He is Risen, Alleluia! ( Finally, I can say Alleluia again!)

Happy Easter to all!  Yes Easter Sunday was yesterday, but the Easter Season has just begun.  The Easter Season lasts until Pentecost, if you didn't know.  However, I think we should celebrate Our Lord's  resurrection everyday and remember that He is our salvation.

That being said, I still love the Lenten season so much and always try to take that time and focus on one subject or book. 

This Lent I finished (can I get a Hallelujah?!?!) the Sermons of St. Francis de Sales For Lent. I began these last year during Lent, but they are so packed with spiritual lessons, I had to set it aside to complete these in 2014. 

An example of the wisdom shared in this book: in St. Francis' final sermon (for Good Friday), he compares/contrasts Judas and the bad thief on Calvary against St. Peter and the good thief. I never had heard this comparison before and my mind was blown.  I have read over the Gospels many, many times, but never would have put this together. 

This is why I think everyone should study the writings of saints and early church fathers.  They have so much insight and it is all written out us to study and learn from their wisdom.

So if you have never studied any writings of saints, pick out your favorite saint and see if they have anything to study (May I suggest St. Francis de Sales) and check the library for their work (especially if your church has a library). 

I Must Admit My Failings

I have not been following through will all my resolutions from the last post.  I still go to my Bible study, however, I have not been reviewing the material before and digging deeper with these readings.  However, I do try harder to be more engaged while at the study.

I am reading for the season, The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales For Lent. But this somehow doesn't seem like study- more like prayer than anything else.  His sermons are so dense, I sometimes only read a page or two a day and find myself meditating on his words and trying to better follow the Lord.  I don't think that is bad, but I don't call this "study" either. 

St. Francis de Sales

Looking ahead, I did buy a book about how to share the faith.  I will keep that until I get to the Challenge part of Evangelization.  Until then, I'll carry on with Bible Study and a few Lenten presentations given at my church.

Next up - Study!



So I'm on to the second phase of this Challenge - Study!

I do have to say, this doesn't seem to speak to me much since I tend to do a lot of reading in different areas of the Catholic Faith.  But is reading really the same as studying? 

Per Kelly's book, The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, a person would be more engaged if they read Catholic books.  But also it may be that they read Catholic books because they are already engaged.

I guess I'm at a point in my faith where I need more in depth study of the faith. So what to do?  Well, I have a few studies that I could do, but that doesn't seem interesting to me right now.

I do already attend a Bible Study group weekly, so I have decided to be more present and aware during this meeting.  Also, I will be looking up more information, about what we would most likely be covering for that week, before I attend.  I want to get more out of this. 

I'm not sure what else I could really add right now.  What do you think I should/could do?

I've Waited and Voila....

Nothing new.

Well actually, I think I am backsliding a bit and I am just now trying to gain back a little momentum to end my time focusing on the first sign of Prayer.

I can't believe that the 3 months is almost over and I know there must be some change that has occurred in my faith/prayer life.  I just think that I am too close to it, to see what really is happening. Or I'm maybe 3 months is not enough to really make much progress.

Or maybe, I'm still waiting on God as deep prayer is a gift that He gives us.  We really can't make communion with God happen.  Vocal prayers, yes I can make that happen. Meditation, yes, that too.

But true contemplation, that is a gift from God and all I can do is make myself as ready as I can to receive that gift.  What being ready means...well I'll let the great St. Teresa tell us:

 Once we have done our part to recollect ourselves and to give ourselves to the Lord, he takes us at our word and give us the Prayer of Quiet. This is a supernatural state and is thus beyond our control. It is a pure gift that we “can only receive . . . with thanksgiving.”
                                                               -St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection

Recollect and then give myself to the Lord.  I don't know about you, but to completely give everything of me to the Lord is not coming so easily.  I almost say that I stubbornly refuse to give certain things in my life to God. 

Can I give Him all my worry?  I'm sure that He could handle it, but then what would I do with all that time I spend worrying....hmmm I kind of see where this is going. 

Can I give Him my sins, my health problems, my tiredness, my emotions, my heart....

There's a lot a girl would have to give and while it sounds like a no brainer to give these to Him, it is not easy (at least for me)!

Although patience is not my strong suit, I really have no other choice for now, but to remain faithful and surrender what I am able and ask the Lord to help me give the rest to Him.  And hopefully I can continue to maintain my prayer habits I have tried to cement during this time while I move on soon to the next of the four signs Kelly presents...

Challenge Myself...Why would I do that!

How many challenges have you put yourself through in your lifetime.  Me....absolutely none!  Up until this point, anyway.  And the only reason I am doing this one is because IT HAS TO BE DONE! 

I recently picked up a book (imagine that, me pick up a book...more on why this should not surprise anyone in a later post) and it seemed like it would just be another rehashing of the same old ideas and a finger-wagging book.  It was just going to tell me what I was doing wrong, or not doing as a  Catholic to be a "good Catholic".  Or it was going to tell me that what I was already doing is what should be done.  The latter would be, I suppose, worse for me as that would be a waste of space on my bookshelf!  A horrible crime if you ask me.

Instead, Matthew Kelly's book, Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, has inspired me to challenge myself to grow in the four areas he proposes are significant to engaging Catholics in their faith.  Not that I don't find myself in what Kelly would consider to be the "engaged" category already. By his description, I would most likely would be considered engaged. However, I'm hoping this will spur me on to an even more involved state and inspire those around me to a deeper faith. Besides, I know there are definitely areas that I need to improve if I'm going to live my faith fully...I don't really know anyone that can't say the same.

And that brings me to this challenge- the game changer (at least for me).  In order not to just set this book on the shelf and say, "Well that has some great ideas," I knew I needed something to get me to follow-through and apply what I had read.  I don't write professionally (as I'm sure that is apparent), but I do know that writing down my thoughts and experiences helps them solidify and sink into my life.  I want to be dynamic in my faith and this is my attempt to do so.

My plan is to take each of the signs and focus on it for 3 months, making the challenge a daunting, but doable, year long.  What that "focus" entails, I don't know exactly.  I do believe that keeping this challenge in mind daily and bringing that area of my faith before God in prayer (the first sign Kelly mentions) each day will help me discern just what I need to do or learn about that area of my relationship with Christ.  I will try the actions suggested by Kelly as a starting point and I'm trusting that this will all make a difference to me, my family and friends, and to my Lord.

I don't expect anyone to find, let alone follow, this journey I'm about to begin and document.  It's not for others in that sense.  If no one does read this, but I find a greater joy and love for Jesus in this year and can help those around me see that in my daily life, that is enough for me and more than enough to justify putting this out there in the abyss that is now the internet.

Blessed Mother Mary pray for me to follow where your Son leads me in the year to come.

 

 

 

And so I begin...