Gratitude

Gratitude

This morning was a perfect fall morning; after the usual struggle to get up early in the morning, I was able to grab a cup of coffee, sit outside on a bench, and enjoy the beautiful fall weather while doing some Theology reading. It was such a simple way to spend an hour of my morning, enjoying clear, sunny skies, and it gently reminded me of the beauty in life in the nature around me.


This gift led me to reflect on how frequently I ignore or take the beautiful moments each day in my life for granted . It is much too easy to get caught up in my own worries about school or maintaining friendships or the unnecessary list of day-to-day worries. How many of these peaceful moments, like this morning, do I miss?

Something I have learned more with every passing day is the importance of gratitude. Not to be cheesy, but in a VeggieTales episode there was a little song sung that said, "for a thankful heart is a happy heart..." This little song always pops into my head (and no I'm not ashamed of it!). For there is such truth in these words. The more I am able to pause throughout my day and notice the little blessings all around me, and turn my heart to God in gratitude, the happier I am. 

Each one of us, unique as we are, is affected differently by the simple things of life, which can bring us great joy. I really enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning or friendly greetings from people I don't know or those surprising moments in a day that make you burst out in laughter. All of these little, simple moments fill my heart with gratitude and give me the stamina to persevere through the difficult moments in life.

There are no coincidences in life. God allows everything to happen and works through all things, good or bad. If this is the truth, then it also means that all the simple and beautiful things in each day of our lives is a gift from God. Don't be afraid to focus on the good that is in your life; allow the song of your heart to be a song of gratitude and watch the change that takes place. 

'Learn, too, to be grateful.
May all the wealth of Christ's inspiration have its shrine among you; now you will have instruction and advice for one another, full of wisdom, now there will be psalms, and hymns, and spiritual music, as you sing with gratitude in your hearts to God. Whatever you are about, in word and action alike, invoke always the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, offering your thanks to God the Father through him.' 
                                                                                        Colossians 3:16-17

"O my children, how great is Divine Providence! How generous God is to us! How much He loves us! Let us always be grateful and good! Let us love Him and never offend Him! In turn He will always provide for our needs."
                                                                                         Don Bosco

Your sister in Christ,
                 Ali

Music's Instrumental Role

Music's Instrumental Role

• I don't know about you, but I don't do well with silence. Music plays such an instrumental role in my life - pun intended :)

  Do you ever have that moment when you’re in the car with some friends and a song comes on that y’all just have to belt out? Whether it’s Matt Maher, One Direction, Lecrae, Backstreat Boys, or even the “Beibster,” I think we’ve all got at least one song that brings a smile to our face each time we hear it.

  Something that’s been on my mind lately is how powerful some of the lyrics I sing are, yet I absentmindedly sing the words. I’m not talking about the “bad songs” that “fill our minds with questionable messages.” I’m speaking to those songs that if we wholeheartedly meant what we were singing, it could truly start to transform us.

  “I’m trading my sorrows, I’m trading my shame. I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord.” – Trading My Sorrows Darrell Evans

  “I will open up my heart and let the healer set me free. I’m happy to be in the truth and I will daily lift my hands. I will always sing of when your love came down. I could sing of your love forever.” – I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever Hillsong

  “Blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering. Though there’s pain in the offering, blessed be your name. Every blessing you pour out I’ll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say blessed the name of the Lord.” – Blessed By Your Name Matt Redman

  I encourage you, whether it’s at Mass, Tuesday night Praise and Worship, the FOP, or in your dorm room – when you sing – mean the words that you say. We’re not just singing “about” God, we’re singing to Him. Allow your song to be a prayer to the Healer who wants to set us free and give us joy. The above listed songs truly have been my prayer lately and it’s really uplifted me. My reason to sing is not based on my circumstances. Jesus gives me the reason.

  God Bless You,

  Katrina

Frances Says

Frances Says

"Why, dearest daughter, do you waste time in sadness when time is so precious for the salvation of poor sinners?  Get rid of your melancholy immediately.  Don't think any more about yourself.  Do not indulge in so many useless and dangerous reflections.  

 

Look ahead always without ever looking back.  Keep your gaze fixed on the summit of perfection where Christ awaits you.  

He wants you despoiled of all things, intent only on procuring his greater glory during this brief time of your existence.  

For the short time that remains, is it worthwhile to lose yourself in melancholy like those who think only of themselves, as if all were to end with this life?  Ah no.  We must not even desire that our pilgrimage on this earth be a short one because we do not yet know the infinite value of every minute employed for the glory of God.  

Carry your cross then but carry it joyfully, my daughter.  Think that Jesus loves you very much.  And in return for such love, don't lose yourself in so many desires, but accept daily with serenity whatever comes your way.  

May the heart of Jesus bless you and make you holy not as you want but as he desires." 

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Whoa.  This is straight up challenging.  Anyone else agree?

St. Frances has found all of my weak spots, and called them out for what they are.  Useless. 

1.      Frances says: not to waste time with melancholy thoughts

How often are my thoughts “woe-is-me”?  Yeah, I need to work on this.  I often run away with my thoughts, and I easily end up frustrated, disappointed, and itching to do something about it. What’s the point of all this thinking though, really? It isn’t fruitful. 

Lord, let me give over my thoughts to You.

I surrender.

2.      Frances says: to look ahead, to the summit of perfection

To the summit of perfection?  It’s hard enough for me to keep myself looking forward and not back.  But okay, Frances, yes, I am made for perfection.  I am made for perfection.  This is real and within my grasp.  Actually, it is specifically what I was made for. 

Lord, lead me to perfection, to the heights.

Verso l’alto.

3.      Frances says: all my time is for the greater glory of God

How often have I wasted time? Ouch.  This must hurt God.  I wouldn’t have my existence if He ceased thinking about me for even a split second.  And here I go, often trucking through my day without recognizing Who it is that I am ultimately trying to reach. 

Lord, show me how to serve you in each moment. 

Less of me, more of You.

4.      Frances says: to joyfully carry my cross

Oh boy.  Always the toughie for last.  She wants me to be joyful while I do all this too?  But is this possible?  “For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).  I must look to Heaven.  If I keep my eyes fixed on God and eternity with Him, then the means by which I get there is pure joy.

Lord, give me the cross, that I might know this true joy.

Be my strength.

St. Frances is a woman of strength, of reprove, of perfection.  Let us learn from her, sisters!  After all, she has attained the Summit.

And she’s also incorrupt!

St. Frances, pray for us.  Teach us how to be women of God, employed for his greater glory, and joyful climbing to perfection. Amen.

“May the heart of Jesus bless you and make you holy not as you want but as he desires”,

Sierra

We all love a good Dove Commercial right?

Hey! Watch this! It's great. 

I am good. I am loved. I am enough.

Say it with me! Come on… quit rolling your eyes… it’s not embarrassing… it’s TRUTH. 

I AM GOOD!! I AM LOVED!! I AM ENOUGH!!

Sounds nice right? Cliché perhaps?

Well sister. All three things are true. About you. Me. The girl sitting in the cubicle across from you at the library. Your annoying household sister. Your even more annoying real sister. You are good, loved, and enough!! You always have been and you always will be. TRUTH! Let those things soak in for a second!

I’ll let you in on a personal secret… these three little nuggets were gifts to me from the Man Himself. I’ve struggled with knowing that I am good, loved, and enough for a really long time. Heck, I’m STILL struggling! It’s an ongoing, day in and day out sort of fight, but it is a good one. Wanna know why? Because Satan hates Truth. So the more you root yourself, your heart, your worth in those three nuggets (yes, I’ll share… but if those don’t do anything for ya or tug on your heart strings, ask the Lord to give you little gems of your own!) the more the Wretch, as Padre Pio likes to call him, wants to feed you lies that you aren’t beautiful or loved or worth fighting for.  Fight him back! Don’t let him win this game with his manipulation and lies!!

Take a look at the video again. When did we, beautiful daughters of the KING, start thinking that we weren’t beautiful? Or loved? Or good?? 

My favorite part is the little girl at the end. She knows that she is beautiful and she owns it! The smile on her face as she sees her own reflection… that’s Truth.

Let’s say those three truths again:

I am good! I am loved! I am enough!

What comes up when you’re saying them? What lies are you listening to? Write those down and take them to Him. Let Him tell you just how good you are. Let Him show you how beautiful He made you. Let Him tell you that He loves you. So much.

Who is He trying to tell you that you are? And who is the Wretch trying to tell you that you aren’t?

In His Heart,

Caty

Morning Song

Twenty-one years of life, and it took me until this summer to realize I am a morning person. My immediate reaction was...  “darn”.  Being a morning person has implications - I now know that I genuinely enjoy getting up early - that I do my best thinking and reflections early in the morning - I also now feel obligated to get up early and utilize this “inspired time”.  And I’m thankful for this because I really do have some of my most thoughtful moments in these early(-ish) hours. (I still like my sleep!)

One of these mornings I was sitting on my porch drinking my coffee, and I was just thinking about how beautiful mornings are: I love the colors of the grey light leading to the warm gold of the rising sun; the sounds of the birds singing and the leaves rustling as life lands and takes off; the feelings of the morning breeze and the dampness in the air from last nights dew. 

In the stillness of the morning, one becomes aware of all these more subtle details and movements - our focus is much more concentrated because there are less distractions.  We can sometimes become overwhelmed with all the busyness in life and miss the little things. 

My all time favorite poem is by Emily Dickinson - Hope is the Thing With Feathers: 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

I imagine a small bird singing it’s soft, beautiful tune.  In the morning it’s so still and quiet that the song is all you can hear - it takes your focus.  I then imagine all of the distractions I have in life, and I picture that poor little bird singing in a city.  There are people everywhere.  Their heels click as they walk, their voices echo as they converse with each other or with someone on the other line of a phone call.  They call for cabs.  The car engines roar, breaks squeak, horns honk.  Stores are opening: the sound of their metal gates rising, bells tolling, doors slamming, music playing, salesmen calling out the deals for the day ... and I think about that little bird trying to have his song of hope and encouragement heard in the midst of all this noise.  Would we even notice he was there? 

Likewise, in our souls, we need those times of stillness to really notice the details; to work on specific things in ourselves and become aware of what the Lord has to teach us, show us, and change in us.  It is in the silence and the stillness of prayer that we can hear it.  Do not smother his song, but take a moment to turn off the iPod, turn off the TV, shut the computer, cease pointless chatter.  Silence yourselves and listen!  

For me, this is the hardest part to prayer, and life in general.  I am so focused on what I want to achieve and what I want to get out of life that I jump ahead of myself.  I fear that if it doesn’t happen this very moment I’ll miss it and my dreams and desires will go unfulfilled.  I have the hardest time just BEING, and I sometimes miss what He is trying to show me.  

As I was mulling all these thoughts over (in the morning) I became aware of one other aspect of mornings - The emotions of expectation and anticipation are almost overwhelming!  The entire morning is in anticipation of the rising sun - it does not remain unmoving!  The stillness is not about remaining complacent, but rather it’s about focusing on the small details that will aid you in achieving God’s ultimate plan for you (which are our ultimate desires - because He’s so good and made us like that!).  How easily these little things can be over-looked like the bird in the city.  Sometimes those moments of development/growth can seem so long, and the future seem so unattainable, but the sun never fails to rise; not a single morning is ever disappointed.  And when the sun does rise - it is one of the most beautiful views of all creation.

“O my God, my only hope, I have placed all my trust in You, and I know I shall not be disappointed.” - St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul 317 

God's Peace!

Carrie

YOU are on Women’s Ministry?!

YOU are on Women’s Ministry?!

Yes, that is a typical response I get when I tell people where I’m going on a Monday night for my Women’s Ministry meeting. To be completely honest, I’ve looked in the mirror and responded the same way to the reflection staring back at me: YOU are on Women’s Ministry?! I HATE the color pink, I fall asleep during Gilmore Girls, and I cannot stand having my finger nails painted so why would I ever want to be on team that fosters and promotes femininity? The simple answer is because femininity doesn’t mean you have to be super-duper girly and plaster your walls with posters of pink unicorns (if your dorm room does look like that, I don’t mean to offend you.  I applaud you because that is so awesome…but that’s just not my style). True femininity is so much deeper.

If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted to be on Women’s Ministry, I would have probably (rudely) laughed in your face—I wear snapbacks, white V-necks and Nike running shorts as an outfit out.  I never thought that I would be on this ministry. I never thought I would love femininity and everything that goes with that Truth.

Sooooooo….what happened? How did I switch from making fun of it to being on core team?

God.

God happened.

Last fall, I found myself in a bit of an identity crisis. I didn’t know who I was, what I was, or what I was worth (or if I was worth anything). I had just gone through a break-up and I wasn’t dealing with it the best. I actually wasn’t dealing with it at all. I had become so accustomed to numbness being the only emotion I felt when anything fell apart in my life. I had always believed that if you can’t feel anything, you can’t be hurt. I basically just had this giant wall up around my heart where nothing could get in and hurt me, but also nothing could get out.  Around September, applications for a retreat called Capture My Heart were out, and I just knew I had to go. [I secretly actually wanted to go but was too afraid to tell anyone.] I applied and was accepted. I remember the day of departure for the retreat, I was FREAKING OUT and almost backed out but I had already paid for it; so to avoid wasting the money, I figured I’d just go.

I wish I could tell you everything that happened on that retreat so that you could more fully understand the radical feminine transformation I went through in just three days, but I want you all to go on the retreat and experience the mystery and conversion for yourself. Let’s just say the Lord wrecked my life in the most joyful way possible.  I hate to use clichés but he absolutely captured my heart and I knew who I was, what I was, and what I was worth. (What’s interesting is that the answer to those three questions is all in scripture.)

Who I am: “I am my beloved’s and His desire is for me”-Song of Songs 7:10

What I am: “You are all beautiful my beloved, and there is no flaw in you.”-Song of Songs 4:7

My worth: “God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, so that [you] who believe in him might not perish but might have eternal life”-John 3:16

But back to the original question of the switch and why I am on Women’s Ministry:

The switch was that I found my identity in Christ as his beloved daughter and no one can take that from me—no harsh words, no biting rumor, not even the devil himself. Jesus’s feelings towards me—the love He has for me—doesn’t change. Whether we have heard these words a thousand times or never heard them at all, Jesus Christ died for you because you are worth it.

So, why I am on Women’s Ministry?

The world tells us that our worth and identity are defined by what we do, and femininity is synonymous with weakness. Well, both of these are bold face LIES.

Your identity is who you are, what you are, and what you are worth in Christ…and knowing who you are sounds like strength to me.

Knowing your identity, your true identity as a woman is the root of femininity. From there, it expands and grows and deepens so much (but that is for another blog).

I am on Women’s Ministry because I let the world tell me who I was and what I was worth for most of my life. I am on Women’s Ministry to fight that lie with the Truth…all while wearing my snapback, white V-neck, and Nike running shorts.  I’m here to share my story.  I’m here to serve and pray for each and every one of you on this campus. What’s awesome is that I’m not alone either. We have a whole team of ladies with their own unique stories and reasons for being on Women’s Ministry and are fighting for you. We’re all here for you. We’re all praying for you.

 “Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.”—Pope Benedict XVI

"The nation doesn’t simply need what we have [or do]. It needs what we are."—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein)

That’s all I got right now. Peace out!

Lacy