Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have had as great of a Christmas as I have! I hope you have the merriest day ever, and a great New Year as well! he could've been a powerful king
queen for a mother, a great leader for a father
celebrations with streamers and gifts
kings and queens and dukes would come from all around
Christmas music fills the air as you carefully place the delicate ornament on your family tree. You munch on gingersnaps and sip sweet hot chocolate as you wrap all your Christmas presents. At the end of the day, you eat a chocolate from your Christmas countdown, and go to bed happy knowing that tomorrow is a day closer to Christmas.
What's wrong with this picture?
I don't know if you knew this or not, but Christmas is kind of named after someone who is a little important. I mean, he only humbled Himself to come into the world as a baby and then later died on the cross for our sins... and yet people today think it's okay to take Him out of the big picture.
Whether you like it or not, saying "Happy Holidays" is not going to make Jesus just disappear out of thin air. Ready or not, He's coming so we all should clean up our houses.. and our hearts.
There's this great song called Christmas with a Capital C and it is by this band called Go Fish. It's a really fun song, and if you haven't heard it yet, definitely look it up. Here are some memorable lyrics from the song:
"EVERYBODY said, 'Merry Christmas! Hey, Merry Christmas
to you, Mr. Lohenstein. Do you know why? Because it wasn't about a
religion,it was about something as a culture that we thought was so valuable, even if I disagreed with the religion behind it, because it was good for ALL of us instead of just me. "
"Oh, yes, we want to say, 'Happy Holidays' because we don't
leave anybody out. Really?How come there's a ton of holidays in February - nobody says, 'Happy Holidays' in February, do they?"
"But nobody wants to say, 'Christmas'! Everything
else but 'Christmas'. Why? I know why. You do, too. It's because it's got 'Christ' in it, andafter 2,000 years He's still intimidating people. "
"I say you gotta say, 'Merry Christmas' because it IS!
If you don't believe in it, fine. But I've got a flash for you: Christianity happens to be the religious heritage of my country whether you like it or not..."
I know Christmas is less than a week away, but that still is enough time to open up your heart and let God in.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow"-Melody Beattie
Everyone has their favorite way ofrelaxing. For some it is to watch their
favorite television show, and for others it is going on a run. (Bless you
people who have the energy to get out of the house to sweat… I applaud your
courage.) For me, it’s music. I either play my guitar and sing random songs or
shove some earbuds in my ears and turn up my favorite tunes. Either way, it
relaxes me.
Since this is a Catholic blog, I turned this into my
favorite religious songs. If you would like to hear some of my favorite general
songs, just let me know in the comment box below.
Also, my taste in music may vary from yours. I am a very
musically emotional person, which pretty much means that I like music that
makes me feel something deep. So most of these songs are slower than some of
you may like, but I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
1.You Raise Me Up- Josh Groan
This is such a classic song,
you should be ashamed if you have never heard it. Haha, I’m just messing with
you. But seriously, who hasn’t heard this song! It is one of those few songs
who have an amazing tune, and the lyrics match the same level of amazingness.
There are so many versions out there, but Josh Groban is my man in this case.
That man’s voice is literally flawless.
2.Draw Me Close to You- Michael W. Smith
This song has a very deep
meaning to me. During my time in Tarzan, it was a very frequent worship song.
When our beloved friend and fellow cast member passed away during that show,
this was our go to song. Again, the lyrics are amazing. This song is an anthem
of our need and inner desire to love and
know God. It is so powerful.
3.Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)- Hillsong
This song has
really climbed its way up the ladder of "Most Frequently Played on K-Love" in my
standards. And it is for a perfectly good reason, because it is such an
emotional and beautiful song. This song really talks about trusting in
God and how we call upon Him in tough times while keeping an ocean symbolic theme, which
is pretty great.
4.Go Light your World- Chris Rice
If you are looking for a
song of inspiration, this is
totally it! This song never fails to inspire
me when I want to do something big but I have some restraints. The whole song
is a metaphor of candles, which makes the song very interesting and powerful.
The image you get when you hear this song cannot be copied. Great song, great
message.
5.Even if I Fall- Mike Coward
(sorry, that's the best video I could find)
This is another frequent song
that we sing during worship time during musicals. It is a
very simple song (it
does have some duet parts though, which I find amazing) but it is great. It
talks about how even in the midst of hard times, we will always know that God
is there.
6.He Loves Us- David Crowder Band
And yet another worship song! There
is nothing else to say but this song describes almost perfectly the amount of
love God has for us. So beautiful.
7.Completely- Among the Thirsty
This is a rather new song, and has
because my second favorite worship song of all time, even though I don’t sing
it at my theatre. This song talks about how we are compeletely giving our
selves through Jesus. I cant really explain how beautiful and amazing and sooo
powerful this song is. It is literally describing how we are stripping our
selves down to our bare morals and saying “God, make me Yours.” It describes my
faith life.
8.Lord I Need You- Matt Maher
this is my all time favorite
worship song of all time. I have a pretty amazing story that is behind it too.
So when I first heard it on K-Love, I thought it was one of the most boring
songs ever. I would change the channel whenever I heard it. Then when I
attended my local Catholic summer camp, they played this song and I heard it in
a totally new light. I felt like Matt Maher took my deep spiritual desires and
morphed it into a simple, beautiful worship song. Like the title shows, this
song just shows our need for God. Every time I hear it, I tear up. When I am
having a bad day, I turn this song on. When I need help, I innerly sing this
song. It is my Anthem for life.
Another cool story about this song comes
from a local band. They always give concets at my school and the summer camp,
and they always share this story.
So the guy who wrote this song, Matt Maher,
was asked to sing this at World Youth Day. As you know, millions and millions
of people travel across the globe to go to World Youth Day. Think of how
nerve-racking that would be, to sing a song in front of millions of people! Matt Maher did it, but in the most humble way
possible. He turned away from the audience toward the tabernacle, and knelt
down directly in front of the Eucharist. It was just him, his guitar, and his
love for God.
I hope you enjoyed this little summary of my favorite worship songs. Be sure to comment down below your favorites, and not forget to tell me why! :) Thanks and have a great week!
Temptation is one of the most... well tempting things in our lives to just ignore. We all know what it means, and we all know that it's bad, but do we really think about it?
Now let's straighten out a few things. First off, temptation is not a sin. It is the desire to commit a sin. Secondly, temptation blocks off your inner conscience. Do you ever feel those voices battling in your head sometimes? That's your conscience (God) and temptation (the Devil). When you follow through with the action that the Devil is tempting your towards, then you have committed a sin.
Kapeesh? :)
There was this one time where I was feeling very tempted. (To do what? You might ask. My lips are sealed.) I was standing on the end of my stairs, and my head turned into a battle ground.
Do it. Do it now. No!
Come on, no one will notice.
Don't do it, don't do it.
Sound familiar? It happens all the time in our minds. Sometimes, we train ourselves to ignore the battle and just go along with what we want.
But most of the times, what we want isn't want God wants.
So there I was, standing at the top of the stairs, staring off into space and thinking about what I was going to do next.
And then I thought of something my religion teacher said.
"You can destroy your conscience."
What?! You can destroy your conscience? How!?
And the answer, my friends, is quite simple. You go against it over and over until you can't hear it anymore. Like I said above, we can train our conscience to just fade into nothingness.
Do you really want that to happen to you?
1. Listen to your conscience.
" It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil. It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking." ETWN
Our conscience is here for a reason. Although God did give us Free Will, that doesn't mean He's completely out of the picture. He gave us a voice to follow- specifically His voice. The whole entire purpose for our conscience is to listen and ponder about our upcoming decision.
2. Your conscience is a muscle. Strengthen it.
Like any other normal muscle, you need to work out to strengthen it. Although you can't physically feel the strain or soreness afterward, you do feel a little uncomfortable at first- especially if you haven't listened to your conscience in a long time. It might seem awkward at first, but after a few times you will feel like a pro.
3. Surround yourself with good temptations.
If you surround yourself with good temptations, logic says most of the time you will be fine. If you sit down reading a good, appropriate book rather than watch a sketchy movie, chances are you will be so wrapped up in the book you won't even think twice about the movie! Don't let yourself get in those tight situations where you are forced to make a hard choice. This is especially hard when you are with your friends. If your friends invite you to a movie, make sure you find out what it is first. If it's looking a little on the edge, then maybe suggest a different movie! If they don't respect your decisions, maybe you should question their morals and wonder if their influence is good around you.
-
If you follow these three steps, you will most surely listen to your conscience and ignore the Devil! Remember, our souls is the treasure that is constantly being protected by God, and yourself. If you wield up the shield of your conscience, you will have no problem battling temptation.
Hello dear readers! :) I am sorry I missed two Sundays, but I will stay on my game for now. :) Here are some lovely poems by the wonderful St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross to start your week. I wish I could add pictures, but the "picture add-er thing" isn't working. The poems are beautiful however! Enjoy!
God Alone is Enough
Let nothing upset you
let nothing startle you
All things pass;
God does not change
Patience wins
all it seeks
Whoever has God
lacks nothing
God alone is enough.
-Saint Teresa of Avila
Christ has No Body
Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours
are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the
feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he
blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are
the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no
feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion
on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
-Saint Teresa of Avila
The Living Flame of Love
How gently and lovingly You wake in my heart, Where in secret you dwell alone; And in your sweet breathing, Filled with good and glory, How tenderly You swell my heart with love.
During my DC trip, my family and I got the awesome opportunity to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (long name, I know). It is the largest Catholic church in Northa America, and it is among the 10 largest in the world! It was sooooo beautiful! If you ever get the chance to visit this amazing place, take it! There are more than 70 chapels, and there is a bookstore and cafeteria. There are two "churches" (places were they celebrate the Eucharist) that I know of, but there might be more. The architecture was flawless and the reverence they had for Jesus and Mary... wowza. Here is an excerpt from the Basilica's website on the history. "In 1846, an excerpt from a Massachusetts newspaper told of "a magnificent Catholic church [to] be built at Washington, D.C. after the manner of the great cathedrals of the Old World from subscriptions of every Catholic Parish in America.”
Spanning the late 19th, 20th and now 21st century, American Catholics would indeed build a sanctuary that rivals those of Europe and the world, not only in size but in stature as well—in sacred art, architecture, history and heritage.
Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of the Immaculate Conception, the Basilica is the nation’s preeminent Marian shrine. With over 70 chapels and oratories that relate to the peoples, cultures and traditions that are the tapestry of the Catholic faith and the mosaic of our great nation, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is indeed, America’s Catholic church."
If you would like to learn more about the Basiclica, just click on the blue link above and it will take you to it!
WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL TOUR
NOTE- One of the things I don't really like about Blogger is it is sooooo hard to put in pictures! So bear with me as the pictures are scattered everywhere. Sorry about this inconvenience.
Here are the opening views of the Basilica. Huge and beautiful, right? And the funny part is, it is located in a not-so-great part of town. So in the midst of "darkness" (that's a metaphor, just saying) here comes the light! :) Even from the outside, I already knew this was going to be an amazing experience.
A closer view to the Basilica. In the picture below, you can see the brightly painted dome. That is the dome of the main part of the main church.
This is the main "pretty looking" entrance to the church. If you want to get in, you have to go through the side though. We almost missed it! :)
What?!
The picture to the right is proof that this article of clothing was actually worn by JP2! The caption reads "Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow, 1976 August 9, Sacristy before Mass in the Upper Church." Pope Francis' zuchetto? I don't know if this can get any better. There also was JP2's zuchetto as well as Pope Benedict the XVI.
First class relic people. Ah-mazing.
These statues of numerous saints greeted us as we walked into the basilica. There was a little museum exhibit like thing to the side where we found the relics, zuchettos, and different things like that.
I believe that is St. Katherine Drexel.
This chapel is dedicated to the Crucifiction, i believe. (Just by the way, this is all based on my memory. I don't really have a way of knowing the exact dedications, so bear with me. :) )
Our Lady of Japan
Aren't these beautiful? The chapel on your left (wow, I sound like a tour guide) is one of the bigger ones. Most of the chapels were as small as a bedroom, maybe a tad bigger.
If you are wondering about the picture on the right, the words above the painting say "Follow my Counsel."
I can't get over how amazing these are... everything was so unique and artfully made!
Now it's time to go into the Upper Church (what I call the main church). It is HUGE!
This is the view right as you walk in. Tell me about breathtaking. Imagine seeing it in person! There was murals and mosaics covering every inch of the ceiling. To your left and right (after the pews of course) were more chapels. In the picture to the left, you can't see it too well, but the big red thing in the very back of the church is the end. (Spoiler- It's a mosaic of Jesus!)
Here it is again from a different angle.
For the picture on your right- This is at the foot of the steps leading to the first altar. Yes, there is more than one altar. Jesus' mosaic face is covered by a statue of Mary. I have close ups later.
Here we go, there's Mother Mary! She is "watching" over the church! The dome she is standing on covers the main altar.
Different view of Mary...
Here are some ceiling views... all of them so beautiful and decoratively made.
Here is a floor view
Sepia-ed version of Jesus.
Full color!
Better view of Jesus with Mary
I can't get over the ceilings...
More ceiling love.
Now for some more chapels! (Is anyone still with me? :) )
In the far right is Elizabeth Ann Seton
Juan Diego!
Rose of Lima
This chapel is obviously dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This was my second favorite chapel. I loved how on the sides it had the mosaics of a bunch of different saints commemorating our mother.
"To Restore all Things in Christ" "Give us this day our daily bread"
The Pieta
Finally, my favorite chapel. The Eucharistic Adoration Chapel.
The altar reads, "Food for angels, food for men. All you lowly come and eat." Wow, talk about powerful.
Is it not one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen?
One last shot!
Yes, it's the same shot as before, just bigger. You can't stop appreciating the beauty though!
God's presence was so beautifully obvious in this wonderful place. I really wish I lived near by so I could go to a different chapel everyday!
I am sorry if I overwhelmed you with pictures, or if they bored you. But to me, this was one of the most God-speaking, divinely beautiful places I have ever been to. Thank you Lord, for this wonderful experience.
Quick shout out- please make sure to participate in my poll! So far only one person has responded. (Thank you!) I would love to hear from you guys! You don't even have to state your name.You can be anonymous in the contact box, or just vote! Thank you all so much, and God bless!
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have had as great of a Christmas as I have! I hope you have the merriest day ever, and a great New Year as well! 
with medicine and doctors and nurses
