StarvnArteest's Xanga

Monday, June 16, 2008

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:10:44 GMT

Long time, no see xanga. I am graduated now, so hopefully things will be rolling again soon.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:22:25 GMT

Feast of the Sacred Heart

Obsession or Discernment?

When is the discernment of religious life, not discernment of religious life? This has been a question that I have been asking myself rather recently, and I have found myself pondering on it lately. I have seen a great number of young girls who have been discerning the religious life. Many of them are in high school or college, with a few beyond that even. I have seen several that thought they had a call, but have decided that it should not be further sought after for one reason or another. I have also seen, on the other hand, many young ladies who have become obsessed with religious life and becoming a Sister. Now, it is very good to have a desire for the religious life and have interest in it, but it is not healthy to have an obsession with it, just as it is not healthy to have an obsession with anything. Holy things are good, but an obsession is not healthy, and is really a great hindrance to becoming holy.

How can you tell the difference from true discernment of religious life from obsession? It is not easy to decipher either, unless you are spiritually mature. First, we must seek the Kingdom to find where the King desires us to be in His Kingdom. In these matters, I can speak from my own experience. Now, it really has not been until recently that I have felt some maturation of my soul. I would not even dare to say that my soul is totally mature even, but step by step, it is ascending.

Until quite recently, I have been an immature, and somewhat obsessed soul in discerning the religious life. I was there for the praise sometimes that I would get. Now, it was good holy praise, but if taken in and fed to the ego, it is no longer holy. For example, a friend would ask if I was still thinking about becoming a nun, and I would simply reply yes. They would say things like "Good!" "We'll be praying for you!" "That's great!" and the like. Now, not that any of these things are bad things to say, but if not taken with great humility, these bits of sugar feed the ego until it is inflated and one becomes very proud of their 'special' calling.

Now, do not get me wrong here. The call to the religious life is a precious and unique call! It truly is a special and very sacred thing to behold! It must be something revered like Mary's call was revered. How many people knew of her miraculous calling to be the Mother of God? Very few indeed! Her most chaste spouse, St. Joseph, surely knew as we are told this in the Scriptures. Elizabeth knew as well, for God had revealed it to her. They were told as to give glory to God. It was revealed only to those that needed to in God's great plan of salvation. Jesus Himself did not reveal the greatness of his mother on earth. Likewise, our calling needs to be protected and revered. Our calling is a great gift from God and ought not to be misused.

Still, there are more signs of obsession. One of which that I have seen in many young women, along with myself, is a desire to know as many Sisters and communities as possible, and when in conversation show off this knowledge of communities. Now, it is one thing if someone is asking for information or if anyone has been there and there is a response to that in the spirit of informing another. But if one thinks the more Religious they know makes them more knowledgeable about religious life in general and will speak only about 'their' community, it can be that pride has snuck into your calling. This matter though, is still touchy and can vary from case to case, as I am not totally done thinking about the matters discussed above.

Along the same lines as above though, is that once one finds a community that God is leading them towards, suddenly, without even entrance or acceptance to the community, they find themselves to be part of the community. If the community is Franciscan, suddenly, they are Franciscan too! They must only read Franciscan books and about Franciscan Saints! Oh! They must now find a favorite Franciscan Saint! Now, they must get Franciscan things! Medals, jewelry, statues, holy cards, books! They must get to know every Franciscan they see, or even seek them out, and let them know that they too will be a Franciscan! There is just so much, and they must immerse themselves in it all! Surely, does this not sound obsessive, even to the common man? Discerning the religious life calls us to detachment, not attachment. We must continue to grow spiritually. We cannot limit ourselves to one spirituality of one order or community. Is anyone ever really truly Franciscan then? Yes. When one enters the order. But, through and through, we must first seek to become holy. Becoming one order or another does not effect how holy we are. Our human tastes like to take over and we find ourselves full of pride. How many religious have you met that take great pride in being one order or another? Sure, they will talk about how wonderful and holy the Saints of the order are and that the spirituality is beautiful, but all Saints are holy and wonderful and things that lead you close to Christ are beautiful, too. But there is no pride. To be holy, one must conquer pride.

Now, I am not saying it is not good to seek holy things in life, but we must seek them maturely and with great spiritual discernment and detachment. Great things come when the soul is mature. There are many other thoughts about this subject that have still yet to be thought about and considered. There are a great number of delicacies in this matter and need to be handled with care. I do not mean to upset anyone with my words, but please take them with a grain of humility and self-reflection. I too am guilty of committing these faults in my discernment. Please pray for me, and for holy and fervent priests and religious. God bless you all abundantly!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!
http://iamahandmaidofthelord.blogspot.com/

Finals Countdown

Wed, 09 May 2007 22:29:03 GMT

Count Down!

Wicked Paper
Synthetic Cubist Painting
Analytical Cubist Painting
Surrealist Painting
Surrealism Paper
Four Series Images
DVD Portfolio Music
Issues in Contemporary Art Final Exam Prep
Electronic Publication Final Brochure

I cannot wait for this to be done and over with. God Bless you all abundantly!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:48:50 GMT

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Never stay up until 4 am for no reason, especially when you have class at 9am. Surprisingly I am not very tired. Perhaps having a got meal helped with that. Either that or it was the two Jolly Ranchers I had during class. But to keep myself awake during class, I kept writing. I wrote as nice as I could and this class is from 9 to 12:30pm. Several sheets of paper were used in making notes and the occasional doodle. I feel as though I am being watched whenever my professor notices that I am drawing. I do pay attention while doodling! I can multi-task. She usually stands near me when I start to doodle as to see what I am doing to make sure that I am paying attention. It kinda bugs me. She doesn't do it to anyone else in the class, but that maybe too that I am in the front row as well.

Well, that will be it from me today, I have several things that need to be done and only so many hours to do them in! Also, I wonder if my stapler has staples in it. Hmmm...

God Bless you Abundantly!

Monday, December 04, 2006

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:57:33 GMT

Monday of the First Week of Advent
Feast of St. John Damascene, priest and doctor

The saints must be honored as friends of Christ and children and heirs of God... Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering, and perseverance unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory.

– St. John Damascene

Do you think people are grateful for services rendered only reluctantly? Evidently not. You might even say it would have been better not to have bothered.

And yet you think you can serve God with sour looks? No you can't! You have to serve him cheerfully, in spite of your wretchedness, which we will be able to get rid of with God's grace.

– St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, #308

Why is it that the Saints have always been so much better at explaining things quite plainly? Right... the whole 'in with God' thing... Inspiration of the Holy Spirit and such...

Here... a photo of my cat Yogy... I was keeping him from sleeping... Just last night he was sleeping and I went to go give him a squeeze and he was rather irked by this and hissed at me.
Today he wanted to go outside so badly, but he just couldn't force himself to step out into the foot of snow sitting outside the back door. He kept crying and pawing at the snow as if he was testing the water. It was so funny... Last year he hopped right in the snow off the porch... and this cat doesn't like to be cold! Whatta cat... whatta cat...

And then Mysty... chubby little gato...

Gotta love her though... A little skittish and spooked by even the faintest ruffle of the plastic grocery bag. We love her dearly, even though she sinks her claws into whoever she happens to be holding her or in her escape path. I have a few scratches of unknown origins (although most likely to be of a feline origination) on my scalp and most of the rest have healed already. I guess I haven't been home enough to get all scratched up. I am home every weekend now because of work, but because of work, I am never really at home! ::sigh::

One more week of classes left before dreaded finals week. I am so behind and I need to get cracking! Best I get off of here and get myself ready for the week! I have work at 9am tomorrow morning so I best get to sleep!

Well, its not like cats are an exciting update. I just felt like talking a bit about my cats...

Have a blessed day/morning/afternoon/evening/whatever all! May God bless you abundantly in all your undertakings this advent!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:58:02 GMT

+JMJ
Feast of St. Matthew, the Apostle
Thursday of the 24th week in Ordinary Time

Praised be Jesus Christ now and forever! Greetings to you and your holy angels! I guess my xanga deserves an update every now and then considering the amount of time I spend elsewhere on the internet.

Well, I have a new friend, one out on loan...
Yay! My friendly graphics tablet borrowed to me from the art department! He helps me to be able to paint, sketch and draw on my computer in Photoshop! Here, let me show you an example of something I did when I was bored and playing with it for the first time when it actually worked! Don't ask me who or what that is because I was just doodling and colouring.

Well, aside from that I have a monster sculpture project looming before me that I need to get done ASAP and I also need to get a bunch of other stuff done. I also need to clean my apartment and call my mom because my little sister is coming over to spend the night because she does not have school tomorrow!

Well, I think that is about it for now. I really can't think of too many other updates or interesting things in life mainly because there doesn't seem to be any. Well, I better get ready for the rest of the day becuase I need to help work on the Leader's graphics and then I have class at 2:30; so much to do, so very little time to do it in! God bless you all abundantly and have a most blessed day! Pax Christi!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift.

– St. Bede the Venerable

Our Lord sent out his disciples to preach, and when they came back he gathered them together and invited them to go with him to a desert place where they could rest. What marvellous things Jesus would ask them and tell them! Well, the Gospel is always relevant to the present day.

– St. Josemaria Escriva, Furrow, #470

Psalm 68:19

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:11:38 GMT

+JMJ
Feastday of St. Rose of Lima

I leave you with some of Dr. Scott Hahn's writing on the Rosary...

The Venerable Beads

by Scott Hahn

Let Me Count the Ways

Down through the millennia, Christians have expressed their love for the Blessed Virgin in many different ways. The early Christians made pilgrimages to the sites associated with her life. The Eastern churches influenced by Byzantium composed long "akathist" hymns in her honor. The Ethiopians developed a rich tradition of liturgical prayer to Mary. The Egyptians appear first in the documentary record with the prayer Sub Tuum Praesidium. The West, in turn, produced the "Hail, Holy Queen," the Memorare, and many litanies. Both East and West have amassed a stunning heritage of Marian art—predominantly icons in the East, and both sculpture and paintings in the West.

Without a doubt, though, the Church's most popular and beloved expression of Marian devotion is the Rosary. It's my favorite expression too.

Hearts and Hands and Voices

Non-Catholics will sometimes dismiss the rosary as a mindless, mechanical droning of formulas. Some will even condemn the practice, citing Jesus' rejection of "vain repetition" in prayer (Mt 6:7). But nothing could be further from the mark.

First, the rosary is anything but mindless. Indeed, its meditative technique has been refined by centuries of practice in order to engage the mind most completely. The rosary ordinarily engages at least three of our senses—with the sound of voices, the feeling of beads, and the sight of devotional images—so that those senses themselves are made prayerful. Thus committed, body and soul, to prayer, we are less prone to distraction.
Further, the formulas themselves are rich in scriptural doctrine and devotion. The Our Father we learn from the lips of Jesus Himself. The Hail Mary comes from the words of Gabriel and Elizabeth in Luke's gospel. And who could argue with the words of the Glory Be, which merely give praise to the eternal and Blessed Trinity?
There's usually a very simple mistake at the root of these critiques of Catholic prayer. Somehow, many Christians have gotten hold of the idea that formal prayer is bad and that prayer, in order to be true, must be spontaneous, creative, and emotional. Yet Jesus did not teach this. In fact, He Himself used the formal prayer of ancient Israel (see Mk 12:29; IS'34; Jn 7:10-14).
Jesus did condemn vain repetition, but not all repetition is vain. I remember watching a Christian rock musician field questions from people who just couldn't understand his conversion to Catholicism. One woman asked, "How do you deal with all the vain repetition?"
He looked at her with the most loving smile and said, "I don't mind repetition. I'm a bass player. It's my livelihood."
Repetition and routine can be very good for us and for our relationships. My wife never tires of hearing me say, "I love you." My mother never tires of hearing me thank her for my upbringing. My adversaries never tire of hearing me say I'm sorry for my mistakes. God, too, never tires of hearing us repeat the set phrases that have been hallowed for prayer by scripture and Christian tradition. Non-Catholics know this, too, and so we hear all kinds of Christians reecho the words "Amen!," "Alleluia!," and "Praise the Lord!"
Tradition sets certain phrases because they sum up a particular thought or feeling. Moreover, they tend to clarify the thought or intensify the feeling not only in the hearer but in the speaker as well. The more I tell my wife I love her, the more I fall in love with her. The more I speak my thanks to my mother, the more I must ponder my gratitude to her.
The more, in turn, we give our voices, our hands, and our hearts to words of love for our queen, our mother, and her Son, the more we will grow in devotion and holiness.
How the Rosary Arose
No area of Christian life is so susceptible to fads and fashion as the techniques of prayer. This is true not only for Catholics. I saw it throughout my years as a Presbyterian minister, too. Pop methods come and go at a rate of several per decade. Yet the rosary has persevered through many centuries, enduring a full frontal assault in the years of the Reformation. From generation to generation, it has won the approval of all the popes and the most revered of the faithful: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Louis Pasteur, Fulton Sheen, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, to name just a few....
The Protestant historian Anne Winston-Allen has shown that the rosary was a profoundly Christ-centered devotion and the most potent force "for spiritual renewal and reform on the eve of the Reformation."
Why do we know so little of the origins of the rosary? Because it arose out of love.
Notice how, when movies flash back to scenes of tender love, the camera turns to soft focus. History works the same way. Humankind records its horrors in the minutest detail, but love is most often left to perpetuate itself through love. Christian history works with precision, for example, in recounting the deaths and torments of the martyrs; but history leaves us few and sparse accounts of the love of Christian mothers. Yet can we doubt that, in every generation, mothers have produced as many Christians as martyrs did?
Though the roots of the rosary are obscured deep in the ground of history, its fruits are evident throughout the Christian centuries, including our own.
And its varieties are endless. In my country, most people begin with the Sign of the Cross, then proceed to pray the Apostles' Creed while holding the crucifix at the end of their beads. Next, they pray an Our Father, three Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, for an increase in faith, hope, and charity. Then they pray the mysteries. Some people have the custom of reciting the Fatima Prayer—so called because it was revealed by Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917—after each Glory Be. After the last mystery, many people will recite the "Hail, Holy Queen," the Litany of Loreto, or some other Marian prayer.

Upping the Meds

The how of the rosary is not too difficult to pick up—the fingering of the beads, the repetition of the words. Its simplicity has made it popular among the most immense variety of people.
Where most people get hung up is in the meditation. The mysteries are what make the rosary. When we repeat the formal prayers, we try to focus our mind and heart upon the given event from the life of Jesus. We try to place ourselves within the scene, imagining what it was like to be there.
This is the stuff of the rosary. Yet this is where we will be most prone to distraction. Once we open the corral of our imagination, there's no telling which horses will run loose—or how far afield they'll go.
That's why I always recommend scripture as the foundation of all rosary meditation. There are many fine collections of scriptural meditations on the mysteries of the rosary. Such books are wonderful, and the Holy Spirit can use them to open our minds to deeper wisdom and to turn our hearts to repentance. Some small books give a single, well-chosen line for us to digest with each Hail Mary. Others give fully developed chapters for us to read as we begin a mystery or as we go along.
Still, when I speak of a scriptural rosary, I mean much more than a booklet, more than a book, and even more than a library full of books. I mean that Catholics should immerse themselves in scripture so that each mystery of the rosary evokes countless biblical associations, from both the Old and the New Testaments. For the mysteries—the events of Jesus' life—did not arise out of nothing. God has been preparing each of them from all eternity….
If we steep ourselves in scripture, we will draw from rich reservoirs, again, when we meditate upon the third glorious mystery, the first Pentecost. We will think first, of course, of the action-packed scene in the Acts of the Apostles. But we will also think of the Pentecost of ancient Israel, marking the giving of the Law. We will recall the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the elders in the desert (see Num 11:24-29). When we imagine the tongues of fire, we will recall how Elijah called fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice (1 Kgs 18:24-38). What, then, is the new covenant sacrifice consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit? Could it be you and me? Then, when the apostles speak in tongues, we will naturally remember the story of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11) and the passage in Isaiah (28:11) when God again confused the speech of the people. What does it mean that, on Pentecost, He reversed the process?
"'Seek in reading,'" says the Catechism," 'and you will find in meditating'" (no. 2654, quoting Guigo the Carthusian).
…Put simply: we have to read the scriptures every day; we have to receive the scriptures often in the context of the liturgy; we have to read the meditations and commentaries of the Fathers and the saints; and we have to pray the scriptures in the Spirit.
In the midst of such a life, our every rosary will be a scriptural rosary, flowing from our heart to Mary's to Christ's—and back again. Read the Bible, then; pray the rosary; and find your place in the living history of the people of God, stretching from Adam to Israel, through Christ to the Church to you.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Love engendering love—that's the history of the rosary, and that's the secret of the rosary.
Pray the rosary! This is what I urge Catholics and all Christians of goodwill. Pray the rosary, and realize that every recitation is plugging you into the permanent things, taking you out of the transitory and ephemeral, the things that matter most to people who really don't know what matters.
Put time aside to pray the rosary in a concentrated, dedicated way. But pray the rosary again when you find time that would otherwise be badly spent—when you're stuck in a doctor's waiting room or delayed in rush-hour traffic. The rush hour is unreal in comparison to the reality you're praying, the mysteries of ultimate reality. Your beads and your prayers are more real than the cars in front of you and the horns that are honking.
Once I looked down with disgust upon a string of rosary beads. I saw it as a noose that choked off true devotion in countless Roman Catholics....
Now, when I look down at my own beads, I see the same circle, but it is different. It suggests a queen's crown, a mother's encircling arms.

Excerpted from Hail Holy Queen, Doubleday, 2001.

Dr. Scott Hahn is a former Protestant minister and now an internationally recognized Catholic theologian and apologist. He is Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and author of several books.

Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.

– St. Rose of Lima

Friday, July 28, 2006

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:21:44 GMT

+JMJ
Feast of St. Nazarius (1st century)

Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! It has been a long time since I have had a chance to update here, so I am leaving a little here for now. May God bless you all abundantly!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 17:37:50 GMT

+JMJ
Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! Today, well, yesterday in the mail I got a brochure about a Passionist 'Come and See' retreat and I wanted to share some details that were sent to me.

From the Brochure:

Hi! My name is Sister John Mary and I want to invite single Catholic women ages 16-35 to learn more about this awesome way of life-being a Passionist Nun! This is an opportunity for you to grow in your relationship with Christ, learn more about religious life and meet other young women who are on the same journey as you.We are hosting the Consecrated Life Retreat in response to the request of Pope John Paul the Great that all religious communties make know the great joy and value of a life consecrated to Christ.

During the weekend we will share with you some tip of how to discern God's plan for your life. We will also share about our Passionist charism, the joy of living a life of worship and intercession and the liberation that comes from living the Gospel radically.

Some of the Sisters will share their vocation stories and there will be opportunities to speak privately with a Sister. We will take time for silence and prayer, laughter and hiking and even a tour inside the monastery. Where else can you find a weekend like this for only ten bucks?

When is the Retreat?
July 21-23, 2006
Arrival: Friday at 4:30 pm
Departure: Sunday at 3:00 pm
Can't make this date? Please contact me for other opportunities.

Pre-Registration
Prior to registering for this retreat please email or call and ask to speak to Sister John Mary. The quicker you contact me the easier you make our job!
Space is limitied.
Registration deadline: July 14th, 2006
Registration fee: $10.00

Under 18?
Please contact me in plenty of time that I can sen your parents/guardian the forms which need to be completed.

Where will the retreat be held?
The retreat will be in our retreat house on our grounds. We are located in a rural area 12 miles SE of Owensboro just norht of Whitesville, KY.

Benedict XVI to young People
"...I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and He gives you everything. When we give ourselves to Him, we recieve a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ-and you will find true life. Amen."

Visit our Monastery website and find out more about this joy-filled life lived in the heart of the Church:www.passionistnuns.org

Who are the Passionist Nuns?
We are contemplative nuns who seek to keep alive in the hearts of people the memory of the greatest act of love in the history of the world-the saving death of Jesus, from whom alone our world will find peace and salvation.

We are deputed by the Church offer the "sacrifice of praise" continually; this is expressed most powerfully in our participation in the Holy Mass. We pray the full Liturgy of the Hours which extends praise and petition of the Mass throughout the day. We have Eucharistic adoration and at least two hours of private prayer daily.

Our Lady of Sorrows aids us in our monastic journey which also includes study, work and recreation. Our formation program, steeped in Sacred Scripture and the mystics, nourishes both heart and mind. We enjoy two periods of daily recreation-chatting, going for walks, playing games, and even riding a bike (yes, it can be done in a full religious habit!)

We love being brides of Christ and daughters of the Catholic Church!

What one young woman said about a Consecrated Life Retreat
"First and forwmost, I want to thnak you for the wonderful weekend, I very much enjoyed it.Of course I was nervous in the beginning, but the moment I arrived I felt right at home...

Hearing the talks this weekend has really given me a great appreciation of those who choose religious life as a vocation... My impression of religious life before was that it was a lonely life and I wondered why in the world somebody would do that, but now I realize that I myself wouldn't mind the life...

I wish the weekend wouldn't have ended so soon. It felt like I was only there a blink of an eye, but the time spent in that shortness I loved. I have always felt my heart 'tugging' to maybe consider religious life...

I hope to return to the Passionist Monastery sometime soon! God Bless..."

Sr. John Mary, C.P.
sjohnm@passionistnuns.org
(270) 233-4571
Passionist Nuns
8564 Crisp Road
Whitesville, KY 42378

They also included a vocation prayer with the brochure and letter. I'd like to share this as well:

O loving Jesus, you promised that once you were lifted up, you would draw all things to yourself. Through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, draw to yourself the hearts of all whom you are calling to be a brother, sister, or priest. If you are giving me this gift help me to respond generously.

O loving Jesus, I long to gaze upon you, Reveal to me the beauty of your love in you sacred Passion. Enlighten my mind to see the passing nature of all earthly things. Make me thirst after you, who alone can satisfy the deepest longings of my heart.

O loving Jesus, Spouse of Souls, let me hear your voice calling my name, Give me a realization of the urgent and grave needs of our times, so that I may generously leave all things in order to follow you.

O loving Jesus, I ask all this for the glory of your holy Name and to obtain an abundance of your mercy for souls. I commit myself entirely to you holy will. Amen.

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Sat, 13 May 2006 23:46:32 GMT

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

+JMJ
Praised Be Jesus Christ! Greetings to you and your holy angels! It has been quite awhile since I have made an entry here! But I have been busy on my blog blog over at http://iamahandmaidofthelord.blogspot.com/ . There is not a whole lot that is happening other than confusion galore! I felt like I must withdraw from school this semester and I have told many that I have, but I keep coming back to feeling like I should finish school. Things just toggle back and forth. And it also coincides with how often I am at church. If I am at Mass I feel like He wants me to withdraw from school and be totally His, but when I spend less time at Mass, I feel like I may be called to finish my schooling for familial and some other reasons. It all really drives me batty! I need to pray and trust more. Oh Lord God, please, I pray that you will grant me the graces that I will need! May I meditate on You at all times and everywhere! Oh Lord, I love You! But I am like the dust in your eyes, that stings and irritates You. Lord, I pray that I may be like this no longer! Please make me a soul that is pleasing and joyful to You! Jezu Ufam Tobie!

Lord, Thy Will Be Done!

God does not command us to live in hair shirts and chains, or to chastise our flesh with scourges, but to love Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.

– St. Charles of Sezze

Jesus: wherever you have passed no heart remains indifferent. You are either loved or hated.

When an apostle follows you, carrying out his duty, is it surprising that – if he is another Christ – he should arouse similar murmurs of aversion or of love?

– St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, #687