Trust In God

I just bought this traditional calendar of Saints from the Sisters, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for 2018!  It's absolutely beautiful containing images from the day to day lives of the sisters paired with quotes from the Saints.

January's quote has become my theme for this month and especially this week.

"May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be." ~St. Therese of Liseux

Not only is it wonderful that this calendar is starting off the year with a Carmelite, one of my Confirmation Saints, and favorite Saint, St. Therese, but this particular quote really applies to what I'm going through right now.  I'm anxious and impatient.  I want to go out into the world and do something.  I know I need to do what God wants, but I haven't figured out what that is yet!  I need to get my driver's license and then a job, but since I can't drive myself to do those things, God is teaching me dependence, patience, and contentment.  This quote reminds me that what I'm doing today, is what God wants me to do.  I'm at home doing chores, taking care of my family who are all sick with the terrible flu, and helping with the local Students for Life group.  It is certainly not easy to wait for God to show me His will.  It is rather difficult.  I want to be able to know if I'm going to college or entering a religious community next year, but that is not what God has in mind.  So for now, I'm waiting on His timing (still a little impatiently).

Always trust our Good God, my friends.  Trust that if you obey your parents, teachers, and directors, if you listen to His voice, then He will show you what you are supposed to do and where you are supposed to be.

Of course, doing the right thing will not always be easy.  Even this discontentment is a possible indication that you're doing the right thing.  A wise friend told me recently that if you are following what God wants you to do, the devil will not be pleased and will attack you.  The devil doesn't try to drag down sinners, as they are already in his clutches, but he will try to distract you and make you despair.  Don't despair.  Trust God always.

Today, I Choose...

I decided to cross post this from my other blog...

Today, I choose to be good. 

I choose to be kind.

I choose to love.

I choose to strive for Heaven.

Every day we must make this choice.

It is not an easy choice.

We may make mistakes.

We may fall into sin.

But each day, each hour, each moment, we must start anew and choose to follow Jesus.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." ~Matthew 16:24 DRB

This will not be easy.  It will not always be fun.  But this is what Our Lord has called us to do each and every day.  Let us start each and every day, especially in this new year, with our morning offering.  Let us make Jesus our first thought in the morning.  Remember, that today is a totally new day.  We can choose this day to start fresh and avoid sin.  

The Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father. Amen.

This doesn't mean we will be perfect each day we choose to be good.  It doesn't mean all of our day will be without sin or sorrow.  But this is just a way to help us strive for perfection.  We must make an active effort to follow Jesus.  If we make mistakes, we must turn to Him with a contrite heart, confess our sins, and start again.  Jesus will help us.  We are a fallen race and so are attracted towards sin.  But with the Grace of God, we can strive to rise above our human nature and strive to reach the divine.

Today, choose to follow Jesus!

Vocation Highlight!

Today I wanted to ask you to please pray for a young woman who just entered the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, & Joseph in PA.  She explains the calling to cloistered religious life very well!  You can read a full interview with her at the link below.

On November 30th, Jade Banks entered the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Elysburg, PA. One of the profound influences on her life was St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, whose mother wanted Elizabeth to marry instead of entering religious life. Jade said: "The profound statement I am about to mention next is when I instantly knew that I was being called. All the men at the military ball one evening told Elizabeth's mother: 'We can’t marry her, look at her face...she is already taken.' I realized being called to the life of virginity is for one reason and one reason alone, to console the Beloved Jesus, to be His spouse. To 'lay down my life for my friends', for my Jesus."

Read this great interview with her here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/young-woman-jade-banks-on-becoming-a-nun_us_5a1b286ee4b0bf1467a847a6

Hard Spiritual Truths That Will Set Us Free by Msgr. Charles Pope

It seems rather odd that one of my first posts on this blog should be of hard truths.  The post I'm sharing with you is certainly sobering.  But I believe, especially after having read this article, that we must start our spiritual journeys, and even each day, with these basic truths, explained to us time and time again in the scriptures, because without thinking of these, it will be very hard to focus on doing what God wants for us each day and especially in our lives.  

Please read and prayerfully consider this article written by Msgr. Charles Pope:

Hard Spiritual Truths That Will Set Us Free

The original text that Msgr. Pope is really just expanding on is written by St. John of the Cross, the great reformer of the Carmelites.

"The soul … has grown aware of her obligations and observed that life is short (Job 14:5), the path leading to eternal life constricted (Mt. 7:14), the just one scarcely saved (1 Pet. 4:18), the things of the world vain and deceitful (Eccles. 1:2), that all comes to an end and fails like falling water (2 Sam. 14:14), and that the time is uncertain, the accounting strict, perdition very easy, and salvation very difficult. She knows on the other hand of her immense indebtedness to God for having created her solely for Himself, and that for this she owes Him the service of her whole life; and because He redeemed her solely for Himself she owes Him every response of love. She knows, too, of the thousand other benefits by which she has been obligated to God from before the time of her birth, and that a good part of her life has vanished, that she must render an account of everything—of the beginning of her life as well as the later part—unto the last penny (Mt. 5:25) when God will search Jerusalem with lighted candles (Zeph. 1:12), and that it is already late—and the day far spent (Lk. 24:29)—to remedy so much evil and harm. She feels on the other hand that God is angry and hidden because she desired to forget Him so in the midst of creatures. Touched with dread and interior sorrow of heart over so much loss and danger, renouncing all things, leaving aside all business, and not delaying a day or an hour, with desires and sighs pouring from her heart, wounded now with the love for God, she begins to call her Beloved …"

~St. John of the Cross Spiritual Canticle (scripture taken from NAB)

I want to start each day with these thoughts.  I am a sinner and so it is hard to get to Heaven.  I must work hard each day to avoid sin and to atone for my past sins.  But time is short, and so it is even more important that we make this our main focus.  With the knowledge and reminder of what St. John and Msgr. Pope talk about, hopefully we can live each day with a better focus on discerning God's will for our lives so that we may be happy with Him in Heaven.

With the love for God, begin to call your Beloved... He is calling you!

In corde Christi,

Sarah

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my new blog!

I'm very excited to begin this new adventure and share it with you!  I hope you enjoy your time here in my little blogger spot.  I guess I should explain a few things here and get through the boring stuff...  If you want the long detailed version of my story, the "About Me" page is the best place to look.  If you want the short version, here you go!

I'm an 18 year old Catholic girl trying to figure out what God wants me to do in this life.  I created this blog to share with you my adventures, stories, and thoughts throughout my vocation discernment process.

Now, a little about my header.

The two images of Our Blessed Lord are the two devotions of my Confirmation Saints.  On the left you have my favorite image of Christ crucified for St. Mary of Jesus Crucified and on the right you have the image of The Holy Face for St. Therese of The Holy Face.  In the middle is just a picture of a rose I took a long time ago.  🙂

Anyway, welcome again to my blog and I hope you stay a while!  May God bless you and keep you!

~Sarah