Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Day 15: Skirt Challenge


Dear Ladies,
            Well, I’ve been wearing skirts/dresses since Ash Wednesday…which makes it exactly 2 weeks ago! It’s been a challenge, but I’ve also experienced a lot of good things about it. The first thing I love is how feminine I feel! My favorite skirts are pencil skirts because they really flatter my waist/body type and something about them just makes me feel special and important. I have to admit, it might have a lot to do with the fact that I’ve always liked watching business women walk down the street in heels and a pencil skirt.
             Something else I’ve discovered that I like is the effort. I have to put more effort into how I look in the morning. Yes, I can wear a jean skirt and a hoodie, but most of the time I feel inclined to dress up my outfit. The downside is that it takes more time, but the upside is that I feel better about myself. My self-esteem and self-image tend to be much higher when I’ve taken some extra time in the morning to get ready.

            The moral of the story? (er, blog post) Wearing skirts and dresses for Lent is going much better than I expected and I actually like it. I’m also in the process of reading “Dressing with Dignity” so hopefully next time I can talk more about that!
Love,                           
Bernadette                

Monday, February 25, 2013

Day 13: No Mirrors: Rags and Tatters


I have to say, I thought this challenge would be a bit easier for me considering I did it last year as well, but let me tell you...it really doesn't get that much easier. I am still tempted to cheat ALL THE TIME. I have removed every mirror from my room, and thanks to my roommate we have covered up the mirror in the bathroom. There are no excuses. I am fully aware of each time I look in a reflective surface. There's no accidents, only intentional failings. There are times when I tell myself "It's okay to look only at my teeth - I just want to make sure there's no spinach in there. Wouldn't want to make anyone feel awkward trying to decide whether or not they should tell me!" Or "I just need to make sure my skirt isn't tucked in somewhere unfortunate" and things of that nature. Of course, they're all lies I was telling myself to justify looking in the mirror. It is truly a battle, but thankfully, God is so patient with me and every day he is giving me the grace to work against this. 

In all honesty, I had a very different reaction the past couple weeks than I thought I would. The first few days it was easy to not look in mirrors, that was until I realized that I literally didn't want or care to see what I looked like because I didn't want to know how horrifying I looked. Then I realized that was not the way I needed to be thinking. I started realizing that so much of why I put on makeup and do my hair is for ME, not for other people, and certainly not for the Lord. I like looking at myself in the mirror, but only when I look "put together" enough. Only when I look the way I want to look. It is a way to tell the world that I'm not just some ordinary girl. But I don't need exterior things to tell people that. Like Cayce said last week, this mindset is all very focused on yourself and the way others perceive you. So I asked the Lord to start using this challenge to help me focus myself more on Him. To dress for him, and to let my natural beauty shine through the way he intended it to be, even if some days I do have spinach in my teeth and my hair is unkempt. He started revealing something to me which has helped me each day these past two weeks and been a great meditation for Lent. It is an excerpt from one of my favorite stories, A Little Princess, and it says this: 

"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."
- Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess


I'm sure this passage speaks for itself. It has been so powerful in reminding me that even though I may not feel like a princess on the outside or be dressed in cloth of gold, that has no bearing on who I am. I am made in the image and likeness of God, and I reflect His beauty, no matter what I am wearing. If I desire to present to others the true reflection of God's beauty that I am, then I have to allow that to shine through regardless of whether or not I am wearing makeup or whether my outfit matches. Regardless of if I have scars or pale skin or my hair looks like a lion's mane.

Because "I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he?"  


In the Father's Love, 
Clarissa 




Friday, February 22, 2013

Day 10: True Beauty Challenge


 “When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ, who gives you the meaning of life.”
–Blessed Pope John Paul II

In high school I heard someone say, “The only difference between college and high school girls is that girls in college wear less makeup.”  I remember being in high school and telling my family what I had heard.  My family has never been a fan of me wearing so much makeup so they really liked that quote.  They told me that I should be ahead of my time and stop wearing so much makeup.  My response was when I am in college that is when I will deal with it. 

 Well now I am in college and I am dealing with it.  The tough part about being at Franciscan is that there are not many women who wear too much makeup or depend on it, so immediately I compare myself.  I let Satan whisper in my ear that other women are captivating without makeup but I am not.  Beautiful, holy women who do not wear makeup surround me everyday and I believed if I showed my real self, people would realize I was unattractive.  The joy they radiate is the only makeup they need to look beautiful.  I realized that and I desire it.  I hate being dependent on makeup.  It is not a good feeling.  I had this desire to go without makeup but I did not think I was as beautiful as them and would be able to pull it off.   

I did not even realize I struggled with this until I came to Franciscan.  Here at school I was put face to face with my insecurities.  At home there was never really an instance for my friends, especially my guy friends to see me without makeup, so my dependence on it never occurred to me.  In college though you live with your peers and they are bound to see you without your mask.   

I even wore my makeup to bed the first night of freshman year of college because I did not want to scare my new roommate.  I would start thinking about things in the future.  Crap, if I do a mission trip in another country I will not be able to wear makeup.  I was even concerned about studying abroad in Austria.  Shoot, when I am traveling and have to travel through the night, people will see me without makeup.  How messed up is that?

 I knew this was an issue but never really had to deal with it till a women’s ministry meeting we had a few weeks ago.

 In our meeting we were discussing what to give up for lent for the women on campus.  We were throwing out ideas for a little bit then someone mentioned the idea of giving up makeup and I froze.  I did not want to do that… I could not do that.  But something beautiful happened to me throughout the meeting.  The Lord started to break down my walls and helped me open up to the idea.  I desired it and He desires me to see myself without it and feel beautiful.  Someone on the team started to talk about what the True Beauty Challenge entailed and said that you can pick one or two products to use and I decided I THINK I can do this! I NEED to do this!

I reluctantly raised my hand and agreed to take on the challenge that I have dreaded for so long.  I decided to only wear mascara.  No bronzer or eye shadow or blush or anything else. 

I know I am not super legit and did not go cold turkey on makeup but the cool thing is, I have allowed myself to wear less and less each day.  I hope by the end of the 40 days to go completely without. 

What I have observed the last week and a half is that most people do not even notice.  I am the only one that notices.  I am my own worst critic.  I also realized that more people struggle with makeup dependence than I thought.  I would tell people what we are doing as women’s ministry and they would respond in awe.  Some said they don’t think they could do that, while there are also others who do it everyday. 

 Before I end I want you to know that makeup is not bad!  But do not let it hid the beauty God has created.  He is proud of His work so be proud of it too!  Praise and thank Him for your individual beauty!

A prayer that is in the True Beauty Challenge book that really spoke to me and I hope speaks to you is, “ Heavenly Father, thank you for fashioning me perfectly, please help me to compare myself only to you.  May we as women affirm the true beauty of each other’s souls and put aside physical comparisons that do not lead to holiness.  Transform my mind and heart to know and live true beauty.  Amen.”

In Him,
Olivia

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Day 8: Skirt Challenge


“Skirt. Skirt. Skirt. UGH SKIRT.”

This has been my mantra for the past week. I took on the skirt challenge. And I kind of hate it. Not in a bad way, mind you. Just in a I-don’t-want-to-be-“forced”-to-wear-a-skirt-every-day kind of way. Granted, I am the one forcing myself to wear one, so I can’t really get that mad about it. And it’s definitely been challenging in a good way. But still. Skirt. Skirt. Skirt. Skirt. Errrrrday.

Ok. So here’s the deal. I like wearing skirts and dresses. I think they are great. I think they are pretty and fun. But I like them in the late spring and summertime. I wear them practically all day everyday in the summer. But now? When there is still snow? Oh. Oh no. But this is where I have decided the sacrifice lies – in wearing them despite not wanting to. Even to bed (in the form of a nightgown, rather than my usual pj pants). And even sledding.

Oh yes, I went sledding. In a skirt. At midnight. In Steubenville. As a matter of fact, we didn’t actually even have sleds. We used cookie sheets. And I wiped out several times. My skirt actually ended up tucked into my sweatpants (I cheated and wore sweatpants underneath because I didn’t have snow pants) and my friend who was with me started cracking up and said “Oh my gosh Ashley, I forgot you were wearing a dress! It’s probably ruined!” To which I responded “Well, at least this will be an interesting blog.”
(This was basically me. Only with a skirt on.)
The dress was ok. And we had an absolute blast sledding! But it definitely put things in a different perspective for me. It made me realize how hard it is to be modest and do crazy things while wearing a skirt. There is a reason women wanted to wear pants. So they could do crazy things. (And relax in sweats. Ladies, I miss my sweats.)

What I like about this challenge is that I find dresses and skirts to be distinctly feminine. I like them because they are flowy and soft and pretty. They are the epitome of feminine dress (unless you are a man who wears a kilt or cassock, in which case… we will have to make an exception). There is just something about wearing a skirt that I love. I always feel prettier in one. And I think it’s because dresses are so unique to specifically (mostly) women, that wearing one really makes me feel like a girl. Pants are so practical. Oh, I believe that they can most definitely be made feminine. But I truly think that wearing a dress just brings out the lady in me. It’s a very positive thing. Even if I currently despise wearing one every day in the cold winter weather.

But this will be good for me. This Lent I am trying to truly discover my own femininity by becoming the “master of my own mystery” (through my own personal Lenten prayers and penances), and I am 100% positive that this challenge is going to help me in this journey as well. We have yet to see how. It’s only been a week, so there really isn’t much to report. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted on my many adventures in skirt land.

Until next week!

Through Our Lovely Lady,

Ashley





Monday, February 18, 2013

Day 5: No Mirrors: Less of me, more of Him

I am five days into Lent officially feel as if I have failed at my challenge! I am on the no mirrors team and thus far it has definitely been difficult. I am still just trying to remember! Suddenly it seems as if there are windows and reflections EVERYWHERE. I hid my desk mirror and covered my full length mirror with beauty quotes which has helped quite a bit but I still find myself looking in the mirror while brushing my teeth before realizing what I am doing and quickly looking down into the sink.

A girlfriend of mine asked me how I was doing without mirrors and I responded with, "Welllllllll...I am adjusting." I will do fine throughout most of the day but then I will accidentally see myself in a reflection or forget and glance in the mirror before running out and then to my horror I find a strand of hair out of place and I MUST look in the mirror again to spare others from having to look at me! I am only thinking of others.....right?

Wrong. I am thinking of others perception of me which leaves the focus on me...again. And Lent is about Jesus and purifying our hearts to make room for Him. Less of me, more of Him. So early on, I cannot say that I have seen any fruits of this sacrifice. Having said that, I have noticed a couple of things:


1. Checking the mirror is more habitual than it is an active choice
2. I choose outfits faster because I can't see if it doesn't match or make me look "fat"
3. It is much harder to get away with not freshly washed hair because I can't tell if any of my hair tricks actually helped. Leaving my trust in TRESemme!

My girlfriend from before continued on and said it is a great challenge because we see beauty in other women much easier than we do in ourselves. Why is that? She believes it is because we have become numb to our own beauty. For the past 21 years of my life I have looked at myself every day. My face is not new to me. My hair and features and curves and skin tone is SO familiar to me that I no longer see my own beauty! While I do feel this challenge is helping me fight vanity, I hope it will also renew my love for myself and help me to longer be numb to my own beauty.


 
              
<3 Cayce                     

Friday, February 15, 2013

Day 2: True Beauty Challenge

   This lent, myself, Olivia and Chloe are doing the True Beauty Challenge.  The True Beauty Challenge is a Lenten exercise that offers meditation, insight, and a challenge for that day, all based on the hopes of acquiring and understanding true beauty.

   The book begins our journey by asking us to really think about why it is we are performing a certain sacrifice, and I think that is a perfect place to start. No matter what it is that you chose to give up or sacrifice for lent, I encourage you to begin to contemplate why you sacrificed that; what is the purpose; what benefit will it have on your soul?

   Why would one give up make-up for lent in the True Beauty Challenge?  In our modern culture, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the amount of pressure we as women feel to be "beautiful". There are countless sources out there telling us how to be beautiful in all the wrong ways.

Think for just a minute about this question - what ways do you pursue beauty? 

I think even those of us who consider ourselves to have a decent understanding of true beauty would still answer some of the ways the world tells us to.  Lose weight, clearer skin, more toned muscles, longer eyelashes, smaller waist, fashionable clothing, perfect hair, etc.  Many of us know that these do not determine the ultimate beauty of a person, yet we still feel so much pressure and spend so much time trying to attain these worldly images of beauty.

   As for the make-up aspect, it is important that we as women learn to showcase our natural beauty without the distraction of added features. The purpose of makeup is to enhance this natural beauty, not to distract from it.   

   I'm sure many of you are familiar with the dove beauty campaign, but I thought this video was great for giving a visual to why giving up make-up will help us to achieve our goal of recognizing our natural beauty.


   To be honest, my first impression of this challenge was that it wasn't going to be exceedingly difficult. I have never been one to spend a ton of time on doing my make-up, and in the past have gone numerous days without any make-up whatsoever. However, it's only day two, and I have already had to face some difficulties. My roommate turned 21, and a group of us were going out to have a small celebration. All the girls began getting ready, and I sat down and just stared at my make-up bag deciding which two items I was going to keep. I decided on foundation and mascara. Needless to say, it only took me about 5 minutes to finish my make-up. Then I sat around while the rest of the girls continued getting ready. I was struck by two thoughts during this time:

1) I was astounded at how much free time I had on my hands. If that was the amount of time I would have normally spent getting ready, I realized I was taking time away from more productive things I could be doing. 

2) I was really disappointed I couldn't put on more make-up! All the other girls were getting done-up, and I felt less beautiful than them. I realized just how much the pressure of the world's beauty had on me. I felt less beautiful because I had a little less eye make-up on. How ridiculous! This doesn't determine what makes a woman truly beautiful!

    In hopes that we might attain an understanding of what it means to have true beauty, the True Beauty Challenge asks us to give up make-up while also adding spiritual challenges.  I think a good place to start our journey on discovering what true beauty is and how to attain it for ourselves is to find examples.  Think of any woman you feel portrays true beauty -- Mother Teresa, St. Gianna, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maria Goretti, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bernadette, St. Edith Stein -- maybe it’s your mom, or your aunt, or a close female friend that you see true beauty in. All of these examples are good, and so many more, but it’s important to have our role models to look to throughout this journey. One main reason is for intercession, but also because not all these women meet the world’s definition of beauty, yet they all have true beauty.  So what is it about them that makes them truly beautiful? I encourage you, as I will, to continue contemplating on this and finding inspiration from these women throughout the course of this lent.

   I would like to offer some of my final thoughts on this -- firstly, when I think of true beauty, of course Mary is the first to come to my mind. We have heard that Mary is God's most beautiful creation, but what about her makes her beautiful? Is it her perfect figure? her perfect hair? her fashionable clothing?

No!

It's her virtue, her love, her humility, meekness, piety, patience, kindness, but what makes her the most beautiful is that she is a perfect reflection of Christ; her heart reflects His heart.

In The Imitation of Mary, Alexander de Rouville says Jesus made [Mary] so like himself, that [she] was a living image of Him." (pg 271) She maintains a pure and sinless nature devoid of the effects of sin -- a loss of beauty. 
 

Lastly, I want to post my one of my favorite quotes from Captivating,

"Whatever it means to bear God's image, you do so as a woman. Female. That's how and where you bear his image. Your feminine heart has been created with the greatest of all possible dignities -- as a reflection of God's own heart." (pg 8).

Ladies, this is where we find our true beauty. In living out our femininity as God created it, we reflect His heart.

   I hope you will continue to join our team as we strive to uncover what it means to live out this authentic femininity and uncover true beauty in ourselves as well as recognizing it in others.


Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

Carrie


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Why do women do what we do?

That’s a really deep question, and in all honesty most women have no idea just why it is that they do certain things.

Well I’m here to (hopefully) change that.

In this post, I’m going to address a series of related questions: Why do women wear skirts and dresses, but (most) men don’t? Is there any real significance to wearing a skirt or a dress instead of pants? And why in the world would it be something you would want to do for Lent?

So, why do women wear dresses?

Did you know that until last week it was illegal for women to wear pants in France? Yes, I know what you’re thinking. It didn’t mean they could walk around naked. It was indeed illegal to wear pants, however the law was not strictly enforced. An article quoted the law as saying this:

“Any woman who wants to dress as a man must come to police headquarters to get permission.”

Ouch.

Okay, if they weren't supposed to wear pants, what did they wear? Well, the obvious answer leads us to say skirts and dresses. And this was not only true for France, but it was the standard everywhere for many years.

Throughout history, we see pretty convincing evidence that leads us to believe that dresses and skirts were worn by women for as long as mankind existed. The Eskimo women wore long dresses with leggings made of seal skin underneath, even though temperatures there were well below zero. Many different societies saw women wearing thick leggings or bloomer type trousers, but only underneath a long and flowing dress. I remember when I was Clara in the ballet The Nutcracker (set in the late 1800's), the costume was an elaborate dress with simple bloomers underneath, which was typical of that time period. Up to the 1920’s, these dresses hit about ankle length. From then on, the standard became knee length dresses. Around the 60’s is when skirts shot up to heights that were previously unheard of, introducing the new “mini skirt”. Since then, we have seen trends waver back and forth, with the current style incorporating both sky high and maxi skirts. But more importantly, we saw the introduction of women wearing trousers.

"So what? Why does it matter what women wear?" you might be asking yourself. To answer that requires looking at the motivation behind the change. It wasn't a matter of global warming that made these lengths higher and higher, or the sudden impracticality of wearing dresses in public that brought about pants. For thousands of years women had never had a problem working in the garden or taking care of their young children in dresses. So why, around the time of the 1970’s, did we see the rise of slacks, and then the ever-popular blue jeans to modern fashion?

I think we cannot disregard what was happening in this time period. Women were becoming empowered! Groups of feminists were burning bras and proving their independence and equality with men. This is not to say that the advancement of women was not beneficial to us, but those women who desired to be equal to men only furthered the very point they were trying to work against: that men are better than women. Pants become a symbol of revolution, a symbol of change. Women were no longer to be seen as the “weaker sex” or to be suppressed by a society who looked down upon women. They were free.

But alas, this blog is not about the rise of feminism and its effects, and I most certainly cannot come to you and say that I agree with or even understand any of what happened during that time. But it is an interesting connection to note that the previously rejected fashion of women wearing trousers all of a sudden made its boom. And we’ve been wearing them ever since!

Admittedly, I never questioned pants before I came to Franciscan. I was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, and that was perfectly fine with me. But it’s hard to ignore the higher ratio of girls wearing skirts that we see here. And it got me thinking...is there any truth to this? Is there a reason why skirts and dresses are seen as so distinctly feminine....why princesses and queens are always depicted in them? So as any good Catholic girl would do, I turned to the Church.

Surprisingly, the Church has a lot to say about the matter. Cardinal Siri of Genoa wrote a letter in 1960 that talked of the importance of women wearing dresses. He was concerned that as women began wearing trousers it would bring about more manly attitudes and gestures. I, along with most other women I know, are quick to admit they feel different in a dress than in pants. There is something distinctly feminine about the way you have to move and sit and the way you feel, so I think this makes sense.

It is also noted that Padre Pio would only hear confessions of women who were wearing a dress, and it one instance he refused absolution to a women because she sold pants in her dress shop back home in Canada.


G.K. Chesterton said this regarding skirts: “And since we are talking here chiefly in types and symbols, perhaps as good an embodiment as any of the idea may be found in the mere fact of a woman wearing a skirt. It is highly typical of the rabid plagiarism which now passes everywhere for emancipation, that a little while ago it was common for an “advanced” woman to claim the right to wear trousers; a right about as grotesque as the right to wear a false nose…It is quite certain that the skirt means female dignity.”

There are many more documents and letters which contain the wishes of Church leaders for women to retain the wearing of dresses and skirts. Many of them mention the fact that it is easier to maintain modesty in a dress, because it is a known scientific fact that the eyes will travel straight up the leg of pants to somewhere that no woman wants anyone else to view. Don’t believe me? Google it. But I think they also hit on the very heart of women. Little girls twirl around in their dresses asking to others, "Am I Beautiful?" Our hearts long to reveal feminine beauty.

So, that’s a lot of information to take in! Trust me, I’ve been reading and researching for 4 years about this and this is just the tip of the iceberg. What I really wanted to do with this was give you some background to make you aware of the history of fashion to help you make more informed decisions. Boy do I sound like a walking commercial. But I think, as women who desire to more fully receive all that Christ has for us, this is definitely something to pray about and ponder in our hearts. If there is truth here, I ask you to pray and discern what that means for you exactly.

So for Lent, a few of us have taken on the challenge of incorporating dresses and skirts into our wardrobe, some every day and others at least 3 times a week. I know what you’re thinking...



It’s true! Wearing skirts and dresses definitely takes deliberation and there are days when I wake up and just want to throw on a pair of jeans and be done with it. Let’s face it, the majority of the time sweat pants are way more comfortable than dresses. But as Pope Benedict XVI says, we were not made for comfort. Especially in this time of Lent, we are called to renounce the comforts that we normally enjoy to further unite ourselves to Christ and his suffering. Maybe this is the way he is calling you to do that, and maybe its not. We ask that you pray with it and see! And if you’re worried about practical things (like the fact that you only have 2 skirts), I encourage you to go thrift store shopping around, swap some skirts out with your friends, or ask those of us who will be doing the challenge for other pointers to help you out this Lent. IT IS POSSIBLE! We are all on this journey together and those doing this challenge will be updating you weekly on what they’re learning, how they have grown through this, and what has made it terrible and great all at the same time. We are on this quest to find authentic femininity just as much as you are. So stay tuned! And please don’t hesitate to ask us questions!



To Jesus through Mary,
Clarissa

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Lenten Virtue Challenge


This Lent the women of FUS Women’s Ministry (the women who write this blog) are doing a few things for a Lenten Challenge: the skirt challenge, the mirror challenge, and the true beauty challenge. Each of these will be discussed to you so you can know the details and participate along with us in the journey to deeper femininity and holiness this Lent.

Today the one I want to talk to you about is the True Beauty Challenge. The True Beauty Challenge is a book by Hollie Danis who is a Franciscan Uinversity graduate. It is a forty day spiritual journey from beauty misconception to truth and virtue. Each day the book offers readers/participators: a quote or Bible verse, a reflection, a prayer, and a challenge.  
How to participate… join in on the fun:

1.      Pick two items of makeup that you don’t think you can go without and commit to wearing them, and ONLY them for the forty days of Lent. If you want to go all out and commit to zero products, go for it!

2.      Pack the rest away.

3.      Read this book every day for reflections, prayers, and challenges.

4.      Transform by committing yourself to doing the daily challenges and to practicing virtue!

Note: you can still participate in the True Beauty Challenge even if you choose not to give up makeup.
For example I am not giving up makeup simply because I usually only wear foundation. I wanted to think of something that would really allow me to see myself as beautiful in a new way and would take me out of my comfort zone.
I discovered when doing a mission trip last spring, I do not feel as beautiful with my hair up as I do having it down. The only time I usually wear my hair up is when I go to work-out and when it is down it is like my “crown jewel.” This will be a unique challenge for me and I am excited to see where the Lord leads me this Lent and to share it with you!!  

  I and two of the core team women will be doing the True Beauty Challenge alongside other women of campus. The other women are giving up types of makeup, so the different blogs we post throughout Lent should keep things interesting.  

I know it can be scary doing a challenge all alone, so I want to encourage you to comment here and on the blogs of the True Beauty Challenge about how you are doing with the challenge too. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! The True Beauty Challenge has a Facebook page you can join and a website: http://royalbeautyprincess.blogspot.com/

Since we cannot post what to do each day on here, the best thing to do would be to buy the book at: http://www.thebookpatch.com/BookStoreDetails.aspx?BookID=6026&ID=61902721-dd82-483c-8bb2-ffc886995854

This way you can have it to take into prayer with you and to really focus in on the way the Lord wants to love you each day.



The mystery within the book:
                       -starts with an intro of what is the true beauty challenge, how to participate in it,                      and the history
                       - 5 parts:
1. Fasting/Beauty (days 1-4)
             2. Beauty Misconceptions (days 5-10)
             3. Truth (days 11-20)
            4. Virtue (days 21-37)
             5. The Easter Tridumm (days 38-40)  
                        - Conclusion of the new life after the challenge

United by the Cross,
       Chloe