Blessed Advent Week of Love!

From the Gospel for the 4th Sunday in Advent:

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” - Matthew 1:18-24

Praising the Lord for all of His blessings, especially that of being home with loved ones after a full, intense, yet blessed fall semester at Christendom!

Dearest Lord, teach us how to be perfect in love just as You taught Mary and Joseph, and show us how to give You this perfect gift for Christmas. Amen.

Now I'll set a new record...

...and post twice in 10 minutes!
A brief update on this past week at Christendom College:

Last weekend: The Christendom Players' Fall Production of "Appointment With Death" by Agatha Christie. Yours truly acted not on stage but behind the scenes as program-designer and hair-dresser.

During the week:
- Paper on "The Role of the Family in the Church and in Modern Society" for Second Vatican Council Class
-Latin exam on a letter by a Roman magistrate regarding the early Christian martyrs
-Elections for the Chester-Belloc debate society spring semester
-Visit from our dear friend Victoria and her mom for the weekend
-Exegesis on Psalm 84 (Oh how lovely is Thy dwelling place...): an examination and presentation on the rich levels of a scripture passage...23 pages long
-St. Cecilia's Night! Last night Veronica and I both performed vocal numbers: I soloed "Esurientes Implevit Bonis" from Bach's Magnificat, and together we sang "Duo Seraphim" by Richard Dering. What a privilege!
- Now two more paper assignments await my attention... :)

But today is the great feast of Christ the King! The choir will be singing a glorious Mass in our Christ the King Chapel in the morning and the special Palestrina choir which I am a part of will be leading Vespers in the afternoon. Medieval Fest and a debate on penal law to follow in the evening. Never a dull moment here at Christendom!

Viva Christo Rey!

"You have made us for Yourself, O Lord...

...and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."
- St. Augustine, Confessions, book one

Oh how grateful I am that God is always here to bring peace to my soul, even when time is too short to complete all that must be done. It is His work, not mine, and so I re-consecrate it to Him.

As Thanksgiving approaches, what do you thank Him for today?

In Gratitude for Many Blessings...

My goodness, I think I just set a record for the longest period of time not updating this blog since its inception. Apologies for my very extended silence! Sophomore year has been, shall we saya little intense? this semester. :) At the same time, though, it has been filled with so many countless blessings and reminders from our good God that even though we are so weak, HE is strong. And even when times seem stressful and there is too much to do, HE has everything under control. What beautiful lessons in trust He daily teaches me! How many opportunities He gives me to blossom as His daughter, and to appreciate all that I am learning here!

In prayer last night the Holy Spirit led me to meditate on Psalm 84. Why don't you dust off your bible and quietly ponder these holy words -- His words -- for a few moments?

Praising His glorious name, and begging that I may always add to His glory during my brief time here on earth!

Yours in Christ, through the intercession of Blessed Mother,
Sarah

On the Priesthood...

"Just as from the temple all good emanates, so from the temple all evil emanates. If the priesthood has been unspotted, the whole church flourishes; if, however, it has been corrupted, everyone's faith is withered. If the priesthood has been involved in sin, the whole population is turned toward sinning. Just as when you see a tree faded and withered, you know it has a defect in its root, so when you see a people undisciplined and irreligious, without doubt the priesthood is not healthy."

- From a Father of the Church (quoted in Piers Plowman, Christendom History 201)

Let us pray fervently for our priests, for on their shoulders rests the power to either bring many souls closer to Christ or to lead them astray. May Mary, Mother of all Priests, keep each of them united to the Heart of Her Son, Jesus. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord...

...for He is good. His mercy endures forever!

I just realized how long it's been since I last wrote anything here, and for that I apologize! The Lord blessed me with one of the most wonderful and memorable summers ever. It would take pages to describe it all, so I will just list a few highlights since Ave Cor Mariae Summer Camp:

- Spending precious time with family and friends, working together to spread the light and love of Christ to many souls (and sometimes doing random fun things like play volleyball in the yard at midnight :)

- A visit to Wisconsin to spend a week with Grandpa and Grandma, helping serve hundreds of people at their county fair, and learning the joy of bringing a smile to people's faces...even when they are complete strangers.

- Working into the wee hours of the morning preparing for "Catholic Cruz: All Aboard the Sacrament Ship!" Catholic Kids Day Camp, doing such things as writing the daily Saint skits, painting helper's t-shirts, writing, drawing, and type-setting "Gifts of God" - our newest coloring book on the Seven Sacraments, and so much more. What a blessing to do the Lord's work and be used as instruments of the Holy Spirit in such a way.

- Guiding the "Lighthouses" group of 20 preschoolers at Catholic Kids' Camp, and making up fun religious ditties to help them remember who we were (The Lighthouses!) and what we were learning about (the Sacraments!). What a joy to guide them each day to their activities, lead their lessons, bring them to Eucharistic Adoration, and to experience their enthusiasm and love of life!

- Attending the Couple to Couple League Family Convention in Greenlake, WI, with my family, helping lead music for Holy Mass each day, teach children's songs, instruct a family contra dance and young adult swing and ballroom lessons, and spend time with big, happy Catholic families!

- Camping in Michigan near "Sleeping Bear Dunes" and experiencing two picturesque days of hiking, swimming, singing, and praying with my family (and a young couple we met on their honeymoon!), climbing back up the 450ft dune, watching the sunset and then the stars come out, writing "God is Love" in the sand with big rocks and then witnessing a young man propose to his (now) fiancee and ask her to marry him! It was beautiful.

Now I am back at Christendom, with a joyful and grateful heart for the MANY ways God continues to bless us. Please keep Veronica and I in your prayers as we have now entered the new school year.

Challenges await all of us! But God is on our side. All He asks is for our faithfulness.

For the King!

Praise the Lord!

My mother, sisters, and I just spent a truly blessed week at Miles Jesu's Ave Cor Mariae Catholic Girls' Summer Camp in Dixon, IL. Not too many years ago I attended as a camper myself, but for the last few years I have gone back as an assistant leader. What a beautiful mission field Our Lord calls us to! Each day we were privileged to help minister to 72 girls from all over the country in all sorts of ways... Mom as camp nurse and Claire, Veronica, and I leading daily activities such as art, craft, hair, dance, skits, and finally a talent show at the end of the week. Even though each day was extremely packed, Christ was so present there, providing all the strength and grace necessary to carry out His work! Each morning began with Holy Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions were available each afternoon. So much joy and love abounded and I am so grateful to have been a part of it all.

Thank You, Lord, for Your Goodness!

Congratulations...

...to my talented sister Claire who is attending the Sacred Music Colloquium this week and was selected to sing the soprano solo in her polyphony choir. Praise God!

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"Make music to the Lord with the harp and melodious song." - Psalm 98:5

Since I am a Princess with Jesus as my King and Mary as my Queen...

...and this month is dedicated to Them, it is only fitting that I dedicate a post to Them! And since blogger will not let me copy the beautiful consecration prayer to the Sacred Heart that I wanted to post here, I will simply include a link: CatholicCulture.org.

I love the prayer all the way at the bottom of the page entitled "Renewal of the Consecration of Families". Please head on over to Catholic Culture and pray it with me. And if your home and family have not yet been enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, please read about the devotion and consider doing it with your family! We had our home and family enthroned on my birthday in 1994 and it has been a huge grace for us.

All for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, all in union with St. Joseph.

Thank You Lord...

...for Life! And for the many blessings You've given me these first 20 years of my life and continue to give me today.

Love,
Sarah
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"Trust in the Lord, (delight in the Lord!) and He will give you the desires of your heart."
- Psalm 37:4

Credit Where Credit is Due

In my latest two posts, I shared two wonderful quotes from two wonderful women.
Now it's only right that I share where I found these quotes:

Betty Scott Stam:
found on girltalkhome.com

Corrie Ten Boom:
found in Alex and Brett Harris' book Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are

Spiritual Surrender = Eternal Joy!

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Your will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to You to be yours forever. Fill me and seal me with Your Holy Spirit. Use me as You want, send me where You want, work out Your whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

-Betty Scott Stam, Christian missionary and martyr in China

Blessed Pentecost Sunday, my friends, (just two days late)! I spent the Solemnity at the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, MI on retreat, followed by a brief camping trip with my family. Thank the Lord for spiritual and physical rejuvination!

Mary, Mother of Jesus and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us!

Courage + Humility + Gratitude =

Heroism!

These virtues are what made holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom the true heroine that she was:

"When people come up and give me a compliment -- 'Corrie, that was a good talk,' or 'Corrie, you were so brave,' I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of each day I lift up the bouquet of flowers I have gathered throughout the day and say, 'Here you are, Lord, it is all yours.'"

Praise God for the gifts He showers upon each of us each day!

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My current good news is that I survived finals :), enjoyed a busy and wonderful final weekend at Christendom, and am now home safe and sound. Thank You, Lord!

Reflection on Freshman Year

Classes are complete. 2 finals done and 4 more to go. Where has freshman year gone? It has become a wonderful memory... a year of so many blessings, so many graces given by God. I have learned so much, participated in so many activities, grown in so many ways. There are many dear, dear people whom I am now privileged to call my friends (who make the idea of leaving for 3 whole months very difficult). But at the same time, summer is near and I look forward to spending it with my family and friends back home, working and volunteering and doing things I love to do!

Thank You, Lord, for bringing me to Christendom. Words cannot express my gratitude for all the gifts You are giving me here. Please help me to give back in some small way. Help me to make the world a better place for You!

Today's challenge: Take a moment to pause and thank God specifically. How has he blessed your life today? This week? This school year? Please keep me in your prayers, friends, and know that you are in mine!

For some wonderful spiritual reflections, see my sister Claire's blog here!

Mother Mary, help us on our way to your Son...in Paradise

This prayer to our Heavenly Mother in Paradise is so beautiful that I have to share it!

Virgin Mother, daughter of your Son,

humbler and loftier past creation's measure,

the fulcrum of the everlasting plan,

You are she who ennobled human nature

so highly, that its Maker did not scorn

to make Himself the Creature of His creature.

In your womb was the flame of love reborn,

in the eternal peace of whose warm ray

this flower has sprung and is so richly grown.

for us you are the torch of the noonday

of charity; below, you are the spring

of ever-living hope for men that die.

Lady, so great you are, such strength you bring,

who does not run to you and looks for grace,

his wish would seek to fly without a wing.

Not only does your kindness come to brace

our courage when we beg: often your free

favor arrives before our prayer's race.

In you is mercy, in you is piety,

in you magnificence, in you the sum

of excellence in all things that come to be.

Prayer of St. Bernard in Paradiso

(Divine Comedy by Dante, trans. Anthony Esolen, 33.1-21)

Spring Musical and Spring Formal!

Spring Formal was very enjoyable! My lovely dress was designed and made by my sister Veronica, with accessories (hair piece and jewelry) designed and made by my sister Claire. Thank you, dears! You helped make me look like the princess I felt!

Also, our spring musical Hello, Dolly! was a huge success! Thank you for your prayers. See a write up with great photos here.

Today's quote:

"Pride goes before another fault."
- by yours truly and a fabulous waltzing partner at Spring Formal

Alleluia!

HE is Risen!

What did you do to commemorate the Triduum and celebrate Easter Sunday?

I went home with my good friend Sarah B. and stayed with her sweet family a few hours away from college. Here is a glimpse of some of the things we did...

Holy Thursday:
Studying Philosophy outside in the sun
Mass of our Lord's Supper
Adoration
Singing around the guitar with Mr. B

Good Friday:
Walking Stations of the Cross with the Archbishop
Rosary outside of an abortion mill
Tour of the first US Cathedral
Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet with Novena of the Divine Mercy at 3pm
Good Friday service with veneration of the Cross

Holy Saturday:
Shopping for baking ingredients and Easter dinner (we snuck in some Thrift Store shopping too and found a dress for Sarah B. to remodel for Spring Formal :)
Lunch on the run (a yummy veggie pizza)
Baking! We made two poppyseed rolls, cinnamon raisin buns, apple of your eye cheesecake, cookie dough truffles, and German butter cookies...
Easter Vigil (Where 8 catechumens were baptized and 14 more candidates were confirmed into the Faith. Praise God!)

Easter Sunday:
Sarah B.'s little brother woke us to come downstairs for a delicious homemade breakfast!
Holy Rosary before Mass
Holy Mass. He is Risen, Alleluia!
Lunch and recreation with family members, which included violin and guitar music, ultimate frisbee, and finally a campfire where the little ones roasted marshmallows and I taught them fun kids' praise songs with actions!
Then we hit the road to come back to Christendom and it's been delightfully busy ever since.

Please keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine!

Praise the Lord!

We Adore Thee, O Christ, and We Praise Thee...

...because by Thy Holy Cross, Thou has redeemed the world.

Thank You, Lord, for Your sacrifice which opens the gates of Heaven to me, Your unworthy child. My words could never thank Thee enough, so instead I will simply love You.

His Passion Draws Near

Beg Jesus to make His Passion come alive for you this Holy Triduum. Don't complain when He sends extra trials and sufferings. Thank Him for them. Remember: they are NOTHING compared with what He suffered.

I watched The Passion of the Christ last night and it hit me in a way it never has before: not one inch of Christ's sacred body was preserved from excruciating suffering, while not one inch of His sacred body deserved it. Yet He opened His heart and embraced it lovingly. For you. For me.

How can we ever thank Him? Ask Him. He'll tell you.

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"Look at His adorable face
Look at His glazed and sunken eyes.
Look at His wounds
Look Jesus in the face.
There, you will see how He loves us."

-St. Therese the Little Flower

For our Shepherds...

...please join me in offering prayer for our Priests. I think that this time in History is one of the most difficult ever to be a Priest, so let's shower them with spiritual support!

My sister Claire has some beautiful prayers on her blog, as well as reflections on the recent Liturgical Feast days.

Today's Reflection: Readings for the Palm Sunday Liturgy

Awarded...

...with a beautiful reminder to Seek Him First!

Thank you Katherine Sophia!

Make this last week of Lent the best yet. He waits for you.

Spring is here!

And I hope it's here to stay. Today we had history class outside and it was so nice and warm and sunny! What a privilege.

Today's quote:
Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The library is closing so I bid you farewell!

Over Spring Break...

I've heard:
"Christ should not be wedged into our schedules. He should be our schedule."
- Fr. James Kurzinski at the Catholic Women's Conference in Eau Claire, WI

I've read:
"You must believe in mercy to the point of believing that you are a joy for Jesus. The life of a Christian is a life of love. Can people love one another without knowing that they are a joy for each other?"
- I Believe In Love
(A personal retreat based on the teaching of St. Therese of Lixieux, by Fr. Jean C.J. d'Elbee)

I've seen:
Rehearsal for the Seven Last Words of Christ Lenten Performance. My appreciation and awe for this liturgical season and for Christ's redeeming sacrifice have been immensely multiplied.

How is your Lent going? In need of some inspiration? Consider attending the Seven Last Words of Christ. Buy tickets online or call (815) 727-3018.

Quote from my Astronomy reading...

"There is but one thought greater than that of the universe, and that is the thought of its Maker."

- John Henry Newman

Have you paused to thank our Maker yet today?

Happy Birthday...

...to the dearest older sister: my sister Claire! Claire, you are a wonderful example of courage, perseverance, and virtuous womanhood. You are beautiful and I love you and I pray that God bless you and keep you and help you to grow in sanctity each and every day of your life.

Love always,
Sarah

Life at Christendom...

...is still cold and snowy and busy and blessed!

In the past 7 days I have been:

- practicing for the spring musical Hello, Dolly! as a singer and dancer

- coordinating ad sales for the Hello, Dolly! program (if you are interested in supporting our performance by purchasing one, please let me know and I'll send you info! We offer a variety of sizes and prices for business and personal ads. :)

- participating in Vocations Weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). We had a lot of Priests, Brothers, and Sisters around campus, giving talks and encouragement for wherever the Lord is calling. Spiritually enriching

- singing for Mass, Stations of the Cross, and Sunday Vespers with the choir

- studying Theology, Astronomy, and Philosophy for respective exams which took place in the past 6 days

- writing two papers, one on St. Augustine's Confessions and the other on The Aeneid by Virgil, both due on Thursday

- working on a Latin research and bibliography project

- attending training to be a volunteer at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in town

- striving to keep up with Lenten resolutions

- looking at the clock and realizing that I'd better run to dinner before Bible Study begins with Fr. Gee in 30 minutes

So there's a lot going on here, as you can see! I praise God for His gifts every day and ask Him for the grace to do all that He asks of me. Please keep me and my special intentions in your prayers! I'm doing the same for you. :)

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Sarah

"My soul followeth hard after Thee; Thy right hand upholdeth me." -Psalm 63:8

Lenten Reflection

"In Lent we will often hear re-echoing the invitation to convert and believe in the Gospel, and we will be constantly encouraged to open our spirit to the power of divine grace."

-Pope Benedict XVI

Lenten Challenge: In addition to giving up something for Lent, consider choosing something extra to do as well, in order to progress further on the ladder to heaven and to aid the salvation of more souls.

Above all, remember to surrender to Christ. He waits for you.

Dance!

Oh, how I love to dance! At real dances where you can waltz and polka and rumba and swing, with real gentlemen who know how to lead fun moves!

These past few weeks have been quite full, so I will give you a brief update and share a few photos for you to enjoy...

January 22 Christendom had no classes so that all students and faculty could attend the March for Life in Washington D.C. While at the March, my sister Claire (who came from Chicago) and I were both interviewed live on EWTN. It was the first time I've ever been on TV!

Then Claire came here after the March to visit me for the weekend and we had a great time. We spent Saturday again in D.C. at the Students for Life of America conference (meeting up with friends whom we didn't even know would be there!) and then returned to Christendom in time for the second half of the "Oreo Dance".

Since then I've jumped right into classes, homework, Astronomy assignments, meetings, play auditions, activities, etc. And I praise God for all the good times which reinvigorate me spiritually, physically, mentally, and intellectually!

Last night was the Sadie Hawkins Dance -- where each girl asks a gentleman to escort her and choses a decade costume to dress up in. Here I am with my escort, Brian K. -- dressed from the '30s. It was such an enjoyable time! (With special thanks to my sister Veronica for skillfully sewing and lending me her dress for the occasion. I received a lot of compliments, dear sis!)

As usual, I became the hair dresser for several hours before the dance. The above style is modelled after the '40s, sported by one of my roommates.

Claire and I after the Oreo Dance. Thank you so much for a delightful weekend visit, dear sis!

A small group of us Christendom students after the March for Life. We vainly tried to find an open museum, only to discover that they all closed at 5pm. Instead we went and had dinner at the Old Post Office and then visited some monuments before returning on the busses back to college. (The blue sign says: Christendom College, Stand for Life)

So, my dear friends, please continue to keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine!

Quote for the day: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am--You alone." - St. Agatha (feast celebrated earlier this week).

Spring Semester Has Begun

Christmas break seemed to go really fast! All the same, every minute of it was blessed in some way. Now I'm back at Christendom and classes for Spring Semester 2010 began today. The entire college will be travelling to the March for Life on Friday, so please keep us and all other March for Life travellers in your prayers. Even more importantly, please pray for the conversion and commitment to the truth of all our politicians.

And...since I never posted photos from the end of last semester, I hope you enjoy the one above from Christmas formal. :)

Quote for the week:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. "

-Matthew 22:37

Challenge for the week:

Do something extra to show your 100% love for God.

Still Super Surprised (and Smiling :)

...and totally grateful for the huge party (belated graduation and going-away) that my family threw for me on Sunday without me knowing a thing until I arrived! This was the first time that I've ever been on the receiving end of a surprise party and it was amazing. I must say, they did a fine job!

Even though three people sort of "let the cat out of the bag" before the party, they only managed to confuse me, but not make me suspicious! Why would I expect a party in the middle of January?

The best was when a couple hours before the party started, one of our little friends (who is three) whispered in my ear:
Him: "Are you coming to the surprise party?"
Me: "When is it?"
Him: "Tonight!"
Me: "I don't think I'm coming...I'm not invited" :)
Him: "Oh. Well, don't tell. It's a surprise!"

Thankfully, because he didn't actually say who the party was for, I thought it was for someone else whom I didn't know...

Therefore, it was still a priceless moment when I walked into the bowling alley to be greeted by an enthusiastic "Surprise!" shouted by about 100 friends! Then my mouth dropped open and probably didn't close for two minutes.

So thank you to my family who planned it and to everybody who came and made it a super fun, memorable night!

Praise God for good times, good family, and good friends!

Merry Christmas Season!

And Happy Epiphany! As we continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Newborn King, and as we celebrate the visit of the Three Wisemen, please join me in this beautiful prayer:

Prayer to the Infant Jesus

O Sweet Child of Bethlehem,
grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace
for which they sometimes seek so desperately
and which You alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better,
and to live as brothers and sisters,
children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness, and purity.
Awaken in their hearts
love and gratitude for your infinite goondess.
Join them all together in your love.
And give us your heavenly peace. Amen.
(by Blessed Pope John XXIII)

Thank you so much for your prayers for Midnight Mass and for my voice...God is so good. He gave my voice back to me Christmas Eve morning -- just in time to practice and to sing my heart out for Midnight Mass and for Christmas Mass the next morning. Then, I lost it again almost immediately, and had to pray hard and trust that it would come back in time for a concert we were giving a few days later. And it did! God is truly wonderful.

All of the Masses and Christmas concerts that my family and I have given in the past two weeks have gone beautifully -- truly for and through the glory of God. Praise Him!