Camping Complaints

(photo-the bluffs at Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin)

The beauty belies the chill in the air, as frigid bodies curl close for warmth, and tents set up in the dark on top of tree roots make for sleepless nights.

The joys of camping-marshmallows roasting on the fire, hiking in the bluffs, fresh, clean air
in our lungs, family time spent close together without electronic interruptions-are overshadowed
by the cold of early autumn.

A friend once asked me if I wouldn't like to live outdoors in the beauty of nature. As my family and I hiked in the wooded bluffs around the lake I pondered that question and I almost thought I would answer yes to that lovely thought as a pristine day spent in nature with the glory of God filling my heart easily pushes away any negative thinking.

But sleepless nights in a flimsy tent during 40 degree weather take all reminders of the glories of nature away and I am quick to complain about how cold and tired I am and I wonder out loud why my family considers camping to be a vacation.

Later, I regret my whining words and I wish that I had offered all that suffering up for a higher cause. I thought of a book I recently read, "Merry in God" about the life of Fr. William Doyle, SJ, an Irish priest who served as a military chaplain during World War I. His letters and journals spoke of nights trying to catch a few minutes of sleep in a wet, muddy trench with giant rats all around and the sounds of bombs whistling through the air. During his years of service, he rarely complained about the weather, his sleeping conditions, or his lack of food, but instead focused on his need to minister to his fellow soldiers and bring God to their weary hearts. He offered Mass in the most difficult circumstances. He listened to endless confessions and offered general absolution before many major battles. But during all of the stress and difficulty of the horrors of war, he was forever smiling and loving to everyone, offering all of his hardship to God for the good of his comrades and the sake of their souls. And it was that spiritual service joyfully offered in time of war that finally took his life during a horrific battle.

Shame fills my heart when I realize how far away I am from that ideal attitude that makes saints out of men. These words of prayer from that very holy man are worth remembering when I am tempted to complain of little sufferings and inconveniences:

"O Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Who would not love You, who would not give their heart's blood for You, if only once they realized the depth and the breadth and the realness of Your burning love? Why not then make every human heart a burning furnace of love for You, so that sin would become an impossibility, sacrifice a pleasure and a joy, virtue the longing of every soul, so that we should live for love, dream of love, breathe Your love, and at last die of a broken heart of love, pierced through and through with the shaft of love, the sweetest gift of God to man."

"I must eagerly welcome every little pain, suffering, small sickness, trouble, cross of any kind, as coming straight to me from the Sacred Heart. Am I not your loving victim, my Jesus?"

Prayer for Priests by Fr Doyle

O my God, pour out in abundance Thy spirit of sacrifice upon Thy priests. It is both their glory and their duty to become victims, to be burnt up for souls, to live without ordinary joys, to be often the objects of distrust, injustice, and persecution.

The words they say every day at the altar, "This is my Body, this is my Blood," grant them to apply to themselves: "I am no longer myself, I am Jesus, Jesus crucified. I am, like the bread and wine, a substance no longer itself, but by consecration another."

O my God, I burn with desire for the sanctification of Thy priests. I wish all the priestly hands which touch Thee were hands whose touch is gentle and pleasing to Thee, that all the mouths uttering such sublime words at the altar should never descend to speaking trivialities.

Let priests in all their person stay at the level of their lofty functions, let every man find them simple and great, like the Holy Eucharist, accessible to all yet above the rest of men. O my God, grant them to carry with them from the Mass of today, a thirst for the Mass of tomorrow, and grant them, ladened with gifts, to share these abundantly with their fellow men. Amen.

Fr. William Doyle, SJ

To learn more about Fr. William Doyle, visit Remembering Fr. William Doyle, SJ

The Center of the Flower

The bee plants itself in the center of the flower, draining the sweet nectar until he becomes satiated. I, too, am planted in the center of a flower, the flower of God's enduring love, and it is so very sweet here. I hope to never leave...



















Mary whispers under her breath as she prepares her lunch, I can barely make out the words, so I lean in close and hear "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." I smile at the sound of her prayer so sweet as honey dripping from the spoon.

Although she is nine years old, she still likes to hold my hand as we walk side by side. I am warmed by her presence and her small hand in mine as if I were enfolded in soft, fragrant petals. That warmth remains as I let go of her hand and watch her skip off and spin a cartwheel.

Later, after Mass, she turns to me and asks me to pray for her during the day. I assure her that I will, but inside I am thinking, "Daughter, you are a prayer, a living, breathing, growing prayer in all you say and do, and when I am close to you, I feel that I am in the center of God's flower of deep love."

















Dear God, keep me in the center of your rich and fragrant flower. Let me drink the sweet nectar of your care and know that here, in the company of my daughter, I will never want for anything. Amen.

Close to Heaven

This past week, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee played host to the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors (NCDVD). It was a great honor to have the opportunity to spend several hours volunteering at this event, working at the registration table. Did I say "working"? That can't be the right word, for truly, I can't remember ever having so much fun at a volunteer effort!

Every single priest who came to the desk to register had a beautiful smile and a few friendly words to offer, even the priest whose luggage was lost by the airline. It was clear to me that these Vocation Directors enjoyed their priesthood immensely and I imagine with pleasant dispositions like the ones I noticed, the priest shortage won't last much longer! Who wouldn't be drawn to the priesthood after meeting with a kind and friendly Vocation Director!

Whenever my family and I go on vacation, and people ask us where we are from, we are greeted with an uncomfortable silence when we tell them the name of our suburb. My son, Joe, calls our hometown a conversation killer. On Saturday, I was honored to meet a lovely woman who was helping to host the Conference. When I asked her where she was from and she answered "Indiana," I immediately thought of Joe's clever remark as I struggled to think of a way to carry the conversation beyond her home state. Gratefully, I remembered that one of my very favorite bloggers is a brilliant writer from Indiana, and grasping at what I thought was a straw, I mentioned her name. Well, wouldn't you know it, but my new acquaintance happened to be a personal friend of the blogger I mentioned, and she immediately called Betty Duffy on her cell phone. I had a bit of celebrity fever as I heard Betty on the other line mentioning that she had heard of my humble blog! What a small world it really is!

When I returned to the conference for a few more hours on Wednesday, I was in good company with my dear friend Anne (yep-two Anne's working side by side-how confusing is that?) and Susi, my sweet friend from the Vocations Office at our local Seminary. It was a joyful morning and the work was light, so Anne and I were able to venture among the various tables set up for display where I was surprised to find one of my all-time favorite priests and fellow blogger, Fr. Jim Kubicki manning the Apostleship of Prayer table! We even had time to sit in on a session about how to talk to parents whose children are considering the priesthood. As both Anne and I have sons who are discerning, this was a topic of great interest to us!

But perhaps best of all, we ended our day at Mass, one of the most beautiful and meaningful Masses that I have ever participated in! Truly it brought to mind Scott Hahn's "The Lamb's Supper" that clearly portrays the Mass as a reflection of heaven. I had never felt so close to heaven as I did at that Mass. As the room full of approximately 200 priests were finishing praying the rosary before Mass, they all stood and chanted "Regina Coeli". I have goosebumps just remembering the sight of so many men in white vestments looking like angels and the sound of their deep voices chanting this ageless prayer to our Beautiful Mother on the Occasion of "Our Lady of Sorrows." I pray that Mary's spirits were lifted up at this glorious sight and her sorrow was replaced with joy.

The homilist was Bishop Robert Morneau the auxiliary Bishop from Green Bay. His beautiful homily on the Angelus was peppered with poetry, in fact, at moments I wondered whether I at Mass or a poetry reading! One of the beautiful poems he recited was the Sancta Maria by Edgar Allen Poe. I was surprised to learn that the great E.A. Poe wrote such beautiful words; I had thought that he only specialized in the macabre.

Sancta Maria by Edgar Allen Poe

Sancta Maria! turn thine eyes -
Upon the sinner's sacrifice,
Of fervent prayer and humble love,
From thy holy throne above.

At morn - at noon - at twilight dim -
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe - in good and ill -
Mother of God, be with me still!

When the Hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;

Now, when storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!

The wonderful day was complete with a Thai luncheon with the girls (Susi and Anne) and long conversation, which left me racing to get to school in time to pick up the kids. Before my husband had left for work that morning, he offered to pick up our children from school for me (Wednesday is usually my turn because I am off of work on that day.) He said, "I will be happy to do it for you so that you don't have to hurry back, just in case you are enjoying yourself so much that you just can't break away." I felt that his offer was one of the most romantic things he had ever said to me. He truly understands my deep love for the Church and everything related to it and knew before I even left the house that I would have a wonderful day at the Conference.

But, I declined his offer, as I enjoy greeting my children at the end of the day and miss being able to do that on a regular basis because I work late. And I admit that even though the day at the Vocation Conference was great, there is nothing in the world like the feeling of seeing those sweet smiling faces of my two youngest children as they walk out of the school building and into my arms at the end of the day.

Mother of Sorrows

Holding the Babe as the prophecy was told...
body kneeling
mind reeling
heart feeling
Mother of Sorrows, you pondered it all

Looking up to the One she loves as He hangs, dying...
heart breaking
earth quaking
soul shaking
Mother of Sorrows, you bore it all

Oh Mother of Sorrows
the sword that was foretold
pierced your Son in the side
blood and water could not hold

Oh Mother of Sorrows
it was your soul as well
that spilled blood and water
as your heart broke and fell

Teach me to ponder
Teach me to bear
the worries and pains
that life has to share

Show me your strength
Show me your grace
when life gives me trouble
more than I can face

Oh Mother of Sorrows
I love you and grieve
along with your sufferings
that show no reprieve

Oh Mother of Sorrows
lift me up from my pain
help me work through life's struggles
erasing their stain
Amen.

(artwork by Roger van der Weyden-
Descent From the Cross)

Support a New Blogger MEME

Mary at the Beautiful Gate and Victor at Time for Reflections have come up with a plan to bring some attention to newer blogs. What a kind and welcoming idea! Now, I have recently listed a few of my favorite new blogs, but since Victor tagged me to join this MEME, and Karinann at Daughter of the King almost tagged me until she realized that Victor beat her to it, I will gladly oblige.

If you have a desire to read something uplifting to your soul I highly recommend the following blogs:

Credo Catholic (yes, I know that Colleen at Thoughts on Grace already linked to her, but I really love her blog, so, the more the merrier, right?

Do Not Be Anxious-deep thoughts

Catholic Poet-her work is amazing! Be sure to check out the link to her website with her beautiful reflections on the Litany of the Sacred Heart!

It's hard to stop here, I could go on and on! For a few more links, visit my last post on favorite new blogs.

Now the rules require me to pass this MEME on to two other bloggers who are required to name some of their favorite new blogs:

I nominate Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii who is always on top of the up and comings in the church and Tiffany at Family at the Foot of the Cross who has a terrifically creative mind and should be able to recommend some interesting new blogs.

"Why God Matters" Book Tour

There's something about the relationship between a father and his daughter that is much more special than any other relationship between any two people. If a woman grows up without feeling loved by and cared for by her father, no one else in the world can make that up to her, she will always have an empty hole in her heart that only her father can fill. (Of course this applies even more to our Heavenly Father than to our earthly father!)

So when I was offered the opportunity by Tribute Books to read and review "Why God Matters" by the father and daughter duo of Deacon Steven Lumbert and Karina Lumbert Fabian as part of a book tour, I was more than happy to oblige. Deacon Steven and Karina obviously enjoy a very close and loving relationship that includes the Lord at the heart of it, a closeness that was missing in my own life with my father, but which surprisingly feels closer than ever since he passed away four years ago. It was intruging for me to have a look at what that closeness might have been like while he was still living.

Deacon Steven is a convert to Catholicism and Karina, born after her father's conversion, is a cradle Catholic. Their book of very short stories and anecdotes of faith was very easy to read and a quick read as well, which made it very enjoyable to pick up and read through in short spurts rather than one long read. I enjoyed this aspect as I usually only have 10-15 minutes to sit with a book before the pace of my life causes me to get up and running once again.

After a little background of each of their experiences of faith in general, the book alternates between short stories written by each of them individually. Each short story chapter includes a quote of wisdom from other Catholic writers, a scripture quote, a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a life lesson section where the reader may apply the chapter to their own life.

I came away from this book with the feeling that living life as a Catholic is as simple as drawing God into the everyday ordinariness of life and turning to Him in both joy and sorrow because after all, that is where He is always found. I enjoyed the simplicity of "Why God Matters" and would highly recommend it, especially as a gift for someone in the RCIA process who is just beginning to learn and understand why God matters in their own lives.

I thank Deacon Steve and Karina for writing an authentic and spiritually uplifting book, and I thank Nicole at Tribute Books for offering me this opportunity to read and review "Why God Matters."

Greater Perfection

I have been taken by the words of Servant of God Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich from the order of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey. Born in 1901, Sister Miriam Teresa entered the Sisters of Charity in 1925. Noting her exceptional intelligence and deep faith, her spiritual director asked her to write the Spiritual Conferences for her order while she was still a novice, and it is these same conferences that comprise the book "Greater Perfection." It wasn't until after her death in 1927 that her spiritual director made it known that Sister Miriam Teresa was the author of the conferences. Although "Greater Perfection" was written for the religious, the profound words contained in this work are also applicable for lay people who are seeking to grow in holiness. Here is one of my favorite sections from the book, it is from the chapter "Reception of, and Thanksgiving After, Holy Communion."

"My sanctification. For this He comes. For this He holds audience with me. Of this we shall speak, He, my Guest, talking, and I, His host, listening. The quiet He desires is undisturbed. He has led me into solitude, the solitude of His heart; and my heart is beating now in unison with His. "Speak, Lord, for thy servant is listening." Now he utters things, unspeakable things, heretofore hidden from me-not words, no, but in the palpable silence of peace, the sweetness of His own dear presence. It is the golden wisdom of understanding that is now mine. The light that streams from the Godhead is penetrating the darkness of my intellect, dispelling the clouds of blindness and uncertainty, illuminating truths previously obscure. Looking at Him I love, and yielding without resistance to the ardor of His embrace, I begin to fathom little by little something of His incomprehensible Majesty. I begin to yearn with vehement longing to lose my nothingness in His immensity, to find my real self in Him, the immutable center toward which my soul naturally gravitates."

To learn more about Sister Miriam Teresa, visit here.