St. Cecilia

Today is the feast day of St. Cecilia. It’s the day in which we recognize her and remember her for her sainthood and reflect on her strong faith and perseverance.

St. Cecilia was born an only child. She was given away in marriage by her parents in an arranged marriage (which was custom of the time). She married a man by the name of Valerian. Cecilia would not have relations with her husband. She informed him that she was to remain a virgin and that she was betrothed to an angel. Valerian demanded to see this angel so Cecilia sent him away to be baptized as a Christian. Upon his return, he too saw the angel of which Cecilia spoke, and together devoted their lives to God in purity.

At the time of St. Cecilia’s life, Christianity was under attack and Valerian was sentenced to death for his faith. It was decided that since Valerian was going to die, that Cecilia was to as well. Cecilia would not give up her virginity nor her faith in order to spare her life. Officials tried to smother her with steam but they were unsuccessful. They tried to behead her three times and yet she still remained alive.

Three days later she finally perished. It is said that she would not die without receiving Holy Communion first.

St. Cecilia later became the patron saint of music – because she was singing praises to God on her death bed.

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My connection with St. Cecilia was by accident.

When one is confirmed, they take on a saint name. The purpose of this is to find a saint in which you want to emulate for your life – one who you look up to.

That’s not why I chose St. Cecilia. I do believe however, that she chose me.

When it was time for my confirmation I was going through the motions. I didn’t really understand this whole saint name picking but had to do it in order to get confirmed. I had no knowledge of any saints to make an informed decision and I really didn’t want to do much work in order to find one. In the little research that I did, I discovered St. Cecilia and decided that she would be the one in which I would choose – solely because my father’s mother – who passed away 5 years before I was born (fun fact: I was also supposed to be born on the day of her passing 5 years later) – was named Cecile. I thought it would be a nice gesture to incorporate her name into my life. My father was touched and very proud.

It wasn’t until years later that St. Cecilia started to do work in my life – that I could see.

As mentioned before, St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music. 10+ years later it was discovered that I could actually sing pretty good – and I’ve been involved in music ministry of sorts since then.

St. Cecilia’s feast day is on November 22nd – the day of my closest friends birthday – which is highly coincidental but very meaningful to me anyway.

St. Cecilia valued her virginity. She is a role model for me to look up to. She was killed because of her belief in God – something that if I was ever in that situation, I hope one day to emulate.

St. Cecilia – pray for us!

“How deeply you’re connected to my soul”

There is a song written by Shania Noll entitled “How Could Anyone?”

The song is a bit repetitive but it has significant meaning to me. Here are the words:

How could anyone ever tell you,
You are anything less than beautiful
How could anyone ever tell you,
You are less than whole
How could anyone fail to notice
That you’re loving is a miracle
How deeply you’re connected to my soul

There’s some music in the background, but it repeats. This song has touched the lives of many women who have taken part of a lay movement called ACTS (which stands for Adoration Community Theology Service).

Today when trying to come up with a blog title, this song came to mind.

How deeply you’re connected to my soul

Whenever I’ve heard this song, I’ve always thought of my friend Sandy who would sing it in my ear while hugging me. Today though, I find myself thinking of my grandfather.

Today is his birthday – his 10th one in heaven. He would’ve been 75 today. Even though it’s been 10 years since he’s walked this earth, he is still terribly missed. It’s a bittersweet occasion (every May 18th and January 16th when he died) because while my humanness and selfishness wants him to be here with me, I know that he is in such a better place – at Home where he belongs.

My grandfather was the first person to really immerse me in my Catholic faith. My mother would bring us to mass – not every Sunday – but I always remember my grandfather going – sometimes daily – and he always had a set of rosaries close by. He was such an example of faith to me growing up.

I know that he is with me today – and every day. He is a heavenly being – not just bound to heaven. There is a whole spiritual world that goes on around us that we usually cannot see.

I had a friend of mine make a scoffing remark about whether I was going to “visit him at his grave” – complete with chuckle. And I had to pause and think for a minute. I’ve never understood why non-Catholics have been taught to believe that once someone is dead, they are dead and they can never hear you again. Yes, their body is dead but we are not just made up of bodies – we have a soul. It’s their soul that goes on living in eternity. Why would we not be able to communicate with the Body of Christ? They are baptized members of the Church – it is their soul that gets the graces – not their bodies. Even when you were baptized, it was your soul that received the blessings and grace and forgiveness and mercy of Christ – not your physical body.

While I don’t go around having full fledged conversations with “the dead”, I will talk to those who have passed (ie. loved ones, saints, etc). They are a part of my soul – part of the Body of Christ. I can’t see God. I can’t see Jesus. I can’t see the Holy Spirit. And while they are all of divine nature and are elevated to a different plateau then normal everyday folk, I still believe they are present and around me. I may not hear them speak my name, but I know within my soul that they are there. I believe the same to be true of those who have passed on before me – including the saints.

It’s the gift of faith.

Happy Birthday Pepere. I hope you are celebrating your 10th birthday in heaven with style! You are loved…

Food for thought…

“Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.”

- St. Francis de Sales

All Saints day

Today marks the feast of All Saints day. The following is an excerpt from my daily saint book:

Today we honor all the saints, known and not know, famous and not so famous. From as early as the fourth century, “all the martyrs” have been honored collectively. Certainly by the year 800, the feast of All Saints was firmly established as part of the Church year.

Today is a good day to remember all those people–in addition to all the official saints–who have touched your life. Your grandmother. Your parents. A beloved teacher. A good friend. Anyone who has made the love of God a reality in your life.

Right now, why not take a few minutes and give thanks for everyone in heaven whom you love and who loves you. In other words, blessed be all the saints! source

Happy All Saints day to all my Catholic friends!

Prayers

Two Catholic prayers I hold dear to my heart:

Memorare
Remember, O gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known. That anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence we fly unto thee oh virgin of virgins our Mother. To thee to we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful. Oh Mother of the word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer them.                                            Amen.

Prayer to St. Michael
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou, Oh prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls.                                                            Amen.

Wretched

“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain”                         St. Padre Pio

I’m a sinner.

A sinner unworthy of Christs’ love and even more unworthy of His calling.

God has opened my eyes to several of my weaknesses over the past few days…and I feel so sickened that my behavior isn’t always Christ-like.

Last night during  youth group, I was teaching on listening to God’s voice. Listening to hear Him calling you…to hear Him leading the way for you…to hear which direction He wants you to go in life. I was on fire…both literally, and figuratively. The words coming out of my mouth were plentiful, and the kids were a captive audience for 45 minutes (and would’ve been for longer had we had more time). It was such an awesome experience. To stand there and discuss discernment, even in my own life…and how I’ve heard God speak to me.

As I drove home, I realized just how much of a sinner I am.  Reflecting back on my journey and how I’ve heard His voice…I realized just how wretched I am.

The band Casting Crowns says it better than I ever can:

“Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth, would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt. Who am I, that the voice that calms the sea would call out through the rain, and calm the storm in me. Not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are…”

I am not worthy. I am a wretched sinner. Yet He loves me anyway. Yet He continues to use me and call me by name. It is because of His mercy and grace that I am able to even speak His name…to have faith in Him…to know Him. The gift of faith is one of the most precious gifts one could ever receive. What a blessing it is to have been given it.

“I am the wretch that the song refers to…”

St. Francis of Assisi

“Above all the grace and gifts that Christ gives to His beloved is that over overcoming self”
St. Francis of Assisi

Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis is one of the most well known saints in Catholicism. He gave up everything he had to follow God and to teach others about Christ.

The above quote speaks right to my heart. It truly is a gift to be able to give up oneself to fully be present to Christ…one that most people will not receive in their lifetime.

St. Francis, pray for me. Pray that I might be able to seek God’s gift of totally overcoming myself.

Pain and suffering

“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain” (saying of Padre Pio).

Today, Catholics around the world celebrate the feast day of St. Padre Pio and remember him for who he was and all that he brought to us.

Padre Pio had the gift of stigmata – the piercings of the nails in his hands and feet, and the lashes at his side…just like Jesus. He knew what it was like to feel pain and suffering. He didn’t let it deter him though, from doing his work and the work that God had sent him to do.

“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain” (saying of Padre Pio).

I think that is one of my new favorite quotes. As Christians we are always fighting with ourselves…with the outside world…with the demons that surround us. In the end though, it makes and shapes us into the beautiful person that we are meant to be. It is through the struggles and difficult moments, that we are able to blossom out of them…to grow, not only on our own, but most importantly, closer to God.

Strive to be examples of Holiness

Today’s Saint of the day: St. Bartholomew
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=390

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

I came across this passage from a blog that I follow…and it totally hit home. I’m going to break it apart, and shed my thoughts upon this verse.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
A great cloud of witnesses. I’m sure we all know people who have helped us along our faith journey. People who are in every sense of the word, every day witnesses to Christ and His love, and His example. The more we surround ourselves with people like that, the deeper our relationship with God will grow.
We all need mentors in our lives…people that we look up to…people to help lead us. There have been people who have gone before us who fit that mold as well as people who are still here lifting us closer to our Heavenly goal. I have two people who, in my opinion, served the Church, the world, and God with all that they could: Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II. If you don’t know much about their great works, I’d invite you to learn more about them. They were human, as you and I were, and had their faults, but they left an incredible mark on the hearts of so many people, and have left a legacy of holiness.

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles
Sin. It’s everywhere. No matter who you are, how devout you are towards God, how holy you lead others to believe, we all sin. It’s our human nature, passed down from generation to generation from the very beginning of time. Our goal though, is to void ourselves of sin…to avoid any sins that we may be tempted to commit. It’s much easier said than done, but it’s what we are called to do.
In Catholicism, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. During Reconciliation (also known as Penance), we confess our sins to the priest, who is the visible Christ. The priest is there as a physical representation of Christ. Christ is the only one who can forgive us our sins…and is done so through a process called absolution. (For more information on the process, and history behind the Sacrament of Reconciliation, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm) Once our sins are confessed, the stains on our soul are wiped clean. We are given a Penance to do (some sort of prayer to recite or an action to perform), and our confession is done. With our humanness though, it doesn’t take very long for our soul to be dirtied up again…walking out of the confessional thinking un-Christlike things about the priest or another person, and BAM…you are no longer clean.
It’s very easy to get entangled in sin. It’s important to keep yourself surrounded by those who hold similar values and faith, and who will hold you accountable for your actions and faults.

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
Perseverance. To persevere is to keep on going…not to give up or give in. I think that’s important on any faith journey. Our eye needs to be on the prize…on the goal…and that is an eternal happiness with our Lord. Only God can declare who is worthy enough to enter the gates of heaven. Are you worthy? How do you know you’re getting into heaven?

Let us all strive to be examples of holiness…to one another, and especially to ourselves.