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. :)

"The Perfect Man"

Tonight I spent part of my evening watching the movie, "The Perfect Man." It is very much a chick-flick, but I enjoy the message that comes out of it. For those of you who don't know, the movie is about a a mother and her two daughters. Every time the mother has fallen in love but ended up with a broken heart she would have her family pack-up and move to another town. The mother felt as though if she were not in a relationship with any guy, no matter how much of a loser the guy is, then she was not worth anything. In the end the daughter helps the mother realize how amazing she is and how she does not need another man to make her wonderful. While the mother feels the need to fall in love to feel whole, the daughter is too afraid to let herself get close to anyone because of how she has watched her mother deal with men while growing up. It was an interesting movie to watch.

There are lots of girls who seem to follow in the mother's footsteps and need to always have a boyfriend or they don't feel as if they are worth anything. This is really sad to me to watch happen. Don't get me wrong here having a boyfriend is a nice surprise to have, but us girls should not feel that we need one at ALL times. Really us girls need to have our hearts set on Jesus, because He is the perfect man who will help make us feel whole. Once we focus on Him and what He wants of us than that is what will make each of us feel a true sense of worth. God will bring the right man to us at the right time. Patience is a virtue and when it comes to waiting for that "someone" it is really hard to have, but it will be worth it in the end.

Chrismas Movies Are The Best :)

Now that it is the week before Christmas it is time to pull out my favorite Christmas movies..."It's A Wonderful Life," "White Christmas," Home Alone movies, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "The Santa Clause," "The Muppet Christmas Carol," "The Preacher's Wife," "How The Grinch Stole Christmas," "Miracle on 34th Street, and "Little Women" are all on the "to watch" list.

There are such great messages in the classic Christmas movies... I wish the majority of the mainstream movies are still like that today, but sadly they are not.

Here are a few of the more memorable quotes from these movies....

"Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings, Love Clarence."
~It's A Wonderful Life~

"I know I don't deserve a Christmas, even if I did do a good deed. I don't want any presents. Instead, I want to take back every mean thing I ever said to my family. Even if they don't take back the things they said to me. I don't care. I love all of them... Including Buzz. I know it isn't possible to see them all. Could I just see my mother? I'll never want another thing as long as I live if I can just see my mother. I know I won't see her tonight, but promise me I can see her again. Sometime. Any time. Even if it's just once and only for a couple minutes. I just need to tell her I'm sorry."
~Home Alone 2~

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
[Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown]
That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."
~A Charlie Brown Christmas~

"Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."
~The Santa Clause~

"It's all right, children. Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it. "
~A Muppet Christmas Carol~

"Just because you can't see the air doesn't keep you from breathing. And just because you can't see God doesn't keep you from believing."
~The Preacher's Wife~

"I'm glad he took our presents. You can't hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor, beacuse it isn't about the... the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights. That's what Cindy's been trying to tell everyone... and me. I don't need anything more for Christmas than this right here: my family."
~How The Grinch Stole Christmas~

"Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see? It's not just Kris that's on trial, it's everything he stands for. It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles."
~Miracle on 34th Street~

"If God wants me with Him, there is none who will stop Him. I don't mind."
~Little Women~

"Letter to Claire"

In a previous post I wrote a number of months ago I spoke about this particular movie quote I put below. I finally got around to finding it and putting it on my blog. If you are interested in the previous post as to why I like this then you can click here.

Letter to Claire

"'What' and ‘if’ two words as nonthreatening
as words come. But put
them together side-by-side and they
have the power to haunt you for the
rest of your life: ‘What if?'..."

"I don't know how your story ended.
But I know that if what you felt
then was love - true love - then
it's never too late. If it was true
then, why wouldn't it be true
now? You need only the courage to
follow your heart..."

"I don't know what a love like that
feels like... a love to leave loved
ones for, a love to cross oceans
for... but I'd like to believe if I
ever felt it. I'd have the courage
to seize it. I hope you had the
courage to seize it, Claire. And if
you didn't, I hope one day that you
will."

"What If"... Two Words That Can Do More Harm Than Good

This is really late for me to be up tonight, and I have a feeling I am going to really regret it, but sometimes there are moments when writing, blogging, journaling, are all I can think about doing... and I like to savor those moments, because usually something pretty great comes out of it. It may be just a line or it could be the whole thing I have splurged in the moment. Even though I never thought of myself as a journalist, and I would never want to really go into that field of work, I do enjoy writing things down when something interests me. I enjoy pondering a line in a song, or a stanza of a poem, or something that I noticed while paying attention to nature, or a quote from a movie that touched me in some way. They are all simple enough, but I can let myself wonder about them for a long time until I write it out on paper.

Tonight I watched the movie "Letters to Juliet" (which I have to say may be a new favorite movie of mine), and there was a quote from that movie that really touched me. I would love to copy and paste it onto this blog, but there are no movie quotes published for it yet on the internet, but I will be posting it whenever they get around to doing so. In this particular quote it talked about the words "what" and "if." Now these two are not at all scary or hurtful while separated, but when you put the two words together, "what if," then a person could make themselves go mad with curiosity... there are so many times I second guess myself and wonder what if I had done something a different way how it would have turned out. The problem with thinking about the words "what if" all the time is that I end up not enjoying what I do have. I let myself go off into an imaginary world of endless possible outcomes, none of which really matter since they are not my actual reality.

Everyday choices are what we all have to make, and live with the outcomes. What I eat for breakfast, who I choose to hang-out with, when I get around to paying my bills, signing up for classes, allowing myself to fall in love... As easy as it is to let my mind think about how I could have chosen things differently, in the end it usually only brings heartache... and I do not need to much of that anymore. That is why I try to avoid the words "what if" because I need to be more attentive to how I can fix some mistakes I made than think about what I should have done. I cannot change the past, but I can find a way to change my future...

With that being said, I am now ready for a good night's sleep....

Thinking Back in Time

As this decade comes to a close I found myself thinking back on how life was at the beginning of this decade for me... I started out the decade at age twelve and finished it at age twenty-two. I remember being in love with the backstreet boys that year along with having a huge crush on the boy next door... He was my first real big crush, and now that I think back on it I think he was a good one to have a crush on. He is a good guy still. That was the year that my older sister had her first baby boy and I became an aunt. I remember those were the days that I enjoyed playing basketball.... knock-out, horse, whatever game had to do with shooting a ball through a hoop. For being so short I became pretty good at that game. It was also the last year I played softball. I was very sad to say goodbye to my catcher position, but I can see why my parents decided to take a break from it. I played in a town outside of Bloomington, but was about a twenty-five min. to thirty min. drive for my dad to make two to three times a week. I loved that place though. There were a lot of Saturdays spent at that ballpark during the Spring and beginning of Summer. I remember that was the year that my homeschool group grew a ton. At the beginning of the year it was only my family and two others, but by the end of it we had I think eight families join us. The kids that came into that group that year stayed my best friends pretty much all through high school. We were all pretty inseperable until college came along.
I was hooked on reading Nancy Drew books when I was twelve. I still do enjoy reading suspense thrillers quite a bit.
2000 was the year I rocked out to "Its My Life" by Bon Jovie and "Kryptonite" and was obsessed with Faith Hills song "Breath." I could quote almost all the veggie tales movies by heart along with lines from the movie "Remember the Titans." It was the year that the first R rated movie came out my parents let me watch, "The Patriot" for history class. It was also the year "Bring it On" came out, and after watching that movie my friends and I wished we were in high school so bad so we could be cheerleaders.... not the wisest thing for us to want, but the movie glamorized it a lot.
It is so weird to me how fast this decade has gone by and I had a blast throughout it all! I wonder how much I will change at the end of the next decade... hmm.

My Favorite Movies of 2009

10 . New In Town - starring Renee Zellwigger - A high-powered consultant in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle is sent to a middle of nowhere town in Minnesota to oversee the restructuring of a blue collar manufacturing plant. After enduring a frosty reception from the locals, icy roads and freezing weather, she warms up to the small town's charm, and eventually finds herself being accepted by the community. When she's ordered to close down the plant and put the entire community out of work, she's forced to reconsider her goals and priorities, and finds a way to save the town.

9. Year One - starring Jack Black and Michael Cera - Zed, a prehistoric would-be hunter, eats from a tree of forbidden fruit and is banished from his tribe, accompanied by Oh, a shy gatherer. On their travels, they meet Cain and Abel on a fateful day, stop Abraham from killing Isaac, become slaves, and reach the city of Sodom where their tribe is now enslaved. Zed and Oh are determined to rescue the women they love, Maya and Eema. Standing in their way is Sodom's high priest and the omnipresent Cain. Zed tries to form an alliance with Princess Innana, which may backfire. Can an inept hunter and a smart but slender and diffident gatherer become heroes and make a difference?

8. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - starring Bill Hader (voice) - A scientist tries to solve world hunger only to see things go awry as food falls from the sky in abundance. Bill Hader will voice Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone's life. Anna Faris, who recently turned heads as the star of the comedy hit The House Bunny, takes on the role of Sam Sparks, a weathergirl covering the phenomenon who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior. James Caan plays Tim Lockwood, Flint's technophobic father. Andy Samberg plays Brent, the town bully who has plagued Flint since childhood. Bruce Campbell plays Mayor Shelbourne, who figures out that Flint's invention can put the town, and more importantly himself, on the map. Mr. T plays the by-the-rules town cop Earl Devereaux, and Tracy Morgan takes on the role of Earl's rule-breaking son, Cal.

7. Knowing - starring Nicholas Cage - In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one of the students, a mysterious girl who seems to hear whispered voices, fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fast forward 50 years to the present: A new generation of students examines the contents of the time capsule and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Myles. But it is Caleb's father, professor Ted Myles (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document's secrets, he realizes it foretells three additional events-the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son. When Ted's attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place. This gripping supernatural thriller charts one man's faltering steps towards belief in the ultimate order of the universe even as he finds himself surrounded by mounting chaos. With the reluctant help of Diana Whelan (Rose Byrne) and Abby, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the cryptic prophecies, Ted's increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster-and the ultimate sacrifice.

6. Love Happens - starring Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston - Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in the romantic drama "Love Happens." When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself. Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice. Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where he's speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past. And if they can, they'll find that, sometimes, love happens when you least expect it.

5. The Ugly Truth - starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler - In Sacramento, Abby Richter produces a morning news show that's about to be canceled. To boost ratings, her boss hires Mike Chadway, a local cable call-in host who promotes the ugly truth: sex is the only glue in a relationship, men can't change, and they only respond to women's looks. Mike offends Abby's sensibility: she has a checklist about the perfect man, and she's found him in her new neighbor, Colin, a hunky doctor. Mike offers to help her reel in Colin if she'll work with Mike on the show; she accepts the deal, ratings go up, and, with Mike's help, so does Colin's interest in her. Craig Ferguson, a hot air balloon, and the ugly truth help this take on "Cyrano" play out.

4. He's Just Not That Into You - starring Ben Afleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drue Barrymore, Jennifer Connolly, Justin Long, Scarlett Johansson, Gennifer Goodwin,Kevin Connolly, and Bradly Cooper - In Baltimore, five women and four men try to sort out the signals that the sexes exchange. Gigi imagines every man she meets is Mr. Right; she gets reality checks from Alex, a sweet but cynical saloon keeper. Janine and Ben seem solidly married until he chats with Anna in a market checkout line; meanwhile Anna is indifferent to the pursing Connor. Neil and Beth have been together seven years; she dumps him when she realizes he really and truly isn't going to marry her. Does he love her? And Mary sells advertising while searching on line for a man. Will those in love stay in love? Will those searching figure out who is and who isn't into them? Are men all that different from women?

3. Law Abiding Citizen - starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler - The plot focuses on a man who, ten years after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, returns to extract justice from the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case against their killers. His vengeance threatens not only the man who allowed mercy to supersede justice, but also the system and the city that made it so.

2. The Time Traveler's Wife - starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams - Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler--cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry's travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

1. The Blindside - starring Sandra Bullock - "The Blind Side" depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Religion vs. Faith

Today I watched the movie, "Keeping the Faith" which stars Ben Stiller. It is all about a very interesting love triangle... Ben plays a rabbi and his best friend happens to be a Catholic priest. The men seem to be very happy with their path that they have chosen until their old friend from middle school, Anna, shows back up into their lives... There was one quote from this movie that really made me think....

The seven deadly sins. Who can name the seven deadly sins? People! It was a very popular film with Brad Pitt, you have the ultimate cliff note.
The truth is, I don't really learn that much about your faith by asking questions like that... because those aren't really questions about faith, those are questions about religion. And it's very important to understand the difference between religion and faith. Because faith is not about having the right answers. Faith is a feeling. Faith is a hunch, really. It's a hunch that there is something bigger connecting it all... connecting us all together. And that feeling, that hunch, is God. And coming here tonight, on your Sunday evening... to connect with that feeling, that is an act of faith. And so all I have to do is look around the room at this packed church... to know that we're doing pretty well as a community. Even if all of you failed my pop quiz miserably.
~Keeping the Faith~

I think that what the priest in this movie was saying is true. Asking people questions about facts on their religion does not really show much about how fully that person believes in his/her faith. People can look up facts about religions, but just because they may know the answer to questions like "What are the seven deadly sins?" does not mean the believe the answer. To know how much a person believes in what their religion stands for, say Catholicism, for example, you have to watch how involved the person is with their faith... It is like those "Catholics" who come to Mass maybe once a year for Christmas or Easter. These people know deep down that they should be at church every week, but the fact that they only make time for Mass once a year tells me a lot more about their faith life then the facts that they can tell me...

So if you are looking for an interesting movie while bored, this one was actually pretty good... not to mention pretty entertaining to...

"When You Believe"

This past few weeks I have been on an "Prince of Egypt" kick. I blame it on some of the people in the Bible study I attend. Once we started talking about Exodus everyone kept referring back to this movie. I have always enjoyed watching it, myself, and when they all started talking about it, it made me want to go pull it out and watch it again. I hadn't been able to watch it until this week-end because of my busy schedule. It's one of the things I put on my "to-do" list and finally got around to doing some of those things. My favorite song in that film has to be "When You Believe" because it is so true. It's amazing the strength a person gets by just believing and having faith that God will find a way to take care of us. I have a feeling I would be ten times more stressed out with my crazy life if I didn't have faith. I put the lyrics below in case someone wanted to read them.....

When You Believe

(Performed by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston)

Many nights we've prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains
Long before we knew we could

Chorus:
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe

In this time of fear
When prayer so often proves in vain
Hope seemed like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I'm standing here
My heart's so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I'd say

Chorus

They don't always happen when you ask
And it's easy to give in to your fears
But when you're blinded by your pain
Can't see your way clear through the rain
A small, but still, resilient voice
Says help is very near

Chorus

Thoughts on the movie "Law Abiding Citizen"

I just got home from watching the new movie, "Law Abiding Citizen," and boy was that one crazy ride. It really made me think about how our justice system does work and the flaws that it has. I think that it is crazy how some people walk away after five years or so in prison for some horrible crime they committed just because of a plea bargain... I know there is not much room to keep prisoners, or at least that is one of the major arguments I hear, but to let a guy who is not really sorry for what he has done to just walk after a few years in prison makes no sense to me. It's not fair for the victims involved... I would not recommend this movie to people with weak stomachs because there are quite a few gruesome scenes in it that caused me to lose my appetite... I found this quick overview from a website that tells a little bit more about the movie in a way that makes more sense then I could. If anything it did keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out where this guy's mind was going and what he was going to do next and how he was going to do it.

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die. Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton’s crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

"Taking Jesus to the streets'" here at home. :)

October 23, 2009

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‘Taking Jesus to the streets’: Eucharistic procession on IU campus draws breadth of participants

Indiana University students Alicia Munchel, 20, left, and Kayleen Glaser, 19, take part in the eucharistic procession on the Bloomington campus on Oct. 14. Members of the Knights of Columbus also were among those who took part. Despite the rain and cold weather, nearly 100 people participated in the prayerful gathering. (Photo by Kamilla Benko)

By Kamilla Benko (Special to The Criterion)

BLOOMINGTON—Homecoming week at Indiana University is traditionally a time for football and friends. But for some students, Oct. 14 was set aside for a different kind of homecoming.

“This whole semester, we are focusing on the Eucharist,” said Liz Whitmore, a 19-year-old sophomore at IU and member of the Student Life Team, which plans all the events for students at St. Paul’s Catholic Center in Bloomington.

“We are taking Jesus to the streets,” she added.

Hoping to promote a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, Whitmore suggested that the team organize a eucharistic procession—a solemn, prayerful walk of the faithful led by the clergy, who carry the Blessed Sacrament displayed in a monstrance to stir devotion, give thanks and ask for God’s help.

The Student Life Team contacted Bloomington-area parishes and invited members of the Catholic community to join them for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Oct. 14 during IU’s homecoming week. Despite rain that day, nearly 100 people attended the procession, which was led by Father Michael Fritsch, the pastor of St. John the Apostle Parish in Bloomington. (See a photo gallery from this event)

Participants included Indiana University students, members of the Knights of Columbus, and parishioners from St. Paul, St. John and St. Charles Borromeo parishes.

“I thought it was a tremendous way to become a more visible presence on campus,” said Dominican Father Stan Drongowski, the associate pastor of St. Paul Catholic Center.

Monica Siefker, a member of St. John the Apostle Parish and an IU graduate, said she felt God’s presence during the procession. Sharing the experience with her six children and her husband, Dale, on the campus where the couple met was an indescribable joy, she said.

“That night was a true homecoming!” she said.

Siefker said her children, who range in age from 4 to 15, were thrilled to be a part of the procession.

“I heard the words ‘awesome’ and ‘beautiful’ several times on our drive home,” she said. “They all agreed, ‘We need to do this again!’ ”

Organizers hope that the eucharistic procession will become an annual event.

“I was overwhelmed by the breadth of participation,” Father Stan said. “I am so excited for the Catholic students here at St. Paul to have such a relationship with the Church.” †

"Saint Anthony: The Miracle Worker"

As ya'll all know I have been at home sick and spending most of my time either sleeping, reading, or watching tv... Today, my mom decided to turn on the movie "Saint Anthony: The Miracle Worker." St. Anthony happens to be one of my favorite saints, but I never really knew that much about his life. I just knew that if I lost something he would be the one to help me find it.... I have to say that although the movie is in Italian and you have to read the subtitles, I enjoyed learning more about this saint... There are some very interesting things that happened in his life which I was surprised about..... If you want to watch a good movie, I suggest this one!

This is the first feature length dramatic film on the life of St. Anthony of Padua, one of the most popular saints in Christian history, and one who is even revered by Muslim and Hindu communities. Shot on location in Italy with top-notch acting and glorious cinematography, this film tells the story of his amazing and adventurous life from his youth to his death at a young age. Born into a Portuguese noble family in 1195, Anthony defied his father's wishes to become a knight and, instead, followed the call of God to become a humble monk. He eventually joined the Franciscans and was a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. Anthony became renowned for his powerful preaching and his miracles that won countless souls for Christ. This film tells of his travels through Italy, his mission to Morocco, and his meeting with St. Francis. It beautifully portrays the power of his preaching, the holiness of his life given completely to Christ, his love for the poor, and the wonders of his miracles. Worn out and sick from his dedication and zeal, Anthony died at the age of 36 in Padua shortly after working his last great miracle. Soon after his death he was canonized a saint by Pope Gregory IX., DVD Video Movie - 95 min., Please Note: In Italian with English Subtitles

Thoughts on the movie, "The Ugly Truth"

Tonight one of the most embarrassing moments of my life happened to me, and I have had quite a few embarrassing moments, but I think this one is going under my top 10 list of embarrassing ones... You see there are things that happen to me, where if someone would have just warned me not to do it than I would not have done it. Tonight I went to see the movie "The Ugly Truth" with my friend, and because I had not eaten anything since lunch time I decided to get some popcorn for a change... well I learned that the next time anyone does get popcorn they should not keep it in their lap while watching the movie, because apparently the butter will go onto their jeans in a way that will make them look like they peed in their pants, and that five minute walk from the movie room to the car will most likely be the most awkward five minutes ever... I don't know why exactly I felt like sharing that with you all, but maybe it is because now that I have taken a shower and put on clean pants and have thought back on those five embarrassing minutes I have been laughing really hard at my dorky self. Something like that would only happen to me, and I guess it is better that I can laugh at it than to cry.
Anyway, the movie "The Ugly Truth" was definitely entertaining, but I do not know if I can totally agree with the way men are portrayed in the movie. They can't all be pigs. Maybe the majority of men are, but I don't think all of them can be pigs. I refuse to believe that is the case. Even the main lead male in the movie who claimed all men care about is how a girl looks and how she is in bed ends up falling for the classy girl. In a way I think he proved his own theory about men wrong. I think that looks most definitely plays the most important part in attraction, obviously, but I don't think it's the only thing.
I think it must be the hopeless romantic in me that believes that there are still men out there who find a confident woman who knows her self-worth and does not need to flaunt it for the world to see very attractive.

"How Men See Me"

The other day I watched a movie, "Evan Almighty." There was a line in the movie that made me think.... in the movie there as a part where God and Evan's wife have a conversation and God says,

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

Well today I found a reading that talks about how men see God.... Just like the above quote made me think about how God answers our prayers when we ask for something, this made me think about others see God on a more personal level... The reading is below.

How Men See Me

I came to help a world. And according to the varying needs of each so does each man see Me.

It is not necessary that you see Me as others see Me - the world, even the Church, My disciples, My followers, but it is necessary that you see Me, each of you , as supplying all that you personally need.

The weak need My strength. The strong need My tenderness. The tempted and fallen need My Salvation. The righteous need My Pity for sinners. The lonely need a Friend. The fighters need a Leader.

No man could be all these to men - only a God could be. In each of these relations of Mine to man you must see the God. The God-Friend, the God- Leader, the God - Savior.

Hopeless Romantic

Last night as I was watching my very very favorite movie ever, "Pride and Prejudice" (the 2005 version) it made me realize how much we overlook some signs of affection.One of my very favorite scenes in the movie is when, after Jane has finally gotten over her cold while staying at Mr. Bingly's mansion, Lizzy and Jane are getting in their carriage to leave his home. Elizabeth Bennet says good-bye to both Mr. Bingly and Mr. Darcy, and as she is about to climb into the carriage Mr. Darcy takes her hand to help her get into it. Now a days no one thinks twice about something like that, but back in those days that was a huge thing... the touching of skin on skin was a big deal. Even when couples danced the gentlemen always wore gloves so that there would be no skin contact.

Today, it seems to me that so many people out there are ready to skip the intimate stuff and just jump in the bed and, well, you know what usually comes after that. I don't understand why that is, because to me, the little stuff is what I get excited about most, you know when you first make eye contact and there is that moment when you can't really think of anything except those eyes, or that awkward stage of wondering if and when he'll hold you're hand.... will he? won't he? Or when he is with you in a social gathering and he looks at you or touches your hand or even makes a joke at your expense, just to let everyone know you're with him. You're his. The anticipation is half the fun to me as the actual action... Maybe that's why I love the time period Jane Austin lived in, because they seemed to really understand how important those things which people now think of as nothing much are, and how important it is to save sex for marriage. What can I say, I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and I do not think I will ever really grow out of that.

Memorable Quotes from the Movie, "The Changeling"

Today I was able to sit down and watch the movie, "The Changeling," directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie. It is a very moving story that is inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles. It tells the story of a woman driven to confront a corrupted L.A.P.D. after her abducted son is retrieved and she begins to suspect that the boy returned to her is not the same boy she gave birth to. The year was 1928, and the setting a working-class suburb of Los Angeles. As Christine (Angelina Jolie) said goodbye to her son, Walter, and departed for work, she never anticipated that this was the day her life would be forever changed. Upon returning home, Christine was distressed to discover that Walter was nowhere to be found. Over the course of the following months, the desperate mother would launch a search that would ultimately prove fruitless. Yet just when it seemed that all hope was lost, a nine-year-old boy claiming to be Christine's son seemed to appear out of thin air. Overcome with emotions and uncertain how to face the authorities or the press, Christine invites the child to stay in her home despite knowing without a doubt that he is not her son. As much as Christine would like to accept the fact that her son has been returned to her, she cannot accept the injustice being pushed upon her and continues to challenge the Prohibition-era Los Angeles police force at every turn. As a result, Christine is slandered by the powers that be, and painted as an unfit mother. In this town, a woman who challenges the system is putting her life on the line, and as the situation grows desperate, the only person willing to aid her in her search is benevolent local activist Reverend Briegleb (John Malkovich).
Here are two quotes that I thought should be mentioned more so than any of the others, especially the second one.

"CHRISTINE: Wait...you hit him first? Why?
WALTER: He said my dad ran off because he
didn't like me.
CHRISTINE: Your dad never even had a chance to
meet you...so how could he not like
you?
WALTER: Then why did he leave?
CHRISTINE: Well, the same day you were born,
something else arrived. It came in
the mail, in a box just slightly
bigger than you. You know what was
in that box? Something called responsibility.
Now, to some people, responsibility
is fun, it's what you live your
whole life for. Other people think
it's the scariest thing in the world.
WALTER: So he ran away because he was scared
of what was in the box?
CHRISTINE: Yup.
WALTER: That's dumb.
CHRISTINE: That's what I thought."


"Christine: You shouldn't have done that.
CAROL DEXTER: (with difficulty)
Wanted...to. Felt...good.
I lost...two babies...to back alley
doctors...no choice....
Never had...the chance...to fight
for them. You do. Don't stop.
CHRISTINE: I won't...I won't."

If anyone is interested in watching a really great movie, then I think this is one you should not miss out on.

Reflecting on "The Passion"

At my weekly "holy hour" meeting, I was surprised to find out that the activity for the night was to watch the movie "The Passion." I was somewhat unsure of watching this movie again after just watching it on Friday, but not wanting to seem rude by leaving really fast I decided to stay. I am now glad I did, because after watching the movie we all had a really good discussion about it. We talked about different parts of the movie, or people in the movie that touched us. We discussed the other characters in the scripture besides Jesus, like Simon, Pilot, Judas, and Peter.
I never really have paid much attention to Simon in the past, but tonight I took more notice of him. It was interesting to watch how when he first was told to carry the cross he wanted everyone to know he was a free man carrying a condemned man's cross, and then as you watch him help Jesus you notice how he soon realizes that there was something special about Jesus. In the end, really, Jesus is the one that was carrying not just Simon's cross, but all of our crosses.
Pilot is another character I have never really understood. I have always been frustrated with this character because I think he could have done more than he did to save Jesus. One person in my group said that she wished he would have said something like, "I don't believe he should be killed, so if you want to do this you're gonna have to kill me along with him." Then again, in some ways, I think we can all be like Pilot. What I mean by that is, sometimes we see things happen in our day to day lives that we don't necessarily agree with, but out of fear of rejection we stay silent and just watch those things keep happening.
Then we also had the discussion about Judas and Peter. Judas and Peter in their own ways both betrayed Jesus, but Judas ended up killing himself, while Peter did not. I think that if Judas came up to Jesus and asked for forgiveness for what he had done, Jesus would have forgiven him, but Judas fell into what we call the "sin of despair." He felt that there was no way he would have been forgiven by Jesus, and after being tormented he eventually killed himself. Meanwhile, Peter, after denying Jesus three times, ends up running to Mary and telling her what he had done and asks for forgiveness. It was interesting to really think about those two, because again, I think we as humans also betray Jesus whenever we commit a sin. So even though my first initial feeling is to really dislike Judas, thinking about it, I am just like him in my own way, except I have not fallen into the "Sin of Despair," as he did.
Another thing we talked about was what was it that actually ended up killing Jesus. Fr. Bob told us that he had watched a television program all about different theories of how Jesus died. He told us that for awhile people thought Jesus ended up suffocating and died. The people on the program did not believe this theory, mainly because Jesus was talking right before he died. If a person is truly suffocating there is no way for them to be able to talk while they are struggling for breath. Instead, they believe that while Jesus was carrying his cross he did indeed fall, and during one of those falls his heart got injured. While he was on the cross, his struggling for breath probably ended up breaking the heart's outer wall barrier. Now if that barrier is broken, people will usually feel that in their body, and that is how Jesus knew he was about to die and was able to say the words "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit." So essentially, they believe that Jesus died of a broken heart. Interesting, don't you think?
I can honestly say after all of this meditating on the passion of Jesus, I am very ready for Easter!

My Emotional Rollercoaster Ride

Last night was a very emotional night for me, but then again, every time I have watched "The Passion" I always get a little emotional to say the least. Normally, when I watch that movie, it's been at a time when I haven't gone to confession for awhile and so it hits me hard. Since I went to confession on Wed. evening though, watching the movie this time was a little bit of a different experience for me. Normally, after the movie I feel like such an awful horrible person (which I did feel that way this last time, but not as intensely), and I cry like a baby. Instead, this time all I could think about was how loved I am by God and Jesus, and I felt very undeserving of it... I kept thinking in my head, "Who am I to have You go through all of that for me???" It was kind of overwhelming to think about.
So after watching the movie, I was blessed to be able to go visit Jesus in adoration at my parish. After that movie there was no place I wanted to be, but there for a little while. Sadly, I have not been to adoration in a few months, and I forgot just how peaceful it is. I stayed there for about an hour talking to God, and reflecting about what I had just watched. It was really nice, and I realized that I need to fit adoration in my schedule a lot more often then I do.
What a way to end a work week.

Everyone Needs A Good Laugh

In my family, this past week it seems as though most of us (excluding my younger sister and I) have been, how you would say, down in the dumps. To liven things up around here I decided to turn on the movie, "Bill Cosby, Himself." If you have never ever watched this stand up comedy routine, you are missing out on some of the funniest things I have ever heard. When I first started the movie, most everyone said they were not in the mood for it, but after about five minutes into it, I knew they would change their minds. I have never been around people during this movie that have not laughed. You cannot help it whatsoever. It was nice to hear my parents laughing tonight, rather then stressing out over family problems. I think my idea turned out to be a pretty good success to say the least. I am putting in a short clip from the film below, if you're interested at all. Hopefully it will bring a smile to your face like it did mine. :)

By Popular Demand

After my last post, a few people have asked me if I would post the talk I actually gave on the retreat. I kind of debated this because of the length of my talk, but then I thought well, why not... So here is my Mary talk. Enjoy!

Why have devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary? This is a point debated hotly among
our Protestant friends and which I hope to help you understand more so of why we have devotions to Mary by the end of my talk.

Maybe devotion to the Mother of God is the constant "WHY is it necessary?” Or,
why is She important to our Christian life? There are many who seem to be afraid
that devotion to Mary might interfere with their devotion to Christ. "How can I give my full attention to Christ, and so my love, if I am devoted to Mary?" It is simply the
difficulty of loving two persons with one heart. Yet, this is the common rationalization of many. Others are apathetic to any Marian devotion because they are thinking that it is "Too Much!" for Her, a creature like us. It is as if too much devotion to Mary would make Her a god. These are the assumptions of others that prevent them from experiencing the warmth of Her maternal love, the happiness of being a child to a most loving Mother and the consolation of being drawn closer to Jesus.

But we can sum up this cold Marian attitude in a single word: IGNORANCE. It is the
lack of knowledge of the privileges and role of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Oftentimes there is a confusion between veneration of Mary and adoration to Her. Of course, we don't and never adore the Blessed Virgin as our Protestant friends accuse us. There is a bold line that delineates between veneration and adoration. No matter how you multiply your veneration, it never ends up with adoration. Just as addition can never make an infinite sum, so our veneration and devotion to Mary remains simply to honor her. Period. When we honor Her we never displease our Lord. It never interferes with our love and devotion to Christ. It is noteworthy to quote what the Church says on this matter: "The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power.. It rests on His mediation, depends upon it and draws all of its power from it. In no way does it take away from Him, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ" (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 60).Jesus is never envious when we honor His Mother. In fact, He wills it. He even expressed it in the Fourth Commandment: "Honor your father and mother." Is not the Blessed Virgin our
Mother? Jesus Himself upon hanging on the Cross gave His Mother as our Mother when he said “Behold thy Mother” in John 19:27. Although we are not worthy of Her
motherhood, Christ gave Her to us because He knew very well that we need a mother like Her. And She is not simply a metaphorical Mother, and we are not her metaphorical children, but Mary is TRULY our Mother in the supernatural order just as the mother who gave us birth is our TRUE mother in the natural order. According to Fr. Neubert, "A mother is one who gives life. Mary has given you life, the most real life."

In order for us to honor Mary as our Mother, Jesus, the Son of God, set an example to us for us to follow. He was very obedient to Mary (Luke 2:51) because He was the most loving Son. If to be a Christian means a follower of Christ, then are we not to imitate the love and obedience of Jesus to His Mother? How can we become perfect disciples of Jesus imitating Him in every aspect of His life when we fail to love and obey His Mother? And this is precisely what Marian devotion consists of, love and obedience. So in the person of Jesus we have that divine example of devotion to Mary. His example must be perfect; and that is, what we ought to follow as Christians. If we have to follow Christ's standard of devotion to His Mother, then we should not be afraid in giving Her "too much" love for we will never come to love Her as Jesus did, according to St. Maximilian. Do we think that we can outmatch the love of Jesus to His Mother? Then why are we so reserved in giving our love to Her, in expressing our devotion to Her? Being a Mother of grace She rightly deserves our love-the highest love that we can possibly have. And don't be afraid; our love to Her is too little in comparison with Jesus' love.

My Personal Story

Growing up, the way I learned about Mary was through the stories of her
apparitions. You know, like Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Guadelupe. My mother would have us watch movies about them for religion class quite a number of times, and I never complained because it got me out of doing my bookwork I enjoyed those times, but sadly I never did feel as close to her as I have in the past few years. Don’t get me wrong, there are many times in my life that I have felt the closeness of Mary, the silliest; for example, was easily the one year when I prayed a rosary everyday for the colts to win the super bowl, and that same year the Colts did indeed win the super bowl…I would like to think that my rosary’s had to do a lot with that. I mean I didn’t pray them just for that reason, but I did include that in my intentions to Mary.

Seriously though, I would have to say the time I have truly been closest to Mary was
after watching the movie “The Passion.” You see, I always knew growing up that my sins did indeed hurt Jesus, but I never really thought about how my sins affected Mary, his Mother. Watching the portrayal of Mary in the movie made me think of Mary in a whole new light. There are two moving parts in that movie that especially touched me. The first one happens to be the part while Jesus is being scourged. Mary hears his screams the whole time, and is plagued by the devil as he sarcastically walks around in the background while Jesus is being scourged as if he is trying to not only mess with Jesus’ mind, but also to hurt and tempt Mary as well into putting God down. Like she was a pawn in his sick and twisted mind game. The way she reacts to the evilness of the devil amazes me. The other scene that truly moved me was the very last scene that she has, right after they take Jesus down from the cross and she is holding him, and then she looks straight into the camera with this look of complete devastation, and it’s as if she’s saying ”Look at what you’ve done… are you happy now?” Now, I am not a mom, so I cannot honestly say how it would feel to watch one of my own children go through what Jesus did and still have faith in the message that was being sent through Jesus. I do however have three amazing, crazy, funny, energetic, and frustrating nephews who I love dearly, even if they do drive me insane, I can’t imagine my life without them here. I can’t imagine what it would feel like if I had to watch one of them go through what Jesus did and still come out with great faith in God. I have to say that because of that movie I found an even more deeper connection with Mary.

Another time when I feel in complete awe of Mary is when I think of how she had the
courage to say yes to the Angel Gabriel when he came and asked her to be the mother of God’s child. We’ve been told that she was only thirteen years old when the agreed to become the mother of Jesus. I can honestly say I don’t know what I would have done personally if while I was in the middle of cleaning my room or doing schoolwork or reading a book, or something like that and an angel appears out of nowhere and says to me that I’ve been chosen to be the Mother of God. I think I would probably have been really freaking out and wondering if I’d had some sort of head trauma or something to be hallucinating the whole thing up. I don’t think I would have taken this angel seriously and would have run away scared out of my mind. Not only was Mary able to calmly say yes to that question, but she did so knowing the controversy that would follow her. Having a child out of marriage is something we sadly see everyday. It’s much more accepted today, way more so then it would have been back in Mary’s Day. It was very scandalous to have that happen and it is something that she could have been kicked out of her family and sent away for or worse. But think about this. If she hadn’t said yes to the angel that day, we wouldn’t have Jesus, and if we didn’t have Jesus, we wouldn’t have our Catholic faith. We owe her so much for saying yes to God. I don’t know what I would do without her example to look at and try to follow in my own life. She was an amazing, amazing woman who we should all strive to have a relationship with.

I bet your wondering how we can build a better relationship with Mary. Of the many
forms of devotion to Our Lady, there are some which have been especially recommended by the Church. Devotions which involve the use of physical objects are not superstitious, because these objects are not thought to have any power in themselves. Rather, they are external aids to interior devotion to the Mother of God.

The Rosary

An especially great Marian devotion is the Rosary. There is an ancient tradition that
St. Dominic received the Rosary from Our Lady in an apparition at Prouille in 1206 A.D. as a weapon against the Albigensian heresy. What is entirely certain is that in one way or another, numerous Popes have spoken of St. Dominic as author of the Rosary, without pronouncing on the authenticity of the Prouille vision. They have strongly recommended the Rosary. I for one say a rosary every night before I go to bed. Brother Dominic over at St. Paul’s told me recently that as a child growing up he was taught that if you fall asleep while praying your rosary, your guardian angel will finish it for you. I hope he’s right on with that one, because I know I have fallen asleep through too many rosaries in my life to count.

The Brown Scapular

Another recommended Marian devotion is wearing the Brown Scapular of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel. There are many Scapulars, all valuable, but this one is eminent among them. There is a very ancient tradition that St. Simon Stock, Superior of the Carmelite Order in England in 1251, after imploring the help of Our Lady, was favored with a vision in which she gave him the Scapular, saying: "This will be a privilege for you and for all Carmelites, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire." The historical evidence for this vision is very impressive, and gives at least some degree of moral certitude that the vision really did take place. To gain this promise one must be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Scapular. What is the Confraternity of the Scapular is something I bet you’re probably wondering. Well, The Scapular Confraternity of Carmel is an association of the faithful who strive for Christian perfection in the spirit of Carmel. Through their free commitment, they participate in the life of the Order and its spiritual benefits in an intimate communion of thought, ideals and works, together with Mary Queen of Carmel and all the Carmelite Saints. Membership into the Scapular Confraternity takes place in a simple way through means of Enrolment in the Scapular. Enrolment in the Brown Scapular is done in a short ceremony in which any baptized Catholic who wishes to wear the Brown Scapular can become associated with the Carmelite Order, and thereby qualify to receive the fulfillment of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s promise. Those who have been enrolled in the Scapular, practice the Order’s spirituality, and have been granted some association with the Order. After the reception of the Scapular, the faithful may, for personal reasons, substitute it with a medal showing on one side the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other, Our Lady. People are enrolled in the Scapular only once, by a priest or a deacon. Both, Scapular and medal may be replaced without having to be blessed again.

So, why devotion to Mary? Because Jesus wills it by giving Her Mother as our Mother. Fr. Stefano Maria Pio, FFI, S.T.D. says: "The first foundation for devotion to
Mary is Her status as Mother and our status as Her children." This is the reason why the saints had a passionate love to the Blessed Virgin because they looked at Her as a fond Mother. They believed that only by casting themselves upon the maternal care of the Immaculate Mother that one can truly resemble Jesus who quietly rested in His Mother's arms. Only in frequent recourse to Her that one can be nearer to Jesus. And only in loving Her that one can love Jesus more than one can do by himself. Devotion to Mary is highly recommended in the school of the saints. There is no other way, that is surer, closer and quicker, to Jesus than Mary. AD JESUM PER MARIAM (To Jesus through Mary) is the watchword of the servants of God. In Her we have nothing to do but only a disposition: be a child to a mother; as simple as that and we will experience a sweet intimacy with Jesus, our Brother. Ave Maria!