Monday, August 29, 2005
Today we had our first all-day Eucharistic Adoration beginning with Morning Prayer bit. It was wonderful! I lead Morning Prayer, and Father played the song on the organ (huge step up from our pitiful morning voices). So I ended up staying until it was time to run to Christian Sexual Morality class (a total of about 1hr 20min). What an AMAZING way to start the day! I know that this is going to have a huge impact on this campus. Wonderful things will happen. The door has been opened in a way that this campus has never seen before, and wonderful graces will flow! God cannot be outdone in generosity - whatever we give Him, He repays us in ways we cannot begin to imagine! I am so excited! Deo Gratias!!
So, as the President of the Pro-life club here at school I am beginning to consider the task at hand for the rest of the year, and it's looking like it's going to be...interesting. We will not be going to the March for Life as previously planned because of the FOCUS Conference; however, we are hopefully having two of the Sisters of Life come out to speak for the students. By the grace of God we will hopefully be more well-known on campus, and the attendance by students will be greater than I am expecting as of now. I want to really make this campus alive with the culture of life; my heart breaks when I see/hear of the terrible things that some students are involved in. I hope to be able to bring at least a little hope, love and joy to this campus through the message of the Gospel of Life. It is no small task, I guarantee you, but I am stoked to see what can happen with just a little bit of courage, a little bit of organization and a lot of prayer.
So I've been reading about Elizabeth's experiences with her flatmates, and I have been thinking about how people can be, with their opinions of how the Church needs to be. I have been dealing with that with some certain people (no specifics), and it is very difficult indeed! I guess the only consolation a person can have is when she receives encouragement from trusted friends, or even affirmations from people she's only known a short time. For example, today I received a letter from a friend who is a Dominican sister. She told me that she hopes that I never lose the zeal for the Faith that she saw in me while spending a few days with me this summer. Over the course of a few days, she saw zeal. For the Faith! Hearing that makes me so excited, and gives me the energy and hope to keep on keepin' on. Sometimes we have to be "little things" people. To me, this was God's way of saying "keep at it, kiddo. you'll get there, someday. it's a process, remember?". And I love that. Perhaps that's why I love St. Therese so much. She was so small and humble and realized that there was no way she could ever accomplish great things, yet she was so filled with missionary zeal that she did whatever she felt compelled by God to do in her small capacity - and this made her one of the greatest saints (and my personal favorite!). Actually, as I sit here writing this, I am looking at 5 different images of her (a statue, pencil drawing, tapestry, stuffed bear with her image embroidered on it, and poster) all on my desk. She's amazing. I have a holy card that has a quote by her on the backside of it, and that was my prayer today at adoration:
"Because I was small and weak, Jesus stooped down to me and in secret taught me the marvels of His love."
Only in being little and submitting to the will of God can we learn the marvelous love of God. And this will fill us with zeal for the Faith, and for souls!
As St. Dominic used to say, "Have zeal for souls, my sons!".
I don't know exactly where I was heading with this, other than trying to state that dissent can be discouraging, especially when you love the Church and all Her beauty with your entire being; however, we must continue to be firm in our Faith, and to spread the love of God so as to draw others nearer to God. As it says in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father".
Caritas et veritas.
So, as the President of the Pro-life club here at school I am beginning to consider the task at hand for the rest of the year, and it's looking like it's going to be...interesting. We will not be going to the March for Life as previously planned because of the FOCUS Conference; however, we are hopefully having two of the Sisters of Life come out to speak for the students. By the grace of God we will hopefully be more well-known on campus, and the attendance by students will be greater than I am expecting as of now. I want to really make this campus alive with the culture of life; my heart breaks when I see/hear of the terrible things that some students are involved in. I hope to be able to bring at least a little hope, love and joy to this campus through the message of the Gospel of Life. It is no small task, I guarantee you, but I am stoked to see what can happen with just a little bit of courage, a little bit of organization and a lot of prayer.
So I've been reading about Elizabeth's experiences with her flatmates, and I have been thinking about how people can be, with their opinions of how the Church needs to be. I have been dealing with that with some certain people (no specifics), and it is very difficult indeed! I guess the only consolation a person can have is when she receives encouragement from trusted friends, or even affirmations from people she's only known a short time. For example, today I received a letter from a friend who is a Dominican sister. She told me that she hopes that I never lose the zeal for the Faith that she saw in me while spending a few days with me this summer. Over the course of a few days, she saw zeal. For the Faith! Hearing that makes me so excited, and gives me the energy and hope to keep on keepin' on. Sometimes we have to be "little things" people. To me, this was God's way of saying "keep at it, kiddo. you'll get there, someday. it's a process, remember?". And I love that. Perhaps that's why I love St. Therese so much. She was so small and humble and realized that there was no way she could ever accomplish great things, yet she was so filled with missionary zeal that she did whatever she felt compelled by God to do in her small capacity - and this made her one of the greatest saints (and my personal favorite!). Actually, as I sit here writing this, I am looking at 5 different images of her (a statue, pencil drawing, tapestry, stuffed bear with her image embroidered on it, and poster) all on my desk. She's amazing. I have a holy card that has a quote by her on the backside of it, and that was my prayer today at adoration:
"Because I was small and weak, Jesus stooped down to me and in secret taught me the marvels of His love."
Only in being little and submitting to the will of God can we learn the marvelous love of God. And this will fill us with zeal for the Faith, and for souls!
As St. Dominic used to say, "Have zeal for souls, my sons!".
I don't know exactly where I was heading with this, other than trying to state that dissent can be discouraging, especially when you love the Church and all Her beauty with your entire being; however, we must continue to be firm in our Faith, and to spread the love of God so as to draw others nearer to God. As it says in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father".
Caritas et veritas.
