Upcoming Conference

I am delighted to announce that next month I travel to Dubuque, Iowa as a teen speaker for the Martha and Mary Women's Conference sponsored by "Springtime of Hope". Please pass along the word to anyone in the vicinity, visit their website for further details, and if you are from the area yourself I'd love to meet you!

Life and Health

Your words to me are life and health
Pour strength into my soul
Enable, guide and teach my heart
To reach its perfect goal

Your words to me are light and truth
From day to day they show
Their wisdom, passing earthly lore
As in their truth I grow

Your words are perfected in one
Yourself, the Living Word
Within my heart Your image print
In clearest lines, O Lord

(Hymn from a Magnificat morning prayer this week)

Today's Pick-Me-Up

I admit, I was succumbing to a bit of self-pity and restlessness the last day or two. But after 8am Mass this morning, that all changed.

I watched a sweet elderly lady balance herself and her cane against a pew to put on her scarf, and realized she must have come to church alone. I know her from seeing her regularly at daily Mass, but couldn't remember her name.

"Did you drive here all by yourself?" I approached, thinking to help her get to her car.

"Oh, no -- I walked," came the sweet reply, to my incredulous expression. (Mind you, it was all of 25 degrees F here this morning!)

"I've been told it's 18 blocks round-trip," she continued rosily while zipping her coat, "but I always tell people 14 because I don't like to sound like a show-off."

"And how old are you, again?" I queried.

"I'm 92 and —what's today?— 32 days."

She proceeded to kiss me goodbye on the cheek. "Love ya. And you have such a sweet dimple!"

That was just the inspirational kick I needed. Here is a precious lady who doesn't drive and who can barely walk steadily, yet who rises early on icy mornings to walk 8+ blocks one way to Church and who is always there on time... and here is 22-year-old me, who too many mornings (especially lately) weakly allows myself "just a few more minutes" under the warm covers and then arrives late to Mass.

The joyful witness of such fidelity moves me to strive for greater discipline this Advent, and reminds much I still need to learn about denying myself...

Thank you, Mary Ann! May your reward be great.

Divine Love

I wrote this as a comment on a friend's blog and thought I would share it here, too.

***

What does God’s love look like?

His love is manifest not only to our sight, but each of our senses given to us for the purpose of experiencing and taking in His goodness!

To me, the Divine Romancer expresses His love daily, vividly, enchantingly... in the passionate colors of a sunset... the engulfing power of the ocean... the caressing petal of a rose... the precious face of a baby... the piercing beauty of a line of quality music. Lovers often say, "I'd hang the moon in the sky for you if I could..." well, He can and DOES! :)

How do you know God loves you?

Countless, numerous ways, both big and small. I know that He called me into being from all eternity with a unique, individualized mission for my life. Every skill and talent I possess is a free gift from Him. And the God of the universe loves His people so deeply as to make Himself a prisoner of love in every tabernacle in the world, just to be physically present to us!

To look at the crucifix is the ultimate picture of love (I know a couple that chose to hold a crucifix during their wedding vows for this very reason!). And I am always moved by the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When He appeared to St. Margaret Mary and she saw His heart aflame and pierced and bleeding, His words were: "Behold the Heart that so much loves man!"

When do you most feel His love?

When I receive Him sacramentally, when I spend time in His presence, gazing at the monstrance holding His body, and when I allow myself to marvel in childlike awe at the majesty of his creation. I know His love and see His smile when I look at the family and friends I've been blessed with, and when He answers very specific prayers! For example, yesterday we had a surprise outdoor 50th birthday party for my Mom. Thunderstorms were predicted, but I knew and trusted all along the the Lord (and His Blessed Mother, whom I often ask for help with details like this) would defy the forecast for us. We prayed with confidence, and the morning's rain gave way to pleasant sunshine in perfect timing for our celebration, which was blessed in every way! As the weather is something that is completely out of our human control, I'm very moved whenever the Lord grants a miracle like that!

I believe that the struggle is not in God lacking expression of His love, but in our failure to recognize it. As the convert, philosopher, and author G.K. Chesterton so wonderfully said...

"The world is not starved for lack of wonders, but for lack of wonder."

Women and Potential

I invite you to read my post at The Catholic Young Woman today. Have a blessed and beautiful weekend!

My Favorite Morning Offering

Eternal Father,

I offer You everything I do this day:

my work, my prayers, my apostolic efforts;

my time with family and friends;

my hours of relaxation;

my difficultities, problems, distress,

which I shall try to bear with patience.

Join these, my gifts,

to the unique offering which Jesus Christ, Your Son,

renews today in the Eucharist.

Grant, I pray,

that, vivified by the Holy Spirit

and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

my life this day may be of service to You and Your children

and help consecrate the world to You.

Amen!

~from the Apostleship of Prayer

"Love Is Not Tolerance"

What does it really mean to love authentically? How do we walk the fine line between tender and tough love? The great speaker and TV evangelist Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen offers timeless guidance in this poem...

Love is Not Tolerance

Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it.

It does penance for the sins of others, but it is not broadminded about sin.

The cry for tolerance never induces it to quench its hatred of the evil philosophies that have entered into contest with the Truth.

It forgives the sinner, and it hates the sin; it is unmerciful to the error in his mind.

The sinner it will always take back into the bosom of the Mystical Body; but his lie will never be taken into the treasury of His Wisdom.

Real love involves real hatred: whoever has lost the power of moral indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples has also lost a living, fervent love of Truth.

Charity, then, is not a mild philosophy of "live and let live"; it is not a species of sloppy sentiment.

Charity is the infusion of the Spirit of God, which makes us love the beautiful and hate the morally ugly.

Of a boy and his lunch

Apparently, 'tis the week to enjoy small-boyish antics! ;) I have made various sandwiches for my brother David's lunches this week, and today when I asked mom what she'd like for lunch, he piped up, "Please, not a sandwich."

"But that is yummy bread, and with garden tomatoes..." I pointed out, "You should be grateful you can eat those things!" (I'm gluten-sensitive and allergic to tomatoes)

He comes downstairs to the kitchen a bit later and asks, "Where's my food?"

"Well, I was thinking of ham and cheese..." I answer. "But now that you're down here, you can make it yourself."

"Oh!" he reasons. "I guess I better disappear for a while. Bye!" He pops out the back door, but is inside again a moment later.

"Claire, are you making my sandwich?" (insert puppy dog eyes)

"Maybe."

"Oh, thank you!" (He plants a kiss on my cheek and opens the fridge.) "Now in the meantime, I'm going to eat a snack...er, I mean, an appetizer!"

*Fast forward a few minutes*

David: (watching me prepare it) "Mmm...hot ham and cheese."

Me: "But David, you don't like sandwiches."

David: "Um, I thought I didn't."

Few bites into the sandwich: "Claire, why didn't you tell me this would be a good sandwich?"

Three-quarters done: "You can make me a sandwich like this every day!"

=)

Listen Up, World

The too-cute 4-year-old mentioned in yesterday's post is quite the character: he's blonde-haired, big-eyed, and closer to the size of a 2 year old, but will open his articulate mouth and talk like he's 22. :)

Francis prompts laughter and endearment continually, but this particular exchange from last night is too good not to document. His brother three years his elder had been doing a bit of name-calling, prompting me to pull him aside for a little talk. Francis was meanwhile standing behind me on the porch steps.

Me: "Joseph, would Jesus have talked like you did?"

J: "No. But why do we have to be like Jesus?"

Me: "Because if we do not act like Jesus, that makes our enemy happy. Do you know who that is?" (Very helpful: always capitalize on spiritual warfare when catechizing little boys) ;)

J: "The devil."

Me: "And the devil hates us. He doesn't want us to be happy. He wants us to hurt God, others, and ourselves."

Francis: (with hands expressively lifted) "And why would you want to listen to someone who doesn't even love you? That doesn't make sense!"


You go, little one. If only the rest of the world would figure that out, a lot of people would be a whole lot happier!

Simple Joys

Today I am delighting in the simple pleasures and home joys of life...

...watching four small boys play "battle" as only little boys can

...sharing music (and laughter) with my students

...sending love to my sisters via text (though 700 miles separates us)

...chatting on the phone with my great-uncle and aunt down in Louisiana and being thoroughly entertained by their endearing Southern charm and drawl!

...greetings and hugs to gals at the University choir after not seeing each other all summer

...walking amidst the late summer trees under an azure sky

...watching five beautiful children tonight: giggling over innocent amusements with Miss 9-yr-old and Miss 11-yr-old, cuddling Mr. 4-yr-old and listening to him philosophize

...playing in bread dough with Mr. 7-yr-old and Mr. 4-yr-old, who at one point were constructing a cave and tunnel in it :)

...laying in our new hammock under a round, glowing moon

...just being a child of God.

"...I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."

(John 10:10)

Hailing from the Sacrament Ship...

One of the reasons I've been so not-here this summer. :)

Security

This verse never fails to quiet my heart!

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven… He has made everything beautiful in His time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

– Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11

Davidisms :)

My 13-year-old brother had us all in stitches this morning. You kind of had to be there to "get it" fully, but I'll see if I can repaint the scene. :)

The four siblings were sitting in Church, and Sarah had David reading aloud The Universal Prayer of Pope Clement (okay, every version I can find online has a slightly different translation, so that messes up the dialogue a little bit). Anyway, the prayer book we have says, "Lord, make me...diligent in my duties". Now if you know my brother, you know that he can be a little, shall we say, hard to keep focused sometimes. So when we hit that part of the prayer, here's what transpired:

Sarah: Um, sir, repeat that line!

David: "Diligent in my duties"

Sarah: Try it again.

David: "Diligent in my duties"

(Repeat this exchange at least once more)

*Insert sibling chuckles here*

David: Well, I do a pretty good job when I'm motivated.

Me: What about the other 99% of the time?

Sarah: Well, there's this thing call SELF-motivation that you need.

Me: It's interesting, isn't it, all the words that start with "D"? David can either be a distracted, destructive dawdler or a diligent, dutiful...

(Sarah and Claire look at each other, searching for the right "D" word to finish)

David: ...DUDE!

June: Month of the Sacred Heart

“For evangelization today, the Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It is He who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is He who leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way of the Beatitudes. It is He who achieves the warm communion of the members of the one Body. It is He who enables us to adhere to the Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is He who sends us out on mission. The heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens the human heart on a global scale.”

– Pope John Paul II

Immodesty and Beauty Pageants

A poignant and needed opinion piece at Catholic.org:

Immodest Miss USA Photos: It's Time for Decency and Dignity

"The Miss USA pageant must pull back the reigns and take a more modest approach, or women of virtue and ethics will not participate. Without women of principle, the pageant will scrape the bottom of the barrel for eager, unprincipled participants. That industry exists and it's called pornography-and God knows we don't need more of that."

HT: Colleen Hammond

The Honor of Motherhood

I've posted them before, but in honor of Mother's Day, these beautiful words are worth sharing again...

"The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral -- a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body...The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation...What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"

- Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty

Happy Mother's Day!

Thoughts on Beauty

I just found this, somehow still saved as a draft, though I wrote it back in January of last year. I know we are now in Spring, but I wanted to publish it because I think it's a meaningful reflection for any time!

My little brother and I ran an errand tonight...in a perfect wonderland. Snow, falling thickly yet gently, is blanketing the world. Such a sight never ceases to move me to joyous wonder.

Pausing to watch the millions of glittering flakes waft under street lights, I couldn't help but exclaim to David, "Oh, it's marvelously beautiful!".

He's 11, but has already heard enough drivers talking to know what comes along with this beauty. "Yes, but it's dangerous," he piped from the back seat.

And a response came to me, immediately and reflectively. "But all beauty comes with some danger, David."

...Particularly the beauty of femininity. One of the many quotes which struck me deeply from Dr. Alice von Hildebrand's The Privilege of Being a Woman was this:

“The power that women can wield over men is great indeed. If they pursue their own selfish aims, women are Satan’s slaves. If they put their charm at God’s service, they are God’s great allies.” (emphasis hers)

It is precisely because of the value, the power of beauty that it comes with danger. In my interactions with girls and ladies young and old, the bestowing of beauty as a gift on our sex is more and more apparent to me. But the world works it hardest to train us to misuse and abuse this gift. We are told to be beautiful for our own happiness, our own success, our own fullfillment, our own benefit. And yet, Dr. von Hildebrand warns us quite clearly about such selfishness and misuse of power.

The beauty itself is not the problem. Just as the snow itself is not the problem! The danger comes with our response. If I throw caution to the wind and drive without care on slippery roads, sure danger awaits — for me and for others. If I throw prudence to the wind and aspire for beauty without care for its essence, its Source and Giver, sure danger awaits — for me and for others.

Indeed, beauty it is both a gift and a calling from the Creater to His daughters. We are called to manifest to the world a glimpse of His perfect, radiant beauty. The physical should be only a mirror of the interior, timelessly captivating beauty of a pure, servant heart.

Let us be ever-mindful of this marvelous gift and high calling, and careful of the danger that comes with it!

Today's Quote

"The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams but you will only enjoy them to the extent of your faith and love. The more a soul loves, the more it longs, the more it hopes, the more it finds. The will of God is manifest in each moment, an immense ocean which only the heart fathoms insofar as it overflows with faith, trust and love."

—Jean-Pierre De Caussade in The Sacrament of the Present Moment

~~~

I think that book needs to be on my reading list!

Holy Card Heaven

I have to share this lovely treasure of a blog so that you, too, can enjoy its beauty! Not only are countless holy cards (including antiques!) shared, but they even have one of my favorite scriptures verses in the header. :)

Holy Card Heaven

Pope asks Bloggers to Give Internet a Soul

(24 Apr 10 – RV) The need to give the Internet a soul and humanize the dynamics of the digital world was at the heart of Pope Benedict XVI’s message Saturday to participants in a conference on modern means of mass communication.

Promoted by the Italian Bishops Conference, “Digital Witness” draws together experts in information technology, social networking, web journalism and blogging to focus on the language we use and the way we communicate as Christians in the online society.

Pope Benedict told participants that the task of every believer who works in media, is to ensure the “quality of human contact, guaranteeing attention to people and their spiritual needs”.

“This is increasingly urgent in today’s world”, he said, at a time when Internet appears to have a “basically egalitarian” vocation, but at the same time, “marks a new divide", the "digital divide" that "separates the included from the excluded."

"The dangers of homologation and control, of intellectual and moral relativism are also increasing, as already recognizable in the decline of critical spirit, in truth reduced to a game of opinions, in the many forms of degradation and humiliation of the intimacy of the person."

Thus said the Pope we see, a "spiritual pollution" that brings us to no longer "look one another in the face”. So we must “overcome those collective dynamics that risk reducing people to "soulless bodies, objects of exchange and consumption”. The media must become a “humanizing factor”, focused "on promoting the dignity of persons and peoples". Only then will "the epochal times we are experiencing be rich and fertile in new opportunities."

"Without fear we must set sail on the digital sea facing into the deep with the same passion that has governed the ship of the Church for two thousand years. Rather than for, albeit necessary, technical resources, we want to qualify ourselves by living in the digital world with a believer’s heart, helping to give a soul to the Internet’s incessant flow of communication".