Lifelong Crusaders

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." – Proverbs 27:17

It has been nine years since I graduated from 8th grade at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Tampa, FL, home to the Crusaders. During my last year at MHR all of the 8th graders were assigned a Kindergarden buddy. It was our responsibility, as the older students, to hold our buddy's hand and walk them to the church for all-school Mass. We also played games with the Kindergardeners and helped them out with arts and crafts. Thankfully, God placed me with a little angel named Catie. I have some great memories of being her "Secret Santa" and watching her fall asleep at nap time.

Over the years I kept in contact with Catie and her beautiful family. Since we both attend the same local parish I would see her every now and then at Mass on Sunday mornings. Her father also became a deacon and is very much involved with the church at St. Paul's in Tampa. Now, Catie is 14-years-old and I watched her last night graduate from 8th grade at Most Holy Redeemer like I did nine years ago.

What a blessing! I am so thankful to still be friends with Catie. I even promised her way back then that I would attend her MHR graduation, and I'm so happy I did! I'm very proud of the young woman she has flourished into and I know she will become even more spectacular as she heads off to high school next year.

With high school in mind, I gave her a copy of the book How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul by Jason and Crystalina Evert. This book was such a blessing for me and I wished I had read it during my high school years. Although I couldn't have, because it wasn't published back then, I know that she has the opportunity to read it now and apply all of the Evert's great advice to her future relationships.

And for all of those young men and women out there who are in a similar situation, waiting and praying for your future spouse, here is a novena prayer I found to St. Agnes—the patron saint of unmarried couples.

St. Agnes, although you were only a child, you believed that Jesus was alway with you; help us to remember that He is also with us and to remain true to His presence.

St. Agnes, you refused to give up your faith, help us to be proud of our faith to love it, to be strong in it, and to give witness to it daily.

St. Agnes, patron saint of unmarried couples, watch over my future husband/wife and I. Please keep us strong in our faith, committed to chastity and virginity until marriage. Be with us and always pray for us. Amen. 

Just like I gave Catie a copy of the Soulmate book, I pray that you too will grow in the light of Christ in your own personal relationships. Ask St. Anges for her intercession and I guarantee she will not let you down! But as I mentioned in my pervious blog post, A Love Worth Waiting For, it may take some time before you meet the right person you are meant to be with. Every milestone in our lives takes patience to complete. It is something that cannot be rushed. Just like graduating from middle school, high school, and college... it all takes time. Relationships also take time to develop and grow in Christ's love.

So as I see it, enjoy the moments we have now. You never know if you'll have tomorrow, so celebrate life today! If it is God's will then everything you can hope for and possibly dream of will happen in His own good time. Probably the hardest part of it all is just giving Him our heart's desires and letting Him have complete control. In doing this, God can work through other people to help guide you. And just as I guided Catie to weekly Mass when she was in Kindergarden, I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you follow a pure lifestyle in your personal relationships and all of your future endeavors.

            

Here And Now

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

I've realized sometimes we think too much about the future and what it holds. It's good to plan ahead for certain things in the short term. But most of our long term situations are out of our control. God wants us to be present where we are at this time. By thinking so much about the future we miss out on today. Dwelling on thoughts that question where we are headed in life make us doubt the Lord and what He has to offer. 

God knows the desires of your heart. He truly wants to give you all that you desire and more! But in order for His plan to transpire we must trust and surrender to His Holy Will...even if we do not yet understand it. It can be extremely difficult to give all of your fears and worries to Him, but that is where faith comes in. Faith, in itself, is complete trust. Igniting our faith in the Lord with prayer and supplication helps us to release our fears and surrender to His Will.

Every once in a while I'll catch myself thinking about why God put me in Florida, where I am today. I never chose to be here, but here I am. Don't get me wrong... I'm ssoooo thankful to be here! I love living in the Sunshine State. I love my friends, family, church, school, Disney World, beaches, and everything else about Florida. But sometimes I wonder where my future husband is. It makes me sad to think maybe he's not living close to me...and then I think maybe I would be happier living there, wherever he is. However, now I see that it doesn't matter if he's living half way across the world... I know God will bring him to me at the right time, in the right place, at the right moment, and in the right way.

Right now, apparently, I'm not suppose to be with him. Right now I'm just suppose to be living my life as myself — a Catholic college student (in Florida) that loves God, family, friends, and being an artist. You are also meant to be where you are today. The school you go to, the place you work at, the friends you meet, and the city you live in is all part of God's plan for your life. It's so easy to get caught up in "what if" scenarios. But at the end of the day, all the possibilities don't matter. What matters is right now. Just by dwelling on the future doesn't help us get there. It's what we do now with the opportunities presented to us which will produce an outcome... hopefully in accordance with God's Will if we've surrendered to Him.

All of this reminds me that a few days ago on Twitter I saw @TheSingleWoman post, "You are where you are, at the time that you are, for a reason. Don't waste it by wishing to be somewhere else." That really hit home with me. As I approach graduation I still wonder where God wants me to go. But dwelling on where I should be or shouldn't be, as I said before, won't help me get there. Just by taking it one day at a time I'm sure that I'll find out where I am suppose to go and how I will get there. Trusting in the Lord takes patience! This is why I'm currently praying a 54-day Rosary Novena for my future husband and career path. In time, God will answer me. I just have to patiently wait for His answer while continuing to be the best person I can be, which is what He calls all of us to.

As for you young ladies seeking a future spouse, I found this blog post by The Catholic Young Woman called Right Now, which I encourage you to read. It's really good! The post is filled with lots of insight on why prayer is for now and being with your future beloved is for later. I would also recommend that you pray a 54-day Rosary Novena for your future spouse. A really funny Catholic lady, Jackie Francois, prayed this novena and miraculously received her answer! Right now she is 28-years old, and even though she would have liked to have met her beloved earlier in life, this was the right moment for her. I'm so happy for Jackie and Bobby! They are an adorable couple. If you'd like to check out their blog site go to this link: http://bobbyandjackie.com/. They have a great inspirational story that gives hope to us young woman who are seeking a holy, Catholic man of God.

I truly believe God has a very special purpose for your life. Don't lose hope if you feel that you're not sure where to go. Just put all your faith and trust Him even when it is tough. I guarantee that you'll be happier and more satisfied with yourself in the end if you do than if you don't.  ...Thanks for reading my blog post! Have a wonderful day and God bless. :)

Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars." - Revelation 12:1

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today we celebrate the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a wonderful commemoration because it is with this event Mary was crowned as the Queen of Heaven and Earth by God the Father, as His beloved daughter, by God the Son (Jesus) as His dearest mother, and by God the Holy Spirit as His chosen spouse. She, who is human like us, rose to enteral glory in Heaven---being both regal and humble, merciful and powerful, human and divine. Her purity and holiness was exalted at this moment. She became not just the mother of Jesus, but also a mother to all humanity and the entire universe! Mary's intercession is the most powerful of all because she pleads our cause as the most perfect adorer of the Holy Trinity.

Earlier today (August 22, 2012), Pope Benedict XVI said, "Mary is a Queen in service to God and humanity; she is Queen of love, who lives the gift of self to God in order to enter into the plan of salvation for mankind." Click here to read more from the Catholic News Agency on the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the video below Scott Hahn, Catholic author and theology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, shares his insight of Mary's Queenship and glory. Join me in honoring the Blessed Mother and this triumphant occasion with a novena for the intentions of Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Novena to the Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth:

I greet you, ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, refuge of sinners, and Queen of the Universe. Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty, sweetness, and tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, and beg of you to obtain for me of your dear Son the favor I request in this novena: (mention your request). Obtain for me also, Queen of Heaven and Earth, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity, and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my mother and protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory. Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me, and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of death. Accept this offering, sweet Queen of Heaven and Earth, and obtain for me from your dear Son, Jesus Christ, the favors I ask through your intercession in this novena. Obtain for me also a generous, constant love of God, perfect submission to His Holy Will, the true spirit of a Christian, and the grace of final perseverance. Amen. 

Mission Impossible?

"For nothing is impossible with God." - Luke 1:37

Have you ever been in a situation that you feel there is no way out of? Do you feel that some things in your life can never be fixed; work, relationships, marriage, school, illness, death, etc? Have you ever seen a friend falling into a dark place? ...And don't you wish they would wake up and see the light?! We have all felt something like this at some point in our lives when we feel there is no hope left. When this happens often times people will stray from God because they believe God must not exist since this or that happened to them (or a family member). However, whatever the circumstance may be, God has not and will not intentionally hurt us. He is love itself! Maybe certain situations have occurred and resulted in an unpleasant way because God was not present in the final decision making. That is why it is very important that we must draw near to God and let Him influence our decisions so we completely submit ourselves to His Holy Will -- which is good and pleasing and perfect. We can never be led astray when we put complete trust in Him.

Therefore, miraculous events can occur since nothing is impossible for Him. The Blessed Mother herself gave birth to the son of God as a virgin. She was conceived without sin and submitted herself to the Will of God without hesitation, for she trusted His Will and knew it would ultimately satisfy her life -- even with the sufferings and crosses it brought along the way. Mary completely surrendered to God's Will and let Him work the impossible in her life. Not only did she see her son die in agony on the cross, which pierced her heart, but she also saw Him in His glory after the resurrection. So even when we endure the most trying of times, if we give our sacrifice to God and trust His Will anything is possible!

If you feel called on a mission to help someone who is in a difficult situation, pray for them. Let God work through you and into their life. I have entrusted myself to the four saints of the Catholic Church that are patrons of impossible causes and hopeless situations. These saints include St. Jude, St. Rita, St. Philomena, and St. Gregory. (I mentioned these saints in my previous posting). They have given me much comfort, for I know that they can work miracles of any kind -- no matter how great or how small. Just as Saint Augustine said, "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature." Anything is possible if you believe and have faith, entrusting the situation to the Will of God.

I composed a novena prayer dedicated to all four of these saints; deriving from other prayers and novenas from which they have answered to. So when you are down and have lost hope, don't give up. Instead ask the Holy Spirit to lift you up and give you the grace to persevere. Go to these saints to assist you with their miraculous intercession.

One of my friends, who comes from a broken family, told me that for her prayer is a way of healing what has been hurt. Her family situation may never be the same as it was, but with God she is able to retain a true peace of mind and comfort, along with forgiveness. She has completely submitted herself to God in this situation. She understands that maybe it wasn't God's Will for her parents to be together forever, but it was for a moment, for her to be brought into this world. Now, she has no more bitterness or resentment against her parents. She can live peacefully, understanding that anything is possible for God when it is according to His Holy Will.

Novena of the Impossible

O holy saints of impossible causes, St. Jude, St. Rita, St. Philomena, and St. Gregory, I come to you with confidence in my great need. Faithful intercessors, who work so many miracles for all who invoke your unfailing aid, graciously hear me and obtain from God a favorable answer to the request which I humbly lay before thee... (mention petition).

O great saints, to you I have recourse from the depths of my heart and sincerely ask -- to whom God has given such great power -- to come to my assistance on behalf of my earnest petition. Guide and purify my intention, o holy patrons, so that I may obtain what I ask of thee, with the grace to persevere in courage, faith, generosity, and fidelity.

I firmly believe in your great intercession and in return for this favor I promise to make your names known and encourage devotion to each of you. Saint Jude, Apostle of Christ, pray for us. Saint Rita, advocate of the helpless, have mercy on us. Saint Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us. Saint Gregory, the Wonder Worker, hear and answer my prayer. Amen.