Walk By Faith

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." – Psalm 23:4

If you watched the Discovery channel on Sunday night this past weekend I'm sure you were sitting at the edge of your seat, waiting in anticipation to see if tightrope walker, Nik Wallenda, would make it across the Grand Canyon. Nik Wallenda is famous for doing these dangerous high-wire stunts along with the rest of his family. He is a descendant of the daredevil stunt performers known as the "Flying Wallendas." He lives in Sarasota, FL with his family near the Ringling Circus where he practices for these events.

Although I have never met Nik or his family I have been to Sarasota several times to visit the Ringling Museum. They have beautiful artistic masterpieces there, to include my one of my favorite paintings known as The Blue Madonna by the Italian artist Carlo Dolci. The Ringling Museum is most definitely my favorite part about going there. Also, Sarasota is a very gorgeous city right near the water! I can attest to the fact that Nik is very blessed to live with his family in such a beautiful Floridian area.

Nevertheless, no matter where he may be, Nik always keeps himself grounded in prayer as he performs these major hire-wire stunts. Last year I saw him on TV as he crossed the Niagara Falls from the United States into Canada. That was quite a risky endeavor. However, I noticed Nik seemed to keep calm as he muttered the praises of Jesus along the way.

In his recent tightrope walk Nik crossed the Grand Canyon much the same way as he did over Niagara—but this time he was even more vocal about calling to the Lord for guidance and strength. He thanked Jesus, our Lord and Savior, over 60 times as he walked to the other side. Watching his body language, I could tell he seemed to be much more uneasy with this walk compared to his others in the past. Maybe he felt more uncomfortable since he was standing on a 2-inch wire that swayed in the turbulent winds at about 1,500 feet over the Grand Canyon! Although he seemed to be very unsettled by the situation he was in, Nik kept praising God the entire time. He remained focused and unafraid as long as he kept his thoughts and prayers on Jesus.

This reminds me of the story of Jesus walking on the water. When Peter had seen Jesus standing on the ocean waves, in the middle of the storm, he got out of the boat and started walking towards Him. But at the very moment he lost eye contact with Jesus his thoughts shifted away from the Lord and he became frantic—starting to sink into the sea. Then Jesus reached down and pulled him back up, saying, "You of little faith. Why did you doubt?"

In comparison, Nik Wallenda also battled the elements of the major winds coming up from the Grand Canyon, much like Peter did in the storm. However, Nik never lost complete concentration on Jesus. His entire walk was a constant prayer. Even when the wind became too much for him to handle he knelt down to regain his balance on the wire. He did this several times to ensure his safety and trusted that the Lord would get him across to the other side. Being human, I could tell that he seemed worried at times...but it was at those moments when he called out to Jesus more.

Just as my sister said the other day, "Nik Wallenda crossed the Grand Canyon! Truly an incredible testimony for faith in God and how dreams do come true." The point is, he never gave up when it was hard, he never quit on his dreams, and he never stopped believing that Jesus would come trough for him. He is a great example of total trust and surrender to God. His family even prayed together beforehand for his strength and protection.

I am so happy that he followed his dreams of walking across the Grand Canyon and gave witness to Jesus Christ in this modern-day world. Millions of people across the globe watched him that night! It is truly remarkable to the reaction people gave him in being so outspoken with his faith. Nik even got #Jesus trending worldwide on Twitter that night. What a blessing for so many people to see the miracle of this man walking 1,500 feet above the Grand Canyon and making it to the other side alive and unharmed! How incredible!?

It just goes to show that we can get through anything if we trust in the Lord Jesus. He is there for us, always watching, with every little step we take. We just need to be more aware of His presence.

With that said, I want to leave you with a recent message from Our Lady of Medjugorje. She always calls us to draw nearer to God. I truly believe, like Nik Wallenda, that is what we must do with our lives. Everyday we live is a new opportunity to draw closer to God. One day we will get there when we reach the gates of Heaven, but we always have an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Him each passing day. Also, we must help our other brothers and sisters in Christ along the way to the path of salvation as we go through our own journey.

On June 25th 2013, the 32nd Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje, the Blessed Mother Mary said:

"Dear children! With joy in the heart I love you all and call you to draw closer to my Immaculate Heart so I can draw you still closer to my Son Jesus, and that He can give you His peace and love, which are nourishment for each one of you. Open yourselves, little children, to prayer—open yourselves to my love. I am your mother and cannot leave you alone in wandering and sin. You are called, little children, to be my children, my beloved children, so I can present you all to my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call."

            

I Will Go The Distance: Jesus, I Trust In You!

"But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here." – John 14:31

Hello my dear friends in Christ! This summer has been filled with wonderful blessings so far, and still more to come. This week I plan on going to visit my new home at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN! I can't wait to meet everyone and see the place for myself. I know it's a very far journey, but traveling is always a fun and exciting adventure.

Meanwhile, as I've been planning to head to Minnesota, I believe God has been planning a trip for my family and I to go much further. Over the weekend my mother came to me with exciting news about a pilgrimage to Medjugorje and Rome next year with Father Donald Calloway, MIC. I had briefly seen something on Facebook about it, but didn't read much into it until she brought me the flyer. As I looked at it more closely I felt a strong yearning in my heart, a holy tug on my soul, that wanted me to go there. Since my family and I have already been to Medjugorje before sometimes I feel that other people should go on those pilgrimages to see and experience the graces for themselves, like I did. However, this pilgrimage not only stops in Medjugorje, but also in Rome! I have never been to Italy or the Vatican and I have always wanted to go, even before I knew about Medjugorje.

During my last year in college I studied Italian Renaissance art in my art history class. This course heavily concentrated on images from famous artists—such as Michelangelo, Leonard, and Raphael. Looking at the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica in the textbooks was always so fascinating...but I never really thought I would have the opportunity to see them in person. Now, all of a sudden, one of my favorite priests is offering a pilgrimage to go there along with a joint trip to Medjugorje on the way. How exciting!?

I have known Father Calloway for several years now, at least since 2008 or 2009. Since then we have kept in contact and my family and I would see him every time he came to our area in Florida. It has been a joy knowing him! But actually I don't think we have seen him in person since late 2010...so I definitely miss him very much. He is an extremely devout Roman Catholic priest with a high admiration for Our Lady. His book No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy is a MUST read. His conversion story is incredible...a true blessing from Mary. Plus, he also came out with a new book called Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest. I have yet to read it, but I can't wait to get my hands on it.

So as my family discussed the subject of this pilgrimage we became very concerned with the amount of money. First of all, it is about 4,000 per person! Yikes!!! On top of that we would have to pay for our own transportation to New York for the departing international flight...possibly another $500 a person. Then we have to have our own money for lunch, other food, and possibly personal transportation. Easily another $500 or more per person. That comes out to at least $5,000 a person and there are 4 people (including me) in my immediate family. I'm not the best at math, but I realize a trip like this for our entire family is going to cost around $20,000! Meanwhile, I'm just a poor college grad student trying to make it day by day.

There is a LOT to consider when you don't have the money, but you really want to do something. However, it's not impossible. Three years ago I went with my family to Medjugorje and somehow God provided a way for all of us to go. People just came to us with money out of the woodwork because they wanted us to go on this pilgrimage together, as a family. It was incredible! Definitely only something that God Himself could orchestrate.

Although I realize it seems like a far fetched idea, I still believe. God was able to get us to Medjugorje once, I know He can do it again! This pilgrimage is in a year (June 2014)...so between now and the time the money is due I believe He will find a way for us to get there. Why wouldn't God want us to go as a family with Fr. Don Calloway, one of our beloved priest, to Medjugorje and Rome—the Eternal City!? As a very devout Catholic there is nothing more I want to see in this world than the Vatican and the Pope. It would be amazing to have that opportunity! Plus, we would get to see so many historic artworks, like I learned about in my Renaissance class, and relics from some of the most amazing saints.

With a faith stronger than ever, I truly believe God will send my family and I next year to Medjugorje and Rome with Fr. Calloway. This is definitely something He would want us to do together, to grow in faith and love among some of the greatest treasures the Catholic Church has to offer. The other day I messaged Father about my excitement and how I believe God will provide a way for us. In reply he said, "Sounds good. You are a living example of 'Jesus, I Trust in You!' See you in Rome and Medjugorje! Blessings to you always!"

With that message in mind, the next day my family and I attended Sunday Mass together in the morning on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. It was sad to see how few people came to this particular Mass, especially since it is a Solemnity. Even so, our family was chosen out of all of those who were there to bring up the gifts to the altar. We've done this several times before, as a family, but this time we felt very much "chosen" to do so. Just as we were picked from the crowd to go before God with our humble hearts, offering the gifts of bread and wine, I believe He has "chosen" us again for a family pilgrimage with memories that will last a lifetime!

Thank you for reading my blog! If you would like to contribute to our pilgrimage please send donations through PayPal or GoFundMe. You can use the donation widget on the sidebar if you wish to give. Thank you so much! If you cannot give because of your own financial hardships I completely understand. Please just send up a few prayers so that we can go! I know God will provide...and when He does I can request your petition to bring to the Father of Mercy at the Vatican and in Medjugorje. I appreciate all of your prayers, love, and support. Thank you! ♥

           

You Feel Like Home To Me

"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." – 2 Corinthians 5:1

Isn't it wonderful that no matter where you are in this world God is always with you? Especially since the Catholic Church is universal, we can be united with Jesus in communion wherever we go. He remains constantly with us no matter how far we travel! Even when we are in an unfamiliar place, far from home, His presence is forever unchanging.

As I recall, being in Indiana over the summer, something amazing happened! After visiting a professor at the University Notre Dame I stepped onto the campus and had no idea where I was. I had been dropped off on the side of campus to meet with this professor and was trying to make my way back to a familiar area. Even though I've been to Notre Dame several times, I still don't know the entire layout of the campus. So basically I was lost.

Nevertheless, I just decided to walk aimlessly along a random path and enjoy the beauty of the day. It was really sunny and the trees were swaying so gently in the wind. The campus was gorgeous...of course... it's Notre Dame, Our Lady's school. However, I really didn't know where I was going or what I would find. But sure enough I came across the Basilica and the Main Building in the center of campus. 

My first thought was, "I wonder if I can go in the church now? I hope it's open to visitors!" As I checked a sign in the front of the Basilica I found a listing of the Mass times. I saw that Mass was being held at 11:00am. Immediately I double checked my phone and it said 11:07am. 

"Perfect! I can go to daily Mass now, how wonderful!" I thought. I slowly opened the doors not to arouse anyone from prayer. As I quietly made my way into the church I was overwhelmed with its beauty! (Seriously, if you've never been inside the Sacred Heart Basilica at Notre Dame this is something you must experience at least once in your lifetime, especially if you're a Catholic.) Starting to walk inside the nave of the church I realized Mass was not going on. Assuming that they were a little late I sat in the pews for a few minutes. However, I kept seeing tourists and cleaning people perusing about the Basilica. 

Finally, I asked a lady working there where Mass was being held. She said it was in the crypt underneath the Basilica. I had heard of the crypt, but I had never gone there before. Eventually I made my way down and entered in the middle of the priest's homily. From there I took a seat and participated in the rest of the Mass.

How amazing!? I wasn't even looking for Jesus and He just put Himself right in front of me. He brought me to Mass that day when I didn't even know when or where it was. God literally put me in the right place at the right time. Although I was 15 minutes late, I still enjoyed the Mass and all it had to offer. Believe me, having Jesus with me for the rest of the day was such a blessing.

After that, the rest of my trip was just as amazing! One of my parish priests from home came to Notre Dame to celebrate Mass the Sunday I happened to be up there. He included my intentions during the Mass inside the Basilica. It was a wonderful service and I'm so happy he was there with me.

Just reflecting on this event makes me think about how God always draws you closer to Him even when you may be unaware of it. He is doing things right now, in your life, to help you reach the Kingdom of Heaven each and every day. No matter where you are, He will always make a path for you to seek Him. Although He clears this path for us, it is ultimately up to us to accept it and to choose Him with our free will.

Even when we are physically far away in an unfamiliar place, like I was, He will get you to where you need to be. With an open heart, He will assist you in your journey and help you to find your home in Him. And looking back, that's what it felt like...home. Once I found where the Mass was I felt like I was home. He is home to me.

When I realized that I was home with Him I didn't feel so lost anymore. I left the church that day feeling reassured about God's plan for my life. Although I still don't know how and why certain things happen, I do know God is constantly making an effort to show me the right path. He is also continuously working in your life to help you find your home in Him...our one and eternal home.

Just the other day I heard a song by a new country singer, Sarah Darling, called "Home to Me." It's a beautiful song that really touched my heart. It is lively, upbeat, and fun to listen to. Although the song is referring to a relationship between a man and a woman I can see how it can relate to our personal relationship with God. Because God is everywhere and He is our heart's dwelling place it makes perfect sense when she says, "Anywhere, anyplace I go...you feel like home to me." She also describes her love by stating, "I found the center of the universe." In all of those respects, the song has a great message and really makes you think about finding your home, your enteral home, from a Christian perspective.

Thanks for reading my blog! You are in my prayers. God bless and enjoy the song.

          

To Jesus Through Mary

"And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.'" - Luke 1:34-35

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a splendid holiday with family and friends. This is a joyous season because even after Christmas day we still celebrate our Savior's birth until the Epiphany in January. The Nativity of Jesus is so beautiful to meditate on. As we reflect on this we recognize how Jesus was brought into the world, through the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the flesh. God became human, which no one had expected at the time, to save humankind from sin and lead us to salvation. Without Mary, His mother, this could have never happened! This is what Christmas is all about. Christmas itself entirely revolves around the fact that Mary gave birth to the Christ Child.

Recently, I spoke with a friend of mine who was a convert to Catholicism. Over the years she has become closer and closer to the Blessed Mother. From her conversion she realized that not only did Mary bring Jesus into the world for us, but she is also the way for us to get to Jesus. Mary is the link between humankind and God. Although she was human too, the Madonna was born immaculate and divine. She is sinless and pure. She is the Queen of Heaven and the Holy Mother of the living God...making her our own mother too.

In this time, as we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, let us honor Mary for her humble and obedient "yes" to conceive and bear the Son of God. Let us praise the little baby Jesus as He comes to us lying in a manger of a lowly stable. Let us be like the shepherds who heard the angels and came flocking to surround the newborn Messiah. So the next time you go to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament put yourself in their shoes. Picture yourself in the Nativity scene and meditate on what it would be like to see Him on the very day of His holy birth.

          

Finding the Joy of Christmas in a Time of Sorrow

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." 
- Psalm 34:18

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. I have been so busy with final exams and finishing off the end of this semester. But I'm happy to say I did very well and I'm so glad it's over! Praise the Lord! As I was saying, this day commemorates the anticipation of Christmas and the joy of the Christ's coming by lighting a pink candle on the Advent wreath. However, with the recent events that occurred in Connecticut, it is hard for people to embrace this joy in a time of grief and sorrow.

I am still in shock that a young man would just barge into an elementary school and shoot up 20 little kids and 6 adults. This is America—a country where children should be safe. First graders shouldn't need to be worried that someone is going to shoot them in their own school. This is a very sad tragedy. Many parents, families, and friends of those little children are hurting so much now. And of course, as evil would have it, this shooting just happened to take place right around Christmas. This goes to show when people start turning to God, like most do around Christmastime, the devil tries to steal their joy away from them.

Reflecting on this incident, it seems to be reminiscent of the story How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Like the Grinch, this young man, filled with hatred in his soul, stole the greatest joy away from the parents of these little children. Of course this causes a great amount of sorrow. But the question is, how can we find joy during Christmas when we experience a terrible loss like this? The answer is, Jesus...who is the reason for the season. But like any natural human being, finding joy at this time will not be easy. I, myself, lost a grandparent this year. This will be my first Christmas without my grandmother. But looking into the light of hope and salvation, this is where we can find real joy through Jesus' birth. Christ came to save the whole world! I'm sure that all of those beautiful little children are living a wonderful life with Him, in heavenly glory, right now.

If we hang on to this hope, this love of Christ, and this joy...it is possible to experience a Christmas filled with merriment. Being together with loved ones, friends and family, is always the best solution. Just the closeness of someone who cares can bring a smile to a mourning family member. As the grim feeling starts to fade, light will soon emerge from the darkness and being to softly warm the heart again with a glimmer of joy—the joy of Jesus' presence.

As my priest at church announced this morning, eight families will be holding funeral Masses for the children at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown, CT. Let us continue to pray for those families, our Catholic brothers and sisters, along with the others who are suffering at this moment. Let us pray that they can and will find Christ's joy in the Christmas season and during the new year. God bless those little children and God bless America.

Desert Days

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." - Matthew 4:1

So for a while now I feel as though I have been walking in the desert. I'm sure many of you have had difficult experiences in your life when you feel overwhelmed by stressful events. This period of your life is when you are out wondering the desert. You might feel alone, but God is there and He is very much present. These desert days may last for a short time in worrisome situations or could even last a long season. You may not know when you'll reach paradise, but you know that at some point you will get there when God is leading your way.

The best part is, is that Jesus can relate to us. He was tempted by the devil out in the desert. Even though we are put through temptations that could lead us down the wrong path...these are learning experiences that will help make us a better person in the long run. God knows your strengths and weaknesses. It even says in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will always provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

For the past week I have been very ill on top of being mistreated by certain people and enduring other chaotic events. Thank God I'm just starting to feel a little bit better after being so sick. But walking in the desert isn't easy. And I'm nowhere near out of it yet!

The desert is a very hot and dry place to be. You have so many elements impacting you all at once...like blazing heat, sandstorms, direct sun, no water, burning/stinging sensations, etc. Even though the desert is only a metaphor for hard patches in our life, the pain can be felt in a very realistic way. Sometimes the devil will trick us out in the desert with mirages of paradise. When we are at our worst we run towards it, only to find the vision vanish before us...because it wasn't real. These illusions are put there to bring us down. That is when we need to be strong and keep our faith in the Lord. We must know that He, too, was tempted and was able to get out of it safely with divine assistance.

So don't let desert periods in your life get your spirits down. There are plenty of things to do in the desert. Praying, fasting, offering up sacrifices to God will help you get through it. When the time comes you will feel more fulfilled to enjoy a happy period of your life with so many blessings and graces from God. Even if you feel alone, know that He is right there with you. At these moments you may see only one set of footprints in the sand...but that is the moment when He carries you. Many saints have gone through so many trials in order to get where they are today, a canonized saint of the Catholic church. In fact, there were even periods in Mother Theresa's life that were very dark and depressing. But on the outside she never let anyone see that because of the beautiful holy woman of God she was.

Even though I'm still out walking in the desert, enduring all of this pain and suffering, I feel for the first time, today, that I've been given a little rain to help me bear the heat of these difficult trails. It's just enough to lift my spirits some. Today I was able to have a great conversion with my good friend Jasmine. When you have a friend that will let you rant about your problems they are truly a good friend. Those kind of friends are perfect little outlets to help us endure the pain. But keeping that in mind, when our friends start walking in the desert we need to be there for them too. I also got a get-well card in the mail today from my friend Christina. That definitely put a smile on my face! :) So like me, when you are tempted...don't give up. Keep your faith in God because He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

Prayer of the Rosary

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." - Luke 2:19

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today I wanted to let you know that I posted some videos on YouTube so you can have the opportunity to pray the rosary with me! The rosary is such a wonderful prayer that really helps you to mediate on the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary, His holy mother. It is more then just repeating a set of "Hail Mary" prayers over and over again. It is a way to reflect on scripture and translate that into our own lives.

In the prayer of the rosary Mary intercedes on your behalf before the throne of God with your petitions. By praying this prayer you are given special graces in your life. The power of heaven will come upon you. It will strengthen you to become more holy and to grow in faith day by day. The rosary helps to lead you away from sin and brings you closer to God. Bishop Patrick Boyle once said, "No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary. Either he will give up the sin or he will give up the Rosary." With this amazing prayer it is as if Mary, the mother of God, walks you through her Son's life, taking you by the hand, to meet God Himself.

How wonderful is that!? I can personally attest to the amazing graces bestowed on our family through the power of the rosary. It can work miracles! If more people knew the true power of the rosary they would never want to stop praying it. Sometimes other Christians do not understand the rosary and its meaning. They might think we worship Mary, as Catholics, but that is not true. That is so far from the truth it almost seems laughable.

We, as Catholics, love Mary... just like you love your own mother. We go to her in prayer to ask for her help and intercession with our own intentions. Because she is holy, pure, divine, immaculate, and sinless she would never ask anything of God that would not please Him. Also, as in the Ten Commandments, it says to honor your father and mother. Jesus is Mary's Son. Although Jesus is God and is above Mary in that sense He still gives her the respect of a mother, like we all should. For instance, at the Wedding Feast at Cana Jesus changed the water into wine per Mary's request. It is very similar to asking your own mother to ask your dad to do something for you. You do this because you know he is more likely to do so if it comes from her then from you. So wouldn't you think that by asking Mary to ask Jesus to answer our prayers it would be so much more powerful!? ...Because it is! Going to Jesus/God/the Holy Spirit directly is always good too. And we should! Don't get me wrong... it is not a replacement for that. This is just a very formal prayer that helps you to reflect on the life of Jesus with Mary as your guide. As St. Louis de Montfort said, "When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer." By praying the rosary you are given so many blessings and graces in this life. It is another great way to pray and it is sssooooo very powerful!

If you have more questions about the rosary go to this website: http://www.catholicbible101.com/therosary.htm 

My YouTube channel is @pray4peace4ever. If you would like to pray a rosary with me go to my playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEC07A54CE7147B8E  You can even chose what mystery you would like to pray with me -- Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, or Glorious. 

"Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood." - St. Louis de Montfort