tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59591706896998812592024-02-20T21:59:09.110-08:00Because of My Name'You will be hated by all because of my name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved' Mark 13:13 Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-51587168297635908272015-02-12T11:55:00.000-08:002015-02-12T11:58:13.720-08:00When everything is going wrong, and Jesus seems to be sleeping <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Humble Confidence – taken from: I Believe in Love; Reflections on St. Therese<o:p></o:p></div>
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What does Jesus lament most when He is with His Apostles?
Their lack of confidence. “Men of little
faith!” This is the main reproach He makes to them. He does not say to them, “Men of no character,
men without energy, without discipline.” No He says, “Men of little faith!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghV421YBdUay8oce03VDBKVsPhjKIR5sIJudRCPr6v1bfeAvth15ypKylYyb1LsK1d_yaVriBsbmvlYAAOr74eyFOkXh6_Zj7_9f9ms9pPZtz328SgH8kwcjqBVTTH3pIOd9nkICBFrEoM/s1600/Jesus-sleeping-in-boat-at-peace-in-storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghV421YBdUay8oce03VDBKVsPhjKIR5sIJudRCPr6v1bfeAvth15ypKylYyb1LsK1d_yaVriBsbmvlYAAOr74eyFOkXh6_Zj7_9f9ms9pPZtz328SgH8kwcjqBVTTH3pIOd9nkICBFrEoM/s1600/Jesus-sleeping-in-boat-at-peace-in-storm.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a> Jesus was
crossing the lake of Tiberias in a boat with His disciples. He was asleep in the stern. A great windstorm blew up, and the waves
poured into the boat so that it was already filled. Seized with anguish, the disciples awakened
Jesus: “Lord, save us; we are perishing!” And rising up, He reprimands the
winds and says to the sea, “Peace! Be Still! And the wind abated and there was
a great calm.” Then, turning to His Apostles, He asks, “Where is your faith?” I
can hear Jesus scolding them with gentleness, but with pain too: “Why is this?
I was in the boat with you- I slept, but I was there – and you were afraid; you
were terrified. You doubted either my omnipotence or my love. Do you not know after all who I am, and do
you not know after all with what tenderness my Heart watches over you
continually?” It is truly such doubt that pains and offends Him most. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But you see, we have lost so completely the notion of the
entire confidence that HE expects of us, that we sometimes make a prayer of the
words for which He reproached His Apostles: “Lord, save us; we are perishing!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is not how we should pray, but rather, “With You,
Jesus, I cannot perish; You are always in the boat with me; what have I to
fear? You may sleep, I shall not awaken
You. My poor nature will tremble, oh yes! But with all my will I shall remain
in peace in the midst of the storm, confident in You.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In hours of anguish, think of the Divine Master calming the
violent storms with one word. This will
be a tremendous source of comfort for you as you wait – peacefully- for Him to
waken. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The great tempest is what our sins stir up in our
souls. It is there that Jesus must arise
in order that “a great calm may descend.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Listen to what little Therese has to say in the fable about the
weak little bird who, not having wings strong enough to soar in the heights, at least has eyes and
a heart to gaze at the Sun of Love: “With bold abandonment, he remains gazing
at his Divine Sun. Nothing can frighten
him, either wind nor rain; and if dark clouds come to hide the Star of Love,
the weak little bird will not move away, for he knows that on the other side of
the clouds his Sun continues always to shine.”
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jfpvl9aQmBgQQ37zDSdTVFSv8R0vRsLOQML7vKS7LWpOwpjtKRIrt9h22uQihpvOJS0hN70LgLLI1wZ92y3tPYT73Wree82B34_-H01z2zuQm_3Nj0gcKh-VbnzGsQVm7iBoz4aKAG8W/s1600/3d-abstract_hdwallpaper_sunset-bird_49362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jfpvl9aQmBgQQ37zDSdTVFSv8R0vRsLOQML7vKS7LWpOwpjtKRIrt9h22uQihpvOJS0hN70LgLLI1wZ92y3tPYT73Wree82B34_-H01z2zuQm_3Nj0gcKh-VbnzGsQVm7iBoz4aKAG8W/s1600/3d-abstract_hdwallpaper_sunset-bird_49362.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a>“I am not always faithful, but I never get discouraged. I abandon myself into the arms of Jesus, and
there I find again all that I have lost and much more besides."</div>
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Since He has granted it to be to understand the love of the
Heart of Jesus, I confess that He has chased all fear out of my heart. The memory of my faults humiliates me, leads
me never to rely on my own strength, which is nothing but weakness; but even
more this memory speaks to me of mercy and love. When we throw our faults, with a completely
filial confidence, into the devouring furnace of love, how could they not be
totally consumed?” </div>
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May these words remind us, that even when everything seems to be going terribly wrong, Jesus is there, whether we feel Him or not, He will be there to take care of us and make sure we make it through the storm alive. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-68331840693723834152014-11-05T20:30:00.000-08:002014-11-05T20:32:55.567-08:00How Do I Know God Exists? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWwOYWCfoYBwFk1WbJXS8PoYY8_DkjZ8Km_WUu782UjzI470aUIfkUd4QRFDkwGs4mxc8tykKcHQalf0RKjUoEZ1AVJryfRe66C7mU-Wn9ulKbgEpN8364-_GMoX_HZQyPz-Yp5XpUWO8/s1600/fb39be3b3b50ebbfba28c00464314609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWwOYWCfoYBwFk1WbJXS8PoYY8_DkjZ8Km_WUu782UjzI470aUIfkUd4QRFDkwGs4mxc8tykKcHQalf0RKjUoEZ1AVJryfRe66C7mU-Wn9ulKbgEpN8364-_GMoX_HZQyPz-Yp5XpUWO8/s1600/fb39be3b3b50ebbfba28c00464314609.jpg" height="320" width="102" /></a>After school yesterday I was meeting with a high school student and she was really stumping me with some questions. <br />
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"What moment in your life did you know God really exists?"<br />
"How do I prove God exists to someone who doesn't believe in love?"<br />
"What can I do to trust God more?"<br />
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I wanted to say I had all the right answers, that I could spit out logical and factual reasons for the existence of God and that with one sentence I could convince anyone to believe in Him. But that just didn't seem to be the case as I stumbled around my words. What I ended up realizing is that I don't have that answer, because if there was one thing that we could say to convince someone in the existence of God, then that would defeat the purpose of Faith. <i>Faith - belief that is not based on proof. </i>I believe in God because I know He has changed my life. I know that as I have come to know Him more and invite Him into my life, I have never experienced such great joy and peace. It doesn't mean that I don't face problems, but now I realize I do not face them on my own and that my problems are not what defines my life; my life is defined by being a beloved child of God. I also know that all of the people that I look up to and admire have a love for God and radiate with love as they strive to follow His will. So do I have the perfect answer, no, but in my heart there is no doubt of the existence and love of God. <i>For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCWdhpoUjJpsVW0d_XozXYDLCS6b2akg-uK61RvCzcRwzxR3_pE5JZe8qD7YPHbbY12wqj2WACXLBWW_3Pfr8jt0sis2wW3P1p9YSlJVU6yljkERnmP-1wDqpMApHgOSwY-qezs32gZw8/s1600/8230ce6fe5869b358d4c8b7f0c1e043b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCWdhpoUjJpsVW0d_XozXYDLCS6b2akg-uK61RvCzcRwzxR3_pE5JZe8qD7YPHbbY12wqj2WACXLBWW_3Pfr8jt0sis2wW3P1p9YSlJVU6yljkERnmP-1wDqpMApHgOSwY-qezs32gZw8/s1600/8230ce6fe5869b358d4c8b7f0c1e043b.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a><b>"Our hearts our restless, until they rest in you.</b>" Famous and true words by St. Augustine . We all long for something and as we continued talking over our coffee (aka smoothie in my case) we discovered that God has placed moments of peace and grace in each of our lives, but then in other moments it is easy to feel far from God and question our trust in Him. So our next question was "How do we learn to trust God more?" Now I really wasn't sure to this answer, but the simplest answer seemed to be <i>to get to know Christ. </i> How can we trust someone we don't know? So over the next few weeks we plan to read through and pray with the Holy Gospel and encounter Christ in a personal way. <br />
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But we also wanted something that we could start right now and this is what we invite you to join in with us. We are starting gratitude journals where at the end of each day we will write down five to ten things that God has blessed us with that day. Allowing us to see how much He provides for us each day and guides us along the way. Of course there will be really hard parts to each day, and what do we do with those? Well her idea was that we write those down also, giving our problems to God, and then reflect on how He could possibly use them to bring good into our lives. This doesn't mean that God caused the bad to happen, it just means that we believe God is greater than sorrow and even in the worst situations, He can bring hope. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5XACFPj8g2Kw1mKUJ11DhJY5KE92o2aPCbB9bxodxMoBJcVKXWhdLRDRkeOhWxgeRRV7oHyIMFv7wKiDWaEkaN4WgGz28A_RyJSwhfj65CXoDWiGF4VM9DTGs_JBWJlkj4MZ1fpDG10A/s1600/02f668b97a2c1e0b5ac95a29935aea99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5XACFPj8g2Kw1mKUJ11DhJY5KE92o2aPCbB9bxodxMoBJcVKXWhdLRDRkeOhWxgeRRV7oHyIMFv7wKiDWaEkaN4WgGz28A_RyJSwhfj65CXoDWiGF4VM9DTGs_JBWJlkj4MZ1fpDG10A/s1600/02f668b97a2c1e0b5ac95a29935aea99.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
An example of this was my two and a half hour commute home on public transportation. I could have really let this irritate me, but I thought back to our conversation and realized that God could turn this traffic jam into extra time for me to pray for those around me. <br />
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We hope, that through this nightly reflection, the love of God will be made clearer in our lives as well as in anyone who wishes to join us on this journey to know The Lord deeper. We hope that God will reveal His love to each of us if we only ask. <i>"Dear Lord, please make your love for me known and felt in my life."</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-6094137804208742522014-09-28T14:27:00.004-07:002014-09-28T14:27:34.050-07:00“The Lord hears the cry of the poor”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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“The Lord hears the cry of the poor”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Friday, September 26<sup>th</sup> <o:p></o:p></div>
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So today was pretty amazing, God really blessed me with an
incredible insight into His love and into the humanity surrounding me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After a beautiful rosary at the basilica, confession with a
Missionaries of Charity Father, God was preparing me for my favorite day thus
far, as well as the hardest. Father sent us over to their soup kitchen were we
arrived just as everyone was beginning to eat.
I got handed a baby that was 5 days old wrapped up so tightly in a
blanket you could barely see his face.
He was there with his parents, 5 year old brother as well as his 8 year
old sister. They were currently homeless
after being recently deported and weren’t able to eat any of the food served
because they have eaten food from the states for so long they can’t take the
Mexican spice. It’s hard to see such a
loving family be forced to leave a job and a home and have to try to raise a
family with nothing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After the soup kitchen we headed to Villa Mujers, a home for
women, usually older who have mental illness or have been abandoned by family
members who no longer want to take care of them. As we walked through, everyone was calling
out and longing for us to show them attention, you could tell that all they
wanted was love. I knelt and said hola
to one lady, and as she held my hand she started telling stories of her mama
and papa and tear started streaming out her eyes. It was one of those moments when you don’t
know what to do but simply listen. The
rest of the time there we spent in the room where the really sick and dying
were. Two ladies were so excited to see
Craig and just started telling him all these stories. There was one lady that was curled up on the
bed next to them, her body bent in weird unnatural positions and nothing but
skin clinging to her bones. Holding her
hand and listening to her try to talk, but only be able scream was a moment
when it took everything inside of me to hold back tears. Life
can be so hard to understand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Next we went to the rehab center and met the priest there.
He was so full of love and showed us around.
Down stairs there were two boys who had just come off the streets,
hooked to IVs. Our hope is that Sunday two of the street kids that we visit
will come with us to the rehab center.
We went and saw them after leaving and they were so full of love for
Craig as he walked up and just excited to see us. I got drilled for about 10 minutes about
whether or not I had a boyfriend and how tall he was and if they could fight
him. They are always entertaining to
talk to and try to understand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Pray that the boys stay committed to going to rehab
today. The whole process is a lot harder
than most people think. When you have
been on drugs for so long your body doesn’t know how to function without
them. The first three days of rehab will
most likely be spend throwing up and hooked on an IV to make sure that the body
stabilizes. Only through Christ will any
of us be able to let go of our addictions big or small and be able to live in
in the freedom we were designed for. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday, I was blessed to get to spend time at the
Missionaries of Charity here in Mexico.
They also have a home for women with disabilities who are sick and dying
or have been abandoned by their families.
Upstairs is where we spent most of our time, with the babies. There were about 10 of them who were being
fed and cared for, most of whom had disabilities; either mental or physical,
and all of whom had been abandoned by their families and left on the side of
the road. It was such a joy to hold them
and get to walk them around the garden outside.
Holding Jaime felt so different than a normal child because of his tense
body and inability to relax like most children would. He had a constant smile on his face and a
look of awe and wonder at everything we looked at. Some of the girls who are in their first few
years of preparing to be MCs and consecrate their lives to Christ forever were
from the US so it was fun to talk and joke with them and see the love in their
eyes for the work they are doing. May
God bless their ministry and all those that see the love of Christ through the
love that the sisters show to them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Remember, if we love those in front of us, no one will ever
go unloved. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-63466592870497032652014-09-27T08:24:00.003-07:002014-09-27T08:25:26.024-07:00Medical Mission <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Warning: thoughts in this post skip around and don't make much sense </div>
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Who would have thought, God has a way of pulling through
when I am being a chicken. Don’t ask me
why, but I have come to hate making phone calls, especially to people I don’t
know. A week ago a college priest
approached Elizabeth and I about going on a medical mission trip with his
students. I was really excited until
four days later I was supposed to call the girl in charge and let her know we
were coming. Why did I not want to make
the call, who knows? Basically I took
the approach, “okay, Lord, if you want me to go, make it happen.” Thursday I get a Facebook message asking if
we wanted to go, and Friday afternoon we were getting on a bus with 30 unknown
college students headed to the mountains.
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The purpose for traveling to the mountains was to go to
villages where there is no medical service and let everyone know that we would
be having free medical clinics. It was
also supposed to be an opportunity for the college students to encounter a
deeper relationship with Jesus as well as to remember the passion that goes
into medical practice. I really
appreciate the purpose of the trip and what I got out of it, but it also really
made me appreciate FOCUS mission trips and the emphasis they place on quiet
prayer time as well as going into detail of the joy that comes from being in a
relationship with God. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What I have really started to realize is that Mexico is
quite similar to the United States in that the people here are often unable to
fully grasp the concept of God’s Mercy.
Many are just unaware that God loves them no matter what they have done,
and only wants for them to accept His Mercy and forgiveness. Anyways, it was a great experience, I made
some friends, and I have no focus to write this blog. I am sitting in a coffee house that looks
like it belongs in West O. I spent the
last day in my apartment staring at my computer trying to learn Spanish and
started a new bible study. I learned I
can’t sit still for a whole day at a time, surprise surprise. <o:p></o:p></div>
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(I should say however, the online Bible study is amazing and
anyone interested in learning more about their faith should check out <a href="http://www.salvationhistory.com/studies/courses/online">http://www.salvationhistory.com/studies/courses/online</a>. It is free and you can do it whenever you have
a little free time.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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Blogs looked at instead of finishing this post <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://jackieandbobby.com/2014/09/23/i-didnt-lose-my-virginity-when-i-got-married/">http://jackieandbobby.com/2014/09/23/i-didnt-lose-my-virginity-when-i-got-married/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://jackieandbobby.com/2014/06/03/my-brain-rests-in-catholicism/">http://jackieandbobby.com/2014/06/03/my-brain-rests-in-catholicism/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Do not fear sharing
the Truth; the Truth can take care of itself. Our task is to ask
questions, pursue the Truth, and then simply unleash it. It’s quite<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">elementary.”</span></em></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-79995187802525972552014-09-17T20:32:00.003-07:002014-09-17T20:34:38.917-07:00Why Mexico City?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNjPVEfKJN9CnD1_zlGNyVUdDcEVWbIYu1asKgk0W4nd4drm4KRcknZTWWVYGxAnuLSrMriQCp5MZ4AFJzipxJCDFA4RUwXi1bv9N9C1Wnas96EwUKrFtO5wbwlUyeISbTsalpRfTFopw/s1600/2014-09-11+14.12.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNjPVEfKJN9CnD1_zlGNyVUdDcEVWbIYu1asKgk0W4nd4drm4KRcknZTWWVYGxAnuLSrMriQCp5MZ4AFJzipxJCDFA4RUwXi1bv9N9C1Wnas96EwUKrFtO5wbwlUyeISbTsalpRfTFopw/s1600/2014-09-11+14.12.32.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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I have now been in Mexico City a
little over a week, and I am sure many are wondering why. For anyone who knew me in high school, they
knew I was ardently opposed to Spanish.
I took two years, hated it (mainly because of a teacher), and swore I
was never going to need it and therefore deleted it from my brain. That’s why even I have a hard time believing
that I am actually here. I don’t think
it even really hit me that I was in Mexico until the other night when I was
sitting in my neighbor’s house, eating a meal I can’t pronounce, and listening
to a conversation where I understand only 1/500 words. As I looked around it
sunk it, I am in a two room house in the middle of the largest city in the
world, but I feel at home. </div>
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How did I get here? <o:p></o:p></div>
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After my first international mission trip to Haiti, I felt
my heart being pulled towards foreign mission work and then after India last
summer I had no doubt. So while other
people were applying for normal jobs, I was searching the internet for organizations
that would allow me to serve in an unknown land. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was mid-December and I was still trying to decide. Looking back it must have been December 13<sup>th</sup>,
since the day before was the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I hadn’t heard her story in a while and
someone had mentioned it to me the day before and it caught my attention. For
those of you who don’t know: After the Spanish had taken over Mexico, they were
trying to spread Christianity an<a href="http://www.ewtn.com/saintsholy/saints/O/ourladyofguadalupe.asp" target="_blank">here</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSzRX8Yb7VZzZXXkS4jDnqzD6voe3EMPV4kpQTmIqrmzLkvYWa06LoxcaxXK5vHGeymymb8Y3daveeAU6TRnGln6o-6a9DhpN97yyXho3vsO7l9JqyDR76y3jaSooIi7KFaNcs-aDyZDp/s1600/2014-09-16+13.55.39+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSzRX8Yb7VZzZXXkS4jDnqzD6voe3EMPV4kpQTmIqrmzLkvYWa06LoxcaxXK5vHGeymymb8Y3daveeAU6TRnGln6o-6a9DhpN97yyXho3vsO7l9JqyDR76y3jaSooIi7KFaNcs-aDyZDp/s1600/2014-09-16+13.55.39+(2).jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
d put to the polytheistic and human sacrificing
religion, but in eleven years, only a few hundred had converted. Well in 1531 a man was walking by Tepeyac
Hill and a woman appeared to him claiming to be the Mother of Christ. She asked him to talk to the Bishop and tell
him she would like a church build on this hill so that the Mexican’s could learn
the love of her Son and feel her protection.
Well when he went to the Bishop, the Bishop didn’t believe him and asked
for a sign. Our Lady told him to gather
roses (in winter) which she rearranged in his tilma (a cloth worn), and as he
let them fall in front of the Bishop, there appeared a beautiful image of a
woman, otherwise known as Our Lady of Guadalupe. This image is in the Basilica in Mexico City
and has been studied by scientists over the years who have no explanation to
many aspects of the image or how it has lasted over 500 years. Within nine
years after the appearance, over 9 million Mexicans had converted to
Christianity. To find out more click <br />
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Anyways, as I was telling a friend this miracle who didn’t
know much about Mary, he just kind of stared at me and asked to see a
picture. As I showed it to him his eyes
got big and he said that half an hour before when we were at a thrift store he
had seen a few statues of the image. At
first it just seemed to be a coincidence.
Well the next day I was telling a FOCUS missionary about the previous
day’s events and she perked up and asked if I had considered Mexico as a place
to do mission work. Mexico was the last
place I thought of, it wasn’t even on my radar.
But she started telling me about another missionary who had a friend, Craig,
who has lived in Mexico the last 8 years as a missionary and had connections to
a home for women and children; an area I have always had an interest in. Just at that moment the other missionary who
knew Craig walked out of his office.
Long story short, I got in contact and from there it was a quick process
to finalizing my move. God even answered
prayers and opened the heart of another college student from MO to go down with
me for a while, who speaks every good Spanish; easing the nerves of my parents
who feared I would be wondering the streets of Mexico alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0Ktwrmuq3BcBrx5mKw8bfuKriA2EqR2eyBy8PwQg6xF7JZPjNZKmjlV20wylyDpNEQVkiQEwisx80GvIruNn16IJYtg0p-Vk5aJ7cFLrSagLZqugaOA_i63UR0BY1N4g8fiP-LjIRv8V/s1600/1052242_10100502117644643_1419197778_o+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0Ktwrmuq3BcBrx5mKw8bfuKriA2EqR2eyBy8PwQg6xF7JZPjNZKmjlV20wylyDpNEQVkiQEwisx80GvIruNn16IJYtg0p-Vk5aJ7cFLrSagLZqugaOA_i63UR0BY1N4g8fiP-LjIRv8V/s1600/1052242_10100502117644643_1419197778_o+(1).jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Whenever I got nervous about leaving, whether in a friend’s
house or in a church, there was about a 95% chance that a few seconds later I
would see an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe reassuring me that this was where
God was calling me. He continues to
impress me as He slowly reveals new plans He has for me while I am here. A few months before I left I heard of all the
FOCUS mission trips that were coming to Mexico that I could help with, causing me
to laugh because God was answering another prayer that I had prayed two years
ago, but didn’t trust would ever be answered.
He is constantly full of surprises.<o:p></o:p><br />
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This past week has reminded me that as long as my heart is
aimed towards Christ, God will make His desires for my life quite clear; and
let’s face it, His plans are way better than our own. We just have to be patient and listen. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dios te ama<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Courtney <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-65757633594972167072014-02-26T08:40:00.001-08:002014-02-26T08:47:48.009-08:00Why the homeless are actually richer <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I had one of those eye opening moments Friday that make someone
stop and contemplate their own life. I
was praying in church after all the students left mass and a few 2<sup>nd</sup>
grade students wondered back in and went up to the homeless man who sits in
front of me to keep out of the cold.
They brought him a piece of cake and told him to have a nice day and
went off to spend their day learning. It
is a beautiful thing to watch kids at such a young age start to learn the value
of giving and loving everyone around them.
While seeing this interaction was moving enough, what happened next
really stopped me in my tracks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdD_vZlme5VcIT9PO2gObGUIluHN1b41Nb3eSAla1yfMojyPdfziB0aFD8xPX8pXwCHrQ9XeMr7TQ6JtL_-TNNxYXA45lo5YIr2A4c-n47GdbiEpuuupUAm3dwOYRT3rtaOy-EqVQ4ukX/s1600/999497_10152979170645144_1344391065_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdD_vZlme5VcIT9PO2gObGUIluHN1b41Nb3eSAla1yfMojyPdfziB0aFD8xPX8pXwCHrQ9XeMr7TQ6JtL_-TNNxYXA45lo5YIr2A4c-n47GdbiEpuuupUAm3dwOYRT3rtaOy-EqVQ4ukX/s1600/999497_10152979170645144_1344391065_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">As soon as the students left, what was the first thing he
did? Turn around and ask me if I wanted to share the piece of cake with
him. It totally caught me off guard, but
was such a generous gesture. Here was a man who has very little, probably isn’t
sure if he is even going to eat the rest of the day and yet he is offering part
of what he has been given to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">How often do I ever do this? Get something and think ‘<i>now who can I go and share this with?´</i> I’ll
give you a hint, it isn’t usually my first thought. This really brought me back to my time in
India and Haiti; the poor were always the first to try to share. They didn’t
cling to things like we do in the US.
They didn’t see possessions as the source of their happiness and instead
they get joy from sharing with others, even the little they have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Pope Francis explained it the best:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><i>“The promise was that when the glass was full, it would
overflow, benefitting the poor. But what happens instead, is that when the
glass is full, it magically gets bigger nothing ever comes out for the poor.</i><span class="apple-converted-space"><i>” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Are you willing to give even
when your glass isn’t full, or does your glass just keep growing?</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-12228889911152107372014-01-28T09:24:00.003-08:002014-01-28T09:55:56.887-08:00Why do we do this at Mass? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mass is a beautiful experience for all those wishing to grow
closer to Christ and share in His life.
For me, mass has become so much more powerful the last few years after
understanding why we do certain things during it as well as learning the
meaning behind all the parts of the mass.
I was astounded to see all the biblical routes of the entire mass while
reading <i>The Lambs Supper</i> by Scott Hahn
and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uL_IAJWvX0">watching him speak on the origins
of the mass </a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For this post however, I thought I would look into more of the
motions at mass, especially the ones I saw at the Newman Center my freshmen
year that were different than I was used to in my home parish. I have gathered
explanations about some of these things such as holding hands, how to receive
the Eucharist, as well as why to pray after mass from a few people who are much
more knowledgeable about the mass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Silence before/
coming early to mass<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Sacred Silence be observed
in our churches prior to the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy to allow the
clergy and the faithful to properly prepare and dispose themselves for the
Sacred Mysteries to which they are about to participate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">>The <i>General Instruction of the Roman Missal </i>reminds us: “Sacred
silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated
times.... Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence is
observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent
areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a
devout and fitting manner.” (GIRM 45) </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Holy Water: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Used when making the sign of the cross to remind us of our own
baptism, the promise we made to Christ, and an outward expression of the new
sinless life you are trying to living because of Him. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Scott Hahn notes,</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “<i>a North
African theologian named Tertullian mentions the custom of symbolically
cleansing one’s hands before lifting them in prayer. It was a Jewish custom that predated the
coming of Our Lord, and it may be what St. Paul was referring to when he wrote
to Timothy: “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting
holy hands” or “pure hands” (1 Tim 2:8)” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tracing the cross on
our foreheads, lips, and hearts before the gospel </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fr. Mateo offered the following
explanation for this ritual:</span> <i>"For
the word which Christ brought and which is set down in this book we are willing
<b>to stand up with a mind that is open; we
are ready to confess it with our mouth; and above all we are determined to
safeguard it faithfully in our hearts."</b></i><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not holding hands
during the Our Father: </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bishop of Covington, Roger Foys:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.courageouspriest.com/bishop-roger-foys-stop-holding-hands">“Special
note</a> should also be made concerning the gesture for the </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Father</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Only the priest is
given the instruction to “extend” his hands. Neither the deacon nor the lay
faithful are instructed to do this. No gesture is prescribed for the lay
faithful in the Roman Missal; nor the </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">General Instruction of the Roman Missal</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">, therefore the
extending or holding of hands by the faithful should not be performed.”</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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It is a theological argument that Pope
Benedict XVI made in his book, <i><a href="http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2007/08/holding-hands-during-our-father.html">Spirit
of the Liturgy</a></i>. The point of holding hands is a sign of community and
communion. Since this is the case, it is a misplaced sign, because we aren't
truly in communion until we have exchanged the sign of peace. this is why
Communion happens after the Sign of Peace, because it is the sign of communion <i>par
excellence</i>.<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Receiving the
Eucharist on the tongue:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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When I was younger and preparing for first communion, they
told us that we received on our tongue because it was like rolling out a red
carpet for God because He is a king.
While it is acceptable to receive on the tongue or with the hands
according to the church, receiving on the tongue reminds me that I am unworthy to
even touch Jesus, but yet he still chooses to come to me. On <span class="st">Marc Barnes blog, </span><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/2012/09/why-i-receive-communion-on-the-tongue.html">BadCatholic,</a><span class="st"> he does a good job explaining his reason behind his choice
for communion, </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="st"><br /></span></div>
<i>“Now when I unworthily receive the body of Christ, I should do so
with the profound understanding that it is not by my power that
I receive Him, but by the authority of God made manifest in his
Church. It is by the power of Christ granted to the priest. The Eucharist is
the gift of God to us, Love Himself made vulnerable to our ingestion. It is not
a thing we can take or claim — it is a person we receive. Receiving
on the tongue expresses this truth in the body.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As a baby bird lifts its head for food, or as an infant seeks its mother’s
milk, so we open our mouths. There is no action between the administration of
the Eucharist by the priest and my reception of the very same. In this posture
of helpless receptivity we conform our bodies to the authority of God, and to
the reality that we are dependent on his action — manifested in the Church —
for our salvation. We recognize by our bodies that the Eucharist is gift, pure
gift."</i><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>After Communion/ Praying After Mass <o:p></o:p></b><br />
So many people go up
for Holy Communion simply to go through the motions and think nothing of it,
and yet, St. Pius X said that <i>“if the Angels could envy, they would envy us for
Holy Communion</i>.” And St. Madeleine Sophie Barat defined Holy Communion as “<i>Paradise
on earth</i>.” <a href="http://www.fatima.org/joel/jo-pg037.asp">(more saints quotes on the
beauty of Holy Communion)</a><br />
<br />
St. Alphonsus
Liguori once<a href="http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/prayers-after-communion.html"> wrote</a> that “<i>there is no prayer
more dear to God than that which is made after communion.</i>” He continued that
our loving thoughts and prayers after communion mean more then than otherwise
<i>“because they are then animated by the presence of Jesus Christ, who is united
to our souls.”</i> <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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alt="http://www.fatima.org/joel/images/spacer.gif" style='width:.75pt;
height:.75pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\SISTUD~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="spacer"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://www.fatima.org/joel/images/spacer.gif" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/Users/SISTUD~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.png" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3" width="1" /><!--[endif]-->“You envy,” said St. John
Chrysostom, “the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus,
of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, of the women of Galilee
who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and
disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who
listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips.
You call happy those who saw Him ... But, come to the altar and you will see
Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him
with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Jesus once complained to St. Faustina, the Polish nun to whom He first gave us the Divine Mercy Chaplet, of people who "<i style="font-weight: bold;">treat Me like a dead object" </i>after receiving Him in Communion.<br />
<br />
The Catechism teaches Christ remains physically present in us, in the Eucharist for 15-20 minutes, until the accidents (observable qualities such as taste, appearance, smell, ect) of bread and wine subsist. The same time it takes the digestive juices in the stomach to work on the Host before it is no longer recognizable as bread.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This being said, think of the amazing grace that comes from spending extra time in prayer after mass has ended instead of rushing out of the building. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<i>“While God is everywhere, and we can pray to Him at any time
or place, what better time is there to give Jesus our love, thanksgiving, and
concerns than during our special time with Him after receiving Him in the Eucharist?”<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"Another point to be emphasized is the importance of staying during the entire Mass. There are many plastic images to illustrate this, but most can grasp that if their boss, or the local mayor, summons them to a meeting, they would not dare leave before their host has formally brought it to a close. If we behave thus before mere human authority and relationships, then how much more should it be true when our host is the Father who created us, the Son who died and rose for us, and the Spirit who gives us life?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
When you rush in and out of Mass as if the world can't wait another ten minutes, you are showing God you have other priorities more important than Him.<br />
<br />
One Priest once made the comment, <i>"Please remember when you receive, that the Mass is not ended yet. Give thanks to God for His gift of the Eucharist. <b>Let us not imitate Judas. He was the only one who left the Last Supper early, and you know what happened to him, don't you?"</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
So next time you are at mass, really think about all the things you are doing, and don't be like Judas, stick around to spend some intimate time in prayer with Christ. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-33836850595773526532013-11-24T16:56:00.000-08:002014-09-17T20:33:49.602-07:00Why 22 will be better than 21<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<o:p> </o:p>I have been trying to ignore the fact that I was turning 22,
freaking out because it seems so old. Up until tonight the question <i>‘so what are you going to accomplish while
you are 22?’ </i>stumped me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, during adoration it was as if a rock was thrown at
my head. <b> God is about to rock my world</b>. I get to spend the next few months finishing school
surrounded some of the most amazing friends. Then I graduate. <b>Like wait
what???</b> This is absolutely amazing. These past four years have changed me
in ways that I wouldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams. My mind has been
opened to a world outside of myself and soon, <b>God is about to reveal to me a
future I could have never imagined</b>. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mean I have no idea what life is about to bring me or where
I will be in seven months, <i>but that’s
okay</i>. Where ever it is, I can’t wait to get there! God is about to call me to my next vacation,
He will open so many opportunities for me to go out and do something that I
love. Something that I am so passionate
about that I am going to wake up every day leaping out of bed with a smile. <b> I mean who wouldn’t want that</b>? I am going to be able to go out and share my
joy and desires with others, hopefully changing their lives. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is about to be the greatest year of my life. And every
year after will also be the greatest year of my life. HOW COULD IT NOT BE??? I will be living my life
for God, surrounded by people I love, doing something that I love. In Taylor Swift’s words…<b><i> 'I’m feeling twenty
two'</i></b></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-56807177879235283652013-11-24T16:10:00.000-08:002014-09-18T15:40:57.272-07:00Catholic Guilt <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Those who trust in Him shall understand truth, and the
faithful shall abide with Him in LOVE because grace and mercy are with His holy
ones and His care is with His elect.’ – Wisdom 3:9</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why do I feel guilty about sleeping in and missing mass
after making a promise to myself I would go as often as possible? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Because I
know that going to mass would have brought me closer to God, creating a more
joyful, peaceful, and thankful day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What most people assume 'Catholic guilt' is, is a feeling of God being mad at me and trying
to make me feel bad. This <i>feeling </i>is actually from growing closer to God and Him revealing to my heart
the knowledge of the better choice. He has shown me the beauty of the grace and
love and mercy that I receive during mass and He tries to allow me this
opportunity every day; all I have to do is say ‘yes’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is in my heart isn't guilt, it is inner grace that God
has given me to lead me down the path that He knows is perfect for me, even if
I can’t always see it myself. During
this life, I have fallen into sin and my mind has been tainted by the
world. I have been taught certain things
will bring me pleasure and to follow those worldly pleasures. But I am like a rat in a maze, I do not always
know the best way to take; sometimes I want to follow the trail of poisonous
cheese someone left. Alone I would fail, but I am not alone; God can see the
best way out, He knows that best way to get me to the end goal safely. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to be thankful God has given us a conscious because
it allows us to find the everlasting joy that we long for in the depths of our
hearts. It may be hard to always make the right choice because the rest of the
world says it’s wrong, but sooner or later we will understand the good that comes
from right decision. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
God isn't upset with
you when you make the wrong choice, He just patiently longs for you to know Him
and waits for you to direct your path back to Him so he can forgive your sins
and bring you back on the road towards His everlasting love. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-33942816411205572672013-11-11T05:09:00.001-08:002013-11-11T05:16:09.151-08:00Embracing Silence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Augustine once said, “<i>You made us for yourself oh Lord; and our own hearts are restless until
they rest in you.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Similarly, French philosopher Blaise Pascal believed, “<i>the worst torture for modern man is to be
quiet and alone in a room.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What this means: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Our hearts are created to be united with God; that
is the whole reason He breathed life into us in the first place. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>When we sit in silence, we reflect on our lives
and feel that longing within our hearts.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>When we are separated from God by mortal sin we
hate the silence because it reminds us that no matter how much stuff we buy or
how many friends we have, there is still a feeling of loneliness. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Silence also allows us to realize what misguided
parts of our life we need to change, but often find it impossible to do so. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have two choices: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
5a. Fill the silence up with the constant
noise of people, music, books, TV, electronics, etc. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
5b. Embrace the silence, start
speaking with God; listening to your own heart as it tries to lead you down a
new path towards eternal happiness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
6a. If you take the first path,
you will never feel complete and will constantly try to fill yourself with the
next best thing; seeking to fit a square peg into the circular sized hole in
your heart that longs for its Creator. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9REVPeQqrxCy2J1ZtZcaIcDHU2SJKtiIlZZBR53aNDAevxNWjxL-XFEPGuPKnjDxxPkQfVmlo-bzPceoUDchfQz58kauIOjNiZi9jpCMvTpF45NinRkxnz7XBREks_5OUgNU3OTk0MfM/s1600/mother-teresa-quotes-6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9REVPeQqrxCy2J1ZtZcaIcDHU2SJKtiIlZZBR53aNDAevxNWjxL-XFEPGuPKnjDxxPkQfVmlo-bzPceoUDchfQz58kauIOjNiZi9jpCMvTpF45NinRkxnz7XBREks_5OUgNU3OTk0MfM/s200/mother-teresa-quotes-6.png" width="200" /></a>6b. If you take the second path,
you may experience some hard realizations, some bumpy times and big changes,
but after these alterations in your life, you will be able to embrace the
silence (you will seek the silence). At last, your heart will be at rest,
embracing and returning God’s love. You
will finally experience peace, knowing that no matter where life leads you or
what it brings you, God will be there next to you, guiding you through the
storm, which is what truly matters. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-54275293945745572142013-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:002013-10-23T10:55:37.998-07:00Lessons from an AA meeting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meetings was such a beautiful
experience; they are so raw and honest;
so inviting and non-judgmental. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I learned:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They are blessed to have gone through this
experience because they no longer live with an ‘I can do anything’ attitude,
like so many people do.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know the truth about human weakness.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know that to reach a goal it takes the
support of those around them as well as the will power to keep trying even when
they mess up. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know we can do nothing on our own. Their everyday is focused on giving up
control of their lives because they know God is the only one who can make it
better. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They accept everyone, regardless of their past.</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know that the things they buy for their family aren't nearly as important as the time they spend with them. Their children would rather have daddy home to play with than have daddy bring them a toy after working all day. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know the importance of taking things one
day at a time. Making the right choices today
will lead to a better tomorrow. There is
no need to worry about the future. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know that we don’t control the world around
us; things don’t always go according to our plan and we must accept that. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know that problems don’t discriminate
between class or race.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know not to judge someone based on their
past; people can change.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They know that Praying to God is the only way to
through the day; with Him, all things are possible.</span></li>
</ol>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDdL2nSs_Xly7g3LysLNKMBfd9Ji-M-G96gQqAPAU8QzQu-AB5_eT6Cl-5siJjurh8d4hL7AWLW3CP1GJ57eD9K2QFhDPdm8eaBMfKB-PceNraKZ653ITMSBwxUETETusVdFhvW12y5GP/s1600/6a00d83454e67969e200e5538eb6e28834-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDdL2nSs_Xly7g3LysLNKMBfd9Ji-M-G96gQqAPAU8QzQu-AB5_eT6Cl-5siJjurh8d4hL7AWLW3CP1GJ57eD9K2QFhDPdm8eaBMfKB-PceNraKZ653ITMSBwxUETETusVdFhvW12y5GP/s1600/6a00d83454e67969e200e5538eb6e28834-800wi.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
>>>They are truly lucky because they know<br />
the truth for <span style="font-size: large;"> '<i>when I am weak, then I am strong’</i></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i><i>– 2 Cor
12:10 </i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-55442522803673714762013-10-22T12:32:00.002-07:002013-10-22T13:08:30.784-07:00What is Islam?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
My diversity class this semester has really forced me out of my comfort zone and caused me to critically think about my life and the way I view other cultures. This class, as well as going to India has really allowed me to see the value behind every culture and religion so I made it my goal to learn more about the other cultures this semester.<br />
<br />
I had my first opportunity a few weeks ago at the Saudi Arabia event going on in the Union. I will admit, my first reason for going was to try some of the food, but it led to a long conversation about food, culture, values, and dress. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjA04NV2ZuLkcwmDTLM40HumWjfJh1RuowGp2fRG9JPd62NjTa2_u0D6ioiNS02vigi4X20sVuCDzHewMZlAPEZGmwOYnHMourmk-bGCaYQmxX4CALVeIeng6wCFI4MnydzSmPGb9byco/s1600/IMG-20131001-WA0042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjA04NV2ZuLkcwmDTLM40HumWjfJh1RuowGp2fRG9JPd62NjTa2_u0D6ioiNS02vigi4X20sVuCDzHewMZlAPEZGmwOYnHMourmk-bGCaYQmxX4CALVeIeng6wCFI4MnydzSmPGb9byco/s320/IMG-20131001-WA0042.jpg" width="236" /></a>Speaking with some of the girls there, they explained why they wear abayas which cover their whole bodies and even sometimes their face. I always made the (wrong) assumption that it was because Islamic men viewed women as their property, not wanting anyone else to look at her, as well as because they wanted to be dominant and silence her voice by not letting her show her personality. What I found was the complete opposite. These girls loved wearing abayas and being covered from head to toe. <br />
<br />
They said it let them express their personalities even more because when people speak with them, they get to know them for who they are without assuming things based on their figure. they also really enjoy the fact that men do not simply looking at them because of their bodies, they know that people truly like their personality. How many of us can say that those around us like us 100% for our personality and not because of the way we look and the way we dress. <br />
<br />
Now I am not saying we all need to change the way we dress, I do see truth in the fact that God created us in beauty and that we shouldn't hide it, but what it has taught me is that we need to step away from our assumptions and get to know the truth behind other cultures. I also see great value in dressing modestly and not flaunting your body so that those around you like you for you and not because they like to look at you.<br />
<br />
Another interesting thing I learned was who they believe Jesus is. Fascinatingly enough, they believe that the Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus and that Jesus preached the truth about God. They do then go off track and say that he is simply a great profit and not the Son of God, but still, I didn't realize the similarities. At the bottom of a pamphlet I was given, it describes their religious views and I must say, they have a strikingly similar outlook on life.<br />
<br />
...."Surrender your imperfect and fickle will to the perfect will of the Power that is greater than you. you will then find the peace and freedom that only the Creator of all things can provide. Then you must do what is right and good to your fellow creatures"....</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
To anyone who actually reads this post; I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and go somewhere that you are the minority. Go in with an open mind and you will be so amazed at what you may learn. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-54328002646302833332013-10-08T22:27:00.000-07:002013-10-08T22:27:31.336-07:00God Cancels Class <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today’s gospel is one that is brought up often and we always
hear the same sermon over and over again.
Be like Mary, sit and listen to Jesus instead of being like Martha
always constantly running around trying to do everything perfectly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke 10: 38-40 </div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 3.7pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 450px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 29.75pt;" valign="top" width="40">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">38</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 296.65pt;" valign="top" width="396">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now as they went on their way, he
entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 29.75pt;" valign="top" width="40">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">39</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 296.65pt;" valign="top" width="396">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And she had a sister called Mary,
who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 29.75pt;" valign="top" width="40">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">40</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 296.65pt;" valign="top" width="396">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But Martha was distracted with
much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that
my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No matter how many times I reflect on this reading, it
always hits home and reminds me I need to straighten out my priorities. The last month I have been trying to tame the
Martha in me and be more of a Mary. I
used to try to do every possible church activity thrown at me from two bible
studies to Theology on tap to lots of classes and meetings, and it was really
weighing me down. I couldn’t handle it
all and it wasn’t making me feel like I actually knew God and it really
confused me why not. I was being a Martha; doing everything I thought would
please Jesus, but I ended up ignoring Him.
Sure I gained lots of knowledge and know way more about my faith now,
but through being so caught up on these things, I lost my relationship with Jesus.
I pridefully thought I could become holier by taking charge and learning every
possible thing there is to know about the faith. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I really needed though to be happy and calm myself down
was to put my relationship with Jesus first before everything else. Don’t get
me wrong, bible study and classes are great, but if your top priorities aren’t
mass and alone time praying to Jesus during a holy hour (or holy 10 minutes) to
build your relationship with Him, then you will never feel fulfilled. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is it really possible to get to know someone from only
listening to others tell stories about them or discuss some of their teachings?
No. We may know a lot about them, but we
don’t know them personally. Same with
Jesus. Until you take time to talk to
Him daily, you won’t know Him or all the wonderful things he wants to give
you. When you care about someone you
make time to talk to them every day. Do
you make sure to talk to Jesus every day? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you make time for God, He makes time work for you. These last crazy few days it would have been
really easy to come up with a good excuse to pass up going to mass or holy hour
so that I could gain some needed time for homework. By the grace of God I stuck to my plans for
holy hour, even when a rush of thoughts telling me I could never get everything
done attacked. Did I get as much done as I hoped to that day, no? But I did
walk out of mass with a sense of peace and awareness that God would help me get
done what needed to be done. Amazingly
enough, I got exactly what I needed done the next day and then God even felt
like being more generous and canceled my three hour class in the afternoon. He is
always sending me little ‘<i>don’t forget I
love you’ </i>messages. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I am not guaranteeing that by doing a holy hour God will
cancel your class, but by spending time silently with Jesus, building that
relationship, you will receive the peace and calmness you desire because you
place all your trust in God. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke 10: 41-42</div>
<br />
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<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 300.0pt;" valign="top" width="400">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled
about many things;</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 300.0pt;" valign="top" width="400">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">one
thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken
away from her.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-29863534938372247852013-10-03T13:43:00.002-07:002013-10-03T13:43:38.881-07:00Prayer to fulfilling the will of God<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Prayer to fulfilling the will of God<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Lord, if it be your will, so let it be, and if it be to Your
honor, let it be fulfilled in Your name. Lord, if this be for my good, give me
the grace to use it for your honor, but if you know that it will be harmful to
me and not profitable for the good of my soul, then take away from me such a
desire.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘O most merciful Jesus, grant me Your grace, that it may
remain with me always and persevere with me to the end. Grant me always to will and desire what is
most pleasing and acceptable to you. Let
Your will be mine and let my will always follow Yours in perfect conformity
with it. Let my will and desires always
be one with Yours’ and let me be unable to will or not to will except as You
will or do not will.'<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
'Grant that I may die to all worldly things and that I may be
despised and unknown for love of you.
Grant, above all things to be desired, that I may find rest in you, and
that in Your heart alone may be my peace.
You, O lord give true peace to the heart and perfect rest to the body
and soul. Apart from You, all is
difficult and never still. In that
peace, in You who are the one, supreme and eternal God, I will sleep and take
my rest (Psalm 4:9)’ Amen <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-63108840180590963142013-09-25T17:36:00.004-07:002013-09-25T17:36:30.690-07:00So Help Me God<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have always looked at the phrase ‘<i>so help me God’ </i>as something to be used to make a point, more of a
threat. But is it? We say it after
sweating to tell the truth or make an oath.
I considered it to mean that if I was lying, I would be struck down by
the person I was lying to and would need God’s mercy to save me. Or that God would be the one who would strike
me down for lying and again I would have to beg for His help to avoid the
punishment that would come upon me from lying. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s take a moment to look at this from a different tone of
voice, from the voice of a humble and just person. ‘<i>So
help me God.’ </i>No longer is this a phrase taken in defense of your honor,
but it is admittance of the truth. If I
am taking an oath to ‘tell the truth and nothing but the truth’ I truly do need
help from God. Because if we are honest, we never fully know the truth of any
situation. We know the truth from our
own experiences, but psychologists have proven over and over that the human
brain has flaws and often misses many of the things that go on in any
situation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This becomes a humbling moment to us as we let down the facade
of thinking we know everything and admit that we need God’s help in discovering
the truth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘<i>So help me God’ </i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What about those moments when you know the truth, but are too
afraid to say it in fear of hurting someone or fearful of what people may think
of you? ‘<i>So help me God’ </i>is also
calling up to God asking Him to send down His grace so that we may not be scared
of the response that may come from speaking the truth. If we don’t have God reminding us that speaking
the truth is the correct decision to make and that with it comes joining Him in
His everlasting kingdom, we would never be able to face the harsh judgments of
this world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“So help me God though
out my day. Help me to recognize and speak the truth. Help me to live out truth in my life and to
not be afraid of the earthly responses I may receive because I know of the joys
in Heaven that await me. Amen” <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-28188588691974712142013-09-11T05:58:00.001-07:002013-09-11T05:58:38.206-07:00Time Should be Used, Not Use You <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Senior year has been freaking me out; actually my best friend Dana
is more why I have been freaking out. Up until a few days ago, I was on
the relaxing bandwagon of just seeing where senior year takes me and hoping
that God would drop something in my lap before I graduate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Last week she called and was freaking out about what she was going
to do after graduation and all these adult decisions she was going to have to
make and it hit me: I am graduating this year and being thrown into the adult
world. (I would tell you the number of months left till I graduate, but I can't
really bring myself to count them.) With only ___ months left till graduation I
have a lot of lasts I am going to start experiencing; last formal, last
initiation, last Husker football game. Part of me wants to say yes I can't wait
till initiation, it is going to be such a great time, but then I stop myself
and think<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>yes, I can wait,</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>because I realize that when it is time
for initiation that means there is only ___ - 1 months left until graduation.
All this counting down freaks me out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3x5t7KsInogw5n3mEw7kqkFsuOPSbadPUH_spIKB4BfsEtW8UKF4fj0l4SHF4gpjhOtsT7aiKu0Nt18PHatuFbKNDf6vQBh6ekhE7iGsdLHkK7e-8nWD-7tcHHpiuWjbK0BA39sN2pPdP/s1600/calvin+and+hobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3x5t7KsInogw5n3mEw7kqkFsuOPSbadPUH_spIKB4BfsEtW8UKF4fj0l4SHF4gpjhOtsT7aiKu0Nt18PHatuFbKNDf6vQBh6ekhE7iGsdLHkK7e-8nWD-7tcHHpiuWjbK0BA39sN2pPdP/s1600/calvin+and+hobs.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It's not that I am scared to graduate; I can't wait to see the
life and experiences God has planned out for me, but I want to make sure that I
enjoy all the time I have left in school because I know it will be gone
momentarily. In my diversity class today we got on the topic of how
different cultures value time; in America if something is planned from 7-9, we
show up at 7 and we leave at 9. The time that we have planned to be somewhere
is the only time we give to that event and the people there; as soon as we
reach the end of our allocated time, we get up and leave. Other cultures
however, don't focus on time, they are more concerned about the company they
are with and the quality conversations they are having with someone. They don't
get upset when someone is late, they just figure it is because they were
helping out a friend. The last thought on their mind when listening to someone
explain their hard day would be the fact that they need to leave in two minutes
to make it to another meeting. I am the worst at this, my schedule is nonstop
from 7am to 11pm and some days I think my head is going to explode. What I lack
in my life is a little buffer time. Time that I can use to sit down and talk
with someone who is having a bad day, time that I can use to catch up with an
old friend as I am walking back from class.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"time
should be used, not use you."</b> My time should be more focused on
those that I love, not my TO DO list. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We have all hear the story in the Bible of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Good Samaritan,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>who stopped to help the injured
man even when the priest and Levite passed over him. I was recently
listening to a podcast of Freakanomics where they did a modern day test of this
story to see why some people pass over those in need and others help.
What they found was that when testing to see if seminarians would stop to
help someone, it didn't matter if they had just heard the story of the good
Samaritan, what mattered was how much time they had. They would always
stop and help, unless they were in a hurry, then they would pass right over the
man, probably not even noticing him. Who do you and I pass over that
needs our help or even just a simple hello because we are in a hurry or staring
at our phones? If I had a few less 'make myself feel good' meetings planning in
a day, I could spend time building up those around me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This whole using my time wisely and to glorify God also struck a chord
as I was listening to Matthew Kelly talk when he made the comment, "<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>When we say yes to the stuff that
isn't for us, we miss out on the stuff that is just for us" </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">God has a perfect plan for our lives; there are certain places we
are supposed to be to meet certain people so that certain lives can be changed.
However, we all to often decide that we have a much better day planned
out for us than God does and we take control. To be fulfilled we try to
fill our days with an unreachable<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>To
do</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>list. Everyone can
attest that a full day does not mean your day was fulfilling, often it just leaves
you stressed and dreading the next day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">My goal for this semester is to let God into my T<i>o do</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>list. Before I commit I need to
ask His advice. Is this<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>just
for me,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>is this organization
or meeting necessary and will it make me a better person, or will it cause me
to pass over the opportunities God has placed in my life to fulfill me make me
truly happy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-27475960029781365422013-08-19T11:12:00.001-07:002013-08-19T11:12:32.143-07:00Photos Tell a Thousand Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Words don't always seem to be able to do justice to stories and memories; Hopefully this video will help provide a visual to everything that I can't explain with words about the mission trip to India. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/6p4_KWgjFC8/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/6p4_KWgjFC8&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/6p4_KWgjFC8&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4_KWgjFC8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4_KWgjFC8</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"If you want your future to be different from your past, change your habits</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">." Matthew Kelly</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-76663627101963091802013-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:002013-08-19T11:17:27.374-07:00Kolkata India Journal <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
Thank you again to everyone who supported me on my mission trip to Kolkata, it was truly an amazing experience and my hope was to be able to share the trip with you in a more personal way. I kept a daily journal of all the things that we did, as well as my thoughts and feelings about some of the interactions I had an the relationships I built. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
</div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
It is slightly long, so what may be the easiest is to go down to the bottom of the document below and click the full screen button and it will expand it to make it a readable size or you can down load and it will open it up in a more readable view and allow you to print it and not have to stare at a screen. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
</div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
I hope that you are able to take the time to read and learn more about what Kolkata was like. I do apologize for any misspellings or grammar errors. Most of these journals were written very early in the morning, or late at night when my brain was a little worn out. </div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
</div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
God Bless, </div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
Courtney </div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
</div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
</div>
<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/159362481/India-Journal-2013" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View India Journal 2013 on Scribd">India Journal 2013</a></div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_88102" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/159362481/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-87172794148150639602013-07-27T11:20:00.002-07:002013-07-27T11:20:31.477-07:00Peace of Mind <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Friday night I was home, and
I was okay with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat there
feeling as though I should be upset or unhappy that everyone else was probably
having a blast, but I wasn’t upset at all. I was more thankful I didn’t have to
turn anyone down to go out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This made me
think back to a few years ago and how I had a totally different perspective
back then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If it was 7pm on a Friday
night a few years ago and I didn’t have plans <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have been devastated, wondering why I
didn’t have any friends and thinking about what a loser I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t matter whether or not I actually
wanted to go out. There were some nights I wanted to do nothing but sit at home
and watch a movie, but I was always worried about missing out and all my
friends having so much fun without me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is where that feeling of
Earthly peace would come in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so
overwhelmed with feeling like a dork because that’s what the world told me I
would be if I stayed home one night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
feelings were all based on what other people would think and how I would be
viewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt a sense of peace as soon
as that first text would come in with plans for the evening and I would rush to
say yes, even if I wanted to do nothing but stay at home or if I didn’t really
like what I was about to go do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
all about making sure I wasn’t missing out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Half the time I wouldn’t even have that much fun and just be counting
down until it was acceptable for me to head home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t feel true peace, what I felt was this
“peaceful” sense of living up to the standards of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night at around 7pm I
was thinking to myself, “Hmm, I’m 21 I should be wanting to go down town, but I
don’t, I would rather be at home spending time with my parents.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only have three weeks left of summer, so
why would it be a bad thing to spend time with the people that I love the
most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no anxiety of worrying about
how people would view me. I think this has come with knowing my priorities and learning
how much I am loved by God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before knowing this love I was always trying
to fill a feeling of emptiness with the acceptance of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is so much simpler and peaceful knowing
that I don’t have to live up to the standards of the world, because lets be
honest, most of them aren’t good standards anyways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-17943380404069705102013-07-21T17:47:00.000-07:002013-07-27T08:40:53.917-07:00India- The Poor in Spirit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I get so easily distracted and know what it means to lack
the gift of being <i>poor in spirit</i>. I
think that if someone were to say ‘give up your life for Jesus’ I would say yes
instantly, but yet on a daily basis I fail at this. Every time I feel the urge to pray, but don’t
because of my phone or the TV or something similar, I am </div>
showing God what I
think is truly important. Having spiritual poverty (being poor in spirit) means
I am willing to drop everything for Jesus, nothing would tie me down or make me
say ‘hold on Jesus, be with you in a minute.’
This may be why the material poor are closer to Jesus’ heart, because
they don’t have material things that they have made into their own gods and put
them before Christ. They run to embrace
the fullness of the Lord when He calls because they can see how much greater He
is than anything here on earth, while I often have to respond to a text or finish
a quick task before I turn my full attention to God. While in Goa, we saw the
people give way more honor and thanksgiving to God in one day than many
Americans give in their whole lives.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGGHW_tNcSwthlfVu7Pu9WXbUI1NSCHSHvmTML6FbzlAyTEv27jNCAFSjmwirvx8KeWl0x_xeiO5bDUNhhFS7ygAQK_c28bH6-pj14IvGWzASmsGXVsNHhNZZ89n9ZxP-SDjpV8Nv9yow/s1600/india+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGGHW_tNcSwthlfVu7Pu9WXbUI1NSCHSHvmTML6FbzlAyTEv27jNCAFSjmwirvx8KeWl0x_xeiO5bDUNhhFS7ygAQK_c28bH6-pj14IvGWzASmsGXVsNHhNZZ89n9ZxP-SDjpV8Nv9yow/s1600/india+cross.jpg" width="240" /></a>I think a lot of this comes from all of the things we have
and the technology that makes us so self efficient that we don’t think we have
to rely on God daily and do things like pray for freshwater because it’s right
in our homes, we don’t have to pray for good weather because we can predict it
days ahead of times, and we know we will always have more than enough for our
next meal. We have turned from thanking
God to thanking ourselves because we think everything is in our control with
the touch of a button. In India, many
didn’t know if they would eat their next meal or have clean water, and when
they did, they gave great thanks to God for providing it for them. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be glad for
all the technology; it is a wonderful thing (when used in the right way). What I am saying is that we still need to
thank <i>The One</i> who gave us the brains
to invent such technology and for the ability to have food on our table because
of the jobs that we have due to the skills we were given . God doesn’t want us to have nothing, but he
is God, the Creator, the Father, we should depend fully on Him, giving Him the
honor and the thanksgiving He deserves for all that He has given us. </div>
<br />
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>‘Nothing
is appreciated more than appreciation’ <o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-44508673413374185642013-06-10T04:06:00.002-07:002013-07-27T08:19:12.405-07:00No Such thing as Leprosy -India <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(currently in a cyber cafe in India, which is a tiny room that you come in off the street and it costs 15 Rupees (30 cents for an hour), so I'd say a good deal.) <br />
<br />
"There are no lepers, only leprosy and its curable." <br />
<br />
A few days ago we went to the leprosy shelter that Mother Teresa built while in India and it was amazing to see the work that she did and what she has built for these people with this disease. Most people with leprosy get abandoned by their family and are looked at as if they are not even human. I can't even imagine being dumped on the side of the road by those who love you the most, your husbands, brothers, children; because you have a disease that everyone is scared of, even though it is curable. Those stranded are left to die a long slow lonely death. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536541_10152651441780144_1280268536_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="spotlight" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536541_10152651441780144_1280268536_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>It took a woman like Mother Teresa to set up and give these people their basic human dignity and spread the word that it is wrong to treat others this way. She took them in off of the streets to show them that people deserve respect and love. It is amazing to see what this place has grown into since she first opened it. <br />
<br />
When we first got there we walked past some of the patients and it hurt to look at them; seeing the missing arms and legs and many were missing eyesight because of the leprosy slowly eating away at their body. Stranger than seeing this however, was the fact that they would all smile as you went by and bow and tell you hello in Bengali. They all seemed so happy and it was hard to imagine being in that state and yet being filled with joy. It's amazing what simply giving someone their dignity back to them and treating them with love will do. <br />
<br />
As we continued to walk we went to a different area and saw the jobs that they supplied for the patients while they were getting treated and even for some who have recovered and just are so thankful for the place that they continue to work there and help out. One of the jobs that they have for them is to make all of the bedding and clothing for the patients in their other homes as well as make the white and blue saris that all of the sisters wear. One of the girls pointed out something that really made me stop to think; that these people are the ones left to die by society, they aren't even looked at as humans, and yet they are clothing the women who go out on the streets every day and care for all the sick and dying. It is amazing to think that they are gaining back their human dignity and by clothing the sisters, they are also feeding the hungry and caring for the wounded. They are doing more good for the world than many of us are capable of doing in our lifetime. <br />
<br />
We also got to see the school that was there for the children of the patients and they sung us a bunch of songs in English and Bengali, it was adorable. These are children that probably wouldn't have gotten an education if their parents hadn't gotten leprosy and been brought here. They would definitely not be learning English, which is a necessity if you don't want to live in poverty for the rest of your life. <br />
<br />
God doesn't create suffering, He allows it to happen. He is like any father, He hates to see his children suffer. While he doesn't take away all of the anger and pain in the world, he does make it so good can come from it. These people were abandoned by society, but through God's love they have been taken in and given human dignity and now have incredible hope for their children's futures. This is true for all of our lives; if we turn to God, even the hardest parts of our lives can be used for good.<br />
<br />
--(This trip has been amazing so far and I have so much more to share! P.S. my spelling doesn't get any better in any country, so sorry if there were errors)<br />
<br />
<br />
"You will only be scared of the future if you are not using the present correctly" -Mother Teresa <br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0India20.593684 78.962880000000041-8.5815185000000014 37.654286000000042 49.7688865 120.27147400000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-89901607313165157092013-05-27T00:13:00.000-07:002013-07-27T08:42:40.001-07:00Leaving for India <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So tomorrow I star a new adventure as I fly to India for a FOCUS mission trip. Ever since I went to Haiti last year, all I can think about is how desperately bad some people need our help. <br />
<br />
Of course, this <i>help </i> that they need isn't what most people would expect. While they do need food and clothing, what they need more is to feel as if they are a true human-being, treated with respect and shown that someone loves them. <br />
<br />
Why is it then that when we see someone on the side of the road we automatically feel bad for them because they lack material possessions, cute clothing and food? Is this perhaps because this is what society has taught us will make us happy? We want to give these things to others because we expect that the lack of these things is what is hurting this person. Take a moment. Think of your friend who has the most material possessions and then ask yourself if this person is truly happy. I am going to guess that the answer is probably no. <br />
<a href="http://www.rugusavay.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mother-Teresa-Quotes-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://www.rugusavay.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mother-Teresa-Quotes-5.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I have had plenty of friends whose parents work all day every day just so that they can buy them nice things, but at the end of the day they end up just wishing their parents had spent more time with them at home. <br />
<br />
What is life without love? To most it would be meaningless. We need to give meaning to other people's lives and it is so easy to do this. A simple smile would do the trick and it is amazing that simply <i>asking someone how their day is</i> can make a difference. <br />
<br />
Next time you are walking past someone poorer than you sitting on the corner, before you look at your phone and hurry by, take a second to look over and just smile; acknowledge that they are a human too. In God's eyes, you are no greater than they are. <br />
<br />
Actually, I would say that 1/2 of the people you walk by on a normal day are feeling unloved, but you can change that. Someone doesn't have to be homeless to feel like their life doesn't matter. With our society today so wrapped up in ourselves, it is easy to forget that there are actual people standing all around us waiting for someone to simply smile at them and show that they care.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-31813252528168982332013-05-26T23:47:00.003-07:002013-07-27T08:41:59.794-07:00Peace is not a Feeling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A while ago God
allowed the devil to place a dark
spot on my heart because of my pride . On the outside, things
were fine, but on the inside my brain was going crazy. I was so concerned with why I wasn’t good
enough, what was I lacking, jealousy, thinking of why others weren’t better
than me; that I lost my inner peace. It
took hitting this low point to realize that I have been searching for this
peace in the wrong places. I realized
how much I care about awards and honors and being able to prove to others that
I am a good person. I had been expecting
something for a really long time, something that I felt I deserved and would
show to the world how ‘great’ of a person I was. When I didn’t get it, I was really taken
aback. I couldn’t understand what I was
missing. The devil has been following me
everywhere with these thoughts of confusion and jealousy and really caused a
lot of doubt in me about who I was. It
took going on a retreat I didn’t think I needed to open my eyes. </div>
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<br /></div>
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A seminarian
spoke to us about peace. He said that
peace is not a feeling. Which is a slight
twist on things because you so often hear people say, ‘I feel peaceful.’ This is how I was searching for peace. I was searching for the feeling that I
thought I would get from being perect.
From having great friends, a great life and great honors. The problem was that I had gotten plenty of
honors in the past, but where did it lead me? Not to peace, it leads me to just
search for that next honor or that next accomplishment so that I could feel<i> peace </i>by knowing that I was succeeding
at being this ‘great’ person. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
Long story short,
what he said was that peace is not a feeling, peace is a person. Peace is knowing so deep down in your soul
who you are, a child willed into existence by God to be loved by him and to
join him on the path of showing the world love.
What does peace by this true definition mean? It means that even when
the worst possible thing in your life goes wrong (or littlest). That it’s not
about you. It’s about Jesus. Peace allows us to know Jesus so intimately
that we fully rest in him knowing that no matter what the situation is, God
will will good to come through it and by enduring these trials, we are
understanding how little this life means and accepting the truth that we will
live forever in eternity with God, (hopefully). </div>
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<br /></div>
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This is the peace
that I want. Not the feeling of peace
that is never achieved because I am always needing more, but peace from knowing
confidently that by fully giving my life to God and those around me through
sacrificing and suffering and love, that I might have true peace in knowing
that I will spend eternity in Heaven with God.
If I knew the true meaning of peace I would not have been crushed by not
getting acknowledgment for all that I have done. I would have found peace because I knew that
all my actions were done for love of God and not because I was seeking
recognition from those around me. </div>
<br />
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Peace is not a
feeling. Peace is a person. Peace is Jesus Christ. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-6793206868770078832013-05-26T23:38:00.002-07:002013-07-27T11:11:20.100-07:00Like Sheep in the Midst of Wolves <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;">At tonight’s FOCUSgreek event Sister Mary Helen shared some of her experiences from her time as a Gamma Phi Beta and how her prayer life drew her closer to God throughout her years in the house, eventually leading her to discern religious life.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;">She spoke of the friendships she made and some of the things she faced while living her faith out in the Greek community. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;">During her talk she kept referring to how she turned to Mathew 10:16 when things seemed to be getting difficult.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;">Praying with this verse afterwards, I was struck with how relevant it is to living a Christian life while in a fraternity or sorority.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Mathew 10:16<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.</span>”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">Let’s start from the beginning; <i>I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.</i> The term <i>midst of wolves</i> is a pretty accurate description of what it is like to live on a college campus, let alone in the Greek system. There are so many people out there willing to attack who you are as a person, what you stand for, your values, and your beliefs. It seems to be especially hard to be a true Christian who lives out their faith without getting looked down on by a majority of the student body. I think that recently there have been plenty of examples of people standing up for their faith, but getting attacked for voicing their opinion. If something goes against what society tells us is correct, standing up for it only bring stares and snide remarks. But yet, even with all of this turmoil and uncomfort, it is God who is <i>sending </i>us out into this world. He has a special plan for us and wants you and me to be directly in the middle of the Greek system, and often in the heart of sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"> We are His sheep; he has a purpose for us and wants to lead us home. Sheep are often looked upon as these clueless animals who just roam the pastures trusting in their shepherd. Well maybe, just maybe, that is what God is calling us to do. We don’t need to know the answers to everything or win every battle; we just need to be sheep. We need to be the sheep that always trust in their shepherd. If we trust God, our shepherd, with our whole heart, we go about living our lives not in fear, but in peace and joy because we know that we are safe because the Lord is always there watching over us and wanting to steer us from danger. If we live our lives with our Shepherd as our guide, we should never worry, even with the threat of wolves in the distant because as long as we follow the path the Lord has laid out for us, He will lead us safely home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0in;">
<i>“be shrewd as serpents”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">To be shrewd means to be cunning, good with judgment, or having a clever awareness. He tells us to be shrewd as serpents referring to the slyness that serpents have as they move around, always slightly out of reach and slipping away from danger. Think back to Adam and Even in the garden, the serpent didn’t tell them that God didn’t exist; he simply tried to enter into their hearts and convince them that they could be like God if they would only eat the fruit. What if we lived our lives like this; if we looked through other people’s eyes to see into their hearts and find their emptiness? We would be able to find their confusion and present them with the truth of God that would reach their hearts on a personal level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">What if we had the cunning awareness that Jesus possessed as he spoke in the temples? He was aware of objections that may come his way and knew the best response before he was even questioned. However, he wouldn’t use argument to win them over; instead he would answer a question with a question, stopping the claims against him and causing those around him to think deeper. Jesus teaches us that it is important to be aware of the attacks the world may throw at us and be ready to question the world back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<i>“simple as doves”<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://www.whitedovesofmodesto.com/two-white-dove-flying_96969-1400x1050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.whitedovesofmodesto.com/two-white-dove-flying_96969-1400x1050.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">We can all take a lesson from the doves; the birds that fly around free, not held down by the world, but spend every day enjoying the gift of life God gave them. Doves are not worried about possessions or money or the opinions of others. They don’t carry suitcases around with material objects they think will make them happy. Instead, they let each day guide them in a new direction, following the divine call where ever it may lead them. What if we could live a life like this? Not letting anything hold us down and always being open to where the Holy Spirit may call us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">I challenge you to take five minutes and read the rest of this verse below. Close your eyes and open your ears. What is God saying to you as He speaks these words to <i>you</i>? Is he giving you support? Is he asking you to be a witness? Is he calling you to be courageous? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”</i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115669236009189273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959170689699881259.post-11329594038279930072013-05-20T14:15:00.001-07:002013-07-27T11:11:56.278-07:00How will I spend eternity ?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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Matthew 6:21</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<i>For where your treasure is, there also, will your heart be.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
One of the most wondered questions
is probably <i>what Heaven will be like</i>.
Some people say that you will spend eternity
surrounded by the thing that you loved the most. I don’t know if this is true,
but to me this seems like a pretty fair deal; God is going to allow you a never
ending supply of whatever you placed the most focus on during life. This
got me thinking; if today the world ended and God was going to let me live forever
based on what I cared the most about; what would it be? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
I
don’t think I actually know the answer to this question. I would like to be able to say right away
that it was obvious that what I cared most about in this world was God and His
love for me, but if I look at my daily life honestly, I don’t know if that
would be the case. Just the other day I
remembered that I still needed to do my daily devotional, but I had to leave
for work in ten minutes and decided I needed to curl my hair instead. What does this say about me? For one thing, I
think that this just shows how much I care about what others think of me. I constantly worry about how I look, if I am
funny, if I say the right thing, or what my reputation is; instead of spending
this time in prayer or simply enjoy the way God made me. (Even as I sit here I wonder what others will
think as they read this and if they will like it.) I don’t want this to be the
focus of my life, but the human side of the world constantly tries to pull me
in and my sins bring me down.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wow, what would
eternity be like if I only lived to focused on the thought of being liked by
others? I <b>would never feel peace.</b> It would be impossible for me to feel truly happy
because I would constantly be living my life based on how someone else thinks I
should act. And if we logically think
about the millions of people out there who all have their own different views,
then I will never be able to have everyone’s acceptance because no matter what
I do, someone will disagree. Living
under the impossible want to please everyone would cause some major stress and
unhappiness <i>for eternity</i>; hence
probably a large amount of the stress and worry that I face in this present
life. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNW2t_Rc1R6dqOccU-djdyGy9jLpS3Q8yP6vNtYU1tko2x8WEr" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNW2t_Rc1R6dqOccU-djdyGy9jLpS3Q8yP6vNtYU1tko2x8WEr" /></a> Now,
let’s think about what eternity may be like if I spent it the way that God
intended; surrounded by His love, engulfed by His love. We would never have to worry another day in
our lives. God wants nothing but our
happiness, and being God, He can make sure that nothing will take this
happiness away. In Heaven there will be
no more sin, meaning there will be no more pain, no sadness, and never feeling
unloved or unaccepted. You would live
your life in peace, with everything that you may ever need, because God’s love
is all you need. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
This
life on earth isn’t God giving us a test to see if we love Him, its God giving
us is a choice<i>. He
wants us to love Him because we chose to</i> return the love He gives to us;
not because we are forced to or because we feel guilty. The next time I have the choice to spend an
extra fifteen minute fixing my hair or giving it up to God, I need to think
about what I want the focus of my life to be and how I want to spend eternity,
so that when God gives me a life of what I love most<i>, it will be Him. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Matthew 6:25 </div>
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<i>Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life
more than food and the body more than clothing? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
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