Say Cheese!! (Actually, I want you to smile)

‎"A smile is laughter's whisper and has its roots in the soul."
~Archbishop Fulton Sheen

One of the things that I really like about Saint Therese's little way is the resolve to smile, especially when encountered with a grumpy cashier person, a solemn librarian with a face of stone, or just someone who looks like they're having a bad day. Have you ever tried giving them just the tiniest, straight from the heart, joyful little smile? Trust me, it works, and it is soooooo much fun!! ^^ The grumpy cashier person gets all confused that you're thanking him in spite of his nonchalance, the solemn librarian's mouth starts to twitch about the edges ever so slightly at your bubbly enthusiasm for books, and the poor victim of that bad day quite stares at you as if you've gone mad (And guess what? They copy you in the end! Yes, everyone's gone quite mad. Score 1 for God!! XD).

It all starts with a little assignment my Little Way teacher once gave me and my friends:





"Yeah, Cy, it's all well and good when you're at the top of the world, but what if you just can't seem to put one foot in front of the other?"

Those days come. When I think of the martyrs who went to their often-horrific deaths with a radiant smile, I am like Saint Therese and feel like a pebble staring up at a mountain. I've got my own Cross to carry, and it's heavy enough without trying to help carry someone else's! Yeah, well, there was someone who pretty much had the same thought. And it just so happens that I'm named after him: Simon of Cyrene.

When you can't seem to compliment that grumpy cashier person because you're every bit as grumpy as he is, remember that time when Jesus was surrounded by those who shouted for His death on the Cross. When you can't seem to break the stoniness of your own heart and find the joy to share with that old librarian, remember the stoniness of the soldiers' hearts when they scourged Jesus and forced Him to carry the Cross. When you're having a bad day and can't find the strength to smile a ray of light for the person next to you, remember the day that Jesus had that Good Friday so long ago. And if not for the sake of the person next to you, for the sake of giving comfort to our Lord when all others had abandoned Him.
What would you do if you saw the suffering Christ in them?

Now I pass on to you the same assignment that I was given (see above picture). It's really nothing new, in fact, we hear it all the time. It can be summed up in two very simple parts:
1. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind..."
2. "...and love your neighbor as yourself."

The easiest way to start? Start with a smile.

Have a very blessed Holy Week, friends, and may God give you the strength to carry your Cross so to be able to rise with Him on Easter morning.

=)

"Will you be My valentine?"

So we went to Mass today, and we were pretty early so we had more than a few minutes to pray and prepare ourselves for Mass. I found myself staring at the above stained glass window, realizing that it was Jesus and His Sacred Heart. Then I realized....that every time we receive the Eucharist, we receive a Valentine from God. And the best part is that this Valentine is for forever. <3


(I really, really like this new song! It's a fun song by Jamie Grace.)

God's Dream (and Valentine)

God’s Dream

By Charles Peguy


The Lord God said:
I myself will dream a dream within you,
Good dreaming comes from me, you know.
My dreams seem impossible, not too practical
nor for the cautious man or woman;
a little risky sometimes, a trifle brash perhaps.
Some of my friends prefer to rest more comfortably
in sounder sleep with visionless eyes.
But from those who share my dreams I ask
a little patience,
a little humor,
some small courage,
and a listening heart –
I will do the rest.
Then they will risk and wonder at their daring;
run, and marvel at their speed;
build, and stand in awe at the beauty of their building.
You will meet me often as you work
in your companions who share the risk,
in your friends who believe in you enough
to lend their own dreams, their own hands,
their own hearts, to your building.
In the people who will stand in your doorway, stay awhile
And walk away knowing that hey too can find a dream.
There will be sin-filled days
And sometimes a little rain – a little variety
both come from me.
So come now, be content.
It is my dream you dream,
my house you build,
my caring you witness;
my love you share
And this is the heart of the matter.

Charles Peguy (1873 - 1914)

Every first Wednesday of the month here on Oahu, the Co-Cathedral of St. Teresa has Adoration for Vocations. We attended one, and over the speakers they were playing a Latin/Gregorian Chant CD sung by Sisters. As we knelt in front of True Love Himself and listened to the beautiful music, all the day's troubles slowly melted away and were replaced by the quiet reassurance that everything will turn out in the end.
If you've ever been to the Co-Cathedral, you know how echoey it is there! The echoey effect added to the already mysterious sound of the Chant, and I began to wonder why the Chants are always so mysterious. But when you think about it, God is a bit of a mystery, and the Chants reflect Him...
Anyway. (I lost track of where this post was going...sooo many mysteries to figure out, and most of them we aren't supposed to figure out!) Here's a site that I found some time ago that's run by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. It reminded me of the Chants that played over the speakers.

Monastery Podcast


It's like sitting by an empty beach letting the lull of the water sooth your soul...

Yaaah! Take that, worry!

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
~Matthew 6:34




"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
~Philippians 4:6




"Perfect love casts out all fear."
~St. John




"And He said to His disciples, 'For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing? Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.'"
Luke 12:22-29




"Do not be afraid, I am with you..."

Note to Self

If God laughs at you...


Make sure you laugh with Him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
=D

Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity! With Mary, say your own “yes” to God, for he wishes to give himself to you.
~ Pope Benedict XVI


When I am before the Blessed Sacrament I feel such a lively faith that I can’t describe it. Christ in the Eucharist is almost tangible to me. When it is time for me to leave, I have to tear myself away from His sacred presence.
~ Saint Anthony Claret


When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.
~ Mother Teresa

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.

Random thoughts...or are they?

“What is the best lesson a music teacher can give to a student? It is not teaching him to read notes, nor how to play well. Rather, the best lesson is that which gives the student a love for music.” ~Anon.

“I know some say, let us have good laws, and no matter for the men that execute them: but let them consider, that though good laws do well, good men do better.” ~William Penn

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
~Saint Paul (1 Cor 13:1-3)


Sometimes, we get so focused on the superficial shell of what we were doing that we forget the heart of why we were doing that thing in the first place. It’s like a birthday cake. Sure, outside it can be the fanciest cake the world has seen; but if it tastes like sand, your little birthday boy isn’t going to care about how cool it looks.
Let's not forget the Heart of the entire matter: God.

Simply Love

...and Love simply. ^_^