Driven.
Thursday, 01 October 2009
Saturday, 12 September 2009
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Currently
Dark Night of the Soul: A Classic in the Literature of Mysticism By St. John of the Cross (Doubleday Image Book)
By St. John of the Cross
see relatedReal Deal
Oohhs, you know I love you. But I'm gonna have to go with St. John here. Consuming soul food from Oohhs and Aahhs can't bring my soul on a journey to have a more loving union with God. Yea, I doubt it. I do know that this can though. Aahhhh, I'm looking forward to this. Another great journey this will be.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
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Currently
Empty and Beautiful
By Matt Maher
see relatedHalfway Through
Lately I've been doing a lot of reflecting on how much has changed about me mentally, spiritually, and physically. I did some growing up on my own, grew so much deeper in the faith and with my relationship with God, and gained weight - HAPPY weight...which I intend to lose eventually. I gave my room a makeover in the beginning of summer. I was taken to the hospital twice: once in Florence and the 2nd time around at home. Had surgery for the first time ever. Had my heart broken when my brother was sent to the hospital a week after me. Watched him get married a few days after. Daily Mass became a non-negotiable. Grew apart from some people. Grew closer to others. I've been reading a lot more books than the usual. I've met some of the most inspiring people ever. I witnessed God move through the leaders of our nation and am still being constantly reminded by the Lord about how crucial the Eucharist is/should be in our lives.
This may already seem a bit lengthy but there's so much more that went on with my life within these past seven months. And most of them, if not all, I didn't see coming. Ever since my last entry, I've really been trying to put together a blog. In fact, I've jotted down several topics I wanted to write about but it didn't come through for some reason. After reflecting about the things that happened this past year, I didn't want all of these thoughts to go to waste. Writing this was more of a reminder to myself about how GLORIOUS God has been to me...and the year isn't even over yet! What happened so far this year were simple affirmations of how my life can be so wonderful if I keep on allowing God's will to be done. I'm happy because God is so faithful! He's always been and always will be. Siiiiigh.
Make your heart as happy as mine and listen to this song =)
"If indeed what I am saying is true,
and this is what the Church says,
then our hearts need to start burning
with a deeper understanding of who and what
this Eucharist is."
TRUUUUUE! More to come of this...
Monday, 08 June 2009
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Currently
A_cross//The_earth:Tear Down The Walls
By Hillsong
see relatedSouth Dakota... Next Trip?
"You prefer pine trees to palm trees, rivers to oceans, and mountains to skyscrapers..."
After cruising to the Caribbean a number of times and having an incredible semester in Europe, the mountains of North America would be a nice choice of scenery for a change. We're so blessed to live in a country with so many different geographic conditions and I really feel inspired to go someplace I have not yet visited. Some place different. South Dakota sounds pretty awesome to me. And perhaps complete another life goal and ride on a hot air balloon over the Badlands? Just some wishful thinking...
I remember sometime during the beginning of my stay in Italy, a good friend was telling me about how he'd rather explore more within the already diverse country, rather than always focusing on other places. I think it's time to explore other places in the U.S. that I haven't yet visited.
The world is huge. The first page of my travel journal lists a great number of places I still want to visit. I'm still young and I want to see the world, starting with the U.S. God-willingly. Actually in whatever order He wants. I don't mind. I just want to travel.
Read more...
Sunday, 31 May 2009
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Let The Fire Fall
Other than the Annunciation, my personal favorite ecclesiastical feast has always been Pentecost, for it commemorates such a radical event that took place in our Catholic Church thousands of years ago and continually moves me every time I am reminded of it. Though it may have occured thousands of years ago, the fire in my heart reignites just rereading the passage from Acts this time of the year or whenever I hear Talk 4 at a Youth Camp or Talk 8 at a CLP.
Trying to comprehend the fact that 3000 were converted and baptized in 1 day all because the Apostles were unimaginably filled with the Holy Spirit is so difficult for me to fathom. So Incredible. Nowadays, we would consider it a lofty unattainable task. Why is that?
Not only were the Apostles filled with the Holy Spirit. From the very beginning, the Holy Spirit dwelt within Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Mary, and countless others. It was the same spirit that empowered Moses to lead the Hebrews out of bondage and into the Promised Land. It was that same spirit that motivated Peter to become the rock of our church. It was that same spirit that guided Mother Teresa as she did mission work for the poor. These people were all empowered by the same Spirit which then justifies our purpose. Our purpose in life should be directed always towards Heaven. Their goal was Heaven. The salvation we want and have is guaranteed by the way we live our lives. I pray that we may continue, or begin if we haven't yet started, to live with God, for living with God is being with the Holy Spirit.
It was all because of that same Spirit which propeled them to do so. Realistically speaking in our world today, I'm not saying we should be evangelizing 3,000 people in a day just like the Apostles, but we should completely and wholeheartedly allow the Holy Spirit to use us in whatever way He pleases as we reflect on The Great Commission that Jesus instructed before He ascended into Heaven. We may not evangelize 3,000 in our entire lifetime... maybe not even 100. But what we can do is simply say "yes" and LET THE FIRE FALL. Once more, He will use us in whatever way He pleases.
Happy Birthday to the Catholic Church!
Sunday, 26 April 2009
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Currently
The Way I See It
By Raphael Saadiq
Love That Girl
see relatedWriting Break
That's my man right there. *sigh* Ok, back to work.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
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Currently
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
By Jason Mraz
The Remedy
see relatedHow To Of The Day
- from iGoogle
How To Survive a Nuclear Attack
http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-a-Nuclear-Attack8. Ration your supplies. You will need to ration to survive, obviously; therefore you will eventually expose yourself to the radiation (unless you are in a specific shelter with food and water).
- Processed foods are okay to eat, so long as the container has no punctures and is relatively intact.
- Animals may be eaten but, they must be skinned carefully with the heart, liver and kidneys discarded. Try not to eat meat that is close to the bone, for bone marrow retains radiation.
Man, that's intense. Reading that just reminded me about how I ate a horse this past weekend in Sicily. It was actually yummy too. 'sigh'
ANYWAYS, just a few hours ago, I purchased a pamphlet on how to recite the Rosary in Italian. Now I can recite the Chaplet AND the Rosary in Italian. Who's excited?? I AM!
Tuesday, 07 April 2009
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Currently
Empty and Beautiful
By Matt Maher
see relatedInside Scoop
From my phone.
When: Sometime during the 3rd week, I think?
Where: Chiesa di Santa Maria de' Ricci on Via Corso
What/Who: Also around the time when I started going to daily Mass. Missed Mass that day though because [Matt] Casper and I misread the Mass times. We could've sworn we saw "Messa alle 6". When we looked at the sign again outside, we realized that it was just the organist playing Mass PARTS. Whoops. Instead of leaving, Casper, Melinda (she met up with us shortly after) and I decided to stay and pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. I remember laughing at times because we'd sorta yell when the organ would drain our voices...hehehe. That was an awesome day.
When: Sometime towards the end of Februrary
Where: Basilica di Santa Croce
What/Who: Melinda, Casper, and I went to Mass at 6PM. I remember us wanting to stay in the chapel a little longer to pray but we got kicked out because they were closing I also remember laughing because Casper said he had a knack of getting into churches then getting kicked out minutes after. We ended up hanging out at the steps of the church. This is also when we first started the Total Consecration. We talked about what we were getting ourselves into and what we were giving/taking up for Lent :).
When: March 11
Where: Piazalle Michelangelo
What/Who: Zuzanna and I decided to go running (and since then it never happened again, ughhhh) from our apartment up to Piazalle Michelangelo. That was an intense workout... climbing up the hill was nuts. The view was our reward though. It was incredible. I need to start this up again...asap.
When: Some Tuesday in March
Where: Piazza di Santa Croce
What/Who: Matthew called me up and asked if I wanted to eat lunch with him during his break from class. He knew of this cheap, but really good place that sold yummy calzones. It was a beautiful day and the sun was beaming on us as we ate and as I helped him study for his Italian test. We MUST do this again!
When: End of March
Where: I forgot the name of the restaurant...
What/Who: Matthew's sister was in town that week and he invited me and Casper to eat dinner with them. These potatoes were probably the best potatoes I've ever eaten in my life. They may not look healthy but they were surely appetizing.
When: March 29
Where: Cafe Rio/Florence Diner; Chiesa di San Barnaba
What/Who: It was a rainy, lazy Sunday for us. As a result, Matthew and I went to an American Cafe and ate burgers, fries, pancakes, toast, potatoes, etcetcetc. They even had Aunt Jemima!!! We devoured that mess. It was cool to consume something non-Italian for once, but I felt extra fat that day. A few hours later, we met up with Kathryn and she took us to San Barnaba -- the church I've been meaning to visit. We went to the Filipino Mass at 6PM there. The church was packed with most of the Filipino community of Florence, if not all. What a great feeling. I haven't heard Tagalog in a such a long time.
When: Yesterday, April 6
Where: Arno River, in front of Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale
What/Who: After spending an hour at the Duomo in prayer, Melinda and I wanted to take advantage of the weather so we went to the river to watch the sunset. This picture doesn't do justice! Luckily she had her camera. It was great way to end the day.P.S.
Readers,
I wanted to do something different and somewhat fun, hopefully. Since the whole BlogTV thing never worked out because of time inconvenience and such, I figured why not do it on here? If you have any questions you would like to ask me about my experience abroad (i.e. living on my own, travels, school, food... anything at all) comment me with a question(s). Grazie!
Monday, 30 March 2009
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Currently
Freedom
By Darrell Evans
Your Love Is Extravagant
see relatedSo Be It
For the past few weeks, I've gone on a 33-day journey in consecrating myself to Jesus through my heavenly mother, Mary. About two months ago, I remember blogging about leaving my comfort zone, wanting to grow in my relationship with God, and striving for holiness. Little did I know, He would bless me with so many things I would have never expected. I wrote that entry already accepting all sorts of lonliness because I was so convinced that I was going to be perfectly fine since I'd always have Him with me. Being the compassionate God that He is, He thought otherwise and decided to send me company (SSTM) to help guide me throughout this journey. He blessed me with a group of people who strive for the same purpose here in Florence, Italy.
This beautiful devotion, the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary was reintroduced (I've heard about it but never went through with it before) to me by God through the accompaniment of great people. The pathway to holiness was already pieced together for me. I just wasn't fully aware.
The Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary was exactly what I needed spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. I asked for it, and He granted it. I learned about the different virtues which Mary possessed. Throughout this journey, I prayed to God, asking to be granted those virtues she possessed, too: for her profound humility, lively faith, blind obedience, continual mental prayer, mortification in all things, surpassing purity, ardent charity, heroic patience, angelic sweetness, and divine wisdom. She is the perfect role model of how a woman of God should be. We should all be like Mary.This is the journey that I opted to take on. I continue to pray that the 33-day journey I've been a part of will continue for the rest of my life."No Mary, No Jesus.
No mother, no son."
The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say: Amen, so be it's all that thou didst do while on earth; Amen, so be it's all that thou art now doing in Heaven; Amen, so be it - to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
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Currently
The Art of War
By Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Thug Luv
see relatedGangster's Survival Kit
Picked up my first package in the mail today...
I laughed out loud when I first saw this.
Soooo excited!!! Nah I mean I was aight.
Too awesome.
How did these get past customs?? These will definitely be put to use against them creepy Albanians.
Perfetto. I was looking for a new pair of shades... 'cause gangsta *** ****** don't sleep.
Haven't worn one of these in a minute!
Biggie speaks the truth.
Hahahahaha!
NOW! Gangster Hits: Volume 1
Whose world is this??? I LOOOOVE how you made that the last song. This will definitely be on repeat for awhile.
already opened mobster, not gangster, goldfish snacks (1/4 of it eaten by Ryan)
LOL...a gangsta tee
cop yours today
updated corkboard
It sure feels good to be a gangster.
Ok, in all seriousness... GRAZIE MILLIE, Alan, Kiesha and Ryan :D
You guys set the bar for all packages sent to me. Now no one's gonna want to send me anything, hahaha.
In other news, my sincerest apologies for not blogging as much as I should be. I have lots of stories to tell. Expect blogs and pictures about my past few weeks soon.
PACE!
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Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt.
