Good Friday Comes before Easter Sunday

You cannot have Easter Sunday without having had a Good Friday first. - Fr. Emil Kapaun. 


In other words you must die before you can rise from the dead. Gruesome, perhaps. 


How has the season of Lent been treating you? I cannot lie that I have had my fair share of struggles and failures this semester. Like I noted in my last post (and the post before that...), a quote from Curtis Martin, founder of FOCUS. "God loves it when we fail. Not because we fail, but because we tried and we are humbled." It would take more than the fingers on both my hands for the number of times this Lenten season and this semester than I have tried, failed, and been humble by how much I need God's help to accomplish anything and everything. 


One example is the first Friday a group of young women, with one of our campus ministers traveled to the county jail for jail ministry. I had not eaten lunch (one of Fr. Robert Barron's WordonFire.org homily's notes that any person can be easily irritated when hungry). The afternoon went fine, but upon returning to the student center Brian suggested that I not where jeans next time. Hungry and irritable, I overreacted at this comment. Not too dramatically, but enough to make it too big of a deal. I lated texted Brian an apology, noted that I had been humbled and God was happy. 


This semester and Lenten season has been a continuous process for me of dying to self, all in preparation for Easter Sunday. A part of me has a bit of fear about how painful my Good Friday will be in a spiritual sense, but I also trust that God will pull me through, no matter how much it costs or hurts. 


So why do we put ourselves through so much during Lent?  That we may be better prepared to celebrate Easter Sunday.  We can easily become desensitized to all that Easter is, and by praying, fasting, and giving alms, we increase our sensitivity and are better able to celebrate Easter in fullness. 


Endure through this week, Holy Week, and Good Friday. Easter will be here soon. God is good. Peace. 

If You Always Do What You Have Always Done...

You Will Always Get What You Have Always Got.

In visiting the an agricultural education program today, I saw this poster on the wall and was reminded of the several times I have used this quote in a speech, often at an FFA Chapter banquet. 

As I ponder ways in which I have applied this quote to my life, I cannot say that I have come up with many new ways of doing things lately.

I got Nothing.

I got nothing. 


Knowing that I should have something to post, I really got nothing. So I ask myself, what is the purpose of my blog again? "To assist young woman (and perhaps some young men) in spiritual discernment, by sharing my own story." This a direct quote from my True Purpose post mid-January.  Pray with me that I fulfill this purpose. 


But not tonight. 


Persevere through Lent. While I mentioned two weeks again that Lent should be sorrowful, I have a kind friend who asked me to clarify this statement. I'll share now what I shared with him:


We as Catholics see so much of the beauty that comes with suffering, but just as we look at the crucifix and see love, we also see the pain that it took to get there. If you do not find yourself in moments of sorrow from time to time, perhaps you are not offering up enough. I too enjoy the focused time to work on purification of ourselves. 


But if you find yourself struggling, it is opportunity to call up on Christ for help. As Curtis Martin stated, God loves it when we fail. Not because we failed, but because we tried, and we are humbled. 


Last note for this post: St. Peter Chinelle* Faithful is not the same as successful. 


Peace. God is good. 

Lent :)

Happy Ash Wednesday! Isn't this an oxy-moron? Shouldn't we be sorrowful about the season of lent? If we're not at least a bit sorrowful, we are probably dancing around the edge of the desert, not going through the heart of the desert, as suggested by Fr. Bernie.  Challenge yourself.

I'm trying something new this blog post.  As many wonderful thoughts as I have on my mind at this moment, I'm just going to share one cool resource with you that might help you to get the most out of the liturgical season of Lent.  As our youth minister encouraged us, be sure to find one thing to commit to whole-heartedly, not five or six things half-heartedly. If you faulter, do not get down on yourself, but repent and try again. "God loves it when you fail, because you tried, and you are humbled."


While attending the Kansas Catholic College Student Convention (KCCSC) this past weekend, we heard some great speakers who helped to renew our faith and take a second look about how we are growing in our relationship with God and with each other. Todd Lemieux was the keynote Saturday evening. Todd is striving for Christ and has challenged many people to take on the "Sainthood Project".   We should all be striving to become saints. It will most likely cost us more than we are betting on, but it will be worth it. Here is a plan for working on becoming a saint, from Todd. We recieved a preface to these, as he listed them near the end of his time speaking.


1. Be concerned. When you are concerned about something, you work on it. If you find yourself thinking you have things figured out, think again.
2. Be determined. Drive will seperate you.
3. Be motivated (there are many issues you can be motivated about).
4. Be committed to prayer - daily. Not talking to God is like being in a marriage and not talking to your spouse. The more we pray, the more time we have.
5. Be humble. You are not the source of your holiness, God is. 
6. Be specific about how you want to grow spiritually, i.e., 5 minutes of Lectio Divina daily.
7. Be persevering. Post this list and check yourself once a week. Meet with a spiritual director montly. Don't give up.  Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa persevered.
8. Be sacremental - recieving the Eucharist and Reconciliation often. 


God is good.