On Love Stories

                Several months ago, a few members of the Core Team here at St. Mary’s and I got in a slightly heated discussion about the merits of Disney Princesses. Several male members of our team took up the offense, while me and the lovely Sara Bushland, the defense. They claimed that all they were about was finding the perfect man, moving into his castle and living happily ever after. We countered that they were in fact about finding yourself, and also, that there is no truly great story in our world that does not feature love in some form or fashion. Even the dude-liest of dude movies has some semblance of love. Naturally, Sara and I emerged victorious.

                Thanks in large part to a weird memory that brings up the most pointless of thoughts, this discussion came up in my head during prayer recently. I was praying through the sorrowful mysteries when all of a sudden, it hit me. There is no truly great story in our world that does not feature love, and the greatest of stories our world has ever heard has love at its absolute core- the story of our Lord, on the cross.

                See, crazy as it is, I never really thought about why Jesus pushed through all of those stations we now pray through. I never really consideredwhy he endured the tortures of the cross. Ultimately, I already knew it was for my salvation. For the forgiveness of my sins, He took the weight of them onto His holy shoulders. I knew those things in my head. But what always stood out in my mind, however, was how wickedly high Jesus’s pain tolerance was. I was so focused on the pain He bore that I never truly saw the purpose of why he bore it.

                I admired Christ’s patience, His courage to go through with it all, even His humility in accepting the torment and torture of those He came to save. But what was revealed to me while praying the rosary and meditating on the same mysteries that I have a million times, is something I thought I already knew. True patience, courage and humility are born from the same mother- Love.

Love is something that seems so supernatural and yet so earthly at the same time. It is something no one but Christ and His mother can do perfectly, and yet, we all do to some degree love something, or someone. Love pushes us past our limits, to the very edge of human capabilities. Love has transformative properties in us. I think about those experiments done during World War II, how love shown through just holding an infant for fifteen minutes a day can make or break their lives. I think about how love can push mothers to lift cars over their children. And I think about how love pushed the God-Man to bear insult, injury and death with patience, courage and humility.

It was love that motivated Him to rise up out of the Garden of Gethsemane and face his captors, and love that helped Him forbear whippings that tore his skin to shreds. It was love that let Him sit in silence while he was mocked and crowned with thorns, and love that made Jesus stand up and continue on the road to Calvary. It was love that came pouring out when he begged for forgiveness of his own murderers. And it is love that will bear us through this world.

Without love, there are no truly great stories. Without love, there are no stories at all. Love is such a key element of the human experience, our hearts burst with it so much, that it inevitably pours out onto paper, into ears and hearts, who crave more of it. That is why the great stories all circulate around love. We crave it, because it is a critical and necessary part of us. And we will keep craving it until we find the source of all love and rely on it. God himself, in the Holy Trinity.

I now understand what Saint Augustine meant when he said “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Our hearts need His love, and they won’t rest until they do, so give your hearts a break already and find what you seek in Him. Become one of the great stories (we just call them saints). 

Keara King gets excited about the little things in life-like bagels on Friday, swinging on swing sets, and Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. She is a senior student at SFA, from Flower Mound, Texas. She is a social work major, and a member of the Core Team at St. Mary's Catholic Campus Ministry. 

"Riding With the Waves" By Sara Bushland

                Stressed. Once I heard that stressed spelled backwards is desserts, which is ironic because all I crave when I’m feeling overwhelmed is some fresh chocolate chips cookies with a tall glass of milk. Lately,

though, that word has become infectious and has caught on to the vocabulary of every person I have come in contact with. It seems that we have accepted stressed as the automatic answer whenever anyone looks depleted, lethargic, or even when they act out in an inappropriate manner. We are all just trying to work off some stress.

                In a sense, it’s great. We all relate to each other, and stress has a way of lighting the fire beneath our feet. Plus people in high stress scenarios tend to bond more easily with each other. Stress’ dark side is better known to most of us though. It can be debilitating, causing your heart to race and filling your stomach with those ghastly butterflies (definitely not the nice kind, we’re talking more like moths for most of you). Sometimes the pressure we’re constantly under can seem like tsunami waves that at any moment are going to crash down, annihilating you in one fowl swoop. Currently that’s the boat that I seem to find myself in and it’s exhausting. Luckily there is an answer, and you have all probably guessed it already, but I’m going to share anyway: the answer is Jesus.

                Okay cheesy, I know, but take a quick journey with me.

                You are sitting in a boat. It’s a small, wooden rowboat, but it’s a nice day and the small waves that you drift over cause you no alarm. Occasionally a larger one comes about, but it passes quickly and with it so goes your anxiety. You become comfortable and you drift asleep. You are awaken by a large crash and you look up to see that the sun has disappeared and in its place there are large menacing clouds, darker than sin, with cracks of lightning brightening the sky. This only shows you the deep water that sounds you crashing and cresting over in monstrous waves. How did this happen? Weren’t we just drifting nicely minutes ago?

                Raise the alarm, because with no land in sight and no one to contact, a full blown panic attack is about to begin, adding your own salty tears to this dreaded ocean of discontent. You frantically search around, in hopes that some miracle can save you. That’s when you spot Him. There He is, sound asleep in the back of the boat. Nothing seems to be alarming Him, and He doesn’t stir as yet another bolt of lightning crashes and the boat shakes filling with water. You rush over and hastily wake Him. You beg and plead, can’t He see you two are about to perish? Can He not save you?

                He slowly awakens and with one simple swish of the wrist and a small command, the waters calm and the sky is once again that beautiful, clear blue. He walks over to you. You are quite considerably a mess: your hair is out of place, mascara smeared, and let’s not even talk about your drenched clothes. He looks down at you with loving yet exhausted eyes. He gently reprimands, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (NIV Mark 4:40). He smiles warmly. Finally in typical Jesus style, He walks away (yeah, our Savior walks on water).

                

I know this is going to blow your mind, but the waves are your stresses and that mysterious Man is Jesus. Also a mind blowing revelation, this story is in the bible (I may have added a few adjectives though). The important thing to take away from it is that we are going to be caught in a few storms and sometimes it may even feel like hurricane season, but Jesus is always in our boat. Sometimes He gets a little sleepy and takes a nap, but He is not going to let us drown. With that knowledge we can take a deep breath. The stresses of life may try to knock us down, but with Jesus as our center we’re as sturdy as rocks, no storm can drown us.

                I hope the next few weeks, months, years are not too stressful, but when you get to that point when you feel like breaking, find Jesus sleeping in your boat. Go to mass, spend some time in adoration, blow the dust off your bible, or just meditate on the joys God has given you as well as the stresses. I promise they’re here and I promise, He is not going to let you drown. 

Sara Bushland is a Senior at Stephen F. Austin State University, currently serving as President of Kappa Upsilon Sigma. She is studying Rehabilitation Services with a Specialization in Orientation and Mobility, largely inspired by her youngest sister. Sara is fearless when it comes to grabbing people's attention on campus, loves coffee and braiding hair, and is pretty fond of #authenticrelationships! Feel free to e-mail her at sbushland@gmail.com!

Come to Me, All Who Labor and are Heavy Laden...

Today, I'm tired. Like the kind of tired where I can't get enough coffee in me (trust me, I've tried). The kind of tired where I legitimately have bags under my eyes (the concealer wore off hours ago). The kind of tired where I crashed on my couch when I went home for lunch. Actually, the fact that I went home for lunch speaks to how tired I am; especially because today I also feel heavy laden, as if every time I cross off something on my to-do list, at least 5 things get added. A busy couple of weeks at the ministry (combined with company in town for the weekend) have left me struggling a bit to get through it all.

So why am I taking the time to write this blog? Surely I have important things to be doing! Well, yes, many things are on my to-do list. But somehow, I have a feeling it will all get done when it needs to get done. Somehow, in the midst of this crazy day/week/month, I encountered the Lord in an unexpected way, and I couldn't help but share it with anyone who takes the time to read this blog.

My story of this unexpected encounter actually begins about a month ago, when I was discussing my prayer life with my Spiritual Director. I was explaining to him that I tend to fall into the same vacation trap as all of my students. You know the one - prayer is going awesome when you are living your normal daily schedule, but as soon as that gets interrupted your prayer habits go out the window as well! Prayer at home with my family is just a little different than it is when I spend 10-14 hours a day actually AT the Church, but I probably shouldn't be too surprised by that. We discussed briefly how I could build in prayer habits that would be easier to travel with me; nothing too intense, just something practical.

So I put my Bible on our dining room table; luckily, my roommates haven't complained. Actually, I'm pretty lucky that they haven't complained about the fact that I also have books lying on almost every surface of our apartment. They realized how nerdy I was a long time ago, and they just deal with it. So, with my Bible on our table, I began a morning routine of getting up about 15 minutes earlier and reading from the Gospels as I eat breakfast. Only today my morning was slightly different, so I read when I went home for lunch. It was so much easier to do when my Bible was just lying there on the table! (#forminghabits)

I'm currently reading through the Gospel of Matthew, and today I was in chapter 11, which ends with those comforting words of Christ:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I couldn't tell you how many times I've read that passage. How many times I've grappled with it ("Jesus, your yoke feels awfully difficult to me..."), yearned for that rest, or been beautifully consoled by it. But somehow I've always missed the context of these words. Always. Today, however, I caught it. I realized that in this passage Jesus doesn't suddenly turn to some really tired person and says, "Come to me and sleep." The words aren't spoken in a moment of compassion, or even teaching. Look them up and take note - they are spoken in the context of prayer and intimacy with his Heavenly Father. 

Let's look at the three preceding verses a little more closely:

"At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Here's the thing - there is no break between these passages, though we often treat them as entirely different stories. It doesn't say, "the next day, Jesus spoke to his disciples..." In most translations, the quotation marks don't even close until the end of verse 30. That means this is the same prayer. It means that when Jesus says to his Father "no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him," and then goes on to speak of the heavy laden laborer, he is telling his Father that those are the people he chooses. Did you catch that? In a moment of great intimacy with his Father, Jesus prays for those who labor to be brought to him. 

Jesus doesn't just have compassion on the tired and broken down. It's much more beautiful than that. Jesus yearns for those who labor. He prays for them. And not just that they would be comforted, not just that they would take on his yoke. In fact, the heavy ladened are the people Jesus most deeply desires to reveal his Father to. 

Listen, I get it. Sometimes the Christian Life seems difficult. Sometimes it feels like the yoke is hard, and the burden heavy, and we just can't seem to get the rest we need to deal with all the daily struggles. But when I read that oh so familiar passage today, I was immediately consoled by the prayer of Christ's own heart. Jesus was calling me to his Father. It was me he was praying for, yearning for, preparing an easy yoke for. And I promise you that as he sits at the right hand of his Father, Christ's prayer hasn't changed. So go to him, you who labor and are heavy laden, and experience the rest that Christ offers; let him reveal his Father to you.

p.s. Last night, I fell asleep at a Super Bowl party. I just thought I would add that to the list to prove how tired I am. I'm a pretty social being, but my friend has a really comfy couch that just eats you and begs you to fall asleep, so I couldn't help it. But go Patriots! I'm American, so I feel like my team won.

Jodi Phillips is a Campus Minister at St. Mary's Catholic Campus Ministry. Though she misses the cold and snow of Nebraska (also known as "The Good Life"), she counts herself incredibly blessed to be serving the students of Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, TX. Jodi loves to sing and dance and laugh, and looks for any opportunity to dress up and celebrate (especially if it includes a costume). Stop by the ministry if you want to hang out, or contact her at phillipsjm1@gmail.com.

For the Better: What I have learned so far in 2015

On the journey home from SEEK2015, my friend for life and I talked a lot about how to apply what we learned at the Conference to our lives this year. I boiled it down to the six topics you see below, and I wanted to share it with all of you! I hope it will edify you as much as it did me. 

Can I be comfortable with Christ in my life? Hey Christ!

Add Christ to your daily vocabulary. I don’t have to go around like a Jesus freak to share him in my life and affect others’. If we can be so comfortable with telling our friends where we went to lunch and the last movie we saw why can’t we just as easily mention that we went to mass earlier? Or share the funny joke we heard in the homily? Or tell people we are going to the circle tomorrow night? Do not be afraid to use casual Christian language even with people outside of our typical circles. Be Bold!

Make work fun. Make faith fun. How? Do it with others.

I once heard a story: There was a man dancing on the side of a busy street and everyone thought he was crazy. Another man came to dance with him and everyone thought they were weirdos. A third person, a woman, came to dance with the two men. Everyone thought “Awesome! They are having so much fun!” Yes, they were a little bit strange, but how much fun is it to be different with real, authentic people who accept who you are? Now take that to heart on the matter of faith. Share your faith life with others and you’ll never be lonely or bored.

Pandas are flagship species, name an actual endangered species.

Pandas get all of the attention in the conservation world - and your heart - but in fact hold little to no essential value to the environment. They rarely even move. Yes they are cute, but other species like the Proboscis Monkey (look it up) hold a higher value to the environment and are actually critically endangered, but ignored. Transition! Choose a passion to follow in life where the market is not already flooded. Everyone jumps on the fads and cultural buzz words for about five minutes. Right now let’s jump on the (insert current cool thing to support) band wagon. Everyone wants to save pandas but are they the most important thing in the world? What about intrinsic truth? How are you working now for the truth and how do you plan on sharing the truth in the future and a lifetime? Have you considered mission work, working for a church diocese, and a vocation either to the religious life, priesthood or sacred marriage? Just think - you could work both for the church and important current issues!

Are you investing properly? Who is in your 401(k)?

Friends come into and leave our lives often, and what a blessing it is to have and have had them in our lives when we do. But are you investing as much time and energy with your own family members. Sometimes I offer too much to my friends (and Hulu) neglecting to call my brother, texting my sister hello in the morning and sending a letter to my grandmother. Family is forever, don’t forget it. Relationships aren’t easy but are you giving fair time to them. Maybe if you invest they will improve.

You are who you… eat?

Surround yourself around people that are positive. Make real decisions to determine who you want to be in your life. At the same time remember that you are the person that other people surround themselves with. Are you a good example for them?

Don’t pick up the phone it’s yo Mama! (I learned this a long time ago, but needed to share it due to immediate insistent need. So just do it already)

People of today are digitally addicted; fact. TV, Phones, (un)social media, Netflix, Hulu, texting, video games, candy crush, et cetera. Please, for the sake of humanity consciously take a minute to consider how much digital intake you are consuming. Could you be using your tech too much? Do you look at it unceasingly? Can you go an hour during class time without checking Facebook? Do you sleep with your phone? Could you spend your time doing something else? What would you do without your phone glued to your face you ask. What about studying, praying, serving others, spending time with others, working a hobby, visiting friends,and having a face to face conversation, antiquing, going star gazing... good heavens entertain yourself! Challenge yourself to cut the amount of attachment you have with a technology toxic relationship; you will be happier without him.

Good Luck!

BONUS SECTION! Choose 5! It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. 

Last year I used this method to help me find tangible ways to grow spiritually, and I've decided to continue it each year. 

1.      Pick a virtue to focus on for the year; e.g. year of humility- Think as often as you can about your virtue and how you can apply it to your daily life.

2.      Then pick two- Pick two things to add to your daily life. Think outside the box, but here are some ideas: daily mass, daily devotional, rosary, smiling at everyone you pass, saying a short prayer while you wash your hands, et cetera

3.      Then pick two- Pick two things to eliminate from your daily life. You know what they should be... but here are some examples: cracking your knuckles, cursing, slothfulness, complaining, et cetera.

My best tip is for you to be simple, be genuine, but be serious.

Happy New Year! My prayer is that we will all grow closer to Christ this year. 

Andrew Wayne Lusk (known to Campus Minister Jodi Phillips as A-Dubs, A-Dub-a-Bub, A-Dubalicious, and so on and so forth) is a Senior at Stephen F Austin State University studying Art History. He is passionate about his faith, and loves to share it with others. His other passions, aside from Proboscis Monkeys, include making crazy exclamations ("What the hey-ho?!"), winning at Nerts (it's a crazy card game), and inviting people to fun parties at St. Mary's. Oh, and he has great hair. That's real. 

Love

Love. This word, these four simple letters, have been thrown at us since before we were born. We get used to hearing, “I love you,” from parents, family members, and friends and replying in kind. As we get older, we dream of a passionate love, the kind Nicolas Sparks would write about in one of his oh so addicting novels. We want to be swept off our feet and you can bet Hallmark plays this up to make a buck. This word is literally everywhere, whether it’s talking about the kind of love mentioned above or love of yourself, it’s hard to walk into a store without seeing the word placed decoratively somewhere. And why not? As one of my childhood favorites Aquamarine would inform you, “Love is the closest thing we have to magic.” Maybe that’s why people so desperately cling to the idea of love, because if someone doesn’t love you, what importance do you really have?

Okay I know that took a depressing turn, but bear with me for just a little bit longer. I was recently scanning the aisles of Half-Price Books, one of my favorite ways to pass time as long as I have my Starbucks, leggings, oversized sweater, and all other Basic White Girl attire intact. As I sipped my Vanilla Macchiato, I wondered aimlessly over to the religion section. My normal area being fiction, I was surprised to find a small section devoted specifically to Catholicism. I quickly scanned the books and picked out a few that visually caught my eye. Well for anyone who knows me, I have a hard time picking out food to order off a menu so picking out a book takes me all day. An hour later, while I’m placing the discarded books away I came across a battered copy of No Greater Love which is a compiled set of Mother Teresa teachings. She’s my role model so all other books went back to the shelf and I practically skipped up to the front as I bought the book. I made myself read only a section a day, allowing myself to truly take in what she was saying, and I’d like to share with you what I learned.
         

Mother Teresa was often described as being simple or childish in her ways and words. Personally I disagree. She saw and understood this world better than anyone because she wasn’t looking for the world, she was looking for Christ. She seeked and she found, but it wasn’t just in the Church that she found Christ, she found Christ in each and every person she encountered. Take a second and imagine what that is like, to see your God in every person you meet. That means the janitor, and the sorority girl, and the professor that assigned you that long essay, and that girl that just doesn’t know when to shut her mouth, and that boy that sits alone to eat lunch everyday… yeah it means everyone, not just your friends. If you saw God in each of them, can you help but love them? I would hope that answer is no, I want to love them too. This kind of love is a special kind though, it’s not one manufactured by Hallmark, it is so much more than that.

This is the love we see in children. Jesus told Nicodemus to, “Become as a little child.” That doesn’t mean to grab your blanket and throw a tantrum when you don’t get your way. This means to give love freely and to pray honestly with “an earnest desire to love much and to make loved the one that is not loved.” YOU GUYS WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE SOMEONE FEEL LOVED. This is like the worlds coolest superpower that God gave to each and every one of us.  Even cooler is the fact that it doesn’t take a grand gesture to show somebody that they are loved, it is the intensity of the love we put into our gesture. That means that if you honestly mean the smile that you give to the stranger in the street, it means more than the Christmas gift you spent $49.95 on due to a feeling of obligation. To Mother Teresa that smile was more than just a way to spread the love, it was a way to change the world.

One of Mother Teresa’s main themes was that love begins at home. Since we are all either on break or have recently returned back to campus dwelling spaces, I’m sure we have a good picture of what life at home is like. For me, home is a combination of loud voices, high emotions, hectic schedules, but more than anything love. My beautiful sister reminded us of that tonight at dinner when we were all light heartedly teasing my brother and she said, “Okay listen guys, I just want you to know that I love you always.” The teasing instantly stopped as all seven of us recited that we love her too. Naturally, we tried to beat each other out with the amount of love, but our cup overflows with love for each other regardless. After we have taken the time to love each other at home, our love then easily pours out to our neighbors. Thereafter the lovebug takes like a virus and spreads.

To end the blog, I feel obliged to inform you that true love is not an easy love. A famous quote from Mother Teresa is, “I have found a great paradox that if you love until it hurts there can be no more hurt, only more love.” Love is sacrifice, it is putting someone else’s needs before your own. Love is humbling yourself to know that in order for someone to open up to you, you have to first be willing to open up to them and you have to be willing to see the world from their point of view. God made each and every one of us in His hand and with unconditional love. God unconditionally loves you. He wants the same from you, and the best way to show God that love, is by showing each individual the same love. So you probably want an answer to my original question, if someone doesn’t love you, what importance do you really have? Well the question itself is illogical because God loves you. He says, “I have called you by name and you are mine.” You are important and you have the power to make someone else feel that way as well.

Sara Bushland is a Sophomore at Stephen F. Austin State University. She is studying Rehabilitation Services with a Specialization in Orientation and Mobility, largely inspired by her youngest sister. Sara is fearless when it comes to grabbing people's attention on campus, enjoys making people laugh with her, and is pretty fond of #authenticrelationships. Feel free to e-mail her at sbushland@gmail.com!

St. Frances of Rome

            

    When I was beginning the process of Confirmation, and they told me I had to pick a saint to be my very own patron, I was more than a little intimidated by the task. How in the world was I supposed to pick which one I liked the best? How could I judge them? I felt awful going through the lists and marking names off as if I was some sort of holiness Simon Cowell. However, the Lord guided me to find the perfect role model for me, St. Frances of Rome.

                This woman, as beautiful, wonderful and relatable as she is, is not that widely known. A part of me is a little bit saddened by this. A bigger part of me likes that she is less widely known, though, because it means I get to talk about her, and introduce her to so many people! Which, as you probably guessed, is what I am doing now. You’re welcome, by the way, in advance.

Before I really get started, just know, I cannot do her incredible, holy life justice here (if you do want her whole story you can find it here http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=49). However, I do just one to share a few elements of her life that inspire and help me every day.

At the age of eleven, St. Frances knew that her calling in life was to be a nun. However, her wealthy and noble father had other plans for her, and arranged her marriage to a man from an equally influential family in Rome. Frances resisted and fought this, constantly praying that the Lord would prevent this marriage. Her confessor finally pointed out to her that she was praying for God to do her will, not for the desire to do God’s will. And so, after a period of miserably starving and straining herself, nearly to the point of death, she consented to the marriage, and the brand new lifestyle that came with it.

Now, it is key to know that Frances was born at the end of the 1300’s and grew up into the 1400’s, in Rome. As many church history geeks know, this was a time that was more than a little difficult for the Catholic Church. With multiple people claiming to be the pope, Rome became a battleground, and not just one for souls. At one point, St. Frances’s husband, the influential and noble man that he was, had been injured and captured and her oldest son, Battista, was to be taken as ransom for another family member’s life. When her son was taken, she ran immediately to a church and began praying unceasingly. As she was doing this, the kidnappers were trying to make away with her son, but every horse they put him on refused to move, no matter what they did. They had no choice but to set the boy free, and he found his mother in the chapel, praying through her tears.

There is something about these two little elements of St. Frances’s life that gives me hope. Here was a woman who had a stubborn streak wider than my own, and fought God on everything in her life. It took her nearly dying to trust in the Lord once, and even then she needed constant reminders to seek out His will and not her own. Maybe this is what gives me hope though- despite her stubbornness, she let God’s will be done in her. She let God take over her life time and time again, and trusted him to care and provide for her.

St. Frances gave herself and her own desires up, only to discover God’s greater plan for her life. God did eventually grant her request to become a nun, in her own order. But through her marriage, he gave her the resources to help the sick and the poor in ways she never could have in a convent. She converted the souls of her husband’s family, through her love and service, proving that God had better things in mind for her than she could ever have dreamed of!

St. Frances could also have just run off with her son, upon hearing the threat of his kidnapping, but she didn’t. In doing so, she was able to spare her family member's life, and no harm was done to her son. If she, with her headstrong ways can trust the Lord to the point of giving up her own son, then surely I can trust the Lord with my degree plan! Then surely I can let the Lord’s will be done in my daily life!

This woman who fought God on every issue is now someone who the Church holds up as an example for holiness. She is someone who we can point to and say “Look, she overcame her own stubbornness, and the Lord rewarded her for it! What is to stop me from doing the same?” The Lord wants amazing things for us, things we cannot even imagine. He knows who we are, what we need, and who we can become, before we are even born!

If St. Frances, in all her struggles, can become holy through trusting the Lord, then what is to stop each and every one of us from becoming a saint as well?

St. Frances of Rome, help us to see the difference between what we want to do, and what God wants us to do. Help us to discern what comes from our will and what comes from God’s desire. Amen.

Keara King gets excited about the little things in life-like bagels on Friday and swinging on swing sets. She is a sophomore student at SFA, from Flower Mound, Texas. She is a social work major, and her dream is to work with children at St. Jude's. 

I Do!

I can't exactly speak for the males, but I know as a young girl I always imagined my dream wedding. It would be like a fairy tale; doves flying when the nuptials were sealed, wedding bells ringing out with joy, and pristine white horses awaiting to whisk us off to wedded bliss. I think this outlandish fantasy comes from watching one to many Disney movies in which the girls gets the prince and ends up with the perfect happily ever after.  It all seems simply out of reach. There are no horses, no flourishing of bells, no doves….dreaming of this tale is just that a dream.

What if this dream is a reality though?

What if there really are bells, doves, the whole nine yards?

What if there is really a prince out there waiting to give everything for his one true love….which is me and you?

What is he already gave it all?

Picture this.  You are dressed in white, a sign of chastity and beauty, flowing delicately to the floor which you walk upon weightlessly. A veil drapes over your face, to keep your true glorious beauty a surprise for your beloved. You are delighted and can hardly wait to no longer be two persons, but united as one.   Actually the feelings you have can't be explained…you are in love. The sounds of melodious strings alert your new beginnings. Making your way down the aisle you glance and smile upon your guests, not really identifying them from under your veil. You attention has been taken by the sight of your beloved standing before you at the altar. Oh the joy that springs forth from your heart at the sight of him! Nothing can contain it! Your beloved turns and looks into your eyes with more love than was ever imaginable!

The eyes you looked upon…are the eyes of Jesus Christ.

Sappy imagination, I know. But the reality is so much more! We are all told probably a million times growing up that Jesus loves us. We all sang the lullaby…"Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so…..". Did we take that to heart? I know I didn't. I looked upon the fact that Jesus loved me as simply that - a hard fact. There was no fluff to it, it just was. Any of you thought of Jesus's love like that too? Like it was just a plain fact, like there is a Pacific Ocean and trees grow leaves, and Jesus love me.  Let me tell you this…it's not just a plain fact. Jesus LOVES YOU. I have found that my goal in my journey of becoming a stronger Catholic woman is falling in love with Christ. Truly falling in love with him in the way I always imagined (above). I personally want to fall in love with the Lord so nothing can break us apart, we really are one. The Bible , the Church, and Jesus himself refer to Christ as the "Bridegroom".

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

-Ephesians 5:22-31

The passage continues on saying that Jesus is talking about himself and the church, not just a worldly man and wife. Jesus talks about himself being the bride groom and the church the bride…but people - who is the church?!?! Christ talks constantly about how the husband should love and cherish his bride, and the bride will do the same in return. People, he is talking about us! WE ARE THE CHURCH!!!! Jesus loves us so passionately and unconditionally that he would DIE FOR US!!!! Think about the person you love the most…would you marry then? Would you do anything for them? Would you die for them? Question now is…would they die for you?

Just as Christ met the Samaritan woman
at the well, so he waits for you at the altar.

Jesus awaits for you at the altar. He awaits for you to fall so madly in love with him. He has already fallen madly in love with you… There is no question in his heart of whether he would give up anything or everything. He does not second guess his actions, or would ever have to think about reliving his Passion again for you.

Wrapping your head around his eternal love is not an easy task, especially if you have never broken down your walls and truly loved another. When you sets your sights on love though, you are rewarded. Set your sights upon Christ's love, and trust me - you will be rewarded. To even get a true taste of the love Christ has for you blows you away.

You do deserve the fairytale…..because it is real. There is a chorus praising when you become united in Christ.

-Written by Liz Anglin

Undignified

 

 

This picture is pretty
close, albeit a couple
years later. I look best
when I'm hopping.

When I was a sophomore in college, I had a favorite praise and worship song. It was called Undignified, by the one and only David Crowder Band. When this song played I would go crazy. I mean, some of you have seen me dance before. Take off 8 years of hard earned maturity (ha!), add several of my closest friends dancing insanely alongside me, and you'll be close to imagining just how undignified this spectacle could be.

It was years before I understood the meaning behind this song that had brought me so much joy. You see, Mr. Crowder wasn't the first to be undignified before the Lord. Nor was he the first to be mocked for it.

The second book of Samuel tells us of the reign of King David. You know the stories, I'm sure: David and Goliath; David and Bathsheba; David the Psalmist; David the man after God's own heart. But David did much more than write songs and poetry. He was the second King of Israel and the only one able to defeat the many peoples inhabiting the "Promised Land," something the people had been commanded to do back when Moses was still alive (Deuteronomy 7:1-2, 20:16-18). Joshua led the people in many battles against the Canaanites, but the work was not finished. In the many years that followed, the people grew lazy, and would often fall under the influence of the nations that surrounded them. Finally, however, David led the Israelite army to take victory over the land of Canaan, which we now know as Israel.

Apparently Mr. Jones never heard
what happened to Uzzah when he
touched the ark... (2 Sam 6:6-7)

When the land had been conquered, David's next task was to bring the Ark of the Covenant into capital city Jerusalem The Ark of the Covenant, you may recall, held not only the Ten Commandments, given to Moses upon Mount Sinai, but also the Holy of Holies - the most holy place, that is, which was hidden by a veil and was the location of "the Mercy Seat." The Holy of Holies was also called the Tabernacle (hmm.... we use that word even now to describe the veiled holding place of the Eucharist, the special instrument the Lord uses to bestow his mercy and grace upon us, now don't we?), and it was the place where the Lord was, in a certain way, present to the people of Israel.

This brings us to 2 Samuel 6. When David brought the Ark up the Jerusalem, he didn't just take enough people to carry it's weight with him - no, he brought thirty THOUSAND men. And these men didn't just walk along - no, they "were making merry before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals (2 Sam. 6:5)." Now, the Ark made a little pit stop at O'bed-e'dom's home (say that 10 times fast. Or just once slowly. Yeah, I can't do it either...) for 3 months, before David again took up the Ark to continue the journey. What happened next demands being repeated at length:



This was the happiest looking picture I
could find. I imagine that David was much
more exuberant than any image shows.

"So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of O'bed-e'dom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the horn (2 Sam 6:12-15)."


Now, I dance pretty hard. I hop, I clap, I skip, I snap. Granted, I'm never going to win any dancing competitions, but I put my heart into it. But do I dance with all my might? And do I dance with all my might before the Lord?

The story continues in 2 Samuel saying that David's wife Michal caught sight of him dancing, and she despised him for it. She even rebuked him and called him vulgar. But David response cannot be what she expected: "It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord - and I will make merry before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes (2 Sam 6:21-22, some translations read "vile" or "undignified")."

Even more contemptible??? Abased in the eyes of his wife??? Really David, I know you love the Lord, but surely he wouldn't want you to look absolutely ridiculous. Surely he wouldn't want you dance so much that your wife despises you for it. Because, well, if we act like you, how will we ever be able to evangelize?  We'd be far too different from the rest of the world. How will we be able to convince anyone that we are rational when we look like fools?

And yet, I can't help wondering if this is exactly what the Lord wants from us. The Lord responded to David's sacrificial love by making a Covenant with him - an enduring promise of kinship and love that would extend not only to David's kingdom, but to the entire world. Indeed, it is Jesus Christ himself who was promised to David in 2 Samuel 7.

Yes, it's a little cliché. So are most
of the words of Jesus. You'll notice
people still listen to them ;)

And we have even more than David. We are not limited to one Temple, one central place of worship. We have the real body and blood of Jesus Christ in nearly every Catholic Church in the world. We are the recipients of endless love and grace, love and grace which poured forth from the heart of Jesus at Calvary.

I don't know about you, but when I think of the way Jesus loves me, it makes me want to get a little undignified. I want to dance, sing, even shout! But I often lack the courage to make a display of the joy which the Lord has given me. I mean, sometimes I can barely speak about it, let alone shout! I'm afraid of being called unintelligent, foolish, crazy, hypocritical, or hateful. But you know what? When I become undignified before the Lord he calls me "beloved." And often, it is our joy that draws others to the love of God, much more than our rational arguments.


I leave you now with a cliché : "Dance like no one is watching... Live like it's heaven on earth." Don't worry, I won't look at you when I dance with you.


P.S. Tune in to future blogs to find how the Mass actually is heaven on earth :).
P.P.S. Father Rowland would like me to remind you that this post is not condoning Liturgical Dancing. So please, don't strip off your clothes at Mass and do a jig! ;)

Why "The Glory Days": Behind St. Mary's Welcome Week

Why "The Glory Days"?

Here at St. Mary's, we really searched our hearts long and hard for this welcome week and semester's theme.  We went through a lot of silly moments as we racked our brains, but in the end God spoke through our crazy thoughts and gave us "The Glory Days."

---

A Definition:
We have always heard the phrase that high school consists of your glory days, but what about college?  It's the first time you're really out on your own without your parent's supervision.  It basically means (in a captive's free terms): eating whatever you want, staying out as late as you want, and doing whatever you want.  We all figured college was a little more in the light than high school.

But what does that mean for us at St. Mary's?  We're always talking about freedom, but does itreally mean doing whatever we want, whenever we want?  Yes, college is the taste of freedom for any young adult, but the full grasp of it is in Christ alone.  So our theme is "The Glory Days" for the Glory that we are seeking.  For those days that we can taste here on earth, but knowing the banquet is in Heaven.

Behind the Words:
If you notice, in the banner is an asterix that goes to Matt. 10:6-7 which says, "Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  As you go, make this proclaimation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"  There were about a million verses similar to this one we could have chosen, but this one felt right.  It's under the great commissioning of the apostles and it tells us, basically, we must take up the glory that God has given each of us and seek more lost souls.

To some Catholics, this can seem a little intense, especially if it's taken the wrong way; we seem to like staying behind our own walls sometimes.  But if we really dive into scripture, we see it is a message of hope and Love.  Jesus tells us constantly "Do not be afraid," and we think it's time to finally take that advice.  If we claim to know truth, then why aren't we spreading it?

Which brings up JPII's quote: Do not be afraid to go out into the streets...like the first apostles.  If that's not GLORY, we don't know what is!  We must respond the call, we don't have to succeed.  But we MUST respond.

The Great College-Mission:
So, this welcome week, this semesters, this year, this ministry is fully responding to the Call, and we're calling it the "Great College-Mission."  We know it'll be hard, we're promised that (Matt. 10:16), but we know we must try.  We will go out into the sidewalks and onto our college campus to find God.  Keep us in your prayers.  We need them!

God bless and Mary keep,
St. Mary's Interns

If you would like to help us in our mission, please consider becoming a donor at St. Mary's Catholic Campus Ministry! Thank you so much. Every little bit helps!

Running with Purpose: Finding God on the Beaten Path

I run. Well, we all run at one point.  We run to the grocery story, we run to our classes we just can’t seem to wake up for on time, and we run away from things when we’re scared (especially during a good game of tag).  But I run for a living.  Running is not a particularly popular way of life; though it suffers from fads and potential takers, it’s rarely as loved as it should be.  But I run.  And I love it.  I love that moment when my Nikes touch the concrete, and it’s as if all is right in the world.  Like I can do anything as long as I keep running.

Running Out of Options

Since I started cross-country for SFA, my running hasn’t exactly gone as planned.  I haven’t seen the improvement I want or should be having. My training last fall especially seemed to be going backward instead of forward, and nothing was right.  A lot of times, I was close to up and quitting.  I kept telling myself just to hang on a little longer, that it would get better. I told myself to keep working, to keep trying, but when my first indoor meet came in January, it wasn’t any better. I ran worse than I had the year before, and I didn’t get another chance to race again that season. I was upset and so tired of working for, what seemed like, nothing.

Finally, it got to the point where I was just sick of being upset and stressed. So, I turned to prayer. I prayed about what I should do: quitting the SFA team or sticking it out. And I did what all of us do (again, at one point in our lives): I asked God to send me a sign, preferably one that was clear - ha. I told myself I would keep trying my hardest, and if my workouts didn’t start showing even a slight improvement in the next month, then I would consider not running anymore.

Fighting the Good Fight

On one of the days following, a teammate and I were cooling down after a workout, and I ended up telling her about my situation.  She responded with something I completely forgot (believe it or not), but I know its impact was huge.  I knew God was telling me to keep trying for just a little bit longer.  Sign received.

My running started improving bit by bit each day, as did my praying. Each workout was a little better than the last, and for once, I was excited with what my body could do. My outdoor track season didn’t end exactly the way I wanted it to, but I was blessed with one great race, where I ran a personal record faster than I ever thought I could. Things don’t always come easy, RUNNING doesn’t ever come easy, but trials are a part of life, and in the end, it will be worth it.

Learning the ABC’s of Faith

 I’ve wondered a lot why God didn’t just make things get better right away. I’ve realized that if He had, I wouldn’t have learned that His timing is perfect. I wouldn’t have learned to trust Him. In Romans 5: 3-4, Paul tells us we should rejoice during hard times and troubles; that “we can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.” I couldn’t just leave everything up to God. He gave me the talent of running and blessed me with the opportunity to be on the team at SFA, but it is my responsibility to use all He has given and glorify Him with what I do.  As long as I trust in God, I know I can trust myself.

I could have given up.  On running, myself, even God.  But I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.  I learned during hard times to find comfort in God. That in the end everything will be ok. It’s easy to be mad at God when things aren’t going my way. It’s hard to thank Him for everything that is going on in my life, especially the bad things, but that is what I have to do. Everything that has happened in my life has made me who I am and everything happens for a reason, so each day I really try to thank God for everything, good and bad, that helped me get to where I am now. Through all my ups and downs with running, I have learned so much more about myself and grown stronger in my faith.

Why I Run

This summer, I’ve been getting up to run around 6 AM before it gets too hot.  I don’t like the getting up.  I don’t like leaving the warmth of my bed and stepping onto the cold floor.  I think it’s ridiculous that it’s still dark as I brush my teeth while the rest of the world gets to sleep on.  It even takes a few steps into the run sometimes to make the grumbling in my brain cease.  To remind myself why I run.  It isn’t until I feel the light from the sky hit my skin that I remember.  Every morning, I get to watch the sunrise.  I get to see it spill over the rooftops of houses and color the trees into life.  I get to feel it’s first rays before anyone else.  Like it was meant for me all along.  That’s why I run.

I don’t do it to feel better about myself or my body (though it helps).  I don’t do it it because it’s my "me" time.  Or because I feel free.  I don’t do it for the time to think. I don’t do it for the hurt, the good kind, the kind your body thrives on.  I don’t do it because it’s exhilarating, especially on a good run.  I do it because it makes me happy.  I do it because on those days when runs don't feel good at all, God is especially present in the beauty around me: in the birds’ morning songs and the blossom of a flower and the flutter of a butterfly.  Not everyday is going to be easy or the best.  But that’s why He gave us a million beautiful gifts to enjoy, or to take for granted in a lot of my cases.

I have had lots of tough times in running, but I love it – running, not the tough times.  I couldn’t live without it.  I was made to run.  God blessed me with these running legs, so I’ll try my best to glorify Him through it. Yeah, it will suck sometimes, but, as C.S. Lewis says, “God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.” I know running isn’t for everyone, but it is for me.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will RUN and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Amanda Walters I have a hard time choosing favorites out of the things I love, but God and the Love He shows me every day is my number one.  I love spending time with my family and friends, and I habitually look on the bright side of life, trying to see the best in everyone.  I believe music, running and laughing give you a good long life, and that books can take you to another world.  I'm an Elementary Education major who can't wait to see what God has planned for my future. If you would like to contact Amanda, you can email her at: kiwiw_2012@yahoo.com