Category Archives: faith

faith

Mass

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Church pewsI went to church tonight. I haven’t been in months… “too busy” or “it doesn’t fit in my schedule.”

I like keeping my Saturdays low key. Or I should say I LIKED keeping my Saturday’s low key.

Then football season began… and my Saturdays exploded. Suddenly I was darting across town to attend the game watching parties I organized. And it hit me one day.

All these past months, I’ve been “too busy to go to church.” But suddenly I wasn’t too busy to go to a football game. There was something wrong here. Very wrong.

So tonight, I put my focus where it should have been all along. Back on going to church. And it was amazing. I needed that.

This world has become more and more confusing. I blame the Presidential election for much of the confusion, but I also blame just being busy. Everyone trying to cover way too many bases at one time. I need to be in three places at once.

But in that hour. I needed to be only in that one place, focused on what is truly most important.

I left church feeling much more peaceful that I have in awhile. I left feeling somewhat ashamed that I’d been so absent for so long… failing to make it the priority it should be. I left vowing to come back as soon as I can. No more going months on end without attending church. No more losing that focus.

faith, memories

“Little way”

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Me dressed up as St. Therese

With the start of a new month, along comes the job of flipping the calendar pages. As I changed the religious calendar I have hanging on the basement door, I couldn’t help but make note of the fact that October 1st is the feast of St. Therese of the Child of Jesus (aka St. Therese of Lisieux or “The Little Flower“). It made me smile with a memory.

The photo over here on the right? That is me, dressed up as St. Therese. November 1st is All Saints Day, and at least one year while in (basically) bible school, we were encouraged to dress up as our favorite saint. My mom had told me a lot about St. Therese and she was my favorite saint.

Mom made my costume, and she went all out. I was definitely the best dressed of those that dressed up. (Hey, I just call it like I see it.) I still smile at that memory, and I can’t believe I actually found a photo of me in my costume!

Therese was also the saints name I took for my Catholic Confirmation.

That was many, many years ago, and I’ve long since forgotten much of St. Therese’s story. I took last night as my opportunity to research her again. I thought I’d share some of my favorite excerpts from what I read…

“What matters in life,” she wrote, “is not great deeds, but great love.” [Link]

“Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults.” [Link]

Thérèse herself said on her death-bed, “I only love simplicity. I have a horror of pretence” [Link]

The depth of her spirituality, of which she said, “my way is all confidence and love,” has inspired many believers. [Link]

“Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.” [Link]