Pope Francis!

This Sunday, I had the incredible blessing to travel with my school to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia. More than anything, the pilgrimage was a trip in humility, and reminded me that no matter my plans, God's plans may differ and that's okay.

When I signed up for the trip, I imagined a perfect day. You know, front row view of Pope Francis in the Pope-mobile, maybe even a special hug or something, and overall lots and lots of joy.

Well... it didn't quite end up that way.

The past week or so, I had been extremely anxious about the pilgrimage I had signed up to make. I was overweight, could I handle all the walking? Would I be able to control my anxiety around over a million other people? What if I got separated from the group and couldn't get back home? Well... some of those anxieties were warranted. The walking was excessive, and I'm still in pain two days later. Being with that many people did cause me great distress. My friend, Gianna, and I were separated from the group on our way back to the bus, and I realized how scary it is being lost in a city that neither of us knew.

I ended up walking over ten miles over the course of the day, which, for someone so completely out of shape, was a rough, rough experience. We were in line for security for over four hours, packed in with thousands of other pilgrims, which caused my anxiety to spike and I ended up getting out of line to be able to breathe and drink some water.  I told Gianna I'd go alone, because I didn't want her to miss out on the mass, but she came with me, making sure I sat down and was okay. She was so wonderful, and although the day didn't go the way I thought it would, I'm glad I got to share it with her.

Gianna and I were able to get back into line, and after an hour or so, I began to hear cheers. I stuck my head over the fence and got a brief glimpse of the Holy Father in his Pope-mobile zooming by. It was more a cloud of white, but a waving cloud of white, so that was cool. We also made some friends in line.

When Gianna and I finally made it through security, we wear able to hear the end of Papa's homily, which was so cool. Although we couldn't understand it (it was in Spanish) we agreed that we couldn't wait to read the transcript, because we knew it would be beautiful.

We knelt on the cobblestone streets of Philly during the consecration, as did most of those around us. It was incredible to see such beautiful devotion, despite obvious discomfort.

We were there in time for Communion too. I couldn't receive, but seeing those around me receive the Eucharist that had been consecrated by The Holy Father was truly incredible. 

The day didn't go the way I thought it would. And I'm a little sad about that. But I am so grateful for the experience I had. God reminded me that He was in charge, and that blessings come in all shapes and sizes. 

Free facebook cover photo!

Photo by Trini Crocker Photography

Photo credit to Trini Crocker Photography

Patron Saint of the Fall 2015 Semester

St. Jude, pray for us!

So, I realized, four weeks into the school year, that I never chose a patron for the fall semester. For the past two semesters (Fall 2014 & Spring 2015), I've used Jennifer Fulweiler's Random Saint Generator to find a saint to intercede for me during the school semester. 

This semester, God gave me St. Jude. Also known as the patron saint of impossible causes. God's a funny one, isn't He?

Here's a brief biography about this amazing saint:

St. Jude, known as Thaddeus, was a brother of St. James the Less, a relative of Jesus, and one of His 12 Apostles 

He preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopot.amia, and Lybia. 

He returned to Jerusalem in 62 AD, and assisted at the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem. 

He is an author of an epistle to the Churches of the East, particularly the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. He is said to have suffered martyrdom in Armenia. The final conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity did not take place until the third century. 

At the Last Supper, Jude asked Jesus why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. Not much else is known about his life. 

He is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. He is the patron of desperate cases and his feast day is October 28th. 

To honor this beautiful man, I'll be praying to him daily, and reading his letter in the bible.

I took a quick look at it after he was chosen for me, and I was already blown away by how the first verse to catch my eye was exactly what I needed to hear, and actually what I talked about with my therapist yesterday:

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" - Jude 1:20-21

St. Jude, pray for this hopeless case made new in Christ as I embark on my senior year.

A Daily Offering

Picture credit to Trini Crocker Photography