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! ;)

Welcome Back Lumberjacks!

 

First, I want to take a moment to welcome all of you to SFA, new students and returners alike! In the future you may check this blog for information on the Catholic Church that will help you grow in your faith and understanding. But for today I just wanted to introduce myself to all of you.

My name is Jodi Phillips, and I am the Campus Minister here at St. Mary's Catholic Campus Ministry. I spent the last three years in Steubenville, Ohio, working on a Master's degree in Theology at Franciscan University. I'm not offended if you've never heard of Steubenville. It's a small run down town with water so polluted you have no choice but to buy the best filter known to man. And even then...

Thankfully, Steubenville is only about 45 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, so I was able to get away quite often and experience all the beauty a city of that size has to offer. AND I was blessed beyond belief to receive the education I did. I was taught by world class Theologians and had an incredible community of faithful Catholics who constantly inspired me to grow closer to the Lord.

Before going to Franciscan University, I lived in Nebraska (read: the best state in the entire world). I grew up in Omaha, a city of decent size, but I went to college in a town not much larger that Nacogdoches. College was honestly one of the most impactful times in my life (which may be why I chose a career that keeps my close to college students!). I found myself in college. I developed my sense of humor, found my style, made incredible friendships, and learned what it was like to have a true relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

A year after I graduated from college (during which time I was working at my Alma Mater - I told you I'd never leave college...) I began to wonder about the Catholic Church. You see, I was born and raised a Protestant. I loved the Lord, I went to church every Sunday, I was active in Campus Ministry, and I actively worked to "save" Catholics. But then I started to think that I might have been missing something. A rich year of research and soul searching led me to the beautiful One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and I was confirmed at Easter of 2010. I've never once looked back.

I don't claim to be an expert. I am something of a "masterpiece in progress." The Lord is still working in and through me, and sometimes it's painful. But every once in a while the Lord allows me to look at the progress he has made, and it's beautiful. The work the Lord does in beautiful. And, let me tell you, he's doing beautiful work in you as well.

Please stop by St. Mary's Catholic Campus Ministry at any time! I'm here if you have questions or if you just need someone to listen to you (I'll be buying a box of Kleenex to have on my desk ASAP, don't worry!). You can also reach my by e-mail (jodi.phillips@sfacatholic.net) or phone (402-650-4234).

Once again, Welcome Back Lumberjacks :)

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

Our Bodies: A Gift Worth More

How many times have I been sitting in church, listening to the homily, and felt like there was a burning spotlight right above me? If I had a nickel for every time, I could buy St. Mary's Chapel new carpet…I'll say that much.  It's as if our soul and body were fighting a war, our soul all along knowing that we would only be hurt in the end, writhing in our own guilt and self-degradation. However, our body won, and the Devil proved that the apple is still being eaten, that the fall of man happens every day.

There's the trick. We have been convinced that the flesh is evil, that our bodies don't want God. Our souls are separate entities that thirst for the fresh springs of God, while our bodies thirst for the polluted waters of the world.

The truth is that our bodies want God, too.  We’re reminded in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 when Paul says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

The Price and Our Priceless Gift

Okay, I get really super duper excited talking about the Theology of the Body!  Usually, what makes sense in my head comes out of my mouth sounding like utter nonsense. I hardly know where to start, but I'm giving it a shot. Here goes...

One of the turning points in my understanding of Theology of the Body was when I was on the TOBET (Theology of the Body Evangelization Team) retreat.  We were having a discussion about Christ's marriage with His church.  While hanging upon the cross, naked and His arms outstretched, He proclaimed, "It is finished."  What was finished?

The consummation of His marriage with His bride, the Church. In that moment, when Christ was in the vulnerable state of nakedness without shame, He gave His body for us, just as a husband and wife give their bodies to each other in marriage. This was the first in a string of theological parallels between Church doctrine and sexuality.  Woah!  Mind BLOWN, right?!

Just to name a few of my favorites...at Easter, the priest dips the Easter candle into the baptismal fount. You know the part I’m talking about.  The one where you thought you got a great seat until the priest moved to the back of the church, and you can barely see over the heads of people around you? Yeah, that’s the one. In this celebration of His marriage vows with His Church, Christ is the priest holding the candle that plunges into the fount, which symbolizes the Church, and those that are baptized are reborn into the faith.

Another moment I love is more of an everyday experience. Prior to celebrating the Eucharist, the priest prepares the Body and Blood of Christ. The chalice has always been a symbol of female sexuality throughout all of literature, and it's in this chalice, a symbol of Christ's female counterpart, the Church, that the priest pours the wine that will later turn into Christ's blood, mixing with it water that symbolizes us, the people of his Church, and finally a piece of the bread that is now Christ's body. When we take the Body and Blood of Christ, it is the ultimate one flesh union. Does this mean that every time we partake in the Eucharist, Christ is renewing His marriage vows with us, just as a husband and wife renew their marriage vows in their sexual union? Absolutely.

Am I crazy for thinking that is utterly profound and beautiful? There's nothing sick or disturbing about it. In fact, it is only because of the lies the world has told us about sex (that it's dirty and sinful) that we think those theological sexual references seem out of place, while in reality, there's nowhere else they could belong!

Paul tells the Corinthians their bodies are temples; every church is a temple, too. Through our sexuality, our bodies, our temples, we have the ability to bring new life into the world. Likewise, the Church, the temple where we all come together as brothers and sisters, gives birth to new believers constantly.

If more of us could have such a view that sex is not sinful at all, but profound and sacred, there would be the utmost respect for the sanctity of sex in our culture. Say goodbye to promiscuity, pornography, sex jokes, overly sexualized entertainment, etc. We would hold ourselves, as well as everyone else, in highest esteem, truly seeing our sexuality for the gift it is.

Unwrapping the Gift

Society says chastity stifles us, and we “free” ourselves when we embrace our sexuality.  But society’s version of "embracing our sexuality" really means experiment and sleep around as long as it's "safe." What that world is failing to see is that we, as Christians, do free ourselves in embracing our sexuality, through finding joy in ourselves and others, celebrating our bodies for the temples they are, and "doing everything for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:33). Think of how much guilt and self-reproach we could avoid if we did everything for the glory of God!

JPII calls us all to be modern day saints "who are in the world and know how to taste the pure and nice things of the world, but who aren't of the world.

Escaping the world is not the solution.

We must realize that it is our duty to teach the world purity.  This all begins by realizing that our bodies are not prisons, but temples, and purity is the greatest glorification of, not only God, but ourselves.  Theology of the Body is not suppressing the flesh, but setting it free through purity from the world's desires.  And I believe it is the true understanding to the ultimate liberation of our bodies.

Mia Sampietro  I love every kind of cat, and I have about a million hobbies (singing, painting, piano, etc.), but I love sharing the Love of God.  I'm a dreamer that could talk forever, and there are two things in the world I'm absolutely positive about: 1) God is amazing and 2) Laughter is THE best medicine.  I am double majoring in Art History and Spanish, but my life is totally in God's hands. If you would like to contact Mia, you can email her at: sampietrme@titan.sfasu.edu

Sexy vs. Beautiful

It's summer again.
In Texas.
Everyone is wearing less to try to cool off.
So, what's a girl to do in these situations?

Check out this awesome blog on the Life Teen page by Jackie Francois about TRUE beauty and how our bodies (women's especially) are a gift.

We Are Not Made for Comfort

As Catholics, we believe that we are called to take action in our faith by doing good works and standing up for our morals, our beliefs.  This is a really great video by CC2W (Catholics Called to Witness).  It begs Catholics everywhere to truly ask: "Can I stand the test of fire?"

But...

No buts.  It says in Isaiah 48:10 that we are refined in the furnaces of affliction.  We must go through fire to be made pure and find peace in God alone.  Jesus never said it would be easy.  In fact, He reminds us in Matthew 10:22 that people will hate us because we follow him, but we will not be afraid because we will be raised up.

Now What?

It is time to truly look at ourselves, at our hearts, and see that we can stand those fires, no matter how much they burn.  God is with us.  God is able.  We just have to let Him.

"The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for GREATNESS." 

Pope Benedict XVI

Who's This Jesus Guy?

Ever wonder who Jesus REALLY is?  What he's capable of?  Wonder no more.


This is a pretty awesome video that I was shown when I was a missionary in Georgia.  The speaker is Dr. S.M. Lockridge, a minister who really knew his Bible, and had a gift for setting hearts on fire.  This is one of his more famous sermons, "Seven Way King."  Give it a chance.


*For a better viewing experience, the video will have a bigger impact on your heart in full screen mode.  Also, it's stinking cool.  :)

Step Away From the Ledge: STRESS

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

It's getting down to the wire, and people are beginning to feel (if they haven't already been feeling) the pressure.  University students everywhere are shooting up coffee, slamming their heads on library desks, and trying to cram a semester's worth of information into their heads, wondering all the while if they'll ever pass and why they decided to go to college in the first place.  It's Hail Mary time.


When Will This END?!
I am one of those students.  That scream up at the top?  Yeah, that's me, and I have a feeling every single student entering into finals just shared that moment with me.  I've been near breaking point for a few days now.  It's been a tough semester, but, and maybe this is just me, it feels like it's all peaking here.  Like it's been waiting, biding it's time.  I've been slowly climbing this mountain of work to the top, only to find myself facing Everest.  And all I can think is, "What the heck?! I just did this!" 


The theme for this semester has been, by far, STRESS!  I've been so attacked with every little thing that has to do with classes; I've had more breakdowns this semester than probably all of them put together (and being a super-duper-senior, that's a lot).  I just want to be done.  Finished.  As all the people around me become younger and younger, I feel the pressure just a little more.


How many of you have felt like this before (or are even feeling it right now)?  Uh, probably all of you.  I would even venture to say every single human being ever in existence.  Probably every person surrounding me in the library right now as I take my break are a part of that guess.


It seems like our stresses just kind of take turns, rotating on a lazy susan that goes around and around in our heads, never ending.  We keep wondering when it'll be done, if we'll ever be free from money stress, or study stress, or family stress.  These are legitimate worries, of course, but how much do they show our trust in God?


A God of Stress?
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a worrier.  To. The. MAX.  I worried when I was a kid, and I still worry now.  Take for instance, right now: I have a huge three days ahead of me that have me crying and sweating bullets.  Yet, here I am writing a blog instead of working on my papers so I can no longer be worried.  Silly.  I know I'm not the only one with useless worries though (those are the ones we could fix, but we don't).


God speaks to us a lot through stress; maybe a better term would be that he "yells" to us.  He constantly is calling out to us, desperately desiring our hearts to rest in Him.  I know for me it's because I don't want to listen sometimes.  It's easier to worry than to give my heart away.  I want the strength without the cost.  Instead, I been torture myself with "why didn't I do this sooner" and "why was I so dumb" or lazy.  And when I do that, stress sort of becomes my god, a "god" that only makes me suffer and fearful.


The Beauty
Recently, I've fallen in love with Psalm 46.  If you've never given it a look, take out your (dusty, if you're Catholic) Bible and bookmark it.  I won't give you the whole thing, but essentially it says: God is with us, and we will not fear, though our lives are being moved.  It reminds us that with God at our side, "we cannot be moved."  Wether we feel it or not, He is with us.  Loving us.


God has given us a power; the enemy knows it, and he will never stop attacking, especially when we are weak.  But we have to remember that God lets the stress in, so it can't all be for nothing. Suffering makes us who we are.  We were promised suffering, but we were also promised light (Matt 16: 24-5; John 8:12).  We never go at it alone.  I think God allows it so that we will run to Him.  God is constantly fighting a war for us (Psalm 46:9); He fights for our hearts, and, for some of us, our sanity.  He wants to show us His glory for Love of us, and sometimes it takes beating us over the head with an exam to get a glimpse.


The Message

"Be still, and know that I am God!" Psalm 46: 10

Be still.  We forget that bit.  We are called, daily, to stop the constant worrying and stress.  We're called to be still and recognize the true God.  Leave the god of stress behind you; embrace the God of Love.  And so... I will.  I'll suck back that scream and offer it up.  I think, for once, it's time for me to stop and let Him move.  We need to get down on our knees, instead of letting them buckle beneath us from stress.


When you take a breather from your work the rest of this week, find gratitude.  It's easy to be bogged down and busy, but make time for prayer and thanksgiving.  It'll do wonders for your day.  Life's going to be hard, and sometimes, it's going to suck.  It's the greater glory in the end that will hold us up.  Step away from the ledge, and remind yourself He's got you this week and always.


I'm praying for you all (especially during finals), and please keep this worrier in your prayers as well.  Now, back to the books.  ;)  God bless and Mary keep.

Erica Trabanino                                          I'm lactose intolerant, but I love cheese (and ice cream).  I am a missionary studying Creative Writing at SFA (and multiple schools) for what seems like a million years, but I know there's a bigger plan in mind.  Mary is my homegirl, and St. John is my brotha'.  My joyful pastimes are books, laughing at silliness, random crazy dancing, and finding God in everything.  If you would like to contact Erica, you can email her at: trabanino.eri@gmail.com Want to write a blog for Catholic Lumberjacks? Contact: stmarysccm@gmail.com

The Creed: Not Just For Robots

This video was originally posted on the Aggie Catholics' blog, but it has such a great message, it really needed to be shared as far as possible.

We Have Become Robots
How many times do we just fall into our prayers mechanically?  Everyone is guilty of it.  In Theology of the Body, we learn that when we talk to someone and kind of "zone out," we're not acknowledging the person of Christ within them whole-heartedly.

So What?
It's same for Mass.  When we say what we believe, and we're not really paying attention, it sort of us ignoring the words that the Holy Spirit inspired in the Church, and then we ignore that big guy up there who Loves us.

The Challenge
The next Mass you are in, challenge yourself to be fully present; I don't just mean in the Creed.  Awake, O sleeper (Ephesians 5:14) and be a living member of the Body of Christ.