sailing through this world

Sometimes, it feels as if nothing is easy. Nothing is falling into place. It is tempting to give up and think that since it is not easy, it is not meant to be. When I was competing in Irish dance, I was trying to win first place so I would qualify for the national competition. I kept getting second place. I got second place five times before I finally won. I was so frustrated. I was tempted to give up. However, I kept working hard and I appreciated my success so much more because of my difficulties. We are all called to persevere. We are called to be saints and fulfill our role in God's plan. But what does this look like? How can we act as saints in our daily lives? One way is to persevere in our daily struggles and offer up our sufferings to God. St. Josemaria said: A saint is a sinner who keeps trying. How easy is it to place the saints in a separate category? Yeah, they were human, but they were special. They were called by God. They were strong. This is not tru...

Have you ever felt like God is trying to tell you something? Lately, I've felt like God is holding a neon sign trying to get my attention. I'm pretty sure that God is trying to get me to trust Him. Exhibit A: Philippians 4:6-8 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  When I helped start a girls household at St. Gregory's, these verses from Philippians really resonated with us. Since then, I have heard these verses everywhere!  I had to read them for class, I heard them in mass, my friend read them in her brother's wedding, and a s...

Sometimes, when I find myself in a public place like a busy mall or an airport, I look to the people around me and wonder about their lives. Who are they? What are their struggles? Their joys?  Each person we meet has a unique story. This concept was re-impressed upon me when I was assigned to read C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory for one of my classes. Lewis says that, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and there is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”  Each person we meet will one day experience “immortal horrors” or “everlasting splendours.” Yet, it is not black and white—we cannot clearly split people into those who will become saints and those who are doomed to suffer in hell. For only God can know His people’s hearts. It is our duty, as Christians, to treat every s...

I fear nothing for God is with me. --St. Joan of Arc Strength. A word that can be used a variety of contexts. Strength of body, strength of mind and intellect, strength of character, strength of heart...  I've felt a significant call to be strong these past few months. On my 20th birthday this past September, as I turned the page on my teenage years, I decided that my goal for this new part of my life was to become stronger. I wanted to grow in strength. Physically, mentally, emotionally, but especially spiritually. At the time, I wasn't sure why I felt so certain I needed to work on growing stronger. I just felt like that was the thing I should focus on. It's clear now, however, that God was preparing me for the challenges that were ahead. I want to be strong in my faith. I want to be strong in my beliefs. In essence, I want to be strong enough to let go of my fears. I want to be strong enough to trust in God.  Trust. Seems like a simple concept but unfortu...

For my American Literature class this semester I was given the assignment to develop my own philosophy of aesthetics in essay form. Aesthetics is the philosophy of art. My professor wanted the class to spend some time thinking about why they like certain books or movies. Is beauty relative?  Though the assignment seemed kind of strange and abstract at first, I actually really enjoyed writing my essay. I had never really thought about why I thought something was beautiful, but it's an interesting question. What makes a certain art appeal to someone? Can you separate beauty from truth and goodness? I attempt to answer these questions in my essay. Remember, this is just my personal opinion.  “How beautiful!” Though I have muttered these words countless times over my twenty years, I have never spent much time considering why I come to this conclusion. Do I like this movie simply because of the cinematography? Or is it the acting? The storyline? Deciding on whether som...

Alas it is Monday. I'm feeling the effects of this weekend, as I arrived home from Austin yesterday evening after a two day Irish dance competition. The competition went fairly well, it was my first time competing in a year and I was mostly happy with how I danced. My competition is insanely difficult so I wasn't expecting to place very high. But now it's back to real life. I have three weeks before Nationals in New Orleans! Anyway, in case you too and in need of a little motivation this week, enjoy these quotes!

This past week, I started an internship. I am an intern for the Catholic Pro-Life Committee and I am working as a sidewalk counselor this summer. My job is essentially to provide support, help, and options, for women entering abortion clinics. The goal is obviously to save the life of the baby and help the women and their families through whatever difficulties they are facing. I have been Catholic and Pro-Life for as long as I can remember. It was how I was raised. I always knew abortion was wrong because it takes an innocent life. It hurts the woman, it kills the baby. However, I also knew that the women who turn towards abortion often do so out of desperation. I always felt empathy for these people. However, after working two days this week, I realized that being aware of abortion and its heartbreaking effects and seeing it with my own eyes were two different things. It's honestly so hard, watching the women walk into the clinic. I imagine the circumstances which lead the...

The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day. -- St. Gianna Molla This quote by my patron, St. Gianna, strikes a chord with me right now. Recently, I've been contemplating the nature of our society (warning: contemplation can be dangerous). I've started to feel that it's really hard to enjoy life in the moment because for as long as I can remember, I've been taught to focus on attaining our next goal. The goal in high school is to get into college, the goal in college is to graduate so you can get a job, and then the goal will be to get a better job and so on.  I don't think setting goals is bad. On the contrary, goal-setting is great, it's motivation to work hard. However, don't forget to enjoy the present. Savor life as it is now. Don't obsess about what's to come. Thank God for today and worry less about tomorrow. As St. Gianna says, live moment by mome...