Let This Year Be Done

As I begin to think of the new year ahead, I am starting to think of my mission. My mission on this blog, my mission in life, my mission in faith, and my mission for the world. I began this blog almost exactly a year ago, and since then it has been something that I have felt fulfills my mission not only in faith, but in life. Fiat, or “let it be done unto me” is the phrase that started me on this journey, and is the phrase that adheres me to it as well.

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The Mark of a Mountain

“The mountains are calling and I must go,” a quote from John Muir, has always held a special place in my heart. This summer my family was fortunate to be able to visit my cousin and her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There I began to learn what it is about mountains that captivates my heart the way it does-a connection to God. Mont Sainte-Victoire, an impressionistic painting by Paul Cézanne captures this feeling in the most beautiful way.

Courtesy of http://www.wikiart.org.

Where Feet May Fail

To me, Lent is somewhat about facing our fear of the unknown, facing that which keeps us from trusting God with everything we are. As we carry our crosses alongside Jesus, we must trust with all of our hearts that Jesus will carry us to the end. He will be our Simon, uniting our crosses with his, picking us up when we fall. I have always been irrationally afraid of spiders and of heights, but my focus this Lent is on a fear that I have only realized recently.  

Keep Your Eyes Open

I’ve always been one to hope for miracles. When my godmother, Betty Lou, passed away, I was left a little gold-colored bean bag angel holding a star that says “Expect Miracles”, and after looking at it every day, I guess I’ve begun to.

Parce Domine (Spare, Lord)

Can it be that Lent is upon us so soon? I know that I, for one, am not ready. Though I am ready for Christ’s triumph, I am steadfast in my complacency and my sin. Change my ways? Ehh, better not. I will, however, vow to not eat sweets and work out three times a week, because “giving up” and “adding” things will help me reach my goal of a smaller weight!

Though I have never taken part in Lenten work-outs, I have given up sweets in the hopes that it will lead me to a better lifestyle; and while neither of these are always bad things to do for Lent, we must do them for the right reasons (ie; not because you want to lose weight!).

Catholic Education Appreciation Post!

What a wonderful liberty it is to be able to write such a title! In a world that still struggles so greatly with religious persecution, I feel so blessed to have not only grown up within a huge community of faithful, but to have received a formal education within that community as well. 

A Holy Pilgrimage, Part 3

I am at a loss for words over what I have experienced this past week. The president of my high school, Father Jones, told us many times that this was a mission trip of witness rather than service, and that it is just as important. Our main contributions were physical presence and prayer, and though it may not seem like much, I feel in my heart that it was. 

A Holy Pilgrimage, Part 2

Wednesday we traveled to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The purpose of the group going there was to be reminded that all human life is sacred, and that man has power to commit horrible atrocities to fellow man. The museum itself is a beautiful remembrance of something that is so prevalent in human history, but to me it represented so much more. 

The Cotton Ball of Sin

If you’re looking for a sign, this is it. Growing up at a Catholic grade school and then attending a Catholic high school, I have seen many, many signs for vocations awareness. I have heard talks from priests and religious sisters alike, and have been encouraged by many to pursue a future in vocations. What was never really explained to me, or any of us really, was that matrimony is a holy vocation as well. We heard a couple of talks later on in our education from beautiful people who were following the vocation to marriage, but is always seemed emphasized that to live a truly holy life, you must give everything to God, and that didn’t seem to be possible in marriage.

With all of the emphasis that the Church must put on vocations to the religious life, I found myself lost in what God actually wanted me to be.

Bring Us Living Water

As Catholics, how often do we ponder our own baptism? For many of us, it was long before we could remember, and that seems to hide it from the forefront of our mind. The Church explains to us that Baptism is necessary for salvation. This is why you must be baptized to be ordained or even to be married in the Church. At Baptism we are given the key to the gates of Heaven, and that is not something to be taken lightly.