Get Your Love

As I walked down the street in my neighborhood about a week ago, the same street my family has lived on for 18 years, I saw it as if for the first time. The sapphire sky seemed to glitter in between the leaves as they waved crisply in the breeze. The golden autumn sun sent out its warm rays to light the branches, some still covered in green, others golden yellow, fiery red, and burnt orange. The breath of God was all around me, the beauty of the touch of His paintbrush all before me, the gentle strength of His hands beneath my feet. I heard that song from my youth in a faint whispering on the wind, "He's got the whole world in His Hands..." Following the strings of the youthful melody came a song from a more recent era: "I think I made You too small. I never feared You at all...What do I know of You, who spoke me into motion...What do I know of Holy?..."

It was then I felt it, the comfort in the knowledge that He has us in His hands. The whole world. We can look up at the domed sapphire sky as He looks down. We can smile into the sun as He smiles down at us. We can feel His breath on our faces in the wind. We walk with Him and He serenades us with the Spirit of Love He has breathed into all of His creation. It's beautiful really, to think that He spoke the earth into motion, that He breathed life into Adam. The breath of God's Love is the source of all life!

There is nothing and no one greater than our God. When I find that I make Him too small by letting thoughts of myself get in the way of love, or by letting my own pride get in the way of kindness, He finds a way to humble me. I have now made it a habit to take moments throughout the day to glance at the sky and smile up at our loving Creator. It certainly helps me to recognize my littleness in this big world! St. Therese wrote, "Jesus is content with a tender look or a sigh of love." He does not want our mindless recitation of old prayers as much as He wants our love, however we find a way to express this love, as long as it is true and from the heart.

It seems that what we ought to do then is let His love radiate through us, let it fill us to the point of overflowing so that every breath we take and every move we make is for love of Him. It is important then to treat the people around us, even the ones we would normally avoid because of their behavior or their appearance, with the respect and the love we have for God. The same breath of love gives each life the same dignity. Once we recognize this, once we come to God and accept His gift, we must help others see it as well. As my six-year-old sister says, "Get your love." Then breathe it in, breathe it out, and come alive again!

The Haunting, Wistful Fragrance of Violets

I recently discovered the Christian author Catherine Marshall when I saw the film A Man Called Peter, which is based on the book she wrote about her late husband. In the film, Catherine stands to speak to a group of young people who have already booed Peter out of a speech. Peter encourages her to step down to escape any possible humiliation, but she stands boldly in front of the crowd and gives the following speech:

[whistling from the boys in the crowd]

If that’s because I’m a girl, thank you boys. And now, if you’ll let me, I’d like to talk, as a girl, to the girls here this afternoon. I know if you boys will listen, they’ll listen too. I’m just as sure that the only reason they’ve been just as rude and silly as you’ve been, is because they have the mistaken idea that you wanted them to be.

I never thought much about being a girl until two years ago when I learned from a man what a wonderful thing it is to be a woman. Until that Sunday morning, I considered myself lucky to be living in the 20th century; the century of progress and emancipation; the century when, supposedly, we women came into our own. But I’d forgotten that the emancipation of women really began with Christianity.

A very young girl received the greatest honor in history. She was chosen to be the mother of the savior of the world. And when her son grew up and began to teach his way of life, he ushered women into a new place in human relations. He accorded her a dignity she had never known before and crowned her with such glory that down through the ages she was revered, protected and loved. Men wanted to think of her as different from themselves, better, made of finer, more delicate clay. It remained for the 20th century, the century of progress, to pull her down from her throne.

She wanted equality. For 1900 years, she had not been equal. She had been superior [emphasis hers]. To stand equally with men, naturally she had to step down. Now, being equal with men, she has won all their rights and privileges; the right to get drunk, the right to swear, the right to smoke, the right to work like a man, to think like a man, to act like a man. We’ve won all this, but ought we to feel so triumphant when men no longer feel as romantic about us as they did about our grandmothers; when we’ve lost something sweet and mysterious; something as hard to describe as the haunting, wistful fragrance of violets?

Of course, these aren’t my original thoughts. They are the thoughts I heard that Sunday morning. But somehow, some thoughts of my own were born and the conclusion reached that somewhere along the line, we women got off the track.

Poets have become immortal by remembering on paper a girl’s smile. But I’ve never read a poem rhapsodizing over a girl’s giggles at a smutty joke or I’ve never heard a man brag that his sweet heart or his wife could drink just as much as he and become just as intoxicated. I’ve never heard a man say that a girl’s mouth was prettier with a cigarette hanging out of it or that her hair smelled divinely of stale tobacco.

[applause]

And that’s all I have to say. I’ve never made a speech before.

I just love it.

A Blessed Anniversary: A tale from my semester abroad

Two years ago today, I was in Lisieux, France, the hometown of St. Therese, celebrating the beatification of St. Therese's parents, Louis and Zelie Martin. I will never forget the experience.

The week before the beatification, I had been on a mission trip at Lourdes, serving in the holy baths, assisting North American pilgrims, and attending special Masses, services, and processions devoted to Our Lady of Lourdes. It was one of the most spiritually enriching and life-changing experiences I have ever had. The first night we arrived at Lourdes, I immediately went with a few girls to explore the grotto, where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858, 150 years previous. As we crossed the bridge over the river that night, we beheld a scene that I concluded must be heaven itself: a candlelit procession of thousands of pilgrims around the Rosary Basilica grounds into the grotto as the traditional Marian hymn, "Ave Maria" was sung.

The rest of that week was spent in humble service and prayer, and each of us serving there was touched deeply by the experience. Many of us had the idea that we wanted to attend the beatification in Lisieux on our return trip, but we weren't sure if we would be able to make it so we didn't make any hotel reservations. By the end of the week though, several of us knew that we simply could not pass up the experience, even if it meant sleeping in the train station. So there we found ourselves that Saturday evening, wandering homeless, feeling a little like Mary and Joseph on Christmas Eve. No one had room for us. We even asked if some places would allow us to just rest in their lobbies--no such luck. We were exhausted after a long week and prayed that we would find affordable shelter. Finding nothing, we began our trek back to the train station.

By the time we reached it, we saw that it was closed, but there were several more students from Lourdes who had arrived. One girl (who was fluent in French) was speaking to a priest and another man who we later found out she had met on the train. The man told us that he happened to have beds enough for the 11 of us. He drove us out of the small town into the moonlit French countryside. We knew we were taking a risk going with this stranger, but we trusted that since we had served Our Lady all week, she would find us a place to rest, even if it was a lowly stable! We arrived at an adorable cottage with exactly enough beds for all of us. As the man left, he also arranged for taxis for us the next morning to take us to the Basilica for the beatification. When we tried to offer the man money, he refused saying, "When you come to Lisieux, you

have to learn to accept gifts. Accept this gift as a grace from God."

When we arrived at the Basilica the next morning, the top level was already full, but we found front row seats in the crypt, where we watched the service above us on a screen. I prayed for everyone I knew during our more than two hour wait, especially my Little Flowers household, past, present and future. The Mass itself was in French

so we didn't know exactly what was going on, but we could tell by the cheering and applause from the people around us when the Cardinal pronounced Venerable Louis and Zelie Martin as Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin in the year of their 150th wedding anniversary. It was the most beautiful celebration for a wedding anniversary I have ever witnessed,

and I am so blessed that I was able to be there! I knew that my patron St. Therese had helped guide me there.

Ever since that experience, that whole week culminating in such a beautiful celebration of the holy sacrament of marriage, I have felt a deep desire for something that holy and pure. Whether God calls me to religious life or marriage, I want to live out my vocation and my whole life solely for Him. I know that this period of being single has its purpose, and each day that passes I desire greater holiness for me and my future spouse.

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, pray for us!

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us!

A Message from Your Mother: Write these words upon your hearts...

Every summer my family vacations at a small lake in a one-light town in northern Indiana. As children, we picked out certain landmarks along the way to mark how much longer it would take for us to get there. As we passed through Rome City, just minutes before we reached the lake house, we always looked to the right at Sylvan Lake to catch a glimpse of the single house that rests on the tiny island in the center. I didn't know until this week that what we were missing on the left was Sylvan Springs, the place where Our Lady appeared to Sister Mary Ephram in 1956.

I have heard of the Marian apparitions in Fatima and Kibeho, and have visited places such as Lourdes and Medjugorje, but I never knew that Our Lady had appeared more than fifty years ago a mere minutes from our family's home away from home. Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Lourdes, but asked to be called Our Lady of America. She was pleased that the National Basilica in Washington was devoted to her Immaculate Conception, and asked that it become a place of special pilgrimage. She came with a special message and desire to save our country:

“My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the Soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son...."

"My humble one, my small flower, we must have more souls who love, love unselfishly and without reserve. Who does anything who does not love?..."

"Write these words upon your hearts, my dear children, because of the compassion I have for you in my Immaculate Heart....''

It is like I mentioned in my previous post--we often don't think of our souls or the souls of others enough. But when we leave this earth, our souls are all we take with us.

I encourage you to go here to download the messages of Our Lady of America and learn more about her special message for our country!

The Choice

Since October is Respect Life month, my mind has been working around the issues of life and death. When I was younger and complaining about the injustice of it all, my mom explained that changing the laws won't matter unless we also change hearts. It's true. The government could overturn Roe v. Wade, and then the states would decide for themselves whether a mother was justified under law to have her unborn child murdered. But if we change their hearts so that they see how disgusting it is that this is even an option, there will be little to no need for laws. It just seems like common sense to me, that it's wrong to destroy life at its most innocent, precious, helpless stages. Why are we so surprised when kids go to school with guns when their generation is not even safe within the confines of their mothers' wombs?

It is a culture of death that, sadly enough, goes beyond abortion. Hearts have been corrupted by lies. They buy into the instant pleasures the world offers, and they seek success so that they can gain more of these pleasures. People seem to have forgotten about God because they have what they need for a comfortable, secure life. God's "rules" interfere with that, so they disregard Him completely. But when this life is over--and we never know when it will be--where will these shriveled hearts go? God does not "send people to hell." They choose to go.

This is a choice we all have. We can choose to love God with everything we have and everything we are, and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Or we can choose to ignore Him, to reject Him, to say, "That's not for me" and spend eternity in misery. Really, God's "rules" don't seem like such when we love Him, when we want to please Him, when we see the world as He sees it. When we ask for it, He gives us His Heart and His Love to share with the world. St. Therese wrote that most people don't think about death enough. She didn't mean that we should think of death in a depressing, paint-your-fingernails-black-and-hate-the-world kind of way, but in a Gladiator, "What you do in this life echoes in eternity" kind of way. If we choose lies now, we will spend eternity in darkness. If we choose truth, we will live in the Light.

It makes me wonder, thinking about faith and salvation as this choice we have between life and death, why do we try to be politically correct about it? Why do I try so hard not to make other people feel uncomfortable when I want to speak of God's love? "Let sleeping dogs lie," I suppose. But these aren't dogs. These are people, humans created in the image and likeness of God, brothers and sisters on this earth. If we truly believe that what we believe is the True Way to eternal life, that all sin leads to death, why do we keep silent?

I admit that I know the answer for me: I can be incredibly shy around others, so I found a peaceful existence in being an overly polite person who has limited, surface-deep interactions with others to keep from making anyone feel too uncomfortable. I can sit behind my computer and my journals and write things like this, but when it comes down to it, I am silent when it counts, when it is a matter of life and death. So here I make my choice to break out of this peaceful, comfortable existence. I want to stir things up. I cannot do it alone, but "The Good God does not need years to accomplish His work of love in a soul; one ray from His heart can, in an instant, make His flower bloom for eternity." (St. Therese)

The Revolution

Four years ago a revolutionary began his fight in the streets of Salzburg, Austria. He is not the kind of revolutionary that carries a gun or a sword, but the kind that carries a guitar (and a bottle of Montreal Steak seasoning, just to shake things up a bit).

In Kevin Heider's newest album, The Salzburg Revolution, he spreads truth and love with both humor and solemnity. His lyrics attest to the depth and beauty of the human spirit in a unique and powerful way. The songs on this newest album are the kind that people will find themselves singing along with while also thinking, "He has a point there." The sad truth he tells in "Sha-la-la: The Peace and Harmony Song" is that in the "politically correct" society we live in (a society that fears making others uncomfortable) the only words we can all sing together in "peace and harmony" are "sha la la...."--a whole lot of nothing. This song sets the tone for the rest of the album telling listeners that he is not here to make them happy and comfortable. He is here to speak the truth.

Every song on the album is unique: "Themes of spiritual and social consciousness permeate his passionate melodies and poetic lyrics throughout, as terrorists, peacemakers, sinners, saints, God, mermaids, and musical revolutionaries all get top billing on this eclectic compilation..." Songs range from the upbeat and playful "Annie of the Sea," to the ballad of "The Salzburg Revolution," to the heartfelt prayers of "O Life" and "Eyes Wide Open," to the beautiful love song between St. Francis and St. Claire in "Chiara." "Brothers is a powerful song on what war really is. The songs "Little Child, Don't Cry" and "O Maria" offer encouragement to the despairing and broken-hearted. "God in Austria" is both a masterfully crafted summary of Kevin's adventures while in Europe as well as a reminder that God is in all things. "Carry Me" reminds us that God carries us through the hard times, even when we can't see Him.

It is impossible to pick out a favorite song from the album--they all are! Kevin's clear voice, catchy songs, and masterfully poetic lyrics are a breath of fresh air to the music scene. He is revolutionizing the way truth is conveyed in entertainment. Check out his music and spread the word that this is the beginning of a new revolution (and the heart of rEVOLution is LOVE). The world has fallen into a false peace and harmony full of sha la las. It's time to spice things up a little bit. Kevin uses music (and Montreal Steak seasoning). I use my words. What will you use?

Find Kevin Heider at his website, on iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon MP3, and Facebook. Listen. Love. Join the revolution!

Get A Life

For my dad's birthday today, he signed up our family for an hour of prayer outside the abortion clinic that stands in our community. We've been going there to pray almost as long as I can remember, and it's just a testament to my parent's dedication to life that it was my dad's ideal way to spend his birthday. As we paced along the sidewalk of the busy street praying our rosary, we heard someone call out their window, "Get a life!"

The irony.