Becoming a Saint

Happy Feast of All Saints!  There are so many wonderful men and women who have gone before us, giving us examples of how to live, or sometimes, what NOT to do!  I think there is a saint for almost any situation/career/grace that you could think of.  What inspires me the most is that many of the saints are ordinary people who loved God completely.  As we heard at Mass today, we don't have to be a St. Thomas Aquinas (very scholarly) or St. Theresa of Kolkata (working with the poorest of the poor).  Yet we are not excused from being saint just because we don't think we can measure up.  Sainthood is not only defined by great acts, although there are many saints who were heroic in their actions.  To me, being a saint is as basic as Matthew Kelly's famous catchphrase - "Becoming the best version of ourselves."  I love that expression, because it highlights two things:  1) That we don't have to become anyone other than ourselves.  We are quality material!  2) We were designed to be saints from the beginning of our very existence.  It is in our spiritual DNA!  In our homily today, we heard that doing small things with great love is a saintly act.  Many saints espouse that motto, but one of the best is St. Therese.

"Little things done out of love are those that charm the Heart of Christ… On the contrary, the most brilliant deeds, when done without love, are but nothingness."

 ~St. Therese of Lisieux "The Little Flower" (taken from  http://www.pathsoflove.com/love-therese.html)

Getting closer

It's less then a month from the start of my trip.  A lot can happen in that time.  I feel as though time will simultaneously crawl and fly.  Not sure how that could be possible, but that's just the sense I get.  I've already begun packing, or at least collecting the items I will need.

I have finished my 'guide book', Jesus: A Pilgrimage by Fr. James Martin.  Highly recommend.  It's like a pilgrimage without the hassle of travel!  I am diligently exercising for our tour, and I'm praying.  My prayer requests include the desire that this is a fruitful trip, and that I am open to God.

Advent has been a great time to prepare.  The anticipation that describes our Advent journey, certainly applies here.  I think my biggest challenge is/will be enjoying process before the trip even happens.  So many good things have come into my life already.  I've had an outpouring of prayer support, several conversations with people who have been there, and opportunities to share my faith with people of all faiths.  It's overwhelming and humbling all at once.
One of the most incredible parts of my preparation so far has been the prayer requests.  When I started telling friends and family, I offered to carry any prayer requests they had.  I was not prepared for the immense feeling of purpose I had when people shared their requests with me.  I was not prepared for the weight of responsibility that I felt.  My trip took on another dimension once I offered to be a messenger.  It's not that I believe God hears prayers better from the Holy Land, but the power of intercessory prayer became very apparent.  I have begun and continue to lift up the prayer requests as a part of my preparation.  It has also reminded me to identify my own prayers so I can recognize God's answer when it comes.

The journey continues, each day bringing me closer to one of my heart's desires.  Psalm 37:4 fits my thoughts so well right now, "Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart's desire."  
I hope to keep living this, long after I return from this pilgrimage.

Patience, prayer, and trust.

Intentional Living

A recent post (read it) mentioned intentional living.  The term came from some Matthew Kelly materials I'd been reading/listening to (Check out some of my recommendations here).  Many of the talks I'd heard referred to 'intentionality' or moving forward with purpose.  I think most of his books refer to this idea in some form.  It's a focus that I've been trying to incorporate in my life, but not always successfully.

In a very broad sense, intentional living means I am discerning God's Will and doing my best to move forward.  In a more practical sense, I am prudent in my choices, and moving forward with a plan, rather than waiting for life to happen to me.  What surprises me is how much this sounds like entrepreneurship or corporate America.  Isn't the 'American Dream' going after what you want?  Maybe so, but the very BIG difference is that intentional living is not about personal gain, but rather spiritual gain.  I suppose these paths are not mutually exclusive, but don't confuse the differences.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081514-day-mass.cfm

I've been mulling over my reflection from the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I was struck by the homily I heard and I would like to share it here.  Before I can do that, I feel the need to share a little detour first.

My plans were to go to the vigil Mass at my parish on Thursday night.  That changed when a brother came through town after a conference and we all went out to eat.  I knew I had several options on Friday, but the most logical (not the easiest) would be the 7AM Mass which is close to my home.  I turned on my alarm and went to sleep.  Silly me, I didn't double-check the time on my alarm (like I normally do), and it was set for 15 minutes later than I expected.  I almost didn't make that Mass, but thankfully Fr. was apparently waiting for me as he didn't being the procession until I showed up :-)