Catholic Girl Journey

Daughter of God

If someone were to ask me to describe myself, one of the first descriptors I would use is: daughter of God. It may be a bold statement, but for me, it reminds me of my direction and purpose in life.

Every morning I ask Mary to help me to be a better daughter to God. While Mary may be better known as the mother of Jesus or the Blessed Mother, she is first the best example of a daughter of God. When God called her to be the mother of the Messiah, her humble response of “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) is what I aspire to say to God. Every day Mary lived as a daughter of God, seeking His will to be done through her. Every day I, too, have multiple opportunities to allow God’s will to be done through me. It’s a choice that sometimes can be hard to make, and I’m not always successful. Every day I ask Mary to help me, pray for me and guide me to “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

Praying the rosary allows me to walk the faith journey with Mary. I recall the special moments of Mary and Jesus in each of the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. How, for each of them, they allowed God to direct them so that His will was done. I am humbled to repeat in prayer the words of Jesus in the Our Father as well as the words of the angel Gabriel and Elizabeth in the Hail Mary. Praying with Mary leads me to God and cultivates an attitude of possibilities for what God wants of me.

The first time I went to the adoration chapel, where the Holy Eucharist is exposed for prayer, was on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I only managed to stay 15 minutes, as I didn’t know what to do there. But it was a start, and Mary lead the way and helped me develop the devotion to spend an hour each week in the presence of her Son.

We are all God’s children, and while we might know that at a high level, do we really consider ourselves daughters and sons of God? How would that change our relationship with God? God has made me, I am His child and I am here for a reason. It’s His love and mercy that wills every breath that I take. He has blessed me with this life and I look to Him as a Father. There have been a few times that I have heard others call Him “Father God” and it always makes me stop and ponder what an amazing relationship they have with God. It makes me smile too, since it reminds me that I am a daughter of God.

 

Catholic Girl Journey

Practice Makes a Saint

We’ve all heard the saying, “Practice make perfect.” So what does that mean in the life of faith?

When you think of practice, what comes to mind? Is it sitting at the piano, playing the various scales to the beat of a metronome? Or is it throwing a ball through a hoop again and again, making small changes to hand placement, balance, and body movement? Maybe it’s drawing a circle over, and over, and over again until it is perfect.

Just like any activity at which you want to become better, faith is all about practice. It’s not about doing things correctly all the time, it’s about practicing so as to continuously improve, coming closer to perfection. And just like with any other activity, you don’t tackle all the skills needed at once, but rather concentrate on perfecting one and slowly applying what has been learned to more advanced skills.

Since faith is a relationship with God, how can one “practice” a relationship? By getting to know him, by seeing God in every person, by recognizing his handiwork in all of creation. That’s why a life of faith is more than just following rules, treating people nicely or going to Church on Sundays.  It’s important to be at Mass on Sunday, not just to cross it off the list, but to be filled with God’s message, to help you hone the skill you are perfecting and to encourage you as you practice throughout the week.

Often in our culture, people who claim to be of a particular religious affiliation are held to a different standard. Part of that is understandable; it is good that a person can be known by their faith. Other times, it’s an expectation of perfection, forgetting that faith is  a journey and people can have good days and less than ideal days as they practice. It’s not an excuse to do whatever, but a call for mercy towards those that do not meet to the standards yet.

We are all on this faith journey, so it’s okay if you’re not perfect. It will take a lifetime to get to your goal. Practicing faith is continuing to deepen that relationship with God.  One day you may join Him in heaven. Since all who reach heaven are saints, then practice helps make a saint!

Catholic Girl Journey

Catholic Girl Journey

I have been inspired by the adult education at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Girl Journeyto learn more about my faith and to share it with others. My faith has always been something personal and I see it as a one-to-one relationship with my Creator. However, in this time and place, there are many who do not know God or realize the personal relationship that He has with them. I want to share my perspective via a blog, not just to add to the noise and opinions, but to let Him speak through me to touch those that may not have experienced Him otherwise.

I’ve been a regular Sunday church-goer and do my best to go to at least one Mass during the week. I also spend an hour each week in our adoration chapel. But God has so many more dimensions than just those outlets. To know Him better is to seek Him out in many different ways. Sometimes it’s in the day-to-day activities, or through spiritual reading,sometimes it’s through a retreat or an educational setting. The Catholicism series from Fr. Robert Barron  offered in our parish was one such opportunity to be inspired, to talk about the points he made and reflect upon the perspective that he gives. Fr. Barron  has a way of taking very intellectual information and bringing to a level  I can understand. I was eager to  follow up with his New Evangelization series, which ended with a challenge to become disciples and spread the Word of God.

I consider myself a shy person; I’m not the one that initiates a hello. Sharing something so personal as my faith with others is rather intimidating to me. The adult education series has allowed me to “dip my toe” into sharing within a safe environment of my parish community. I  find it fascinating to hear others’ experiences with God (whether they believe or just call it coincidence) and I marvel about all the ways He touches people.

So how can a shy girl participate in the new evangelization of the Catholic Church? With a background in websites, it only makes sense that I try blogging for God. In the blog I will share my perspective and thoughts about the amazing faith that I try to practice everyday. Practice may make perfect, but it does not imply that my practice is perfect. It’s one step at a time, one day at a time that makes up life’s journey. Everyone’s life journey is also a journey of faith, and I’d like to invite everyone to walk with me.