St. Valentine, Pray for Us!

It's Saint Valentine's Day today. On my way to class early this morning I was reflecting on all the love I have received in the last 22 years. My parents have a beautiful marriage, and my siblings and I are products of their love. God has loved me into being, He has loved me through the rough homeschooling years when I was nothing but a terror for my poor mother, He has loved me when I was broken and alone and was by my side as I navigated the dreadful high school hallways, He loved me as I left home for the first time, He loved me through and despite every mistake, and He made me new again.

Between those 2 examples alone I have had more than enough fruitful and wholesome examples of love to look up to. I am thankful for that. Five years ago I fell in love for the first time. He too has loved me through many hard time, and has been with me as I grew into adulthood. He has seen me at my very best and he has seen me at my very worst, and still he loves me.

Love really is a gift. And, I realized this morning that I am so incredibly blessed by the love I receive from my parents, from God, from Troy, from my sisters and brothers and through my friends. And, I think I was, unknowingly, taking for granted that love. Until this morning.

I thought about the girls in my class (there is something like 38 students, and only 2 men...) on my way to the school this morning. Many have boyfriends, or friends with benefits... many have children and they are all preparing for careers that will require giving a whole lot of love.

But there is something else I have noticed. Many of them are barely 30, and have at least one child (which is beautiful), but of those who have children I would say probably only 2 of them are married. That is sad, but what saddens me even more is that most have them have been married. They are 30 years old (or younger), have a family and divorce papers. It's hard to keep an optimistic view of marriage in our world when this is becoming the norm.

So, what went wrong? It's hard to say, I guess. But, I have discovered that maybe it isn't so hard to pinpoint after all... love has become disposable. We are lending a hand in this divorce epidemic by presenting the view to the world that love isn't something that needs time or work. We cannot sugar-coat relationships or provide advice that consists of the sentence, "Maybe you have just fallen out of love with him." We need to be real, and honest. Love is a choice that is made in every moment of every day. And, love is impossible without God. Yes, impossible. I am not saying it's harder without God, or different without God. It is truly impossible without God IS love...without Him love cannot exist in our world. Not only is God the maker, creator and giver or love, but He is also the perfect example of love. He never gives up on us...and we are as imperfect as imperfect can get. We need to seek after His wisdom and example and enter every relationship in life with the understanding that romance is not present every moment of life, and we may have a crappy day or our friend, spouse, parent or sibling may treat us terribly sometimes (guarantee you treat them like crap sometimes too!) or you just may not feel in love. But love is more than a feeling...it's a choice and the result of it is more beautiful and miraculous than you could ever imagine.

Make sure people in your life know you love them today... even if you don't feel like it.

St. Valentine, please pray for us.

Emily xo

Blessed Emily

No, no, not me. I wish!

Today is the feast day of Blessed Emily Bicchieri. Maybe you've never heard of her...I hadn't. So, in honour of her feast day I am going to share what I have learned about her story.

Emily Bicchieri was born on May 3, 1238 in Vercelli, Italy. Her mother passed away when Emily was very young, and with a desire for a mother in her life she placed herself under the care of our Mother in Heaven.

Emily's father had plans for his daughter to be married and have a family. Emily pleaded with her father to construct a convent. Her heart's desire was to pursue religious life in the Third Order of St. Dominic. Her father built a convent outside of the city, which was later dedicated to St. Margaret.

When Emily was only 20 she became abbess of the convent. Having been elected, against her will, as Prioress, she governed and lead the new community very well. She was tactful, faithful, and strongly insisted on her community being pure with their intentions. Blessed Emily was very diligent about never telling anyone to do something she herself would not do.

Receiving Communion regularly was uncommon at this time, yet Emily received Our Lord frequently. She had such a love and adoration for the Passion of Our Lord. At a time, she felt she was receiving Our Lord too often, and she felt a need for humility. She chose to fast, for a time, from going to Communion. It was then Our Lord appeared to her, and asked His Spouse to return to His Banquet Table.

She was known for having visions, as well as for miracles Our Father performed through her.

Blessed Emily passed away of illness on her birthday, May 3rd, in 1314.  She was 76 years old. She was beatified by Pope Clement XIV. Her feast day is celebrated on August 19th.

Bl. Emily, please pray for us. Help us to cling to our Heavenly Mother, and find a model of womanhood in her. Pray that we might have a renewed fervour for Our Lord's passion, and his very true, and holy presence in the Eucharist. May we come before our Heavenly Father with a new adoration. Amen.

Saint Maria, Pray for Us!

Happy Feast of Saint Maria Goretti! 

This image was recognized my Maria's mother to be a close likeness of her daughter, so I thought it would be lovely to include on this day. You can visit my previous posts about St. Maria, or this Catholic Fire article to find out more about this wonderful young lady and her awesome courage.

Cardinal Salotti, after Maria's death, said,

"Even if she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy was her everyday life."

God bless,

Emily xo

Novena to Saint Maria

In nine days we will be celebrating the feast day of Saint Maria Goretti. She is a saint whom I have held near and dear to my heart for many years, and pray to often. I previously posted an article about her life that I have linked below for you to check out if you don't know about her.

Anyway, seeing as there are nine days until her feast day, July 6th, I wanted to do a post about beginning a novena to her. This novena will be said once a day from now until her feast day. The last day will be July 6th. I was thinking it should be offered for purity, in ourselves, but especially among young people.

If you wish to pray the novena, here it is.

Novena to Saint Maria Goretti

Saint Maria Goretti, strengthened by God' grace, you did not hesitate, even at the age of eleven, to sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity. Look graciously on the unhappy human race that has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially our youth, the courage and promptness that will help us avoid anything that could offend Jesus. Obtain for me a great horror of sin, so that I may live a holy life on earth and win eternal glory in Heaven. Please intercede for me in obtaining the favour I now ask.

Amen.

(Mention your request)

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be

Link to previous post about St. Maria here.

Link to another article about St. Maria, and where I got this novena from here.

-Emily xo

A Better You

A few months ago I was talking to a woman who is Catholic, but no longer attends Mass. We will call her Lydia. She told me a story about how, years ago, she had been quite ill, and unable to go to Mass for sometime. When she finally was able to return one Sunday, a woman came up to her, and said some things that insulted and hurt her, about how she had been away from Church.

Maybe that was not the other woman's intention, but nevertheless, Lydia felt hurt. And, maybe worse, Lydia felt this woman was being a hypocrite. Here she was, attending Mass on a regular bases, and acting in a cruel manor. 

This got me thinking about a couple things. 

First, have I been that woman? Have a said something to someone that hurt them, and lead them to believe I was a hypocritical Catholic?

And second, is that a valid reason to quit going to Church? I know some people will disagree with what I have to say about this second point, but so be it. 

I think no, that it isn't a valid reason. I think it's an excuse. A Church is a holy, beautiful place that is only perfect before any humans enter it. God is the only perfect thing, and when He is in the Church building, residing in the Tabernacle in the Eucharist, the Church is perfect. But, the flock is made up of imperfect pieces. That's us. We are far from perfect, and we mess up and we hurt one another. 

Sin and pain exists because we exist. And therefore, we cannot go into a Church, expecting ultimate perfection and peace from anyone other then God. We can hope and strive for a peaceful place without hurt. In fact, we not only can, we should! But, that isn't reality. We need to know that the people who attend Mass are not perfect, nor are they claiming to be. In fact, they are openly admitting that they are sinners, in need of help and guidance. They are admitting their tendency to hurt others and to sin, but are trying to be better.

I am not saying that we need to accept when people hurt us. Of course we don't. As people we have the responsibility to correct those around us, in an attempt to help them prepare their souls for God. We need to call people out of sin, and to a greater good. But, we also have to understand that when people hurt us, they too are human. It's a lot of pressure to put on someone to watch their every move and to always expect perfection. Instead we need to expect that they are striving for perfection, and that we are all in this together, and need to help one another.

Part of being human is our tendency for pride (a sin!). It's challenging to admit we need help, and that is what going to Mass is all about. So, often time people look for excuses to not attend Mass. They make not even be consciously aware that they are doing it. We look for an 'excuse', which is what someone saying or doing something wrong gives us. We say, "Faith is personal, I don't need the institution of religion. Everyone there are hypocrites."

Faith is personal, of course! But we do need a community. We need people to call us to holiness and to help us grow in a deeper personal relationship with our Father. And, the people who fill the pews may seem like hypocrites,  but really they are just trying to get to Heaven and overcome their temptations. Same as you are.

Prayers!

Emily xo

Saint Quote of the Day- St. Agnes

"Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom angels serve."

 -Saint Agnes of Rome

Dear, sweet Saint Agnes, please pray for us!

Are Our Homes Poverty Stricken?

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."

-Blessed Mother Teresa

It always amazes me how this woman, who experienced darkness in her soul and dry spells of faith to unbelievable extremes, can still be so insightful! How true is it that we often shut those around us out. We make them feel unwanted, unloved and uncared for. This is a wonderful reminder, especially for this Lenten season, to seek out those in our own life who may be feeling this way, and make them feel like the princesses and princes God intended them to be.

I was talking to someone the other day, remarking on how I am such an introvert. I find people absolutely fascinating  but in the last few years I find myself becoming less outgoing in large groups. Not because I am uncomfortable necessarily, but because all I can think while I am there is, "I wish I was at home." The woman I was talking to was saying she was the same way, and that it was okay to be like that. We are just home bodies, and like our quiet, simple lives.

Later I got thinking about that, though. Yes, I prefer to be by myself or in small groups of one or two people most of the time, but that cannot define me. I realized how silly and selfish I am being! It's true! How pathetic is it that when I am in a group of people I begin to shut down and remove myself, emotionally and mentally, because I become totally focused on what I could be doing if I was home. I was reminded of Catherine Doherty (http://www.madonnahouse.org/publications/passiton/Pass-It-On-004.htm) and her Duty of the Moment. 

When I am in a group setting (assuming it is not clearly dangerous to the well-being of my soul), whether I want to be there or not is irrelevant. My duty in that moment is to make myself as present as I can possibly be, and to ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to seek out opportunity to make people feel loved, cared for and wanted. God has greater plans in that moment, and I need to be open and aware so that He can use me as His instrument to make His people feel worthy and treasured when they most need it. See, only He knows the hearts of those around us, and we could be the vessel God needs to reach their hearts. We just never know!

Now, there really isn't anything wrong with being more introverted. That is how God created me. But, He also created me to evangelize, always. And, He knew exactly who and when my personality would be used to touch another heart. I have to keep in mind that not everyone responds to extroverted personality types, and someone may be craving the one-on-one attention I can provide through God.

So, the moral of this story is that I need to quit being so self-absorbed! Haha! I hope that for the remainder of this Lent you can begin, just in your own home, to make everyone around you feel His love.

Many prayers,

Emily xo

Month of the Holy Souls

I know November had a whole lot of hype around it, mostly because it means Christmas is just around the corner, and because all the moustached men come out and about in honour of Movemeber.

If you don't know what "Movember" is, it is a movement in Canada (it may be other places as well, but I only know for sure that it is in Canada) where men let their facial hair get a little wild. Millions of Canadian men & woman support this movement by proudly sporting moustaches, real or fake, all month. The point is to register https://www.movember.com/ca/register/and raise funds that go towards research of men's health issues, mainly prostate cancer and male mental health.

Needless to say, November is a very exciting month here in Canada! However, there is a bigger reason that this month is near and dear to my heart. In the Catholic Church, this month is designated to remembering the holy souls. We kick off the month by honouring All Saints Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd).

All Saints Day is a holy day on which we honour and celebrate all the saints that we have. I know a lot of people don't really get what Saints are. If you are not Catholic, or familiar with the teachings of the Catholic Church, this can be kind of confusing. Basically, a Saint is the term given to anyone who is in Heaven. Any person who dies and enters Heaven becomes a saint. Super cool business! Now the tricky part is that only a handful of saints are actually recognized.

The Catholic Church has specific, 'criteria', if you will, that has to be met in order for it to be confirmed that the soul of a person who has passed away is in fact in Heaven. Miracles that have happened in their name, etc. Many hours, days, months and years are spent investigating certain situation in which a person may be a saint. And, of course, there is a whole pile of praying involved.

Once the Church has decided that a certain person is to be declared a Saint the become "Blessed", for example, right now Pope John Paul II is Blessed Pope John Paul II. Then, the next step in Canonization. Which is a fancy word for saying they are now Saint <insert name here>.

*please note, this is just a very brief overview! 

You can read up in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church

for more details, etc. You may also want to research on

http://www.catholic.com/browse. or chat with a priest, Brother or Sister!

This does not mean that the only people in Heaven are those who are canonized by the Catholic Church. There are people in Heaven who lived lives of holiness and who God was gracious enough to bring home to Him, that we will never know about until, God willing, we get there one day too.

Now, onto All Souls Day. This is a day on which we honour all the deceased members of our families, friends, and anyone really. When a person dies they can go to one of three places. Hell, Heaven or Purgatory. Obviously it is not my place to say who goes where, but I will explain this briefly.

Heaven- Fairly self explanatory. If you die with a pure, innocent soul you go to Heaven. So, wee babies who have yet to have sin (other than that of Origional Sin) go to Heaven. And, just basically, if your soul is entirely without blemish you meet God face-to-face. What an incredibly honour! Definitely worth living (& dying) for!

Purgatory- I would say that the majority of people who die and don't go to Hell, go here. Most of us will die with some sort of imperfection, no matter how large or small, on our soul. Purgatory offers a time for cleansing, and the length of time here depends on your soul, on your Earthly suffering, etc. The thing about these souls is that they cannot pray for their own souls to be released into Heaven. This means we have the beautiful honour and responsibility to pray for them so they can get closer to meeting Jesus. The souls here will go to Heaven, in time. It is like Heaven's waiting room in which we are prepared to meet our perfect King.

The following prayer was given, by Jesus, to St. Gertrude with the promise that each time it was said 1,000 souls would be released from Purgatory. 

Eternal Father,

I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus,

in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,

for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,

for sinners everywhere,

for sinners in the Universal Church,

those in my own home and within my family.

Amen.

Hell- I am not going to give this much attention, as I don't believe that Santan, or his Kingdom deserve even a mention. But, it does exist, and we need to be aware and very concious of that fact, but not live in crippling fear of it. Basically, if you die in a state of mortal sin http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm you will go to Hell. Obviously I do not know every circumstance and only God will be the judge of that, but to the best of my knowledge, mortal sin=hell.

So, yes, that is what happens when you die. The Catholic Church has deemed November the month of the Holy Souls and so this is a time to visit graveyards and say some extra prayers for those who have passed away, especially those who were close to us and deceased members of our families. It is also a good idea to have Masses said for deceased members of your family, for your friends, or just for the holy souls in general. You can get Masses said any time of the year, but November is kind of a special time for souls.

Please, tuck in some prayers for the souls. I hope someone remembers to do that for me when I die!

Anyway, that is all I have for you today :)

As always, you're in my prayers.

E xo

Saint Gertrude, please pray for us!

Happy All Saints Day

Ah, I am so excited! Today is All Saints Day! I day to celebrate the lives of people who walked this Earth, as we do, and in the little ways found their way into Heaven. It is a sign of remarkable hope for us, seeing how these people rose from sinners to saints and a beautiful opportunity for humility as we reflect on the life we lead and see how far we are from sainthood.

So, in honour of this day I wanted to share with you the story of a saint who inspired me since childhood and is a true, lovely example of sacrifice.

Saint Maria Goretti

This beautiful girl was born in a small town in Italy on Oct. 16 1890. Her father was a farmer, and died of malaria, leaving his wife to look after Maria and her siblings.

After her Father passed away the Goretti's eventually had to move. Maria would care for her youngest siblings while her Mother and the other children worked in the fields. Due to poverty, the Goretti's had given up their farm when Maria was just six. They moved to a farm which they shared with another family, Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alexander.

On July 5th, 1902,  young, 11 year old Maria was alone in the house sewing when she was approached by 18 year old Alexander. He threatened her if she did not do as he said, and he planned on raping her. She refused his advances and screamed, over and over again, "No, it's a sin! God does not want it!" He first chocked Maria in an attempt to get her to agree to submit to him. When she refused again, he stabbed her 11 times. When she tired to reach for the door he stabbed her 3 more times.

Maria's little sister Teresa was sleeping in a near by room and was awakened by the noise. Maria's Mother and Alexander's Father heard Teresa's cries and came into the house to find Maria, bleeding from her stab wounds. 

They rushed her to the hospital, where she underwent surgery. The doctors were unable to save the young girl. 

Twenty hours after her attack Maria died from her wounds, after expressing her forgiveness for Alexander, and saying she wanted for him to be in Heaven with her one day. Maria died, clutching a Crucifix to her chest and looking on a picture of the Blessed Virgin. 

On June 24th, 1950 Pope Pius XII canonized Saint Maria Goretti. Maria's Mother was present for the canonization. 

Maria's feast day is celebrated on July 6th, and she is the patron of rape victims, youth, young women and purity. 

O, dear Saint Maria, do pray for us!