“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts,
there can be no more hurt,
only more love.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Mother Teresa
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Quote of the Week
“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 Beretta Molla
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Question Box Friday
Q: Why are priests called to practice chastity?
A: Think of it this way: a priest is called to be faithful to his spouse - the Church - the same way that a husband is called to be faithful to his wife and family. A priest takes care of his "family" the same way that a husband takes care of his, except the priest has a spiritual, and not physical, family.
We are children of God made in his image and likeness - we're all called to glorify God with our bodies, which is practicing chastity, but everyone has a specific vocation in which they do this. Priests glorify God by giving their entire selves - body and soul - to the Church.
A: Think of it this way: a priest is called to be faithful to his spouse - the Church - the same way that a husband is called to be faithful to his wife and family. A priest takes care of his "family" the same way that a husband takes care of his, except the priest has a spiritual, and not physical, family.
We are children of God made in his image and likeness - we're all called to glorify God with our bodies, which is practicing chastity, but everyone has a specific vocation in which they do this. Priests glorify God by giving their entire selves - body and soul - to the Church.
Theology of the Body
This past weekend Andrea and I traveled to Indianapolis to attend a conference on John Paul II's Theology of the Body. The conference was presented by Christopher West, a well-known TOB speaker...we had a great time and learned so much about this teaching on human sexuality. The message of TOB is so needed in our culture today, and we found a couple of great resources to help spread this message.
We came home with a couple of these CDs:
These are CDs of Christopher West speaking to college-age students about some of the struggles of living a pure life.
One of the reasons that I personally love Theology of the Body is that it explains the importance and beauty of our human bodies, and how our bodies express our mission as human beings - to love as God loves, in the image of the Trinity. And this is not just for people who are married! It opened up new doors for my life as a single 23 year-old. It gives an awesome vision for what love truly is - a total gift of yourself. TOB really tugged at my heart, and inspired me all the more to live a life of purity - not just because my future husband is worth it, but because it is worth it and so fulfilling to love as CHRIST does. If you are looking to understand "what life is all about," then this is for you!
Here are a few other resources:
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Resisting Temptation
There are many situations in our lives in which we are tempted. It may be something very miniscule or it could be more serious. What is temptation? Every temptation is a lie. It is a lie that tries to tell us that something evil is good. It may feel good or satisfy an immediate need we have. However this is not what we truly need, it is actually a lie that is making something evil look good.
Sexual temptation tries to distract us from the true and pure beauty in which sex was created. This trains us to think about our sexuality selfishly and look at it as what can I get. It might ask how can I use this person to satisfy myself. Love looks at what I can give and is looking out for the other’s best interest which is truly the purpose of sex.
Understanding the difference between good and evil is something we are all capable of as intellectual beings. Please look at temptation for what it is and make the conscious decision to resist temptation and serve the purpose that we were created for in each of our lives.
Sexual temptation tries to distract us from the true and pure beauty in which sex was created. This trains us to think about our sexuality selfishly and look at it as what can I get. It might ask how can I use this person to satisfy myself. Love looks at what I can give and is looking out for the other’s best interest which is truly the purpose of sex.
Understanding the difference between good and evil is something we are all capable of as intellectual beings. Please look at temptation for what it is and make the conscious decision to resist temptation and serve the purpose that we were created for in each of our lives.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Quote of the Week
"Life teaches us, in effect, that love - married love - is the foundation stone of all life."
- John Paul II
Friday, November 13, 2009
Question Box Friday: What is a real man?
“What’s a real man? He’s not a bully or a wimp. He transcends his own ego, his own fears, his own selfishness, and sacrifices himself as a gift to those he’s called to protect.” – Philip Mango
I don’t personally know much about being a real man, because I don’t have experience in this. However, I know from a woman’s perspective that we are drawn towards a man who does all of the above as Philip Mango has said. It is also important to become the real, true, and purist version of ourselves.
Transcending one’s ego is a lot easier said than done. I struggle with my own pride and have found that when I can admit that I am nothing without my source of strength it is much easier to give that praise and honor back to God. I have also found that my fears tend to lead to my struggle with pride. In order to counteract my fears, I tend to overemphasize my confidence to cover up my lacking. This is a common defense mechanism that I have come to recognize in myself. In admitting and accepting my fears, I am able to overcome this defense of pride. In transcending one’s ego, one is also being selfless, which is the opposite of being selfish.
We are called to love as Christ loves and give as Christ gives. Christ laid down his life for the whole world, are we willing to do the same? A good starting point is to go home and love your family. Mother Teresa said, “If you want world peace, go home and love your family first.” I am inspired by this quote to do whatever I can in small ways to promote love and peace in the world, by first becoming the best person that I can be.
I don’t personally know much about being a real man, because I don’t have experience in this. However, I know from a woman’s perspective that we are drawn towards a man who does all of the above as Philip Mango has said. It is also important to become the real, true, and purist version of ourselves.
Transcending one’s ego is a lot easier said than done. I struggle with my own pride and have found that when I can admit that I am nothing without my source of strength it is much easier to give that praise and honor back to God. I have also found that my fears tend to lead to my struggle with pride. In order to counteract my fears, I tend to overemphasize my confidence to cover up my lacking. This is a common defense mechanism that I have come to recognize in myself. In admitting and accepting my fears, I am able to overcome this defense of pride. In transcending one’s ego, one is also being selfless, which is the opposite of being selfish.
We are called to love as Christ loves and give as Christ gives. Christ laid down his life for the whole world, are we willing to do the same? A good starting point is to go home and love your family. Mother Teresa said, “If you want world peace, go home and love your family first.” I am inspired by this quote to do whatever I can in small ways to promote love and peace in the world, by first becoming the best person that I can be.
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