*Insert Witty and Original Title with a Spiritual Twist Here*
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
Dang, it has been a long time since I posted anything on this blog of mine. Meh. By the number of comments, I can tell you all have been absolutely *clammering* to get updates. Now, after I squeegee the dripping sarcasm off my laptop let me cut to the chase (as if I could actually do that) lulz.
Anywho, quick update. I have begun my final year at Aquinas and I shall be graduating this coming May (2 weeks before teh SJA Spring Fest of Awesomez) with a Bachelor's degree in Theology. Holy crap. I shocked myself just typing that. Moving on ... Well, as most of you know, I have been planning for the past, oh, like eight or so years on attending grad school at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit where I was planning on pursuing my Masters in Theology and/or my Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies. Only after grad school was I planning on entering the religious life if that was what I discerned to be what God was calling me to do.
Well, if you were observant you noted the tense which was notably in the past. I was planning on going to grad school after I graduate from college but as things turn out, God has different plans for me now. Want the details? No, tough, you're hearing it anyway. Yes, great! Read on!
Some AQ peoplez are aware that I went on a retreat a couple weeks ago with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist out of Ann Arbor, Michigan (Go Blue! btw) and that this was my third retreat with this awesome order. The past two have had various results, mostly on account of my own personal openness to the Will of God but I won't get into that ... now at least.
Anywho, I shall now give you all the SparkNotes version of the retreat. I love how all of my friends are learning about this stuff before teh Monsignor is hearing this ... but the man has been mucho busy-o so qualunque cosa.
Moving on ...
We (Godin-chan and I) arrived at the grade school at which the retreat was to take place and got ourselves situated in the front of the room where Sister Joseph Andrew (Vocations Directress of the order) was giving a talk on what was going on at the retreat. Godin and I have been on this thing before so this was all old hat for us so we just went with the flow. We bot had been looking forward to this for a long time and to finally be there was a relief.
At these retreats, when all of the retreatants (there were about 140 of us) met at the beginning, a envelope with little snippets of paper is passed through the group. On these snippets of paper are titles of Our Lady and Christ from various litanies like the Loretto litany and the Sacred Heart litany. There were no repeats so each go a unique title. Sister Joseph Andrew told us to pick one and pray about the title we got because there was a reason that God deigned that we got the title we did at that moment of our discernment. Nothing new for either of us.
Well, this being my third retreat and Monsignor telling me that this might be the one, I was naturally anxious to see what would happen. Eventually, the envelope reached me. I went to pick the snippet but two were stuck together without me seeing which was which ... I pick one. I close my eyes and say a prayer that went something like "Come on, Lord, this is the third time. Tell me already, please! Get it through my thick skull what you want me to do!" I open my eyes and flip the snippet over and read it.
My jaw dropped. Holy crap. On that piece of paper that I shall treasure for the rest of my life were the words: "Mary, Spouse of the Trinity, pray for me." How the heck is that for straightforward? Dang, ask and ye shall receive ... you ain't whistling Panis Angelicus!
But wait ... there's more ... it gets more awesome.
Usually in the front of the room, the sisters have a shrine to Our Lady set up with a statue. Every single time I have been on these things, they have the same statue of Our Lady. This time, it was different. After I got over the initial shock and after I showed Godin the words on the snippet, I look up to the Shrine of Our Lady ... are you kidding me?
There, on a cloth covered table is an icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. What's so great or significant about Our Lady under title magnificent title? Oh, I dunno ... SHE'S ONLY THE PATRONESS AND PROTECTRESS OF THE FELICIAN SISTERS!!!!! BTW, the Felicians are the order that I have returned to discerning of late (they were actually the first order I looked into and for reasons known only to God, I "dropped" them for some reason).
All right, I have the vocation (Religious Sister), I have the order (Felicians) but what of the when? That was soon to be answered as well.
Well, needless to say, I was walking on air for the rest of the retreat! I FINALLY HAD AN ANSWER!!!! TEN YEARS OF DISCERNMENT AND NOW THIS!!!! DEO GRATIAS!!!!
After recreation with the sisters (where I strategically hid a prayerbook for priests under the assets God gave me), we were having conferences and participating in Compline with the sisters. I, on the other hand, was sitting in the temporary office of Sister Joseph Andrew who was having conferences with all the girls who were seriously considering the religious life.
I told her my discernment story and how I went from the Felicians, to the Sisters of Mary, to the IHMs, to the Sisters of Mary again, and finally landing back in the Felicians. I then told her what had happened earlier in the retreat and answered a few of her questions about my motives and my discernment. She sat back in her chair, looked at me, and said "Honey, why haven't you gotten the application papers for the Felicians already?" I told her how I was planning on going to grad school. She continued, "Honey, if you are going to get out of the boat, get out of the boat, don't wait to be thrown out of the boat." So, no grad school? "Not yet at least, if the sisters want you to have your Masters, you'll get it, in the area they want you to study."
When to enter? Check! Dang, God does do everything in three's!
So, with my heart pretty much working its way through what it had just been told and my mind trying to come to terms with the fact that I may not be necessarily doing what I want to do, I continued the retreat. I was going to do an all-night vigil with Christ but my body was exhausted so I curled up in my borrowed sleeping bag (Thank you, Miss Gretchen) and fell asleep on the floor of the seventh grade classroom. I did wake up early so I could get all ready for the day and then I made my assigned holy hour with Christ. It was nice to just sit in the chapel and have a fun staring contest with Christ. He won. As usual. Pah. We also had a nice conversation ... I let him do most of the talking for once too! So proud in the most virtuous way possible!
Well, after we had our morning prayers, another Holy Hour, and breakfast, we packed ourselves into cars and drove for the motherhouse for Sunday Mass with the sisters.
Lord, have mercy, that chapel is BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL! They don't make chapels/churches like that very often. Mass was great. As usual.
After Mass, Godin was taken deep into the mothership to discuss her vocation with some of the other sisters in the order and I was left in the chapel. Alone. So I wandered around and looked at the intricacies of the chapel. I was alone since everyone else had gone back to the retreat but since Godin was my ticket back, I waited. I didn't care. I got to explore a church. In my explorations who do I find? Our Lady of Czestochowa. Okay, Lord, you can stop with the 2x4 already ... or not. This ain't over ... it never will be.
After Godin reemerged from the depths of the mothership, we left for the school again to resume our retreating. As we drove on, I wondered out loud, "You think I should break my 'no cell phone rule' and call the Monsignor? I really want to tell him!" Godin just said, "Umm, yeah!" Then I asked a stupid question, "Should I just call his office and leave him a voicemail or should I call his cell?" Godin just said again, "Umm, I think you can call his cell for this one."
So that's what I did. It rang. "Please, don't answer." It rang. "Please, don't answer." It rang. "Please, don' ..." then a wonderfully familiar voice came over the phone, "Hello, Miss Allie, how can I help you?" I almost swore when he answered the call. lulz. Nothing new there.
To be honest, I can't even remember what I said to the man exactly. All I know is that I wanted to talk to him about it soon. He said we could do it. I told him how Sister Joseph Andrew told me to have the application papers in hand or sent in by Christmas. He said, you still have time, Miss Allie. We shall talk about this. All right, Monsignore. Talk to you soon. Bye, Miss Allie.
In all, the conversation lasted a whole minute and a half but it was great! I didn't realize how much I missed him until I heard his voice. Damn, I miss that priest. Can't wait to see him over Thanksgiving!
We got back to the retreat and just took in all that was happening. And then we headed home. Retreat complete. Mission assigned. Mission accepted. Mission completion pending.
Oh yeah! I have to share this anecdote in which I scandalize a room of nuns and young women discerning religious vocations and utterly amused Godin and myself. This is hilarious!
At one point in the retreat, we were watching a video on the life of B16. They showed some footage of Papa Bene as a newly ordained priest and I may have cat-called him and said something like "Oww! Oww! Look at that handsome piece of Bavarian Catholic man!" The reactions were in themselves priceless and well worth the irreverence. Of course, those who know me well know that while I can be incredibly irreverent, I am also quite orthodox and would do anything for my beloved Mother Church.
*Here begins a new topic*
Now that I have given you all the deal-lee-oh about what went down on my retreat, I feel I can move on to the real reason I am writing this.
I want to write about people and their beliefs. Ooooo controversial. Meh. It's only as controversial as you let it be.
What really saddens me is how people (no persons in particular btw) feel they have the right to judge people's vocations based on limited amounts of knowledge and allegedly knowing the way the person thinks and works and feels.
I will be the first to admit that I have a great affinity for affection. I love showing affection. I love giving hugs. I love receiving hugs. I love giving kisses on the cheek. I don't mind kisses on the cheek. I love showing affection. But this deep need in me to show and be shown affection does NOT detract from/nullify my vocation.
I know that it will probably be a struggle for me when it first starts out but I know that God will show me a way for me to fulfill my need for affection, etc. while still being within the confines of my vocation. I know it's going to be a cross for me. I know it's going to be a rather large cross for me. But that isn't going to keep me from my vocation. God wants me to be a sister and NOTHING and NO ONE is going to stop me.
For too damn long I have let some people get to me and make me question. I have let some people I don't truly know cause me to even minutely question those wise advisors I have been graced to have for the past several years. I can't believe I actually let people's words cause me to err from the advice of Monsignore and Father Charlie. How very stupid. Why stupid? Because just what they said would happen if I didn't listen to them happened. And now I am dealing with the consequences.
No, this isn't just some deep-seeded psychological need in me for various things or people. This isn't just something that is convincing me that I need to do though I allegedly don't want to do it. This is none of this malarcky and I hate that I have fallen for it. I have let the fallacies of others that they have skillfully disguised as truth/logic/reason to make me falter from what I have always known. Christ, forgive me, now I am dealing with these damn consequences.
Another thing I can't understand is why people laugh at the beliefs of others. I tend to think that for an orthodox Catholic with rather structured beliefs and practices I am rather open to other people's beliefs insofar as I shall listen to them but that does not necessarily mean I shall agree with them or make them my own. I know the truth and once I have it, I am not letting it go.
People get pissed at me for being mad about the bull crap that happens at the college. I execute my right to pastoral counsel and the even faint possibility that that was somehow connected to the aforementioned bull crap being done away with leads to me being lambasted like some closed-minded autocrat. Jesus, if I really protested some of the malarcky they spew with half the vitriol they spew at me, what the heck? And they act like they are all logical and based in reason and those with faith have nothing like what they have and all they are are just a bunch of sheep. HA! It is really they who are ignorant. They are muddled down in the ignorance of their damn pride. Thinking that their years of research and whatnot have led them to the real truth is nothing but malarcky. Especially when that malarcky is directed at my beloved Mother Church and her precious teaching. Oh Lord, don't get me started there. Good Lord, don't. I won't stop writing.
One thing that really shocks me is the fact that some people can poo-poo the existence of the Devil. Holy shit, how very blind are you!?!?! How very prideful are you!?!? How dare you scoff at my belief in an ultimate evil. Good Lord, you who have so much experience cannot even attest to the existence of the Devil. Holy Mother Church! Clearly you have never (or never wanted to acknowledge) had the experiences I have. Lord knows but God has spared you somehow or your pride has blinded you. I have had countless experiences with evil in my life.
Now, before you all think I am crazy, I have friends who can attest to some of these. Many I have never spoken of and some I shall never speak of except to my absolute confidantes. I have experienced evil in a very visceral and/or physical sense. I have felt evil around me. I have had things wake me up at night at the same time consecutively. I have had things moved or ripped off the walls of my room (especially my images of Saint Michael ... coincidence much? NO!) I have felt the presence of evil following me around. I have felt its influence in my mind and my soul while not letting it control me. I have had things physically pull on my clothing while I have tried to pray my Office.
There is a Hell. There is evil. There is a Devil. There are demons. There are many of them. Countless numbers. And they are always around us waiting for the chance to pounce. And these people have the absolutely ignorant cajones to deny they exist and even scoff at people's belief in them and their influence. These are the people who have fallen under his influence.
But besides this experience of evil, I have also experienced pure good. I experience every time I walk into a church. I experience it every time I go for a night Rosary walk around the Motherhouse (those can be interesting experiences but that's for another post). I experience it whenever I am with people who truly care for me. I experience it whenever I am just walking around (especially at night) and I can see the beauty of creation around me. I experience it when I am lying in bed listening to the rain hit my window pane late at night as I read before hitting the sack. I experience it when that same rain turns into a symphonic storm that lulls me to sleep. I truly experience whenever I am sitting in church and I know Christ is really and truly present there Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. I experience it every time I go to Confession. My experiences with good vastly outnumber my experiences with evil but that does not mean I should discount the latter's influence and power. If anything, it makes me more vigilant about avoiding and fighting that evil by the grace of God. And woe to those who don't realize that.
Well, I need to hit the sack. I don't have class on Fridays but I have a lot of work that needs doing before I can even contemplate going home on Tuesday morning for Thanksgiving. Feel free to comment, I really want to know what you all think. Just be charitable, pleez.
Buonanotte, caros amicos mios en Cristo!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge per sempre!
-Allie
J.M.J.
Dang, it has been a long time since I posted anything on this blog of mine. Meh. By the number of comments, I can tell you all have been absolutely *clammering* to get updates. Now, after I squeegee the dripping sarcasm off my laptop let me cut to the chase (as if I could actually do that) lulz.
Anywho, quick update. I have begun my final year at Aquinas and I shall be graduating this coming May (2 weeks before teh SJA Spring Fest of Awesomez) with a Bachelor's degree in Theology. Holy crap. I shocked myself just typing that. Moving on ... Well, as most of you know, I have been planning for the past, oh, like eight or so years on attending grad school at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit where I was planning on pursuing my Masters in Theology and/or my Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies. Only after grad school was I planning on entering the religious life if that was what I discerned to be what God was calling me to do.
Well, if you were observant you noted the tense which was notably in the past. I was planning on going to grad school after I graduate from college but as things turn out, God has different plans for me now. Want the details? No, tough, you're hearing it anyway. Yes, great! Read on!
Some AQ peoplez are aware that I went on a retreat a couple weeks ago with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist out of Ann Arbor, Michigan (Go Blue! btw) and that this was my third retreat with this awesome order. The past two have had various results, mostly on account of my own personal openness to the Will of God but I won't get into that ... now at least.
Anywho, I shall now give you all the SparkNotes version of the retreat. I love how all of my friends are learning about this stuff before teh Monsignor is hearing this ... but the man has been mucho busy-o so qualunque cosa.
Moving on ...
We (Godin-chan and I) arrived at the grade school at which the retreat was to take place and got ourselves situated in the front of the room where Sister Joseph Andrew (Vocations Directress of the order) was giving a talk on what was going on at the retreat. Godin and I have been on this thing before so this was all old hat for us so we just went with the flow. We bot had been looking forward to this for a long time and to finally be there was a relief.
At these retreats, when all of the retreatants (there were about 140 of us) met at the beginning, a envelope with little snippets of paper is passed through the group. On these snippets of paper are titles of Our Lady and Christ from various litanies like the Loretto litany and the Sacred Heart litany. There were no repeats so each go a unique title. Sister Joseph Andrew told us to pick one and pray about the title we got because there was a reason that God deigned that we got the title we did at that moment of our discernment. Nothing new for either of us.
Well, this being my third retreat and Monsignor telling me that this might be the one, I was naturally anxious to see what would happen. Eventually, the envelope reached me. I went to pick the snippet but two were stuck together without me seeing which was which ... I pick one. I close my eyes and say a prayer that went something like "Come on, Lord, this is the third time. Tell me already, please! Get it through my thick skull what you want me to do!" I open my eyes and flip the snippet over and read it.
My jaw dropped. Holy crap. On that piece of paper that I shall treasure for the rest of my life were the words: "Mary, Spouse of the Trinity, pray for me." How the heck is that for straightforward? Dang, ask and ye shall receive ... you ain't whistling Panis Angelicus!
But wait ... there's more ... it gets more awesome.
Usually in the front of the room, the sisters have a shrine to Our Lady set up with a statue. Every single time I have been on these things, they have the same statue of Our Lady. This time, it was different. After I got over the initial shock and after I showed Godin the words on the snippet, I look up to the Shrine of Our Lady ... are you kidding me?
There, on a cloth covered table is an icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. What's so great or significant about Our Lady under title magnificent title? Oh, I dunno ... SHE'S ONLY THE PATRONESS AND PROTECTRESS OF THE FELICIAN SISTERS!!!!! BTW, the Felicians are the order that I have returned to discerning of late (they were actually the first order I looked into and for reasons known only to God, I "dropped" them for some reason).
All right, I have the vocation (Religious Sister), I have the order (Felicians) but what of the when? That was soon to be answered as well.
Well, needless to say, I was walking on air for the rest of the retreat! I FINALLY HAD AN ANSWER!!!! TEN YEARS OF DISCERNMENT AND NOW THIS!!!! DEO GRATIAS!!!!
After recreation with the sisters (where I strategically hid a prayerbook for priests under the assets God gave me), we were having conferences and participating in Compline with the sisters. I, on the other hand, was sitting in the temporary office of Sister Joseph Andrew who was having conferences with all the girls who were seriously considering the religious life.
I told her my discernment story and how I went from the Felicians, to the Sisters of Mary, to the IHMs, to the Sisters of Mary again, and finally landing back in the Felicians. I then told her what had happened earlier in the retreat and answered a few of her questions about my motives and my discernment. She sat back in her chair, looked at me, and said "Honey, why haven't you gotten the application papers for the Felicians already?" I told her how I was planning on going to grad school. She continued, "Honey, if you are going to get out of the boat, get out of the boat, don't wait to be thrown out of the boat." So, no grad school? "Not yet at least, if the sisters want you to have your Masters, you'll get it, in the area they want you to study."
When to enter? Check! Dang, God does do everything in three's!
So, with my heart pretty much working its way through what it had just been told and my mind trying to come to terms with the fact that I may not be necessarily doing what I want to do, I continued the retreat. I was going to do an all-night vigil with Christ but my body was exhausted so I curled up in my borrowed sleeping bag (Thank you, Miss Gretchen) and fell asleep on the floor of the seventh grade classroom. I did wake up early so I could get all ready for the day and then I made my assigned holy hour with Christ. It was nice to just sit in the chapel and have a fun staring contest with Christ. He won. As usual. Pah. We also had a nice conversation ... I let him do most of the talking for once too! So proud in the most virtuous way possible!
Well, after we had our morning prayers, another Holy Hour, and breakfast, we packed ourselves into cars and drove for the motherhouse for Sunday Mass with the sisters.
Lord, have mercy, that chapel is BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL! They don't make chapels/churches like that very often. Mass was great. As usual.
After Mass, Godin was taken deep into the mothership to discuss her vocation with some of the other sisters in the order and I was left in the chapel. Alone. So I wandered around and looked at the intricacies of the chapel. I was alone since everyone else had gone back to the retreat but since Godin was my ticket back, I waited. I didn't care. I got to explore a church. In my explorations who do I find? Our Lady of Czestochowa. Okay, Lord, you can stop with the 2x4 already ... or not. This ain't over ... it never will be.
After Godin reemerged from the depths of the mothership, we left for the school again to resume our retreating. As we drove on, I wondered out loud, "You think I should break my 'no cell phone rule' and call the Monsignor? I really want to tell him!" Godin just said, "Umm, yeah!" Then I asked a stupid question, "Should I just call his office and leave him a voicemail or should I call his cell?" Godin just said again, "Umm, I think you can call his cell for this one."
So that's what I did. It rang. "Please, don't answer." It rang. "Please, don't answer." It rang. "Please, don' ..." then a wonderfully familiar voice came over the phone, "Hello, Miss Allie, how can I help you?" I almost swore when he answered the call. lulz. Nothing new there.
To be honest, I can't even remember what I said to the man exactly. All I know is that I wanted to talk to him about it soon. He said we could do it. I told him how Sister Joseph Andrew told me to have the application papers in hand or sent in by Christmas. He said, you still have time, Miss Allie. We shall talk about this. All right, Monsignore. Talk to you soon. Bye, Miss Allie.
In all, the conversation lasted a whole minute and a half but it was great! I didn't realize how much I missed him until I heard his voice. Damn, I miss that priest. Can't wait to see him over Thanksgiving!
We got back to the retreat and just took in all that was happening. And then we headed home. Retreat complete. Mission assigned. Mission accepted. Mission completion pending.
Oh yeah! I have to share this anecdote in which I scandalize a room of nuns and young women discerning religious vocations and utterly amused Godin and myself. This is hilarious!
At one point in the retreat, we were watching a video on the life of B16. They showed some footage of Papa Bene as a newly ordained priest and I may have cat-called him and said something like "Oww! Oww! Look at that handsome piece of Bavarian Catholic man!" The reactions were in themselves priceless and well worth the irreverence. Of course, those who know me well know that while I can be incredibly irreverent, I am also quite orthodox and would do anything for my beloved Mother Church.
*Here begins a new topic*
Now that I have given you all the deal-lee-oh about what went down on my retreat, I feel I can move on to the real reason I am writing this.
I want to write about people and their beliefs. Ooooo controversial. Meh. It's only as controversial as you let it be.
What really saddens me is how people (no persons in particular btw) feel they have the right to judge people's vocations based on limited amounts of knowledge and allegedly knowing the way the person thinks and works and feels.
I will be the first to admit that I have a great affinity for affection. I love showing affection. I love giving hugs. I love receiving hugs. I love giving kisses on the cheek. I don't mind kisses on the cheek. I love showing affection. But this deep need in me to show and be shown affection does NOT detract from/nullify my vocation.
I know that it will probably be a struggle for me when it first starts out but I know that God will show me a way for me to fulfill my need for affection, etc. while still being within the confines of my vocation. I know it's going to be a cross for me. I know it's going to be a rather large cross for me. But that isn't going to keep me from my vocation. God wants me to be a sister and NOTHING and NO ONE is going to stop me.
For too damn long I have let some people get to me and make me question. I have let some people I don't truly know cause me to even minutely question those wise advisors I have been graced to have for the past several years. I can't believe I actually let people's words cause me to err from the advice of Monsignore and Father Charlie. How very stupid. Why stupid? Because just what they said would happen if I didn't listen to them happened. And now I am dealing with the consequences.
No, this isn't just some deep-seeded psychological need in me for various things or people. This isn't just something that is convincing me that I need to do though I allegedly don't want to do it. This is none of this malarcky and I hate that I have fallen for it. I have let the fallacies of others that they have skillfully disguised as truth/logic/reason to make me falter from what I have always known. Christ, forgive me, now I am dealing with these damn consequences.
Another thing I can't understand is why people laugh at the beliefs of others. I tend to think that for an orthodox Catholic with rather structured beliefs and practices I am rather open to other people's beliefs insofar as I shall listen to them but that does not necessarily mean I shall agree with them or make them my own. I know the truth and once I have it, I am not letting it go.
People get pissed at me for being mad about the bull crap that happens at the college. I execute my right to pastoral counsel and the even faint possibility that that was somehow connected to the aforementioned bull crap being done away with leads to me being lambasted like some closed-minded autocrat. Jesus, if I really protested some of the malarcky they spew with half the vitriol they spew at me, what the heck? And they act like they are all logical and based in reason and those with faith have nothing like what they have and all they are are just a bunch of sheep. HA! It is really they who are ignorant. They are muddled down in the ignorance of their damn pride. Thinking that their years of research and whatnot have led them to the real truth is nothing but malarcky. Especially when that malarcky is directed at my beloved Mother Church and her precious teaching. Oh Lord, don't get me started there. Good Lord, don't. I won't stop writing.
One thing that really shocks me is the fact that some people can poo-poo the existence of the Devil. Holy shit, how very blind are you!?!?! How very prideful are you!?!? How dare you scoff at my belief in an ultimate evil. Good Lord, you who have so much experience cannot even attest to the existence of the Devil. Holy Mother Church! Clearly you have never (or never wanted to acknowledge) had the experiences I have. Lord knows but God has spared you somehow or your pride has blinded you. I have had countless experiences with evil in my life.
Now, before you all think I am crazy, I have friends who can attest to some of these. Many I have never spoken of and some I shall never speak of except to my absolute confidantes. I have experienced evil in a very visceral and/or physical sense. I have felt evil around me. I have had things wake me up at night at the same time consecutively. I have had things moved or ripped off the walls of my room (especially my images of Saint Michael ... coincidence much? NO!) I have felt the presence of evil following me around. I have felt its influence in my mind and my soul while not letting it control me. I have had things physically pull on my clothing while I have tried to pray my Office.
There is a Hell. There is evil. There is a Devil. There are demons. There are many of them. Countless numbers. And they are always around us waiting for the chance to pounce. And these people have the absolutely ignorant cajones to deny they exist and even scoff at people's belief in them and their influence. These are the people who have fallen under his influence.
But besides this experience of evil, I have also experienced pure good. I experience every time I walk into a church. I experience it every time I go for a night Rosary walk around the Motherhouse (those can be interesting experiences but that's for another post). I experience it whenever I am with people who truly care for me. I experience it whenever I am just walking around (especially at night) and I can see the beauty of creation around me. I experience it when I am lying in bed listening to the rain hit my window pane late at night as I read before hitting the sack. I experience it when that same rain turns into a symphonic storm that lulls me to sleep. I truly experience whenever I am sitting in church and I know Christ is really and truly present there Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. I experience it every time I go to Confession. My experiences with good vastly outnumber my experiences with evil but that does not mean I should discount the latter's influence and power. If anything, it makes me more vigilant about avoiding and fighting that evil by the grace of God. And woe to those who don't realize that.
Well, I need to hit the sack. I don't have class on Fridays but I have a lot of work that needs doing before I can even contemplate going home on Tuesday morning for Thanksgiving. Feel free to comment, I really want to know what you all think. Just be charitable, pleez.
Buonanotte, caros amicos mios en Cristo!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge per sempre!
-Allie