Ancilla Domini

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

2010-07-26T08:24:00.002-05:00

+JMJ

Nota Bene: So, the comments on my last post were filled to the brim with spam, so now all comments will be moderated.

So, I have been working hard cleaning and looking after my sister while I am at home. I also have been hardly working, simply because I do not have a job!

Things are looking up though. I was accepted to the Poor Clare Colettines just before Easter (Whoo hoo!). The only thing that is preventing entrance now is my student loan debt (boooo...). I have recently been in contact with the Laboure Society and looking over the procedures, I am very excited to get things rolling! I am in the process of working on application papers for Mater Eccelasiae as well. I have set a deadline for Corpus Christi 2011 (in honor of the namesake of the monastery). Please pray that God will provide what is needed long before that date arrives!

I've been without a job for over a year now, but I just finished my first paid freelance graphic project! I am hoping to see the fruit of my labor come soon! I have loan payments to make!

May God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Members of One Body

2010-01-29T12:53:00.002-06:00

+JMJ

The second reading from this past Sunday has really got me thinking again about how a friend described the cloistered life. She had said that cloistered religious are like the heart of the Church and that the monastery walls and gates are like the rib cage that protects the delicate and hard-working organ safe from the pressures and violence of the world outside it.

The prayers of the cloistered religious are like the blood that brings refreshment and nourishment to all of the body. Even if parts of the body decide they want to be separated, the blood will always try to get there to bring the much needed life sustaining graces and nourishments. Their prayers reach the farthest corners and tiniest capillaries.

The cloistered religious is a hard working, although hidden heart within the body. Without it, there would be no life in the Church.

Blessings this day!

Thy Will Be Done.

I feel silly and under qualified...

2009-10-27T14:38:00.002-05:00

+JMJ

I've rather recently begun feeling very self-conscious when applying for graphic design positions. I don't feel that I have the necessary experience or skills in many cases. I really don't like this, but I have to find a job some time. I would love to just find a nice little job that I would fit perfectly into. I feel silly applying for all these positions. I know what kind of designer these employers are looking for, and I really don't think I fit that. It's so frustrating to have a loan for an education that has not been able to get me gainfully employed.

So, this then is poverty? Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

I thought I had nothing to say...

2009-01-06T14:21:00.002-06:00

+JMJ

Blessed be God! I have just recently had a rather wonderful weekend. I didn't think I would have anything to post here, but it seems that I have a rather ineffective memory. This weekend was a confirmation overnight retreat for the high school freshmen that will be confirmed this year. Things certainly did start off on the not so nice foot. The youth were rather kinda rude, sleepy, and all together, very very disinterested and much too cool to participate in such a retreat. It was rather disheartening to see this rather pathetic display of 'being cool,' but God works in His own way.

By the end of the first evening, we had a communal celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation. It is nights like that which give me such hope for the future of our Church. It was so wonderful to see so many going after years of maybe never going to Mass or even understanding or wanting to be involved. They waited in some long lines and we had many good priests there as well. It was a real blessing. I hadn't been to confession in at least 6 months and Lord knows how badly I needed it. I felt as though 6 months of grace rushed back into my soul that night. It was truly a blessing to be there.

We also had adoration from Saturday morning after Mass until our afternoon Mass on Sunday. Another blessing I am so thankful for. I also met a seminarian there who I am very sure will be a very holy priest someday. I talked with him well into the wee hours of the morning and I ended up suffering from sleep deprivation all weekend anyways. God worked so many wonderful things for me this weekend. I need to get to work in paying Him back and giving Him thanksgiving and praise. He even gave me the Epiphany hymn at Mass I had asked for from our musicians and been refused many times!

The Lord is so good to me and I have been so awful in return. May this new year give me new life and help me back on the path to Christ for all eternity in Heaven. Amen.

God bless you all abundantly and may He work wonders in your life this year!

Been a Long Time Gone...

2008-11-19T19:31:00.002-06:00

+JMJ

Please, again, forgive my absence. I have been experiencing a lot and drowning in a bit of my own laziness and other minor issues. I have much to write since it has been so very long, but I don't have much time right now. I thought I would let the tiny group that may still read this know that I am still alive and well. God bless you all abundantly!

Obsession or Discenment?

2007-06-15T11:54:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

When is the discernment of religious life, not discernment of religious life? This has been a question that I have been asking myself rather recently, and I have found myself pondering on it lately. I have seen a great number of young girls who have been discerning the religious life. Many of them are in high school or college, with a few beyond that even. I have seen several that thought they had a call, but have decided that it should not be further sought after for one reason or another. I have also seen, on the other hand, many young ladies who have become obsessed with religious life and becoming a Sister. Now, it is very good to have a desire for the religious life and have interest in it, but it is not healthy to have an obsession with it, just as it is not healthy to have an obsession with anything. Holy things are good, but an obsession is not healthy, and is really a great hindrance to becoming holy.

How can you tell the difference from true discernment of religious life from obsession? It is not easy to decipher either, unless you are spiritually mature. First, we must seek the Kingdom to find where the King desires us to be in His Kingdom. In these matters, I can speak from my own experience. Now, it really has not been until recently that I have felt some maturation of my soul. I would not even dare to say that my soul is totally mature even, but step by step, it is ascending.

Until quite recently, I have been an immature, and somewhat obsessed soul in discerning the religious life. I was there for the praise sometimes that I would get. Now, it was good holy praise, but if taken in and fed to the ego, it is no longer holy. For example, a friend would ask if I was still thinking about becoming a nun, and I would simply reply yes. They would say things like "Good!" "We'll be praying for you!" "That's great!" and the like. Now, not that any of these things are bad things to say, but if not taken with great humility, these bits of sugar feed the ego until it is inflated and one becomes very proud of their 'special' calling.

Now, do not get me wrong here. The call to the religious life is a precious and unique call! It truly is a special and very sacred thing to behold! It must be something revered like Mary's call was revered. How many people knew of her miraculous calling to be the Mother of God? Very few indeed! Her most chaste spouse, St. Joseph, surely knew as we are told this in the Scriptures. Elizabeth knew as well, for God had revealed it to her. They were told as to give glory to God. It was revealed only to those that needed to in God's great plan of salvation. Jesus Himself did not reveal the greatness of his mother on earth. Likewise, our calling needs to be protected and revered. Our calling is a great gift from God and ought not to be misused.

Still, there are more signs of obsession. One of which that I have seen in many young women, along with myself, is a desire to know as many Sisters and communities as possible, and when in conversation show off this knowledge of communities. Now, it is one thing if someone is asking for information or if anyone has been there and there is a response to that in the spirit of informing another. But if one thinks the more Religious they know makes them more knowledgeable about religious life in general and will speak only about 'their' community, it can be that pride has snuck into your calling. This matter though, is still touchy and can vary from case to case, as I am not totally done thinking about the matters discussed above.

Along the same lines as above though, is that once one finds a community that God is leading them towards, suddenly, without even enterance or acceptance to the community, they find themselves to be part of the community. If the community is Franciscan, suddenly, they are Franciscan too! They must only read Franciscan books and about Franciscan Saints! Oh! They must now find a favorite Franciscan Saint! Now, they must get Franciscan things! Medals, jewelry, statues, holy cards, books! They must get to know every Franciscan they see, or even seek them out, and let them know that they too will be a Franciscan! There is just so much, and they must immerse themselves in it all! Surely, does this not sound obsessive, even to the common man? Discerning the religious life calls us to detachment, not attachment. We must continue to grow spiritually. We cannot limit ourselves to one spirituality of one order or community. Is anyone ever really truly Franciscan then? Yes. When one enters the order. But, through and through, we must first seek to become holy. Becoming one order or another does not effect how holy we are. Our human tastes like to take over and we find ourselves full of pride. How many religious have you met that take great pride in being one order or another? Sure, they will talk about how wonderful and holy the Saints of the order are and that the spirituality is beautiful, but all Saints are holy and wonderful and things that lead you close to Christ are beautiful, too. But there is no pride. To be holy, one must conquer pride.

Now, I am not saying it is not good to seek holy things in life, but we must seek them maturely and with great spiritual discernment and detachment. Great things come when the soul is mature. There are many other thoughts about this subject that have still yet to be thought about and considered. There are a great number of delicacies in this matter and need to be handled with care. I do not mean to upset anyone with my words, but please take them with a grain of humility and self-reflection. I too am guilty of committing these faults in my discernment. Please pray for me, and for holy and fervent priests and religious. God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

One Amazing Book

2007-04-26T00:09:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Today I bring to you a totally awesome source for catechesis and apologetics. I present to you C.R. Publications Catholicism & Reason: The Creed and Apologetics. I have only finished the first six chapters and I am already blown away with the content of what I have read. I started just a few days ago going chapter by chapter and following up with the Leader's Manual to see what additional insights or clarifications can be made about the chapter. It has definitely been a time of great gains of knowledge. The first three chapters alone astound me with the proof for the existence of God, the need for religion, and proving the Scriptures as authentic and valid. Each one uses a series of logic and reasoning, each building up on the knowledge attained from the previous chapter. It is simply something I have never been presented with before in all my religious education and I am slightly disappointed that I never had the chance to learn about all this ever before.
The book itself is meant to be taught or discussed with a high school or older age group. The leader's manual is well laid out and gives tips for classes/meetings to discuss the topics/chapters in the book. Each chapter comes with a brief summary of what the book says along with some things that ought to be pointed out and terms that ought to be defined. It gives answers to some questions commonly asked when the topic is brought up and also will list if there are other chapters in the book that ought to be read along with the chapter for further understanding or in case questions related to both chapters come up in discussion. It provides some questions for discussion along with possible ideas for projects to help get more 'into' the topic and discussion. What I think is even most amazing is that at the end of each chapter, there is a list of references which includes the Catechism of the Catholic Church, several Church documents as they pertain to the topic along with several other books about the topic of the chapter. The list for some chapters is quite extensive, and usually includes the books that are suggested to have by the leader/catechist.
Now, the book itself is not boring and I never want to put it down, and when I have some free time away from classes and the work associated with that, I always want to continue reading, underlining, highlighting, and learning! It is very much like a great bedtime story that is just too good to stop, even though you know you need to get to bed! It is a very engaging read and full of useful knowledge. The publishers themselves had this to say about the book:

The most readable apologetics book on the market today, Catholicism and Reason offers a systematic presentation of Catholic beliefs that will prepare the reader to be a knowledgeable and articulate defender of the Catholic Faith. The book focuses on such topics as the existence of God, the historical reliability of the Gospels, the humanity and divinity of Christ, proofs for the resurrection, the founding of the Catholic Church on Peter, and the signs or marks that point to the Church of Jesus Christ today. Also discussed are infallibility, ecumenism, the Blessed Trinity, original and actual sin, grace and the virtues, heaven, hell, and purgatory, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I can't wait to read some more, though it is already late and I may only get through most of a chapter. What makes this even better I think is that the chapters are quite short and perfect for taking up parts at a time, although it is better to read from front to back so the logic is able to build upon itself. Well, I ought to quit raving about this book, so I will leave you further information about the publishers. God bless you all abundantly!

C.R. Publications Inc. was founded in 1995 to publish books about the Catholic religion that are faithful to the Magisterium or teaching office of the Church. James J. Drummey, the president of the company, is a family man who has been involved in the field of religious education for more than 30 years. He is editor of "Catholic Replies," a highly acclaimed weekly question-and-answer newspaper column on religious topics, and is also author of two books, Catholic Replies and Catholic Replies 2, with answers to over 1,600 questions about religious matters and a comprehensive index at the end of each book.

Also published by C.R. Publications is the five-volume Catholicism Series, which was co-authored by Mr. Drummey and two priests, Msgr. Paul J. Hayes and the late Fr. Edward J. Hayes. The Hayes brothers taught and wrote about the Catholic Faith all their priestly lives, while at the same time serving as pastors and chaplains and working in the communications field.

There are teacher's manuals available for each of the books in the Catholicism Series, which is being widely used in Catholic parishes, high schools, colleges, and adult education programs. A committee of Catholic bishops has found the series to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and has highly commended the books for their strong emphasis on doctrine and their faithful adherence to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

More is coming!

2007-04-22T02:56:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

I apologize for my extensive leave of absence from blogging. I ended up wasting my time with other petty things on the internet and has even left me even further behind. I am working on a longer post currently, although of no real substance I think, but rather some thoughts on somethings that have been somewhat bothersome lately. God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Lent: Day 14

2007-03-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Hypocrisy
Do your words and actions during the week reflect the faith you profess and celebrate on Sunday?
Matthew 23:1-12

Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe what ever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice."

I feel as though I ought to be updating my blog more. I think it would be best to update only on certain days though. I will try to see if I can make a habit of Tuesday and Thursday blogging only. I am overall hoping to cut out a lot of my time on the internet as it has already messed things up nicely for me, especially with school and my RA job. I don't think I can even get into how much the internet has screwed up my spiritual life. I really am addicted I think. I really need to cut myself off from it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to kick the habit? St. Isidore of Seville, patron of the internet, pray for me!

Well, in other news, the thought of marriage is starting to frighten me a little. It seems I have come to understand more about this beautiful vocation, but when I think of myself in that vocation, I get a little freaked out. I am sure that a good portion has to do with the fact that I have been discerning the religious life actively for the past 4-5 years. I am in the middle of applying to enter the Poor Clares and I think most of my identity is rooted in the fact that others see me as 'the future nun'. It is difficult to deal with some days. I also feel that I could not be a good mother and sometimes it seems I cannot have a strong and deep relationship with others. Perhaps it is now realizing what I have to give up in life to follow Jesus to whatever He is calling me to. It is certainly a cross that I have never thought of or was even aware of until recently. Lord, help me to know Your will in these matters!

Please pray also for a friend of mine. She is 21, unwed, and pregnant. Keep her in your prayers as this is a very very difficult time for not only her, but for all who know and love her. Thank you!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Lent: Day 5

2007-02-25T19:19:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Put to the Test
Call on Christ for help when facing temptation of any kind and He will deliver you.
Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil.

After one amazing weekend, I feel as though full of the Holy Spirit myself. Now the hard part: keeping myself focused on the Lord. This weekend was the Here I am Lord Conference in St. Charles, IL. Friday evening was a healing Mass celebrated by Fr. Stan Fortuna. It was truly a refreshing and powerful Mass. I felt a great love in my heart for Our Lord present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It was wonderful to feel this consolation and immense love within my heart. Thank you dearest Jesus for this small grace. I needed to feel this as this holy season begins.

Saturday was filled with many wonderful talks by a great variety of persons, each with something similar yet totally different and profound! It was a very rich and wonderful experience. I only hope I will be able to digest it all and retain that which is needed. At lunch I ate with some wonderful Polish and Slovakian Religious along with a missionary Priest who gave an awe inspiring talk about what he does. He told a story that will forever change the way I view missionaries. May God bless them in their ministry and give us many many missionaries! It was a wonderful time just to sit and listen to them. They were a hoot!

It was beautiful to see the many religious present at the event and even the beauty and purity I saw in the Sisters and religious that I 'hung' around with. The Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi were giving me some of their winnings from the drawing earlier that evening so that I would 'survive' driving home in the winter storm that night. Fr. Andy and one of the Sisters from the aforementioned community came to help scrape the ice off of my windows on my car! May God reward them for their kindness! The one Sister is returning to Slovakia on Friday (although I cannot recall her name! I am hoping to find out somehow!) and I wanted to thank her for her beautiful witness that evening.

There was one thing on Saturday that was very bothersome to me, and I really need to work on. During the time for Q&A with the religious (ladies were with the women religious and men with the male religious), I had this one young lady who I am assuming may still be in her junior year of high school. When I was last at the conference, she was in the same group as me and just drove me batty! Her shirt, was rather loose fitting in the front and she was sitting on the rear part of the pew and leaning over, when right in front of her was a young man (note: this is from the last time I was there and the Q&A groups were co-ed). I was on the right of this young man, and apparently she hadn't the least idea that you could see straight down her shirt while she was leaning over! That poor young man. I was very tempted to tell her she ought to sit up as I too could see what the young man did. I didn't purely because I did not want to embarrass her and also because she would not stop talking! It suddenly seemed as though Q&A time was for her to talk about herself.

This year, the modesty issue was cleaned up and nowhere in sight. But she did take the opportunity to talk about herself and about how she was going to be an exchange student and she was hoping to be in Italy. I do have to say, the dear Sisters did not get much in the conversation! I did grab the chance to ask a question as soon as I could because I could not bear anymore to hear about her and what she was doing. I asked basically how the Sisters knew that they were called. I got one answer from one sister before one of the other sisters (in lay clothes, she was also married and became a religious after her husband passed away and her kids grew up) began to tell me about something, and because I felt that it was more or less not applicable to me, I tuned it out. Shame on me. I must have had such a rude look upon my face and now looking back, I feel awful about it. Although, I did ask the question more or less for the other young women in the group, and not so much for myself. God, forgive me of my fault.

There was also Mass on Saturday evening celebrated by Bishop Paprocki of Chicago. It was a beautiful but very crowded Mass as it was the parish's regular Saturday evening Mass. The Psalm when sung by the cantor, she had replaced every single male pronoun referring to God with either 'God' or something else that fit. It was not the only place where I heard this either. At Mass the previous night, one young lady behind me did the same thing with the prayer right after the offertory. GAH! I cannot explain the sheer aggravation I had! It was so upsetting to hear!

What is so wrong with calling God 'he'? It truly only makes sense that we call Him that in the first place! And should it really even matter? Why cannot we just pray the prayers prescribed by the Church just as they are? Why do we even feel a need to change something so minuscule as that? I do understand that God has no gender in reality, but in our human need to apply gender to things in language, it is proper to give God a male one. For one, Jesus is male. Jesus is indeed True God and True Man. I think that one is obvious. Now, the Holy Spirit, although spoken about sometimes in the female, it would be difficult to describe the Holy Spirit as female and being the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Also, God is called Father all over the scriptures. Are the scriptures all wrong too? Must we go 'fix' them as well? I see really no good reason to be changing prayers and songs all willy-nilly like.

Forgive me my rants. I do wish for union, but if the little things keep the multitudes apart, how can we say that we are one? The Church is beyond all these little things. I need very much to look beyond these and look to Our Lord. He is truly the reason for anything we do in the Church. May the Blessed Virgin Mary guide us all to come to know and lover her Son more and more. May St. Joseph protect the One, Holy, and Apostolic Catholic Church. Amen.

Lent: Day 2

2007-02-22T13:13:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Choose life...
Have you chosen to follow Christ, even when it means accepting the cross?
Luke 9:22-25

"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

It is only the second day of lent, and already I am feeling a little worn and weary. I am realizing how difficult of a lent this will be. I was very much excited for it to start, but now that it has, I feel like I ought to do better.

For one, last night I spent 15 minutes in adoration after being unable to locate where the evening of recollection was being held at. It was difficult and I felt as though I lacked in love for Our Saviour present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I felt just terrible to be there before Him. My mind would keep drifting and my prayers were few and sparse. I imagine Mass letting out in the middle of my time there was of no help, but I felt so distant and cut off from Our Lord.
I did however have the chance to make it to Mass twice. It was wonderful to be there although I was late for the first one and the second one was in the college's sparse kneeler-less chapel for every event in the college. I have to admit that I would not let the little things deter me from loving Our Lord, but it ended up being me that felt as though I did not love enough.

The rest of the day was normal and I did not eat anything until about 6:45pm and about an hour later, I was feeling ill. I did drink water throughout the day though. The day did not seem to be fervent in anyway and I did lack in prayer that day. I truly need to work on prayer before I can pronounce myself to be stuck in a period of spiritual dryness. Please pray for me. Pray that I can pray more and keep faithful to my Lenten promises!

What is Lent?

2007-02-19T21:56:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ!
Lent is quickly approaching dear friends in Christ! I thought it might be fun to give some definitions of what Lent is today.

The season of prayer and penance before Easter. Its purpose is to better prepare the faithful for the feast of the Resurrection, and dispose them for a more fruitful reception of the graces that Christ merited by his passion and death. In the Latin Rite, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days, besides Sundays, until Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday occurs on any day from February 4 to March 11, depending on the date of Easter. Originally the period of fasting in preparation for Easter did not, as a rule, exceed two or three days. But by the time of the Council of Nicaea (325) forty days were already customary. And ever since, this length of time has been associated with Christ's forty-day fast in the desert before beginning his public life. According to the prescription of Pope Paul VI, in revising the Church's laws of fast and abstinence, "The time of Lent preserves its penitential character. The days of penitence to be observed under obligation throughout the Church are all Fridays and Ash Wednesday, that is to say the first days of Great Lent, according to the diversity of rites. Their substantial observance binds gravely" (Paenitemini, III, norm II). Besides fast and abstinence on specified days, the whole Lenten season is to be penitential, with stress on prayer, reception of the sacraments, almsgiving, and the practice of charity. (Etym. Anglo-Saxon lengten, lencten, spring, Lent.)
Source

And from the Catholic Dictionary by Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D.

Lent (LEHNT): (From Middle English lenten; Anglo-Saxon lencten: spring) The forty day liturgical season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. In the first three centuries, Lent lasted only two or three days. Later, it grew to three or four weeks. The number forty is first detected in the Canons of Nicaea (A.D. 325), Probably to recall Our Lord's forty days in the desert before His public ministry. In the East and West and throughout the centuries, the length of the fast has varied. An important dimension of the Lenten observance was the celebration of Mass by the Holy Father at what are called station churches. The present sacramentary recalls this custom and "strongly encourages the chief shepherd of the diocese to gather his people in this way." The Lenten Liturgy also highlights the present restoration of the Scrutiny Masses on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of the season for the catechumens (now called the "elect"), who will be initiated at the Easter Vigil. CCC 540, 1095, 1438
Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., Rev. Peter M.J. Catholic Dictionary:Revised. Huntington, IN. Our Sunday Visitor. 2002. 464-465.

May God bless you all abundantly this lent as we grow closer to Christ.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Everything Lent

2007-02-18T20:19:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ!
Well, with lent starting on Wednesday this week, I though I would just link up to this great resource! Pray hard and be changed this lent. Please also visit the 'Box' widgit on my sidebar to download a Lenten Journey Calendar with things for everyday during the season. God bless you all abundantly!

A Catholic Life: Everything Lent

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Lenten Promise and Penance

2007-02-14T14:04:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ!
Lent is only a week away. A time that I am hoping to fortify my faith and to grow in holiness. The past 6 months have been a time full of falling away, sloth, and sin. It was 6 months before I made my last confession. It was a sad time and one that I wish never to go through again. The pain to have to face Our Lord, knowing you cannot receive Him is great and weighs heavily upon the heart. But, blessed be God in His mercy. Confession bestows great graces for those who seek Him and His forgiveness. These past 6 months have in reality undone all of the work done within me these past 7 years. I feel like I am starting over again from the very beginning. He is calling me to be renewed and to be holy. The scars of my sins will be with me for a very long time, but the pain they caused will be strength enough to fight back the next time that temptation comes to seek and destroy. By the grace of God, I will fight back. May He be praised for His compassion and mercy.

Now, this lent I am hoping to be intense. I want to live life as I have never lived it before. There are so many things that I am hoping to do and get done this Lenten Season that I will be changed within to a point where I can never go back. I have a great list already of things that I would like to do this lent, both promises and penances. I know that if I attempt to do them all, I will just have a complete overload and would fail at keeping several of them. On the other hand, many of them go hand in hand in helping completing each 'task,' if you will.

Give up elevators
Give up sugar (low sugar diet)
Give up meat
A weekly adoration hour
Go to weekly confession
Go to daily Mass
Pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary daily
Get to bed by 10pm (unless on duty or in meetings)
Get up by 7am
Read the Bible
Read the Catechism
Read devotional/religious/apologetics/theology book(s)
Create one great religious work of art

The list as of now is quite long, but if paced well, it is possible to accomplish. Morning and Evening prayer will be a great way to keep my day focused and Mass, adoration, and confession will keep me in a state of grace and enrich my daily living. There are also many other tasks that I need to work on getting done as well, being an RA and all, but God will grant me the time I need to get what I need to get done.

I also ask that whoever reads this will pray for me as I start anew this Lent. I want to be changed totally, and lent is surely a time for this to happen. Please, also leave your intentions so that I may pray for you as well. I want to be able to help others as I engage my mission. May your lent be life changing as well! God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

I Need to Learn More

2007-02-07T23:21:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Tonight, I learned that I need to learn and read more. For one, I need to do some serious scripture study. I really need to get in depth in the Old Testament and, well, just the whole Bible itself! I would love to do the Great Adventure Bible Study all over again, considering I jumped in right at the beginning of the New Testament. I certainly learned a great deal just from that part of the study.

I also need to bone-up on the catechism. I know generally a great number of things, but I would love to learn about all the nuances and deeper meaning behind a lot of teachings. I really need to read the Compendium and then from there I will start reading the actual catechism (as wonderfully an exciting read that may be...). I would also love to be able to read my huge scripture commentary. I have only been able to read a little out of it and I loved what I read. It lent great meaning to a number of passages and even many minor background details that add greatly to the richness and beauty of the scriptures.

I'd love to read up some more about apologetics and such considering the books that I have. Although it is not bad, I have been reading a great number of devotional books rather than informational books. I've decided that if my little sister can tell me who Jesse is and I cannot quite pinpoint it, I need to do some serious studying. St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for me! God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

I Wish Everyday Could be Christmas

2007-02-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Dear friends in Christ! It is true! Christmas is indeed every day! Every Mass Christ is born yet again in the hands of our Holy Priests! He again humbles himself to give Himself to us in this most blessed sacrament. What a great gift we receive when we assist at Mass and receive Christ. There could be no greater joy or greater worship to God than the Mass. Angels flock in the thousands at every Mass and adore the Savior of the world, the Word made flesh. They sing their angelic hymns of worship and praise and adore the Christ child born on the altar and who sacrifices Himself for the sake of mankind. Blessed are we truly to be able to receive such a grace and blessing. O Lord, humble us to know your true greatness and majesty. May the world come to know and love your loving and merciful heart.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Art

2007-02-06T21:43:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings yet once again. Today I am rather distraught by modern art. No, not contemporary art. That stuff can get kinda weird. Modern art is stuff like cubism, expressionism, surrealism, and a few others. Yes, I know those styles can also get kinda weird as well. Anyways, I am distraught because I am supposed to paint/draw a expressionist landscape or interior. I wanted to do the inside of a lovely Cathedral, but they are all pretty far away. Then I wanted to do the chapel at Corpus Christi Monastery, but I don't have any good photos for reference. So, I came up with a library or huge study to work on. My only issue with this would be making the numerous books defined, but also have some emotional weight to them. I made some nice oil pastel drawings of certain parts of my idea, but I will have a handful to work with when it comes to the hundreds of books I am going to have to put in there. I liked the sketches very much and would love to carry them over, but it will take lots of work to get it to how I am imagining it to look.

Expressionism is hard. Arg. Sculpture was so much easier to work with when dealing with Modern Art movements. Now painting and drawing, on the other hand, is a whole new ball park. St. Luke, patron of artists, pray for me!

Blogger Ate my HTML

2007-02-05T23:09:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

I just wanted to play around a bit and now it won't accept my old blog's HTML... it was fine before I started goofing around. Now suddenly there is an error that was not there a minute ago?
Well, there goes my way cool looking blog with all it's cool grey-ness and graphics. Guess this is my project for this year: Learn HTML so I can actually make a cool looking blog that works. Darn the graphic designer in me!

In other news, I'm going to bed early tonight. I am currently going on 4.5 hours of sleep and I am pretty surprised I am still up and functioning. Perhaps I can wake up somewhat early and get some school work done and maybe even some leisurely reading! Sigh... The cold isn't too bad though. I thought that the 2 degrees we had this evening about 5:15pm was lovely weather for sitting outside to eat some canned peaches. It is times like these when I really can appreciate the joys of long johns. Thank you Ukraine for your many wonderful lessons!

And in sports tonight, I have nothing sports related to say. Yeah, the Bears lost... Colts won. Okay, that's nice. Instead, I bring news about Catholic Stuff happening on campus. Praised be Jesus Christ that I will actually be able to participate and do many things this semester. One of which will be Mass with Cardinal George and the new Bishop of Joliet, Bishop Sartain, on Thursday, February 13th. I am quite looking forward to it. It will be at St. Vincent DePaul Parish at DePaul University, Chicago. I am quite curious as to what the church looks like. I guess that will be one more thing before I head off to bed tonight. And speaking of which, it is getting to be late, so I will leave things off here for now. God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

The Wonders of the Mass

2007-02-02T21:43:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! To the few that still read or occasionally stop by to see if I have actually written anything, hello! Forgive my long hiatus. School, work, and other things tend to get the better of me and my time. Today, I wanted to share some of the great insight from a recent reading of the very short The Wonders of the Mass by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. Fr. O'Sullivan has written a number of beautiful short books, one of which is one of my favorites, All About the Angels. The Wonders of the Mass is more or less a 'pamphlet' rather than a book considering it has only 42 pages and is about 6 inches tall, but it is still an awe-inspiring book.

Fr. O'Sullivan writes so simply and eloquently about the many graces available just by fully participating in the Mass and it is the highest form of praise both on earth and in heaven! Although I had heard this a number of times before, he goes slightly more in depth with the multitude of angels present at every Mass and how they bow down to the priest who gives us from his hands Our Lord and Savior. The book also spoke most highly of priests and the wonderful things they give to us. May God bless our holy priests! There is just so much said in the short 42 pages that just sets your heart on fire for love of the Mass. It is amazing how many little things there are in the Mass that many do not notice nor care to look into that could bring them closer to Christ and help them to understand the awesome power of the Mass.

I pray that we may all be able to love and understand the beauty and the power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. God Bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

It's been too long...

2007-01-21T14:31:00.000-06:00

+JMJ
It's been much too long since I have made a post here. I thought I would leave a little here so as not to think I have gone MIA. There will be more posts here in the future, but for now, things will be a little slow and drawn out. I have been quite busy and I am sure that little will be changing in the near future. God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Some Previous Rambling

2006-11-27T00:04:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

I wrote this quite a long while ago. It does need quite a bit of work, but I stumbled across it and read it today... Felt like I should share.

We are nothing but dust, yet we act as if we are superior or equal to God in many cases. We walk with our noses in the air, taking each step deliberately so as to have an air of superiority. We take immense pride in our talents, appearances, and property. Yet we are to be humble people. We are called to be humble like Christ, the Divine, who humbled himself so as to come into our presence, taking on the form of lowly man. Yes, we are loved immensely and truly, but we act as if though we are loved more than others. Our gifts and talents are not something to be shown off nor paraded around. We have such a tendency to allow for pride in everything we do. We let little room for humility to come into our lives. Christ has called us to love one another as He has loved us. Pride does not love. We walk with pride even in our Churches, especially those who have been allowed a special duty. We find ourselves exempt from participating fully and allow for Mass to become a stage show to exhibit our talents and property. Our duty becomes more important than Christ. It is terrible to sit and watch the self-importance and self-love throw Christ aside like an ordinary newspaper, when in fact, He is the Word Incarnate! Our voices, as beautiful as they may be, were not made for human pleasures, but rather for praise of God. Our bodies, as lovely as they may be, are not meant for human pleasures, but as a temple for the Holy Spirit and for the Greater Glory of God! Our property should only be that which we need to survive our earthly pilgrimage, nothing outside of our needs should be supplied. God has given to us all we need, but we find we must find pleasure in earthly human things, especially self-love, and find that we need to give ourselves more and we must become the superior and best there is. We find no room for humility in our overcrowded lives and hearts. I say, clean yourselves of all this excess. Leave it all behind. Humbly continue the pilgrimage and kill the pride that has taken hold of you. Let not the evil one trick you into falling into the terrible sin of pride. “From pride all perdition took its beginning” (Tob 4:14). If you rid yourself of pride and embrace humility with all your being, you will find yourself being rid of other sins and temptations, for pride is in all sins. Examine your conscience and pray that God will allow you to see the self-love and pride within each of these sins. Pray that we all will be freed from the chains of this serious and disastrous sin.

A Sudden Desire

2006-11-06T22:01:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

It has been quite sometime since I have really desired within myself the religious life. Suddenly today, I feel such a strong desire. It is almost flame like, engulfing my heart in love. I feel it may have to do with reading Showings by Julian of Norwich. It is such a simple and straightforward text, but at the same time filled to the brim with such a rich and deep love of God. It is beautiful. I am not quite through it all and I have more than half of it to finish, but it is just so beautiful in the way that the love of God shines forth so brilliantly.

I feel such a desire for God although it has been sometime since it feels like I have had a sincere desire for Him. There have been times where I have broken down into tears just telling Jesus, I know I need You, but I can't hold on to You! I want You but I need to do better and stay closer to You.

Jesus I need You.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done.

A little rant

2006-10-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

So... on October 12th Fr. Robert Barron came and gave a great lecture at my uber liberal UCC College. He was talking about the life of John Henry Cardinal Newman and also a bit on the liberal conservative divide there is in the Church today. I recorded the entire thing (over an hour) and I would share with you if I could somehow get it hosted some place, but I am not that web savy. Afterwards, we had an ice cream social that got into some deep discussion. I also found out that I think there is only two Catholics on campus that think that homosexual relations and gay marriage are wrong. I am pretty sure I one of them.

So, a few weeks ago, I was at Mass with my mother and sister and I hadn't been to Mass last Sunday and I knew I could not recieve. My mother was quite mad at me afterwards and gave me that glare and said she wanted to talk to me afterwards. I hadn't done anything wrong (well, at least any worse) and when I explaind that I could not recieve because I was in mortal sin and hadn't confessed, she told me that I take this all too seriously! Recieving the Blessed Sacrament is not a right in any way... it is a gift, and one that we must prepare ourselves to receive always! I wish that we could educate everyone to realize this.

I've also come to realize that I have slowly been secularizing myself and letting myself slip into a bit of lethargy in keeping watch. I have learned that I have been way to loose with my money and now I have to pay about $2,000 for car repairs (my car started smoking as I was driving home this past weekend) plus I owe my mom $165 for towing my car to be fixed. I have maybe just over $2,000 right now, both in savings and in checking. I'm poor... :(

Well, that is about all I have to rant/share with you today. May God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

So, I was thinking...

2006-10-12T02:06:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you all and your holy angels! I realize it has been far too long since I have made any sort of update and a lot has happened, although nothing major or fantastic. Monday I spent all day Downtown at the Field Musuem taking pictures for my Non-European art history class. My dad also got us tickets to see the King Tut exhibit while we where there. It really wasn't as good as I imagined it would have been. There was some really beautiful things there, but for some reason all this gold and artisian work really doesn't astound me. Even the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel didn't take my breath away. Yes, it was beautiful. What I found even more beautiful was the Crucifix on the altar. It was nothing extraordinary and possibly made by someone we don't know. I loved it and I wanted to get closer to it to see each and every detail. I love the wonderfully ornate and beautiful churches that are not tourist destinations. I was in awe of the beauty of St. Peter's, but I fell in love with the quiet sanctity of St. Paul's Outside the Walls. Am I crazy? Does the environment of art really change it's beauty?

Some new clothes...

2006-09-19T02:29:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Well, here is the new layout. I am still thinking about a black and blue one though. I am hoping to do some more tweaking as I go along, but this is about it for now! I am also working on some more stuff for the side bars, although I don't think it will be too hard to come up with. Suggestions are always welcome. And, yes, I know that some of the old posts look funny due to the format change.
Pax Christi!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

This is the beginning of the new

2006-09-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

I am totally working on trying to re-vamp and redesign my blog... I have started with scrapping the previous black and blue and I am working on a more grey-er one... I am currently in transition as I have reverted to a blogger template for the time being. I am working with a loverly little code generator because I have very minimal html-ing skills. So, when it does come, I hope it is enjoyable. God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-07-28T10:40:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! I hope all is well with anyone who still may be reading this. I have taken a bit of a hiatus since I began working at Sears in mid June. I have spent much time on the internet since than, but not on blogs or anything of the likes. I did meander onto MySpace, but apparently, I have been kicked off. No big loss to me.

I made a visit to the Poor Clares on Wednesday this week and got to meet the new Postulant. I felt a little strange and I felt very very young. Sometimes I wish that I was not so shy with people, especially when first meeting them. There were two priests visiting from Kansas to see the postulant because she transfered from an active community out there (I think).

That is all. May God bless you all abundantly! Have a most blessed day!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-06-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Today, well, yesterday in the mail I got a brochure about a Passionist 'Come and See' retreat and I wanted to share some details that were sent to me.

From the Brochure:

Hi! My name is Sister John Mary and I want to invite single Catholic women ages 16-35 to learn more about this awesome way of life-being a Passionist Nun! This is an opportunity for you to grow in your relationship with Christ, learn more about religious life and meet other young women who are on the same journey as you.

We are hosting the Consecrated Life Retreat in response to the request of Pope John Paul the Great that all religious communties make know the great joy and value of a life consecrated to Christ.

During the weekend we will share with you some tip of how to discern God's plan for your life. We will also share about our Passionist charism, the joy of living a life of worship and intercession and the liberation that comes from living the Gospel radically.

Some of the Sisters will share their vocation stories and there will be opportunities to speak privately with a Sister. We will take time for silence and prayer, laughter and hiking and even a tour inside the monastery. Where else can you find a weekend like this for only ten bucks?

When is the Retreat?
July 21-23, 2006
Arrival: Friday at 4:30 pm
Departure: Sunday at 3:00 pm
Can't make this date? Please contact me for other opportunities.

Pre-Registration
Prior to registering for this retreat please email or call and ask to speak to Sister John Mary. The quicker you contact me the easier you make our job!

Space is limitied.

Registration deadline: July 14th, 2006
Registration fee: $10.00

Under 18?
Please contact me in plenty of time that I can sen your parents/guardian the forms which need to be completed.

Where will the retreat be held?
The retreat will be in our retreat house on our grounds. We are located in a rural area 12 miles SE of Owensboro just norht of Whitesville, KY.

Benedict XVI to young People
"...I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and He gives you everything. When we give ourselves to Him, we recieve a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ-and you will find true life. Amen."

Visit our Monastery website and find out more about this joy-filled life lived in the heart of the Church:
www.passionistnuns.org

Who are the Passionist Nuns?
We are contemplative nuns who seek to keep alive in the hearts of people the memory of the greatest act of love in the history of the world-the saving death of Jesus, from whom alone our world will find peace and salvation.

We are deputed by the Church offer the "sacrafice of praise" continually; this is expressed most powerfully in our participation in the Holy Mass. We pray the full Liturgy of the Hours which extends praise and petition of the Mass throughout the day. We have Eucharistic adoration and at least two hours of private prayer daily.

Our Lady of Sorrows aids us in our monastic journey which also includes study, work and recreation. Our formation program, steeped in Sacred Scripture and the mystics, nourishes both heart and mind. We enjoy two periods of daily recreation-chatting, going for walks, playing games, and even riding a bike (yes, it can be done in a full religious habit!)

We love being brides of Christ and daughters of the Catholic Church!

What one young woman said about a Consecrated Life Retreat
"First and forwmost, I want to thnak you for the wonderful weekend, I very much enjoyed it.Of course I was nervous in the beginning, but the moment I arrived I felt right at home...

Hearing the talks this weekend has really given me a great appreciation of those who choose religious life as a vocation... My impression of religious life before was that it was a lonely life and I wondered why in the world somebody would do that, but now I realize that I myself wouldn't mind the life...

I wish the weekend wouldn't have ended so soon. It felt like I was only there a blink of an eye, but the time spent in that shortness I loved. I have always felt my heart 'tugging' to maybe consider religious life...

I hope to return to the Passionist Monastery sometime soon! God Bless..."

Sr. John Mary, C.P.
sjohnm@passionistnuns.org
(270) 233-4571
Passionist Nuns
8564 Crisp Road
Whitesville, KY 42378

They also included a vocation prayer with the brochure and letter. I'd like to share this as well:

O loving Jesus, you promised that once you were lifted up, you would draw all things to yourself. Through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, draw to yourself the hearts of all whom you are calling to be a brother, sister, or priest. If you are giving me this gift help me to respond generously.

O loving Jesus, I long to gaze upon you, Reveal to me the beauty of your love in you sacred Passion. Enlighten my mind to see the passing nature of all earthly things. Make me thirst after you, who alone can satisfy the deepest longings of my heart.

O loving Jesus, Spouse of Souls, let me hear your voice calling my name, Give me a realization of the urgent and grave needs of our times, so that I may generously leave all things in order to follow you.

O loving Jesus, I ask all this for the glory of your holy Name and to obtain an abundance of your mercy for souls. I commit myself entirely to you holy will. Amen.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-05-18T01:15:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised Be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels. Today I bring a bit of a meditation from awhile ago...

Nature becomes so much more beautiful when we contemplate the Maker of each and everyone of those leaves and twigs, down to the water droplets that clouds are made of. You really feel extremely loved to be blessed with such stunning and heavenly gifts as these! And you can only imagine how much more love and care was put into the creation of mankind, made in His image.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-05-13T15:38:00.000-05:00

+JMJ
Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! It seems that pictures have invaded my posts! I guess that does make things interesting at least! I am posting again to share with you some pictures of a friend of mine that entered the PCPA's in Portsmouth, OH at St. Joseph Monastery on Divine Mercy Sunday. They are all beautiful pictures and Sister Denise is absolutly wonderful! You can visit them at www.stjosephmonastery.com, but remember, it doesn't work on firefox for some reason!

Also, these dear Sisters have a 'wish list' still. If you can assist them in anyway, please contact them via the information listed here.
This is what they need as of now:

† We were given 35 solid wood chairs and they need to be

refinished & repaired. Any suggestions on how to accomplished this?

† Help with distributing brochures

† Ornate Chalices, Ciborium's

† Beautiful Vestment in honor of St. Joseph

† Beautiful Vestment in honor of Our Lady

† Benefactors - to help with the building of our New

Monastery

As of now, this is all the help they have received! Blessed be God!

† Riding Lawn mower

† 2 sets of Bunk beds

† Religious Books

† Printer

† Phone Cards

† Lunette

† Extra large Crock Pot

† Loaf pans for baking bread

† 2 Garden Hoes & 1 Shovel

† Computer

Please help if you can! They will remember you in their prayers!

Entrance Ceremony of Denise McClain

" Dear daughter, what do you seek?"

- - -

" Dear Rev. Mother, I beg most humbly for

the love of God, to be admitted into this Community,

so that I may more securely work out the salvation

of my soul, by dedicating myself to the

Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament

in the order of our Seraphic Father, Saint Francis,

and our holy Mother Saint Clare."

I wish this picture of their cat would show up on my blog, but I am having technical difficulties! Maybe you can see it if you click here. Yay for Nuns and kitties! This may be my favorite combo EVER!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-05-09T16:10:00.000-05:00

+JMJ
Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Not much to report today. I did want to share the link to the phatmass radio. It has been kind of insider knowledge for some time, but it is some great CATHOLIC hip hop, rock, rap, and you can learn some Greogorian chant! It's great to just have playing when you need something with a beat. I do have much work to do this week before finals week, so I think this may be it for today. If you want something good to read, visit The Curt Jester, Closed Cafeteria, Lumen de Lumine, or ...And If Not... God bless you abundantly and be holy!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-05-08T13:50:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! It is a wonderful Monday and the birds are chirping and things are green. It is certainly wonderful to see. Thank you most merciful Lord for this gift! Well, I had a busy weekend! Sometimes I wish I had less to do, but it was all wonderful all the same. Friday evening I was blessed with going to see the Daughters of St. Paul here in Chicago with Lauren, whom I met in person for the first time. It was wonderful to see and talk with her and also meet the Daughters as well! We were there for First Friday Movie Night and saw The Mission. It was a beautiful movie, but very deep and inspiring as well. If you haven't seen it, I would suggest it!
Saturday afternoon (I slept in, I was going to leave in the morning) I left to go home to drop some things off, including the suitcase that my mom needed for today. I also brought home somethings from my dorm so there is less to take home when I leave next week. We went home, my sister and I worked on her project that was due today, and we had some leftovers and watched some TV. The thing that really disturbed me was that the show she was watching on DiscoveryKids was teaching the kids how to make their own ouija board! I think my sister may have fallen asleep by then, thank God, but it is disturbing that they encourage children to play with these things of the occult!
Sunday morning I got up maybe about 7 or 8. I cannot remember currently, but I hopped in the shower and got ready to head back to school. I left about 9:40 and got back about 10:30ish. Then I just had to wait for Mr. Zak to call about picking me up and bringing me to Imago Dei. He called, and about 11:45 picked me up in the St. Pat's school bus. It has been forever since I've ridden in one of those! It was also very cool because of the Catholic stuff in it.
So we got there a-okay and unloaded and helped set up. Then some of us were sent on a McDonald's mission to get lunch for the 20+ kids that had came with Mr. Zak. Sadly, I think they may have forgotten a few of the drinks and fries, but everyone did have something to eat. After that, things kinda got kicked off. There were many Sisters, Brothers and Priests there. It was fun just to walk around and see who was what and from where. Sisters would always be coaxing me over to chat with them. It was nice to hear about them all and they were all wonderful. I did take a few pictures, and I'll share them with you, but I may have to explain some of them.
As for the pictures, I did not get any pictures of Fr. Stan, the (NEW) Auxilary Bishop of Chicago, Gerard, or of the Nashville Dominican that had spoken. I just felt that I shouldn't because no one else was. But I did get some pictures of the set up and the church (Very beautiful church I may add!) along with just some Sisters that were hanging around. Now, there is a picture of a Sister who is dancing like a mad woman. The picture does show the extent of the madness, but oh my goodness. Wow is all I have to say. So that may explain things, so enjoy the pictures!
It was a wonderful event and seeing Sisters and talking to them, and also getting their prayers was great as well! I got to see Joe, a friend of mine who I haven't seen in a loooong time, and that was great itself! (I hope he doesn't see this, it might inflate his ego some more, lol) I think Mr. Zak may have been telling some Sisters about my own discernment and such and the plans to enter the Poor Clare Colettines, but it was wonderful to have so many praying for me. Last night before leaving and after Mass was probably the best part of the evening. I was just filled with so much joy and love. It was a wonderful blessing to be reassured and have courage to do what needs to be done in these coming weeks. I also thought about how many religious I have praying for me! I am sure it may be nearing 50! Another thought to blow one's mind away. Fr. Stan Fortuna also blessed my Franciscan Crown which also made me very happy. I'm extra happy it was a Franciscan that blessed it too.
This afternoon, I was also checking out a few websites of some of the communities there, and one of them in their 'recommended readings' section had recommended a book of Sr. Joan Chittister's. That was a little unnerving. It was also wonderful talking to one of the Sisters who said 'Bingo!' when I had explained to her the joy and the peace from visiting the Poor Clares. She was so sweet and so lovable!
One last things before I am through! The Summit Dominicans have some lovely medals comemorating 800 years of the first foundation of Dominican Nuns! Here is what their site says about it:

This lovely medal, designed by our postulant, Sr. Greta, depicts our founder, St. Dominic de Guzman, accepting the vows of the first nuns at Prouilhe. The inscription (in Latin) encircling the top of the medal is "MONIALES ORDINIS PRAEDICATORUM" ("Nuns of the Order of Preachers") with the foundation year, 1206, and the eighth centenary year, 2006, at the bottom.

The medals themselves are beautiful and only $3 (that includes shipping and handling)! Beautiful Dominican Nuns make beautiful Dominican medals! Buy yours here!

That is all from me today! God bless and be holy!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-05-04T01:34:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Well, some late night snooping and I have stumbled across the Swiss Guard website. So many cool pictures! Old and new alike! Also, it appears they have a flag! I cannot get a good look at it but I'll share a picture with it in it... It definatly has the Papal crest on it. The one of John Paul the Great to boot! Whoo hoo! There are tons of cool pictures, especially of the different uniforms. Gala, Gran Gala, Drill Uniform and tons of others! There is a link to postcards and you have to use some transliteration to figure out which link you should click to get to the post cards. But it is so awesome! Oh, and incase you were looking for a link, you can try here at: http://www.schweizergarde.org/
Make sure you click english as the language unless you prefer a foreign language. You also have to admit, they have some super snazzy pants. I'll include some more pictures because they are fun! I also threw in a postcard for your enjoyment! If someone could tell me who that Pontiff is, I'll think about giving you a cookie (or a little spiritual bouquet!)

What is it that really makes the Swiss Guard so fun? The pants? The Uniform as a whole? The requirements? The fact that they scolded one of the shutter bugs who came with us to WYD while they, the shutter bug, attempted to take a photo of them while still in St. Peter's? Who knows, but they protect our beloved Pontiff and they love him as much as we do and that is all that matters to me.

Now for some fun 'facts' from the Swiss Guard's site:

Swiss Guards are practising Catholics. They operate daily in the heart of the Roman Curia, continuously meet people on their pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Prince of the Apostles and participate in the liturgical celebrations inside the Vatican.

It is obvious that by their religious faith and practice, the Swiss Guards are the Holy Father's "visiting card".

Totally awesome. The Holy Father's 'visiting card.' Ha! I kinda like the sound of that...
Some more:

Those in charge of the Pope's security must have irreproachable reputations.

Now you know you can always trust a Swiss Guard ;)
Still more:

Anyone who wants to become a Swiss Guard had better decide early. Our Corps is a young one. Often, older recruits find it more difficult to integrate. We do not accept candidates who are over 30 years of age. However, under certain conditions, former Guards can return to the Corps.

Wow, this sounds a lot like a religious community! A lot like many cloistered communities! Crazy!
He he... still more... This is just fascinating!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-04-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Happy Easter to all!

Today I think I will rant. A rant about a need for sacred artists. No, I'm not talking about the ones that 'wreckovate' Churches or make God-awful sculptures and 'interpretive' images. I'm talking about making churches look like churches. Including sacred art and architecture that really leads one into a prayerful spirit. Brickwalls unadorned and huge aren't exactly prayer evoking. Neither are warehouses and buildings meant for other purposes. What happened in the world of sacred art? Seriously. I know that once we hit the 20th century we had Dada and surrealism, cubism and the whole lot. Even before that we had van Gogh and Cezanne shocking people with their 'scandalous' methods. Today we look at them and see no shock. We are used to it. I am not saying that modern art is bad or terrible. I am just saying that it really doesn't have a home in the church (and that is church with a little c, mind you). Sacred art should become sacred. I'd like to use the Eastern Church and their icons as an example. People are still writing these icons the same way they were back in the times of Byzantium. Very little has changed about it. These icons continue to adorn the Eastern churches, even in some very modern looking ones. These holy images are 'windows to heaven.' Sometimes, looking back, I find myself as more of a Poussinist. I believe that art should have a honorable and noteworthy subject. That is just me. I enjoy abstract art, I even do a little 'modern' art myself, but I do find that sacred art is a genre/style set apart from all these styles of our modern age. Images of the Baroque evoke some of the same emotions and passions, and I would say far more than some images done in an abstracted or stylized manner. Why? It could be because they are spelled out before us dramatically. It is life-like, something we can see actually happening. The images become real. These are no longer just events in 'some ancient book'. No. They are real things that happened to real people. Put Jesus in all time. Not just this time, but eternally. And, no, I don't mean futuristic or aliens by this. You can show Jesus with people of our time, ordinary people. I find the lack of real sacred art and sacred architecture a real travesty in today's churches, but it is also a relief that it is returning in some newly built churches. So long styles of the 60s! See-ya 70's! Adios 80's! Welcome Jesus Christ! May You be praised everywhere always! Eternal Lord, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God Forever and Ever.

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.
-Michelangelo

Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.
-Leonardo DaVinci

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-04-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

+JMJ
Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Holy Week is upon us again, but not as a thick, suffocating depression, but as hope, because we know that after Good Friday comes the Glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday! It is also the last ditch effort with our Lenten promises, seeing as Lent ends officially Holy Thursday. It is also a time not to let our guard down either. The Evil One knows what kinds of graces and blessings are waiting for us this Holy Week. He does not want us to grow closer, but widen the gap and increase our inner turmoil. Listen not to the voice of the evil one or the flesh, nor the world. Listen only to the voice of Christ speaking in your heart! Pray that you may hear His voice. Pray to the Blessed Mother! Pray to the Angels! Pray to the Saints! All of them more than happy to assist you! Be in constant prayerful vigil these days, even more than you should be on all other days.

Pray also that you might learn to love God more and more these days. Love the Lord with everything you are and with everything you do! Let not a moment be wasted on idle earthly things with the treasures and graces are always there to meditate on! This week, meditate most passionately on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is in Him where all our love, all our wants, and all our treasures are.

Remember also, as you gather in graces and blessings to remember the Church Suffering. Pray that they may speedily be purged and able to enter the glory of heaven and the ranks of the Church Triumphant, where they will always be willing to pray for you and intercede for you in return for your help to them.

I know that there are many that are so glad that Easter is so close, and rightfully glad! But I know also that there are many still in pain, and not of their own accord. Remember them also. Offer up your happiness for those who have nothing to be happy about. Offer up your joys to those with only sorrow. When you are in sorrow and pain, remember how courageously and most beautifully Our Lord endured the sufferings of His death, and not because He rightly deserved that punishment. No. We are the sinners. We are the ones who should have been suffering with such terrible agony. But our God is a most merciful God and has such a great and immense love for us, that He would rather sacrifice Himself that we would be saved. He took on the curse that the Israelites had took upon themselves when the covenant was broken. He did not want His people to be a cursed people. No, His people where to be blessed and free. In this, He died, redeeming not only the Israelites, His chosen people, but redeeming the world, including all the children of the world, all made in His image.

The Son of Man crucified is our hope, joy, and consolation. He is our everything. He gives so much to us. He has given us everything! Even unto giving Himself to us everyday in Holy Communion. How much more can we do to repay Him, but it will never be enough. It seems all we can do is but a little speck in the universe. But He will love us always, and is greatly pleased when we do His Will, and do our best to please Him and to love Him. On this note, I wish to share a prayer for after receiving Holy Communion:

What Shall I Give Thee?

I have received into my heart, Jesus Christ, His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity! I begin this day as a day in Heaven. He is in my soul: The Divine Infant in the crib, the growing Boy at Nazareth, the Apostle acclaimed by crowds on the roads of Galilee, the Miracle Worker Who performed such prodigies, the Martyr Who completed His Sacrifice on Calvary.

He is in me. What more can I desire when I possess Jesus?

And now, O Good Master, what shall I give to Thee in exchange for Thy visit? I would like to give Thee a soul all sparkling with purity and sincerity, but mine is afflicted with so many miseries!

I would like to pray to Thee with the burning words of Thy Mother and her court in Heaven, but I feel riveted to earthly things.

I would like to offer Thee courageous loyalty to my Baptismal Vows and Confirmation Graces, but, alas, I have so often been disloyal.

I would like, at least, to have a desire for the Christian life, but I allow myself to be discouraged by my failures.

O good Jesus! I have nothing to give Thee and Thou hast given Everything: Thou hast given Thyself to me. I can only join my poor voice in the chorus of praise to Thee, rising out of all the works of Thy creation here on earth:

With the majesty of the mountains, the immensity of the desert, the roar of the ocean, the fury of the storm, I shall praise Thy Power!

With the flowers of the field, the colors of the rainbow, the whiteness of the snow, the blue of the skies, I shall praise Thy Beauty!

With the fruits of the earth, the air I breathe, the light I see, the life I enjoy, I shall praise Thy Goodness!

With the splendor of the stars, the rays of the sun, the moon's pale light, the depths of space, I shall praise Thy Immensity!

With six billion people now living on earth, I shall praise Thy Mercy!

May our voices unite with the billions of those who inhabited the earth before us, and out of whose dust the beauty of nature perpetually rises to praise Thy Glory!

May an infinite concert of voices from cottages and palaces, from fields and forests, from towns and deserts, from workshops and cathedrals, from earth and from heaven, from time and from eternity, arise to give my thanks unto Thee!
Amen.

Praise God Always and Be Holy.

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-03-20T14:04:00.000-06:00

+JMJ
Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your companion! All is well here and I hope the same where you are at! I will be leaving to visit the Poor Clares this week! I was hoping to be able to stay through the weekend, but it looks like my mother will need me at home on Friday night. I am a little dismayed, but hopefully the 2 (closer to 3) days that I will spend there will be joyful and peaceful. I want to stay the entire time, but I can't with my grandpa in the hospital and the fact that I need to clean and also visit with my family at home.

The Mother and Mistress of Wisdom speaks few words, but each is filled with great depth of meaning. We read that the Mother of Christ spoke seven times, seven words filled with wisdom!
-St. Bernardine of Siena

I don't know if I have made a formal announcement, but I have decided that I am going to drop out of college and work for a year, or until my debts (college loans, icky!) are paid off. I haven't told my mom and I pray that things will go well when I do. I think I will make a novena to St. Jude or St. Rita, or maybe both. I can make a short pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago, so that may also be part of the prep plan. Pray for me friends.

Every Cross that we see in the world becomes a silent reminder for us. The true victory that overcomes hatred in the world is ultimately self-sacrifice, in constant fidelity flowing from the power of love.
-Pope John Paul II

Now the following is the homily from Fr. Dominic Mary, MFVA on modesty. I thought it was an interesting read and would share it with you all:

Homily Given by Fr. Dominic Mary, MFVA on EWTN’s Televised Mass – 6.14.05

2 Cor 8:1-9 OLAM Chapel - 7am TV Mass
Psalm 146:2, 5-9 Tues week 11-Year I

St. Matthew 5:43-48 June 14, 2005
Today is Tuesday of the 11^th week of Ordinary Time. In today’s gospel we see the Lord Jesus continuing His Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He tells the people, and us through this holy Gospel, that they and we are to no longer hate our enemies, but rather, we are to love them. Furthermore, we are to pray for those who persecute us. We are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. We are called to holiness - and holiness includes loving and praying for those who do us wrong.

But you know, one of the things that comes to mind, especially with summer well under way in this part of the world, is the lack of love shown by so many people to their neighbor in the poor and immodest way in which they dress, especially while attending Holy Mass. And this immodesty is very much tied to the widespread impurity in our culture and society today. Immodesty is one of the biggest problems we have to face in dealing with purity in the West. The Ninth Commandment says that thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife. As the Catechism tells us, the struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance (CCC, no. 2517). And purity requires modesty, which is an integral part of temperance (CCC, no. 2521). Modesty

protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons. (CCC, no. 2521)

Modesty protects the mystery of the person. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. (CCC, no. 2522)

And so modesty is a virtue. Included in the virtue of modesty is not only humility, but also in how one externally dresses (cf. John Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary, p. 356). But many today have rejected to practice this virtue so desperately needed in our current culture. Even to the most casual observer, immodesty in dress is seen as common place in our Churches. We have got to do all we can to help people to wake up and realize they are dressing way to immodestly, especially when it comes to entering a Church to worship God. We must be like the Vatican - just one example (cf. www. cathnews.com) - when there are heat waves in Rome the Vatican dress police, neatly dressed in pants, shirts and ties, turn back all tourists in shorts and bare shoulders trying to get into St. Peter’s Basilica. I’ve seen them do with my own eyes. These immodestly dressed people have to go and buy paper pants and shirts from vendors eagerly waiting outside.

Many people come to Church dressed like they are ready to go to the beach. You should not come to Church dressed in shorts, miniskirts, swimsuits, bikinis, tank-tops, dresses above the knees, bare shoulders, bare arms, low cut dresses, sleeveless shirts, very tight fitting clothing, etc. If you come to EWTN or the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, AL and you are not dressed properly don’t expect to get out of your car because we have a dress code here. And don’t even dare to come into the Chapel before our Lord. If you do, hopefully you will be caught by our security guards and asked to put on more clothing. We must return to having a holy fear for God and for His true Presence in the Eucharist and for being in His house. How can we expect to grow in the spiritual life if we are dressed like we don’t care? How dare we approach the Holy Eucharist dressed like we are going to the beach.

When a person dresses immodestly he or she can become an occasion of sin for other people. And this is the fashion for today. Each year it seems that the latest fashion is to see how little clothing one can wear and how much of one’s body can be shown. And what flesh is not shown is revealed by extremely tight clothing. To knowingly and intentionally dress like this is sinful, and can be even seriously sinful, because one become a temptation to sin for other people. We are all weak and can easily fall into many sins of impurity by someone else’s immodesty.

Before we go out or buy new clothes we should do a modesty check. Ladies, remember some simple guidelines in buying and wearing an outfit, which are modeled here after a well known modesty promoter (cf. Collen Hammond, Dressing with Dignity, www.valoramedia.com):

1. First of all, one guideline which can prove to very helpful (developed by either the Sacred Congregation of the Council under Pope Pius XI or from a Cardinal from Pope Pius XII=s office in 1956): A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees. Furthermore, dresses of transparent material are improper.

2. Does my back, belly or shoulders show? Does my back or belly show when I am bending or stretching? When bending over does my blouse hang down and open for all to see through?

3. Is my blouse or top to tight? Is it more loose fitting or is it too tight and revealing? Can one see the outline of my underwear through my tight-fitting clothing? Blouses and tops that are too tight are very immodest and say a lot about the woman who wears such a blouse or top.

4. Lastly, we are concerned about how much flesh is showing, but as one well known modesty promoter put it, modesty is not just about how much of our skin is showing, but how much of our feminine shape is showing (cf. Collen Hammond, Dressing with Dignity, www.valoramedia.com).

The way one dresses is a big determinant in what kind of person one will attract. Ladies, if you dress immodestly, what do you think you will attract? If you dress like a woman of the night you attract men of the night - men who want to use you, not to love you for who you are. Women want to be loved for who they are, not for the pleasure they can give to a man. Yet many dress so immodestly that all they attract is men who wish to love them for their body. If you want to attract a decent man, who will truly love you, then start by dressing like a woman who respects herself and her dignity as a woman. What you wear says a lot about you. By how you dress sends many messages to those who see you.

Let us love our neighbor, even our enemies: first, in relation to today’s Gospel, by dressing properly and modestly. Second, let us love, with a Christian love, those who do dress immodestly. Let us pray for them and try to gently help them. Let us dress properly. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).

That is all dear friends! May God continue to bless you abundantly this lenten season!

Some quotes for you all:

When tempted, invoke your angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel.
St. John Bosco
The Church is a faithful and ever watchful guardian of the dogmas that have been entrusted to her charge. In this sacred deposit, she changes nothing, she takes nothing away, she adds nothing to it.
St. Vincent of Lerins
O happy confidence! O perfect refuge! The Mother of God is my Mother. What firm trust we should have, then, since our salvation depends on the judgments of a good Brother and a tender Mother!
St. Anselm of Canterbury
I ask you to pray for those who cannot pray and also for those who do not know how to pray. Pray too for all who have lost faith in God and in His mercy.
Pope John Paul II
There is no sin nor wrong that gives a man such a foretaste of hell in this life as anger and impatience.
St. Catherine of Siena
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.
St. Augustine of Hippo

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-03-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

I know this may be behind by quite a bit, but I wanted to have it posted here :)

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
BENEDICT XVI
FOR LENT 2006

“Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity” (Mt 9:36)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Lent is a privileged time of interior pilgrimage towards Him Who is the fount of mercy. It is a pilgrimage in which He Himself accompanies us through the desert of our poverty, sustaining us on our way towards the intense joy of Easter. Even in the “valley of darkness” of which the Psalmist speaks (Ps 23:4), while the tempter prompts us to despair or to place a vain hope in the work of our own hands, God is there to guard us and sustain us. Yes, even today the Lord hears the cry of the multitudes longing for joy, peace, and love. As in every age, they feel abandoned. Yet, even in the desolation of misery, loneliness, violence and hunger that indiscriminately afflict children, adults, and the elderly, God does not allow darkness to prevail. In fact, in the words of my beloved Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, there is a “divine limit imposed upon evil”, namely, mercy (Memory and Identity, pp. 19ff.). It is with these thoughts in mind that I have chosen as my theme for this Message the Gospel text: “Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity” (Mt 9:36).

In this light, I would like to pause and reflect upon an issue much debated today: the question of development. Even now, the compassionate “gaze” of Christ continues to fall upon individuals and peoples. He watches them, knowing that the divine “plan” includes their call to salvation. Jesus knows the perils that put this plan at risk, and He is moved with pity for the crowds. He chooses to defend them from the wolves even at the cost of His own life. The gaze of Jesus embraces individuals and multitudes, and he brings them all before the Father, offering Himself as a sacrifice of expiation.

Enlightened by this Paschal truth, the Church knows that if we are to promote development in its fulness, our own “gaze” upon mankind has to be measured against that of Christ. In fact, it is quite impossible to separate the response to people’s material and social needs from the fulfilment of the profound desires of their hearts. This has to be emphasized all the more in today’s rapidly changing world, in which our responsibility towards the poor emerges with ever greater clarity and urgency. My venerable Predecessor, Pope Paul VI, accurately described the scandal of underdevelopment as an outrage against humanity. In this sense, in the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, he denounced “the lack of material necessities for those who are without the minimum essential for life, the moral deficiencies of those who are mutilated by selfishness” and “oppressive social structures, whether due to the abuses of ownership or to the abuses of power, to the exploitation of workers or to unjust transactions” (ibid., 21). As the antidote to such evil, Paul VI suggested not only “increased esteem for the dignity of others, the turning towards the spirit of poverty, cooperation for the common good, the will and desire for peace”, but also “the acknowledgement by man of supreme values, and of God, their source and their finality” (ibid.). In this vein, the Pope went on to propose that, finally and above all, there is “faith, a gift of God accepted by the good will of man, and unity in the charity of Christ” (ibid.). Thus, the “gaze” of Christ upon the crowd impels us to affirm the true content of this “complete humanism” that, according to Paul VI, consists in the “fully-rounded development of the whole man and of all men” (ibid., 42). For this reason, the primary contribution that the Church offers to the development of mankind and peoples does not consist merely in material means or technical solutions. Rather, it involves the proclamation of the truth of Christ, Who educates consciences and teaches the authentic dignity of the person and of work; it means the promotion of a culture that truly responds to all the questions of humanity.

In the face of the terrible challenge of poverty afflicting so much of the world’s population, indifference and self-centered isolation stand in stark contrast to the “gaze” of Christ. Fasting and almsgiving, which, together with prayer, the Church proposes in a special way during the Lenten Season, are suitable means for us to become conformed to this “gaze”. The examples of the saints and the long history of the Church’s missionary activity provide invaluable indications of the most effective ways to support development. Even in this era of global interdependence, it is clear that no economic, social, or political project can replace that gift of self to another through which charity is expressed. Those who act according to the logic of the Gospel live the faith as friendship with God Incarnate and, like Him, bear the burden of the material and spiritual needs of their neighbours. They see it as an inexhaustible mystery, worthy of infinite care and attention. They know that he who does not give God gives too little; as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta frequently observed, the worst poverty is not to know Christ. Therefore, we must help others to find God in the merciful face of Christ. Without this perspective, civilization lacks a solid foundation.

Thanks to men and women obedient to the Holy Spirit, many forms of charitable work intended to promote development have arisen in the Church: hospitals, universities, professional formation schools, and small businesses. Such initiatives demonstrate the genuine humanitarian concern of those moved by the Gospel message, far in advance of other forms of social welfare. These charitable activities point out the way to achieve a globalization that is focused upon the true good of mankind and, hence, the path towards authentic peace. Moved like Jesus with compassion for the crowds, the Church today considers it her duty to ask political leaders and those with economic and financial power to promote development based on respect for the dignity of every man and woman. An important litmus test for the success of their efforts is religious liberty, understood not simply as the freedom to proclaim and celebrate Christ, but also the opportunity to contribute to the building of a world enlivened by charity. These efforts have to include a recognition of the central role of authentic religious values in responding to man’s deepest concerns, and in supplying the ethical motivation for his personal and social responsibilities. These are the criteria by which Christians should assess the political programmes of their leaders.

We cannot ignore the fact that many mistakes have been made in the course of history by those who claimed to be disciples of Jesus. Very often, when having to address grave problems, they have thought that they should first improve this world and only afterwards turn their minds to the next. The temptation was to believe that, in the face of urgent needs, the first imperative was to change external structures. The consequence, for some, was that Christianity became a kind of moralism, ‘believing’ was replaced with ‘doing’. Rightly, therefore, my Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, of blessed memory, observed: “The temptation today is to reduce Christianity to merely human wisdom, a pseudo-science of well-being. In our heavily secularized world, a ‘gradual secularization of salvation’ has taken place, so that people strive for the good of man, but man who is truncated…We know, however, that Jesus came to bring integral salvation” (Redemptoris Missio, 11).

It is this integral salvation that Lent puts before us, pointing towards the victory of Christ over every evil that oppresses us. In turning to the Divine Master, in being converted to Him, in experiencing His mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we will discover a “gaze” that searches us profoundly and gives new life to the crowds and to each one of us. It restores trust to those who do not succumb to scepticism, opening up before them the perspective of eternal beatitude. Throughout history, even when hate seems to prevail, the luminous testimony of His love is never lacking. To Mary, “the living fount of hope” (Dante Alighieri, Paradiso, XXXIII, 12), we entrust our Lenten journey, so that she may lead us to her Son. I commend to her in particular the multitudes who suffer poverty and cry out for help, support, and understanding. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you a special Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 29 September, 2005.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-03-12T19:24:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

I keep realing how cool the parish I go to when I am at school is. Awesome parish. Confession: at least 3+ times a week. They even do it before Stations of the Cross so you can get your plenary indulgence! They also do Benediction after Stations too! WHOA! I don't know if that is the norm, but I just LOVE it! Not only this, but they have booklets with meditations compsed by Benedict XVI in the bookracks! Also, every Tuesday morning from 10 until 12pm, they have an Opus Dei priest hear confessions. All year round. Oh yeah! This parish also has a beautiful Perpetual Adoration Chapel! I just love this parish! If you want to surf around their website, check it out here. I suggest if you are ever in town, go to Mass here. There are two other parishes, but this one I highly recommend. HIGHLY.

Did I mention they have some very awesome and holy priests as well? AWESOME! Even though the architecture is remenant of the 60's/70's, it still retains the true spirit of Vatican II. The above picture is the sanctuary from the homepage. It kind of gives some idea of what I am talking about.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-03-10T16:49:00.000-06:00

Pope loves his iPod
The Pope likes to unwind by listening to his iPod.

Pope Benedict XVI was given an iPod Nano as a present by staff at Vatican Radio.

Officials have loaded it with religious music, plus pieces by Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin.

He has been spotted around the Vatican using his iPod and distinctive white earphones.

According to The Sun a spokesman said: "He is very pleased with the iPod. The Holy Father likes to unwind listening to it and is of the opinion that this sort of technology is the future."

The Queen, President Bush and Tony Blair all own an iPod.

It is now official. EVERYONE but me has an iPod. But I think I am better for it. Instead of private listening pleasure, I have more silence in life and more time for talking with others. I don't need no stinkin' iPod!

Also, I heard back from Mother Abbess! They have been busy busy little bees! I guess there was little time and she did not have a chance to write back and I thought the letter had got lost in the mail or something! But I sent another letter and she wrote back a quick response and I hopefully will be visiting during spring break(March 22 to the maybe the 27th)! Yay! I am so excited! I hope that I will be able to help the Sisters to help them with their work that has kept them so busy! I am so excited! Also, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but it seems like there may be a book written about the Monastery and what makes someone want to enter, and well, I've kinda been being interviewed for it, even though it was going to start out as a newspaper article. I kinda don't know what to think about it all, but I think I am just going to try not to be so nervous about it. I always get so nervous with someone writing your every word or recording it!

Anyways, that is all for now! Also, you may want to look through the blogroll on the sidebar because I have been updating and revamping and adding some cool new blogs. Check them out! I'll let you do the mystery work to figure out which ones! God bless you abundantly this lent!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-03-05T21:15:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

To An Altar Boy
By Saint John Berchmans

To be Christ's page at the altar,
To serve Him freely there.
Where even the Angels falter,
Bowed low in reverent prayer.

To touch the throne most holy,
To hand the gifts for the feast,
To see Him meekly, lowly,
Descend at the word of the priest.

To hear man's poor petition,
To sound the silver bell,
When He in sweet submission,
Comes down with us to dwell.

No grander mission surely
Could Saints or men enjoy;
No heart should love more purely,
Than yours my altar boy.

God bless you, lad, forever,
And keep you in His care,
And Guard you that you never
Belie the robes you wear.

For white bespeaks untainted
A heart both tried and true;
And red tolls love the sainted
The holy martyrs knew.

Throughout life, then, endeavor
God's graces to employ;
And be in heart forever
A holy altar boy.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-03-04T14:40:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your Holy Angels! Well, it is that exciting time of year again! It's LENT! I feel like I should have something insightful or interesting for you to read, but perhaps I will ask you to think about something instead.

I invite you to think, and often about the Angelic presence around you always. You have a guardian angel that the Lord has blessed you with and is with you always. They are always ready to help you.

Think often about the Holy Angels. Make friends with the angels and they will be there for you always.

Be Holy!
Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-02-19T15:15:00.000-06:00

Women of the world, please cover yourself.

These days almost no one will tell the Christian woman that it is her duty to dress modestly. But that should not surprise us. Religious instructors barely teach the basics of Christian morality, and sexual confusion is the chiefest error of the day in the field of natural reason.

I've said for about as long as I can remember (15 years or more now?) that it makes no sense for a woman to become embarrassed when she is seen in her underwear, if she goes outdoors in swimwear which is exactly as revealing, if not more so.

And again: modern swimwear's level of undress is functionally equivalent to nudity in the mind of any male except those in a persistent vegetative state. While men are called to have custody of their eyes, it is an objective sin to exhibit oneself and place all moral demands on those who share a public space with you. The masculine obligation to chastity does not translate into feminine carte blanche for immodesty.

To be even clearer: No Christian woman should wear a bikini. A generous one-piece with skirt is about rock-bottom in terms of basic modesty and self-respect. Or, as my wife will recommend: a one-piece with a large T-shirt worn over it.

Surely some indoctrinated woman will parrot the feminist come-back to my position: "What's next? The burqa?" But the real perspective is this: The burqa and the bikini are polar extremes of the same fundamental error. Both styles of clothing deny the human dignity of the wearer. Virtue is a mean between the extremes. The modest woman, the woman with self-respect, wears neither the ostentatious bikini nor the humiliating burqa. Both the bikini and the burqa deny our Christian belief in the equal spiritual dignity of man and woman. Both manners of dress encourage onlookers to view the woman as subordinate to men in one way or another.

The burqa denies the Christian belief in the equal spiritual dignity of a woman because it obscures her face, which is the gateway to the heart and to the mind. A woman in a burqa is not permitted to publicly manifest the visible features most proper to her nature as a rational and emotive being -- features which are the most proper to her as a human being. (Aristotle, for example, says that no animal has a prosopon, lit., a countenance, but only a man or a woman.)

The bikini likewise denies her equal spiritual dignity because it places primary emphasis on her body, and in such a way that it encourages others to objectify her body as a sexual plaything, not as a temple of Holy Spirit or as a magnificent creature of goodly design. Yes, I really mean a plaything. How so? Everyone who wants to, gets to enjoy it, regardless of their number, often in public, with no more personal involvement than the private satisfaction of one's own frivolous desire. That's a plaything. Indeed, some playthings are more jealously guarded.

So no, the burqa isn't next. It is already irrelevant. If a woman walks around barely clad, showing everyone the size of her breasts, half of her rear, and the muscle tone of her abs, she doesn't need to put a bag over her head in order to insure that no man will ever take her seriously. I hasten to add: changing one's attire back to "smart business casual" on Monday morning does little to remove the previous image from the mind. (Would you look at Bill Blass-suited Linda in the same way if you saw her in a full burqa last weekend? Again, the logic is the same. I am surprised how few women grasp that sexual "liberation" leads to misogyny, even though chauvinism and machismo evolved contemporaneously with it in the 1970s.)

The woman with an eye for history or with a traditionalist inclination should grasp this point even more clearly. Women dressed modestly while swimming and sunning themselves earlier in the century. This is not Victorian primness. This is common sense. You can still do it.

A casual example: Zorak and I were walking through the New Haven train station one afternoon and saw on the wall vintage photos from turn-of-the-century New Haven and in particular Long Wharf and the beaches along the Connecticut coast. (For those in New Haven: by the escalators when you come up from the underground walkways.) The decade was probably 1910s, maybe 1920s? Whenever I see such photos, I observe to Catholic women that the lady swimmers are frolicking around in swimwear that covers them from the knees to the shoulders. This was considered normal only 80 years ago. In the intervening half-century, we've gone from that modest dress to the spaghetti-string bikini, i.e., virtual nudity.

While you're reminding yourself "it was not that long ago," remember what else was socially forbidden "not that long ago": contraception until the 1960s and abortion until 1973. It was not that long ago. And they are all related.

And to Catholics, I further observe: Along with their virginity, their modesty and their unconditional commitment to their children, women were told to abandon this as well, and in this latter departure they were even encouraged by their clergy.

I point this out just to note: we have radically underestimated just one aspect of the traditional Catholic practice of wearing the chapel veil: Just as keeping a cross in your pocket reminds you not to spend money on something you ought not, wearing a small piece of cloth on your head in church serves as a permanent reminder to cover yourself in modesty as a daughter of God. Now, wedding gown pretenses aside, not a single veil of innocence remains unlifted. Just something to consider.

I conclude by noting that this same casuistry applies to casual dress. The skirt lengths on women in DC during the summer is unfathomable. The prostitutes nowadays have to distinguish themselves by actually wearing skirts which do not cover the bottom of their rear, or, if a recent drive down K street is any example, just a thong.

I leave you with two further reading resources:

CatholicModesty.com and the Angelic Doctor, "Whether the adornment of women is devoid of mortal sin?", ST, II-II, Q 169 A2.

Source

..::Blessed Be God::..

2006-02-01T17:01:00.000-06:00

+JMJ
Think Latin is dead? Far from it. Just check this place out and be totally amazed:
Si quis dixerit
I just wish I knew Latin now.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2006-02-01T01:21:00.000-06:00

+JMJ
I am beginning to hear quite a bit about the Lockport Dominican Nuns that is really starting to ruffle my feathers. I have visited them and they are a wonderful community and truly authentic. It is terrible to see some of the treatment they have been receiving. It really saddens me. I will not permit rumors about these Sisters to be thrown about as they have. There will be none of this here.
Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Since it has been some time since the last update and again, MUCH has happened. This past Jan. I was in Ukraine studying Catholicism and Orthodoxy with several University of St. Thomas students. It was quite an experience and it has definatly been a step in my discernment. I've discerned that I can no longer remain at Elmhurst College and remain happy. I have yet to find though, a college with a solid theology/Catholic studies and a decent art department. Perhaps God is dropping some hints that I am not supposed to be in college and that I should enter the Poor Clare Colettines ASAP. Again, Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Please pray for those discerning the religious life and priesthood! They need all the support they can get!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-12-11T21:07:00.000-06:00

+JMJ

Well... I am in a state of mortal sin. Why? Becuase I did not think the Saturday Vigil Mass "good enough". Vigil Mass is WAY better than no Mass at all. Pride stinks. Hopefully it will not be long before I make it to confession, and it looks like it may be Tuesday either in the morning, or later in the evening. If one doesn't work, the other should. Thank God for His Mercy, but now I get to writhe in the pain my own sin has given me. Let this be a time for penance and mortifications.

You know, the pain of being in mortal sin hasn't struck me until just now. This morning, I felt no urge on pain of spiritual death to make it to Mass. I took at least an hour in the shower, which I didn't start until about 10 when the latest Mass starts at 11. After that I just did whatever. I dried my hair, I dilly-dallied in getting dressed, and when I did it was jeans. I could have told my mom I was going to wait until the Youth Mass later that night, but again decided I would feel awfully silly going to that Mass as well. So I didn't say anything. I could have made it to the 5:15 Mass at a parish nearby my school, but I decided that I would end up not being able to visit my grandpa, which I spent most of my time playing in the snow with my little sister. I had no difference in what I did.

Well, confession will be as soon as I can get it! That will hopefully be in a day or two. Perhaps I will also get up in time to also go to Mass, even if I cannot recieve. What a dark state my soul has fallen into.

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-12-07T00:57:00.000-06:00

You know, I was planning on letting another month slip by before I made another entry, then I thought that I should update a little more often than once a month. Well, come the 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I will be consecrating myself to Our Lady! I also have a final tomorrow and about a million drawings I have to get done by Thursday as well. So much to do, and seeming so little time to do it in! I am also working on a little bit of 'research' or rather a letter concerning Pride, one of the capital sins. I also have another letter from Mother Mary Regina AND the Sisters! I just adore hearing from them! But it is so late and I must be getting off to bed! God Bless and Mary Protect!

..::Blessed Be God Forever::..

2005-11-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

The Golden Arrow
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar. Amen.

This prayer was revealed by Our Lord to a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy. "This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully," He said, "and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy." Imprimatur: T. J. Toolen, Archbishop of Mobile-Birm.

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-10-23T23:24:00.000-05:00

I did receive a letter before the last time I posted! I was going to scan it and some other stuff happened, and I just recieved another letter today! It was a wonderful letter! Also since my last entry, Sister Mary Catherine of the Holy Spirit passed away on the 7th of October. Please pray for the repose of her soul! Hopefully next weekend I will be in Rockford visiting the Poor Clares over the weekend. I am wiped, but I am going to read for my Lit class until I fall asleep. God Bless and Mary Protect!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-10-20T23:43:00.000-05:00

I cannot remember if Mother Mary Regina has sent me another letter or not, but I did just write her and I will hopefully be visiting the weekend of the 28th.  Not too much has happened in recent, but I am discovering a hate for sin that just disgusts me of how much it is everywhere, especially in my life.  I am appalled at the things I do that so offence Our Lord!  Even the tiniest bit of ingratitude bends me with sorrow that I should do such a thing to my Beloved.  How I wish I could amend all my sins against Him.  How I wish I could love Him in entirety with everything I have so that I may die of love having given every last part of myself to Him.  I pray that God may bless me with fortitude so that I may live so boldly, but ever so humbly.

How much I take for granted.  A friend, who is like a spring in a dry barren wasteland, flows forth with joy, purity, and good things.  I spurn it, yet long for it.  I overtake it and require too much of it.  A friend like this I should not do so to.  She is a wonderful blessing that shows me that there is hope and that the barren wasteland is truly not like hell.  I long for her presence that I may have such deep and encouraging conversations that nourish the soul, even if it may be a short bit of nourishment.  When I have a chance to talk with her, she is most kind and patient and honest.  She is a role model and a holy person, but in a simple everyday kind of living.  She is a true blessing that bring some of the best out of me, things that have remained unsaid, but longed to come out.

Again, I take for granted so much.  This computer I use to for so many things, I have not given thanks for.  For the clothing that I have and all the shoes to cover my feet.  For the soap that keeps me looking clean.  Even the hairs on my head and the eyes in my skull.  All of it I have taken for granted!  All of it!  Lord, may my praise be in my sorrowful tears.  You have given me so much!  So very much indeed!  But how does your servant repay you?  With nothing but the occasional joyful sigh.  I want to bestow you with wonderful glistening thanksgiving and praise!  You deserve all that I have and I deserve nothing, not even to live!  But you have given me yet this grace to live and to journey to find you!  I take this sacred journey the most for granted!  I am a poor wretched soul and I only make myself in worse shape by not giving You, Lord, everything!  All that I am and all that I have!  You are my all!  You are my everything!  I even take you for granted!  I weep bitterly to think that I may have caused You such torment, such suffering, such bitter sorrow.  I deserve not Your love, but Your wrath.  But here comes Your grace.  You come down to me, and continually fill me until I am full!  You look past my faults and my fallings and love me with such a sweet and perfect love.  You love me so immensely!  Your love wells me with joy, my heart illuminates and glows in Your presence, that it may live there forever.  But in this love, in this light of love, You show me the darkness within me.  The bitter and wretched parts that I have only put there.  You show them to me, not to condemn, but to heal.  That I may come to You with a complete and contrite heart and clean myself, dispose of my wretchedness.  You set my heart aglow.  I seem to loose myself in a love so deep, so immense, so unfathomable.  How I wish I could dwell there forever.  You, Lord, have sent me neither to be a mystic nor to be a great and powerful person.  Rather, You send me to do the simplest things to make sure that the little details are cared for, and that all is well.  You call me to live out in Your love, but it is hard with the evil one distracting whenever he pleases.  Lord, You give me strength enough to face it all, but I alone must choose to accept Your divine assistance, I must be the one to choose to follow You.

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-09-29T19:24:00.000-05:00

I got another letter today from Mother Mary Regina! Hoorah! There is not much to talk about today, but I really should be getting to work on my homework for class tomorrow! Here's the letter she sent:

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-09-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

"Dear God, please don't let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you."
Prayer of Saint Germaine

What a simple little prayer of a simple little Saint. I wish to make this my prayer too, especially in these days where I am trying so hard to please my mother so that I can prove myself mature to her and hopefully enter the Cloister within a year.

Dear God, please don’t let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please You.
Amen.

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-09-26T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally have scanned in the latest letter from Mother Mary Regina! It had been some time since I had last written her, so she was sending an update. I have already written her back and sent it to her, so I cannot share my half of the correspondence!

The article in the paper she is talking was online, but it is currently on my xanga. The pictures from the article can be found here. And just for you all, I'll repost the article here as well!

A day within the walls -- Lessons learned from behind the grate at the Poor Clare Monastery
(8/26/2005)
By Bridget Kagan, Observer Intern

When I began working at The Observer back in May I learned that my first big assignment of the summer was to do a feature article on the Poor Clare nuns.

Up until this point, my knowledge of the Poor Clares had been pieced together by what I had learned growing up in Catholic schools and the field trip I took to their monastery as a fifth grader. They have always been a mystery to me. As a 20 year old college student who is just beginning to experience life, their cloistered lifestyle was a concept I could never grasp.

After all, the youngest sister at the convent is 33 years old, what could I possibly have in common with these women?

What compels these 22 women to remove themselves from the outside world? What is it about this lifestyle that could possibly be so appealing?

Despite my personal skepticism, I approached the story with an open mind, interested to learn more about their lifestyle.

In addition to the interviews I had with Mother Regina, the abbess, about their way of life, I had the unique opportunity to spend time with the sisters inside their private world and observe cloistered life first-hand.

When I arrived at the monastery and followed Mother Regina into the sisters’ private chapel, I immediately felt self-conscious and out of place. I suddenly felt as though I did not measure up to these pious women. Despite Mother Regina’s urging to take all the pictures I needed, I was reluctant to do so.

I felt as though I was trespassing and somehow robbing them of their private lifestyle. I timidly took a few shots from the back of the chapel where I was out of sight but I soon realized the pictures I was taking were not going to cut it. Reluctantly, I walked around to the front of the room trying to get more dynamic shots. I managed to successfully avoid all forms of eye-contact with the sisters. All I wanted was to take my pictures and do my best to blend into the background.

Following chapel, I visited a novitiate class and as I listened to one of the veteran sisters instruct three of the newer ones I was struck by the familiarity of the lesson.They discussed the importance of living according to the beatitudes. It was not much different from the many theology lessons I have had in my own Catholic education. I was pleasantly surprised to discover their lesson was comprised of very practical, very basic Christian rules that we are all called to follow in our daily lives.
As I observed and photographed the class, snapping pictures right alongside me was another of the veteran sisters. She explained that they rarely get many photos, and she was gladly taking advantage of this opportunity for them to get some of their own.

As I left the tutoring session I realized my nervousness was beginning to dissipate and by the time I was escorted into the kitchen I finally felt relaxed.

The sisters on duty were washing dishes and preparing a meal. I was met with big smiles and cheerful greetings when I entered. One of the sisters had a surprisingly empowering voice. She was outgoing and bubbly — exactly the opposite of what I had imagined. I immediately felt a connection wither her and as they worked, we chatted like old friends.

While the tone of the day was more relaxed as usual, because of my visit, Mother Regina said they still make regular time-usually an hour-for social time and community. I marveled at the comradery among the sisters, the way they interacted with me as well as with each other.

Not only did they talk quite a bit I discovered, but they laughed, joked, and even teased each other good-naturedly, just like any other group of friends might do.

We talked about knitting and the hot weather, which has been more burdensome than ever for the sisters who do-without the luxury of air conditioning.

They use much of their recreation time to work on the crafts they sell to help support themselves.

The sisters run a small gift shop where they sell handmade rosaries, prayer cards, and infant of Prague statues, in addition to religious medals, books, and figurines. The little revenue that the shop produces is the only self-generated income the sisters receive. They are solely dependent upon the goodwill of others.

Following recreation time, I was taken to an upstairs office where one of the sisters was handling the correspondence and fielding the many daily calls they receive which are mostly for prayer requests. She had a delightfully ironic sense of humor and I could not help but laugh as she described some of the more “unusual” requests they receive.

Next, in the much-cooler basement, I watched the sisters bake and prepare the altar bread they send to various churches.

They also showed me the boiler, which they clean and maintain themselves.

In addition to their everyday housework, the sisters also attend to their entire 15 acre grounds which include a greenhouse, large vegetable garden, and hundreds of flowers.

Most remarkable and beautiful of all is the small forest the sisters have created in the back of their property. In 1997 the sisters began planting 2000 trees in honor of the millennium. Now, more than six years later, the canopy of trees forms a peaceful refuge in the middle of southwest Rockford.

As we walked inside after seeing the gardens, I watched as some of the sisters played with their dogs Melody and Harmony two of the many pets the sisters keep. They also have two cats named Brooklyn and Manhattan and two baby ducks Sugar and Spice, they have been raising since they were abandoned this spring.

When I left the Poor Clares monastery that afternoon I realized how wrong my assumptions had been about their lifestyle. Not only did I understand them better after my visit, but I felt as though I identified with them as well.
Some people choose medicine, law, or education as a career.

The women of the Poor Clares choose prayer.
I have come to understand that they are simply living their lives the best way they know and in a manner that glorifies God and makes them happy.

It’s not for everyone, as Mother Regina told me at our first interview, but it’s what works for them.

God Bless and Mary Protect you all!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-09-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

May the peace and joy of Christ be with you always! I have returned from several months of nothing. I am pleased to say that I was at World Youth Day, and during the pilgrimage, made a stop in Assisi and knew that I was meant to be a Franciscan! Praised be Jesus Christ! I had a beautiful time with many wonderful and blessed people! I wish I could write more and share some photos, but I do not have much time now that school has started.

I have recently written Mother Mary Regina after she had sent me a letter along with a newspaper clipping from the article in the Diocean Newspaper about the Nuns. I loved it! I did write her a 6 page letter back because she had asked about my WYD experience. I could have easily wrote more if I had included many many more details! On experience was waiting an hour in line to go to Adoration at the Vigil Site. My friend Britt and I were pushed and squeezed in a line , mostly surrounded by French people and some Sisters, including a few Carmelites. It was quite warm for the most part. Oh, there are so many other stories I could tell of what happened while we were there.

I just hope that there will be an opportunity soon to visit Mother Abbess and the Nuns again! I do miss them dreadfully! I think one weekend I will leave on Friday after class to head out on an hour and fifteen minute car trip and spend the weekend. I could either return Sunday evening or Monday morning. I'd love to stay until Monday morning. I think I will have to call up Mother Abbess and discuss some plans for visiting! I really miss seeing them! I miss the chapel and I miss the Divine Office and the beautifully sung Masses. :sigh: All for Jesus!

I think that before I enter the Cloister, I will make a week long pilgrimage to Assisi (again! I love that city!) with my youth minister, as it is a tradition to take the youth minister somewhere nice before one enters. Last time, when my friend Melinda entered the Sisters of Charity, they were in Hawaii for a while. I don't think I could stand Hawaii... I'd rather go for something like Assisi or going around to all the Shrines and such nearby Rome. Lourdes or Fatima or any other apparition site would be beautiful as well! I think I am thinking much too far ahead, and not at all in a spirit of poverty, one of the vows I will embrace.

Well, blessings to you all, whoever may still be reading this log of vocational status! And, if anyone can help, I am looking for a confessor! God Bless and Mary Protect you always!

Yours in the Most Sacred Hearts,
Angela Louise

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-07-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Corpus Christi Monastery. This is hopefully where I will be in about a year! Just here to the left is a bird's eye view of the monastery and part of the grounds. sorry about the dark line in the middle, the picture was scanned from a book on Sister Mary of the Trinity, Poor Clare of Jerusalem.

The next picture are the chapels. The one on the right is the public chapel and on the left, the cloister chapel for the Sisters. If you look at the monsterance and the "keyhole" that it is in, it can be viewed in both chapels at the same time because the altars are back to back. I believe that the chapel itself was built in 1919.

Next we have Liturgy of the Hours and the cross form prayer which is done daily (I think twice daily!) for a few minutes, but I cannot remember if it is after or before the examination of concience.

Next we have the cell and the library. In the picture from the library you can see they do not wear shoes, and if you can read the bit at the bottom, it explains they only wear shoes outdoors when working.

Next, we have some celebrations! Investiture! The little Postulant clothes herself in the Holy Habit of the Poor Clares! It also looks like that new Novice is the Novice Mistress now... At least that is what it looks like.

This last picture speaks for itself, no other words are needed from me! God Bless and Mary Protect!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-07-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems as though nothing has happened here in a month or so. Well, my scanner is not hooked up and hasn't for over a month now. I don't know if it ever will any time this summer. But I did get to go to Sister Mary Veronica's First Profession Ceremony and it was beautiful! I only had expected to stay for Mass and then say hello to Sister afterwards, but Mother Mary Regina wanted me to hang around a little longer to chat. I did have a chat with Sister Dominica, the Novice Mistress. She is absolutely wonderful and what I would expect a nun to be! We talked about camping and the Franciscan places in Italy and Germany for when I go to World Youth Day. Sister Dominica was so excited to tell me about all the places and I want to go visit them all!

Well, in case anyone has been wondering when I would be entering, I am sure hoping it is not after I graduate from college. I really do long to enter next summer, July if possible. Thing is that my mother is so against me leaving at that time. She is set on me finishing college, even though college wasn't what I wanted to do. I even picked my major thinking, "What will allow me to help support my community?" I thought art simply because I am pretty okay at it and I could somehow use that to help the community. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if I rarely got a chance to use my artistic skills.

Recently, I thought I had mailed out a letter to Mother Abbess, but it turns out I hadn't and I cannot mail it until Tuesday! I think I might be stopping by the Post Office to get it off to a quick start! That is about all for now, I just pray that St. Anthony will watch my vocation and pray for me! God Bless and Mary Protect!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-05-25T17:44:00.000-05:00

So, lately I have been thinking about what name I would take as a Sister, and I was trying to think of Saints that have played a role somewhere in my life. I have some up with quite a few, so I might as well share the list that I have so far! Also, I wish to honor Our Blessed Mother with my name, so all my choices will begin as Sister Mary ... So, here is the list of what I have come up with so far. I will most likely explain the relevance of the Saint later as I do not have much time to spend explaining them all right now.

Sister Mary Helen
Sister Mary Leo
Sister Mary Ambrose (actually, this one just sounded pretty to me)
Sister Mary Luke
Sister Mary Andrew
Sister Mary Therese (or Teresa)
Sister Mary Louise (can I take my middle name as my name I wonder...)

Ha ha... I will definatly have to shorten this list quite a bit before I enter! Also, there is the matter of the title that I will take along with my name. I have a few ideas, but the first few are my favorites based on my favorite devotions.

of the Passion
of the Precious Blood
of the Five Wounds
of the Sacred Heart

Now, the choice of the name I choose is not up to me at all, rather it is left up to Mother Abess who will make the choice from a few names and titles that I will suggest to her along with reasoning. But even with that, she may choose something entirely different from what I have suggested to her! It is all in God's hands though, and I must rely on Him rather than myself even in such trivial matters as these.

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-05-17T23:44:00.000-05:00

Couldn't tell you how these two relate, but in my mind they did. It all clicked last November... it was a wet, rainy night. The ground was soaked, and so the worms all came out onto the pavement so they wouldn't drown. So, I arrived about an hour earlier for a meeting at my home parish, St. Margaret Mary's, and I decided to go into the chapel and pray. It was a wonderful half hour before the Lord hidden within the Tabernacle. After time had passed and I needed to get on over to the meeting, so I genuflected and left. I felt so insipred and full of love.

Then I started to look at the ground, and I noticed that there were worms all over the sidewalk, so I made a challange to avoid the worms as though they were temptations and sins. So I avoided as many as I could, it was very easy to do so in the light (When walking with Christ in His light), but when shaded and darker patches came, it was hard to see if there were any worms (Shade--not being in the light of God). Then things started to connect, simply, it is much easier to see your faults and sins when you are in the light of God, but it is much harder to see when you turn away and become darker, and if you don't look down as to where you are going on the path of life, you don't notice then sins, even if you do run into them.

Later on after I was safely inside and futher pondering on my thoughts of worms, a friend of mine came in talking about how her daughter was outside picking up the worms off the sidewalk so that others wouldn't step on them, or "run into them". Suddenly, I thought, "If only avoiding sin was enough! But to clear the path for others to follow behind you!" It was such an interesting idea to me, and it grew on me. And then, not to be afraid to encounter temptation, but to handle temptations with care, and throw them off to the side. It really clicked. Simple, yet profound.

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-05-17T02:13:00.000-05:00

I received another letter from Mother Mary Regina, but my scanner is packed up to go home, so you won't see it until I set the scanner up again! But also along with the letter was in invitation to the Ceremony of the First Profession of Vows of Sister Mary Veronica of the Holy Eucharist! Tuesday, May 31st, the Feast of the Visitation, at 8am, I believe that myself and my friend Michelle will be going for a visit and to visit for a short time with the newly professed! I think it will be a wonderful event to witness!
I previously met Sister Mary Veronica when I visited the Poor Clare Colettines. She was so upbeat and humorous. She was rather cute too. It was a lovely visit and I got to stay in the basement. It was a very nice little room, but I was woken up at about 4:30 every morning by the pipes banging (they still use steam heat). Nonetheless, it was a very fruitful visit and I had a wonderful time with the Sisters, and I didn't want to leave to go home! In fact, I cried leaving! I don't remember the last time I cried because I had to leave someplace.
That is about all for now, I'll be sure to scan the letter and the invitation as well! And maybe if I need to make more entries, I'll scan some older letters from Mother Mary Regina. God Bless and Mary Protect!

.::Blessed Be God::..

2005-05-12T13:40:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest letter that I recieved from Mother Mary Regina. It has been quite a long time since I have written her! But she sent this nearly a month ago and I have yet to write her back. She is very wise and has given excellent advice as well in response to my last letter, but I can barely recall what I wrote in that.

Untill next time, God Bless and Mary Protect!

..::Praised Be Jesus Christ::..

2005-05-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

Another fine day here, except for the fact that I am becoming an insomniac! I didn't sleep a wink last night and I am getting ready to take a nap so I don't completely crash later, considering we have a floor meeting tonight for rules about moving out of the dorms. Plus, I think I have Bible Study tonight!

Tic tacs sure make a great snack. I think I just about devoured a whole container in a matter of 5 minutes. But they were tasty! I have a collection started with 7 empty containers. Not much else to talk about I guess. There was a very nice little thunderstorm that rolled through here at about 6:30 in the morning. It set a car alarm off at least three times. I've also been listening to Dvorak, and nothing but. I think he is a really great composer, and I'd have to say my favorite! I really like his "Stabat Mater" and "From the New World." They are both quite lovely!

Well, I only have two days of classes left and then I am stuck with a week of finals! Monday is our reading day, Tuesday I have my painting critique and my introduction to multimedia critique (gotta love being an art major and not having to take a bunch of tests as a final!). Wednesday is my Biblical Studies final exam and Thursday is my Search for Humane Values in Literature final exam. And last but not least, Friday I have my psychology exam. I have this funny feeling that I am not going to be doing well in my Search for Humane Values in Literature class. I think I'll be lucky to make out with a C!

I'll have to start scanning some of the letters that Mother Mary Regina sent me. I would share my previous letters, but alas, I no longer have them! Mother Mary Regina does!
Oh, and can anyone chip in a few dollars to help me get to World Youth Day? I know I need to at least get part of the $2,279.69 I still owe. I also need to get items to take along with me for the pilgrimage parts and other things! With my youth ministry, we are going to Rome, Assisi, Munich, and the Cologne. It will be such a wonderful experience! I cannot wait for it to come along! In fact, this reminds me, I need to start journaling for some spiritual preperation! Perhaps I will leave some of that in here for your enjoyment! I think that is all for now because I am going to finally take that nap I've been wanting to take since 2! God Bless and Mary Protect!

..::Blessed Be God::..

2005-05-10T22:09:00.001-05:00

A day of feeling out of it and carefree... And I really should be buckling down for this last week of classes before finals! I want to at least get B's in my classes!

Alas, this is not my first blog, no infact I have another on blog drive and one over on xanga... Each has its own characteristic feature. My xanga is random Catholic stuff along with some art and the blog drive one is following my vocational discernment. This blog here, I will make into a blog for daily happenings along with some vocational things. One thing in particular I want to do is document my correspondence with the Poor Clare Colettines, which I hope to enter in just over a year, after I finish my sophmore year in college.

Well, this isn't the sort of thing I should be doing so close to the end of the school year when there is still lots of work to be done! I do bid farewell for now, and hopefully I will again return and share some of my happenings and maybe some letters from Mother Mary Regina. God Bless and Mary Protect!