St. Maria Goretti Moment.

As I mentioned in my quick little post I was on vacation last week. While gone, my confirmation saint's, Maria, feast day happened. I was having such a great time while on my vacation and site seeing in St. Augustine that I totally forgot it was her feast day... until I was walking through the gift shop for the Our Lade de la Leche pilgrimage site. As I was walking around I stumbled upon this little display and as I looked at it I realized that it was her feast day. It was her way of saying "Hey there, Teresa, don't forget about me. It's my day today." It made my day!

For those of you who have never heard of St. Maria Goretti, let me tell you a little bit about her....

Early life

Goretti was born Maria Teresa Goretti on October 16, 1890 in Corinaldo, to Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. She was the third out of six children.

Before the age of seven, her family had become so poor that they were forced to give up their farm, move, and work for other farmers. They ended up sharing a house with another family which included Giovanni Serenelli and his son Alessandro. Soon, Maria's father Luigi became very sick with malaria, and died when Maria was just nine years old.

Maria's martyrdom

On July 5, 1902, finding eleven-year old Maria alone sewing, Alessandro Serenelli came in and threatened her with death if she did not do as he said; he was intending to rape her. She would not submit, however, protesting that what he wanted to do was a mortal sin and warning Alessandro that he would go to Hell. She desperately fought to stop Alessandro from abusing her. She kept screaming, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" Alessandro at first choked Maria, but when she insisted she would rather die than submit to him, he stabbed her eleven times. The injured Maria tried to reach for the door, but Alessandro stopped her by stabbing her three more times before running away.

Maria's little sister Teresa awoke with the noise and started crying, and when Serenelli's father and Maria's mother came to check on the little girl, they found the bleeding Maria and took her to the nearest hospital in Nettuno. She underwent surgery without anesthesia, but her injuries were beyond the doctors' help. Halfway throughout the surgery, Maria woke up. She insisted that it stay that way. The pharmacist of the hospital in which she died said to her, "Maria, think of me in Paradise." She looked to the old man: "Well, who knows, which of us is going to be there first?" "You, Maria," he replied. "Then I will gladly think of you," said Maria. The following day, twenty hours after the attack, having expressed forgiveness for her murderer and stating that she wanted to have him in Heaven with her, Maria died of her injuries, while looking at a very beautiful picture of the Blessed Mother.

Serenelli's imprisonment and repentance

Alessandro Serenelli was captured shortly after Maria's death. Originally, he was going to be sentenced to life, but since he was a minor at that time the sentence was commuted to 30 years in prison. He remained unrepentant and uncommunicative from the world for three years, until a local bishop, Monsignor Giovanni Blandini visited him in jail. Serenelli wrote a thank you note to the Bishop asking for his prayers and telling him about a dream, "in which Maria Goretti gave him lilies, which burned immediately in his hands."

After his release, Alessandro Serenelli visited Maria's still-living mother, Assunta, and begged her forgiveness. She forgave him, saying that if Maria had forgiven him on her deathbed then she couldn't do less, and they attended Mass together the next day, receiving Holy Communion side by side. Alessandro reportedly prayed every day to Maria Goretti and referred to her as "my little saint." He attended her canonization in 1950.

Serenelli later became a lay brother living in a monastery and working as its receptionist and gardener until dying peacefully in 1970.

Maria's Cannonization

On June 24, 1950, Pius XII canonized Goretti as a saint, the "Saint Agnes" of the 20th century." Owing to the huge crowd present, the ceremonies associated with the canonization were held outside of Saint Peter's Basilica. Pius XII spoke, not as before in Latin, but in Italian. "We order and declare, that the blessed Maria Goretti can be venerated as a Saint and We introduce her into the Canon of Saints". Some 500,000 people, among them a majority of youth, had come from around the world. Pius asked them: "Young people, pleasure of the eyes of Jesus, are you determined to resist any attack on your chastity with the help of grace of God?" A resounding "yes" was the answer.

Life Is Good, My Friends. Yes, Life Is Good.

Today has been a bitter-sweet day for me. It was bitter because today was the last confirmation class with my small group. It is crazy that two years have already gone by since the first class when we all started our journey. I must say I felt like a proud mamma hen today as my whole group, without me even prompting them, were excited to share with me about the saint they chose and why they chose that specific saint. It made me happy to know that they really did their own research and did not just choose a saint because their name sounded cool. I have become pretty close with these kids and am proud of how they grew in these past two years and I cannot wait to be able to watch them as they are confirmed next week-end. St. Michael the Arch Angel, St. Sebastian, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Catherine of Sienna, and St. Francis of Assisi please pray for these kids and watch over them as they journey through the rest of their life! :)

It was a sweet day as today is Mother's Day and who could have asked for better weather than what we had in my hometown? It was gorgeous and even more appreciated as in the majority of the past few weeks all we have seen are thunderstorms and rain. My whole family gathered together for a wonderful Mother's Day meal of grilled-out steak, baked potatoes, salad, and stuffed eggs. I must say it was all delicious, but I could not finish my plate. I felt so stuffed. My stomach really must have shrunk over the past few months because before I would have been able to eat it all. I was also blessed to see two of my three god-children today, which was a pleasant surprise.

Part of me is very surprised at how fast my week-end has flown by, but the other part is actually very excited to know that in six days it will be my birthday. I am even more excited about it this year as I will be spending part of my birthday at a Jason Aldean concert with two of my friends. I happen to be a HUGE Jason Aldean fan and own all of his albums except his newest one (which is the next cd I will be adding to my collection of music) and so to know I will be seeing him on my birthday is so cool. Along with that, the night before my birthday I will be going out with friends to celebrate, so I won't be getting much rest next week-end either. Go figure!

Sometimes It Is The Simplest Things That Can Make A Difference

I found this photo randomly while online. It makes me wonder how many of these types of signs could indeed make a difference. I also wonder how many people it would impact and who would actually take it seriously when they choose to take one.

Bringing Jesus To The Streets Of IU Campus

This past Tuesday was another Eucharistic Procession. It was easily the smallest group we have had for this event. I believe only around seventy people, which is not that much considering there have been a couple of hundreds in the past. I believe it is because it was not very well advertised this year. I had heard about it only one week before, which is not the case in past years. Even though it was a more intimate group of people I believe it still had a large impact on those who saw our little procession.
It was somewhat of a frustrating day for me before the procession. The weather was looking pretty nasty and we were all worried that it would be even more stormy as the time for the procession rolled around. I had a lot of friends who would not make it praying that the weather would be nice for those of us who were going. Even more important that it would not start raining as we were all in the middle of processing through IU campus as we did not want to put Jesus in the middle of nasty weather. Thankfully everyone's prayers were heard because right about the time it was to begin the sky cleared and it was gorgeous the rest of the evening. It was a wonderful blessing.

"You Were On The Cross"

"Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent."
~St. John of the Cross~

This is such a masterpiece of lyrics and music. Take a moment today to reflect on it.....

You Were On The Cross
Written by Matt Maher/Kenny Butler/Audrey Assad; Performed by Matt Maher

Lost, everything is lost
And everything I've loved before is gone
Alone like the coming of the frost
And a cold winter's chill in my stony heart

And where were You when all that I've hoped for?
Where were You when all that I've dreamed
Came crashing down in shambles around me?
You were on the cross

Pain, could you take away the pain?
If I find someone to blame, would it make my life seem easier?
Alone, all my friends are asleep
And I can't find anyone to stay awake with me

Where were You when sin stole my innocence?
Where were You when I was ashamed?
Hiding in a life, I wish, I never made

You were on the cross, my God, my God, alone, alone
You were on the cross, You died for us, alone, alone
You were on the cross, victorious, alone, alone

You were there in all of my suffering
And You were there in doubt and in fear
I'm waiting on the dawn to reappear

Feeling The Love

In my last post I mentioned how yesterday I was home sick with strep throat. I received phone calls and texts and facebook messages from those who heard I was sick to let me know they were all praying I would feel better. All those messages from friends each did make me feel better and cared for. There was one instance yesterday though, that made me feel touched the most.

I know I have mentioned in past posts, mostly in my earlier ones, that the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" has a special meaning to my family. The reason why it is special I know I have written about before and you can read it if you click here.

Last night as I was cuddled up on the couch I was channel surfing and what movie did I end up finding without knowing it would be on, but "The Wizard of Oz." I turned it on and it was just starting. It hit me as I was listening to Judy garland sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" that my brother, David, was trying to let me know he was there. What was even more cool about this was that I was the only person in the room during the song. My mom had just gone to bed, my dad was gone to pick-up my little brother, and Crista was downstairs in her room. I felt so much more relaxed in that moment. This morning I told my mother about it and she laughed and said how of all the members in my family, David would be the one who understands feeling pain more than anyone else. She was not too surprised by that at all. I am happy to have my big brother up there looking after me. :)

"Grenade"

Holy Week is coming up, and I must say that I am looking forward to it. Holy Week happens to be my very favorite week in the liturgical year. Tonight as I was listening to this song, "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, my mind-set was totally different than how it normally is while listening to this song. If I was not thinking about Holy Week I probably would not have even taken this song in the direction I am about too. The fact is this song, if looked at with the right perspective, is so symbolic. I am sure Bruno Mars was not meaning for it to be interpreted this way, but the fact is I have for the first time thought of this as being turned into a Christian song.... A lenten type song. Like maybe how Jesus was thinking while hanging on the cross and looking down and realizing the the majority of his closest friends had deserted him.... For example "Should of known you was trouble from the first kiss " could be about Judas and how he hands Jesus over with a kiss on the cheek. "Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb" could obviously be about him while being scourged.... Some may think I am silly for thinking this way while listening to this song tonight, but sometimes that is how my mind works.



Grenade
By Bruno Mars

Easy come, easy go
That's just how you live, oh
Take, take, take it all,
But you never give
Should of known you was trouble from the first kiss,
Had your eyes wide open. Why were they open?

Gave you all I had
And you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked,
Cause what you don't understand is

I’d catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah , yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, oh

I would go through all this pain,
Take a bullet straight through my brain,
Yes, I would die for ya baby;
But you won't do the same

No, no, no, no
Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb
Tell the devil I said “hey” when you get back to where you're from
Mad woman, bad woman,
That's just what you are, yeah,
You’ll smile in my face then rip the breaks out my car

Gave you all I had
And you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, yes you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked
Cause what you don't understand is

I’d catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah , yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, oh

I would go through all this pain,
Take a bullet straight through my brain,
Yes, I would die for ya baby;
But you won't do the same

If my body was on fire, ooh
You’ d watch me burn down in flames
You said you loved me you're a liar
Cause you never, ever, ever did baby...

But darling I’ll still catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah , yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, oh

I would go through all this pain,
Take a bullet straight through my brain,
Yes, I would die for ya baby;
But you won't do the same.
No, you won’t do the same,
You wouldn’t do the same,
Ooh, you’ll never do the same,
No, no, no, no

"You Called And You Shouted! Broke Through My Deafness. Now I'm Breathing In And Breathing Out. I'm Alive Again!"

I feel like I must explain my long absence from my blog. I have been completely busy with long meetings and work and so many other things that have kept me pretty occupied and left me without any blogging time. I have been lucky to get any sleep with the crazyiness of my life.

You see one of the parishes in my home town was blessed with the opportunity to bring Matt Maher in concert here. I was even more blessed to be asked to be part of the team that was in charge if putting everything together. I knew about this concert since October, but it has been talked about for much longer. As soon as my friend asked me if I would be interested in taking part with a Matt Maher concert I quickly said I would without any hesitation. I have been a fan of his music now for a few years and to see him in concert for free and in the front row was a huge deal to me. It definitely was earned though. Our team put in a lot of hours of planning... My main task was to help with making sure Chic-fil-a would do a Spirit Day for St. Paul's to help raise money for the concert along with making sure that they would be able to be able to sell their food outside of the church before the concert started. Along with that I spent hours helping to sell tickets, first
after Masses at St. Paul's then I spent
hours at my own parish helping sell tickets after two of the Masses... It was frustrating and boring at times, but well worth it in the end.

This past week was a whirlwind of activity as it was the week of the concert. We had meetings both Monday night and Tuesday night that went pretty late as we were going through everything to make sure the whole evening would go smoothly and on time. I took off of work Wednesday, the day of the concert, early to help get everything set-up and last minute details worked-out. It was tiring and I did not get to sit-down hardly that night, except for during the concert when Matt asked everyone to take a seat.

We were an excited bunch as the clock ticked closer and closer to the time that the doors would be opened. We were mentally preparing ourselves for the six hundred people who were going to walk in and kind of take-over the building. We had people come in as far as Cincinnati, Ohio to see this concert. It was crazy to think that everything we had worked for was about to happen.

We were also blessed with this concert because Matt had Audrey Assad open for him. I had never heard of this person before this concert, so I was not sure how I felt about her. Audrey is a convert to Catholicism and I quickly became a fan of hers as soon as I heard her voice. She truly has a voice of an angel, and the lyrics to her songs are so beautiful. I was also blessed to have the chance to talk with her. My friend and I kind of snuck into the meet-and-greet group as both of our tasks were pretty much finished at that point and so we figured, why not? She was down-to-earth and really did not mind answering our stream of never-ending questions about life on the road for an artist. The way our conversation went felt like I was talking to a good friend and I was not quite ready to say good-bye.

That is a night I know I will remember for a long time. It was a blessing to know that I played a role to bring two amazing artists to my hometown.

So after the concert, Thursday night was taken up by Latin Mass at another parish near Bloomington which was beautiful. Last night was my parish's fish-fry fundraiser and so I did not get home till somewhat late, and once I did get home I was beat. So if anyone has been wondering where I have been I hope this post has answered that question for you.

The Power Of Prayer

Facebook Photo Challenge: Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

The power of prayer is something that makes an impact on my life. The most recent example of this is when my nephew/Godson was so sick just a few weeks ago. It was pretty scary at first. I felt so blessed and touched to know of all the people who I love and care about were praying for my nephew and checking-up on him daily. The majority of my friends had never met Keegan before but were sincerely worried about him. They offered Masses for him, their work-outs, prayed rosaries and a few of them even fasted for the little guy. Now he is up and running as if he had never been sick. I can tell you that it was a very humbling and amazing experience that has left a huge impact on me.

I Am One Lucky Girl. :)

Dear Friends,

Try each day to follow Christ's word. Listen to Him as a true friend with whom you can share your path in life. With Him at your side, you will find courage and hope to face difficulties and problems, and even to overcome disappointments and set-backs.
You are constantly being offered easier choices, but you yourselves know that these are ultimately deceptive and cannot bring you serenity and joy.
Only the Word of God can show us the authentic way, and only the faith we have received is the light which shines on our path.
Gratefully accept this spiritual gift which you have received from your families; strive to respond responsibly to God's call and to grow in your faith. Do not believe those who tell you that you don't need others to build up your life! Find support in the faith of those who are dear to you, in the faith of the Church, and thank the Lord that you have received it and have made it your own!

Pope Benedict XVI

Tonight I was given this quote from a dear friend in a little note. He was telling me thank-you for being one of those who help builds up his life. It was a sweet little thing that touched me dearly. I try to let those I love and care about how much I love and care about them and how much they mean to me. I thank God everyday for the AMAZING people he has placed in my life. I really don't know where I would be without these great family members and friends to lean on for support. They are truly the best gifts He has given me.

The Best Verse In The Bible....

Psalm 46:10
'Be Still and Know that I AM GOD'

Sometimes this can be easier said then done.....

1 Corinthians 13:4 Prayer

Lord,
Because love is patient…Help me to be slow to judge, but quick to listen. Hesitant to criticize, but eager to encourage,remembering your endless patience with me.

Because love is kind… Help my words to be gentle and my actions to be thoughtful. Remind me to smile and to say “Please” and “Thank You” because those little things still mean so much.

Because love does not envy or boast, and it is not proud… Help me have a heart that is humble and sees the good in others. May I celebrate and appreciate all that I have and all that I am, as well as doing the same for those around me.

Because love is not rude or self-seeking… Help me to speak words that are easy on the ear and on the heart. When I’m tempted to get wrapped up in my own little world, remind me there’s a great big world out there full of needs and hurts.

Because love is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs… Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. When I want to hold onto a grudge, gently help me release it so I can reach out with a hand of love instead.

Because love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth…Help me stand up for what is right and good. May I defend the defenseless, and help the helpless. Show me how I can make a difference.

Because love always protects and always trusts… Help me to be a refuge for those around me. When the world outside is harsh and cold, may my heart be a place of acceptance and warmth.

Finally, because love always perseveres… Help my heart continually beat with love for You and others. Thank you for showing us what the word love really means. Amen.

By Holley Gerth

"Someone's Watching Over Me"

While being sick this week-end I have spent a lot of time sleeping and watching tv and listening to music. This is the first time I have really sat down for a lengthy period of time. I have "re-discovered" this Hilary Duff song. I am not a huge Hilary Duff fan, but I do have to say the lyrics to this song are very beautiful. It is very easy to see how christian this song really is. I personally like the lyrics in bold the best. I will keep on praying that I won't be afraid to follow wherever God is calling me.....

"Someone's Watching Over Me"
by Hilary Duff

I found myself today
Oh I found myself and ran away
But something pulled me back
A voice of reason I forgot I had
All I know is you're not here to say
What you always used to say
But it's written in the sky tonight

Chorus:

So I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it

seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's watching over me


I've seen that ray of light
And it's shining on my destiny
shining all the time
And I won't be afraid
To follow everywhere it's taking me
All I know is yesterday is gone
And right now I belong
To this moment
To my dreams


Chorus:

So I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's watching over me

It doesn't matter what people say
And it doesn't matter how long it takes
Believe in yourself and you'll fly high
It only matters how true you are
Be true to yourself and follow your heart

Chorus:

So I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's watching over me

"Circle me, Lord..."

Circle me, Lord.
Keep protection near
And danger afar.

Circle me, Lord
Keep hope within.
Keep doubt without.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep light near
And darkness afar.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep peace within.
Keep evil out.

Amen.

The above prayer was shared today during the homily of our pastor's last week-end here. It was a very moving homily and I must admit I did tear up a bit from it. Father Bill brought a whole lot to our parish and he became very important to my family. The most touching part of the Mass with him was how I could see he was crying a little bit while waiting for the gifts to come down the aisle. It was easy to see that as much as he meant to us the parish did mean a whole lot to him as well. What he taught us will be remembered as we welcome our new priest. Change is not easy, but with the right attitude it can be the beginning of a good thing. My family still intends to visit Father often and will be kept close at heart. :)

Good-byes And Surprises

All is quiet in my house except for the sound of the heater. I cannot seem to fall asleep and I know the reason is because at this moment there is somewhere else I would love to be at, but I know why I can't be there tonight or the rest of the week-end. That place happens to be in Indianapolis where a large gathering of undergrads are attending Kairos 21 retreat. It is a huge sacrifice for me to give up a retreat week-end. Knowing the majority of my friends are at the retreat enjoying great talks and eachother's company tonight is making not being there even harder. At this moment I am sure most of them are still awake enjoying their free-time playing games, singing songs, talking, and becoming very sleep deprived while having a whole lot of fun. As much as I wish I were there in person I understand now why God did not call me to go to this retreat as much as it is hard for me to not be there.

This week-end happens to be the last week-end for our parish priest to be here. He has only been with us for a short period of time considering how long the average amount of time is for a priest to stay with a parish. It was a surprise to hear about when he told us he only had a month left to stay with us. He also has said how much he really does not want to leave, but the only reason he is going is because the Bishop has told him to. He is being obedient to his adviser. Father has become very important to my family while we have been going through some difficult times. He has been one of the easiest priests for me to go to confession to. His homilies at Mass have always been easy for me to take something away from. He has done so many positive things at our parish. Knowing he is leaving and not really wanting to is making this good-bye even harder. If I had gone on the retreat I would have missed-out on his last Mass here, and that would have made me very sad. More sad than not attending the retreat, which is saying something pretty big considering how much I love retreats.

Another reason why I am ok with not being able to be on this retreat is the fact that my family is throwing my father a surprise birthday party on Sunday. The only reason why I am even ok with writing this on my blog is the fact that my father does not get on the computer... except to check his e-mail. When he sits and types out his e-mails he only uses two fingers because he has never really understood the need for typing classes. His work made him take a typing class which he attended, but even the teacher ended up passing him only because he went from one finger to two. Thinking about that kind of makes me laugh. I love my dad dearly. He turned sixty while I was away for my March for Life trip so we did not have a big celebration with him. In fact when I got home that day no one was here to greet me. My parents were out on a dinner date for his birthday. I was cool with that. In fact I kind of enjoyed having a bit of "alone" time to reflect on the trip. Anyway, so my mom is expecting fifty to sixty people coming to his party. My little brother will be the dj. There will be tons and tons of Mexican food since that is my dad's favorite kind of food. There are lots of letters that have come in for my dad from those who will not be able to be here for it in person. Along with his birthday this is also supposed to celebrate the fact that my dad has stayed sober for 22 years from alcohol which is something my family is very proud of him for. I could go on and on about all the many ways my dad has helped others around my town with different needs, but that would take a long time to write. The fact that so many care enough about him to let him know how much he means to them speaks volumes about the kind of man my dad is. I feel very blessed that God gave me the parents he did. I would not trade them for the world! Had I gone on the retreat I would miss-out on this grand occasion and that would really really make me sad.

The picture has Father Bill in the middle and my dad on his right. It was taken at one of the parish pic-nics that Father Bill pushed for.

Since I was not able to be with my friends I have sent them each a little note which they should receive sometimes tomorrow and I have been keeping them in my prayers. I cannot wait to hear how their experience was this past week-end when they return. :)

I Am A "Lyric" Person

"You know I've got this theory, there are two kinds of people in the world. There are lyric people and music people. You know, the lyric people tend to be analytical. You know, all about the meaning of the song. They're the ones you see with the CD insert out like 5 minutes after buying it, pouring over the lyrics, interpreting the hell out of everything. Um, then there’s the music people, like Brooke. Who could care less for the lyrics as long as its just got like a good beat and you could dance to it. I don’t know, sometimes it might be easier to be a music girl and not a lyric girl. But since I’m not, let me just say this. Sometimes things find you when you need them to find you, I believe that. And for me its usually song lyrics."

-One Tree Hill (Peyton Sawyer's character)-

I read this quote for the first time today, and I can totally 100% understand where this quote is coming from. If you are new to this blog and have not yet seen a post where I talk about the lyrics of a song, then just wait it out a little bit and sure enough I will post one. Better yet, you can read them by clicking the music link on my side-bar. I am obsessed with songs which have emotional and memorable lyrics. Lyrics are poetry and if they touch me without hearing the song then I know the song has got to be a piece of art. There are definitely certain song lyrics that have truly changed my life. That usually happens when it is spot on to what I need to hear or what emotion I am feeling. Lyrics can be beautiful... they can also be harmful depending on what the writer is trying to convey. Just another thing I am careful about.

Learning To Appreciate Winter Beauty

The ice storm hit hard in my hometown. Everything here is pretty much closed up and everyone (who still have electricity in their homes) are in hibernation mode. It is a interesting feeling. There is a nice layer of ice covering everything out side. I went to clean off the ice on my car, just for something to do, and it took me about fifteen to twenty minutes to clear it all off. While I was out there I noticed something. It was completely silent outside, with the exception of my car running. No one was outside shoveling their driveways. There were no sounds of cars going down the road. There were no children running around and playing. There were no signs of any animals either. It was very interesting. Silence like that hardly ever happens during the day on my street. I took the time to really look around my street at what nature had done to it. My neighbor's tree in the front yard had a number of branches fall down and block her front door. The snow was shiny from the layer of ice laying on top of it. The trees all glistened in the sunlight from the ice which covered every branch and stem and twig. It looked like a gorgeous winter wonderland. It was a moment that reminded me how even though I am usually not appreciative of winter weather, winter still has it's own beauty that should be noticed. God is really something when He wants to catch a person's attention...

Working On This Whole Trust Thing...

^{Yesterday I took the chance to go to confession. It had been about a month since I had last gone, and although I did not really have too much to say I ended up going for some advice. As I mentioned in a previous post about a interesting moment that happened to me personally on my trip. I was still feeling a bit confused and unsure about what my future. Before I went into confession I prayed to God about what that all meant. I decided to open up the Bible and it opened to this passage:}

^{Philippians 4:6-9}

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

That made me feel a little bit better, but still not fully at peace. I went into confession and told Father my list of sins. He then asked me if there was anything else that was troubling me about my relationship with God. I did not really plan on explaining the story of what happened on my trip, but when he asked me that I knew I had to get it off my chest. He then told me that that sort of thing happens a lot to lots of different people. He said that since this was the first time it had happened to me by a stranger it did not mean I am called as a nun. He told me to just leave it alone for now. If I am called to becoming a nun or sister than there will be more signs to come in my future, but for now to just not think about it at all. I felt an immediate sense of relief hearing that from my priest. For my penance he told me to keep praying to trust God and His plan for me. The more I thought about that penance the more I have realized that I really do need to pray more about trusting God. There have been some other things in my life over the past few years that have made me confused and frustrated about what God has planned for my future. So here's to me REALLY working on being relaxed while God takes the wheel.

"Relax!"

This past week I found out that our parish priest will be leaving us within the next month. I am very saddened about this change, especially since he has only been with us for a short period of time. I understand why he will be leaving us, but I know that St. Charles will not quite feel as much like home in the way that it once was. The fact that we will not have an official parish priest until sometime this Summer will make it feel even more strange in some ways. I can't help but wonder who our new priest will be and what ways the dynamic of my parish will change.
This morning I opened up my "God Calling" book and this is what it had to say...

January 15
Relax

Relax, do not get tense, have no fear. All is for the best. How can you fear change when your life is hid with Me in God, who changeth not- and I Am the same yesterday, today, and forever.
You must learn poise, soul-balance and poise, in a vacillating changing world.
Claim My power. The same power which which I cast out devils is yours today. Use it. If not, I withdraw it. Us it ceaselessly.
You cannot ask too much. Never think you are too busy. As long as you get back to Me and replenish after each task no work can be too much. My joy I give you. Live in it. Bath your spirit in it. Reflect it."

Have You Prayed About Your Vocation Recently???

As I said in my previous post, this week is Vocation Awareness Week. Last night at "holy" hour we talked all about vocations and ways to really go about understanding what God is calling us to do in our lives. There was a panel of three guests, a priest, and then a couple who are engaged to be married this May. It was interesting to really learn each one of their stories. I particularly enjoyed hearing the young woman's story because it helped affirm how I have been discerning God's call in my own life. She never has really spent her time discerning about being called as a nun. Instead each time she has had to make a choice in her life she discerned whether that is what God was wanting her to choose. When it came to becoming engaged she discerned whether she was called to spend the rest of her life with her fiancee. Before she was engaged both her and her boyfriend did a novena for over a month and spent time together going to Mass and in eucharistic adoration to figure out if marriage was what God was calling them too.

I found this story very insightful for myself. Like her, I have not really thought too seriously on becoming a nun. Not that I have totally closed the door on that idea, but right at this moment I have not felt that being a nun or sister is my calling. With every big choice I have I also go to God in prayer about it. I pray a lot before making a decision. The more I sit in prayer with God, the more I feel peace with my life and the direction I am going right now. I know that if and when it comes time in a relationship to think about marriage I want to take this girl's advice. I want to really pray about that with the person I am in a relationship with before a proposal officially happens.

One question that was asked was how to decipher which answers come from God and which ones come from the devil. It is always tricky to figure out. Father said that the more we pray about our vocation then the choice that really fills us with peace and fulfillment is the answer he believes comes from God. The devil will always be there trying to make a person turn away from God's path, but the more we rely on God while spending quality quiet time with Him and talk with a mentor/close family and friends (when I say close, I really mean a select few people who really know YOU best and who you are comfortable sharing yourself with) about the discernment process the more it will help drown out the devil.

After the discussion we spent some time in Eucharistic Adoration which was a perfect way to help digest all that we had listened too.