Sunday, March 31, 2013

Alleluia!

The Fifteenth Station: Jesus is Risen!!!!

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 


"Then the angel spoke, addressing the women: 'Do not be frightened. I know you are looking for Jesus the crucified, but He is not here. He has been raised, exactly as He promised.'" (Matthew 28:5-6)



 Alleluia! Alleluia!
Happy Easter Everyone!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Stations of the Cross

The First Station: Jesus is condemned to death

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world
"When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak, Pilate said to the, 'look at the man.'" (John 19:5)


The Second Station: Jesus takes up His cross

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world

"When they had finished mocking Him, they stripped Him of the purple, dressed him in His own clothes and led Him out to crucify Him." (Mark 15:20)


The Third Station: Jesus falls the first time

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"He advanced a little and fell to the ground, praying that if it were possible this hour might pass Him by. He kept saying, 'Father, you have the power to do all things. Take this cup away from me. But, let it be as You would have it, not as I'" (Mark 14: 35-36)


The Fourth Station: Jesus meets His mother Mary

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world

"When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son.' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother.' And from that hour onward the disciple took her into his home." (John 19: 26-27)


The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"As they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene who was coming in from the fields. They put a crossbeam on Simon's shoulder for him to carry along behind Jesus." (Luke 23:26)


the Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

 "Then the just will ask Him and say, 'Lord when did we see you hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and welcome You or clothe You in Your nakedness?' The king will answer them, 'I solemnly assure you, whatever you did for the least of My brothers and sisters, you did for Me.'" (Matthew 25:37-40)


the Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world

"It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that He endured. He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon Him was the chastisement that make us whole, and by His stripes we are healed." (Matthew 25:37-40)


the Eighth Station: Jesus comforts the women of Jerusalem

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"A great crowd followed Him, including women who beat their breasts and lamented over Him. Jesus turned to them and said: 'Do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children'" (Luke 23:27-28)


the Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time 

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

Jesus said, "the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I solemnly assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit." (John 12:23-24)


the Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments 

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world

"Then they crucified him and divided up His garments by rolling dice for them to see what each should take." (Mark 15:24)


the Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross 

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"When they came to the place of the Skull, they crucified Jesus there and the criminals as well, one on His right and the other on His left. Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do'" (Luke 23:33-34)


the Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross 

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"It was around midday, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. Then the veil of the Temple was torn in two. Jesus uttered a loud cry and said, "Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.' After He said this He expired."


[Take a moment to pray in silence...]

 

 

 

 

 

the Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove Jesus the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it, so they came and took the body away." (John 19:38)


the Fourteenth Station: Jesus is placed in the tomb 

We adore You oh Christ and we praise You,
because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world 

"Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his own new tomb which had been hewn from a formation of rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away." (Matthew 27: 59-60)

  

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Integrity, Courage, Love

This is such a beautiful quote by Blessed Mother Teresa. I've always loved it and I hope you like it too! :)

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will winsome false friends and some true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have , and it may never be enough.

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, 

it's between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.


God Bless You! <3

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Ah, public speaking...gotta love it!


We all have something that scares us. No matter what we do, we just can’t conquer that fear. For some of us, maybe it’s a spider, for others, maybe heights; maybe it’s of small places, or getting lost. But no matter what we’ve tried, that fear still grips our mind. You see, our problem is, we try to handle stuff on our own instead of offering it up to God. But God doesn’t leave us to fend for ourselves; He will carry us through our struggles and give us strength to mount up on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, to walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

In the book of Joshua [1:9] we are told to “be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”


For me, I’m terrified of speaking in front of people, which is funny because I wish I could be a catholic speaker (ironic, right?) I know I dream big, but hey, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” (Phil. 4:13) I have wanted to conquer this fear for forever now! I’ve tried reading more in the class room (yes, I’m even scared to read in front of my classes at school) I’ve helped out more with my youth group and reading and speaking in front of them, but every time I get up there and I see everyone looking at me, I start shaking and my voice gets really quiet and I stutter and it’s just not a pretty sight. I’ve gotten better, but I’m still nervous. I even get nervous practicing before I go up in front of people!


Towards the beginning of the school year, I had made a video for my youth group on adoration (sorry I can’t post the video online) and we played it at youth group right before our first adoration of the school year. (Movie making is just one of my hobbies and I’ve gotten pretty good at it, if I do say so myself) My priest, who knows how much adoration means to me, was in the church when we played the video and he gave me thumbs up as he was watching it. After adoration was over, I went back to tell him thank you and he told me that he really enjoyed the video and asked if I would be willing to share it at the other church that he is pastor for. Of course I said yes! I was so excited that Father approved of my video and liked it enough to share it with the other church that I didn’t realize what he was asking me at first. Then he asked me if I would do a presentation on the Eucharist along with the video… Ah public speaking, such a wonderful thing…

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6) This is the bible verse that popped into my head when Father asked me if I would give a talk…and I said yes. So, for the past couple months I have been editing my witness to surround the Eucharist.


As I was writing this blog post, I decided to look up bible verses on fear and I found one I really like and I hope you like it too. It’s from the letter to the Hebrews [13:6] “we can confidently say, ‘the Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” how true!? So often we worry about what other people think of us, “but in the end, it was never between you and them, it was between you and God.” (Mother Teresa)

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)


Next time you have to face something that scares you, remember that nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37)


“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. ...” (Psalm 27: 1-14)

God Bless You!!! :)