Simple Prayer for the United States of America

Today the Church celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle.  May the scales fall from the eyes of government officials today.  May they see the thousands of pilgrims who have peacefully entered our Nation's Capitol to pray for a conversion of the United States of America from a Culture of Death to a Culture of Life. Through Christ Our Lord, AMEN.

Bouquets of Love

Bouquets of Love Funny how time doesn't change much!  I originally published this piece on CatholicExchange.com when Elizabeth was 7.  At 13, her creations are different, but she's still my Artist Girl!

Pure Joy!

Last week really flew by as I was preparing the final changes for my Spring Semester courses and making final arrangements for our parish movie screening of Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine.  I had a few sleepless nights and several crazy dreams about the event not going according to plan.  I started to feel rather anxious.  Friday morning, as we were preparing to go to Mass, I mentioned my nervous feelings to my daughter.  She said, "Mom, you shouldn't worry."  I looked at her, and  I believed her!  I replied, "You're right!  St. Padre Pio told people to 'Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry' and that's what I need to do."

When we got to church, I was able to pray without my mind wandering too much, which is rare for me.  I felt consolation during my prayers and as I received Holy Communion, the children's song, "I've Got that Joy, Joy Down in My Heart" played on the jukebox in my mind.  I've been praying the "Daily Pilgrimage to Purgatory" for the past week, and this devotion has strengthened my prayer and meditation time, making it more focused on others and ultimately more fruitful.

On Saturday afternoon we set 400 chairs in the school gym for the movie night.  We had sold at least 225 tickets, and I wanted to be prepared if we sold a lot of tickets at the door.  The turnout exceeded my expectations!  All but 5 rows were mostly full.  We didn't have an accurate headcount of attendees, but a glance at the crowd indicated at least 325-350 in attendance.  The movie was well-received and I believe many lives were touched by the story of St. Augustine's conversion.

Honestly, I was giddy when I saw so many people in the gym, and the excitement continued throughout the evening until the credits rolled and the crowd applauded the film.  I am grateful to our pastor for saying "Yes," when I approached him about bringing the Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine to the parish.  I'm grateful to everyone who helped make it a success.  Mostly, I'm grateful to the Holy Spirit for guiding and encouraging me to begin the earthly work that He clearly finished on Saturday.  One of the women from my parish was congratulating me after the film.  I told her I couldn't have done it without her--she sold at least 39 tickets on her own!  She replied, "When we do our best, God does the rest!"

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for your promptings in my life.  Thank you for the headache I suffered for five days last week--clearly it served some redemptive purpose.  Thank you for releasing souls from Purgatory when they have been purified and are ready to experience the full joy of Heaven.  Thank you for the little joys of each day here on earth that remind us of Your Goodness and Mercy!

Amen.

Struggling to Keep Your Resolutions?

Jennifer Gladen offers some great advice in New Year, New Resolutions.  Calendars are key!

Year of Faith Movie Event

Last year I read The Restless Flame: A Novel About St. Augustine, by Louis de Wohl.  I had read brief biographies about St. Augustine and St. Monica before, but this book gave me a deeper sense of the profound conversion Augustine experienced from his youth as a pagan who had little respect for “womanly” matters, like the Catholic faith of his mother.  He studied rhetoric in Carthage and was a skilled orator who argued against Catholicism.  St. Monica never stopped praying for her son, and St. Ambrose also had a strong influence on his powerful conversion.  Once Augustine met the Truth in the person of Jesus, he was baptized and later went on to become Bishop of Hippo and one of the first four saints to be declared Doctors of the Church.  

When Ignatius Press promoted its film Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine, I recognized a great opportunity for our parish and the San Damiano Youth Group to share a Year of Faith event with the Diocese of Springfield.  The film is currently only available in limited release through sponsored screenings.

In Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter introducing the Year of Faith, he calls the faithful to participate in the New Evangelization.  The letter specifically mentions that

Saint Augustine tells us, “[Believers] strengthen themselves by believing”. Pope Benedicts says, ‘The saintly Bishop of Hippo had good reason to express himself in this way. As we know, his life was a continual search for the beauty of the faith until such time as his heart would find rest in God. His extensive writings, in which he explains the importance of believing and the truth of the faith, continue even now to form a heritage of incomparable riches, and they still help many people in search of God to find the right path towards the “door of faith”.

After St. Paul, St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the most profound conversion stories in our Church history.  His timeless story, from the early 5th Century, speaks to those living in the 21st Century of the Truth, Jesus Christ.  One of my favorite scenes was a debate between the Catholics and the Donatists about which teachings were the true faith.  

Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine will be presented in the St. Stanislaus School Gym in Chicopee, Massachusetts, on Saturday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at both the St. Stanislaus School and at the Parish Office as well as at the door.  For more information about the film the website is www.restlessheartfilm.com. 

Salt and Light

In this New Year, I am making a "resolution" through God's grace to be a Christian in the fullest sense of the word.  Most of us have heard the question, "If Christianity were outlawed in our nation, and you were charged with the crime of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  My resolution in the New Year is to be "guilty as charged!"

At our children's youth group Christmas party this past weekend, on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, we shared in a Polish custom of giving a wish for the New Year while sharing pieces of Oplatek (Christmas wafer).  When I approached one of my friends and shared the Oplatekk, I prayed for her to continue being "salt and light" and told her that when I see her interacting with others, I see "Christ's light" here in the world.  The Holy Spirit clearly moved me to make this prayer for her. Our eyes filled with tears as we gave each other a big hug.

As I reflect on the Oplatek experience, which was very new for me, the words "salt and light" keep coming to mind.  In Matthew 5:13-15, just after our Lord proclaims the Beatitudes in His Sermon on the Mount, he continues:

"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (RSV)

Jesus does not say to boast and proclaim our holiness.  He instructs us to be light through our works to the glory of our Heavenly Father.  

In the movie Pay It Forward (2000) we see a glimpse of what a world could be like if every time someone did something good for us, we committed to do three kind acts for others--not to pay back the person, but to continue the good and spread it everywhere.  The movie, if you haven't seen it, has some hard scenes, including the death of a main character. Evil still exists. But in the tragedy, hope remains because of the movement to "Pay It Forward" that began as school project.

Thirteen years after the movie, and 2000+ years after the Birth of Christ, our world is still broken and evil still exists. The best way we can combat evil, which loves the darkness, is to be light.

How can we be light? Simple kindness and charity (true love) are the best place to begin.  Likewise, reflect Christ's light when others don't see it in themselves.  In our world of instant information, we risk losing the ability to look into another's eyes and recognize Christ in our brothers and sisters.  Make eye contact with those around you.  Listen to their voices.  Notice their pain, their joy, their needs.

In 2013, will you join me to be "Salt and Light," to pay forward the graces and gifts our Lord has granted us three-fold each day, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity?

New Year, Exciting Plans

I've said it before--I love projects and plans and lists.  I tend to treat every week like New Year's Day, so this week isn't much different for me.

Here are a few of the top items my agenda for the beginning of 2013:

1. Promote the Restless Heart Year of Faith Movie Event for The Basilica of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr Parish in Chicopee, MA, on January 19.  Check out our Facebook Page, Western Mass Faith-Based Films. If you are planning to see Restless Heart in Western Massachusetts, get your tickets soon!

2. Finalize my distance education courses to teach this Spring Semester.

3. Get back to school work with my three homeschoolers.

4. Start the 90-Day Bible Challenge using my new Ignatius Press Revised Standard Version that I received as a Christmas gift from my wonderful mother-in-law and father-in-law.  My daughter will be doing the study, too, so it will be a great opportunity for us to grow together in our faith.

5. Finish the laundry room project that I started last summer.

I wish you many blessings in the New Year!