If God is for Us, Who can be Against Us?

"Brothers and sisters:

If God is for us, who can be against us? 

He who did not spare his own Son, but handed Him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with Him?

Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?

 It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?

Christ Jesus it is who died-or, rather, was raised-

who is also at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us." 

Romans 8:31-34; Second Reading of the Second Sunday of Lent

If God is for us, who could ever be against us? What is in our way? With God, we can push away our laziness, we can go against the crowd, we can defeat the Devil. With God we can have the "courage" to wake up in the mornings...on time. We can have the will power of the Holy Spirit to ace that quiz. We can have the strength to help out a friend in need, even when you don't want to.

This Lent, rather than giving advice like I did in my Lenten Series last year, I am instead going to document my journey. So expect more heartfelt, random musings (wow you are so cool Maddie for using your blog title) and things that make no sense, but make total sense. 

I wish you all a great, faith-filled Lent. :)

All through Christ,

Maddie

Holy Week (Lenten Series Part Four)

Well, guess what week is sneaking up on us? Holy Week of course! Holy Week is the week before Easter, and very well the most important week of our Catholic faith. It starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday. There are many different days and traditions in between such has Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

I know as personal experience, this week is one of the most impacting-faith wise. It starts off so joyous since Christ the King is coming in on a donkey, and everyone is shouting "Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!" but then it slows down a bit until we come to Holy Thursday, and then it really stops on Good Friday.  If you aren't for certain what we do on these days, be not afraid! I will show you the stepping stones. :)

Palm Sunday: Like I mentioned before, Palm Sunday starts out very joyous. There is very happy, exciting music as the priest processes in. I know sometimes our children's choir process in as well, singing the opening song. We all have palm branches in our hands... why? Well first off, that's what the people did thousands of years ago when Jesus was the one who processed on a donkey. They wanted something to lay down to "revere" him, so they grabbed palms off nearby trees and laid down coats, blankets, etc.

I have heard (and wondered) about this question many times. Why would the Jews turn on Jesus so quickly at his Passion when they just were worshipping Him? The answer I have received was the Jews expected Jesus to be a war general. They wanted a leader to lead them into battle against the harsh Romans! But, as we all know, Jesus did not come to the earth for that reason. He is a war general though...  a war general against sin. So as you can imagine, the people were greatly let down and decided to turn against Him.

So that's why Palm Sunday gets a little sadder as the Mass wears on because the joy wears off. We come to realize that Jesus' death is actually coming closer and closer, and we need to prepare ourselves for it.

For the actual scripture passage, click here.

Holy Thursday: I love this Mass. It is so cool to see the priests humble themselves and wash the feet of the parishioners! Although it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, it really is a "must see" I guess I could say. This tradition started out from the Bible story that we all know. On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus cleaned the disciples feet. The disciples were surprised because they thought they  should wash Jesus' feet! But no, Jesus did it as an example for the disciples. This was the last time he would enjoy a meal his disciples before his brutal death. What do you think Jesus was thinking? How would you feel if you knew this was the last meal you would ever have with your friends and family?

For the actual scripture passage, click here.

Good Friday- For my last installment in my Lenten Series, I will be going over Good Friday as well as Tre Ore. So for this post, I will just give you a quick summary. :)

Good Friday is one of the most reflective times of the year in the Catholic church. It is the only day where the candle that shows Jesus' presence is not lit (excluding part of Holy Saturday) and also communion is not consecrated on that day. Good Friday is a day of fasting, repentance and reflection.

Holy Saturday: Techinically, on Holy Saturday there also is no Mass since the Easter Vigil is apart of Easter Sunday. That it the "technical"reasoning. Right at dark, the Easter Vigil Mass starts. And let's just say, if you have never been to an Easter Vigil Mass, you better put it on your bucket list. :) Many people are a little wary of attending this Mass because of it's length. Yes, it may be about twice as long as a normal Sunday Mass, but it still is a beautiful service. There are numerous readings and pslams filled with symbolic thinking. At the beginning of the Mass, everyone is handed a candle (or this is how they do it at my church). There is this big candle that the priest lights at the beginning, and a few people light their individual candles from it. Then it becomes a train of passing on light from one candle to the next until the whole church is flooded with candle light. It is so cool! The only light source is from our candles, and you can see people's faces glowing.

That isn't the only cool part about Easter Vigil. New believers are baptized, confirmed and some even receive their First Communion! It is so cool to see humans older than newborns baptized into the faith.

This is a very very cool experience that you do not want to miss out on!


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So how can you make this Holy Week a good one? First off, focus more on prayer. Prayer is the power source this week. Also, try going to Stations of the Cross! It is a beautiful, inspiring way to really feel what Jesus felt during the Passion. For a link to a wonderful post on the Stations of the Cross, click here.

I wish you all a blessed and wonderful Holy Week!

All through Christ,

Maddie

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Works Cited:
Hostetter, Aaron. "2013 Life Teen Annual Appeal: Expect Miracles." LifeTeencom for Catholic Youth. LifeTeen.com, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Richert, Scott P. "Holy Saturday." About.com Catholicism. About.com, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Richert, Scott P. "Palm Sunday- Solemnity of Palm Sunday." About.com Catholicism. About.com, n.d. Web.

Lenten Disclaimers: (Lenten Series Part Three)

We’ve all heard them before. “Oh, since technically we are supposed to give up things for 40 days during Lent, and Sundays don’t count, I can eat my chocolate on Sundays.”

Or, “Since we can’t eat meat on Fridays, I’ll just go to Red Lobster and eat myself sick.”

These, ladies and gentleman, are Lenten disclaimers.

1.      The “Sundays don’t Count Rule”: If you want to get specific, Sunday’s don’t count… partly. There are 40 days in Lent and since each Sunday is considered a “mini-Easter”, Sunday’s aren’t a part of those 40 days. But does that mean that we should gorge on that chocolate we gave up or be mean to your siblings on Sundays?

There are pretty much two opinions on this. Firstly, some people believe it is okay to gorge little since Sunday’s do not count in Lent. (To find out why that is, go here )
I mean, if Sunday’s are mini-Easters, we should be allowed to stop fasting… right?
Then there’s the other side of the rainbow, the people who think “If Jesus died on the cross for us, the least we can do is go four more days without Instagram, internet, etc.”

What is your opinion on this?

For me, it is the latter opinion. I think we can go four more days with our Lenten promises. I mean, if you gave up chocolate and ate it on Sunday, is still as big as a sacrifice as it is for 40 straight days? I mean, Jesus fasted for 40 straight days and he didn’t get a break. I guess I could see it kind of as cheating. I know other people see it other ways, but hey, this is my 10 cents. J

Actually, my former parish priest said it was okay to gorge on Sundays. But, let me warn you, if you do decide to take the day off on Sundays, make sure you do it in moderation. Remember, this is supposed to be a sacrifice.

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=133505

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0527.html

2.      “Let’s go Eat at Red Lobster on Fridays…”

If you asked my old religion teacher about this subject, she would go on a tangent for three hours. Her opinion is very strong on the subject, and I am sure there are many others out there with the same opinion. The thing is you give up meat on Friday’s because it is a sacrifice. Back then (as well as some meat now,) meat was a major delicacy. To give up meat was a pretty big deal, and to tell you the truth, it is for me today. (For more information, go  here )

But instead of eating meat you go to Red Lobster and spend 50 dollars on a fulfilling, yummy meal.  Is that really a sacrifice? I mean, I would rather go to Red Lobster’s than eat some soggy fish sticks. If you really think about it, we humans try to make up for things that we don’t want in the wrong way. In other words, if we don’t like something, we will get something bigger and better. Is that really the way to go? 

If you are really craving some meat, then that’s good. It means you’re feeling the pain. J That is kind of the goal of giving up something! You want to feel the pain so you can know you are resisting the temptation.

I know that some churches have Fish Fries. (Oh my church makes the best fried cod… so good.) And it kind of goes along with Red Lobster… BUT you are supporting your church. And you are with your fellow Catholic community to gather together to celebrate the mystery of Lent.  And it’s a different story if you went once or twice during Lent, instead of every Friday. Many often go to Stations of the Cross after. Get where I’m going? I mean, don’t feel like a horrible person if you go to Red Lobster’s. It’s okay! Just rethink your food choices next time when you are supposed to abstain or fast.

Any other Lenten disclaimers you want me to address? Leave a comment below!
Have a great rest of your week! J

All through Christ,

       Maddie

 

 

PAF: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving (Lenten Series Part Two)

PAF: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

These are the three "pillars" to Lent, and if you follow through with them, they should make your Lent all the more sweeter. The words can seem kind of overwhelming sometimes. I mean, fasting? I love food; I don't know if I could go without a snack! :) Okay, maybe a snack but still. And almsgiving? What even does that mean?

Well dear readers, continue on to find out. :)

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Lenten Tip #2:

PAF is the way to go this Lent.


Prayer: I am pretty sure that we all know what prayer is. But incase you need a reminder, prayer is the direct telephone line to our Creator. Sometimes we abuse prayer by making it a one way conversation. Or a "I want this, and this, and this and oh yeah, this too" conversation. I mean, who likes that?

• Focus on making prayer both ways. Listen to God this Lent, reflect on what He is trying to tell you. Sit in your bed and take deep breaths. Try to not think about anything, just focus on God. If you are like me, you'll have a horrible time concentrating. What I do is repeat the same verse over and over again and think of one specific image. Most of the times, I think Holy Spirit guide me. Or Jesus, help me. Something short and sweet that will help you in your concentration.
• Aim for spending 10 minutes a day with God. This is very hard, let me tell ya. But it really gives you a sense of peace when you just spend 10 minutes out of the 1440 you have each day with God. You don't even need to prepare anything! Just grab your Bible and spend some time talking to God. (and listening, of course. :) )

Almsgiving: Don't feel dumb if you don't know what this word means, I didn't either until my religion teacher told me. Whoops. :) Anywho, according to the Google dictionary, almsgiving is

"Making voluntary contributions to aid the poor."

My definition of almsgiving is pretty much stewardship: taking time out of your day to help others.

• Volunteer at a nursing home, food kitchen, etc. for just an hour. It is amazing what a difference you can make in people's lives with just an hour of work. The time will pass by so quickly, you won't notice. Look around your local area to find any places in need of volunteers.
• Bring along some friends! My advice to you if you think almsgiving is boring, is grab some buddies. It will make it even more fun! To top it off, the place you are volunteering for is getting more help.

Fasting: Out of all of them, this one sounds the most intimidating, no? :) No one likes giving up food! But when you really think about it, that's not all that fasting is. Fasting is mainly giving up something that is good to us to reflect on how Jesus suffered. Whether it be meat on Fridays, your mom's brownies or just overall fasting, each gets us graces from God.

• Don't feel like you have to starve. Fasting isn't meant to starve yourself, fasting is just so you can get a glimpse of what it's like without something you love. If you are hungry to the point of feeling sick, eat something! God doesn't want you to pass out.
• The "Proper" Fasting Routine. If you are really feeling ambitious, you can follow the "proper" fasting routine for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and any other day you feel like you need to sacrifice something. Two small meals and one medium-biggish meal is what I would recommend growing teenagers to go through. Personally, I do a small breakfast, biggish meal and small dinner. Try to only have one serving or skip desert.
  

Ever feeling down on your Lenten Promise(s)? Just remember PAF and you'll be set!

Praying for you all in your Lenten journeys! :)
All through Christ,

Maddie

RESOURCES: 
http://catholicism.about.com/od/catholicliving/p/Fasting.htm

https://www.google.com/search?q=google+dictionary&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7NDKB_enUS531#q=almsgiving+definition&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address

Get Your Game on...It's Lent. (Lenten Series Part One)

Happy March! Before you start reading my awesome rant about the upcoming Lenten season, I have a pretty cool update for you! I am now apart of this amazing blog, Fire of the Spirit! Through a few weeks of me asking tons of questions and the editor being so nice to answer them patiently, I finally am starting to be apart of their blog! They also have a magazine (which has been going on for a few years,) and an upcoming YouTube channel. I am so very blessed to be apart of this amazing experience, and I am loving it so far! Please check out their website and blog: www.fireofthespirit.com. It is so cool to be working with people my age to evangelize to others around!

Now for the post...:)

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It's the most grueling, hard, peaceful, challenging, and faith boosting time of the year for Catholics. We are supposed to give up something meaningful, but it mostly ends up with us being selfish and brushing off the promise as quick as you can say "Easter."

I bet you know what I'm talking about, but incase you don't the answer is... Lent.

Yay, party! :)

When I was younger, Lent was probably on the bottom of my "Favorite Spiritual Times of the Year" list, probably because I had to give up candy, and some electronics, and stuff like that. I really didn't like how everything looked and felt sad. I just wanted some bright colors and the Easter bunny! :) But now since I'm older, I have really thought about Lent and what it means.

Lent literally means "spring" or "springtide". According to www.catholicism.about.com, Lent is a

"Lent is a 40-day period of preparation for Easter Sunday and one of the major liturgical seasons of the Catholic Church. A penitential season marked by prayer, fasting and abstinence, and almsgiving."

Lent is probably the most important Church season, despite many younger kids thoughts about Christmas. :) For me, now anyways, Lent is the period of time when people can look back on their wrongdoings, repent, and find a way to make it up.

And as you already now, we give something up. Whether it be an addiction, bad habit, or something that you do everyday, you choose a sacrifice to give up to Jesus. Sometimes it really makes me sad how people put this part of Lent on the backburner.

"Oh sure, yeah, I'll give up... chocolate. Yeah, chocolate." You didn't even think about it. The first thing that popped into your mind was chocolate and since it is already Ash Wednesday, you have to go with it. There's no turning back now...

Lie. The next day you're gorging on your mother's chocolate cake.

Lenten Tip #1:

Think about what you will give up. You need something that will really make you feel the pain. (Not literally :) ) You need something that you will actually miss. It needs to be hard, that's the purpose! Whenever you are needing a little push, just think about what Jesus had to go through. I bet you would rather be nice to your siblings for 40 days rather than be nailed to a cross. Be realistic though! You can always start small and go bigger.

Here are some cool (and crazy) ideas that will really get you thinking.

1. Give up your bed.
2. Give up your pillow.
3. Give up sweets/junk food.
4. Give up electronics (or just one electronic)
5. Give up certain TV shows that you are addicted to.
6. Give up certain apps.
7. Go to one extra Mass every week.
8. Go to confession one time more than you usually do.
9. Take 5-10 minutes each day to reflect on the scriptures.
10. Put a popcorn kernel in your shoe and walk on it all day. (crazy!)
11. Right when your alarm rings, get out of your bed instead of laying there for 10 minutes.
12. Leave encouraging sticky notes in the bathroom, lockers, or anywhere else where someone could see it. (Don't leave too much!)
13. Say the Hail Mary, and do a crunch (or any other excessive) to every separate word.
14. Get some of your peers and head on down to the church.
15. Go to Eucharistic Adoration or Stations of the Cross once a week.

Also, remember it is always good to take up as well as give up. I would suggest picking one thing to give up, and one thing to take up. Go to a private school with a church attached? (or in it?) What a better Lenten promise then to gather a few of your friends and have a little faith group during Lent! All you got to do is invited people, bring your Bible, and then pray with them. It is a good way to help your peers through Lent, and hey! You'll get help in return! (it's a win win :) )

Tonight, ponder about your Lenten promise. First off, think is it realistic? Can I actually go through with this? But also think is it big enough to serve as a challenge? You want it to be hard enough for it to be a challenge, but not too hard to be impossible.

I hope you have enjoyed the first installment in my Lenten series! :) If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to say hi, please don't be afraid to email me at randommusings13@gmail.com !
Have a wonderful Lent! :)

All through Christ,

Maddie