Short update

This break has been very relaxing and nice. Daniel & I spent six days up at his house–catching up on sleep, visiting, watching some movies (mainly Lost), and I even got in some fun reading! The book that I am currently reading is called “The Fathers of the Church”. We used it for a class during spring quarter, but I only read the parts that were assigned…now I finally have the chance to read the entire book. It is quite interesting. I have also been assigned to read the US Constitution before our law class on Friday, so I am working on that. I had forgotten how short the Constitution actually was.

Saturday the freshmen moved in, and Sunday was the opening Mass.  It is strange not knowing who everyone is! I will learn everyone’s names soon. Tonight we have Mass, a student life meeting, and adoration…and tomorrow starts the fall quarter. My classes this time are accounting, legal considerations (law), writing a business plan, marketing products & services, and fundamentals of Catholicism. I am cautiously excited for the quarter to start; however, chances are that stress levels will skyrocket once again. We’ll see how long that lasts. I am also trying to figure out if it is financially possible for me to go to Ireland and Rome with JP Catholic in March. It is a great opportunity, but the price tag is kind of high.

Our apartment is full once again, classes start tomorrow, and another quarter will be underway. I am one third done with school, “only” two years to go. Sigh…

For fun

I am…happy.

I think…Catholic’s should have greater Faith and knowledge.

I know…everything will work out for the greatest good.

I have…so many blessings to be thankful for.

I wish…money wasn’t an issue.

I hate…gossip.

I miss…the shrine, and my family.

I fear…not having the strength to get through difficult times.

I feel…a bit tired, and grateful.

I hear…Daniel breathing,  the printer printing.

I smell…cologne.

I crave…time with those I love.

I search…for an effective way to help spread the Faith and Schoenstatt.

I wonder…where God will take me throughout my life.

I regret…not trusting God at all times with my entire being.

I love…so much.

I ache…for those who have left the Faith–especially family.

I am not…sure that I am ready for the next quarter of school.

I believe…in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I dance…sometimes.

I sing…all the time!

I cry…because I am such a weak instrument.

I don’t always…know what I should do.

I fight…within myself.

I write…a lot. For school, letters, fun, and when I need to work something out.

I win…games very seldom.

I lose…most games.

I never…want to fall into mortal sin.

I always…try to grow closer to Christ.

I confuse…lots of things that don’t matter a whole lot.

I listen…to the sound of life all around.

I can usually be found…by myself or with Daniel.

I am scared…of walking at night by myself.

I need…the Eucharist.

I am happy about…the progress I have made on my to-do list.

I imagine…someday.

I am wearing…a white shirt and a brown floral skirt.

I confess…that I am an excessive perfectionist.

I anticipate…that there will be many joys and sufferings throughout my life.

I read…the Bible and “The Early Church Fathers”

I play…piano on occasion.

I smile…most of the time–it confuses people, unfortunately.

I laugh…nearly as often as I smile.

I can’t wait…to have my own house.

I believe…in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Update and thoughts

Goodness! I has been nearly a month since I wrote anything of remote substance. I guess the roller coaster of life hasn’t stopped long enough since then to write a long, newsy post. My original intention was to update on Wednesday, but since my internet was not working it was delayed. So, what have I been up to since I last wrote?

From the beginning of September until finals ended (this past Wednesday), I:

• Went to daily Mass
• Spent lots of time in adoration
• Slept more than normal
• Hurt myself through clumsiness several times
• Visited Daniel’s family with him twice (always enjoyable 😀 )
• Did a lot of homework
• Finished two assignments (both were time consuming…)
• Finished a 7 page marketing plan and 20 minute marketing presentation
• Studied for and took 4 exams
• Played the part of a doctor in a short film
• Had some entertaining and good conversations with my siblings…including one where my 5 year old brother told me that he is “going to be a great old man”
• Helped Daniel move to a different apartment
• Visited with prospective students at the open house

Since break began, I have cleaned the refrigerator, stove, main living areas, balcony, rearranged some of the furniture, started organizing my things, caught up on e-mails, watched some movies, cooked, went on walks, and just relaxed. Someone was borrowing Daniel’s car yesterday, so I walked to morning Mass and back–and then back to the Church for confession at 3pm. It was really nice to walk, and the weather was very pleasant…but now I am feeling the fact that I haven’t walked 8+ miles in one day in quite awhile. Tomorrow I will continue cleaning the rest of the apartment and then we will head up to Daniel’s house for his and his little sister’s birthdays. The rest of break will be busy, but it is different from the grind of school. The new quarter starts on October 1st–a fresh start with new classes. Hopefully this coming quarter is more enjoyable than the last.

The other day, I wrote the following for a conversation among the Schoenstatt girls leaders in Wisconsin/Illinois. It is a little food for thought…
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I am always struck with awe at the wisdom of St. Paul. His complete dedication to the way of Christ while spreading it to the Gentiles is a wonderful example to me. I think about him a lot, especially when I am trying to get the message of Schoenstatt out there. St. Paul had a great message; the greatest there ever was. And he found ways to communicate it, even to people who were completely ignorant. He couldn’t be responsible for whether they accepted Christ or not, but he could admonish them in love. He always found ways to acknowledge their strengths, and from those things find a way to spread the Gospel. It was only after he had drawn them in that he scolded them, and expected them to live completely as Christ did. But he did everything because he truly loved. He wanted to share the Gospel, because he loved Christ; he wanted to admonish those he wrote to, because he loved them.

Our lives are one little light…sometimes the apostolate of being is all that we can manage. But I think that we need to work on developing such a love that we can’t help talking about Christ. There were times when I worked (at home) that people would question why I was smiling all the time. I wanted to sing the children’s tune: “I’ve got the wonderful love of my Blessed Redeemer, way down in the depths of my heart…” Why didn’t I? Or say why I was truly smiling? I thought that they would just laugh and brush me off. And perhaps they would have…but perhaps they would have thought about it later. I think that we need to develop such a love that we can be like St. Paul…and St. Patrick, who when he found himself in a foreign, pagan land–he had to find a way to share it in terms they could understand. So he picked a shamrock and described the Trinity. We need to find the shamrock of our modern world, so that we can share our Catholic Faith and Schoenstatt and bring healing to all those people (especially youth) that are broken and claim ignorance now. It is our responsibility and privilege to do so.

In the beginning of Romans, St. Paul appeals to their sense of idealism: “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints.” We must find what the world of today are hungering and striving for, and show them that they can find it…in Christ. That they can be happy…in Christ. That they can find peace and wholeness…in Christ.

Let us greet the world as St. Paul did:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Finals

It has been a ridiculously long time since I have written, and yet it will be another while before I write something of substance. In the next week and two days, I need to finish several final projects, study for finals, and take 4 final exams. Please pray for me…that I am able to get everything done, that I get enough sleep, and that I stop (inadvertantly) hurting myself. God bless and Mary keep you all.