With Jesus with Mary

Hello Ladies. Today is Good Friday and we would like to share with you some Stations of the Cross from the perspective of Our Lady.  A number of us found these to be particularly powerful.  May you walk with Our Lady this day and allow her to draw you into the Passion of her Son.  May you experience His deep, intimate, and personal love for you as He, the Bridegroom of your soul, fought for you this day. 

"Look at His adorable face.
Look at His glazed and sunken eyes.
Look at His wounds.
Look Jesus in the Face.
There, you will see how He loves us."
~ St. Therese of Lisieux

Peace to your beautiful hearts,

-Sr. Elizabeth, TOR

A Heart Like Mary

    It seems like one of the most prayed prayers among women on this campus is “Please make my heart like Our Lady’s!!”  While this is a beautiful prayer that should definitely be prayed, I sometimes wonder if we know what we’re really asking for. 
    A heart like Our Lady’s is not one of stone.  It is not impervious to grief or sorrow.  It doesn’t mean we’ll suddenly be calm at all times and nothing will ever faze us or stress us out again.  What it IS is a heart full of grace and complete openness to God’s Will. 
    Let’s think about this more.  Mary is the Immaculate Conception- she was born without original sin.  But she also had free will.  So even though she was untouched by sin, she still had a choice every moment of every day whether or not to remain that way.  Being filled with grace helped with this decision of course, but it was still a choice.  The “yes” that she gave at the Annunciation had been repeated everyday of her life up to that point (and continued after).  So we can say that Mary had a perfect heart- Immaculate actually. 
    Fast forward to when Jesus gets left behind in the Temple.  When Mary and Joseph find Him, look at the first thing Mary says, “Son, why have you treated us so?  Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously!”  I do not believe this was delivered in a calm, even tone with a gentle smile.  Mary and Joseph had been running around the city for three days frantically searching for the Son of God Whom they had misplaced.  It was not a leisurely stroll around Jerusalem, knowing Jesus was probably in the Temple.  There was uncertainty and anxiety involved.  I can only imagine what  Joseph was going through.
    Let us look also at the Passion of Christ.  Mary was with Him the whole time.  Do you not think she shared in the pain of her Son?  Back at the Presentation at the Temple, Simeon tells Mary “…and a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many may be revealed.”  A sword does not merely tickle.  A sword hacks through flesh and bone.  During the Passion, she walked with her Son and was there through it all, watching and praying.  The deep maternal pain of seeing your child in agony was added to the spiritual pain of her God being attacked. 
    Through all this pain and grief, we can identify something that makes Our Lady’s sufferings different.  She was not suffering from selfish desires, her grief was holy.  She was mourning the loss of the good, what was replaced by the evil that was happening.  Her grief honored the good by acknowledging the choices that could have been made.  So closely was her heart tied to Christ’s that there was really no room for anything but Love.  This is the kind of heart we should be praying for, one that has the potential to experience great sorrow precisely because it has been filled with great Love first.

Happy Holy Week!
Your sister in Christ,
Jenny

Happy Holy Week!

Hello Ladies!

                I hope your Lent has gone well and as we kick off Holy week, I just wanted to encourage you all to keep growing in virtue! The past few weeks we have looked at prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice.  These cardinal virtues lead to all other virtues and assist us in growing in love for God and for others. During this holy week, I think it would be a great idea to focus on all four of these virtues in order to help prepare our hearts to enter into the paschal mystery so we may celebrate the Resurrected Christ during Easter!

 A great way to see the cardinal virtues in action is by looking at the lives of the saints! Tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 9pm in the Assissi Heights Community Lounge we will be showing an episode of Father Robert Barron’s Catholicism Series called the Communion of Saints. The video looks at these virtues in connection with St Edith Stein, Blessed Mother Teresa, St Katharine Drexel, and St Therese Lisieux.  Hope to see you there!

-Holly

When No Means Yes

This week we’re focusing on the virtue of justice, and I want to bring our attention to the justice we owe to God. Just as justice requires that we give all people—teachers, strangers, friends—their due, so too does it require that we give God what He deserves. And what is this? Our undivided love and service.

On the Feast of the Annunciation, as I contemplated Mary’s Fiat, her “yes” to God, I considered how to be just, I, like Mary, must strive to always respond to the Lord and His will for me with a resounding “yes.”

But I can’t say “yes” to everything!

Yep, that was my initial thought. If I always say “yes,” I will be stretched like a twin-sized bed sheet over a queen-sized mattress, and things won’t be pretty.

Then I realized—God isn’t going to ask of me anything, or things, that He doesn’t already know I can handle. But I know I can’t do everything. Right. That’s why sometimes, I need to say “no.”

Say “no!”

Yes. If we’re asked to do something we know we can’t do, something God doesn’t want us to do, we have to say “no.” By saying “no,” we’re really saying “yes” to God. And when we say "yes" to God, we are practicing justice.

May God bless us all, as we strive to live out these virtues for the remainder of Lent and the rest of our lives.

Lenten Holy Hour TONIGHT (Wednesday, March 28th)

Hi Ladies!
Can you believe this is our last full week of Lent?! We can't! Come join FUS Women's Ministry for a Lenten Holy Hour led by Fr. Dominic Foster, TONIGHT at 9pm in CTK chapel! We will be reflecting on our Lenten journey and preparing to enter into Holy Week. Hope to see you there!
God Bless,
Megan and the FUS Women's Ministry Core Team

Just About Justice

   Justice.  When I hear this word, I automatically think of a courtroom or of rallies with flags waving.  Of all the virtues, it seemed to me the most aggressive and intimidating.
    But after praying and talking about it with some of the other FUS Women’s Ministry Core Team members, I realized how many opportunities we have here on campus to grow in this virtue without joining law school or causing a political upheaval.
    Frank Sheed describes the virtue justice as, “a burning will that others have what is due to them…Justice means a really profound concern that others should have their rights, driving us to do something about it.”#  What are these rights of which he is speaking?  Should we memorize the Bill of Rights and recite it to every person we meet?  What about in other countries?
    Beyond the basic material needs that every person requires (food, water, shelter, etc.), there is a need to love and feel loved.  I believe the heart of the virtue of justice is to acknowledge every person as a child of God and treat them as such so that they recognize it in their hearts.  By their very existence on this earth, the human race will never be the same.  Our generation is facing some of the greatest attacks on human dignity this world has seen.  The value of the human person is viewed as relative, and the imperishable beauty of the human soul is denied outright.  People are emotionally destroying each other, all for the sake of “humor” or in a quest for selfish self-esteem.  Don’t worry, the virtue of justice is here to save the day!
    So how can we practice this revolutionary virtue on campus? 
    Let’s start with how we treat others.  The ministry of presence is one that is often overlooked but one that we intuitively know.  When you’re having a conversation with someone, look them in the eye and listen.  Even if you just remembered something super cool you REALLY want to tell them, wait until they are finished.  Whether you’re standing outside or eating a meal with them, stay away from your cell phone.  Unless there is some sort of emergency, keep the phone hidden throughout your time with this person.  All these things let the person know you are genuinely interested in what they have to say and you enjoy being in their presence. 
    Do you enjoy seeing your friends?  Show the world!  When you see them approaching, throw back your head and roar to the heavens your joy at being on the same earth as them.  Jumping up and down waving your arms in glee has the same affect.  NOTE: these are just suggestions, in no way is your beauty or awesome-ness diminished if you do not do this, I understand.  Please post other suggestions in the comment section.
    I think we all can relate to that awkward moment when you’re walking around campus and you are walking past  someone you don’t know or have met but can’t remember their name so you both just look down sheepishly and hurry past. 
    My dear sisters, do not be afraid to go out into the streets and smile and wave at strangers.
    You don’t have to start a conversation, and if you do, it doesn’t have to be super intense.  You can just give them a lovely, friendly smile that says, “Hello beautiful child of the Most High God, I recognize your worth and honor you.  I hope you have a fantastic day!”  It’s easier than it might sound, and you might make a few new friends from it!  While driving or walking around town, I like to wave at people driving by (smile included).  I call it “wave ministry”.  It has the same affect as the smile, but it is a more direct, outward sign to others who might have otherwise missed the smile.  It is a beautiful opportunity to touch someone’s life for just a moment.  Perhaps they were having a terrible day, but by your small effort it is brightened.
    Getting involved with the Works of Mercy on campus is a great way to grow in the virtue of justice.  I encourage you to look into them, there are many and each is different, so there is a good chance there will be something to interest you or challenge you.
    As students, most of us will have to take classes we don’t want to take.  Sometimes teachers can get on our nerves.  But they still are due our respect, even if we don’t think they know how to teach.  That’s not the point.  The point is that they are a teacher and someone in a position of authority.  Some simple ways we can show our professors we respect them (even if we don’t particularly like them) is by showing up to class.  Yes, sometimes things happen that are out of our control and we just can’t make it to class, but oftentimes we can and should.  If the professors are taking time to be there, we should as well.  Even if the professor says they don’t care about cell phone usage, try to avoid texting or fiddling around with your phone during class.  Practicing respect for them outside of class is important too.  By this I mean not trashing them as soon as you walk out of the door to anyone who will listen.  If you’re not doing well in the class, honestly evaluate yourself and see if you are putting everything you can into it, or if you are slacking off.  This is college, the classes are going to be difficult, whether you’re a freshman or a senior or a grad student.  Before you start gossiping or ranting, think it through and give yourself time to cool down. 
    Let’s talk about practicing justice with yourself.  I don’t think we will ever truly comprehend how special we are.  Not in a narcissistic way, but in an oh-my-goodness-the-unique-beauty-of-me-is-so-fantastically-made!!!  This is why comparing yourself with others is so silly, yet so easy to fall in to.  We all do it, but that still doesn’t mean it’s just.  By trying to conform yourself into the shape of someone else, either physically or emotionally, you are denying the world the unique beauty and gift of yourself.  In all honesty, this can be viewed as a crime against humanity.  Who are you to deprive the world of this unrepeatable light?  To be anyone else other than yourself is just selfish.  It is not only your right to be who you were created to be, it is also the world’s right to experience and be formed by the person God is calling you to be.
    Part of practicing justice with yourself is balance.  Setting your priorities and scheduling accordingly is important.  Sometimes we want to do everything and over commit ourselves but rationalize it with a tired “it’s ok”.  No it’s not.  You have a right to sleep and a right to say no without feeling selfish.  If you’re so busy that you don’t have time to take care of yourself physically and spiritually, you’re not being fair to yourself or anyone else. 
    And so my dear sisters, go out and be incredible (which means be yourself) and let others know they are a unique and precious gift to the world and that no one can replace them.  Let us all grow in the virtue of justice this week and the weeks to come- the world desperately needs us.

Your sister in Christ,
Jenny

Jesus, Strength of Martyrs...

In the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, we pray: “Jesus, strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us.” I was thinking about how all people are called to be martyrs, to be witnesses, and maybe not by physical death, but by death to ourselves. Each and every one of us is called to lay down our lives for those around us.

What does this have to do with fortitude? Marta talked about how being lukewarm is the opposite of practicing fortitude and I was thinking about how easy it is to be lukewarm (at least for me!) in laying down my life for others. So, I thought about some practical ways to lay down my life.

1. I have a paper to write, but once I log onto my computer I go straight to Facebook. To practice fortitude in not giving in to lukewarmness, why don’t we stay off Facebook until the paper is written?

2. I served two bowls of ice-cream, one for my friend and one for me. One happens to be larger than the other, and I want the larger option. But, to lay down my life, I give my friend the bowl with more ice-cream.

3. My friend wants to watch NCIS; I want to watch Tangled. Rather than telling my friend my option, I agree to watch NCIS with her.

4. I know we’re supposed to give to the poor, so I tithe ten percent of my income to the local charity. Why don’t I actually go to a soup kitchen and serve the poor, and practice the ministry of presence?

These are just a couple ways we can practice laying down our lives for one another. If we can practice fortitude in these small matters, we can practice it in large matters. Fortitude is a virtue, so it is a habit, so it is something that is easier to do the more we do it. I encourage you to practice fortitude now; overcome your lukewarnmness, lay down your life in the little ways.

If you are tempted not to lay down your life (which I know I am), here are two suggestions that help me. First of all, follow the advice of Matthew Kelly: don’t base your actions off how you feel before, base them off how you’ll feel after. For example, you may not feel like giving your pink pen to a stranger in need, but think about after you give her the pen, you’ll feel good about helping. And second, remember that fortitude is the Gift of the Holy Spirit; when you’re tempted to lukewarnmness, ask the Holy Spirit for help, and He will come to your aid. Jesus, strength of martyrs…have mercy on us!