Be a STAR!

This past weekend, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a short, 24-hour, silent retreat at Conception Abbey with a handful of other Rockhurst students. First off, if you haven’t been on a silent retreat, get yourself on one at some point in your life. And secondly, it you haven’t been to Conception Abbey, get there at some point….simply beautiful grounds…Moving right along to the point of the post.

Saturday afternoon I found myself lying on the floor of the Basilica behind the altar, with a dear friend April, staring at the ceiling. Yes. Laying on the floor of a church staring at the ceiling….why would perfectly sane people be doing this? (well…our sanity is under question, but that is beside the point) This is why :

BEAUTY. Simple beauty is what kept my gaze transfixed upon the ceiling for more than an hour that afternoon. It was during this time, that a thought entered my mind: We are all called to be stars. And not just any stars, but her stars.

What does that even mean, to be a star of Mary? It means that you live in a manner so as to shine, not for yourself, but for Mary to enhance her beauty. It is your job to adorn Mary, to be a beautiful witness to her through your life. You shine, so that Mary, Queen of the Universe, can be seen more clearly and loved more dearly. That all who may come into contact with you will come to know Mary, who will in turn take them to her son, Jesus. Being a star cannot be a self-seeking lifestyle, but a selfless one; where you desire nothing for yourself and everything for the greater glory of God through Mary.

May you shine, today and always for the greater glory of God.

The Full Story

Sometimes, you only know part of a story and you love it. It satisfies you, you are pleased with it. But there is more that is left unknown to you. And one day, it is presented to you. And it makes you love it all the more.

That was a recent experience I had, in regards to the Serenity Prayer. I had heard, what I thought to be the whole thing until this past week at CLC (Christian Life Community), when I was introduced to the entire prayer and now I share it with you.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Everyone's Way

"I told you at the start,

my life was not complete

until I crowned it by my death.

Your 'way' is not complete

unless you crown it by your life.

Accept each moment as it comes to you,

with faith and trust

that all that happens has my mark on it.

A simple fiat, this is all it takes;

a breathing in your heart,

'I will it, Lord.'

So seek me not in far-off places.

I am close at hand,

Your workbench, office, kitchen,

these are altars

where you offer love.

And I am with you there.

Go now! Take up your cross

and with your life

complete your way."

~Everyone's Way of the Cross

Christ crowned His passion with His death. Now, we are called to imitate His way of the Cross, not in our deaths per say, but with our LIVES. We are each called in a unique way to crown our 'way' with our lives. We were not made for death but for life! Go, and crown your way with your life.

Appearance is Nothing

“Spending time alone with Me can be a difficult discipline, because it goes against the activity addiction of this age. You may appear to be doing nothing, but actually you are participating in battles going on within spiritual realms. You are waging war --- not with the weapons of the world, but with heavenly weapons, which have divine power to demolish strongholds. Living close to Me is a sure defense against evil.” ~excerpted from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Sit and be still.

RELAX in the presence of God, the source of all you need.

Spending time alone with Him equips you for the battles waiting.

In your time with God, He girds you with peace and gentleness

and places the sword of love into your hand.

Without this time with Him, how can you be prepared for what lurks outside?

The battle is real, but so is the power of love and perseverance.

Poem-ness

So, I am not one to sit around and read poetry for fun...I actually find it kind of torturous for the most part. Anyways, so this evening after saying Night Prayer ,from this handy book I scored at a bookfair (for fifty cents!), I flipped to the Appendix II and stumbled across a poem that caught my eye. So, now I share it with you :)

Lead, Kindly Light

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead thou me on.
I loved the garish day, and, spite fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O;er the moor and fen, o;ver crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

~J. H. Newman

Do Not Fear

2 Chronicles 20: 15 --- “Thus the Lord says to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for this battle is not yours but God’s.’”

This verse sounds awesome and encouraging as it is, but let us dive a little farther into the meaning of the verse by dissecting it and examining more closely a few words.

fear: noun ---a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined

dismay: verb--- to break down the courage of completely

multitude: noun---great number [of anything]

battle: noun--- a hostile encounter or engagement

2 Chronicles 20:15 revised and simplified: “Thus the Lord says to you, ‘Do not allow the great number of [people/obstacles/failed attempts, ect.] to arouse distressing emotions within you or steal away your courage, for this hostile encounter is not yours but God’s’”

On 2 Chronicles 20:15, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary states: “He encouraged them to trust in God. Let the Christian soldier go out against his spiritual enemies, and the God of peace will make him more than a conqueror. Our trials will prove our gain. The advantage will be all our own, but the whole glory must be given to God.”

Do not fear anything, for what you perceive as your battle is truly God’s. Allow God to fight for you.

Live for God and He will fight for you.

αγαπη

Universal Vocation

While we all have our own unique vocation, we are all called as the Body of Christ to a universal vocation of holiness. Pope Benedict XVI wrote:

"We are all called to holiness: it is the very measure of Christian living...Let us not be afraid to aim high, for God's heights; let us not be afraid that God will ask too much of us, but let ourselves be guided by His Word in every daily action, even when we feel poor, inadequate sinners. It will be He who transforms us in accordance with His love."