The Real Meaning of Christmas

Ok so we have about a week till Christmas, and everyone is rushing to plan, and buy presents and we are all super busy..I mean it's the holidays who isn't busy. But what if we all stopped for a second, forgot about presents, and planning and just thought about the real reason we celebrate Christmas? On Christmas Day Jesus was born! Now just think about that for a moment how much do we acknowledge the real meaning of Christmas? I mean planning dinner, and having people over, and giving others presents that's all important but the Christmas season is a time of waiting and preparing ourselves for the coming of the Savior. In this last week before Christmas take a moment and stop to look at all the joy Christmas brings people, and thank God because he is the reason for all the joy in the world.

This time of year is probably the best time of year for everyone because we get a bunch of presents just because it's Christmas. It's great to get presents and everything but I think it's even better to give presents. On Thursday a friend of mine reminded me that the real joy of Christmas is found in giving to others. So, I got this really good friend of mine a gift and I also gave her a card, and when she opened her present she was so happy. The look on her face and the excitement in her voice just melted my heart, it made me realize why giving is such a good thing. When we give we make someone else happy, and we sacrifice for them, but in turn we also get something which is the joy of seeing how happy they are, and their excitement. We shouldn't be giving to get recognition back, but we should be giving to make them happy, and in turn giving ourselves the joy of seeing them happy.

God Bless,

Sarah

Why?

Why? This is probably the most frequent question we ask God right? Why are bad things happening, why did this happen, and so on. I've been through enough deaths of family members, but for me it is worse to watch a close friend morn over their relative. We don't know God's plan, but what we can have faith and trust in is that everything that happens is for our own good. When someone close to us dies it just means that God has called them home, but it doesn't mean God is mad at us or that he wants to take them away from us. Too often we think God is always out there trying to get us to mess up, or become depressed, but that in reality is the devil doing that. God is doing the exact opposite he wants us to be happy to know our relatives are with him, he loves us so much, that he makes sure his plan for us fits our personal needs. Sometimes we meet people for certain reasons either to help them or for them to help us and this is all part of his plan for us! God loves us and he doesn't want us to be depressed because an event has happened in our life, he wants us to trust him to trust his love, and to know him personally. Recently my grandma died and let's just say we didn't really have the closest relationship towards the end of her life, but by trusting God I got peace that she was with him, and that she loved me and was watching over me. All I had to do was trust the God of the universe, who loves me, and when I did that my life changed I stopped worrying I stopped becoming depressed, and I started to become happy, and people began to notice.

God, I pray for everyone who has died during this 2016 year, for my grandma, for my friend's grandfather, for my friend's great grandfather, for my friend's father, and for anyone else who has died this year. Please give all those who are morning peace.

Here is "I Need You" by OBB.

God Bless,

Sarah

Being in the world not of it

How often do we stray from God, and most of the time it isn't because we don't love him it's just that maybe we want to fit in more with our friends. Although God didn't make us to be of the world he made us to be in the world NOT of it. Instead of "fitting" in with others we know we should be living by example, and we should be showing them what it means to live the Good News. In 1st John 2:15-17 we hear this:
15"Do not love the world or the things of the world.^* If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.17Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever."

John is telling us do not love the world, which is exactly what Jesus tells us throughout his life. He was totured and died for us, and we want to say we are Christians when we don't follow his example? Jesus lived by example he was ridiculed and suffered for our sins, and we want to repay him by not living his example? What good is that for any of us?

We aren't all perfect, but God understands, and he doesn't want us perfect he only wants our willingness to be his servants, and our willingness to be apart of his plan. We can't just go through the motions anymore if we want a relationship with God. We can't all of a sudden decide to become part of the world because we want to fit in or because something bad has happened to us. And if we do then we should run back to God who's arms are wide open to receive us, and forgive us.

When something bad happens in our lives who do we run to? A lot of times we run to the world because we are mad at God for what has happened. We don't fully see God's plan in our lives, because God asks us to trust him; just like he did with the Israelites in the desert. We don't know why things happen, but what we need to remember is that everything happens for a reason. We can't let the devil tempt us anymore. God needs us now more than ever to say yes to him, and to love him, and have a relationship with him.

Here is "Rise" by Danny Gokey

Thank you Lord, for giving us hope, and thank you for being so merciful and patient with us.

God Bless,

Sarah

What is our daily prayer doing to help us?

We question all of things in life, but the one thing most of us seldom question is our prayer. When we pray we do it for many different reasons, yet we never question how it is helping us or if it is changing us; changing our attitude or outlook, making us more patient or giving us more humility. This is what prayer should be doing for us. I mean some of us pray out of habit, others do it out of love for God, and still some people only do it in their time of need.

So, when we pray are we transforming into the person God wants us to become? I mean if we pray 5 rosaries a day, yes that is good, but what is it doing for us? If it is doing nothing and our attitude isn't changing then we need to rethink our prayer strategy. Prayer in the simplest way communication with God, which is supposed to help our relationship with him and our journey to holiness. Prayer is not to persuade God to our will, but to accept his will instead.

In Yesterday's Gospel (Luke 11:1-13) the disciples asked Jesus how to pray because whenever Jesus went off to pray he always came back refreshed something actually happened something changed. They prayed a lot as Jews, they had daily prayers, and they had different rituals to abide by, but they noticed all the prayers and rituals didn't do anything for them like Jesus' prayer did for him. They knew something had to change they had to fix something, and who better to ask than Jesus?

Everything matters to God especially our relationship with him, and our journey to holiness. He cares about what is going on in our lives, and he loves us more than we could ever imagine. So ask yourself and ask God how can you change your prayer life to better benefit you and your relationship with God? He will certainly give you the answer.

Here is "Matter" by For King and Country:
                          

Thank You Lord for reminding us that we matter to you. Help us to becoming holier and to pray not for our will but for yours.

God Bless,

Sarah

Fear

Fear holds us back from serving God, and doing things that would immensely help us. We have plenty of fears every single day whether big or small. Sometimes its financial problems, other times trying something new, or even what other people are saying or thinking about us. How do we overcome these fears, and is it even possible to overcome them? Of course it's possible to overcome our fear because Jesus gives us courage; we just have to accept it. Jesus gives us the exact amount of courage we need to overcome each fear. Do we accept it? Sometimes no, but Jesus still encourages us. And God tells us time and time again in the bible do not be afraid (Joshua 1:9):

I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.

Why do we sometimes let fear control us if we know we have God on our side? It is just the human side of us, we aren't all perfect, and we don't always want to step out of our comfort zone. But God knows what is best for us, we on the other hand do not. Our judgement is clouded by sin, and our human state, while God's judgement is not clouded by anything because he is all good, and has our best interest in mind. So why not, why not trust God to best of our ability even in hard times? Sure we can be stubborn but once we get past our stubbornness we can, "do all things through him who strengthens us." (Philippians 4:13).

Here is "The God I Know" by Love and the Outcome:

Lord, please remind us that you know what is best, and that you give us courage. I pray for all those going to World Youth Day, that you may give them the courage they need to be able to make this trip. Thank You for guiding us with your hand, and giving us the courage to overcome fear.

God Bless,

Sarah

Being A Good Samaritan

How often do we overlook others, and we make up different excuses for why? A lot of times with our busy lives it is hard not to overlook others, but Jesus wants us to put others before ourselves. In Today's Gospel (Luke 10:25-37) we hear Jesus asking us to care about others, to not overlook others:

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? 
How do you read it?" 
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?" 
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. 
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. 
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight. 
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. 
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him. 
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him. 
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" 
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." 
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

We are all imperfect, we all have our moments, but trying and striving for holiness is what makes Our Lord happy, and what benefits us for eternal life. This week we need to strive to be a 'good Samaritan' every day, because Jesus has asked us to do this very thing. If we are to serve God we must heed his words right?  It doesn't have to be anything huge life helping a half-dead person on the road, BUT just letting someone know you care, and then praying for them as well; a text, a simple hello, or asking what's wrong. Whether its a friend or a stranger or even family this is what God is asking of us!

So ask God today to give you the compassion to not overlook others, and the grace to be merciful no matter what it means to our earthly reputation. 

Here is "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets:

God Bless,

Sarah

Happy Independence Day America!

Dear God,

Today is our Independence Day, and we ask that you, the all-powerful God may bless this country. We ask you to give her the leadership she needs to become great again.
We ask that this country may go back to the principles on which she was founded.
That America may not be destroyed by greed, but that she may be empowered by her trust in you,
And remain one nation under God indivisible with liberty and Justice for all.
We ask that you may keep our men and women who are in service, safe, and give them the grace they need to protect this country, because it is through their sacrifice that we enjoy the freedom we have today, and please give their families the grace they need to be strong. Lord, give us a president, who believes in this country, and will make us great again. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, and through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reins with you and the Holy Spirit forever, and ever. Amen.

Here is a Little Video I found on YouTube about independence day:

God Bless,

Sarah

God's will...What is it?

A lot of times we focus on certain points, or decisions in our lives, and don't look at it through God's eyes; which would be looking at the bigger plan, instead of focusing on just one moment in our lives. We ask questions like: Does God want me to take this job offer? Does God want me to go to this school? Does God want me to go into religious life, or Marry? We want to know God's will for our lives, but we often only ask the small questions, and we forget about the real reason we are here on this earth. God's will is that we have access to him through Jesus, be transformed as a result of that and be sent out to others to tell them about the one who changed our lives. He wants us to share in his divine life, which is the only end worth having. He wants us to share his truth and his joy with everyone. Joy is one of the most important gifts of the Holy Spirit, and God wants us to share his truth and joy with the whole world.

Here is "Thy Will" by Hilary Scott:

Dear God,
Give us Your Holy Spirit, to live in us forever, and bless us with eternal life.
Let Your Holy Spirit Testify through us and speak the Truth through us.
Let Your Holy Spirit Love through us, a unselfish Holy Love;  so that we lay down all worldly ambitions, give up our wills, and do Your Holy Will.
Take our thoughts away from making money.
Keep our thoughts on doing Your Holy will, not on seeking worldly material things, or vain worldly status. Let Your Holy Spirit give us our one desire and one purpose, To do Your Holy Will.
And remind us that life is about loving others, and being loved by you.

AMEN

God Bless,

Sarah

Creation

I went on a boat yesterday, and as we were riding on the water I was just shock, and at the same time wowed; because it was all so beautiful, and also because sometimes we don't take enough time to appreciate nature. We tend to take a lot of things for granted most of the time; nature being one of those. We get up in morning do what we do go to work, go to mass, but a lot of times we don't take time to appreciate all the nature around us, or even that we are simply alive. God created the earth as a temporary home for us, and he created us for eternal life, and happiness for him. Do we realize that everything, and everyone around us is precious? God loves his creation even so that he promised Noah he would never flood the earth again, and instead sent his only son to save us from our sin!
People say that nature and human beings just appeared and we are not here for any particular reason, but as always scripture contradicts that with the truth.
In the first Creation Story in Genesis (Ch 1 and 2) we hear how God made us and what he thought of it:

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—
Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.
God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.
Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.
God made the dome, and it separated the water below the dome from the water above the dome. And so it happened.
God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw that it was good.
f Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened:
the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
Then God said: Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the seasons, the days and the years, and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth. And so it happened:
God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night, and the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.
Then God said: Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.
God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good, and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.
Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened:
God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good.
Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.
God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

So look around you next time you are outside, and just Thank God because without him first we wouldn't be alive, and second we wouldn't be able to enjoy this beautiful earth that he created. Nature is something we should never take for granted no matter how many times we wake up and go outside. We tend to forget that God could take it all away in a split second. I don't want to scare people, but I just think God would love it if we thanked him for everything, and were grateful instead of taking it for granted.

Here is "Beautiful Day" by Jamie Grace:

Thank You Lord, for loving us as much as you do. Give us the give us the grace to thank you and appreciate your creation everyday whether we want to get out of bed or not. Help us to be grateful instead of taking everything for granted. Everyday is a beautiful day because you made it!

God Bless,

Sarah

God doesn't want us to Compare ourselves to others

Comparison can be both good and bad. Bad in that it takes away our joy and creates envy insecurities and much more negative thoughts. Good in that it helps and encourages us to become more like the saints, Mary, Jesus, and God. When we look at other people we often think that they are better than us in some ways, or that they have it easier, or even that they are holier than we are. Some people even think that they are better than others that they are above other people. We all have these thoughts at one time in our lives, but they are all lies and do not come from God; they come from the enemy.

The Devil wants us to compare ourselves to others, so as to slow down our journey to holiness, and our service to God. Because when we compare we start to think our service isn't good enough or we think we aren't making a difference, which isn't true. God puts us on the path that best benefits us, not the path that makes us look good in the eyes of the world. If we want acceptance or reassurance of the path we are on we must look to God, for that not the world. God is who we are working for and serving.

Now when we look at someone else and compare it only brings despair, and envy; because from where we see it their path looks easier smoother, and they appear to get more rewards, but we do not see them like God sees them. We see their faith, good works laughter, and trust in God, but God sees their tears, struggles, their sadness and their times of discouragement. We have to remember we only see what others let us see; we don't know everything unless they tell us. This is also the reason we cannot judge as we hear in today's Gospel (Matthew 7:1-5):

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

We all judge and compare it is part of our human condition, but God is asking us to leave the judgement to him, and to live for him not the world. Judgement and Comparison are two heavy crosses we all have to bear at one time or another, and so to counteract these thoughts God gives us the graces we need.

So, whether we are putting ourselves down, or holding ourselves too high above others God is waiting for us to abandon those ways, and come back to him humbly, and keep working for only his glory in all that we do.

Here is "HAPPINESS" by NEEDTOBREATHE

Thank You Lord for always reminding us we cannot be happy and envious at the same time. Help us to become more like you, and Mary, and the saints. Give us to grace to stop judging others and comparing ourselves to others. Shed your mercy, on all of us, and help us to abandon our previous ways.

God Bless,

Sarah

We are made perfect in weakness!

Today I want to talk about something we all have weaknesses. So let me ask you something, do you accept your weaknesses? Some of us do, and some of us have a hard time accepting them. But a weakness isn't something to be mad about or discouraged by because they make us holier, they increase humility, and they illuminate your path to transformation. In order to accept our weaknesses we need to become aware of them, and ask God for the grace to accept them. Why should we accept our struggles, sins, and weaknesses? Because the God of the universe, whom we sin against accepts us, with our imperfectness, and if we do accept weaknesses we will grow in union, and a deeper relationship with God, and become holier. Who doesn't want that? So, we have to become encouraged by the need for improvement.

Let's look at a 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

So what is Paul trying to tell us here? He is saying that since the power of Christ is in him, and for Christ's sake he is content with what life has to offer. This is the same attitude we should have towards our own imperfectness. When we become more aware of our flaws, and accept them the more we accept others for who they are. Weird right? But it's true self acceptance leads to the acceptance of others.

Today ask God to give the grace you need to accept your weaknesses, and to have the same attitude Paul had, being content with flaws, and whatever else. Because since Jesus was insulted, and nailed to a cross, for his sake we should accept our lives the way they come, and accept insults, and persecutions.

Here is "You are Loved" by Stars Go Dim

Thank You Lord for accepting us for who we are, and help us to do the same.

God Bless,

Sarah

We are the Light of The World

When I was getting ready for my first Communion, our teacher had us write a prayer to God, and in that prayer I said, "Jesus let your light shine through me." At the time I didn't know what I was actually saying, but now I know I was asking him to make me transparent so as to say let his light and the love of Christ shine through me.

In today's Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) Jesus tells us to shine our light, and let God work through us, so that others may glorify his works:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lamp stand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

So let's think about this: we are called to become saints, to be transparent by allowing the love of Christ shine through us. But what blocks Jesus' light and love to shine through us? Arrogance for one, pride, selfishness and many other negative characteristics. Sometimes we get way to caught up in ourselves, and in our glory that we forget all the glory is for God. Even though our praises add nothing to him he uses our actions for our own good. Ask yourself this today: how can I remove negative characteristics from my life? So, as Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, and what he wants us to do is flavor the lives of the people we meet, because they are hungry for God and all his greatness, love, compassion, peace, and mercy. One thing we have to remember though, and be careful of is our pride and ego, which gets in the way too many times. The most important part of this Gospel I think anyways is this, "they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." Jesus does not say glorify you, but glorify your heavenly Father. So, today let your light shine through you to others.

Here is "We are" by Kari Jobe:

Thank You Lord, for reminding us who we are, and help us to give glory only to you because you are the one guiding us.

God Bless,

Sarah

My Top 10 Favorite Christian Songs

For this post I am going to do something a little different than usual. On most of my posts I put a song at the end, so I am going to share with you my top 10 favorite Christian Songs, that encourage me:

1. Joy of the Lord, by Rend Collective  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3gLeCiMJqI
2. Priceless, by for King & Country  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9oWOdZccA
3. The Words I Would Say, by Sidewalk Prophets  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t9u-LOa3OI
4. Tell Your Heart to Beat Again, by Danny Gokey  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkdkiuJgqxk
5. Grace Wins, by Matthew West  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQqZltmA0eM
6. Lord I Need You, by Matt Maher  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvfMDhTyMA
7. Someone Worth Dying For, by MIKESCHAIR  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSoAkJXjxiU
8. Good Morning, by Mandisa ft Toby Mac  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnmWwudeqfM
9. Trust in You, By Lauren Daigel  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv-SXz_exKE
10. If We're Honest, by Francesca Battistelli  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySa3Vu4FUW8

I hope you like these songs! And I will end with one of my favorite prayers:

The Peace Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

God Bless,

Sarah

The 8 Beatitudes

So, what is a beatitude? Well, it is a special happiness or blessing of Spiritual nature, not human nature. In today's Gospel (MT 5:1-12) we hear the Sermon on the Mount, here Jesus promised the happiness of eternal life to those who live the Christian life, which he summarized in the 8 beatitudes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The beatitudes remind us of one main thing we are blessed, and we are God's chosen people forever. But what does it mean to be blessed? Well it is an adjective, and it means to be holy or consecrated; We are consecrated and/or sacred to God. The beatitudes also remind us that we are blessed in struggles, and suffering, and that God is present in these times. One last thing our sacrifices are blessed and they are meaningful to God.

Here is "Your Love Never Fails" by Newsboys

Thank You Lord for blessing us in every moment of our lives. Thank you especially for blessing us in our sacrifices, sufferings, and struggles.

God Bless,

Sarah

Pity

Have you ever felt compassion, and sorrow for someone in their time of suffering? Well, that is how Jesus felt in today;s Gospel (Luke 7:11-17) because he loved this woman and had pity for her:

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, crying out
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst, “
and “God has visited his people.”
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.

So, what did Jesus do here, and how does it affect our lives? First of all, Jesus showed his love for others,  he showed his power as God, and probably the most important thing was he restored the mother's relationship with the son. In the same way he also visits us, and embraces our human relationships healing, and restoring them to new life. By doing this he brings us into the basic and most fundamental relationship, which gives life, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; inviting us into the greatest circle of love.

Now lets look at our relationship with Jesus. This is something, which can never be repeated. What I mean by this is Jesus' love for us individually, his plan for our lives, and our relationship with him are all unique, and can never be repeated. So, because his plan is unique to our lives, and will never be repeated he asks us to rejoice in his plan, even if it includes suffering, and even if life doesn't go the way we want it to. Be at peace with God's will, and know that everyone in heaven loves you, and is interceding for you. Nothing is impossible with God.

Here is "Every Giant Will Fall" by Rend Collective

Thank You Lord, for having so much pity on us, that you would die on the cross! Give us the willingness to be open to your will, and remind us nothing is impossible.

God Bless, 

Sarah

Friendships

Humans are built on friendship, and relationships, which is why in Genesis God said it isn't good for man to be alone. Now we don't have to have tons and tons of friends because when you have a one good friend who you know cares about you, well you are on top of the world. When we hear someone loves us we feel better about ourselves we hang out with that person, and overall we love them and talk to others about how good of a friend they are. Am I right? So, think about this the God of all the universe loves you, and wants a relationship with you. Some people they are shocked, others they say  yes yes I know that already. So if we know this if we know how good God is and how much he loves each one of us why are we not shouting this from the mountain top, and telling everyone we meet how good God is? The answer to that may vary for each one of us, but it is the fact that we are constantly in a hurry, our thoughts are clouded with things we need to get done, and some of us don't want to stand out. Is that how a child of God should live? No, it isn't but all of this is part of our human nature. God doesn't want perfect children; although what he does want is us trying our best every single day to tell everyone about him because when they see or hear about the love God has for us they want what we have. Which brings me to Matthew 25:1-13 the parable of the ten virgins:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’  Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The oil in the parable represents our friendship with Jesus, which is something we cannot give away to others. So Jesus is the bridegroom here, and we do not know when he will come again in his glory. Through this parable Jesus is telling us to stay awake in a spiritual sense to nurture a relationship with him, to pray daily to him, and to spread his word to those of the world.  So today show others the love of God whether its actions or words. Show that Christ is in you.

Here is Christ in me by Jeremy Camp:

Thank You Lord for the grace to get through our worse days. Give us the courage the martyrs had so that we can serve you the best we can every day. Give us the grace to show that we have you in us.

God Bless,

Sarah

Judge yourself before others

We all judge whether its our friends, family, someone we meet; we are all prone to judgement on others. Why though? Why are we so prone to judgement on others? Well its part of our human nature. The devil will try to get us to think bad thoughts about someone, or point out their flaws but Jesus gives us a clear message in the Gospels to not judge. One of my favorite example of this is John 8:1-11:

while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.* But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.* So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.”

Jesus is telling us here to not go around judging people's actions, and instead look at yourself to see where you need improvement. The only one who can lawfully judge is God because he knows us better than we know ourselves, and his judgement is just. Unlike ours which is clouded by the stain of original sin, and the temptation of the devil. Jesus makes this clear when he says, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." What did the people do (starting with the Pharisees)? Left, they simply left because not one of them was perfect. 

Now did Jesus condemn well he could have because he is God; but he did not instead he forgave the woman, and told her to go and sin no more. This is exactly what he tells us to do when we confess to him in confession. To summarize Jesus is telling us not to judge people's actions, and their motives behind those actions. Now don't get me wrong here we all have our opinions, but we do not need to suspect and judge. We don't know everyone's story, and probably never will unless they tell us.

So, today ask god to give you the graces to hold judgement against others, and give you the graces to fight the tendency to judge. The opposite of judgement is compassion which leads to mercy and eventually forgiveness.

Thank You Lord for your endless mercy and forgiveness and give us the graces we need to steer away from judgement and towards compassion.

God Bless,

Sarah 

Living Out Our Faith in the World

From morals, to trust in God, to temptations to sin, our Catholic Christian faith is tested 24/7. The world will do everything it can to try to get us to abandon our faith, and morals. Why? Because we are not of the world we do not do the things most people in society do. The devil wants us to abandon God, because only then can the devil put us in whole of shame without hope. Of course we can't let him do this we need to keep fighting the good fight. We keep this fight going by keeping our faith, and living it out in the world. Although in doing this we have to remember that we cannot become like the Pharisees. So yes live out your faith, but do it in a humble way.

How do we live out our faith? Well we do what St. Francis of Assisi said to do, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words." What he means by this is to share the good news by our actions, not just our words. Because if we have faith without action, we become hypocrites. God doesn't want hypocrites. HE wants friends, who are willing to do his will, and share the good news throughout the world. Now, we don't need to do big big things to live out our faith. We show our faith in the little things we do throughout our day. Like Helping a stranger in need, giving a friend an encouraging text, letting people know you care, even just the smallest smile to someone can make their day. So, think what would Jesus do every day if he were in my shoes? Ask God to open your eyes to those who need you. Even the smallest little act of love towards someone could cause them to convert because when they see how we live out our lives as Christians they want what we have!

In the letter of James (James 2:14-26), James tells us about faith without works, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Today, think about how you personally have lived out your faith, and ask the Holy Spirit to point out the areas in your life, that you need to work on. We can't wait forever to finally decide to live out our faith because we never know when our end on this earth will come. We need to live out our faith through our actions as much as possible everyday. This and only this will please God no matter who we may displease in this world. By doing this we will not only grow closer to God, but we will grow in holiness, and become saints. Now this isn't as easy as it sounds, which is why we need God's grace. Where do we find his grace? In prayer, and most importantly in the sacraments. The sacraments are full of graces God is waiting to give us. So, when we can we need to spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and talk to God ask him for his help. My point is to have faith with actions, and love God to fullest, by doing these things you will become holier each day!

God Bless,

Sarah

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit enables us to do extraordinary things some of us would otherwise never think of doing. Just like he did with the apostles at Pentecost, we see this in the first reading (Acts 2:1-11):

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

We all have the Holy Spirit within us, (no matter what age) who is waiting for us to allow him to work through us. This may not be as obvious as it was for the apostles, but we do have him in us just like we have Jesus in us. Some of us put the Holy Spirit in a box, and only let him work through us when it is convenient for us, but we cannot limit him. I did this for some of my life, I put him in a box, and it was a horrible decision. We cannot do this because we are his vessels and he can Only reach some people through us. By taking the Holy Spirit out of the box we help others in ways we cannot without the holy spirit, and of course by doing this we are doing God's will, and saving souls.

Today do one thing, ask the Holy Spirit to come, be willing to accept him, and open your heart. Then, God will do the rest! Holy Spirit, I ask you to give us the grace to be open to your will. Give us the grace to trust in you, and give us the strength to say yes to your guidance. Give us the courage and the grace to say no to sin. Lord, I pray for all the people in the world, that they may be open to you, and your will. Give us Catholics the courage to stand up for what is right, and to spread the Gospel like the apostles did.

Here is "Holy Spirit" sung by Francesca Battistelli:

Thank You Lord, for all that you have done for us. I pray for those who are less fortunate in the world. I also pray for all the souls in Purgatory, that they may be joined in heaven with you.

God Bless,

Sarah

Storms

Do you ever feel like you are in a storm? Storm as in bad events just keep happening, and you have just about no control. We all have felt this way. Questions come into our heads during this period and we think why is this happening, how did I get here, where is God, which is probably the most common question we ask. Just like any answers we look to scripture, so I want to focus on the Gospel of Matthew 8:23-27:                   The Calming of the Storm at Sea.
He got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

Here the apostles are in an actual storm, and for one reason they followed Jesus into the boat. It is the same in our lives when we make our choice to follow Jesus we end up in "storms" where we feel helpless, and we are like the apostles calling out to Jesus asking him where he is, why he isn't helping. But in reality it is enough for Jesus to be with us because he gives us peace during difficult times. God tells us throughout the Bible that he is with us and to not be afraid. He also tells us that he will never give us more than we can take. So through these "storms" God allows our faith to be tested so that we can become stronger in faith, and closer to him. If we want to be followers of Jesus we need to have a lot of faith in him, yes it can be very difficult, but we need faith because without it we are lost. So, if we keep our eyes on Jesus instead of the "storm" we will be able to get through it.

Today I have two songs to go along with this post because I couldn't choose between the two.
So, here is "Just Be Held" by Casting Crowns:

And here is "Eye of the storm" by Ryan Stevenson:

Thank You Lord for being with us through all of lives. Give us the strength to keep our eyes on you.

God Bless,

Sarah

We are PRICELESS!

Let me tell you something...your are loved! You might be saying yes I know this already, but do we actually accept this? I mean I know in my life I put myself down at least once a day. We all have doubts and fears. Now Jesus tells us that he accepts us right? Think about that the God who we offend almost daily accepts us for who we are. Wow, I mean it is shocking sometimes especially because we know our past sins, and how imperfect we are, but he needs our imperfection because if we were perfect how would he use us? Because if we were perfect or believed we were then our pride and ego would easily get in the way. He uses us through our imperfection; he wants us to believe in only his perfection. Saint Francis of Assisi said, "If God can work through me he can work through anyone." This is so very true because we are all sinners yes, but God works through us sometimes we realize it sometimes we don't. Jesus loves us perfectly no matter what we do and he rejoices when we come back to him. Sometimes we think of a past sin or wrong decision, and we hold onto it thinking we have to "make up" for it, but in reality God let it go already, and forgave us already. God has also adjusted his plan for our lives, for our better good. So, be reminded God loves you and you are priceless to him. God wants us to share this and spread the word by loving others because if God loves our imperfect selves we can love the people we interact with in the world.
Here is one of my ultimately favorite songs "Priceless" by For King and Country

Thank You Lord for loving us perfectly. Help us to love one another as you love us. Give us the strength to stay fixed on you, and trust in you.

God Bless,

Sarah

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we celebrate Mother's Day! Mothers are like an angel in our lives, and I could go on and on with adjectives to describe them but I want to look at what makes them this way and how we can imitate their special virtues. If we look at Mary we see the best motherly example you could possibly get. Think of all the virtues The Virgin Mary had ok, and now compare those virtues to your mom. They are very and almost exactly similar right? Now look at yourself how many of those virtues do you have? Looking at these things and asking the Holy Spirit's guidance we see where we need improvement, which is good because God wants us to come closer to him and become the holiest we can be. This can take a while for most of us because we can be stubborn (I know this from experience), but God is waiting on us and being patient with us. So where do you need improvement? May I suggest writing these down and putting it somewhere you see it everyday, and asking God for the grace to improve and become holier every single day? Mothers are very amazing people, who are selfless, patent, loving, kind, and  I could go on and on. So, today do one thing thank your mother whether she is here on earth or up in heaven tell her how much you care for her, love her and think of her, and do this for Mary as well because her yes opened up a beam of hope for all of us. Jesus. 

Now, the only thing we should ever show our mothers is love, yes we all make mistakes, and we are forgiven but love is what we should show our mothers and Mary because it is what they do for us. So, we ask God today to let love take over our minds bodies and souls. Here is Love Take Me Over by Steven Curtis Chapman:

Thank You Lord, for giving us these amazing selfless people we call our moms, and thank you especially for Mary our heavenly mother, who carried your son in her womb. Give us the grace to become more like them and come closer to you. I pray today for all the mothers in the world, for those who know you well, and for those who don't, give them the graces they need to be like Mary, and give them the strength to conquer whatever is thrown at them.

God Bless, and Happy Mother's Day, 

Sarah

Halfhearted or Wholehearted...??

Today I want to look at a passage from the Old Testament, 1 Kings 18:21-39. Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him. So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but shall start no fire. You shall call upon the name of your gods, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God.” All the people answered, “We agree!” Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.” Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it and called upon Baal from morning to noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared. When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: “Call louder, for he is a god; he may be busy doing his business, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears according to their ritual until blood gushed over them. Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was no sound, no one answering, no one listening. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” When they drew near to him, he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been destroyed. He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said: Israel shall be your name. He built the stones into an altar to the name of the LORD, and made a trench around the altar large enough for two measures of grain. When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar; even the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came forward and said, “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you.” The LORD’s fire came down and devoured the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”

There is a lot to take away from this passage, but in my opinion one of the most important things is not to be halfhearted (in other words lukewarm). Elijah tells us to follow whoever we think or believe that God is. He tells us this because if we are to follow the one true God then we cannot hold anything above him. He needs to be first on our priority list. So, the million dollar question is this have you made the decision to follow God wholeheartedly? The day I made this decision was probably the best day of my whole life, and a day which I will never forget. God is open and he is waiting for you to make this decision, and if you do he will be overjoyed because one of his lost sheep has come back and been found. Now do not think that life will be easy because it will not God did not promise this, although he promised to be there will us every single second of our lives.

So today I want you to pray, (and I will pray for everyone who reads this blog post) I want you to ask God to give you the grace and the strength to say yes to him like Mary like the saints like the prophets, and everyone else who has said yes to God. Ask the Holy Spirit as well to give you knowledge of God, and to help you to love him above all things.

Thank You Lord, for your unending mercy. Please help us to make the right choice and say yes to your will instead of ours.

God Bless,

Sarah

Change

Change is something we all go through in our lives. Whether big or small, and whether good or bad. Now for some people change can be really hard, for others though really easy. But there is one thing we need to understand about change, which is: the changes in our lives are all foreseen and willed by God, so if we realize this the changes in our lives become much easier to go through because we know that it is God's will for us. This is where the Trust comes in. We don't see the whole plan like God does we only see it from where we are at this moment in time. So, if we think God is making the wrong choice for us we are wrong. God only wills for us what is beneficial to our souls. Now look at that sentence the key word in there is soul. God cares for the well-being of our soul not of our material goods that we think we may need because those are just temporary HE is eternal. In today's Gospel (John 15:18-21) Jesus tells us if we belong to the world the world will love us, but that is not the love we want. We want the love of Jesus not the love of the world:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”

So if we love Jesus we will no doubt be persecuted. Now being persecuted means a couple different things, and we can be persecuted in many different ways, but if we keep our eyes on God we will get through anything because he is always with us. One very important thing we need to remember is that we do everything for the Lord, and in his name. When we forget this our lives are subject to becoming dysfunctional. I can say this from experience because it has happened to me recently. So my advice here is keep your eyes on God do not be of the world, and remember everything happens for a reason, and sometimes we can't see the big plan of our lives, but in these moments we need to especially trust in God.

As always I will end with one of my favorite songs: Guilty by Newsboys. This song is actually in the movie God's Not Dead 2, which I saw earlier this month, and it was absolutely awesome and I would recommend it to everyone! Here is a link to the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHroHbYHtrU

                                                                 

Thank You Lord for guiding our lives. Thank You for always being with us. Help us to be your light in the world, and give us the strengthen to trust you all the time but especially in hard times.

God Bless,
Sarah

Temptations, Tests, and Trials

Do you ever feel like your faith is being tested? We all go through trials of our faith every single day because we all have temptations. Why is our faith tested? It is to make us stronger in our faith. God allows pain he allows trials of faith for reasons. Reasons we might not understand sometimes. God has his hand on all our lives whether we realize it or not and whether we care or not. Some people say that its luck when something good happens, but I believe its God helping and guiding us through every situation. So why does he do all this for us, when some people don't acknowledge him, or don't believe in him. He is desperate for a relationship with us! He loves every single one of us, and wants to be our friend, which is why he saved us from sin. Most of us have been attacked spiritually by the devil am I right? What does it mean? It means you are doing the right thing. The devil attacks us because he doesn't want us to grow closer to God, and bring others closer to him. These are usually called trials because God lets the devil test our faith, and by doing this we grow closer to him. God does not enjoy this, but sometimes it is necessary to help us grow spiritually. Next time you are tempted cling to Jesus and to your faith because he will help you get through it. He is our strength.
Here is "In Christ Alone" sung by Travis Cottrell

God Bless,

Sarah

Masks

Today I want to talk about masks. We all put them on in our lives. Either we put them on to impress people, or we put them on to hide our pain, there are many reasons we put them on. Let me ask you this, what does it do for you, what do masks do for you? I have put on masks before, but all it does is give people a false impression of you. Why would you want that? I know my reasons, and everybody knows their reasons as well. Although what does God think of this? Do you think he doesn't care, or doesn't notice? Well he does care and he does notice. Putting on a mask is like lying to someone by using body language. If we want to be real disciples of Christ, then we will try our absolute best to stop with the masks. We are here on this earth to evangelize and to bring others to Christ and bring ourselves closer to him as well. We are not here to make false impressions of who we really are. Lent is over, and Christ is Risen, he died for our sins past, present, and future. So, why all the false impressions? Why not be truthful to yourself, and to others, but especially to God? You see when we put on a mask we are pretending to be someone we are not, when we do this we show God, that we don't like who we are, who he made us to be. Because of this, (and just like any other sin) we are offending Jesus, and saying I don't like how you have made me so I'm going to make a false impression of myself, just to look good. So, if you (and I'm, guilty of this too) are somebody different around some people other than others it is not good. I know it can be hard to be yourself around some people, but we have to try because in our perseverance God gives us all the graces we need to be ourselves. So today don't put on a mask, instead ask God to give you the grace to be yourself around everyone you meet. I'll end with this song "If We're Honest" from Francesca Battistelli.

Lord thank you for giving us the grace to be ourselves. Help us to be more truthful to others instead of just putting on a mask in front of certain people.

God Bless,
Sarah

Happy Easter! Jesus Is Risen!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, besides my birthday (of course). In today's world to most people think of Easter as bunnies, candy, flowers, and they don't even acknowledge Jesus. It is sad, and we really should pray for those people who don't acknowledge the origins of some of the big holidays in the year; which is Jesus. Now, we as Catholics, what do we see Easter as? We see it as a couple different things: first off, it is the end of holy week, and lent, second it is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, and third we see it as a day of joy and new life. Let's all do one thing today, and everyday really, but especially today. "Bring all the joy of the Risen Christ!" Can you guess who said this today? Yes, it was Pope Francis, who said it on his Instagram account (@franciscus, for those of you who have Instagram). This is what Easter is all about telling everyone the joy of Christ, The Risen Christ. Easter is special for everyone in a different way. So today share the joy of Jesus with everyone and anyone you meet! And Enjoy your Easter!

Here is one of my favorite Easter songs: "Christ Is Risen" sung by Matt Maher.

Lord, thank you for redeeming us, and saving us from our sin. Help us to be as forgiving, compassionate, and merciful as you are. In a special way today Lord, I pray for all those, who don't acknowledge you, and all those who do not know your joy. Give them peace, and help them change their ways. Amen.

God Bless, and Happy Easter,

Sarah