Novenas, Crying, and God’s Perfect Timing

Five months ago, my husband and I welcomed our sweet daughter into the world. She is perfect in every way. One unexpected impact of this life change has been my enrollment into what feels like an ongoing lesson on the heart of God. One particular lesson sticks with me so strongly that I feel a deep need to share it.

This lesson was taught over and over and over again when our sweet baby was first born. She was such a sleepy baby that she couldn’t seem to finish eating before falling asleep again. She would wake up just enough to cry for food and then quickly settle back into a nap when she began eating.

I felt like I was beside myself when she would wake again half an hour later hungry once more. What could I do to make sure she could receive the good I was trying to give her?

I had to wait…

Past the initial cries… until she was wide-awake crying out for food. I was sorrowful to hear her cry even though I knew that soon she would have exactly what she needed.

In this I saw the image of the Father. I felt that God was revealing a part of His heart to me. As Catholics we pray Novenas- nine days to pray in petition or thanksgiving for some intention. Some novenas I’ve prayed have even been 54 days long. One might wonder why we constantly keep asking for the same thing days in a row… part of me now understands why some of my prayers took so long to be answered. I now understand how asking repeatedly helps to purify our petition and prepare our hearts.

It reminds me of that parable Jesus tells in the Gospel about persistence in prayer. How the man asking for bread in the middle of the night, if he is persistent, will get what he is looking for. This is the insight given more clearly to me in this new part of life I have entered:

I understand now that sometimes, to be able to really receive the gift from God, we need to be at a point of crying out for it. We need to be wide awake and totally lean in to the gift which God has been waiting to give us.

Before I met my now husband, I was not necessarily asking God for the right things or looking for the right things. I was half asleep, happy with random attention from strangers or dating without labels or expectation. It was not until I turned my whole self to seek the right things that I was able to recognize the gift that was being offered when I met Dillon. I had been so hurt by the past few relationships I had been in that I was crying out to God with a sore heart, asking for something very specific… asking for the right thing. My sore heart was without comfort for months, long enough to cleanse it of false idols and easy-fixes for my loneliness. At the right time, there was my answer. Thank God I was awake enough to recognize it and accept it with an openness that can only come from brokenness.

If you feel like you keep asking God for the same thing over and over without feeling heard, this could be a great question to ponder… am I working toward making a space in my heart for this prayer to be answered or am I trying to fill that space with other things? Am I totally leaning into God and giving him that emptiness I am experiencing or am I numbing the need that I feel?

Just like my little baby- unable to fully accept the very thing that she was asking for- sometimes we do the same. It is oftentimes not until we recognize our true need, and repeatedly ask for it that we are ready to receive it with eyes open. Only then can we truly appreciate what the Lord has done for us.

Whatever prayer has been repeatedly on your heart lately, have hope knowing that God knows it already and He knows the timing and the method of answering your prayers which will fully satisfy your hunger. Lean into Him and keep praying, let yourself experience your own hunger and let it draw you closer to the heart of your loving God.

Until next time, God loves you so much and so do I.

Rebekah

Three Short Prayers You should Pray Every Morning

I am definitely a sucker for helpful hints and tips… especially when it comes to fashion, dating, food, and most of all: my spiritual life.

 A couple of years ago, a friend of mine who is now an ordained Catholic Priest, told a group of my friends about some short prayers that he thinks are essential to thriving and fulfilling our callings in life. I have found them endlessly helpful over the years and would like to share them with you all! 

1) Lord, surprise me today. 

Sometimes I think we can fall into the mentality that God is some stoic, impersonal being who doesn’t care to know our innermost desires. Thankfully, that is not the God whom we worship as Catholics. Our God is active in our lives and wants to give us good gifts. On this topic in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says,“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11). Let God surprise you today! Ask him to show you a little bit about himself through the events of your day. 

2) Lord, please help me to run into anyone I am supposed to see or meet today. 

This one is especially good because not only are we voicing our desire to be Gods heart and hands and feet, it reminds us to be attentive to those people that the Lord places in our path. It can help us to focus our attention on our fellow travelers on this earth and can end in beautiful friendships and relationships growing. 

3) Lord, if there is anyone that I am not supposed to run into today, please keep me from doing so. 

This one is a little deeper and I believe it really strengthens the second prayer. This prayer can keep us out of some nasty situations or conversations that we otherwise may have been drawn into. This way, if we run into someone throughout the day that we don’t particularly like or have good will toward, we know that it is God saying to us: “I want you to run into this person today. Love them like I do.” This can be a challenge but it is always easier to do things when we know that God has placed us there for a reason. 
Prayer is an essential element to every day if we want to be equipped for the throes of this earthly life. I hope these prayers help you like they have helped me. I think these short, humble, simple prayers are very efficacious and will help us all on the paths which we walk toward our eternal Home. 
Keep being Classy Catholics! I am praying with and for you all. 🙂
God loves you so much and so do I. 
1 Corinthians 13

Why You are More than Enough

“You are enough”.

Three simple words. Countless meanings… and yet it took me so long to understand what they meant to me. Let’s backtrack a couple of years to my freshman year of college. I went on a retreat put on by the Campus Ministry office at school and I was sitting in a room with about 30 other girls… we were all wrapped in blankets and probably crying because of the beautiful talks and the feeling of God’s love in the room. One of the leaders was giving a talk and during it, she took a second to point out to everyone in the room that they are enough. “Enough?” I thought. What does that even mean? She went on to talk about dignity and our importance to God as individuals. I remember trying to meditate on this and finding it difficult to accept.

How could I be enough for anyone let alone God? I knew my faults and shortcomings and I didn’t see how that could ever be enough. Perfection is enough. Being great at everything and never sinning is enough. I can’t be enough. I can try but I can’t ever really get there… Or so I thought.

Since that time in my life, God has drawn me closer to Himself and has really been taking time to show me all of the ways that I am perfectly enough… and not only that but how everyone ever created is perfectly enough for Him.

I pray with scripture often and I would like to share a verse that strongly pointed this out to me. St James Writes, “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace.” (James 4:5-6) this verse goes on to say “Come near to God and he will come near to you”. When I read this verse all I could think was oh my gosh… He’s in love with us. God is in love with us, He longs for us… Jealously! That. Is. amazing. And also, why am I just now seeing and hearing this?

I finally understood. We are enough for God because He loves us. One who loves knows that the beloved has faults and yet loves them anyway. For the sake of the beloved, the lover desires that they acknowledge and overcome their faults but does not love them less. This kind of love is always present to us. God is always desiring us and loving us imperfect creatures in His perfect way. He is always there longing for us to speak to him, look at Him, or even think of Him. The one thing we need to do to experience this love and this enough-ness is to “go near to him” as St. James says. That is all. I know that sometimes in order to draw near to God, we need to overcome certain walls that we may have put up between us and Him. Rest in the assurance that we don’t need to be perfect and we don’t need to have it all figured out, we just need to go to Him.

Often, the problem is that we look for our worth in the broken world around us and all we face is comparison. We are shown all of the things we need to change to be beautiful, to be loved, to be enough for any other person. I think Theodore Roosevelt was spot on when he said “Comparison is the thief of Joy”. Instead of asking the world to show us our worth, we need to ask the creator of the world to show us.

When Pope St. John Paul II visited his homeland of Poland and was speaking to his people who had been under an oppressive communist rule for so long he said “You are not who they say you are, let me remind you who you are”. In that moment he was speaking to the Polish people but his words applied to the whole world. We cannot let this world define who we are, only the word of God can do that.

If you ever feel like you’re just a bunch of flaws and mistakes sewn up into a person who rarely knows what to do, remember that the same God who created you and knows your flaws and your vices also loves you without your asking Him to. He loves you no matter what and he is the one who guides your steps.

When we accept this love and meditate on it in tough times, it becomes easier to see why we are also enough for those around us. When we understand that we are loved by the All-knowing God of the universe, we will also come to understand that we are deserving of love from those around us because we are a unique creation who is unlike any other created thing or any other person who has ever existed. We also see that we have a duty to love others back. Just as we are and just as they are… Love does not require change but it does cause it.

If we choose to see that we are loved and we choose to do something with that love (aka spread it to the rest of Gods beautiful creation), we will see with our very eyes, this world piecing itself back together. We will understand that we are not only enough for love, we are deserving of it… and that is a beautiful thing.

I want to challenge you to sit in a chapel or in adoration this week and just ask God reveal His love for you. While resting in His presence, let yourself be filled with the peace that only He can give.

I am praying for you all as you seek your worth in His eyes before seeking it in the eyes of the world.

God loves you So much more than I do but I also love you. 

1 Corinthians 13

Angela’s Testimony

I’m Angela Maria Therese Marinelli- baptized & raised Catholic. I think it’s fun to know all my friends’ confirmation names and I like celebrating St. Therese’s feast day more than my birthday. The word “testimony” simply terrifies me and I can’t say this one is whole. But it’s a small piece of my lifelong journey of opening the door to Christ and reconciling the knowledge of His love in my mind with my heart.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been known to people as the “good Catholic girl.” I liked it, I never had a problem with it. But my biggest fear was that I’d be known as the “good Catholic girl” but too afraid to truly live up to the name. I’ve always “known” Christ’s love for me, but I never fully understood it. I never even realized there was a disconnect between what I knew with my mind and what I knew with my heart.

It was easy for me to grasp the teachings of the Church- it was easy for me to get straight A’s in religion class, and easy for me memorize everything about who Jesus is. Because of that, it was also easy to keep Christ at a distance- always just a little too far away to fully capture my heart. He was always on my mind but never in my heart.

There’s a painting of Christ outside, knocking at a door where there’s only a door knob on the inside. My religion teacher, senior year of high school showed it to us at least once a week, reminding us that each of us is the only one who can open the door to Him. I never thought much of it because I didn’t think that was something I needed to question- of course I opened the door for Him, I wouldn’t leave Him out in the cold!

But I never opened the door for Him… it was always just a window. He never came in because I didn’t let Him. Yet I still allowed myself to think that I trusted Him. After all, I could still see Him. It’s not like I closed the blinds. I was in this middle ground where I knew Christ loved me and I knew whatever Church teachings you wanted me to explain, but I couldn’t answer with a pure heart who Christ was to me.

I could tell everybody who Christ was to them and why they should love Him. But I couldn’t understand that He was those same things for me. Towards the beginning of my freshman year of college, a dear family friend passed away. He was the “big brother” my sisters and I never had. A few weeks before, he had asked me to make him a rosary, but I never had time to make it. On the day of his viewing (the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary), I made the rosary and gave it to his best friend, someone I had never met. A simple conversation with a stranger helped me realized that my biggest fear was slowly becoming a reality in the relationship and friendships I was involving myself in. I needed the guidance of a protective big brother and I felt like I just lost mine.

A month later I started preparing to consecrate myself to Jesus through Mary on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. On the last day of the preparation, late at night in the Chapel, I finally opened the door for Him. I finally understood who Jesus was to me. It’s a simple, childlike answer and it’s not a complicated groundbreaking theological doctrine, but it’s exactly what I needed to understand- He’s the protective big brother I always wanted. I’ve always had Him and I always will. That night He taught me everything I think a big brother would have. He gave me the safety I longed for and the protection I needed. He told me all the things I’ve always told my friends.

He taught me I’m beautiful simply because of who I am, not what I look like or what I can do. He taught me that He’s the only man I belong to. He helped me realize how much more I deserve than what I had in the relationship and friendships I was in. He filled my heart with courage to make changes that were necessary to become the woman He’s calling me to be. He also showed me the necessity of relying on the Church. He’s acting through each and every one of us. I felt His hand reaching out to hold me through one of His children.

I learned that true strength is not found in denying our fragility and swallowing our tears, but in offering our fragile selves to Him with tears in our eyes. We don’t need to be perfect to give Him our hearts. I always wanted to give Him only the best gift, I thought He deserved only the best- and the best gift was never me if I wasn’t perfect. But that’s not true. He’s the one that changes us into the best gift. And we can’t be the best gift for others if we don’t allow Him to transform us.He’s always waiting at the door of your heart. My door had/has about 9,718,263 pure steel, deadbolt locks…approximately. Probably more. And I think every time I unlock one of them, there’s always one more to unlock for Him. He deserves to be fully in our hearts and He’ll wait as long as it takes to be.

I hope you thank your big brothers today for acting as Christ to you, and thank Christ today for always being your protective big brother.

Love,

One of God’s Daughters.

Angela is a senior at Mount St. Mary’s University, double majoring in Accounting & Math. She likes drinking coffee, baking, making rosaries, sewing, crocheting and a lot of other stereotypical-grandma hobbies. She’s thankful for the creativity God’s given her and she enjoys sharing His love with others in small and simple ways.

Andreas Testimony:

 

From the beginning of my life, God has been a part of who I am. My parents raised my siblings and I Catholic. My family and I always went to mass on Sundays, but our faith went beyond that. Growing up in a Catholic household, there was always talk of God. My parents would always mention God, even if it was in a little way, each and every day. In fact, I do not think I can remember a time that God was not talked about in my house. Due to my upbringing, I always knew who God was, or so I thought.I never really thought much about who God truly was or just how much my Catholic faith meant to me. In the past, being Catholic for me was just a casual part of who I was. I mean yeah I was Catholic, but so what? I never felt a strong connection with Him in really anything that I did. As I grew up, my parents encouraged me to get involved in the youth ministry at my parish and I did participate in some of the activities. A lot of these activities I enjoyed and went to on my own will, but honestly most of them I did not enjoy. There would be some times that I would not feel welcomed in groups or just feel like no one was friendly, so the events started to not be enjoyable for me to go to. On top of that, I never really had a “God moment” or any strong connection with Him, so I started to find every which way not to get involved with these events. I would make excuses for why I did not want to go, even though some of them were true.

Then, one day, my parents came home from church after hearing about a retreat for high school sophomores through freshmen in college, and of course they wanted me to go on it. My immediate reaction was: Absolutely…not. NO WAY. Why would I torture myself through four days with people that I did not know and probably would not like me? After many attempts at convincing me to go on the retreat, the decision was eventually made for me: I was going whether I liked it or not. You could say I was not the least bit thrilled to be signed up for this retreat. I was SO hesitant to go because of all the negative experiences that I had in the past.

Then came the morning of when it was time to bring me to church to drop me off for retreat. The retreatants all meet at my parish before a bus takes them up to the retreat house. I got into a fight with my parents, probably over something really stupid because I can’t remember exactly what it was about, but it probably had to do with the fact that I did not want to go on the retreat. Despite my refusal, I grabbed my duffel bag and got in to the car with a frown on my face. When we arrived at my parish, as much as I did not want to go on the retreat, I wanted to be out of the car as fast as I could. As soon as I got out, one of the teen directors greeted me with a huge smile on his face and said “Welcome! We are so glad to have you here!”. I was so taken a back… woah…people were NICE here?! As I went to join the other retreatants, I began to become more open to the thought of the retreat.

Following a send off ceremony, we were on our way to the retreat house in a town that I have never heard of. After a few welcoming activities and dinner, the team told us that we were going to be praying the Stations of the Cross. In my head, I immediately said “Oh no. The Stations are always SO long and SO boring, and now I have to go through them here? Great.” Little did I know, as soon as those thoughts entered my mind, they left. Unbeknownst to me, I was going to be witnessing the Stations acted out. I had never experienced a living Stations before this. This experience was so moving for me and with each step that I took following Jesus on the path to His death, I felt a pang of guilt and I could only think “I’m so sorry”. Now reflecting back on this, I realize Jesus must have been saying to me, “Don’t be sorry, but realize what I’ve done for you.” Now instead of apologizing for everything, I realize I would have said, “Thank you God for saving me.”

This retreat was so much more beyond the Stations, but I would be writing a novel if I wrote down every single thing that happened. That weekend, God came in to my life in a way that I never thought He would. He found me, and has stuck by my side ever since. Believe it or not, this is not my full testimony. I have experienced many ups and downs since this retreat, and I’d love to share them with anyone who wants to hear. Just remember, you are never too far gone for God to reach you; He will meet you where you are at. God bless, and thank you for taking the time to read part of my story.

 

 

Andrea is a junior in college who is studying to become a teacher. She has a passion for working with children and a desire to love and serve God’s people in any way that she can. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, baking, and spending time with her family, which includes her beautiful nieces, nephew, and friends. Andrea also loves to write, and you can check out a blog she’s started here at: madeinhisimagesite.wordpress.com.

Not Only a Husband but Also a Father

Today is Father’s Day… A day where we honor the men who are biological, adoptive, and spiritual fathers. It is a beautiful time to reflect on those men who have stepped up to fill the demanding and beautiful role of raising children. I am blessed to be able to say that I have a wonderful father who is truly a hardworking patriarch and source of laughs for our family. He is a man of feeling and of strength.

In the midst of appreciating my own father , I began to think of all of my sisters in Christ who are discerning a man in their life. There are so many times when we talk to one another about good qualities that would carry on into marriage; things like kindness, honesty, gratitude, attentiveness, and affection. Something that we don’t always look at as immediately important is their ability to be good fathers.

If a woman is called to the vocation of marriage, she may want to consider both the husband-like and father-like qualities of the man.

When St. Joseph was chosen by God as the foster father of Jesus, both the care of our Blessed Mother and of Jesus were entrusted to him. He was appointed as both husband and father- a two fold calling. Set up by the Church as a role model for holy fathers, we can learn a lot from St Joseph about what to look for in our own boyfriends, fiancées and love interests.

In father Lawrence Lovasiks book “The Catholic Family handbook” he writes “Fatherhood is a vocation in Gods service, to be not held lightly or frivolously, but with the serious determination of serious men”. Fatherhood is not something that we should view as an easy, cross-less path. It is one that requires much strength and intense sacrifice.

The first thing to look for in a man whom one is discerning is this strength. By this, physical strength is by no means implied. This type of strength is a firmness of character and a resolve to do what is right. It is a drive to be honest, virtuous, and to stand firm against spiritual attacks. Saint Joseph was charged to protect the Christ child and his mother from various attackers and threats to their lives in the early years of Jesus’ life.

This strength is what will drive him to pray for his family and protect them from anything that may try to come between family members whether it be arguments, misunderstandings, or other outside influences. This strength acts as a glue which grounds the entire family unit spiritually and mentally.

It has been said that “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother”. While I would add that above all he need to love God and serve him, this order of loving the spouse and living the children through this love is very important. Why? You may ask. Some may think it is more important to directly love the children first and foremost.

By loving the mother first, a father shows his children that there is a correct order to the world. By seeing their mother loved correctly, children learn to love correctly and healthily. They know that before anything, their parents are united. They also know that their parents, because of their immense love for one another, have not only created them by the grace of God but also are now able to sustain them through the love that they share. It provides stability and joy in the home when parents are united in such a way.

Within this thought, something to look at is the WAY this person loves you. If you find yourself to be a priority in their life and you notice that the two of you are able to work to understand one another even in the midst of argument, this is a positive sign of healthy future parenting.

To be your significant other’s priority is something that seems like a great asset in dating but when it comes to marriage it is a necessity. A husband and wife pledge to be as one flesh together. To neglect one another is as to neglect ones own self.

St Joseph doesn’t say much in the Bible, in fact, he doesn’t say a single word in any of the Gospels. He was a hard working man who completely submitted his will to the will of God. While there are many things we do not know about St Joseph, scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was — “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:18).

It’s not about what a man says or plans for the future, or how he looks/smells. It’s about his heart. To have a righteous(Virtuous/excellent) heart is something so crucial to being a good father and working to raise good children.

Children learn so many things from their fathers. If their father is righteous, all of the other qualities mentioned above will follow and the children will in turn have a great role model.

No one in this world is perfect but there is plenty of goodness to go around. We are all capable of it and we are called to not only goodness but to greatness.

We cannot expect others to be flawless but it is not wrong to desire greatness. I have heard it said that If you want to find your St. Joseph, model yourself after the Blessed Mother. Holiness is attractive and it is also inspiring.

Ladies, let us strive to follow the humility, love, and purity of the blessed Mother. Let us draw the men in our lives to holiness through our beautiful example that we are oh so capable of.

And men- thank you for your strength, righteousness, and holy Chastity. Taking St Joseph as your patron, draw women to a higher awareness of their dignity and help us get to heaven.

For any single persons reading this, St Joseph is a powerful intercessor for families and couples. I would highly recommend praying his novena- even now- for your future spouse.

“O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O Saint Joseph, assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St Joseph patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen.”

May God bless you all and I will be praying as all of you seek to live out your vocation in the holiest way possible.

God loves you so much and so do I!

1 Corinthians 13

Mr. (Not exactly) Perfect

I was eating dinner with a lovely friend of mine the other night and the topic of future spouses came up somewhere in the course of the conversation. Both of us expressed the confusion we feel about the “perfect guy”. Some people say that there is no such thing as Mr. Perfect since we are all flawed and others will say “don’t settle until you find that perfect person!” so what are we, as young women, to actually believe? I would like to propose my personal take on the issue.

I would like to start by clarifying that the imperfection of humans is not to be used as an excuse for a man treating you badly. Sure, we are all flawed because of sin but that doesn’t make us bad people. We ARE capable of self-control, kindness, love, and holiness. Look for someone who is striving for these things in his life.

Concerning Mr. Perfect, I would argue that he does exist. It may not be in the way that you think of at first so keep reading if you want to know what I mean by that. I am a firm believer that God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves… and that’s a great thing because sometimes I don’t even know myself well enough to decide what I want for lunch. That being said, He knows what makes us happy and He wants that for us. Not just like the happy we get when we see our food coming in a restaurant, but the happy we get when we know that we are where we are supposed to be.

God wants this happiness for us but He will never force anything on us. Jesus tells us “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11)

Our Lord reveals Himself to us so that we may be filled with his complete joy. He alone knows how to give us a taste of His perfect love on this earth, why do we doubt that he knows the person who can best show this to us and help us grow in holiness better than anyone else could? He knows. He really does. We need to pray that we live our lives in such a way that we can come to love this person and accept their love in return.

Something that is very important to keep in mind is that your personal perfect person isn’t the objectively perfect person. He might be a terrible dancer, he might think that orange and pink are complimentary colors, he might not be the most romantic person in the world; but he will love you.

While he may not come out as the stereotypical Mr. Perfect prototype complete with a sports car and 5 Olympic gold medals, I do think that it will be easy to Recognize and appreciate Christ loving you through him and that will in turn enable you to grow in holiness and also be Christ to him as well.

I want to close with something I wrote in my journal when I was younger and has stuck with me ever since “If a guy doesn’t make you feel like you’re the most beautiful girl in the world to him, dump his sorry butt on the ground. God has someone in mind who will love you to the point that you will feel God loving you through them.”

I know this is a strong statement but this is what your perfect person looks like. He is the man who will love you better than anyone else could. He’s not perfect in the strict sense of the word but he is the most perfect person when it comes to helping you grow in holiness and love.

Don’t give up hope and do not doubt Gods perfect desire for your happiness. Pray for your future spouse, pray for yourself as you grow to be able to better love them. Pray for your other brothers and sisters in Christ who are looking for this love.

St Raphael, patron of the happy meetings of future spouses, Pray for us!

I am praying for you.

God loves you so much and so do I.

1 Corinthians 13

The Importance of Prayer in Relationships

I recently took a 9 day pilgrimage to Betania, Venezuela where the church has approved several apparitions of the Blessed Mother to a woman who is now on her way to sainthood. This woman’s name is Maria Esperanza and we stayed on her property with her family and family friends while we were there.

Before leaving my home for the airport that Saturday morning, a book caught my eye and I decided to bring it with me for the 8+ hours that we would be spending in a plane that day. The book “The World’s First Love” by Ven. Fulton Sheen had been given to me months before by a good priest friend of mine and I hadn’t picked it up in a while.

Somewhere between Philadelphia and Venezuela I read a line that really blew my mind in an extremely simple way. It said

“It takes not two to love, but three: you and you and Jesus… Married couples ought to say the Rosary together each night, for their common prayer is more than the separate prayers of each”.

Being a 20 year old unmarried college student, I could be tempted to think that this quote holds no immediate relevance to my life. However, my first thought was quite the opposite; I realized that it holds an utmost importance to every person young or old no matter what their vocation is. What we do now prepares us for what is to come.

For those called to religious life or to the priesthood, you will benefit greatly from this because it is how you will court the church and learn the ways of faith before being brought into full consecrated union with her. A rich prayer life will lead to a fruitful ministry in your life-giving mission of saving souls.

If you are called to marriage; whether you are currently single or dating, this is a habit to start immediately. The single person has the duty of preparing themselves for what God wants from them through prayer and through action. By developing a prayer life, you are giving God the go-ahead to radically change your life for the better and consequentially bring you that much closer to the realization of your calling.

St Paul says “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians5:16-18.

Trust that God is working through your singleness to better prepare you for the happiness He has in store for you.

For those who are currently in a relationship, you should know that dating is a process of discernment leading towards marriage- couples who have this in mind should look ahead and realize that the habits they form at this stage will lead into what kind of marriage they will build. Couples who regularly pray together before they are married will have that deeply rooted groundwork set to carry them into an even more in-depth connection with one another together with our Lord.

In the gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us “truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20

The power of the prayers of a husband and wife who choose not only to be one with each other but also with the Lord is something so beautiful and inconceivable. It is something to be desired and sought after. To have that other person you pray with for your petitions be the love of your life… now that is truly remarkable. That is the kind of love and commitment that will change our world.

Here is a short prayer for you that I picked up while in Betania: “Saint Anthony, make me blissful in my marriage. Grant me complete joy together with my spouse, for you visit those who marry.”- Servant of God Maria Esperanza. This can be prayed either in the anticipation or in the realization of your vocation.

I will be praying for all of you as you grow in this beautiful adventure of love with our Lord and with one another.

God loves you so much and so do I.

1 Corinthians 13

He’s Just Not That Into You(r Faith)

You have feelings for him; he’s handsome, he cares about you, he gets along with your crazy family… BUT… he doesn’t share your faith. When the whole “flirt to convert” thing doesn’t work out, many women find themselves in this tricky situation and are seemingly torn between their heart and their conscience. Having previously been in and witnessed many relationships like this, I think there are two possible ways to work with them; either you need to work things out in a way that will benefit both of your journeys to God, or you need to break it off for the time being if not permanently.

That may sound like a very black and white way to look at a situation where feelings are involved but I would like to propose a certain way of looking at it. Dating relationships are for getting to know another person on a more intimate level and will either end in a break-up or a wedding. If you are planning on eventually breaking up with the person you are dating, there is no point in prolonging your relationship. But if you are in your relationship with the hope of a long future, there are certain things to be mindful of.

The first question you might ask yourself is: is he striving for the same things that mean a lot to me? Being in a relationship with someone is all about helping one another along the path of life and eventually Heaven. If your faith means a lot to you, you will want to grow in it and become the best that you can. Does he help you with this or does he hold you back?

In the book of Corinthians, St. Paul says “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) Not saying that your boyfriend is “wicked” or “darkness” but think about what St. Paul is saying… Is your guy pulling his weight when it comes to virtue or is he pulling you back?

I know that there are great and beautiful souls who happen to not be practicing Catholics. I’m not saying that these people are bad. What I am saying is that you may want to take a second look and make sure that unshared morals doesn’t equal uneven morals. If you are working towards a pure and chaste relationship, you already know how hard that can be. When the other person in the relationship is not reaching for that same goal and you have no one to hold you accountable, it becomes easier to fall into sin.

Whether you are in a relationship like the one described above or not, I encourage you to continuously pray for your future vocation whether it be to marriage, religious, or single life. Pray that you may always do Gods will in order to bring His perfect plan for your life to fulfilment. God has a plan for you. His plan will bring true happiness and peace. Do not lose hope and do not settle for anything less than the love that will get you to heaven one day. And on that glorious day when you stand in front of the throne of God and hear Him say “well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much, Enter the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21) you can look to that special person who helped you get there and thank him. It will take sacrifice to get there but it will be more than worth it.

I am praying for you now and always as you seek holy relationships.

God loves you so much and so do I.

1 Corinthians 13

Is He Mr. Right or Mr. Wrong?

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether or not the person that we ladies spend all of our time thinking about, texting, and/or crushing on will actually be good for us in the long run. If a guy is handsome, charming, and smells nice… chances are we don’t mind his 300 other girlfriends, the questionable way that he never texts back, or his possible criminal record.

I mean, I understand that he has a gorgeous smile but there are more things to consider here. A nice smile doesn’t mean much when you want to have a heart to heart conversation about your faith or something that means a lot to you.

I was in adoration recently and I opened up my Bible to Ephesians 5:25 where St. Paul gives the women of the Church a fantastic guideline for making sure they are in a good relationship. He writes, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

What criteria does this give us for when we are discerning a relationship?

Well first of all, is this person selfless? Christ “Gave himself up” for the church out of love for her, if Christ only thought about himself, he would not have been loving perfectly. Instead, he does not think about himself at all. St Paul reinforces this point in 1 Corinthians 13:5 when he says that “(love) is not selfish.” If your guy just wants to talk about himself all the time, it’s probably high time to move on. You’ve got more important things to do than listen to him brag about how many grapes he can fit in his mouth.

Next, does this person love you? Now I know that is a very serious question and most people over the age of twelve don’t say “I love you” in a relationship until they have been dating for 300+ years… but love in one of its many forms is the preference of another’s happiness over your own. If your guy is constantly canceling his plans with you to hang out with his other friends… That could be a red flag concerning how much he actually cares for you. I’m definitely not saying that you should be his only friend or that he can only hang out with you, but if your plans together get pushed aside or forgotten by him a lot, you may want to take a harder look at your relationship.

Finally, while this person will most likely not be asked to give himself up for you in a death like Christ’s, he will be asked to die to himself and his passions every single day in order to preserve your purity. Does he die to his impure passions for the good of your relationship? The struggle to remain pure in a relationship should be something that you can both unite to take on together. If he does not fight to defend your purity then he is not respecting you in the way that you deserve to be respected most. You are a priceless creation that deserves to be guarded and loved in the right way. If he does not see that, you most definitely should get him a new pair of glasses and promptly show him the way to the door.

Relationships are not easy, love is not easy, and discerning both of these things can be exhausting. Thankfully, we as a church have wonderful examples of love to follow and learn from.

I will pray for all of you as you pursue holy relationships.

God loves you so much and so do I.

1 Corinthians 13