St. Valentine?

It's that time of year again, when society dedicates a day to love and tends to focus only on what is materialistic. Personally, I am pretty neutral on all the controversy regarding this day. If you want to do something extra special with your significant other, go for it! If you're single and want to plan an extra fun night with your friends, that's fantastic. If you want to indulge in sweets and be glum in your singleness, that's fine, we've all had those nights at least once. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with nationally dedicating a day to loving others and expressing your love. However, most would agree our culture has pushed this day further and further down a path of secular, superficial love and ungracious expectations. For me, some questions are raised: why not try to love others the best we can every day? Why don't we ask ourselves if we are contributing to the coldness of our society? Are we really loving each person in our lives as we should? Our culture sure does emphasize expressing love on Valentines day, yet fails to give a second glance at all the lack of love shared between people any other day.. When true love is tested.

When reflecting back on my life the past year, I realized just how much I have learned to love more, more deeply, and what true love consists of. 2014 was quite a year of growth for me, and within just the first two months of 2015, I have continued to grow and learn how to better love. Each year St. Valentines day rolls around, I am reminded of what it means to express your love to those around you. Not just once a year, but every day.

What exactly is St. Valentines day about? Valentines Day is on the feast day of St. Valentine, the Patron of love, young people, engaged couples, and happy marriages. The origin and life of St. Valentine is a bit of a mystery, yet what we do know is that he was a Roman priest during the reign and persecution of emperor Claudius. At that time, marrying Christian couples and helping persecuted Christians was forbidden. St. Valentine refused to give up his Christian faith and did not stop performing his duties as a priest. He was imprisoned, beaten with clubs, and became a martyr when he was beheaded on Feb. 14, AD 270. 

St. Valentine loved God more than himself, he was willing to do what was right, even if it meant losing his life. He teaches us that with love comes suffering and sacrifice, you cannot have one without the other. Love means sacrifice, being selfless, and caring about the soul of the one you love. It means wanting what is best for the one you love, and not what you want for yourself. How different this is from what our society and culture see "true love" to be. 

There is nothing wrong with flowers, chocolate, and other gifts our culture encourages to be exchanged on this day, however, do not be fooled into believing that love is defined in this way and these things should be expected on this day. Love gives and is grateful. Love should be expressed in the little things each day in how we treat not only those we love, but everyone we come in contact with. 

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” 

- Bl. Mother Teresa

We all fall short in loving as we should, we all are broken in our own ways, and there are so many unloved and forgotten souls whom we come in contact with in ordinary, daily life. On this feast of St. Valentine, when the misconceptions and materialisticness of romantic love is glamorized, let's not forget the importance of daily, selfless love that God asks us to practice toward all.

"We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God's compassionate love for others. "
- St. Clare of Assisi

I am blessed with such incredible friends and family who love me more than can be expressed in words here, and I love them all to pieces. You know who you are.

Inspired by cute pun valentines on buzzfeed, I drew my own valentines to give to friends and family this year. Ever since I was little I have always loved making my own cards, so I couldn't resist!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

St. Valentine, pray for us!

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

Human

This year on the March for Life, I didn't want to make my primary purpose to document, like I did the previous two years. However, I did get some footage that I used to make a video. Not the best, but the more videos we have of the March the better!

Feel free to share and let me know what you think!

All Lives Matter

On 21 Jan, a small group of my friends I and left Ann Arbor Michigan to travel with Washtenaw Right to Life on a red-eye bus to Washington D.C. to participate in the 42nd annual March for Life. 

We traveled through the night and arrived at the The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception around 6:30 a.m. for 7:30 a.m. Mass. Half our group of six had never been on the March, and never visited the Basilica before. Although we were sleep deprived, the Mass was beautiful, and the perfect start to the beginning of our journey to the March. 

(where's Connor?!?!)

After Mass we explored all of the beautiful nooks and crannies of the Basilica and made our way to the metro, in order to join hundreds of thousands of others for the rally at the National Mall. We arrived at the rally before it became completely packed with groups from all over the U.S.

Right before the March started, it became so crowded it took quite a lot of energy to try and navigate through the sea of people when making our way to the front. This was my fourth year attending the March, and I have never felt so packed within the crowd when marching. Seeing how many people came to stand up for the unborn and protest abortion filled my heart with joy.

Our generation will bring justice to all our brothers and sisters lost to abortion, and end the injustice still opposed on those in danger of being killed.

On average in the U.S.:

 3,767 babies are killed in abortions per day.

One hour: 157 babies

One minute: 2-3 babies

Throughout the March, my friends and I ran into a handful of familiar faces. It was so wonderful spotting friends from back home. 

Once at the Supreme Court building, we listened to post-abortive women share their abortion testimonies with the Silent No More association. For a little while my group and I listened to the moving stories these courageous women shared. 

As I began to leave the Supreme Court building to cross the street, I walked passed a couple of women holding pro-abortion signs and I stopped to inquire what was taking place. It was an amazing thing to see because there was peaceful dialogue between both sides. We can only pray those still blind to the lies of abortion were impacted for the better after experiencing the March and conversing with those willing to speak with them. 

When we reached the incline uphill toward the end of the March, we all turned around to see the long stretch of the hundreds of thousands behind us. It is one of the most overwhelming parts of the experience, no matter how many times you have seen it before. 

The voices of the millions of unborn children lost to abortion are being heard.

We never have seen, or will see hundreds of thousands of pro-choice people from across the U.S. join together in the winter, to demand abortion. We must continue to stand up for the truth. Not just once a year, but every day until Roe vs. Wade is overcome. 

Being pro-life is so much more than fighting to end legalized abortion. Being pro-life means combating the culture of death in all its forms and building up a culture of life. Opposing the contraceptive mentality and practice, living a pure life to exemplify the virtue of chastity and exposing the lies of glamorized promiscuity. It means communicating the truth to all those around us through gentle charity. Caring for mothers in crisis by donating, and volunteering at pregnancy help centers. Being active in the political sphere by educating the public on pro-life candidates and always voting pro-life. By prayer, prayer, and more prayer, whether at home or outside of abortion clinics. Being pro-life means understanding that all lives matter, all lives are sacred, and all lives have dignity and rights. 

A pro-life lifestyle lived by all will conquer the culture of death. 

Marching with half a million other people from all over the country to end the holocaust of abortion is mind-blowing to say the least. It doesn't end here. We all have to do our part daily to defend the most vulnerable, to help mothers, protect babies, and end this injustice against the dignity and lives of all people. 

We cannot forget the 57 million innocent lives lost in the U.S. alone, the unknown number of lives affected from the past, and our brothers and sisters threatened by abortion right now. It doesn't end here, and we won't stop fighting. 

‪#‎AllLivesMatter‬

~ Ponderings ~

If I truly lived each day on this earth as my only way to get to Heaven, how would my life-style change?
I cannot try to get into Heaven after I die.
My life here on earth is what I have to get to Heaven.
My life here on earth is not my home, it is how I reach my only home.
If I truly use every moment of every day to fulfill my ultimate purpose - holiness and being in Heaven with God forever - how would every aspect of my life change?

What does it mean to not be of the world?
What does it mean to live a life that will bring me to my true home?

What does it mean to be a Roman Catholic? What do I need to do, and change, in my life in order to fulfill my purpose?

I have a choice to make, today and every day of my life.

Am I going to live the life of a Roman Catholic or am I going to live the life of a human being in the secular world?

"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." 
- Matt. 7:14

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

Some Reflections this Advent

Every Advent and Christmas season, I am reminded of just how incredible it is that the King of Kings, my God and Savior, took on human nature, came down from Heaven to live among us, and died for our sins. It is mind-blowing to think about how much love Jesus has for each of us, to do such a thing. The past few years, whenever I reflect on this topic over the Christmas season, I discover a new connection made between God and I. 

Reflecting on His immense humility and love to do this for each of us individually draws me closer and closer to Him. Think about it, Christ left His beautiful heavenly home to live among humans surrounded by the stench of sin. He was willing to set his visible kingship and glory aside, in order to live on earth. He was willing to suffer with us, work with us, form friendships with us, and teach us. He was willing to accept all our injustices toward Him, all our lack of love, and all our insults, out of pure love for us. What humility! Have you ever heard of a more humble king? 

Each time I think of the powerful mystery of the Nativity, I cannot help but want to love Jesus more in return. Jesus did not enter into the world like the Jews always thought the Messiah would. Christ began His mission as a small, innocent, helpless baby boy, born in a stable. A baby boy! This extraordinary form of humility draws my heart straight to Him with increasing force. Not only did Christ entrust Himself to Mary and Joseph’s care, but He also allowed Himself, our God, to be taught as a young child by His parents and other adults in His life. He was humble, obedient and vulnerable.  Out of love for us, Christ made Himself vulnerable to us. 

The more I ponder on this concept of our beautiful Catholic faith, the more I am put in awe. Have you ever heard of a god doing such a thing? Jesus lowered Himself to take on human nature and be like His creatures. As human beings, we are made from dust, distorted from sin, we are miserable and nothing without our God. Can you imagine our God choosing this in order to save us and prove His love for us? Well He did it, and how undeserving we are. Christ did not end there, for three years of His missionary life, with great humility and love He taught us the Truth of His Heavenly Father. He then did the most perfect act of love for the whole world. He suffered and died from the most excruciating torture in the history of mankind for our sake, that we be saved from the clutches of sin to become His brothers and sisters. 

Lately I have been meditating more on the Sorrowful Mysteries while reciting the rosary. I have become more and more overwhelmed at the amount of humility and love Christ had for us by suffering the passion for our salvation. I highly encourage others to meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries and connect with Jesus on a deeper level; it is truly a profound experience. Meditating on the birth of our Lord over the Christmas holiday is also such a beautiful way to connect with Christ personally. By the incarnation of Jesus, the word became flesh, and God’s love was made visible. 

I think St. Alphonsus comments on this subject beautifully, “I think God must have said to Himself: Man does not love Me because he does not see Me; I will show Myself to him and thus make him love Me. God’s love for man was very great, and had been great from all eternity, but this love had not yet become visible…Then, it really appeared; the Son of God let Himself be seen as a tiny Babe in a stable, lying on a little straw.” 

This Advent and Christmas, I hope you will take some time amongst the business of the season to genuinely sit down and think about this topic and reflect on what Christ’s actions of sacrificial love really means. He did this for you, individually, in hope that you might accept His love for you, and love Him back, in order that He can deepen His relationship with you. There is nothing He wants more than that.

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

Our mission: Love

"Of course I'll hurt you. Of course you'll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence." 

- The Little Prince

It hurts to love others. When your heart cares so deeply for each and every person you know, you will get hurt. We are all called to love with all that we are, and to love each person. We are all called to have a sacrificial love, like Christ's.

Sin makes getting hurt and hurting others inevitable. However, this does not mean that we should not still be there for people, give of ourselves, and love others.
Loving until it hurts, is part of becoming a saint.

Choosing to love regardless of the hurt, for the sake of the other person, and for the sake of the love of God, helps prevent the inevitable hurt. Giving of ourselves and expanding our hearts to love each person God places in our lives makes us vulnerable to being hurt. Love makes us vulnerable.

It hurts when your heart aches so much for those you love, but no one's heart aches back for you.
It hurts when love is not returned, when we are forgotten or replaced. But, don't we do this to Christ's heart at a daily basis? How lacerated His Sacred Heart must be from our lack of love for Him.
Christ loves us, even though we do not deserve it. He loves us without forcing us to love Him back. If Christ does this for us, how can we not follow His example and not only love Him in return, but love others the way He does?

Being selfish creatures, it is a constant battle to perfect our charity. Charity is not selfish, charity,"..is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."(1 Cor. 13:5)

The world teaches to love only those who love us, only those who fulfill our needs or do things for us, or those who are worthy of our love. The world teaches that love shouldn't hurt or burden us. To the world, love does not require sacrifice. This is all the exact opposite of true love - the love of God.

Our hearts should model Jesus' most Sacred Heart. His heart loves each and every person with infinite love, but in return what is given? Ingratitude, forgetfulness, and indifference to mention a few. Even from souls closest to Him. He loves without counting the cost; He loves even if love is not given back in return; He loves the unworthy.

We are all called to love with a perfect love centered on Christ.
Our mission is to love.

"Teach me, O Lord, to love my neighbor even when not loved by him, to love him with no concern for my own benefit, but solely because You love me, solely to repay Your gratuitous love. Then I shall fulfill the commandment of the law: to love You above all things, and my neighbor as myself." 

- St. Catherine of Siena 

~ Autumn Bliss ~

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, a close second to summer.
I simply love sweater weather. Layering, tights, boots, gloves, warm hats, and my one weakness - scarves. You can almost always catch me wearing a scarf during this season. Not only is the fashion extremely cute and classy, but I can be modest without burning up. I love bundling up. Don't get me started on the yummy cider and donuts, my mom's beloved pumpkin rolls, fun filled cidermill trips, pumpkin carving, hot cups of tea, and warm bonfires with star filled nights, unless you want to witness the longest post in blog history.
I love it all.

Aside from the fashion and other delights of autumn, I am captivated by the immense beauty of the vibrant golden nature that surrounds me. Going on walks, breathing in the crisp fall air and the scent of the changing season, brings so much peace and strengthens my spirit. As I watch the autumn season unfold and lay in the fallen leaves, it is impossible for my mind not to want to think deeply about life and ponder on different ideas and thoughts.

Last fall, I wrote a close friend whom I greatly admire, my perception or "analogy "of fall. My simple thoughts on how I interpret fall on a deeper level. My friend told me I should share what I wrote on my blog. I do not usually keep rough drafts of my letters, so I really can't remember each point I made before. Hopefully I haven't forgotten the main points or rewritten it entirely. Regardless, I will do my best to remember what I wrote last year, and share my new thoughts to my "analogy". 

When I watch the trees and see the progression of the season, I cannot help but think of how it represents my beautiful Catholic Faith and the movement and progression of the human soul.

I see the trees as representing the soul of a human person. (I know, weird. Bear with me)

In the season of fall, the trees prepare for the long cold season of winter. The progression of fall represents the growth of maturity in the soul. At the peak of fall, all of the trees are breathtakingly beautiful, at their most glorious moment of the season. Bright oranges, deep reds, and radiant golds can be seen as far as the eye can see. Then, shortly after, they begin to lose their crowning glory, leaf by leaf. The trees slowly begin to lose what they are most proud of, what they love most. In order to make it through the winter season, the trees must let go of their leaves. The faith and love of the soul is tested by God. They go through a period of time bearing the cold, yet in the spring, they bring forth new life - new leaves. They are made anew again.

I am reminded of the virtue of humility as I watch each leaf fall to the ground. As our souls grow closer to God, it is made apparent just how much it is not about ourselves. It is all about loving God entirely, loving others, and doing His will in our lives. Not about us. The trees during autumn always remind me how crucial it is that we die of ourselves. Only when we lay down our lives and give all that we are to God, will He be able to work through us. Only when we lay down our lives for Him, will we find them. This is difficult, and it can sometimes be as cold as winter. But after the hard, frigid and lonely season of winter passes, we are made anew in Christ in the spring.

There will be times when God asks us to let go of everything, what makes our soul beautiful, what makes us happy, or everything perfect in our lives, it is the only way He can transform us into who He wishes for us to be. Autumn always reminds me of the season of transformation our souls experience many times as they travel closer to God. The trees let go of each leaf and bear the winter season without their glorious crowns, trusting in God's love.

The trees display perfect abandonment of self-love and sacrifice of the will and desires as they face the cold winter. But they are not abandoned. After the darkness and cold of winter, they are transformed and made even more beautiful again.

Humility, love, and trust. A beautiful thing.

The trees also remind me of sin in the soul. The trees can also represent what happens to the soul when sin latches on. When the soul becomes dark with sin, we lose the beauty of grace in our soul. Each sin is like losing a radiant leaf. The trees during winter represent the soul in sin, a tree having lost all its leaves, is cold, lacking life, and desolate. Once the soul repents, and receives forgiveness it has life again. The tree is restored and by the grace of God sprouts new beautiful leaves. 

I can't help but feel as though I am missing something... Have had quite the scatter-brain lately! If I have, oh well. Hopefully you have enjoyed these thoughts, and I hope they have impacted you in some way.

When your winter season closes in, remember you are not alone, God is shaping your soul to transform you into a beautiful new creation. Don't let go of Him. 

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird