All Eyes On You

       I was looking at my blog stats recently (the info that tells me how many people visit the blog and what country they logged in from).  I always get so excited when I see that I have had the chance to reach people all over the world.  But honestly, I am overjoyed when 10 people visit my blog on any given day.  Guess what, I interact with more than 10 people everyday (well maybe not in the summer when I sit on my couch all day). I have learned from this blog that whether or not I am qualified or particularly inspiring I am an example. 

picture via Leadership 

       All of us as Christians are examples, whether we like it or not.  We are given the responsibility to represent the light of Christ in a world shrouded in darkness.  People, as soon as they find out you call yourself a Christian, look at you.  Whether they want to see the life of a true Christian or they want to catch you in sin they are watching you.  And if people don’t know for a fact that you are a Christian than they should be able to tell by the way that you act, they should notice something special.

       My goal is to live a life that makes people wonder what makes me different; a life that makes people think, “I want what she has”.  A prayer that I frequently repeat is this, “Dear LORD, fill me with your love to overflow.  Allow your light to radiate out of me and warm those around me.”  I unfortunately fail miserably at this on a regular basis, but that is why I have to keep asking God to help me out. We all need to be aware that whether we are in the “public eye” or not we do have eyes on us as Christians. 

        

       Are you being a good example to those around you?  How can we live a life set apart?  Have you ever seen someone and just known that they must be Christian?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions?  Drop me a line in the comments below!

Don't Forget About the Curve

       I have been reading a lot of different things recently both in print and online.  As I have been widening my sources of spiritual reading I wanted to remind you of the importance of credibility.  In today’s age of inexpensive publishing and the internet’s mass produced media everyone has a chance to have their say.  The problem is that very few people are properly educated to preach.

picture via pleasureinlearning

      The reason that I am telling you this is not so that you stop reading (or writing).  I am telling you this so that you read (and write) responsibly.  I love writing and reading about the way that people interpret the Word because it helps me to open up my mind and heart in a new way.  However, don’t take everything you read as fact or Church teaching.

       Earlier this week I encouraged you to do more spiritualreading.  I have been thinking about this recommendation and I realize that I did not warn you about the dangers of reading without acknowledging that an author can be mistaken.  I want you to read, but I also want you to be well informed.

       Check your sources.  Do your own research.  Do your own Bible study. Befriend priests, sisters, monks, and religious brothers.  Go to Mass.  Remember that I am a Catholic girl on a learning curve. I should not be your only source of spiritual nourishment or reading (but keep reading, please!).

        

       Have you ever been misinformed through spiritual reading?  How do you check your sources?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions?  Drop me a line in the comments below!

The Seeds Fall Where They May

       During my road trip down to North Carolina this past Sunday my dad brought up the parable of the sower and the seed; this parable was also the Gospel reading on Wednesday.  I always take notice if the same idea or reading comes up more than once in a short period of time.  I figure if God is going through the trouble to keep putting the same thing in front of me than it is worth my attention.  So, here we go!

       When the sower sows his seed there are 4 possible outcomes that represent different types of faith lives.

clockwise Northwest Nature Notes,
David Veuve,
 Glendale Church of the Brethren,
NYC Urban Project 

       The first outcome is the seed falling on the path and it is immediately eaten up by the birds.  This represents a person who hears the word of God but does not understand what they hear.  The truth that they have heard is then snatched away easily because they do not understand.

       The second outcome is the seed falling on rocky soil and being scorched by the sun due to lack of roots.  This represents a person who hears the word of God and receives it happily.  However, their faith is not deeply rooted and therefore dies at the first sign of trouble.

       The third outcome is the seed falling among the thorns, being choked, and producing nothing.  This represents a person who hears the word but preoccupation with things of the world choke out their faith. 

      Finally, the fourth outcome is the seed falling on good soil.  This represents a person who hears the word of God and truly understands it.  As a result this person bears much fruit in their life (they’re successful).

       So, that is the basic run down of this parable.  This is the explanation that has been given to me for years and I have always stored it away safely assuming that I had fallen on good soil.  That is where the common problem of this parable lies.  I think that many of us, especially cradle Catholics, tend to identify ourselves with the faithful and pious “good guys” in Jesus’ parables.  This is a dangerous manifestation of our pride and/or complacency. 

       When we decide that we are the role models in a parable we become comfortable in our faith.  When we become comfortable in our faith we stop challenging ourselves and stop learning.  I have heard it said that there is no standing still in faith, only moving forward or backward.  I challenge you to really look at all of the scenarios (path, rocks, thorns, good soil) and really be honest with yourself about where you are in your faith life. 

       If I am being honest, I’m still hanging out in the thorns.  I love the LORD and I want to trust in him but I know that there are times when my worldly worries overshadow my faith.  I know that it is hard to admit that you aren't the perfect follower of Christ, but as in all things the first step is admitting you have a problem.  I hope I have encouraged all of you to take a step forward and become uncomfortable in your faith life!

      Which seed do you identify with?  Have you always considered  yourself the good seed?  Has God repeated and idea to you? Comments? Questions? Suggestions?  Drop me a line in the comments below!

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again

       Have you ever experienced a moment in which you see how far from your goals you truly are?  Have you ever seen, in a moment of clarity, the distance that you still have to travel to become the person you hope to be?  Have you ever experienced a moment like this and wanted to quit, just give up because it seemed impossible that your goal would ever be met? 

picture via The Wonderful World of People

       Sometimes, I experience moments like this.  I fall into sin and allow myself to turn from God, even if only for a moment.  After that moment, or sometimes within that moment, I see the true distance between who I am and who I long to be. I can see myself turning my back on God with the selfish decisions I make. I have the desire to be a true follower of Christ; I want to be walking next to him all the days of my life.  I want to give my all to him and to bear witness of his love to those around me.  I fail. 

       I wonder to myself from time to time, “will I ever become the woman I long to be?”  The honest answer is no.  I will never become the person I truly want to be.  If my role model is Christ than there is no way that I can attain my goal.  I am flawed, I am human, I am imperfect.  I have to accept that my goal is beautiful but unattainable.  The question then becomes not, “will I become that person?” but rather, “will I stop trying?” 

       Even Jesus, on his road to Calvary, fell.  The weight of the cross paired with the wounds given to him by this world became too much for him. This weight and pain is often what we feel as we try to travel on the narrow way in the midst of this world.  But, his love of God and of neighbor, his commitment to the will of the father, and his true desire to fulfill his purpose gave him the strength to stand up and continue.  Jesus fell and fought to get back up when his destination was death; we fall and want to give up when our destination is eternal life.  Why are we so willing to give up and lie in the dust?

       When Jesus fell he looked up and saw the sneers of an angry crowd.  When we fall, we need only look up to see the loving face of a Father reaching out his hand to help us up.  So, what are you going to do?  Are you going to stay down and allow the world to trample you under its feet?  Or are you going to take God’s hand, stand up, and follow him on the road to salvation?

      

       What are some moments you have experienced that made you want to give up?  How did you deal with that discouragement?  Do you have any advice for people who want to give up?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

Good Reads

       Happy Sunday! Today I have spent the better part of the day in a car on my way to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I absolutely LOVE the beach.  Not only do I always feel extra close to God while I am at the beach but it gives me the opportunity to just sit and read all day.

Spring Break Catholic girl style! 

       In the past my beach reads have looked a lot like any other girl’s.  I indulged mostly in celebrity gossip magazines and cheesy romance novels.  I’m not making any promises that these guilty pleasures aren't going to make it into my beach bag this year, but I am proud to say that I have added some tomes that will expand my spirituality.  I am so psyched to finally finish Man of theBeatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati and get started on Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture ,The Screwtape Letters, and 101 Questions and Answers on the Eucharist to name a few.  I couldn't help but laugh at myself on Spring Break when I realized how dramatically different my reading material had become (I was reading On BeingCatholic). 

       I only started participating in “spiritual reading” when I was a freshman in college (so two years ago).  Since then, I have decided that it is essential to every confirmed Catholic’s life.  When we receive the sacrament of Confirmation we are agreeing to take our faith in our own hands.  As a result of our statement of dedication to our faith we are graduated from the formal religious education system.  However, for many Catholics all religious learning stops right there.  We fail to truly take responsibility of our faith and allow learning to stop.

       Maybe we feel like we have learned all there is to know.  Maybe we feel that we are too busy to commit time to learning about our faith.  Maybe we figure we have all we need for salvation, so why bother.  I have found that the more I learn about the faith the more I realize that there is more to learn.  I know that our lives are busy, we are constantly moving but I guarantee that the more time you commit to God the more God will give back to you.  And finally, salvation is an incredible gift from God and I don’t know about you but I would love more than anything to have a relationship with the being that saved not only my life, but my soul.

       In order to continue our spiritual and religious education we need to participate in spiritual reading.  To me spiritual reading is reading a piece that is written deliberately about the faith (saint biographies, theology, papal documents, bible studies etc) or a piece that is written with the intention of shedding light on our faith (allegories etc).  I have found personally that the more involved I am in spiritual reading the more motivated I am in all other parts of my faith (mass attendance, sacrament attendance, adoration attendance, bible reading/studying, prayer etc).  Spiritual reading allows you to widen your understanding of the faith and ways to relate our faith to others.  Plus, it can provide a topic of conversation among your friends or bible studies. 

       I hope that in between your Us Weekly and your latest NYT bestseller you pick up some spiritual reading. I can’t wait to tell you all about how my summer reading list turned out; I am sure it will inspire new posts!

       What are you reading this summer? (Spiritual or not)  Do you participate in spiritual reading?  Do you have a favorite book I should read?  How do you feel about taking charge of your own religious education?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Spot a typo? Drop me a line in the comments below? 

Rock On

       This week my sister and her husband celebrated their 3^rd anniversary.  I was reminiscing about the incredible day that was her wedding.  Besides a kicking party, they had a beautiful Catholic ceremony.  One thing that I absolutely loved about my sister’s wedding was the readings that she chose.  The reading that really stuck out to me was the parable of the wise and foolish builders.  I thought that it was such a beautiful choice for a marriage ceremony.

picture via Daily Jesus

       I revisited the reading and I was struck with a beautiful truth that for some reason I didn't focus on before.  In the parable Jesus speaks of a wise man who builds his house on a rock and a foolish man who builds his house on the sand; a storm comes and the house on the rock stands while the house on the sand falls apart.  When I usually read this I hear, “If your life is built on Jesus you will stand strong. If not, you will be destroyed.”  The part I never think about is the storm.

       I know, the storm seems like the main part of the story.  You may think I am ignorant for not seriously considering this part before.  However, I think that if it escaped me than it may have escaped others.  Even the man who builds his house on the rock had to experience the storm.  So often people ask themselves, "what is the point of being a good Christian if God is going to allow bad things to happen?"  Here’s the deal, God never promised us an easy life.  Quite the opposite actually, God promises us a difficult journey.  What he guarantees to us is that if we use God as the foundation for our life than we can weather the storm. 

       Some people may feel gypped, like they deserve more if they are following Christ.  The truth is that we don’t deserve anything and if we truly follow Christ we are expected to follow him right up to the cross. The beauty is that if we do follow Christ, and follow him up to the cross, we are given the blessing of following him to the resurrection. 

       What kind of storms have you experienced? Have you found that your faith helps you weather it more successfully?  What is your take on this parable?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Drop me a line in the comments below!

It's All Good

       With everything going on recently in the news I have seen so much anger and hate coming from all sides.  I see people who are losing faith in humanity and resorting to disgust and desolation.  I just wanted to remind you all of Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

picture via transitionvoice

       I feel like so often we default to the idea that humanity is primarily evil.  I know that I was fed this theory through literature in my AP lit class, senior year in highschool (ahem, Lord of the Flies).  We forget that verse from Genesis; we forget that God created us, and he said we were very good. 

       Instead of focusing on Satan’s victories we should look to the victory of The Cross.  We should look at the world through the eyes of Christ, fallen but good.  Yes, the world is full of humans who fall to temptation.  I am not denying that evil and injustice exist in the world, there is no way that I could do that.  I am saying that when we lose sight of The Cross, lose sight of redemption, lose sight of goodness, lose sight of hope, that is when we lose sight of Christ.

       I know that sometimes my heart is overwhelmed with the evil that takes up residence in people.  I understand that it sometimes seems easy to look at the world and wonder where God has gone.  I just wanted to write to remind all of you that God hasn't gone anywhere.  His heart is breaking, not only at what we see as incredible evil, but at every sin that is committed by each of us everyday.  I challenge us to look at the world through the eyes of Christ.  If God, in his perfection, can look at us and say that we are “very good” than who are we to argue, who are we to judge, who are we to lose faith.

       How are you feeling about what is going on in the news this week? Do you think that humanity is primarily good or evil? DO you have any fun Summer plans? Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Drop me a line in the comments below!

Fear of Fanatics?

picture via thesonoragrill

       Today I heard a comment, “She is so Catholic, if someone mentions God outside of church then [she thinks] they are a fanatic.”  It made me really sad that the impression that people have of Catholics is that God stays in church.  Even other Catholics can feel uncomfortable when the topic of God or religion come up outside of the parish walls.

       This image that we have as Sunday Christians needs to change.  Catholicism is rich in tradition which is beautiful, but it can also hurt us if it isn't celebrated properly.  Catholics have the bad habit of teaching their children the traditions of the Church without teaching them the faith and explanation behind them.  I think that in many cases the parents themselves don’t know the true reason that we as Catholics do what we do.

       How do we fix this problem?  Self education.   We so often push the responsibility of our faith onto others, it is our parents’ fault, it is our teachers’ fault, it is our priests’ fault.  Instead of blaming others we need to take our faith into our own hands.  Ultimately it is our own soul at stake.  In today’s technology saturated world it is so easy to read up on Catholicism, but my most valuable advice is to find a priest or other adult with a strong knowledge of the faith and form a relationship.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who know what they are talking about.  Frob completely won me back over to Catholicism during my freshman year in college.

       This idea of reeducation is the driving force behind the NewEvangelization.  This generation is being called to change the face of the Catholic Church.  With Pope Francis at the head of our Church we are showing the world that Catholics are genuine Christians who live the faith in all aspects of our lives.  I encourage you to rise up to the challenge of carrying Jesus outside of Sunday Mass.  This post has ended; go glorifying the LORD with your life.

        

       How do you feel about talking about God outside of a church environment?  How can we infuse Jesus into our everyday conversations?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? 

Night Driving Through Life

       I had a long, lovely, fun, and exhausting day with my disciple, Biz. Because I had a long day and it is late this post is going to be short.

via 4safedrivers 

       Driving is one of my least favorite things to do.  I find the experience in general to be stressful and dangerous.  So, tonight while I was driving home in the dark, I prayed.  Not the entire time, but there were certain turns and other drivers on the road that sparked prayer in my heart.  When I got home I remembered it was Tuesday and started thinking of what to write.  I realized that my ride home was a great analogy for living by faith (great might be a bit of an overstatement but bear with me).

       One of the most important parts of night driving is the lights.  While I was navigating my way home I had on my high beams and I could see great.  Then, when a car began approaching I had to turn off my high beams but the headlights of the other car helped me to see. Once I had passed the other car safely, I could turn back on my high beams. This reminded me of Jesus talking about being the light of  the world.  My high beams are like Jesus, when I am navigating through life with him leading the way I can see clearly and I travel safely.  Sometimes in life, I “switch off” my relationship with Jesus; I grow lazy in prayer, get discouraged, make excuses, or just get in a rut.  When that happens Jesus calls us to be lights to one another.  Like the other cars’ headlights helped me to see when my high beams were turned off we are called to help others see the light of Christ in the darkness.  Hopefully, after someone encounters us they can turn their high beams back on and navigate their life with the light of Christ leading them again.

       Ok, I know, it’s kinda a silly stretch, but it is late and it makes total sense to me right now, sorry.  I do hope that if nothing else you will find this post amusing.

       Do you have any analogies for our relationship with Christ? Any post topic Suggestions?  I want to write about what I feel is important, but also about what you have questions about or interest in.  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Drop me a line in the comments below!

Not So Slow To Anger

            Due to the recent events in Texas (I looked for an explanatory link but all coverage was steeped in bias, I recommend googling Wendy Davis Filibuster and reading for yourselves if you are unfamiliar) the issue of right to life VS “reproductive rights” has been popping up in my social media much more frequently and with more emotion than usual.  Consequently, the space in my mind has been taken up with the right to life more than usual.  Unfortunately, my initial reaction to many things I have seen friends and strangers posting in favor of abortion rights has been anger. 

            I think that my anger comes from a certain amount of helplessness I feel.  I feel like a piece of my innocence is taken away with every victory for the pro-choice movement; it is a huge blow to realize that the good guy doesn't always win and bad things do happen to innocent people.  However, I have realized that anger is completely the wrong reaction.  Luckily, I have not lashed out or attacked anyone from the pro-choice side of the argument because I know that is something I would surely regret.  I think that approaching controversial topics (or any argument) with anger is a surefire way to lose. 

            When you approach an argument in anger you immediately put the opposition on defense.  It is impossible to change the mind of a person you attack with insults.  Have you ever heard anyone say, “wow, I never thought of it that way until you cussed me out and yelled names at me.” No, you haven’t.  Especially in such an emotionally charged issue as pro-life VS pro-choice.

            So, I have come up with a new plan; I am praying for every person whose pro-choice comments make me angry or just plain hurt my heart.  I don’t want to just be right and win an argument, that isn't what this is about.  I want to change minds and hearts; I want to save lives.  Through the past few years I have found that praying for others blesses you.  When I choose to put someone else’s best interest in my heart I am given blessings in my own life.  I am not saying to go around replying to comments with “I’m praying for your eternally damned soul.”  First of all, only God knows the destination of our souls.  Second of all, probably not the best way to win people over.  I am suggesting that instead of festering or lashing out in anger we do something that can honestly make a difference. 

            If we are being honest about our dedication to the dignity of every person than we have to treat every person with dignity (even those who disagree with us).  Even as I type that sentence I realize that I fail to do this on so many levels everyday.  So let’s not fight, let’s show what Pro-life really stands for.  Let’s choose to see Christ in the people we encounter and pray for the parts of them that are lacking Christ.

            What are your thoughts on Wendy Davis?  How do you respond to comments, statuses, tweets, and articles you disagree with?  How can we more effectively grow the Pro-Life movement? PS. Save The Storks retweeted me last week, nbd.  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Drop me a line in the comments below! 

Fireworks, Freedom, Frassati

            Happy Fourth of July! For those of us of America, today is the celebration of our independence; for those of us of Catholicism, today is the celebrations of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.  In 1925, Pier Giorgio Frassati died at the age of 24 with a life fuller than many who live to old age.  This overlapping of celebrations, in my opinion, perfectly coincides.

Verso l'alto translates roughly to "to the heights"

            My recent Catholic obsession is Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, or as my friends and I
affectionately refer to him, Frassati the Hottie (is that irreverent?).  Good looks aside, Frassati is a man to be admired and I think a perfect Saint to introduce to youth groups and University students. 

            Frassati was born to a wealthy and influential family in Italy in 1901.  His father was agnostic and his mother was Catholic, but not invested in her faith.  Pier was a student, a political activist, an athlete, a friend, and a volunteer.  He was a young man much like the young people of today.  He faced our challenges, he studied hard (and failed), he was passionate about social change, he climbed mountains, played sports, he invested in friendship, and served others. 

            What I love about Frassati is that he had all the temptations to live a life of sin, yet he chose to live a life set apart for Christ.  This man on the fast track to Sainthood is an inspiration to the young people of today showing that it is possible to have fun and be holy.  You can be a lay person, you can still hang out with friends (in fact friendship is a wonderful way to live your faith!), you can play sports, you can enjoy life all while living for the glory of God.

            So, on this day of independence call to mind the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”  Pier Giorgio Frassati perfectly embodies this freedom as a man with the resources to do whatever he liked and the lifestyle of doing what he ought.  Happy Fourth of July.

            How did you celebrate the 4^th (I went out with my parents)?  Have you heard of Blessed Frassati?  Is there a Saint that particularly inspires you?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Drop me a line in the comments below!

Sunny Side Up

       Hello again friends! I've missed you!  I have really been inspired this week and am excited to get back into writing.  So, first things first, update on my Bible study:  I have been to my Bible study for three weeks now and we are still waiting for a single student to show up.

picture via The New Healthy

       Oddly, the lack of response has not depressed or discouraged me in my faith.  I certainly expected that if not one person showed up questions like “why bother?” would pop into my head.  This has thankfully not been the case.  Today, after yet another week of hanging around the Church Hall waiting for a highschooler to show up, I decided to look at how God was working through the lack of response ( I knew that He was there somewhere).

       Over the past few weeks I have been forced to go outside my comfort zone.  Due to the lack of students we decided to kick up our recruitment a notch.  I combed through the parish directory looking at all of the family photos, searching for kids who looked to be of high school age.  Then, I called every single one.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but calling up a stranger to invite him/her to hang out and talk about Jesus is not on my list of “things I love to do.”   Phone calls in general are awkward, difficult, and sometimes embarrassing.  Guess what, I did it anyway.  The LORD pushed me to go further for him; while it still isn't one of my favorite things I can be just a little bit more comfortable next time I pick up a phone. 

       In preparation for this lesson that still hasn't happened I have read the same Bible passage and looked over the same questions for the past three weeks.  Some people might think that sounds really boring, so did I.  However, after looking at the passage multiple times I realized that we can never know everything about scripture.  The Bible is so rich in meaning that we could read it a hundred times and still find something new that we never saw before.  Each thing I read leads me down a different path of thoughts and I have been reminded of the importance of living in the word everyday. 

       Finally, the lack of students has allowed for time to get to know the Crooks.  Jed and Kristin are a young couple who take their faith seriously.  I have learned so much from our discussions together and I feel truly called to friendship with them.  I love to witness people who are passionate about something (especially Catholicism) and not only that, but they take the time to educate themselves.  It seems like they always have something new that they read, or watched, or listened to.  They are living their lives in faith and it is inspiring to see that it is possible in today’s society.  I have such respect and admiration for them and I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know them. 

       So, no I have not yet seen a student, but no I am not a failure.  God doesn't think the same way we do; our “failures” may simply be his “opportunities”.  Take some time to look on the bright side. God is working in your life.

       What have you been up to this week?  Has God ever turned a failure into a blessing in your life?  Do you have any recommendations on how to attract students to my study?  Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Drop me a line in the comments below!