Psalm 138

                         I
I thank you, LORD, with all my heart;
      before the angels to you I sing. 
I bow low toward your holy temple; 
      I praise your name for your fidelity and love.  
For you have exalted over all
      your name and your promise.
When I cried out, you answered;
      you strengthened my spirit.

That's what I love about Sundays...

I love Sundays!  My schedule varys greatly, but my favorite Sundays usually include:

1. 9am Children's Mass at St. Peter's (which is energetic, innocent, and beautiful)
2 Wedging myself into a comfy chair and reading the Worcester Telegram while sipping on coffee and clipping coupons
3. Singing in Choir at the 11:15am Mass
4. Cooking
5. ESL lesson planning/laundry/Blogging/grocery shopping
6. A long run in a nearby State park or forest

LOVE IT!

The homily at Mass today paralleled conflict resolution during the early days of our Church and the resolution of current issues within the Catholic Church today.  Msg. Scollen stressed that the "conflicts" witnessed in St. Paul's time are till relevant today and still require our thoughtful attention- culture integration, gender roles, placement of authority, etc.  I was struck by one verse in particular from the Gospel reading,  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give [peace] to you. (John 14:27).  Not as the world gives....for me, this holds great significance!  No matter how many worldly possessions or public accolades we receive, true peace will always be beyond our grasp if we never look to God.  If we seek fulfillment through the world, then we will never attain it.  True fulfillment is through God.

A Long Time Gone

What a ride the past two and a half months have been!  Lent was powerful, Easter Sunday was joyful (Easter week included daily celebrations!), my birthday was amusingly momentous, all the while I trained for my first big race, the Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon in Allentown, PA.  If you would have told me a year ago that I would run a successful Half-Marathon, I would have denied it to the ends of the earth.  Just goes to show that one can never underestimate oneself.  We are often capable of much more than we imagine!  Anyhow, the course was really fun - we meandered through a beautiful tree-filled park (~6 mi), then ran through 2 covered bridges (quintessentially PA) and finished in a large stadium with hundreds of people lining the last leg of the run.  What a memorable experience!  I finished 7 minutes earlier than I thought I would - my time: 2h 3min.  Not too bad for a first try...  Thinking about registering for another Half in late June!

Honestly, training for the run was just as enjoyable as the race itself.  The scheduled long-runs gave me an excuse to check out some of the beautiful State forests and parks near Worcester, MA.

1. Moore State Park

2. Wells State Park

3. Blackstone Heritage Park

4. Douglas State Forest

5. Spencer State Forest

1. Moore State Park

I visited this historical park in the winter, so the dirt trails were too snowy to enjoy, but the old buildings and trees seemed more idyllic covered in snow.  This 400 acre park used to be the site of a grist and saw mill from 1747 to the early 1900s.  That said, there are two beautiful waterfalls that long ago moved a wooden wheel and saw blades, now spills into a rushing stream.  I can't wait to visit this park again in the Spring.  Supposedly, the rhododenrons and azaleas are a sight to behold!

ps. thanks to Elizabeth G. for the photos.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive You

About a month ago, I was in the midst of an internal war with myself.  I was bombarded with self-doubt and confusion that slowly corroded my spirit and poisoned my faith.  I began to question the meaning of my life and my worthiness to be blessed with so many incredible gifts - a loving family, supportive friends, security, a healthy body.  My doubt originated from dwelling on the sins of my past and by allowing the guilt of those sins to weigh down upon my soul.  All of my grievances were afreshed and the pain of those decisions renewed.  Considering my past, present, and future sins, why would God deem me worthy of beautiful blessings rather than someone else more holy and worthy?  Yes, my past is cluttered with misgivings, but beyond human reason, God loves me and has chosen me for a purpose.
                                                                     Why?

After the smoke cleared and the debris settled, I began to reconstruct my spirit via Scripture.  My focus was St. Paul's letters to the Corinthians.

1. We cannot earn grace nor perform good deeds so as to be worthy of God's love.
Ch 2, 3: 1; 4-6  Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?   Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.  Not that ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us; rather our qualification comes from God, who has indeed qualified us as ministers of a new covenant..."

2. God's grace is enough to remove my sins (however unforgivable I think they are).  My weaknesses give me the opportunity to surrender to God so that he may He may shine through.
Ch 2,12: 9  "God said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

3. Don't compare yourself to others!  God made you with a specific purpose that no one else can fulfill. 
Ch 1, 12:14 -   Now the body is not a single part, but many.  If an ear should say, "Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? 
But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.

4. We can glorify God by fulfilling our purpose - not by dramatic acts of heroism, but by small acts of great humility (Love).
Ch 1, 13:1  If I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Whenever I feel doubt seeping back into my spirit, I read these Scripture verses again and place all of my confidence in God our Father.  He is the fountain of Life and the perfection of Love  - unconditional and immortal.

My Last Lecture

A friend of mine recently posed the question, "If you were going to die tomorrow, what life lessons and experiences would you feel compelled to share with others?" Suffice it to say, this friend is a bit dramatic, but the question is valid and insightful.
Honestly, I had not thought about collecting learned lessons to pass onto my friends and family and I definitely had not thought about my immanent death. After thinking about both for several days, here are some key points in my "Last Lecture" so far:

-Suffering is an opportunity to learn vital wisdom. God uses suffering to bring us closer to Him. Based on my experience, those who suffer either by chance or by challenge gain God's insight into the meaning of Love.

-Hope is essential to life. Without hope, we have no motivation or strengthto overcome adversity. We depend upon hope, but it doesn't offer the luxury of security.  

-Generosity. Don't hoard your blessings.  Each one of us has a unique combination of gifts to act as God's hands and feet in this world.  If we don't open ourselves to be God's messengers, then his gifts are wasted.


-Forgiveness.  We are all susceptible to failure and disappointing each other, but our challenge is to forgive.  If we don't forgive, our sorrow and distrust will slowly kill our ability to love even our friends.  Forgiveness is no easy feat, even though we say it with ease in the "Our Father".  Forgiveness requires unconditional Christ-like love to move beyond the pain and rebuild trust.  That's no easy task, but with God anything is possible.  "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" ~Romans 8:39 

-Vulnerability. Life is too short not to be yourself. By building a wall or wearing a mask, you only distance yourself from building relationships.

 -The time spent building relationships is more important than time spent worrying about money, material goods, or checking tasks off your "To Do" list.

-Human dignity. Humans are images of God's love and thus are filled with dignity and purpose.  By being human, we are all connected through our God.  We are many parts of one body.  When one part is suffering, the rest of the body suffers too.


-Living a good life begins with today. Our future plans mean nothing if we never take the first step in the present.


-Take responsibility when you make a mistake (paradoxically, the more human you are, the more people will trust you). 


- Show gratitute always.  You never know what God has planned for you.

- If you don't like someone, spend more time with them and your perspective will change.

Sledding at EcoTarium!

Last week, my roommate Lee and I went sledding at EcoTarium (the local Children's Science museum)!  Here are some pics from our adventures:

My roommate Lee and I!

Me laughing hysterically...I was knee deep in snow for the first time EVER!

Lee zooming down the slope!

 What a gorgeous day!

CCC Mexico Mission Trip

I was recently asked to comment on a mission trip that I attended with the Catholic Campus Center at my college.  After reflecting upon my time in Mexico, I realize that time brings clarity and perspective to all experiences.

Here are my remarks:

"The time I spent in Mexico enriched my love for the Mexican culture, the language, and especially the people. After living and working in Quernavaca, I feel connected with the people and their struggles for economic and social justice. As humans and images of God's love, we are all united in solidarity through Christ. Thus, when one human suffers, we are all entrusted with the responsibility to comfort the suffering. The CCC Mexico Mission trip reinforced the ideology that as individual threads of the same tapestry, we can support each other and work together to weave a world of social justice and dignity for all."

added Jan 24th: 1 Corinthians 12  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.  The body is not a single part, but many.  God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.  Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary....If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Thank you Debbie for giving us the opportunity to serve in Mexico!