Slippery Slope

We were walking down the mountain and I fell. Slightly dehydrated, definitely undernourished, and eight-miles in were some of the conditions that lead to the blood trickling from the palm of my hand. However, in reality, it was the slippery slope that caused the fall. It’s not as though I was arrogantly frolicking, ignoring the warning signs. No, like any good slippery slope it just kind of happened. One foot in front of another and all of a sudden you realize you’ve lost your footing and are no longer standing on solid ground. In fact, you are no longer standing at all. 

If you’ve ever slipped up you know it can be jarring. It can prohibit your confident steps forward causing you to second guess as you tentatively search for the strength of step you used to have. The good thing about falling is that it teaches us not only how to get back up but also how to identify the situations and conditions which cause us to fall. How apropos can this be to our spiritual lives? When we are taking steps towards breaking an addiction or a negative thought pattern or a habitual sin, it is once we recognize where the beginning of the slippery slope is that leads us astray that we can adjust our footing and find an alternate path. What causes you to fall?

No matter what has tripped us up in the past or presently, it’s important to remember that nothing is outside of the mercy of God. Let us confess our weakness and rely more firmly on His strength. Let us walk confidently and humbly with our God trusting He never leaves. Bl. Pier Giorgio pray that we may always have a greater trust in His mercy than our weakness. May we journey onward and upward while straying from any slippery slope.

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

because we are not alone in the dark with our demons
and we have made mistakes
but we've learned from them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czFgKa7YcIQ

But I keep cruising

Can’t stop, won’t stop moving

It’s like I got this music in my mind

Saying it’s gonna be alright

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlGMsAHoCzE

Even the winter won't last forever...
We'll see the morning, we'll feel the sun
We'll wake up in April, ready & able
Sowing the seeds in the soil
of love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VHHDWc-SzE

Verso L'alto

Verso l’alto!

We started the steep ascent quickly, which brought on slightly labored breathing and the friendly reminder I was outta shape. We were supposed to be hiking. We were climbing quickly. I knew there was going to be some scrambling involved. I didn’t realize exactly what that meant. As I pinched my two feet together in a foot hold, I reached to the right and then to the left hoping to decipher which angle was going to give me the best leverage in order to continue the climb. There was a point where my feet nestled in between two rocks, I leaned into the rock face and reached straight up. As I was praying I also recognized “If this goes wrong, I’m screwed.” It wasn’t exactly the rock climbing gym.

The crazy thing though is that as dramatic as that sounds and as dramatic as the climb looks, it actually was exhilarating. It wasn’t a moment of fear but rather focus. “Failure” wasn’t an option. What happens when you’re on the ledge?

Looking at the iconic picture of Pier Giorgio you see an athletic young man climbing to the heights, daring greatly and reaching boldly. However, I would say its fair to guess that as he was in the midst of his climb, he recognized there was nothing more important than the next right thing. It wasn’t about how far he had come nor was it about how far he had to go. Simply, he seemed to understand the simple genius that many of the saints lived. As we ascend toward the heights of Heaven, the only way to get there is one foot in front of the other, trusting Providence to show us the way.

Pier Giorgio, intercede before the Blessed Mother that we may know the joy of climbing towards Heaven while recognizing the blessings of today.  Help us to see the beautiful gifts unfold that as we climb closer to Christ we can come to recognize and know there is so much more that we don’t understand. Let us see this as it is: a beautiful invitation to Climb On.

Verso l’alto,

Coop

That’s how a superhero learns to fly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y7ygEDRpSo

You’ll be alright

Cause when push comes to shove you taste what you’re made of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Vzpjv_kR4

I’ve learned the path to heaven is full of sinners and believers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtPcPEUBp-w

Draw me a little closer, take me a little deeper, I wanna know your heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTUWO636_-c

My Best Friends' Wedding

If you’ve ever gone to or prepared for your best friend’s wedding, you know it is a gift. Memories flash across in the midst of the ceremony. It’s beautiful to witness the current reality; however, it’s a gift to see it in light of the events that lead each to the alter. You know the inside jokes, the almost breakups, and the heroic and selfless decisions to love amidst confusion, chaos, and daily living. You know the special smile that comes when one thinks of the other, the voice inflection and the twinkle in one’s eye when sharing a story recounting the personal love of one’s lover and friend. It is a gift to see the transformation love brings about. Both the transformation that comes from falling in love and from choosing to continue to love is as beautiful as the poets describe.

A best friend’s wedding is a joyous celebration so heading to the Basilica for six of my best friends’ wedding was momentous. If you’ve never been to the profession of religious vows, do it. The joyful witness of self sacrificing love made often times by young, courageous, talented, men and women is inspiring. They sacrifice the goods of this world for the sake of the kingdom. They answer the call to be laborers in the vineyard. They exemplify radical love which defeats the secular cultures’ anthem to only give in accordance to what one will get back, to give some of oneself but not all. Rather, withdrawing from the illusory demands of keeping up with the Jones’, they lay down their lives (literally as they prostrate themselves on the cathedral floor), all of themselves. They sacrifice their present and their future and they submit their past, whatever it entails, to the mercy of God. They offer their hearts, gifts, and talents to their community and our Church. To say I am in awe of these women is an understatement. They lay down their lives so others might live. Not just for the sake of the unborn and marginalized but for all. They lay down so that we may each may hear the resounding and splendid Truth that we are called to live Life in abundance and that we are each uniquely and passionately loved by our Lord.

So like any best friend’s wedding there is the beauty of the service and the inspiration of the event, which draws forth the heart. And yet when it’s your best friend’s wedding you see the universal gift of the vocation with a particular love for the specific individual, which results in the only proper response

​ - ​

to say a little prayer for you.

May we imitate their selfless abandon and may we trust God’s P​rovidence that He allows us to respond as He calls because it is He that first loved us. Let us trust His plans are good (Jer. 29:11), all works for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), and that He desires us to abide in His love so that our joy may be complete. For whatever we give to Him is returned one hundred fold. Let us be cheerful givers trusting the will of God never leads us outside the grace of God. John Cardinal O'Connor, pray for us! 

Discernment can be something we want to put off, tending to think of all that we'd give up. The Lord gives and He gives. Discernment can be the greatest gift no matter the "outcome." The gifts of discerning religious life, because thats an invitation God offered to me years ago, resulted in friends around the world and Sisters in every essence of the word. 

Is He Calling you? Call a vocations director. It might just help you find what you're looking for. 

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

I say a little prayer for you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IlzGRBnino

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_ISAntOom0

“And nothing again would be casual or small, but everything with Light invested.”

*from the Sister’s medals and a poem on the Annunciation as the Incarnation changes everything.*

The Gospel of Great Price

“Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” The Gospel of the Lord. (Mt. 13: 46)

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. In fact it was much lighter and more appealing than bricks falling adversely against me. It was more like a soft glow illuminating a hidden corner. This is the Gospel of the Lord. That He who goes searching for fine pearls, when he finds a pearl of great price he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Could anything be truer than this as a synopsis of the Gospel, the good news?

Do you know your invaluable worth? Do you know not only your dignity but the source of your dignity? You are worthy; you are precious; you are enough. “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures. We are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son,” St. John Paul the Great reminds us.  The Gospel and this great Saint call us to recognize the price, the sacrifice, Christ paid so that we might know the truth and depth of His love. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Is 53:6)” He the suffering and blameless servant paid the greatest price, His very life, so that you might know the love of the Father and that you might have eternal life. “Conversion is the re-experience of God’s mercy.”

From hoyte-toyte Bronxville to the graffiti lined streets of the Bronx, He who was nailed amongst the cross, who bleeds His saving love, resounds His hymn of sacrificial love. For the Good Shepard goes in search of the one. Maybe you’re wandering; He’s looking. Maybe you’re floundering, He’s anchoring. Maybe you’re striving, He’s waiting. Let it go. Whatever you think you are or are not, the question that really matters most is do you know the price He paid and the love He has for you – not your neighbor or sister – but for you. He loves with a personal love and He beckons and He calls. By the blood He shed may we more firmly know and trust His plans are good (Jer. 29:11) and that He allows all things to work for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). It’s easy to get caught up in what’s not going right. Yet, that is a choice. You can choose your faith or your fears. You can focus on problems or solutions, the darkness or the light that shines in the darkness. Let us look to the saints, the shining lights who reflect the light of Christ. Let us do the same bearing His imprint and image. Shine on!

Verso l’alto,
K Coop

Get your shine On

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjqMB6ILaIc

Your great love will lead me through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPtIv2lnkTY

Dive In

I’m a sucker for the beach and will go through bottles of sunscreen in order to stay and play because life is good and yet, life is better at the beach.  A few weeks ago I was headed out to Jones with some friends. Preparing for the trip I was excited; however, every time I’m actually on the beach it’s as though it is a novel adventure. For amidst the certain and familiar, the ocean always bears some slight unpredictability.

Driving out someone mentioned the rip tide being strong on this particular day. As we played in the waves, this became apparent. We kept looking up to make sure we were in line with the lifeguard chair. We always were; however, it’s a slight problem when you haven’t realized that the guards have been moving down the beach. Translation: the undercurrent was dragging us more than we realized.   Besides it resulting in a long walk back to the umbrella, it made me think about the synonymous times in life where we are aware of difficult situations and are “doing” the right things to make sure we are still swimming within the realm of the lifeguard’s careful watch. And yet we can still get swept away. What are the undercurrents in your life that drag and pull you off course? What brings you out to sea or drags you away from where you intended to be?  

As the tide was rising, the waves took on a different character. Waves that were innocent enough to “duck under” earlier in the day took on new momentum, resulting in me tumbling along the ocean floor. As we figured out the change in the tide, we recognized the need to swim against the current more aggressively, while  also recognizing that some waves are easier to dive instead of ducking under. Isn’t it true in life as well? When there are situations and circumstances we can’t circumvent, we can try and duck and hide or we can plunge forward, diving through.

We don’t always get to choose the turn of the tide; however, when we learn how to read and see the waves as they are we can learn to play instead of hide. It can be a great game instead of spiraling mess. Let us see with eyes of faith the adventure of uncertainty and dive in, fully trusting God is always with us and that His angels and saints sit on watch so that no matter where we go we may know He is always near. Let us plunge into the mysteries of our faith and the most Sacred Heart. Let us dive in.  

Mother Mary, show us how.

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn

And keep my eyes above the waves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

It’s time to take the leap of faith so here I go I’m diving in I’m diving deep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GZkwIGWQAY

I'll keep you safe on my watch tonight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJesfljJ1vk

Painfully Aware

In some ways, I wish I could go back. As frustrating and confusing the unknown of whether or not I was actually sick was, there was a slight bliss inherent to it. Now, I know and feel when my dura is twisted, there is tightness through the bones of my skull and when the motility of my internal organs is limited. Yes, in many ways being unaware was less taxing When I didn’t feel well, I took an Advil not realizing the damage being done to my gut flora and liver. I was trusting “it worked” as the pain subsided. Yet, the work it did was mask my symptoms.

Pain is a good thing. No, I’m not a masochist. It is a good thing in that pain alerts us to a problem, something being wrong. It shows us dysfunction. Now, I believe in miracles and that Jesus who is the Divine Physician heals today as He did many years ago – body and soul. I believe in miracles where He bestows the gift of healing and the miracles where He bestows the gift of faith. But we must ask in order to receive and in order for us to ask we must know our own need. “The well have no need for a physician.” In order to know we need a physician, we must recognize our pain and our illness.

As I was leaving the office the assistant said “it was such a pleasant visit; it was a shame you got bad news at the end.” Instinctively I responded, “I’ve come to learn a difficult diagnosis is better than no diagnosis and sometimes it is the greatest gift. For when we become painfully aware we can begin to act according to the goal of health in light of reality.” Though it might not feel like it initially, it is a gift to see what was once in darkness come to light.

What happens when we are spiritually ill? Do you know the symptoms to look for? Do you know what it feels like?

Who amongst you is sick and tired of being sick and tired? Let us boldly and courageously see our painful awareness of the areas we have for growth, as the gifts they are. God beckons, “Come all you are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Let us rest, knowing the painful awareness of the Cross leads to the triumphant joy of the resurrection. 

Verso l’alto,

KGRC

Get your gaze off tomorrow

And let come what may

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGIpieuW62s

As deep cries out to deep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K71EYID22l4

Is it just the sun breaking through the clouds? No I know it’s more. Heaven’s breaking through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN30iznc-Ww

Give God a chance to surprise you

“Some people put more stock in a Tylenol than in the Eucharist. When they take a Tylenol, they expect something to change. But when they come to the Eucharist it is as though they move through the motions.” Fr. Landry  

Free Time

“ Time meant nothing to him,” a penitent explained about St. John Paul II who as a parish priest would spend up to an hour hearing a single person’s confession. Do you ever feel like life is a race against the clock? As though your to do list weighs down the scale compared with the time you have to accomplish said tasks on a daily basis, even good and noble tasks? What is time?

In the Catholic world we identify two aspects of time – chronos and kairos. Chronos is the present reality, seconds ticking, factual historical moment pinpointed. Good Friday happened in a chronological reality – at a given day, in a given place, at a given time. The event of salvation, which took place on the cross, also exists in Kairos, the other measure of time. Kairos refers to the  eternal reality as each specific event exists outside of time. Therefore on the cross, the merited graces extend before and after the event itself. 

It’s easy to get caught up living in a linear fashion. And in some ways it is necessary, the parking meter needs to be paid. Rent is an important thing as is the paycheck that comes in to allow us to pay it. All this is true and necessary. Therefore this statement is an invitation to expand our vision solely from the monomaniacal focus of calendars and to dos to a myopic vision that includes seeing the present in light of eternity.

St. JPII lived his belief of the personalistic norm, which he articulated in Love and Responsibility. He stated, “the person is the kind of good which does not admit of use and cannot be treated as an object of use and as such the means to an end (Love and Responsibilty, 41).  He articulated his understanding of the value of each person not only in his writing but as he encountered individuals by bestowing on them the gift of his time. Do you know the gift of your presence, which you can freely bestow on others? Do you just show up or are you present to the present?

Let us be mindful and aware of the presence of God at all times and through all seasons for the giver of all good things yearns to captivate your heart and to animate your schedule. Let us give thanks for divine appointments, free time, and summer time.

“[The Rosary is ] our daily meeting which neither I nor Blessed Virgin Mary neglect.” – JP II

Verso l’alto,

KGRC

“No human sin can erase the mercy of God, or prevent him from unleashing all his triumphant power, if we only call upon him.” (JPII, Veritatis Splendor).

And it's two bare feet on the dashboard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q53U_YmdP7E

Summer Loving had me a BlasT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXlnMveRt-Y

The drum beats out of time -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PqhOrgk11A

What time is it? SUMMER Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x42aPmtnVDg&feature=kp

(Oh if only real life included breaking out into choreographed song and dance!)