Saint Joseph Emerges: A Personal Account

 "How precious you are to God, O peerless Joseph, for to you he confided his three great treasures: the virginity of Mary, the person of his only-begotten Son, and the secret of all his mystery." ~Fr. Jacqes-Benigne Bossuet

I am so excited to celebrate Christmas this year after having completed my consecration to St. Joseph in this year that has been dedicated to him because I am more aware of the crucial part he played in our redemption history and in the Christmas story.  But more importantly, I just know him better as my spiritual father, the head of the Holy Family.  With Jesus as my brother (I call myself His little sister), Mary as my mother, and Joseph as my father, I can enter into the Christmas story with a great sense of familiarity and yet wonder.  Until you read the Consecration to St. Joseph, I can't expect you to fully understand how wonderful this will be.

When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I remember coming home from Catholic school (or religious-ed, can't remember which), sitting on my bed, and thinking Joseph was such a terrible character in the story because he wanted to divorce Mary.  For whatever reason (I have no clue what put this image into my head) I thought Joseph was not to be trusted and that he was a selfish, begrudging man.  I later realized that wasn't the case at all.  I was just so young that when I heard he wanted to divorce Mary, I knew that was a bad thing and wanted nothing more to do with him.  Oh, silly young Sarah.  I didn't hold that misconception for long though.  My mom helped me understand St. Joseph wasn't like that at all.

Still, I had a lot of learning about St. Joseph to do.  For years he stayed quiet, just like he did in his earthly life, not revealing anything about himself or his son to me.  He was contented to remain the silent character in the nativity scene at Christmas guarding the precious Child.  As I grew, I learned he was the patron of the Universal Church, a happy death, and a guardian of purity.  Still, I never felt the need to especially invoke him.  I would include him in my prayers with Jesus and Mary, but almost as a formality.  I have a holy card of him on the front of my prayer journal but I'm pretty sure I only used it because it had an image of the child Jesus, to whom I'm so devoted.  

So you can tell, I just wasn't very devoted to St. Joseph.  He was there, and he was good, but not special to me.

Finally, in the spring of this year, St. Joseph was ready to begin his ministry in my life.  When I was telling a fellow parishioner about my new relationship and how good my beau was, she excitedly exclaimed in her thick New York accent, "It sounds like you may have found your very own St. Joseph!"  Hmm... I had never thought about looking for all the virtues of St. Joseph in my partner but this was a very good idea.  I began to pray just a little bit for St. Joseph to make my boyfriend after his own heart.  Still, I only offered this as a quick intention and moved on.

In June, I went to visit friends in Texas, and their parish is called after a title of St. Joseph.  At the end of the trip, we walked through a giant antique mall.  There were many beautiful Catholic items and I was blessed to get a few.  I picked out two antique holy cards, one of which, depicted St. Joseph and a person clothed in a scapular.  I knew I wanted to invoke St. Joseph more over my relationship and life so I immediately knew I wanted to get this holy card.  I thought it would be perfect to picture myself as the soul on the card.

Our Guide to Heaven: Good Saint Joseph, thou who reignest in heaven
 by your intercession obtain, that, I too may enter there.

You would have thought that with this dear image, I would have begun to entrust myself and my relationship to St. Joseph especially but I still wasn't committed.  St. Joseph was emerging as a more personal figure in my life but he hadn't quite come into clear view yet.  He was waiting to reveal himself and lend his aid until I really needed it.

After my relationship ended, I was crushed and prayed like I never had before.  I threw myself into many devotions including novenas to St. Anne, St. Therese, and for the Nativity of Mary, just to name a few.  Well, when a local parish announced they were doing the Consecration to St. Joseph with weekly meetings, I was definitely interested.  A little hesitant at first but the book came with rave reviews from friends so I decided to try it out and drop out if it got too modern or anything.  

Whoa.  I never put it down.  I easily finished all the reading.  Sure I may have skipped a day here or there, but I made sure to make it up the following day because the reading was just that good.  The Consecration to St. Joseph book by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC taught me so much about our spiritual father and his virtues.  I can't begin to go into all that here.  We'd be here for another month. 😅  Anyway, I just want to say, I'm so very glad I completed the consecration because I have found in St. Joseph an exemplary man to follow to our dear Jesus.  After I lost the earthly man I thought would accompany me to the Bethlehem crib, St. Joseph came alongside me at just the perfect time and introduced himself as a loving father and strong support.  I still do not love him or trust him as much as I should, but I do find myself asking for his intercession more now and I'm so very glad of that.

St. Joseph practiced all the virtues to such a great degree that he was privileged to raise the Son of God on earth.  Remember, St. Joseph was just a regular man conceived in original sin so he is the most inspiring of the Saints.  He practiced heroic chastity, humility, and perseverance.  I want to take him as my model and guide.  

St. Joseph is a wonderful model of silence too.  Not just contemplative silence, but silence when we don't understand or when something is hard.  Not a word of his is recorded in scripture but he promptly obeys when God asks something of him.  I definitely could use the help of St. Joseph to hold my tongue and do things cheerfully when asked.

One other very impressive note about St. Joseph is that he must be worthy of our attention and honor because God Himself was obedient unto him.  Jesus loved and obeyed St. Joseph just as He would His Heavenly Father.  If Jesus can do it, so should we!  So let us love St. Joseph taking our lead from Jesus Himself!

I am very very excited to dive into this Advent and Christmas season under not only the patronage of our holy mother Mary but also under the fatherly mantle of St. Joseph.  I absolutely cannot wait to contemplate his tender loving care when I set up the manger scene and think on the Christmas story.  And I pray that this newfound devotion will continue to grow and that St. Joseph will guide me in the new year and for the rest of my life.  I highly encourage you to read "Consecration to St. Joseph" so you can get to know this exemplary man that God chose to be the guardian of His most precious Son.

"Be in good spirits under the fatherly mantle of St. Joseph, a place of safest refuge in trials and tribulations." ~St. Joseph Marello

 Finally, here is my favorite prayer to St. Joseph which I discovered at my friends' parish in Texas but didn't memorize until nearly a year later when we started attending my current parish.  They recite this prayer every Sunday before Mass so that's how I committed it to memory. 😊

To Thee, O Blessed Joseph | Ad te beáte Ioseph

(This prayer was prescribed by Pope Leo XIII for the month of October, to be recited after the Holy Rosary.)

TO THEE, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and, having implored the help of
thy thrice-holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also.

By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength.

Most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen people of Jesus Christ; keep far from us, most loving father, all blight of error and corruption: mercifully assist us from Heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness; and, even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the supreme peril of His life, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; keep us one and all under thy continual protection, that we may be supported by thine example and thine assistance, may be enabled to lead a holy life, die a happy death and come at last to the possession of everlasting blessedness in Heaven. Amen.
(Pre-1968 Indulgence of 3 years)

 

Long Live Christ the King: Blessed Euphrasio of the Child Jesus

Recognize this Carmelite Blessed?  I bet not.  I didn't recognize him either.  I actually couldn't find any info about him on the internet that was even in English! 

I only stumbled upon this intriguing Carmelite because I follow the Carmel of Lisieux on Facebook.  Yep, that's the Carmel that St. Therese and three of her sisters entered.  But their page only posts in French so I'm left to the mercy of Facebook Translate to read their posts.  It's ok but leaves a bit to be desired.  Still, the artwork caught my eye.  Here was a Carmelite friar seated next to the Infant of Prague and if you know me, you know He's my absolute favorite!!  Whenever I find someone or someplace devoted to my Little King, I must get to know them!  

So I scanned the short translated post and decided to look up more of his story.  Google was next to no help at all.  I only found this one little spot with the most basic information not including any explanation of his life story whatsoever.

Meet Blessed Euphrasio of the Child Jesus.

So far, all we know is that his feast day is October 12th.

He was a discalced Carmelite priest martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born February 8th, 1897, and died on October 12th, 1934 at the age of 37.

He was Venerated and Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.

I must know more!!  

So I continued my google search but came up empty-handed.  I returned to the link with very little information and decided to look a little closer.  At the bottom was a link to some website in Italian.  We're practically world travelers by this point, don't you think?! France, Spain, Italy?!

Thanks to Google Chrome's handy dandy translation plug-in, I could read the Italian webpage about our new heavenly friend.  Eufrasio Barredo Fernández was born in the parish of Cancienes, in the province of Asturias, Spain in 1897 and was baptized the following day.  He grew up under the tutelage of his grandfather, Vincenzo.  He entered the Teresian College of Villafranca in 1912 and traveled to study at different colleges of the Carmelites, making his simple profession on July 26, 1916, and solemn profession on March 18, 1922. Eufrasio was ordained a priest on September 23, 1922, in Santander.  He celebrated his first Mass on October 1st in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. (Less than a year before St. Therese was Beatified, for context.)  

Photo by Francisco Santiago

After his ordination, Fr. Euphrasio was appointed professor of philosophy and theology in various colleges, while at the same time devoting himself to a fruitful priestly ministry.  In 1926, his superiors sent him to Krakow, Polland to strengthen and consolidate the Carmelite presence in the countries of Eastern Europe.  He cared very much for this work as shown by his dedication to learning the difficult Slavic language in order to be able to carry out his mission.  He stayed there until recalled to Burgos in the fall of 1928 where he worked as director of two magazine publications, "Il Monte Carmelo" and "Eco del Carmelo e Praga."  In 1929, he became a professor of Theology in Oviedo and directed the catechetical meetings held in the convent.  Fr. Euphrasio was elected prior of the community on May 8th, 1933 but the community was beginning to sense the coming revolution. On October 5, 1934, the Spanish leftist revolution erupted in Asturias and Father worked to ensure the safety of his brothers.  He worked to help them escape and was about to himself.  He made to flee over the high garden wall but fell dislocating his hip.  The injury worsened and Fr. Euphrasio requested to be taken to the hospital.  There, he was recognized as a religious, and even himself declared that he was prior of the Carmelites so he was taken from the hospital bed by the militia and carried off to the marketplace to be shot by the wall of the "Mercato Vecchio."  

Photo credit: CarlosGlezPaniagua on Twitter

He addressed the men about to kill him as, "My children," forgiving them and then crying three times 

"Viva Christo Rey!"  "Long live Christ the King!" 

Pope Benedict XVI recognized Euphrasio's martyrdom on December 16, 2006, and beatified him on October 28, 2007, with 497 other victims of the same persecution.

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Finally, I have made a list on Google Maps of the prominent places in Blessed Euphrasio's life so we can better visualize his story.  Here's the link! 

Map of Blessed Euphrasio's Life

I had so much fun combing the internet search results for images of our new Carmelite friend. I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe learned something new!  Have you heard of Blessed Euphrasio or the martyrs of the Spanish revolution before?  Please do let me know in the comments below!  Here's a site with more info on some of the other Carmelite martyrs of the Spanish Civil War.

(Fun fact: I translated the prayer from Spanish in Google Translate and then replaced the text in the image for you. 😊)

Bibliography:

Isn't this artwork from M. Andres adorable?

https://www.facebook.com/carmel.delisieux/posts/2190891461051470 

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-eufrasio-of-the-child-jesus/    

http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/93500  http://www.artesacro.org/Noticia.asp?idreg=42540

Blessed Euphrasio of the Child Jesus, pray for us!

God love you!!

Practice and Advance, O Daughter of God!

 Hello, my lovely friends! 

How have you been?  It's been just about a month and a half since I've posted but it feels like such a long time.  The season has finally changed here in the desert and I'm happy about that although I'm not ready for the cold.  (I know, my northern friends will scoff at my idea of cold.  It's relative, believe me. 😝)  Even though the leaves don't turn color much here, the temperature has dropped.  The exit of Summer and the arrival of Fall brings a twinge of sadness with it.  

I should let you all know that I am no longer in a relationship.  It ended well, all things considered, and I've been taking the last few months to process everything before I share anything here.  You may or may not know this, but this was my first relationship so I've been learning a whole lot from this process.  I had no idea that certain feelings and emotions existed and I can say with confidence that I have a greater capacity for empathy now.  Thank God for His hidden blessings.  I've also been learning lessons about life and myself.  As I made my tea the other morning, I had a rush of blog inspiration and just had to write it down.  I'm so glad I have something to share with you here again.

Eventually, I'd like to be able to write a letter or make an Instagram Reel talking to my younger self but today's post just comes from asking myself what I've learned and what I need to learn going forward.

Don't just exist until you're married.  Live life to the fullest as who you are right now.  You are not a wife lacking a husband when you are single.  You are a daughter of God and you must live as such.  You'll never get this time back.  Use it well.  In simple ways, you can keep the house and your room clean.  A clean house provides so much more scope for the imagination.  Your mind can breathe more clearly.  Do your chores promptly so they're out of the way.  Spend time with friends and practice virtues in these relationships.  Practice skills and hobbies that make you happy.  For me, it's watercolor, knitting, photography, and baking.  I have many other happy pastimes as well, (such as blogging, obviously,) but these are the ones I'm doing right now.  I want to practice them and grow my skills.  

I've also realized I have so much growing to do as a person.  I have so many shortcomings.  I should work on myself so I can give the very best version of myself to the right person at the right time.  If I'm failing myself and my family now as a daughter, how am I going to make it as a wife?  Seek to get real housewife experience.  Don't just help with fixing a salad for dinner; plan the menu, take on the whole operation, do the shopping, prep, and cooking.  Watch a baby; not just for a couple hours, but the whole afternoon or day.  Realize you're going to need help and learn to ask for it kindly, humbly.  Listen to your parents' advice and put it into practice.  (Guys, I'm mostly telling myself this.  I struggle with this a lot.  I think I may have to do an entire blog post about this to convince myself.)  You'll always have someone higher up to submit to in life whether it be your boss, your husband, your landlord, etc., and ultimately, God.  Learn to take advice and obey wise counsel.  Increase your devotions.  You won't get more time for prayer later, but less.  Cover your future in prayer.  Just because you don't know what your future holds doesn't mean you can't pray about it.  

Most importantly, practice surrender to God's Will.  It is most important to do this in tiny things.  If we just wait for the big things to come along, no matter how resolved we think we are, we are more likely than not going to buckle under stress, pressure, or desire.

"Lord, help me desire to desire to do Your Will."

Going one step further, we should not only strive to stay in God's Will in a stagnant way, but we should strive to advance in His most holy Will.  I don't just want to stay barely on the edge of doing God's Will becoming a legalist, but I should be striving every day to do God's Will more and more with my whole heart.  Firstly, God wills that we remain in His grace through the Sacraments but He desires so much more too.  God wants us to draw closer to Him having charity for those around us and even closer by uniting our sufferings to those of Our Lord on the Cross.  This should be our ultimate desire; to be so advanced in God's Will that we can unite our sufferings to His.  This takes practice so like I said, we should practice our resolve in small ways no matter what season of life we're in.

 The problem is, I haven't been doing all these things.  Therefore, I am challenging myself to make changes and practice these things so that I can improve myself and advance in sanctity, God willing.  Enjoy your time in this season.  Seasons change so quickly and soon this season will be a memory of the past.  Make sure it's a fond one.  It may not be exactly happy, but if we strive to do our best and advance in God's Will, it will become a fond memory with lessons to look back on.  Thank God for your blessings and strive for Heaven in all you do!

Look Up, Look Out

While doing the dishes at my home away from home in Texas, I realized I've always wanted a window to look out over the kitchen sink. Well, there in Texas, there is one. You can see the green lawn, frolicking children, rain coming down on the driveway, and the large statue of the Holy Family in the garden. But you still have to look up to see the beautiful view. 

 Such is life; we have regular work to do that can be monotonous and trying but if we just look up and around us, we will see the view life has to offer. It is so pleasant to remember to look up and out that window while you're doing the dishes.  I think this can also apply to our phones and technology.  I oftentimes reach for my phone to scroll on social media or just kill time while waiting for something.   I've come to realize though that I could be enjoying the world around me at these times instead.  God's beauty seems to be going to waste sometimes because we're so absorbed in our tasks and especially our own virtual realities.  Don't forget to put the phone down, look up, and thank God for His amazing creation.

Here at home, I don't have a window to look out over the kitchen sink, but I do look up to see a statue of Our Blessed Mother on the countertop and further up to see Our Lord hanging on the cross. These are also views we must look up to in life.  We can become so obsessed with the latest news, headlines, and world problems that we forget to take care of our own little worlds around us.  Do you think society is falling into disrepair?  Take a look around your house, laundry room, kitchen, or bedroom.  I'll bet there is something that has been neglected there.  (There is for me anyway. 😅 )  We worry and stress about things that are almost completely out of our control but we don't take the time to care for and fix the things that need it right at our fingertips.

Saint Mother Teresa is famously quoted saying,

If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.

Sometimes, this is all we can do.  And it is the most important thing to do.  When we love our families; not just in our words, but in our actions as well, we will lay the foundations that can change the world.  How do we love our families at home?  We must see Christ in them and love Christ in them.  No matter how they have hurt you or neglected you, they are still created in the image and likeness of God.  At the end of our lives, God is not going to ask us who hurt us or who took care of us the best.  Instead, He is going to ask you how you loved Him in this life.  And He asked us to love Him by loving, serving, and caring for those around us.

So look up and start to change the world around you.  Do that pile of dishes or laundry.  Greet your family with a smile instead of a frown.  Go the extra mile.  But no matter what you do, thank God for His blessings and strive to love Him as much as you possibly can.

The Fandom Tag

I found this tag on Megan Chappie's blog!  I almost completely forgot about it until I was catching up with her old posts and found my own comment saying I was going to complete this tag! XD  Well, better late than never.  Now is the perfect time for me to complete it too because I caught a cold and am running low on post inspiration at the moment.  I do have a bit to write about but finding the words is a different story.  Enough of that though, let's get to...

Rules:

1. Include the graphic somewhere in your post!

2. Answer the questions!

3. Tag two fangirls!

What's the first fandom you remember becoming a part of?

Unfortunately, we can't scroll all the way back to my first Pinterest pins.  If we could, I might be able to get a sense of what my first real fandom was.  but I'm pretty sure I can say with confidence that it was Anne of Green Gables.  

I've explained my love for the books and movies over and over again in blog posts.  My dear childhood friend, Erin, first introduced me to the movies (a fact I think I've somehow forgotten to include in all my AoGG fangirling posts.  I owe her big time.)  She popped in the VHS and I was hooked.  We watched parts of them then and also again after we finished studying for the ACT one time. 🥰  We fangirled about those movies so hard and I called her right away when I found out Jonathan Crombie died. 😢

What's the newest fandom you've come to enjoy?

I believe it would be All Creatures Great and Small. 

I fell in love with the book by that same title years ago when I first read it, but I didn't enter the fandom until this summer when I watched the new PBS Masterpiece series. Ooooh, it's just soooo beautiful!!  I will most definitely have to do an appreciation post for Season 1 soon.  I just finished it and it was fantastic.

What's a fandom guaranteed to give you feels?

 When I think "feels", I think of Broadway.  There is nothing like the feels you get when you're sitting in your velvety seat in the dark theater listening to the overture and waiting for the curtain to rise.  There is just absolutely nothing like it.  I have so many favorite shows but the three that provide the most feels are my top three favorites.

Anastasia

Newsies

Daddy Long Legs

Look at how the colors from the three even go together so well.  Maybe we've found my aesthetic. 😊  Of course I'm here for the whole fandom surrounding these musicals as well, the movies, the books, the stickers, you name it! 

I will also have to do a post on this absolutely gorgeous musical.  It deserves so much recognition.  For now, I'll just leave you with one more GIF.

What's a guilty pleasure fandom of yours?

Oooh, a guilty pleasure, you ask?  I think I'd have to say Adventures in Odyssey.  

I grew up on it.  It may have even been an earlier one than AoGG, but at that time, I didn't even know fandom was a word.  I was just a dedicated fan; a devoted listener.  I still come back to Odyssey over and over again.  It never gets old.  I don't know too many people personally who love it but my best friend, Francesca, also grew up with it.  And then there was that one guy who worked at Chipoltle in California who told me he grew up listening to it when he saw my Adventures in Odyssey t-shirt. 😊

What's the weirdest fandom you've heard of/are a part of?

Heard of?  Oh, there are tons...

But been a part of??  Hm... of course, I don't find any of my fandoms weird; they're my fandoms!!  But there is one that would make most people's faces twist up with a funny look.  Odd Squad.  I know, cringe, right?!  But there was a period of 2 or so years when my sister and I would fangirl over this PBS Kids show with the younger kids in choir.  We enjoyed watching it just as much as they did!  We knew the references and we were really sad to see the main actors move on when they aged out of the roles. 😆

Favorite popular/widely-known fandom?

Megan said Marvel, and I think I'd have to agree.  I still haven't seen all the movies released up to this point.  I literally just watched Infinity War.  Don't judge.  I'm still processing that ending.  I don't know if I will ever watch End Game or Black Widow, but I'm a sucker for the original Captain America, Avengers, and Thor films.  They have good stories, virtues, and cinematic magic that allow me to enjoy them time after time.  Of course, I need a bit of time before rewatching the same film in this fandom, but there are enough that they don't get old too quickly. 😏  

I'm having a hard time finding a good Marvel GIF on my Pinterest (shame on you, Sarah.)  So this will have to do for now.

Favorite bookish fandom?

Ah!!  There are so many!!  There are classics such as Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott, then there are books that don't really have a fandom but when I finish them, I desperately wish they did.

My favorite book fandom that hasn't been made into movies (...yet... I say that in hopes they will someday be given their own beautiful movies,) is The Veritas Chronicles.  There is a faithful if small fandom connected with these.  And I'm a terrible fandom member as I haven't read the final book in the trilogy, but I will buy it soon!!  These books are so beautiful, simple yet complex.  They are mature yet with a beautiful innocent spirit woven through them.  I love the Catholic "soundtrack" that backs the whole fabric of these books.  You must read them if you love AoGG, Christian fiction, stories about college students, adventure, romanticism, and beauty.

And you know what makes this trilogy perfect for this question?  Not only is there a fandom for these books, but the characters in the book love books!  😊  It's definitely a bookish fandom. 

What do you consider your "home base," a fandom you can always come back to?

Again, I'd have to say Anne of Green Gables.  It is my old faithful.  If anyone asks what my favorite book or movie is, I lose no time in saying the same answer every time.

What's a fandom you know all about...but aren't actually into?

Probably the Middle Earth fandom.  I know, I should be cast out of blogger society forever!!  I know all about it because it is my sister's all-time favorite, home base, and first fandom.  The movies are beautiful and I'm sure the books are fantastic but I just never could get past the first few pages of The Hobbit.  I like the movies, but I'm just not into the fandom.  Sorry.  

Which fandom has the best characters?

At one point in time, I would have again answered Anne of Green Gables, but now, I would answer, Little Women. 

Yep, hands down.  The characters have so so much more depth.  They learn and teach such valuable and timeless lessons.  I've only read the book from beginning to end one time but I know there is still so much more I can learn from them.  I will definitely be revisiting the March family again.  It's not just the four sisters, but their parents, Laurie, Mr. Laurence, and Professor Bhaer.  Each film adaptation does very well in portraying these characters, but they usually fall short in one aspect or another.  Like I said, the characters are so complex; you can only fully get to know them in the book.  If you haven't read it, this is your call to do so.

Name your all-time favorite ship.

I've mentioned AoGG too much already.  (How am I even saying that's possible?! 😱)  But we who are so steeped in that fandom are able to rest assured that Anne and Gil will get together.  I no longer even feel the need to ship them.  But there is another fandom that will forever need the main characters to be shipped because they took so long to get together and it didn't last long enough.  Do you know which one I'm talking about??

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If you guessed When Calls the Heart, then you're correct.

I will forever ship Jack and Elizabeth no matter what.  They deserved so much better.  Now I'm only just starting in on Season 6 so I'm considerably behind and I know life goes on but there will never be anyone as good for Elizabeth as Jack.  "Good" is just the word for him.  And when I come upon brand new fangirls or I introduce my own children to WCTH, I will fangirl and ship Elizabeth and Jack over and over again so hard.

What's a fandom you're curious about joining?

North & South.  I have only watched the mini-series once but I would love to get my own copy of it and the original novel is on my TBR list.  I think there are so many layers to unfold in this story and someday, I hope to dive in.

So those are my answers!!  In preparing for this post I made a list of all the fandoms I consider myself a part of but not all of them made it into this list.  Some honorable mentions include:

Cinderella

 Jane Austen

Brooklyn

Narnia

Tangled

Yes, I know, I'm a complete sucker for romances.  🙃  And if you made it this far, thank you very much!!  Please drop a line in the comments below!  I want to know what your favorite fandoms are!!

As for tagging two fangirls, I tag,

1. All those who are here for the gifs 🙌 and 
2. Anyone who thinks they may have found a new fandom to explore from this tag.

Thank you so much for reading!!

In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,

Sarah

Pick up Your Cross: A Letter

Dear friend, 

Being a saint does not consist of great and marvelous deeds or being angelically perfect.  We are called, each and every one of us, to become saints by picking up our crosses daily and following the greatest teacher there ever was.  Even He stumbled and fell under the crushing weight of the cross.  We cannot do more than Him.   We will fall but we most certainly can get back up again.  Our Lord is always there to pick you back up as you know how impossible it is to get back up on your own.  And He gives you friends and family too to help you.  In marriage, that's the job of your spouse.  The couple denies themselves and helps the other carry their cross.  In religious life, these people are your sisters or brothers.

Your cross is not a physical piece of wood or even a martyrdom of blood.  Your cross is the everyday struggle you encounter.  Bear these struggles patiently, humbly, and resigned knowing that God will not let you suffer more than you and He can handle together.

The path to sainthood is the path to Heaven and this path is paved with roses.  But roses have thorns.  But imagine if we gave up altogether because of the thorns.  Then we wouldn't see the beautiful roses nor smell their lovely fragrance.  Greater still, we would not reach Heaven.  So we must continually embrace these roses and thorns looking to Our Lord and Our Lady for help.  They suffered so much at the hands of this world; how can we expect any less?

Moms are wonderful.  Just imagine how Our Lady is wanting to be your mother.  St. Thérèse said,

"She is more mother than queen."

Our mothers always want what's best for us and always want to help us.  Mary wants to do the same even more.  Imagine those hands which carried the child Jesus, mended His clothes, prepared His food, and held His lifeless body as it came off the cross.  Now, Mary extends her arms to you.  These hands are open to you with so many graces.  But most especially, they're just open; open to you so you may take her hands, no matter how low you feel.  Then when you do, she will draw you under her starry blue mantle.  There, she will teach you just how to follow her beloved Son.  She will give you the graces to carry your cross. 

All this is to say,  do not despair, do not lose heart, and do not sell yourself short.  My favorite heroine of literature says,

"Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it yet."

Let us begin each day anew to pick up our crosses no matter how tedious or troublesome they may be.  There are so many saints in Heaven who have not been canonized who did not do extraordinary deeds but just followed Our Lord simply and humbly, stumbling many times along the way.  But they fought their battles bravely and that is what we must do too.

So let us soldier on, bearing our crosses and enduring those thorns while helping each other with our prayers.  You may always be assured of my prayers.

In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,

Sarah 

Balancing Social Media and Spiritual Growth

 I recently did an "Ask me Anything" on my personal Instagram and received a very thoughtful question; 

"How to manage your time on social media and grow in holiness too?!?"

This question is super important and actually something I've struggled with a lot myself recently.  It is so easy to pick up your phone to scroll through posts and reels yet we make it so hard to set aside a chunk of the same amount of time to read a spiritual book or just converse with God in prayer.  I've tried setting social media timers on my phone but of course, I can just snooze them.  Once you've made a habit of gravitating to social media, it's hard to get disciplined.

The first option I've thought of is deleting social media entirely and that would certainly work.  But that's not always necessary.  Instead, we can develop our spirits by cultivating discipline and practicing self-denial.  Yes, this is very hard but it certainly can be done.  We think, because of the addictive nature of our phones, that we can't overcome the struggle but anything is possible with God's grace and this is a perfect way to grow spiritually.  As followers of Christ, we are called to imitate Him and He certainly practiced perfect self-denial in His agony and on the road to Calvary.  You may really have to commit yourself but it will definitely be worth it.  Don't rely on social media timers to keep you accountable.  Practice discipline and hold yourself accountable.

A small way I am trying to balance social media with growth in holiness is to not pick up my phone and turn off airplane mode until I've prayed morning prayers.  This may seem very small but once you turn notifications back on, one can lead to another, and then you've missed your time for morning prayer entirely.

Another small way to practice growth in holiness can stem from our time on social media.  We scroll and scroll so quickly, often skimming most captions or not reading them at all.  Instead of scrolling right past that Saint quote in the caption or story, read it all the way through.  Read it thoughtfully.  Take the opportunity on social media to learn about your faith if it comes across your screen.  If you find a good quote or image that just really speaks to you, turn off the phone and meditate on it for a minute, but don't pick the phone back up again.  Instead, let it sink in while you get back to life!

There are so many good resources on social media that share valuable truths of our Faith.  The trick is to balance consuming these with our actual time in growth with God.  Placing morning prayers before turning on your phone is just one small example of this.  Placing quality over quantity is important too.  Don't allow yourself to follow as many sources as possible but instead, pick and choose the most reliable sources that uphold your values.  Then you'll be sure to consume purposeful, edifying content.

Let's soak in the beauty of the world around us, imperfect though it may be, instead of just through the screen of our phone.  Invest yourself in your family instead of wishing for the perfect Instagram family.  But most importantly, spend time in prayer with God instead of just reading about prayer in someone else's posts.  That is the surest way of growing in holiness.

Our Lord is waiting for you to put down the phone, step away from the computer, and just be with Him.