Christmas '07

We're having so many good times with family and friends this Christmas. Hope you all are having a blessed Christmas season too! (The rest of the photos are here.)

My brothers and sister and I at our Grandma's house on Christmas day

Morgan, Angela, Karina, Matthew and Andrea singing "Jingle Bells"

Angela and "Dr. Morgan" (how she referred to herself all day) working on Diane

Zack is happy...

to be a Browns fan!!

Ana and Zack dancin' in the kitchen

Christy is always a big hit with the kids!

Chrissy, me, Paula, Lisa and Erika at Aunt Dottie's house

It's good to be two... especially on Christmas!

Beth and Stephany came to visit from Cleveland... thanks for coming to Y-town! It was so great to see you!!

Love has come

I pray for all of you this Christmas the gifts I most long for myself...

~the wisdom to seek Him

~the experience of God speaking in a dream

~the faith to journey back another way

~the wonder of an angelic encounter

~the heart full of love for Jesus that consumed His mother

~and silence, that we might ponder it all in the depths of that most sacred of all places, the human heart...

"... the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." -John 1:5

Merry Christmas!

twins?

It was great to get to spend time with both of my brothers last night doing a little Christmas shopping and watching the movie we all know by heart, Christmas Vacation. Christy gets home tomorrow... yay!!

more advent reflections

I read these two little advent reflections today, and wanted to share. You are all in my prayers as we wait in joyful hope!

The Advent Virus ~

Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
• A loss of interest in judging other people.
• A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
• A loss of interest in conflict.
• A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
• Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
• Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
• Frequent attacks of smiling.
• An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.

Message of the Christmas Tree: Life Is "Ever Green"

Pope John Paul II in his Angelus message on 12/19/04: The traditional "Christmas tree" is a very ancient custom which exalts the value of life, as in winter the evergreen becomes a sign of undying life. In general, the tree is decorated and Christmas gifts are placed under it. The symbol is also eloquent from a typically Christian point of view: It reminds us of the "tree of life" (see Genesis 2:9), representation of Christ, God’s supreme gift to humanity.

The message of the Christmas tree, therefore, is that life is "ever green" if one gives: not so much material things, but of oneself: in friendship and sincere affection, and fraternal help and forgiveness, in shared time and reciprocal listening.

'dreaming' of Christmas

This came today from my friend Kristen & I had to share~

... I've been trying to read from my "Advent Reflections" book daily this year and I have done such a poor job in doing so, but this morning when I got up I decided to forgo grading papers in order to create a few moments of reflection during this very busy time of the year. As I read today's reflection it was written so beautifully - such real words and with such meaning, that I just had to share it with the women closest to me, especially in terms of faith....

Matthew 1:18-21

The Birth of Jesus Christ
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people form their sins."

We must thank God that Joseph does not act out of the nightmare going on at the surface of his life, but out of the dream that inhabits the core of his being. Dreams reveal another way. Joseph, in his zero hour, when his hopes of marriage, his faith, and his relationship with the girl he loves have crumbled to dust, teaches us how to make the other way a reality in our own lives. He trusts the dream, and he acts upon it. In our world, we will be faced with "nightmares" for sure, but we need to notice the scattered evidence of the deeper dream - the God-with-us, the best that is at the core of our being and is always there, like a silent angel, for those who have eyes to see. Which will we trust? Which will we act upon? The nightmare, or the dream?

Lord, below the world's nightmares lies your indestructible dream. We catch glimpses of it in moments of compassion, heroism, resilience, and all expressions of authentic human loving. Give us grace to trust the dream, especially when it seems to be buried in the ash and debris of our lives. Amen.

Only 11 more days of waiting...

my treasures

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure."
- Sirach 6:14

On Tuesday night Alli (one of my dearest friends from South Bend) was nearby Pittsburgh for work, and we were able to get together for dinner. It was so wonderful to see you Alli!! I hope you'll be able to come back soon with Beth and Amy too. I miss you all & love you lots!!



Then last night a group of us got together to celebrate and say goodbye to Maria, who is moving to San Francisco after Christmas. In this picture are five truly beautiful & inspiring people -- Alfredo, Maria, Ani, Jodie and Megan. I am so blessed to know all of you, and thank God for the gift of your friendship!



At dinner last night, I shared Danielle's family tradition of picking a saint for the new year. Actually, as Danielle always told me, "the saint picks you." So here is a picture of Alfredo's saint picking him, and all of our saints and our intentions for the year are below~


Maria~

Saint Agatha, 3rd century virgin and martyr (celebrated February 5th)
‘My Lord Jesus Christ, You see my heart and You know my desires. You alone must have me, because I am all Yours.... You have protected me from the cradle. You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Now receive my soul.’
Pray for women who will be called to suffer for Jesus

Ani~

Saint Francis of Assisi (celebrated on 4 October)
“Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”
Pray for hearts to find joy!

Jodie~

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin (St. Therese's parents)
St. Therese and Louis Martin could do no more than gaze at each other. With difficulty he pointed his index finger upward and was heard to whisper, "Until Heaven!" (Blessed Louis Martin on his deathbed to the Little Flower) Our Mother said to me, 'Don't be afraid; wait and see, your soul will expand.' (Blessed Zelie Martin to Leonie who was nearly impossible to handle)
Pray that Holiness may be born in families

Alfredo~

Blessed Leonie Martin, Lisieux (June 16th) (St. Therese's sister)
"Your little Leonie may be changed, not only in name, but in everything which might be displeasing to Him whom alone she wishes to love." "It is inappropriate for me to moan over my faults as I have done until now. That is pride. As our Holy Founder said, it is no wonder that weakness is weak; I must humble myself, not vex myself.
Pray for children who are not understood

Megan~

Blessed Luigi and Maria Quatrocchi (April 28)
Maria was advised to abort her unborn child to save her own life. The couple graciously relied on their trust in divine providence and were blessed with a healthy baby girl “Enrichetta”. They also raised their family to be just as virtuous; three of their four children joined religious orders.
Pray for strong, virtuous, holy families.

Me~

Saint Angela Merici, mystic, religious founder (January 27th)
"Mothers of children, even if they have a thousand, carry each and every one fixed in their hearts, and because of the strength of their love they do not forget any of them. In fact, it seems that the more children they have the more their love and care for each one is increased."
Pray for mothers.

I've done this every year since knowing Danielle, so this was my 6th year of having a saint for the year ahead. Here are the others I've had, beginning since 2003.

St Augustine of Hippo, bishop, Doctor of the Church (August 28th)
"You have forgiven me my past sins and drawn a veil over them, and in this way You have given me happiness in yourself, changing my life by faith and Your sacrament. When others read of those past sins of mine their hearts are stirred so that they no longer lie listless. Instead their hearts are roused by the love of Your mercy and the joy of Your grace."
Pray for the conversion of sinners

Saint Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney, Cure of Ars (celebrated on August 4th)
"My children, we cannot comprehend the power of a soul over the Good Lord: it can obtain whatever it wants."
Pray for priests.

Saint Padre Pio (celebrated September 23rd)
“The ardent desire to be in eternal peace is good and holy. But it is necessary to moderate it by a complete resignation to the Divine Will. It is better to do the Divine Will on earth than to enjoy heaven.”
Pray for the gift of obedience to God’s Will.

Saint Teresa of Avila (celebrated October 15th)
"Since the spiritual world is based entirely on humility, the closer one gets to God, the more this virtue should grow."
Pray for consecrated souls, they are the soul of the Church.

Saint Anthony of Egypt, 4th century desert monk (January 17th)
"Let Christ be as the breath you breathe; in Him put your trust. Be earnest always to be in union first with the Lord and then with the saints; that after death they also may receive you as known friends."
Pray for the purification of the world from evil.

Please let me know if you would like Danielle's saint list to share with your family and friends as well. It is such a beautiful way to begin the new year... with a special saint companion and friend for the year ahead. God bless you all!

"celebrate what's right with the world"

"I saw an angel in the stone & carved to set it free." - Michelangelo

If you can set aside 22 minutes, please watch this video by Dewitt Jones, a veteran photographer from National Geographic. It's a magical film about life, possibilities, and the transforming power of celebrating what's right with the world. "When we believe it, we'll see it."

Ryan, I especially think you are going to love this!

Enjoy!!

pope benedict's prayer intentions for life

Pope Benedict XVI Calls Faithful to Pray for Legislators and Medical Researchers to Respect Human Life

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for November is: "That those dedicated to medical research and all those engaged in legislative activity may always have deep respect for human life, from its beginning to its natural conclusion."

"Respect for human life and the dignity of the human person is at the core of Catholic belief. Jesus teaches that two greatest commandments are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and strength, and to love ones neighbor as oneself. Under the teachings of Genesis, human beings are made in the Image and Likeness of God, and therefore have an intrinsic value that cannot be denied. Under New Testament teachings, each person is part of the Body of Christ, with an intrinsic value and worth that cannot be denied. Moreover, multiple Old Testament passages declare to God "Before you knitted me in my mother's womb, you knew me," such that each individual human life is a Creative Act by God, and such that even before conception a human being exists as a person knowable to God."

a great weekend

My sister was in town this weekend (yay!) for her good friend Amanda's wedding. It was so much fun to see you Christy!! You're a dancing queen, and I hope you have a great day going back to work tomorrow. Love you!

real miracles

Those of you who read this regularly know how much I love Steven Curtis & Mary Beth Chapman & their passion for helping orphaned children. I just received the latest e-newsletter from their foundation Shaohannah's Hope, and wanted to share these two stories with you. This is the good news alive and well in our world. Enjoy!

The Galyean's story

The Williams' story

I wrote this last night, and then this morning read a heartbreaking article regarding a story that I have been following. As we rejoice for the children adopted by the Galyean and Williams families, and celebrate the heroic love of those who adopt and take into their hearts and their homes children who are most in need of love, we pray for the soul of this little angel, Riley Ann Sawyers, and for all children who are victims of abuse and harm from those who are supposed to protect & foster their life. We also pray for all who are entrusted with the gift of creating life, that they would treasure their children as God does.

Mother Teresa, protector of the littlest ones, pray for us.

another reason why i love notre dame

I had to share these photos from Beth that she took on campus this weekend. Beautiful! Thank you Beth! Some of my best memories of Notre Dame are during advent and winter. Going to the 5:15 mass in the Basilica... coming out at 6:00 in the darkness of night. The peacefulness of it, the quiet and stillness of the night and the cold... and when we were lucky, a magical snowfall that made everything even more beautiful under the dome. These photos reminded me of so many of those moments of grace. Thank you Beth! You are wonderful!

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! Enjoy the photos & thanks again to Beth for sharing them :-)

Memory Awakens Hope. . . . . . . . . Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which Is Above,1986

"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…

It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share an e-mail I just sent in case anyone reading might want to help out. Have a great day!

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all having a wonderful day today! Yesterday I got an e-mail from a young man named Precene who I met when I was in Haiti. (His e-mail is below.) He and I have kept in touch since I was there in March, and this time he wrote to ask for help because his family's house was ruined in hurricane Noel that hit Haiti a few weeks ago. I have been in touch with friends at the Notre Dame Haiti program to ask how much his family would need to rebuild, and it will cost them just about $1,400 in US money. ($10,000 in Haitian money.)

I just looked it up, and Noel is a french word referring to the nativity of Christ. This Christmas, I was thinking how amazing it would be to pray for this family & to help them rebuild their house & just wanted to send this e-mail to send an invitation in case you'd like to take part.

Please don't feel any pressure to contribute financially, but for anyone so inclined to make a monetary contribution, we can work through the Notre Dame Haiti program to help make it happen. The whole house will cost $1,400, so even a few dollars would go a long way. Checks could be made out to Fr. Tom Streit (with a memo for Precene) and sent to

The Notre Dame Haiti Program
Attn: Alice Cyusa
001 Galvin Hall
University of Notre Dame, IN 46556

Alice is the accountant for the Haiti program, and can help us keep track of how much we have raised for them. I'll let you all know the progress, and hopefully by Christmas we can rejoice in knowing that this family will soon again have a home to call their own. Also, please feel free to invite others to join us as well... every little bit will help! (And if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.)

God bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

sincerely,
nicole

Here is a picture of Precene, with the Keenan Hall t-shirt, with Dr. Emil Hofman, beloved professor emeritus of chemistry from ND, when we were in Haiti in March.


Dear Nicole,
how are you doing? and your family.
Happy to send that you e-mail to let you know that I 'm at Notre Dame rightnow.
I benefite this time too let you know that I have some problemes in my family or my family's house has been destroyed by the cyclone Noel and rightnow I don't know what can I do to help but I know if you have possibility you will help me to rebuilt a small house they are 7 people in my family.I know that you have many reponsabities but you will do what you can to help me with that.

You give what you have and what you can.

What you do for one of smallest of my brothers you make it for me,said Jesus.

Precene

Best regards


From: "Alice Cyusa"
Date: November 20, 2007 4:39:13 PM EST
Subject: RE: Need help

Nicole,

We (Nick & I) talked( to find out how much money it would cost to build or fix his Moms house) with Precene; and it looks like we estimated it right: He said about 10,000 Haitian Dollars, which would be around $ 1,400 US $.

Precene also said that he is, the second child in his family and he has 6 siblings. His Mom is now living with her sister.

Hope this helps; and you can send checks (written to Fr Tom) to me like we did for Alix.

Thanks and Have blessed Holidays!

Alice

More than just a concert!

Before I write more, I have to take a moment to say that I never got a chance on Sunday to put up a blog to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER CHRISTY!!!! I love you & can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!


Last night I went to see Steven Curtis Chapman in concert with my good friend Kathy. It was amazing!! Before I talk about him, though, I have to tell you about Bethany Dillon, who opened the concert for him. I first really heard of her at Tisha and Ben's wedding when their sweet first dance was to her amazingly beautiful song "For My Love." She didn't play that one last night, but she did play a song called "You are on Our Side" that I just had to share. It is the Good News if ever I have heard it. Here are the lyrics & here she is singing it at a concert earlier this year. Enjoy...




Okay, so now on to Steven Curtis Chapman. Wow. What can I say? He is such a humble and faithful man, and it feels more like a being on a retreat than a concert when he sings and shares his stories. What I love so much about he and his family is the way that God has called them to adoption, how they have responded, and how their hearts have grown through the whole process. The amazing thing about the concert last night was that it was much more than a concert. Everyone at the concert was invited to share their spare change for the Show Hope project, and at the end of the night $4,500 was given to a beautiful family from Pittsburgh who is preparing to adopt a baby from Ethiopia. It was so beautiful.

Here is a video from a concert earlier this month of SCC singing "When Love Takes You In", along with beautiful home videos of many of the families (which Shaohannah's Hope has helped in their adoptions) receiving their adopted children. As Steven said last night,

"Adoption is the most perfect picture of God's love for us, His adopted sons and daughters."

I also just want to share one more of his songs, a new song called "Cinderella." As he explains in the video, Steven and his wife have 3 adopted young daughters from China, two teenage sons (his backup band on tour!) and a daughter in college. As he explains in the video he wrote this song after a long and stressful day during which he almost missed the miracle of the moment of treasuring the beauty, the innocence and the love of his two youngest daughters. Watch the first video if you want to see the explanation (I highly recommend it!), and the second one for the song itself, because it includes the video that goes along with it. Okay... I think I've left you with enough to enjoy for the day!! Now I'll say goodbye so you can start watching!!!

Jeff's 15 minutes of fame

Okay, so as many of you know, my older brother Jeff is a VP of the Pittsburgh Browns Backers. Browns fans in Pittsburgh aren't exactly the most popular people in town, especially with the Browns/Steelers game coming up on Sunday, but it's definitely made for some funny moments in the past few days for my brother!

PBB'ers,

As Paul mentioned in an earlier email, we had a little fun with KDKA this afternoon. You can watch the interview and view the dunking of KDKA radio host Kevin Miller. You might notice that Kevin remained dry until a certain Browns fan (me) showed everyone how it's done. The video is somewhat long, and not the greatest quality, but stick with it...Paul and I show up at about the 5 minute mark or close to it.

Jeff

--


He also did a radio interview that you can listen to online. Click on "Browns Fans Living Among Us" on the right, and you'll go right to the link. And my mom just sent me a link to an interview he did with a station in Cleveland too. Wow. I think he might officially be famous now!

Just hope your address isn't online Jeff!!

Go Browns!!

so excited...

"We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful." - Mother Teresa
(quoted by lead actor of Bella Eduardo Verastegui as he explains his mission in life)

Tomorrow night I am going to see "Bella" with some of my classmates. I am so excited!! My friend Ryan (who always has an amazing way with words) saw the movie a few weeks ago in Denver & wrote a great little review about it. I know this is about the third time I've written about this movie in the past 5 days, but I am just so excited to see it. (Can you tell??)

I especially love the story he found about how the movie came to be. Check out the story behind the movie. It's incredible story, a powerful testimony and proof of a favorite quote of mine that hangs on the wall at the Newman Center chapel here in Pittsburgh & that I read as often as possible...

"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength."
-St Philip Neri

happy birthday ryan and mrs. rizzi!

I just wanted to say happy birthday to my favorite younger brother... Happy Birthday Ryan!! I hope this is the beginning of your best year yet!


I also want to wish a happy birthday to Mrs. Rizzi, not only the biggest ND fan I know, but also grandma of two of the cutest grandkids in the world.

Here's a little birthday gift for both of you... a reminder from a Navy alum about what we love most about ND. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

big news!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Amy and Brian who got engaged last Saturday!!! For those of you who haven't met her yet, Amy is the wonderful person I was so blessed to live with for the past few years in South Bend.... some of the best years of my life!

Amy, you're an amazing person and friend-- I am so happy for you & can't wait for the wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!


PS. Bella is coming to many more cities this weekend and next!! Click here to find out where you can see it!!!

PPS. Here are some fun photos from the pitt med halloween party!

Laura, Karen and Ani

Adrienne and the tooth fairy :-)

you can't get much cuter than this...

abby, age 2
job: being unstopably cute!

"How You Live"

I just found this new song from Point of Grace called "How You Live" that I wanted to share. Enjoy!



Ps. Don't forget to go see Bella!!!! (See the post right below!)

Bella

From what I hear, this movie can be a life-changing experience... I hope you can see it!! Visit the website to see if it's in your city! If it's not... you can visit the website & see how you can get involved in brining it to your area. Also, you don't want to miss this interview (the interview begins at 17:55) with the lead actor Eduardo Verastegui about his life, his conversion and the promise to God that changed his life.

www.bellathemovie.com

novena to saint gianna

I just wanted to invite anyone out there who would like to join a few friends of mine in a novena to Saint Gianna Beretta Molla starting tomorrow (Wednesday) and ending on November 1st (which is also all Saint's Day!). On November 1st the Archbishop of Milan, Italy will inaugurate the Shrine of the Family dedicated to Saint Gianna, and this novena would be a great way to join in celebration on that day, and to ask for Saint Gianna's prayers and intercession as we honor her faithfulness and sanctity. (You can find the novena here.)

We pray especially for all families, for all children (especially those awaiting their birth), and especially for a young mom named Stacy who is pregnant and has brain cancer. She is stopping her treatment to give her baby a chance to make it to 28 weeks, when they can deliver the baby by C-section and we specifically pray that her tumor might stop growing while she stops her treatment.

Saint Gianna, pray for us~

"Holy Family"

Danielle sings "Holy Family" at Ben and Tisha's wedding this past May. (This song is on her new cd "I Thirst" and is based on the words of Mother Teresa's prayer for families.)

a little child shall lead them :-)

"small things with great love"

I was working on a wedding video today for my friends Tisha and Ben, and found some video of Danielle singing "Small Things with Great Love" (which is one of the songs on her new CD "I Thirst.") After Ben and Tisha's rehearsal dinner, Danielle wanted to share some of her new songs. I had my camera with me, and luckily got a lot of them on film! (The lights were already off in the church, which is why I had to film using "night vision.") I'll put the lyrics us soon, and more of the songs too... enjoy!!



(It might be a little hard to see, but I just received my first stethoscope, and had it engraved to say the same thing... "small things with great love." Thanks so much to Danielle's mom for sharing this photo with me!)

sister nirmala remembers mother teresa

It was such a blessing to attend the commemorative weekend for Mother Teresa that was held at Saint Vincent college this past weekend. I was able to video many of wonderful presentations made by those who knew her, and I thought I'd start by sharing a video of Sister Nirmala (Mother Teresa's successor as the leader of the Missionaries of Charity). She is the definition of beauty and humility!

mother teresa's prayer for our families

Prayer for our Family - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Heavenly Father,
you have given us the model of life
in the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to make our family another Nazareth
where love, peace and joy reign.
May it be deeply contemplative,
intensely eucharistic,
revived with joy.

Help us to stay together in joy
and sorrow in family prayer.
Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families,
especially in their distressing disguise.
May the eucharistic heart of Jesus
make our hearts humble like his
and help us to carry out our family duties
in a holy way.
May we love one another
as God loves each one of us,
more and more each day,
and forgive each other's faults
as you forgive our sins.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to take whatever you give
and give whatever you take with a big smile.

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
cause of our joy, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Holy Guardian Angels,
be always with us,
guide and protect us.

Amen.

looking forward to this weekend...

Today Danielle's mom is flying in, and we are heading to Saint Vincent College for a special weekend celebration of Blessed Mother Teresa. The conference is being held at St. Vincent's because the president of the school, Jim Towey, a devoted friend of Mother Teresa's, has organized this in her honor. (There is a great article about how their friendship began here.) I am so excited to see Danielle's mom, and to attend this conference! My good friend Dr. Tish Kelly Holmes will be there is well, and I can't wait to see her too!! I will be sure to post lots of photos and stories when I get back. In the meantime, I think the conference will be broadcast on EWTN for anyone who would like to tune in...


In other news, a few weeks ago Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon Professor with terminal pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" that was videotaped, and now being shared around the world. If you'd like to see any or all of it, the full video of his talk is here.

ps.-- faith, doubt and the humility of mother teresa

During a study break last night my friend Ani and I started talking about Danielle's new cd, and of the spiritual darkness that Mother Teresa experienced. This morning I found a few very good reflections that I wanted to share in case others are interested in reading more too.

For those who have given it all, have allowed themselves to be used up until they literally have nothing left to give, it seems to me that such dark nights would be unavoidable. I think our human capacity to love can only take us so far, and when we have reached the point where our love for God exceeds our ability to actually feel and comprehend and identify “love” - that’s when these saints see desperate days. My guess is they have simply transcended where human love can take them, but haven’t the tools to fully know “divine” love, and so they’re trapped in something unidentifiable and unknown - a place where they simply have to go on faith. If we learn in 10 years that John Paul II went through exactly the same sort of emptiness and darkness, I will not be surprised at all. In fact, I expect to hear exactly that.

And as for Teresa’s “shocking” letters, I anticipate finding within them a great deal of comfort. And in her carrying on and carrying forth - even through her trials and excruciating sense of loss - I expect I’ll find evidence of the workings of grace and sanctity. As Fr. James Martin writes in the New York Times, “…to conclude that Mother Teresa was a crypto-atheist is to misread both the woman and the experience that she was forced to undergo.”

Indeed. “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me” is not the cry of the atheist; it is the cry of the psalmist and the Christ. It is the cry of the believer.

(You can read the rest here.)

Also, Deacon Greg Kandra's homily on Mother Teresa is beautiful.

... It’s astonishing to think that the most important work of Mother Teresa – her true legacy – may not have been to the poor in the slums, but to the poor in spirit. Those who every day walk through the slums of their own hearts, feeling deserted and unloved.

This book, I think, will speak to so many of us who are questioning, and searching. It will show just what it takes to be a saint.

It takes more than piety. It takes perseverance: continuing through all the barren deserts of life, and doing God’s will anyway – trusting, somewhere, somehow, that an oasis awaits you at the end.

The painful fact is that all of us at one time or another know that desert. We all have felt spiritually dry, isolated from God. We know the sense of desolation. Mother Teresa’s story speaks powerfully to all of us.

And so, I think, does God’s call to her. Because it is His call to each of us.

“Come, be my light.”

Light was the first thing that God brought forth at the beginning of time.

It was what He needed to continue His creation.

Mother Teresa fulfilled that need.

And we can, too.

“Come, be my light.”

Come, He says. Help me finish what I have begun. Be my hands. Be my voice. Be my light. Give love to the unloved, and hope to the hopeless.

And: don’t be afraid of the darkness.

Because darkness and doubt, even the kind Mother Teresa experienced, make faith matter. A faith that doesn’t question, or feel some uncertainty, is a shallow faith, a kind that will not deepen and grow. Faith should ask hard questions – who is God? What does He want of us? – because in asking those questions it means that we don’t have all the answers.

And that, too, is a mark of humility.

That little Albanian nun with the weathered face and the simple blue and white sari is a powerful example of that.

But there is an even greater example of humility among us right now. It is the Eucharist we are about to receive -- when God becomes bread, and bread becomes God. When the exalted is humbled and the humble exalted.

And we who are about to share that mystery, in receiving it, are also exalted -- and humbled. Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But he does. And we are transformed.

(The full homily is here.)

"I thirst"

I have some great news to share... Danielle Rose's new CD "I Thirst" is now available!!!!! (The press release is available here.)

"so small"

I love this song!!

"Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And then you figure out love is all that
Matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small."

saint therese... the "little way"

"Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."
-- St. Therese of Lisieux

My favorite day of the year is quickly approaching... October 1st, the feast day of Saint Therese. For the past three years it's become a tradition to join in a novena leading up to October 1st & ending with a trip to the National Shrine of St. Therese in Chicago. I won't be able to make it to Chicago this year, but my good friend Amy will be going & I'll be joining in spirit from Pittsburgh!

She was only 24 when she died of tuberculosis, basically unknown outside of the convent she had entered at age 15. At her spiritual director's request she left behind an autobiography published after her death as "The Story of a Soul." It wasn't long before she was known and loved all over the entire world. A short little biography about here is here along with stories of how she has touched people's lives in case you'd like to check it out.

And for anyone who would like to join in prayer, the novena begins today (Sunday) and ends on October 1st. If you'd like to join along, this website will e-mail you the prayer each of the nine days, which makes it really easy to follow.

God bless you all!!

love,
nicole

a great view of pittsburgh

My classmate Aaron and his wife invited me to join them on a driving tour of Pittsburgh with the prospective student they were hosting the other night. They took us to the top of Mt. Washington to see the view of Pittsburgh from there. It was amazing! If any of you come to visit, we'll definitely have to check it out again!

great news!

Welcome to the world little James! You are one lucky little guy & have the best parents (& grandparents!) and cutest older sister in the world. I was so happy to get to meet you yesterday, and can't wait to see you again soon!!!

PS. Let's hope you'll see your first ND win before your first birthday :-)

"Come be My light"

I couldn't go to sleep tonight before writing to say that today (September 5th) is the 10 year anniversary of Mother Teresa's death. Time magazine just published a cover article about her life and spiritual darkness, which has been revealed publicly only after her death. It was astonishing to read, and I'd love to hear what you think about it if you read it too.

"If I ever become a saint, I will surely be one of 'darkness.' I will continually be absent from heaven to (light) the light of those in darkness on earth." - Mother Teresa, 1962

The actual call that Mother Teresa heard to come to Calcutta to serve the poor was, "Come be My light." However in the 50 years that followed what she faced in return was her own spiritual darkness. That she knew such intense spiritual darkness is a mystery to me, yet I feel it makes her witness even more powerful. As the writer of the book about her darkness says,

"The tendency in our spiritual life but also in our more general attitude toward love is that our feelings are all that is going on, and so to us the totality of love is what we feel. But to really love someone requires commitment, fidelity and vulnerability. Mother Teresa wasn't 'feeling' Christ's love, and she could have shut down. But she was up at 4:30 every morning for Jesus, and still writing to him, 'Your happiness is all I want.' That's a powerful example even if you are not talking in exclusively religious terms."

Commitment, fidelity and vulnerability... I pray that we all can model our understanding of love after her. Mother Teresa, pray for us!

just what the doctor ordered

"dome sweet dome"

I was in anatomy lab on Friday when Dr. Schuman asked my group what our plans were for the weekend. I told him I wanted to go back to Indiana to visit my friends, but I wasn't sure if I should go because there was so much studying to do. He said that I had Monday off and could study then, and that I should go. Twist my arm!! I was on the road after class, and back to South Bend by 10:00 that night.

It was a truly wonderful weekend!! I have always loved ND, and absence makes the heart grow fonder too :-) It was wonderful to see my friends and I am so glad that I made the trip. The game was less than stellar, but I have a few theories about this season. The learning curve is going to be steep, but in the best case scenario we have the chance to watch the team drastically improve from now till the end of the season. I know that might not be what some want to hear, but they're a young team and it's going to take some time. I think this is the kind of situation where coaching can make a huge difference & (hopefully!) I think it's going to be fun to see how it unfolds.

I was really excited to see Jimmy Clausen get in the game and if it were up to me he'd be the starter from here on in. No use developing someone else only to have JC have to be a rookie sophomore next year. As for the fear that he'll get crushed against the Penn State defense, I say that you can't play not to lose. You have to play to win, and if that means he takes a few hits, maybe that will give the 0-line a little inspiration to step it up a notch. Anyway, I'm just rambling, and we'll see what happens!! I'll leave the true analyzing of the season to my good friend Ryan O'Connor, but those are my two cents for what it's worth. Here are some pictures from the weekend...

amy, me, beth, alli and her friend sarah

i ran into mike from the pittsburgh alumni club... small world!

i also got to see my cousins chuck and beth!

A highlight of the game for me was the video about the Haiti program that was shown right at the end of halftime. The NBC film crew went to Haiti at the end of July to film for this video, and I think they did a really good job with it. There's a longer video about Fr. Tom Streit (the director of the program) here as well. If anyone wants more info about the Haiti program or the LF disease, just let me know.

PS. Check out Beth's new blog!!! (Including photos and a video from game-day!)
PPS. I just posted the lyrics to "Psalm 139" in the post below. (It's neat to read the psalm, and then to see how Danielle wrote the song.)