The New year

Raise your hand if you've ever started a New Year's Resolution. *raises hand* So many of us start New Years resolutions. Perhaps we want to live a healthier lifestyle, Lose some weight, mend some friendships, become better at managing our money or time, or maybe make an effort to get rid of a bad habit.

Now, Raise your hand if you've ever actually kept that resolution all year round. *Puts hand down* If your hand is still raised, CONGRATULATIONS! But chances are likely that you are one of the many many people who somehow get off track or forget or something like that. Don't worry, it happens to everyone. After all, That's why we're celebrating the new year, right? A new chance!

Think back on good 'ole 2013. Perhaps it wasn't such a good year for you. It was a pretty mixed year for me, as I would think it would be for most people. It was the best of times, It was the worst of times, and I found out that Charles Dickens is my favorite author.

 I'm off track now. Anyway, Maybe something happened this year that really turned it into a bad year. Perhaps you have suffered a loss of a family member. Maybe you lost your job. Maybe you lost everything. Maybe you got into some trouble that has left you in a real bad spot. I really don't know what you are going through right now, But if it's any of the above, or worse, I hope that in this new year you will discover peace, and that Blessings and Grace will fall down upon you like rain. Try to Place yourself in God's Hands. It's the safest place in the entire universe and beyond. really imagine yourself in God's hands. He loves you so much. He hasn't abandoned you. Never will and Never has. You can't even begin to imagine how immense His love is for you. Imagine the ocean. Multiply the Incredible vastness of it's depths and width by 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999.  . .. . . . . . . . . .  And you are not even CLOSE to how much God loves you!

Remember, 2013 is passing. The past is the past. I think a wonderful way to kick off the new year is to go to confession sometime soon. Then you can start with a new year, and a clean soul! How's that for another chance!

Are you going to make another resolution this year? Perhaps you could try something spiritual. Maybe pray more. Go to Mass and Confession more. Reach out to those who need hope, support, love, faith etc. Perhaps you could volunteer some time each week or month at a soup kitchen, a mission center or other charity. Maybe you could try to bring a friend or two or hundred closer to God.
If you've been away From the Church for awhile, There is no time like the present to come back. God will welcome you with open arms, Just like the prodigal Son's Father.
Maybe you have a friend who's been away from the Church, and you could encourage them to come back.

Whatever you chose to do this year, Don't give up! Just because you miss a day or more, doesn't mean you can't continue! Keep up the Good Work!

I hope you all have a Blessed new year, filled with Hope, Love, Faith and Friends.

Merry Christmas!!!

Ah, Christmas. 

Christmas Eve always seems like the longest day of the year.

Christmas Day always seems like the shortest!

Christmas is such a wonderful time. Families gather from near and far to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We make the best meal of the entire year, exchange gifts, play games, watch Christmas shows, and maybe even sing some carols. It's so fun. 

But it's very easy to get caught up in the things that this world has to offer. The presents, food, shows etc, they are all great fun, and if used properly, can help make the celebration greater, and bring us closer to God. But thy can easily get out of control, and push the manger scene out and steal the center of attention. 

We have to always remember to keep Jesus as the center of our festivities. We need to be sure to thank God for bringing our families together, for giving us an abundance of wonderful food, and for giving us many different traditions and activities to celebrate he Birth of His only begotten Son! 

I wonder what Mary and Joseph were thinking when they were turned away from that inn, and tole they hey could stay in the stable. I wonder if they knew at that time that it would be an important part of His Coming. I don't know what went theoughthier  heads that  night. Maybe they were a little scared, a Little nervous, perhaps a little confused. But i know they Trusted Him anyways. 

Over and over in the Bible, God expresses His love and compassion for the poor, helpless and otherwise needy. If Jesus had been born in an Inn, how would all those poor shepherds have gotten there? Theres only so much room in an Inn Room. But they were privileged to be among the First to welcome the new born King. He came as one of us. A commoner, not born in a palace, but in a dirty old stable. He didn't appear from Heaven in all his Glory that night, he just quietly cams as a little baby. A humble little baby. He didn't have a soft bed to lie on, or a nice warm house to stay in. No fancy garments, no fancy rooms. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. He was laid in a manger. (In case you don't know, a manger is like a food trough filled with hay for animals!) 

Wow. God loves us, the normal people who don't have anything extraordinary so much, that He chose to come as one of us. Just a seemingly normal little poor baby. That's not to say He doesn't love extraordinary people, or wealthy people either. God loves all of us very much. But the poor often feel lonely and abandoned by God. He want us to know that he loves each of us for who we are; His Children, not for what we have, what we've done or what we will do. He just loves us. 

I know it might be a little late to remember this throughout your Christmas Day, but I'm sure there will still be a few more festivities or merry greetings here and there. After all, we still have 12 more days of Christmas to go. 

Take a few moments this week to ponder Hid love for you, read John 3:16, one of the most famous verses fine Bible. Why? Because it helps us realize how much God really does love us. Read it over and over. Savor each word. Write it on your Heart and keep it always close in mind. That's what Christmas is all about. That God loves us soooooooo sooooooooooooo much that He sent his only Son down to save us. And we celabrate the Birth of His son. And we celebrate that depth of His Love. 

I hope you all have a Wonderful Christmas Season, and  i hope God blesses you abundantly. 

Just Shepherds.

Late one night, while tending sheep,

We saw a new star in the east.

We saw a light, an Angel that night, bringing us tidings of joy.

We followed that star, late that night,

We followed into the east,

We followed to a lowly stable,

All were kneeling, man and beast. 

We wondered "What this? Why are we here?

Why is everyone kneeling? 

We see a stable, a manger and child,

Is this why the star was gleaming?"

We managed to get at the front of the crowd,

Where a million angels were singing.

We looked upon him and finally realized,

this is why the star is gleaming. 

He was wrapped in a swaddle, and laid in a manger,

What a lowly place for a King.

In a dirty old stable,

In a little old town,

The town of Bethlehem. 

Yes, we saw the great savior, this newborn child,

before whom we knelt in the cold.

 There Before The Lord of Heaven and earth,

There before the Son of God.

When we finally realized why we were there,

our eyes were filled with tears.

What Love God has for his lowly creatures,

That tonight we would be here.

We aren't tenants in a royal court,

We aren't even servants In a palace.

We are certainly not a prince or a King,

No where even close to that. 

No, we are only shepherds here,

Just shepherds, dirty and poor.

Yet God let us see his Glorious Son,

In his human child form. 

Our hearts were changed on that dark night,

Which started so ordinary,

But then We saw that heavenly light,

And it was extraordinary. 

The Manger

A blessed advent to you all! I'm so excited for advent, that iv'e actually changed my alarm sound to play the "Gabriel's Message" song when it's time for me to get up! A good way to start the day! 

Anyway, advent is a time of reflection and preparation. I remember when I was little, I had a subscription to this Kid's magazine called "K4J" which stands for "Kids for Jesus". I love that magazine. They always sent an activity for the month. One month they sent out a Hebrew alphabet decoder. That was pretty cool, but now I'm off topic. Anyway, For advent one year, or maybe several years, they sent out a little manger. You had to pop it out of the card stock/paper that it was made of and food it into the manger shape (which was more or less just a box without a lid in this case) and then it gave direction on how to use it. 

So what did you do with the little paper manger? Well, you made a bed for Jesus by filling it with little prices of paper hay! But you didn't just go around filling it up at any time. You had to earn each piece of hay. Whenever you did something nice, you would put a piece of hay in the manger. The goal was, of course to encourage kids to do good and remember The true meaning of Christmas, while having fun and trying to fill up the manger by Christmas! 

While we may not be able to make a little manger out of paper and fill it with paper hay, what a good idea it is to make some sort of resolution for advent. After all, the first week of advent is when the Catholic Calendar starts, so it's like Catholic new year! We can still celebrate the classic New Years too, so we get two New Years…… but people make "resolutions" for the regular new year, why not the Church new year? 

I admit, I'm not too good at resolutions. I either don't do them (which is a common problem) or i get so wrapped up in them that they become part of my OCD and continue for who know how long or else…… can you say anxiety fest!? 

But for this advent I'm tryin to do something more irregular, so that my OCD has a harder time of taking control of it. I'm trying to do something more like the "Manger game" and do a random nice thing, an extra prayer or reflection, or somehow give of myself each day. If i forget a day, I'll try again the next day. If i do more than one in a day, woohoo! 

If you want to do something like this too, it's really easy. I'll give you a few ideas, and you can do whatever you want with them. You can make them a habit, or they could give you ideas for random good deeds. 

•Read the Bible. Even just a chapter or page, or 15 minutes a day. If there is something you don't understand, which there probably will be at some point, just ask someone who might know it better. It could be a friendship builder in that way. 

• say some extra prayers. If you don't say the Rosary every day, do it! Of you don't say h Divine mercy chaplet every  day, you could do that too! You could even start partying parts of the Divine Office (also called the breviary or liturgy of the Hours) such as Lauds or compline. 

•write a note to someone, highlighting their positive qualities. You don't have to write your name on it if you don't want to.

•do the grocery shopping or bills for your spouse

•take out the trash or do the dishes for your mom or dad

•refrain from negative responses in a conversation turned sour. Take a deep breath, and tell the person that you are getting a bit upset and if needed, take a break. That's a lot better than losing your temper. 

• find an Advent reflection booklet  and read a little each day. We found one for free in the back of our Church, so you might try checking there first. 

•Go to Mass on a day that you don't have to. (In addition to the days that you do have to, such as Holy day of Obligation and Sundays!!) 

•Write a short poem or draw/sketch/paint/anything something pertaining to Jesus' birth, Mary's meek response to God's call, the shepherds and Angels, or the star. 

•sing in Church of you don't already. Even if you sound terrible, Sing! You are not there to sing for the people, if they don't like your voice, that's thier problem. You are there to Worship the one who created you, and he also created your voice. 

•cook a meal for your family

•help out at a food bank or soup kitchen

•find a way that you could help with something at your Church. Do they need sacristans? Servers? Choir people? Gardeners? Maintenance help? Youth ministers? Sunday school teachers? Greeters? Lectors? Financial support? Prayers? 

•take a walk and breath the crisp air of winter. Thank God that you at alive and notice his creations. Even the teeny tiny ones, which are some of my favorites. 

•say at least one nice thing to a person that either you don't get along with, or that doesn't like you. 

•donate something to charity

•give up socks for a day

•send a real card in the mail to someone you haven't talked to in a while. Be sure to write God Bless You or sow thing to that extent on it so where where they can see it. 

•think about God. Think about how Jesus humbled himself to come down to us in the form of a tiny little baby, be born in a stable,  and lay down in a manger, which is a place where they put hay for the animals to eat by the way! The King of Kings chose to be born in a poor, lowly, stable! And lay in a food dish for animals! Ponder that. Dwell on it. Think about it often. 

Any little thing you do can be a piece of hay for the manger if you offer it to God. Whether you enjoy it or not. 

NCYC: I'm back!

Wow! NCYC was really fun, Very inspiring, and super amazing.
I got to listen to a lot of great people, and talk to a lot of great people. I met people from all over. There were even people there from Alaska and Hawaii! I did not have the pleasure of personally meeting any of them, but I met a lot of other people!

There were a lot of great talks. My favorite talk was "The perfect trap". The person giving the talk was trying to teaching us that comparing ourselves to others is a trick of the evil one. He also told us a touching story about I boy who has Down Syndrome. I instantly connected with it because my own little sister has down syndrome. It was a very nice story (with a happy ending!)  and I think nearly everyone in the room was a little teary eyed by the end.

There were also a lot of great musicians there. My favorite was Matt Maher. He seemed like a really nice guy, and seemed to be very humble, and looked actually a little nervous. It was actually nice seeing a big name Christian musician seem a little nervous. That probably seems odd to you, but I get really nervous when I have to do a public speaking thing, so it doesn't make me feel so awkward. During part of the show he said "I didn't come here to preform. I didn't come here so that you'd like me" I can't remember what he said after that, but just that line was so great.

On Friday morning we helped pack meals for the poor. We were only packing for about maybe a half hour, but during that time our group, along with lots of other people, packed almost 5000 bags! each bag serves 6 people, so you do the math. That alot of people! During the entire conference, people packed more and more bags. I can't remember what the total number of bags packed was (I am still super tired!) but it was A LOT!

My favorite part? Well, it's a long story that starts out sad, but ends real happy!
So I bought an official NCYC hoodie, and i also bought an NCYC patch. I thought it would be cool to put the patch on my AHG uniform. I'd be the only on in the troop with that patch! Anyway, some time around lunch I lost the whole bag, hoodie and patch. I went back to look for it, and couldn't find it. I checked with lost and found, they didn't have it. I gave them my phone number, they never called. Someone must have stolen it or something. Well, the next day, one of our youth leaders, whom we will call P., asked me if i would like to go back to Inspiration Junction and get a replacement. Having food allergies, I had to bring my own food, so they had leftover money for my food. Our leaders decided that I could use this money to replace the stuff I had lost. (We have the best youth leaders, just saying.) anyway, we went back to both of the NCYC official stores in the inspiration junction, and both of them were out of both small, and medium hoodies! A large or above would be way too big for me. ah, disappointment.

 So, P. and I walked around the junction to see if there was any other cool stuff that I could get in replacement of the hoodie.  As we were walking, these nuns were handing out yoyos saying something like "if you already have a yo-yo, take another! Take a whole bunch! Give 'em to your friends! Give 'em to your friend's friends!" so P. took a few, and I took one for each of my younger siblings. Then I saw some cool t-shorts, and the guy there offered me a deal, I could get 2 t-shirt, a cd, a poster, some buttons, and a guitar pick for $25 bucks! that was really great, and I really liked the t-shirts. (Now things actually start getting interesting.)

So, P. and I are walking around with a bunch of yoyos, and I've got my little bag of stuff, and we are probably going to drop something any second. So we are walking around, and we see this Priest with a bunch of bags! P. walk over and asks if he's giving them out. He is, so we each get one with great relief that we don;t have to worry about dropping everything now. I realize that this priest is a Redemptorist priest! "The redemptorists were started by St. Alphonsis, right?" I ask. Well, the answer was yes, and then we got to talking a little about St. Alphonsis (who is one of my favorite Saints) and then P. made me explain my Halloween costume (I went as St. Mellangel.) and the guy looked pretty impressed that i knew so much about Saints that "weren't in the top ten" as he put it. Then he asked me if I had ever considered  a religious Vocation. I told Him yes, and this is what he replied. "It's there. You just need to. . .  Massage it a little"
Funny way of putting it, but it got the message across! He took my name and said He'd pray for me, and we parted ways.

So, all of this may not make much sense to you, so i'm going to try to make it a little clearer. I really am seriously considering a religious vocation. I was going through alot of stress about the trip before hand, and I just remember thinking to God something like, "Oh God, I am so stressed out about this, Maybe you'll just let me know my vocation while i'm there?" I was trying to we hopeful, I was really stressed.
 St. Alphonsis is one of my favorite Saints. I'm going to share something with you that is a little uncomfortable for me. I suffer with something called Scrupulosity. Long story short, Scrupulosity is religious OCD. St. Alphonsis is the patron Saint against scrupulosity, because he suffered with it too. Anyway, this message about my vocation, coming from someone in the order that St. Alphonsis started really hit me. Later on, P. brought to my attention that Losing my hoodie may have been Divine Providence, because if I hadn't lost that hoodie, I would never had met that priest. it was really cool, and I am so glad to have had that experience.  Thank you God!

isn't it so cool when God sends you a message in the little details that only you would notice, or that would only have meaning to you? I LOVE when He does that! I admit, I didn't think of losing the hoodie as Divine providence until after P. had mentioned it, but I do believe it was. I was just so excited to have met a Redepmtorist Priest, I didn't even think of it!

Well, I had a great time. There were some weird part, but most of the event was really fun. I had a great time. God is just so amazing!

NCYC!

I am very excited (and blessed!) to be going to the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) this year. My Parish is starting a youth ministry program, and I was selected to be in the leadership. All 7 of us leaders are going to NCYC to get really motivated and Set on Fire with the Holy Spirit so that when we come back, we can start up our youth group and share that fire with others.

I am very excited. I am also quite nervous. I admit that I have never been to anything like this before. I also admit that it is a bit out of my comfort zone. But I really want to go and learn more about my Faith, and I really really want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and I am sure that He will be there to fill each of our hearts, who ever will ask for Him to come to them.

I am also hoping to learn more about discerning ones vocation. There are several workshops there that are made to help youth learn to discern, and learn more about the vocations that they may be called to. Over the last year or so, I have really been thinking about what my vacation may be. I am quite drawn to the Religious life, and I think about what it might be like everyday. I am thinking that I may be called to that, and I hope that this event will help me discern what God wants me to do.

 I am trying to stay as open as possible to anything that God wants me to do, and not get distracted by dreams. It's hard, and I admit that I do have a preference. I am more attracted to the religious life or chaste single life, but I am trying to be more open to whatever God's will may be for me.

I am very excited.  This will be my first Youth Ministry trip, and I hope to get to know the other leaders more. I pray that the other Youth of our Parish will be inspired to join us when we come back, so that we can share the fire with them. Wouldn't it be great if we could get all the youth of our Parishes to join us! I hope that we can help a lot of other youth learn more about their Faith and grow closer to God!

Well, I hope to write an update about my experience(s) when I return, and let everyone know how it went, and somethings that I learned..

Come, Holy Spirit!

Maggie Monday!

HEWOOOO!!! Long tym no see! errrrrr, post. . . . . . . Incas you forgeted, Dis is Maggie, and today is monday, and dat means maggie monday. Da day weyr i gets to post on dis blog!

Wel, i keeps heering abowt dis "Trick for Treating" tingy coming up. Eveybody is eksited. Dey is al going to dres up and do dis "trick for treat" ting!

What in da world is dis? Trick for Treat!? I does dat all da tym! I sit down, or i wave, or i lay down, or somting lik dat, and i get a treat!  trick for treat! So, on dis trick for treat ting, maybe dat meens dat al da hoomans dres up lik dogs, and get treats wen dey does a trick? I hope dat i don't has to shar my treats wif da hoomans. . .. .  maybe dey get dier own treats. . .  i hope so. And maybe dey will even share wif small dogs! It is called trick for treating, so nobody sayd dat small dogs dont cownt!

So. . . . .  Dis trick for treat ting hapens on dis "howl oh wee" day. . . .  ..  Howl oh wee. .. . . . . .  I tink dat dis must be a shorted werd for "Howl, oh wiener dog!" day. . . . . .  Hmm. . . .So, sinse i is part wiener dog, does dis meen i get to bark and howl al day on "Howl oh ween" day? Dat woold be grayt!


So, i is doing som thinking. . .  . On "Howl, oh wiener dog!" day, evey wiener dog gets to howl and bark, and evey body get to go "trick for treating" and get treats. And hopfuly dey wil shar wif small dogs, lik me, Maggie!

Dis sownds lik da won of da bes days eber! A day where i gets to bark all day and get treats?! I tink yes!

wel, i will hopfuly chek in next monday, and maybe tel you how dis whole "Howl, oh wiener dog!" day went wif all dis "Trick for Treating"! It sownds lik it is going to be berry fun.

I hop i gets som steak . . . . . .

-Maggie :0)

How do they feel

Have you ever been rejected by someone? Have you ever felt that your presence was unwanted? Have you ever felt like you must be a total nut because everyone is treating you like an object instead of a person? Have you ever felt like you just don't matter, and you feel like everyone wishes you didn't even exist? 

Felt like You are just a good for nothing? Like you are a blob of mush that isn't really a human? Like an alien being? Like an unwanted price of trash? 

(Disclaimer, you are not any of these things!!!) 

Doesn't drive you nuts sometimes, when someone totally ignores you or dislikes you, except when they think they can get something from you? And then If they find out they can't et it from you, dump you again?

Doesn't it feel terrible to be unloved, unwanted? Doesn't it make you feel bad when you are running late, and someone pesters you about it? Or perhaps you show up somewhere unplanned, like maybe your car broke Down and you need help, and someone makes a big fuss about it, or maybe even refuses to help you?

Yeah, I'd say these will make you feel like you just wanna go curl up in a ball in your'e bed and cry.

Well, have you ever thought about how an unborn child feels? Maybe their thoughts aren't quite as complex as these yet, but they are humans too. They can feel. 

People say that they are just a blob of cells, they aren't really human, thy are more like an alien, they don't matter, they aren't good for anything, etc etc etc!

And once they are born, they instantly become human because they can finally  do something when they grow up. (They've been a human the whole time, people!!) but if they have a disability, well, they go right back to thinking like they are just an alien or something. 

If people can convince a mother that the CHILD within her is really just a blob cells that she needs to get rid of, or that it's really just a part of her own body that she is allowed to reject, they can convince her to KILL this CHILD through abortion. 

If we can convince her of the truth, that this CHILD within her is really a human, it's not just a part of her own body, that it is another person, with his/her own heart, his/her own mind, his/her own soul, perhaps they will bring the child to term and let it live. 

Life is always the right choice. Not always the easiest. Who ever said that the right thing to do was easy? Um, Iv'e heard quite the opposite on several different occasions! You have to give up somethings. It's in giving that we receive. It's gonna be tough at times, but the reward is worth it. It's gonna make you cry, but it's gonna make you laugh! 

Always, always chose life... It's brave. It's unselfish. It's hard. But it's always right. 

God: Master of Life

God is the Master of Life.

He is the one who created Life in the first place. Then, He gave live to All living things. He is one one who gives life, and the one who takes it away, the Master of Life. At least that's how it is intended to be.

 Contraceptives prevent, or at least limit, the possibility of conception, the start of life. These interfere with God's plan of the Giving of Life. 

Abortion is the killing of a child before it is born. This premature taking of a human life, this Murdering of a child, interferes with God's plan for the life and death of this child. 

Euthanasia is the so called "mercy killing" of sick or elderly persons. First off, there is no such thing as a "mercy killing." Murder is murder and that is that. Secondly, no matter what the person maybe gong through, God already has a plan. Maybe they have to suffer patiently for a time. But God will eventually Call them ack to Himself, and they will die in a natural way. Euthanasia, the so called "mercy killing" of elderly, sick and handicapped persons, this murder, interferes with God's plan for the Life and Death of this person. 

God always has a plan. Although we may suffer now, there is a saying who h i find most comforting, although it's not always %100 accurate, i think that if we trust in God and strive to do His will it is. 

"Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end yet." 

I don't know who said it, i saw it on Pinterest once and adopted it as a favorite saying. 

We might have to suffer through an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. Don't abort the child. We might have to suffer through a terminal illness, or watch a loved one go through it,  which i admit might be worse, but don't end the life because of the suffering. There is always Hope! 

God is the Master of life and death. Let Him take care of that matter, don't interfere.  and let us keep trusting in His plan. 

Pro-life month! and Guardian Angels!

Well, October is pro-life month, and i'm a day late! AH!
As you may have notices, I've totally re-done my blog! It really looks alot better now, i think.

So what are you going to be doing for Pro-life month? Are you going to some Pro-life Masses? Saying some Rosaries for the end of abortion? Writing some extra blog posts about life?. . . . .  Hehehe. . .

I'm going to be doing the last mentioned thing (or at least trying!) for sure. I'm also going to try to do the one in the middle. I don't know if I will have the chance to do the first mentioned, but if I can, I will!

So here marks the start of my pro-life blog posts for the month of October. They won't be everyday, but i
m going to try to do it at LEAST once a week. knowing me, we'll see how long that lasts. It's the thought that counts though ;)



Today is the feast of the Guardian Angels. Did you know that it is sometimes believed that each person has a guardian angel from the moment of conception?

"So by a natural law, each human being at conception is under the tutelage of a divinely chosen guardian angel. By God's will, each person's angel is distinct from every other and has complete knowledge of his charge, of you, and your needs." - Rev. Alfred Boeddeker
see Also here

Some don't believe this. Some believe it's at Baptism that they are assigned. See Here

I think they are assigned at conception. It seems more probable to me, because God cares about each of us, even if we aren't baptized. And perhaps a person's Guardian angel could help bring them to the Faith.

I'm not really sure where i'm going with this, other than the fact that Life starts at conception. And if we are assigned our guardian Angel at conception, How cool is that? That Angel is there to guide that child, even thought he/she hasn't been born yet.

Even If you chose to give a child up for adoption, that Guardian Angel will still be with that child, always. To light, to Guard, to rule and Guide as the prayer says. They will always be watching out for you, even if you don't feel it. And if you keep the child, the same applies!

What an awesome God we have, that gives us such protectors and Guides!