's or significant other's pornography addiction, sex addiction, or infidelity. 

In this talk, Laura shares a critical, and often overlooked, aspect of our need for setting and enforcing clear boundaries: to honor and protect our dignity as God's beloved daughter and Jesus' beloved bride. Laura offers insights and practicalities for setting boundaries that honor one another's personhood and human dignity. 

This episode is an excerpt from Hope's Garden workshop, Eternally Loved. In the episode, Laura talks with her sister, De, about how we come to know the Bridegroom and His love for us through the divine love song, The Song of Songs.

https://hopesgarden.com/eternally-loved-workshop-materials/

Imagine this...as God creates each human person, He’s singing to us. A timeless song of true love is engraved, inscribed deep into our hearts by God Himself.  In this episode Laura shares how prayer life grows with Christ the Bridegroom through the exploration of three different types of prayer . Learn about our study of the Song of Songs and come join us as we discover more about Christ's love for us.

In this episode, Laura shares thoughts - with help from St. John of the Cross - on the power and liberation we experience as we detach more and more from "earthly goods" AND "spiritual goods," letting God alone decide what is good and necessary for our deepening union with Him. 

The Cleft in the Rock is the wound in Jesus’ side; the opening that leads us deeply into His Heart. He calls us there in The Song of Songs, verse 2:14: "My dove, hiding in the cleft of the rock, in the coverts of the cliff, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is beautiful." 

Our Lord invites us to take our rest upon His Heart in difficult moments as well as in moments when we are overwhelmed with His love. In those moments when we are the frightened little dove, we can ask Him to take us there, into His wounded side, where we are safe, where we can hide with Him and be healed.

In this episode, Hope's Garden Spiritual Advisor, Father Michael Stalla, speaks about mercy and the merciful love of Christ the Bridegroom. Pray the Chaplet of the Bridegroom's Merciful Love with us by downloading the pdf at this link: https://hopesgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chaplet-of-the-Bridegrooms-Merciful-Love-6-13-21.pdf

Here is the opening prayer from the chaplet: "My Beloved Jesus, You are the ever-faithful and merciful  Bridegroom of my soul. You look with patience and  compassion upon my wandering heart and in Your Merciful Love,  You call me to return again and again to the safety of Your Sacred  Heart. Blessed Mary, Mother and Bride, teach me to open my  desires and my weaknesses to Jesus. Help me to see temptations  and even my falls and sins as opportunities to cry out for His  saving hand, to receive His healing love, and to trust in His Mercy.  Take me by the hand, Mother Mary, and lead me back to His Most  Compassionate Heart each and every time I wander astray. Amen."