I am with you and will protect you wherever you go. - God to Jacob in Genesis 28:15a.

I'm praying for you!

:)

blargh, grad school, blargh.

^that's about how sentient I've been lately.

but...

I'm praying for you! (just maybe not very intelligently)

:)

Today, we had a priest from Rwanda come and lead a healing service after Mass. He started listing off problems that Jesus had told him people had and saying they were healed. And he said anyone who had surgery in the past would be healed tomorrow. Afterwards, one of the women that was there with him actually came up to me and said I wouldn't need crutches tomorrow. A bunch of people got up and said they'd been emotionally/spiritually healed, and then somebody said her back had stopped hurting. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen, and I'm not really sure what I think about the whole service, the whole idea, etc. I guess if I wake up tomorrow and my leg's back, I'll let you know.

But actually, I've talked to God about this multiple times before, including tonight, and Jesus' answer always seems to be, "You don't want a cross to carry? You don't want the blessing, the privilege, of carrying your cross with me?"

Anyways, just thought I'd let you know what's going on in Vandyland.

I'm praying for you!

:)

In Genesis 24, from the point of view of Abraham's servant, he went and found a woman according to the commands of God and brought her back to Isaac as a wife.

But from the point of view of Rebekah, this took an extraordinary amount of trust. A random man showed up with jewelry and camels and said that God had sent him to bring her back as his master's wife. And really, when you think about it that way, going with him (which she seems to do with little or no hesitation) sounds kinda crazy.

But she has faith in God, and so she follows where He leads. And this is exactly what we're called to do.

The Holy Spirit, sent to us by the Father on behalf of our bridegroom Christ, comes to us and says, "I have been sent to bring you home as a bride for the Son of the One who sent me." And we have to freely consent, of course. Rebekah has the chance to say no without penalty. But if we go, if we follow, we must do so on faith.

Also, with our vocation in life, we are often called to follow God's will based on faith, without knowing exactly where it will lead us in this life. We have to trust that God is leading us towards a spouse (whether a human spouse or the Church or Himself) or towards a particular path with regards to our community or career if we are to live the single life. We don't get a road-map ahead of time. And we don't get to spend a lot of time deciding and saying goodbye to our old life. Like Rebekah, when we hear God's call, we must choose to have faith in Him, accept His call, and follow Him.

In a way, Rebekah seems to be an extremely good example of what Christ means when He tells us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.

I'm praying for you!

:)

"Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

—	Mother Theresa

I'm praying for you!

:)

"A journalist once asked Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: “What has to change in the Church?” Her answer: “You and I."

—	(Copied from “Being Catholic. Really” blog)

I'm praying for you!

:)

“The quest for God is essentially the search for the full account and meaning of life. And life has meaning because the essence of God is Love.”

—	Fulton J. Sheen

I'm praying for you!

:)

“If he who refuses to believe in the truths of the Catholic faith is blind, how much blinder is he who believes, and yet lives as if he did not believe!”

—	Saint Alphonsus

I'm praying for you!

:)

I'm praying for you!

:)

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength." -Isaiah 40:28-29

I'm praying for you!

:)

When God tells Abraham he and Sarah will give birth to a great nation, he falls over laughing (Genesis 17). So God says that he will have a son and name him Isaac, which according to my Bible's footnotes, means "laughter."

Never say God doesn't have a sense of humor.

I'm praying for you!

:)

In Genesis 16, Sarai literally tells her husband to have sex with her maid so that he can have a child. ("Have intercourse with my maid, perhaps I will have sons through her." - Genesis 16:2b). And then Hagar gets pregnant and decides she's better than Sarai. So Sarai drives her away (Sarai then mistreated her so much that Hagar ran away from her. - 16:6b). So, of course, Hagar runs away.

And an angel STOPS her and says "Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority." (16:9b).

The angel goes on to tell her about her son Ishmael and her numerous descendents.

But there are two things that are really interesting about this to me:

1. It's the first time that God speaks to a woman in the Bible one-on-one. God asks Eve why she ate the apple and then tells her that she'll give birth in pain, but other than that, He speaks to Adam. When he makes Adam, he brings him animals to name. Adam and God talk to each other. But God isn't shown having any one-on-one conversations with Eve. And after Adam and Eve, we really don't get much information about women until this passage. Yes, God speaks through an angel, but it is still a conversation between God and Hagar. (To the LORD who spoke to her she gave a name, saying, "You are God who sees me;" she meant, "Have I really seen God and remained alive after he saw me?" - 16:13).

2. I don't know about you, but if my life had been going the way of Hagar's and I was currently running away from Sarai, I'd be really upset by an angel telling me to go back. There's no real explanation given, no theological/moral/ethical discourse. Just "Go back and submit to authority." And she goes. She obeys without question, even though it seems completely unfair.

I don't really have any good explanation or answer, but that's what struck me about Genesis 16.

I'm praying for you!

:)

...the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: Do not fear, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great. But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what can you give me, if I die childless and have only a servant of my household, Eliezer of Damascus?" Abram continued, "Look, you have given me no offspring, so a servant of my household will be my heir." Then the word of the LORD came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir. He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be. Abram put his faith in the LORD, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.
-Genesis 15:1-6

I'm praying for you!

:)

“We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: ‘I will pray, and then I will understand.’ This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in others.”

—	St. Charles Borromeo

I'm praying for you!

:)

“To my humble supplication
Lord, give ear and acceptation;
Save Thy servant that hath none
Help nor hope but Thee alone.
Send, O send relieving gladness
To my soul opprest with sadness,
Which from clog of earth set free
Winged with zeal, flies up to Thee.
To Thee, rich in mercies treasure,
And in goodness without measure,
Never failing help to those
Who on Thy sure help repose.
Heav’nly Tutor, of thy kindness,
Teach my dullness, guide my blindness,
That my steps Thy paths may tread
Which to endless bliss do lead.”

—	Joseph Bryan, c.1620 (based on Psalm 86)

I'm praying for you!

:)

“No harm can come to me since, in whatever happens I see only the tender hand of Jesus.”

—	Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

I'm praying for you!

:)

Suscipe

My God, I am yours for time and eternity. Teach me to cast myself entirely into the arms of your loving Providence with a lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity. Grant, O most merciful Redeemer, that whatever you ordain or permit may be acceptable to me. Take from my heart all painful anxiety; let nothing sadden me but sin, nothing delight me but the hope of coming to the possession of You my God and my all, in your everlasting kingdom. Amen. - Venerable Mother Catherine McAuley

 We sang this in my high school more often than our alma mater.

I'm praying for you!

:)

I'm praying for you!

:)

“It’s not enough to love, people have to feel that they are loved”

—	Saint John Bosco

I'm praying for you!

:)

“Jesus died praying, and in the abyss of death he upheld the First Commandment and held on to the presence of God. Out of such a death springs this sacrament, the Eucharist.”

—	Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, ‘God’s Yes and His Love,” in God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life (Ignatius 2003)

I'm praying for you!

:)

“Be quite sure that God will bless you and that the depths of your sufferings will be matched by the consolation reserved for you.”

—	St. Therese

I'm praying for you!

:)

Guess who I saw yesterday?! Only the awesomest seminarian ever :)

Praises of God by St. Francis of Assisi

You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High,
You are almighty.
You, holy Father, are
King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One,
Lord God, all good.
You are good, all good, supreme good,
Lord God, living and true.
You are love,
You are wisdom
You are humility,
You are endurance
You are rest,
You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches,
and you suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector,
You are our guardian and defender.
You are courage.
You are our heaven and our hope,
You are our faith,
our great consolation.
You are our eternal life,
great and wonderful Lord,
God almighty, merciful Savior.

Amen.

Happy feast of the Holy Rosary!

I'm praying for you!

:)

And finally, ending out Buckeye Awakening with another Mother Teresa quote:

Christ changed Himself into the bread of life. Changing Himself into bread, He became totally at our disposal so that, having been fed by Him, we would feel the strength necessary to give ourselves to others.

 Happy Sunday of Awakening!!!! :D

I'm praying for you!

:)

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said:

As long as we make the best effort we are capable of, we cannot feel discouraged by our failures. We cannot claim any successes either. We should give God all the credit and be extremely sincere when we do so.

 Saturday of Awakening :D

I'm praying for you!

:)

A prayer to Mary by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta:

Mary, Mother of Jesus and of those who participate in his priestly ministry, we come to you with the same attitude of children who come to their mother.
We are no longer children, but adults who desire with all our hearts to be God's children.
Our human condition is weak, that is why we come to ask for your motherly aid so we are able to overcome our weakness.
Pray for us so that we can, in turn, become people of prayer.
We invoke your protection so that we may remain free from all sin.
We invoke your love so that it may reign and we will be able to be compassionate and forgiving.
We ask for your blessing so we can be like the image of your beloved Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

It's Friday of Awakening :D

I'm praying for you!

:)

So I've started reading a chapter of the Bible every night and then choosing one verse/phrase that sticks out at me to meditate on for the next day.

For Genesis 1, I chose "Evening came, and morning followed..." It's repeated over and over. And it started to seem almost like a promise. Evening will come, night will fall, but morning and light will follow.

For Genesis 2, I chose Genesis 2:15.

The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.

It doesn't say to sit around in it. Apparently, from the very beginning, our human experience was to include work. But we were meant to delight in the work. Rather than simply working the Earth, we were to "cultivate" it and "care for it."

That's my thoughts so far. The queue is set so you'll keep getting updates while I'm in Ohio.

I'm praying for you!

:)

Sometimes, I'm extremely snide and I say/think things that I instantly regret:

Jesus: I love you so much I died for you.

Me: But your death wasn't permanent. You only temporarily died.

Jesus: If it would have meant your eternal joy, I would have gone into permanent oblivion for you. But your joy rests in being with me. I rose again out of love for you.

I'm praying for you!

:)

I know this post says it was posted on Wednesday, but it's still Tuesday!

Anyway, today (Tuesday) is the feast day of the best saint ever, St. Therese de Lisieux.

She said really cool stuff like this:

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”

Basically, whenever people are complaining that they don't know how to put their Christian beliefs into practice, you can just point them to my patron saint and her Little Way.

I'm praying for you!

:)

Prayer is, beyond doubt, the most powerful weapon the Lord gives us to conquer evil passions and temptations of the devil; but we must really put ourselves into our prayer: it is not enough just to say the words, it must come from the heart. And also prayer needs to be continuous, we must pray no matter what kind of situation we find ourselves in: the warfare we are engaged in is on-going, so our prayer must be on-going also.

- St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

I'm praying for you!

:)