In Adoration

Quote of the week! ...To me anyway. =) Found this in the book "Life for the World" by Sister Marie Paul Curley, FSP.


"Avoid all formalism.
This holds good for all prayer, but especially for the Eucharistic Visit.
The real Visit is a spirit which pervades the whole of our time, thoughts,
relationships, and life.
It is a sap or life-giving current which influences everything
and communicates its spirit to the most ordinary things.
It shapes a spirituality that is lived and passed on.
It shapes the spirit of prayer which, once cultivated, changes all kinds of work into prayer...
Tell Jesus everything; if you have some troubles, if your heart is full of hope, full of the desire to be united with Him...
Confide even those worries that you dare not say to anyone...tell Him even if your shoe hurts.
Tell Jesus everything with the simplicity of a child."
~Father James Alberione


Oh, and please say a prayer for one of my and CT's friends who is entering postulancy with the Daughters of St. Paul tomorrow (or today, depending on your time zone), along with two other young women! Mahalo. ^_^ And please take some time to visit the Postulants' blog!

"What it means to stay awake"

This is actually yesterday's meditation from the Magnificat, but it's too good to keep to myself. Just had to post it! =)

What does progress mean? Progress means diligence, application, and discretion. More, it means concentration to its depths on the work we are doing - for that is where God is for us - without worrying about the past or the future. That is the only way to banish all tension, all anxiety, all those useless imaginations which are so much more tiring than the work itself.
There are two dispositions you must never lose sight of if you would make progress and at the same time remain at peace. For the moment, be content with what you are, and you will find joy and peace, since you already possess God, although maybe imperfectly. Bear with yourself as you are; give simply, but fully, what you have.
As regards the future, never say: "What I am today is good enough for tomorrow." Strive always to become better; to advance towards a closer union with God. Let the present serve as a starting point for the future. Thus you will go from God to God.
Life progresses slowly, and it is only what endures that counts.
~ Dom Agustin Guillerand, O.Cart.
(1945) French Cathusian monk and revered spiritual author.

As a certain member of the Pauline Family would say, "A little progress every day!"

Devotions Meme!

Yay, now for a bit of fun! ^_^ I got tagged by Mrs. Cathy for a Catholic Devotions Meme! Mahalo!

Name your five favorite Catholic Devotions!

1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (not sure if this counts though)
Mom dragged us to daily noon Mass one year, and honestly, there were times when we would rather stay home and study rather than drop everything in the middle of the day. Well. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure how we even used to survive without dragging all our intentions with us and dropping everything at our Lord's feet! ('Course He doesn't whisk them away, but at least we are given renewed strength to carry on.)
Besides, who would willing miss out for a chance to see the most beautiful miracle in the world!?


2. Adoration
There's a story about the simplest, but most profound way of Adoration. I forget where it's from, but here it is: There once was an elderly man who went to Adoration everyday. The parish priest was happy to see him visit, of course, but a bit perplexed at the long hours the elderly man spent with our Lord. One day, the priest decided to ask the elderly man what his conversation with Jesus was like. Very childlike, the elderly man replied, "Oh, I don't say anything, Father. I just look at Him and He looks at me."
Jesus doesn't ask us for long essays, He already knows what's in our hearts. He just wants us to come to Him and spend time with Him. Sometimes, the best prayer we could offer is that of being with Him in loving silence.


3. The Rosary
"Be it done to me according to thy word." I don't suppose the young girl - who was probably just minding her own business until Gabriel appeared - understood everything that the angel told her. Did she really know the enormity of the situation?? Probably not. Even if she didn't, she accepted it anyway because she at least knew that she could trust in God. Mary is my Confirmation patron because of that. She reminds me that, even if you have NO IDEA what the Gabriel person is saying, you should still trust that God will bring you through.
To be honest, I have a hard time praying the Rosary. No joke...it takes me an hour sometimes. :( But when you're a young person with this humongously giant thing called the future in front of you and you have NO IDEA what's going to happen, turning to someone who was in a similar situation, taking her hand, and letting her walk with you to God makes the task seem at least a little more possible. "For nothing is impossible with God." ^_^


4. Divine Mercy Chaplet
The first time I ever heard the Chaplet was when my Aunt brought it to my Grandma's in the form of a CD. We didn't exactly know what it was, but we stuck it in the CD player anyway. Well, it started out very nicely, and it was sung by a couple of people. "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world." Hm, great tune and interesting lyrics. But then the same thing played again. And again. And again. And...again. It went on ten times. Then a different tune played. (Something new!!) Then it reverted to the same old tune. At that time, we promptly turned it off. Impatient bunch of kids. :p
It took attending a Divine Mercy conference for us to find out what it was all about. Though, even now, I'm still not able to put into words why I like it so much. Yet it is such a beautiful, simple prayer with so much meaning and gravity.
Guess what? We love singing it now.

5. Liturgy of the Hours
This one is rather new.
Once again, when Mom decided to do Evening Prayers out of the Magnificat, we had to drag ourselves to do it. Or at least we kids did. It was loooong. Eventually, though, we became used to it, but that was my introduction to the Liturgy.
So how come it's #5? When CT and I visited the Daughters of St. Paul in Boston, we said Morning Prayers with the Sisters before Mass. I don't mind getting up early, but staying awake is the hard part. Particularly when the first thing you do in the morning is read "long" psalm prayers. (They seem long when you're really tired!) We did manage to stay awake, though, and found some of the prayers really helped when it came to preparing for Mass. When we left Boston, the first morning away I went around thinking that something was missing. You know...that miserable feeling that you forgot to do something, but don't remember what. So I checked the time. Oooh. That's what it was! Time for Morning Prayers!
Don't ask me why, but I really, really missed Morning Prayers. Fortunately, my family has a couple of editions, so I sneaked one off the shelf. I don't know why I've never noticed, but there's a psalm for every occasion. There's one for when you're happy, for when you're peaceful, for when you're angry, for when you're down, and for when you're in despair. Starting the day with these sets everything in a positive perspective. Most day have been go much smoother, particularly when you know that you've started them right.

Yups, that's five.
So now to tag...um....actually, I don't know who comes here anymore. Let's just say that if you, dear reader, haven't done it yet, consider yourself tagged. ^_^ What are your five favorite Catholic Devotions, and why?

And yes, I know I'm not doing a good job posting things more regularly. Sorry...but keep reminding me and someday there will be improvement! =)

And God Said...

Kudos to my Aunt for this! ^_^
(and here's a brief look at our summer!)


I asked God to take away my habit.
God said:
No.
It is not for Me to take away,
but for you to give it up.





I asked God to make my handicap whole.
God said:
No.
Your spirit is whole,
your body is only temporary.





I asked God to grant me patience.
God said:
No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.





I asked God to give me happiness.
God said:
No.
I give you blessings;
Happiness is up to you.





I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares,
and brings you closer to Me.





I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said:
No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.





I asked God for all things
that I might enjoy life.
God said:
No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.





I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said:
...Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea.

Changes

...and I don't just mean that the leaves are going to turn brown and red (even though it doesn't really happen here.)

"To create fundamental change, we, the members of society, have to transform ourselves. If we want real peace, we have to demonstrate our love and understanding so that those responsible for making decisions can learn from us."- Thich Nhat Hanh

Our family has been going through a lot of changes. We kids are growing up and trying to find out who we are and who we'd like to be, and it's not always a smooth ride out. Not only do we have to adjust to certain "little" brother heights, but to the way we act and react to the environment around us, and if we don't adapt or correct each other when needed...well, let's just say that some of us end up going off into our rooms or gardens to blow off steam. =) In the end, though, at least one of us makes that effort (or at least tries to) to "kiss and make up" and remembers to do better. Soon, the whole house is back to its original cheer.
The one thing that we have to keep in mind is that we cannot wait around for a better change to happen. It has to begin with each of us. We're the change that has to happen, and it doesn't necessarily mean standing on a stage shouting encouragements to the crowds. It could be a smile or a simple uplifting greeting. It could be a quiet yet meaningful word of encouragement. If you could make a big change, then do it! Help in a soup kitchen. Donate to a cause. Whatever you do, let the Light of Christ shine in this world that needs Him so much! Be that hope that so many need. Be that change in the dark.