Where art Art...?

I had a thought last semester. Or came to a conclusion. Whatever it was, it has to do with art in the world today and what people actually define beauty as nowadays.

Art used to reflect God.

Somewhere around the bend, though, art became about expressing ourselves. Just us, nobody else. We took our own perspective of everything. Yep. We pretty took matters into our own hands.

But if that's the case...

It's no wonder tour art now is puzzling and arcane; that it's difficult to make sense of and we can't quite figure out what it means. It's no wonder that it's abstract to the point of indiscernible. We've lost the lens to see it.

It's the same with everything in our culture if you think about it. If art reflects a culture, what does today's art say? Abstract? Trying to say something but can't quite say it? Messy? Shattered? Broken? Lost?

You can see it in our advertisements. You can hear it in our music. You can watch it on tv, in the movie theaters, on your computers. I'm not saying all this art is completely lacking, but a lot of it is.
You can even see it on people...and unfortunately, the terrible lack of. Is it any wonder, then, that people no longer immediately see a woman's true beauty?

There's beauty there, there really is! But like a camera without focus or with someone without glasses, it's blurred.

Art used to reflect God.




When we used to see Him in us - because we're made in His image and likeness - and acknowledge His hand in creation, we reflected Him in our art, and it showed true beauty...
Because He is True Beauty. Art loses its beauty when it abandons the Author of beauty itself.
We may be made in the image and likeness of God, but we are most definitely NOT God.

I kind of wonder if anyone will ever come to the same conclusion.

Joy to the World!

There's a little game I like to play. Actually, I have quite a few little games that I play, like beat the GPA or Be a Ninja... But anyway, this particular one gives me an opportunity to be especially sneaky!
You know those poor people checking your items out at the store? They are so much fun to compliment. And they NEVER expect it. No, really, try it! Muster up your best smile and wish them a good day. Half the time they don't know what to do with it; but the other half, oh my, you can tell they really appreciate it. Now, of course, like all other games there's a catch. Here's the trick: your compliment has to be genuine. Ah ha. Didn't see that one coming? It doesn't quite work if you are not genuinely genuine to the other person. (Yes, cashier people are persons, even if they are the grumpiest people sometimes) But if you do manage to do this, congrats, chances are you have just begun a domino effect that could bring just a touch of happiness to someone who needs it most.
(Grumpy librarians are the best. It may take a while, but if you happen to have four cute little siblings, watching a grumpy librarian melt is so much fun.)

(Now for the main point:)
There's a special twist to this game come Christmas. You know how everyone says "happy holidays" or "season's greetings"? Well. Try giving them your biggest, most festive holiday grin and saying "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
Honestly, I think people still really do enjoy being wished a Merry Christmas; even if they aren't Christian, they still do. Because it's not that you're trying to convert them right then and there, or being offensive, or whatever the excuse is now to get Christ out of Christmas. It's spreading the love joy that you've found in Him who came to give you that same love and joy. If they're atheist, alright, be respectful. But even atheists need peace and joy. And really, sharing wonder and joy is not a crime. You take that special love and joy away, what do you get? Probably a grumpy cashier lady.
Christmas is a chance to spread that message of peace, joy, and love of Christ, even if it's just in the form of genuinely wishing someone "Merry Christmas".

So to anyone reading this (and even if no one does), I wish you glad tidings of joy; the joy I've genuinely found so wondrous and uncontainable. Take it if you will.

Lovely to Love in spite of this...

“Nothing else really matters,” she said to herself, “only to love Him and to do what He tells me. I don’t know quite why it should be so, but it is. All the time it is suffering to love and sorrow to love, but it is lovely to love Him in spite of this, and if I should cease to do so, I should cease to exist.” 
~Hurnard, Hinds Feet on High Places, 176

I think there's snow in my ears.

Have you ever been in a snow storm? Or at least, in a rush of icy wind that threatens to knock every warm breath clean out of you as snow flakes hurl themselves at your face?
Well. To be honest, it hasn't really happened to me either, at least, not literally. But figuratively? As an overachieving college student...yes. (Which is why I'm sitting here in the library...not studying...) Projects, papers, work. Then there's the balance of prayer life and being social. Not that I find being with friends a nuisance - just the opposite! Somedays that's all I wish being here was about! But work has a sneaky tendency to pile up rather quickly, and well....I feel sheepish when I forget and keep God waiting at the Tabernacle.
Then, zoom out just a tad, and there's life as a whole. So much has happened in the past year alone. Very many of them wonderful events, some that caused me and those I know to grow, and some disheartening that I never thought would have happened.

That's just in my own life.

It certainly doesn't take much to look at the world and become frustrated.
For example. In media class today, a couple of my friends and I weren't sure what to make of the "future of media." Think about it, we're using and relying on it more and more. It's seeped into our cell phones, our living rooms, our car rides, and who knows where else! But did you know that some people are looking into embedding media into our bodies, so that we can connect with each other automatically without the use of a handheld device or a push of a button? I might be a media major, but I don't exactly want it to take over my life. (My life is crazy as it is. See above.)
Then you have things more crucial like abortion, or same-sex marriage, or euthanasia just to name a couple. There's division between countries. There's division in our country. There's growing division in families, communities, and even within ourselves.
The presidential elections really brought out the worst reminders. If you really wanted to become upset in two minutes, it seemed like all you had to do was sit and watch the debates. It all seems to be hurling at a thousand miles per hour in every which direction without any inclination of stopping.

But rather than letting the wind tear you to shreds, the snow batter your face, and the chill bite your poor nose as you battle it out to get wherever it is you're getting to, have you ever tried to stop for a second?

There's as sort of saying here at school nowadays that a very dear friend of mine often says; something that, what with all that is happening in the world, is fitting. It's come up even more with the Feast of Christ the King and with Ordinary Time drawing to a close and all the readings that remind us of the end:

"Whatever happens, Christ is the King of our hearts."

So as long we allow Him to reign over our hearts, we don't have to be afraid of whatever will happen. As a student with a huge, impending, dark cloud of loan over her head, living in a world that seems to be tearing itself apart, I find this truth to be very comforting and heartening indeed.

It might not bring a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart at all times; in fact, it's hard to remember what warm and fuzzy is when you're out in 20-below degrees. But it's there. And I know He's there, deep within the quiet retreat of my heart when I stop and seek Him - sometimes a little scrupulously just to make sure He's really there. He is, and will never leave. The snow will melt, and the wind will die, but God reigns forever and is here to stay.

Off and About

Act of Abandonment to the Will of God

O God, I have no knowledge of what 

is in store for me today.

I only know that nothing shall happen to me 

that has not been foreseen by You

and directed to my greater good, from all eternity.

This is enough for me.

I adore Your eternal and unfathomable designs.

I submit them with all my heart for love of You.

I offer them with my whole being

in union with the sacrifice of Jesus, 

my divine redeemer.

In His name and by His infinite merits, 

I ask You for the grace of patience

and loving acceptance of my sufferings.

I only wish to do Your holy will 

and use all my energies for Your glory. Amen. 

~Bl. James Alberione

Going on an adventure today. =) Don't know where I will be or how it will end up, but I'm excited for what God has in plan.

Here we go...

Music

‎"Music is the expression of the spirit, of the interior place of the person, created for all that is true, good and beautiful. It is no accident that music often accompanies our prayer. It makes our senses and spirit resound when, in prayer, we encounter God." 
~Pope Benedict XVI

Teach me, My Master,

to be sweet and gentle in the events of life,

in disappointments,

in the thoughtlessness of others,

in the insincerity of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside,

to think of others,

to hide my little pains and heartaches,

so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path.

Let me so use it that it may mellow me,

not harden or embitter me;

that it may make me patient, not irritable,

that it may make me broad in forgiveness, not narrow haughty and overbearing.

May no one be less good for having come within my influence.

No one less pure, less kind, less noble

for having been a fellow traveler

in our journey toward Eternal Life.

As I go my rounds from one distraction to another,

let me whisper from time to time,

a word of love to Thee.

May my life be lived in the supernatural,

full of power for good,

and strong in its purpose for sanctity.

~John Henry Newman

Tripping on Dust

Some people have the incredible ability to trip UP stairs. Or those tiny cracks in the sidewalk? Yups, it takes certain skills to trip on those too. And let's not forget the knack for tripping on dust! Pesky little things, those tiny pieces of dust. Unfortunately, I have that ability. Well when you have a million things on your mind, planning out your day on your way to class, and are always looking forward to what's up ahead...you tend to fall...forward...and on your head.

It's not just walking down the street either; I seem to be able to do that with the rest of my life.
Not that looking forward to something is a bad thing. I mean, if you're stuck in an office for eight hours in the middle of summer when it's all bright and sunny outside, of course you're going to look forward to the end, right?

But that doesn't give me the excuse to forget to smile in the morning when it's most crucial. I can't be so wrapped up in thinking about the future when the person next to me is in need. Even if it's that halfhearted-sleepy-coffeedeprived hello in the morning, chances are they don't want to be there any more than you do and the least you both can do is get through it together.
I really am looking forward to the end of it all, but before I get there, it makes sense to watch the steps I take now to get there.
Tripping on dust. No wonder I've found myself flat on my face this summer!
The future will come eventually. But this very moment? It will never happen again.

After all, it's the little things in the present moment that help us get to Heaven.

‎"The most important hour is always the present; the most significant person is precisely the one who is sitting across from you right now; the most necessary work is always love."

Beauty

I grew up in a valley. Almost every morning, the rain would shroud the verdant mountains with its light, cool gray, and the clouds would gently brush the tops with their ethereal touch. The sun would eventually peek over the ridge, flooding the valley with a rich, warm, golden light. The wind would run through the trees, sweeping away the humidity before the heat could settle between the limbs. And if you breathed it all in, you would smell all of it at once; the beauty and wonder of the life all around you.

We have sleek, high tech computers and iPads, state of the art buildings and furniture, smooth cars that run with little more than a whisper. We busy ourselves with so many things that we loose track of it all... sure, these do have a certain beauty to them, but do you ever sit in the middle of it all and have that feeling as if there were more? If only you could reach higher? As if there were something to be desired on the top shelf of the kitchen but you were too small to reach up and grab it?

Perhaps we've forgotten what beauty is.

I think this is what we've forgotten nowadays; we've forgotten the beauty of simple things. From the grace of the rolling hills to the magic of a humble dandelion, God's wonder can be found everywhere. We await grand miracles and wonders with such bated breath that we don't think to look at the miracles right under our noses. We try to build a tower to reach the unknown upon the highest shelf, but don't realize that we don't need to try so hard. There is something in the stillness if we take the time to quiet our selves in our busy lives. God is waiting there. He is always waiting.

Albert Einstein once said that there were two ways to live: to see nothing as a miracle, and to see everything as a miracle.

"The Garden of the Soul"

Gardening does such wonders for your soul.

Doesn't it just give you an angsty feeling when your little garden is filled with dead leaves and twigs burying all your poor struggling plants, random bugs crawling through the misplaced mounds of dirt, and weeds parade in clumps? Well, it does for me anyway...

So this morning, I needed something to do; something to take my mind off all the dizziness of life. The past couple of days at work have been difficult and it was becoming hard to swallow words and keep myself from saying things that couldn't be taken back. I felt like the poor, neglected garden outside, pleading for a good blast of wind to carry all my dead leaves and twigs far, far away. After standing there for a few seconds, I snapped out of the fantasy that it actually would happen. I picked up a rake and began to comb the leaves out of the strands of green grass that were just beginning to grow.

As I continued to clean up the garden, it slowly began to reemerge before my eyes. I could hear the grass sing God's praises, happy to be able to reach up to Him; the buried plants breathed the fresh morning air; the light revisited the green and brightened it in vibrant patches. The entire garden danced freely with the wind.

There was a hint of Paradise in the garden, and after what was unnecessary was removed, a light rain began to fall. The grass could finally reach out and be refreshed by the cool mist, and the little drops of God's grace could be taken in.

"Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord;
Praise and exult Him above all forever." ~Daniel 3:76

"Be satisfied with Me"

I posted something about waiting a while back, and (re) found this poem and thought it might go well with it.

God needs to be our first love. After all, if we cannot truly learn to love Love Himself, how can we begin to truly love another?

Be Satisfied with Me
by St. Anthony of Padua

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,

To have a deep soul relationship with another,

To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.

But to a Christian, God says, "No, not until you are satisfied,

Fulfilled and content with being loved by me alone,

With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to me.

With having an intensely personal and unique relationship with me alone.

Discovering that only in me is your satisfaction to be found,

Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship,

That I have planned for you.

You will never be united to another

Until you are united with me.

Exclusive of anyone or anything else.

Exclusive of any other desires or longings.

I want you to stop planning, to stop wishing, and allow me to give you

The most thrilling plan existing . . . one you cannot imagine.

I want you to have the best. Please allow me to bring it to you.

You just keep watching me, expecting the greatest things.

Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.

Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.

Just wait, that's all. Don't be anxious, don't worry

Don't look around at things others have gotten

Or that I have given them

Don't look around at the things you think you want,

Just keep looking off and away up to me,

Or you'll miss what I want to show you.

And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love

Far more wonderful than you could dream of.

You see, until you are ready, and until the one I have for you is ready,

I am working even at this moment

To have both of you ready at the same time.

Until you are both satisfied exclusively with me.

There and Back Again?

Sorry for the previous rant. Kind of just needed to write something.

But I suppose now's a good time as any to pick up blogging again. Who knows who comes here anymore...it might just be an empty space to let my thoughts echo, but perhaps the echos might just reach a passing ear or two.

In any case, now that it's summer (and thus more free time!) I'd say it's time for a little fun. =D And so dear anonymous reader, I (re)welcome you to the little blog of a young, Catholic woman trying to find herself in the world today. Thanks for dropping by, do you prefer peppermint tea or green?

Government Fail.

Seriously? Has it really come to this? Has an unconstitutional law just been passed as "constitutional"? 


Well.


 When something breaks, do we solve the problem by throwing it away?

According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America: The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41% The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60% The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73% Stats found here.

 When we have a "problem" we get rid of it.

We like to avoid "problems." But guess what? Avoiding the problem doesn't solve it.



We try to tell the world how bad things have become and are told to mind our own business. Mind my own business. Excuse me, but which generation encouraged this mess? As a young person who now has to live with all of this, this IS my business. I have to live with everything that's happening, and so do you.


And when we try to save what we have and try to fix them, we're called old fashioned. Yes, if keeping to morality is being old fashioned, then that's exactly what I am.

But do you know who else was?
Do you remember who this man is?

Or this man?

Or any of these?

Do you think they would have approved of the recent decision? They did, after all, write the constitution itself.










So. What have we come to, America? When did we trade in our morals for our selfish wants? When did morality become known as immorality?

"Love is patient, love is kind..."

What is a young, Catholic, single girl to do on a Valentine's day? Why, enjoy it of course! Dance around in the snow, drink warm tea with honey, make and send cards to all your friends, scour the library's book sale, go shopping, have a party with all your girls, and bake cookies! Most of all, go to Mass. Because there you'll receive the greatest Valentine a girl could ever ask for: Jesus Himself. So enjoy your day. Celebrate and bask in God's abundant gift of Love. I can't say it'll be easy; walking around, passing couples hand in hand with red roses...who wouldn't feel that little (or big) twinge? But by being happy for them, you share in their joy.


I refuse to be mopey today, as far as I am able. I'm going to enjoy the day and spend time with my Valentine. =)


Love is "not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated,
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered,
it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails."
~ 1Cor 13

Oh, and here's more for the young Catholic girl:
A Single's Valentine