Sacrifice and Joy

More news from my favorite religious order that I just had to share. PBS recently filmed and interviewed with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, and put together this great video. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the Sisters.

"I finished high school, I went to college in Washington, DC for four years, and I came up against relativism: the idea that we can't -- people said that we couldn't know what was good, what was bad, what was true. So I really began questioning where truth comes from. Where does goodness come from? I know I have values. Who gives them to me? And so between that moment and here, it was a process of, "This is scary, I don't understand this. I don't see why I would be called. How can I be called? I am so normal."

"When you have fallen in love with God, everything doesn't seem quite so important anymore because God, the creator of the world, has asked you to be his bride. No, I will not be having sex. No, I will not be having children. No, I will not be marrying a spouse. But my very body and blood is united to God in a way that isn't offered to everyone in the world."

"With sacrifice can come great joy. We know that sacrificing is not opposed to being happy. In fact, it can be our path to happiness. So sadness, no; sacrifice, yes."

Caught in His Gaze

To be caught in the gaze of our Lord. Is this possible? We so constantly go through our lives thinking we're just always looking up towards Him, but do we ever think that He looks upon us with even more love? We encounter this in Scripture in a very beautiful way in the parable of of the rich man, specifically in St. Mark's Gospel. The words drip beauty and really show a powerful aspect of our Lord's ministry here on earth. As the young man was asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, the response of Christ, before he utters any words, is this:

Jesus, looking at him, loved him.

What that gaze must have felt like. The gaze of the Word made flesh, the gaze of Love itself; pouring over you and consuming you. Can we encounter this now? Can we sit in the gaze of Jesus? Of course. Make a holy hour with the Blessed Sacrament, and just sit, and look. Be still. Just BE with Him; that gaze, which has been called the greatest miracle of all, will envelop your whole self.

Our eyes are small, but they can see the beauty of His majesty, no matter if we think we can contain it. His eyes, though, see infinitely, into the depths of our souls. And He looks upon us with such love. May that gaze continuously take hold of us; the gaze of the Almighty yet Humble, the Just yet Merciful, our Never-Changing and Everlasting Beloved.

Let His gaze capture your heart. Let His gaze heal your wounds. Let His gaze bring you the peace you are searching for. How we long to rest in His gaze for all time!

As a bridegroom calls his bride, let Jesus tell you,

How beautiful you are, show me your face, let me hear your voice.

And may we be captured by Him, and quickly respond,

I looked for You, the one my heart loves
I looked for You, but did not find You
Searched through the night until I rested in Your sight
Now I will never let You go.


"What happiness do we not feel in the presence of God, when we find ourselves alone at His feet, before the Holy Tabernacle! 'Come, my soul, redouble your ardor! You are here alone to adore your God! His look rests on you alone!"
~St. John Vianney

Breath of Heaven, Hold Me Together

Advent is quickly drawing to a close as Christmas approaches in just a short week. Our Gospel readings are focusing less on the second coming and more on this first coming, as we now must be patient, waiting in silent prayer for the fulfillment of God's plan. And what a truth that is for us in our lives. We sit and wait, listening to God tug on our hearts. But the fulfillment of those plans do not always happen immediately. We must constantly unite ourselves with our Blessed Mother, as she waited, scared but patient, lonely but full of hope, feeling unworthy but abandoning herself to His plan. In this last week before Christmas, let us truly be one with our Mother, waiting in hopeful prayer for His plan to be fulfilled--both for His birth at Christmas and in each of our lives.

There's a beautiful song illustrating this truth, "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. I heard it for the first time a couple weeks ago, and it has quickly become one of my favorites.

I have traveled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I've done
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now, to carry Your Son

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness, for You are holy
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me


"The angel Gabriel said, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.' But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
~Luke 1:28-30

The Dawn of Advent

Well, happy new year and happy Advent! (I know, a couple days late) What a beautiful time of year. The Church's new year, time to start fresh. It's funny how toward the end of the season of Ordinary Time, many readings in Mass were concerned with the "end of time," the second coming of Christ. And here as we begin Advent, we continue to hear about the coming of Jesus, as we did last Sunday, with being cautioned to "be ready" for Him, for we know not at what hour He will come. As this speaks of the second coming, we also spend Advent preparing to remember His first coming, when a young girl answered "yes" to the call of God, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. The words "come, Lord Jesus!" echo in the hearts of all Christians in this season, as we await Christmas, as well as our Lord's second coming in glory.

And as we listen and reflect on these Gospels concerned with His coming, do we think about the "coming" of Christ we can witness each and every day? Do we stop and think of how God answers our prayer of "come, Lord Jesus" all over the world at every hour of the day at every single Mass, when Heaven kisses earth and the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord becomes incarnate before our very eyes? Does this perpetual coming of our Lord become redundant or routine? Let this time of Advent be a time for us to renew our love for the Mass and the Eucharist, where we can celebrate "Christmas" every day; a celebration of our Lord dwelling among us. Let us not forget that the glory of it all is the He IS here. Just as He promised. What a faithful God we have!

And, to echo the chillingly inspiring end to Fr. Baker's homily last Sunday,
GOD IS WITH US!!


"All the love in the world is right here among us."
~David Crowder

Newsworthy Nashville Dominicans

So as you might have figured out by now, I am enamored with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, aka the Nashville Dominicans, and am blessed to know them. They've been in the news quite a bit this year, and most recently in an article by the Washington Post. I wanted to make sure you're all aware of a religious order at the "tip of the spear" in the New Evangelization. Holiness is HERE!

Washington Post Article
Sydney Morning Herald
Salt+Light TV Canada
Catholic News Service
Tennessee Register
The Boston Globe
Facebook Group/Fanclub

Pray for this order and for a renewal of consecrated life in America and the world. Pray for those discerning a call, that they might have the courage to stand up against the culture of death to give their lives entirely to Christ for the sake of the Kingdom.


"The Church is alive. And the Church is young."
~Pope Benedict XVI

Thankful to be Catholic

I'm spending Thanksgiving with my family in New Orleans, my hometown. I mean, I was baptized here, this is where it all began! As with most traveling, I used MassTimes.org to find daily Masses to go to while I'm here. Typing in my grandmother's zip code, it came up with nearly 20 daily Masses within just a couple of miles. Now granted, I am in a very Catholic place here in southeastern Louisiana, but still. The Catholic Church. Universal. One, Holy, and Apostolic! It blows my mind sometimes. My Lord is here. He is here, in New Orleans, just the same as He is in Nashville, or any other tabernacle all over the world. As it says above the tabernacle in the Chapel at the St. Cecilia Motherhouse, "Here God dwells among men." Such beauty; our Lord is forever with us until the end of time--just as He promised us.

Today, quite simply, I stop a minute and realize how thankful I am to be Catholic. To know that the keys of the kingdom were laid in dear St. Peter's hands, and have been passed from generation to generation through the Papacy. To know that these popes have commissioned bishops, in line with the Apostles themselves, to consecrate priests to serve the kingdom and provide the Sacraments to the people. And of course, in the line of Melchizedek, to continue to offer the eternal sacrifice in the Holy Mass, the memorial of the Last Supper, where we encounter the perpetually incarnate Christ in the Holy Eucharist: body, blood, soul, and divinity.

There is such an incredible comfort knowing that I don't have to church-hop or get the right pastor to know the Truth. I can go to any Catholic Church all over the world and encounter Truth face to face. And even then, it is no more work on my part to know Him than quieting my heart and listening to Truth speak to me, in Its mere presence. As St. Teresa of the Andes once said on prayer, "my heart can say nothing; I can only adore."

Among the gifts of the Church, we also have the Communion of Saints, celebrating all those in Heaven, especially those recognized for their work on earth. Today is the feast day of Saint Cecilia, one of the early martyrs. Her story deserves its own post, which might come later. Until then: Saint Cecilia, pray for us!

Praised be Jesus Christ and His Holy Church!


"I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God Himself."
~St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

For all my life...

I found a great article recently written by a man who spent some of this summer filming the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia here in Nashville for a video they are making. He got to attend some of their summer ceremonies, including the Final Profession of Vows. Below is an excerpt from his article:

Sunday was the Mass for the Rite of Perpetual Religious Profession. This was when 11 Sisters were going to take final vows – it was their wedding day! I was impressed as I panned the camera across the row of Sisters making their final vows. Some looked nervous, some looked calm, and others looked in ecstasy; eyes rolled up to the crucifix that hung above the altar of St. Henry's Church.

As a cameraman you're always looking for an interesting picture composition – be it lighting, framing, emotion, etc. I was not disappointed during the Mass! I think it was the third Sister to make her profession. I had a tight shot on her hand as she placed it on the bible and began her profession of vows.

"To the honour of Almighty God and under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of our Holy Father Saint Dominic, I make to God in your hands, Reverend Sister…"

And then I heard her voice crack.

I didn't even look up, but immediately re-framed to the Sisters face, checking to make sure it was in focus, and locking off my camera in a tight close-up.

Sister composed herself.

"…I make to God in your hands, Reverend Sister Ann Marie, Prioress General, the simple vows…."

She was struggling to continue.

"… of poverty, chastity, and obedience for all my life…"

Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"…according to the Rule of Saint Augustine…"

Tears were rolling down her cheeks at this point.

"….and the Constitutions of the Dominican Sisters of this Congregation of Saint Cecilia."

Poor Sister offered an embarrassed smile to Mother Ann Marie and apologized for being overcome by emotion.

If everything else failed during my trip, I would have been satisfied just to have filmed that moment. It was incredibly touching. It was beautiful beyond words. It was genuine emotion that couldn't help but pierce your soul. It wasn't a Sister shedding tears of regret, but it was a Sister shedding tears of love.

Absolutely stunning. I just finished reading Fr. Thomas Dubay's book "...and You are Christ's" about the Charism of Virginity and the Celibate Life in the Church. These women are truly a witness to the love we all hope to experience in Heaven--some just get called to live this love sooner than others.

The springtime of the Church is upon us, and women like the Nashville Dominicans are living symbols of that. Praised be Jesus Christ!


"Eternal God, receive the sacrifice of my life for Your Church. Accept my heart and impress upon it the face of Your Son."
~St. Catherine of Siena

Thanks for the Sufferings

So school is absolutely crazy. I've been in midterms for the past three weeks. Definitely the most intense semester academically I've faced yet. And honestly--the most intense spiritually as well. But I can't complain about that.

The next three weekends are going to blow my mind with retreats, pilgrimages, staying in convents and visiting monasteries and shrines...plus my best friend from high school is coming into town. Things are looking up.

In Father Baker's homily yesterday, he spoke a lot about giving thanks to God. He said that after a good day where nothing was difficult or nothing went wrong that St. Josemaria Escriva would ask God what he did wrong that day, why he wasn't given any crosses, why he wasn't asked to imitate Christ. Let us thank God each day we are given to suffer, for it is in that way we are best united with our Beloved.


"Place Christ at the heart of all human activities by means of work that is sanctified, and sanctifies both the doer and those for whom it is done."
~St. Josemaria Escriva

Another Sign of Brilliance

David Crowder, a revolutionary in the Christian music world, has added to his ingenuity. Thanks to a modification made by his drummer, David plays some of his songs using a Guitar Hero controller. Each of the five buttons plays a different chord, and the stum key works the same. An added bonus: the "Select" button plays the ring from the original Nintendo Entertainment System game "Super Mario Bros."

Don't believe me? Check out this video:




"Those who sing pray twice, those who rock pray thrice!"
~Lifeteen phrase

Falling in Love...

I find myself falling more and more in love each day. Words cannot describe it. Prayers cannot lift it high enough. Only being--gazing, in awe of my Beloved, can I comprehend the power and might yet the gentleness and humility. The Uncreated One. The Everlasting. The Beautiful One.

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul, Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

He gives me a clean heart, a purified soul, washed in the blood of the Lamb and made to be white as snow through the unending mercies of our Beloved. He loves me too. I'm falling in love.


"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you. You called, you shouted, and you shattered my deafness."
~St. Augustine