Wednesday of Holy Week

Here we are in the middle of holy week-the home stretch! We are almost there! But why are we really excited? Maybe because we are excited to get away from the stress and work of school and go home to our families. Or so we can eat sweets again or let go of our other Lenten sacrifices. Hopefully we are also excited for Easter itself.

            Before I focus on Easter I want to gain all I can from the time we have left in Lent. This weekend, I was on team for a retreat back home that was the perfect start to Holy Week. It helped refocus and reenergized me in my relationship with God. In what ways can we make special preparations for Easter after a long Lent?

            One of the kids on the retreat said that he wanted to be “showered in holiness” throughout the weekend. It was a great image that we used throughout the retreat. I plan on asking God to do the same for me: to fully accept all He has to offer me and to be cleansed and renewed by the gift of Jesus. Will you accept the graces that God has ‘showered’ upon and the sacrifice Jesus made for us?

            Happy and Blessed Easter Everyone!

-Lauren G. Class of 2013

Tuesday of Holy Week

“As I carry this cross, You'll carry me.” – Carry Me by Audrey Assad

After Palm Sunday mass I felt called to reflect about what cross I am carrying with Jesus this Lent. Every day, week, month, year we have a different cross. Sometimes it is large and burdensome, other times it is smaller and we are able to manage. Regardless of size, God is there. It has been said to me that in the moments when we feel most lonely and abandoned, God is nearest. Take a moment and really reflect on this. In those moments when we feel farthest from anything or anyone, God remains. We are unaware, but God has put his arms around us and he simply waits for us to feel his embrace. When we do an indescribable warmth rushes into our souls and we are found again. We pick up the cross with newfound strength and God carries us the rest of the way. All we need to do is say, “Jesus I trust in you.” So, go and pick up your cross and know He will carry you.

- Stephanie B. ‘14

Monday of Holy Week

Monday, April 2, 2012

Holy Week is upon us.  This time of year always brings me such anger toward humanity.  With a heavy heart I ponder how the same people who welcomed Jesus so warmly could turn on Him so quickly.  How and why can I keep going, aware that people could be so cruel?  Trying to find answers to these questions I remembered a marvelous poem.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.

Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years building, others could destroy overnight.

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.

Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

-Mother Teresa

Life will present challenges and there will always be a cross to bear.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or does.  All that matters is what you say and do.  People might be unforgiving or frustrating, but do not let their negativity infect you.  Our lives are to be lived for God.  Do your best, give with your whole heart, and love without limitations. 

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Checking my schedule for the week I thought to myself, “No, this can’t be right…didn’t we just have midterms?” Many, myself included, are faced with round two of testing this week. When our textbooks replace our Bibles and we find little time to do anything outside of studying, eating, and attempting to sleep, it is easy to forget what season we are in. The hours of the day simply pass away and the nights grow long. Maintaining our Lenten promises and remaining mindful of the beauty of this time is year is often difficult. It is a challenge to see the heavy burden of class work, exams, papers, and projects as gifts.

That being said, how can we see a stressful exam or ten-page paper as a gift? We can do so by realizing we are privileged and blessed to receive not only an education, but a college education. I’ll be honest; in all reality its somewhat cheesy and cliqued when people say, “In the end, a college education is the key to a bright future.” We know it is true, but when you are in the midst of organic chemistry, accounting, or [insert your least favorite class here] many count down the days until the end of the semester. Therefore, I challenge every student to embrace the remaining weeks of this semester in love of learning. Think about all those who would do almost anything to have the opportunity to take final exams or get up at 7:30 a.m. to go to class every day. Because this lifestyle is “normal” for so many of us, we forget its true value. So, as Lent continues and we draw closer to Easter, I pray we can all learn to savor the time we put into our studies and appreciate God’s plan for us. For all of us here, The University of Scranton is part of that plan and what we do here will forever be part of our lifelong journey of learning.

Peace, Love, and Happiness,

Steph B.- Class of 2014

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

“…Every flower created by Him is beautiful, the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose it’s springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues.”

― St. Thérèse de Lisieux

Imagine a field of bright colorful flowers. Imagine standing at the edge of it, gazing upon the perfect arrangement of flowers. The beauty is created by a combination of different flowers of different heights, different scents, different colors. A garden is not a garden without the variety and uniqueness of each and every single flower in combination with all the others.

Your beauty is unique and is essential to the beauty of all creation. Recognize your beauty as a gift and let it shine. No one can fill the place in the world’s garden that God has reserved for your color, your scent and your magnificence.

-Emily G., 2014

Thursday of Fifth Week of Lent

While trying to pick my topic for the reflection I looked back on my day. I realized that multiple times throughout my day the subject of ‘putting yourself first’ came up. At first we may think ‘that’s just selfish!’ but I don’t mean it that way.

            Today I was with a group of people all pursuing career paths in Counseling. We all saw it as a self-giving service we desire to provide to others (not that we were biased or anything). But also about how we cannot give our best selves to others unless we take care of ourselves. Without taking the time for ourselves, we felt like we have burnt out in the past and will burn out in the future. That would make us unable to serve others and put us in a negative mental state.

            This same topic came up in my Theology class. We discussed whether cutting ties with friends who cause one to sin or lead one on a path away from God was selfish. Some may feel that not being great friends with someone for these reasons are selfish but I do not think so. As St. Francis de Sales would put it: First of all, you still love and care for that person. Second, you are protecting what should be the greatest love in your life-God. If something leads us away from God, He suggests doing the right things for ourselves.

            Today God showed me that the idea of putting yourself first when it is appropriate and serves a greater good isn’t such a bad thing.

-Lauren G. Class of 2013

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

During Lent most people find themselves saying, “No”; such as if a temptation to break our Lenten promise comes up we say “no”.  In the Church we just celebrated the greatest “YES” there ever was.  That is the “yes” that Mary responded with when the angel Gabriel asked her if she would be the mother of Christ.  The feast of the Annunciation almost always falls during lent. 

This year it falls at a particularly good time for me because it is starting to feel like Lent is never going to end.  This feast reminds me not just that Christmas is only 9 months away, but also that I too must answer yes to God’s will for me.  I ask myself, have I been saying “yes” to God lately?  Recently I have been struggling with my plans not fitting with God’s plans.  I think that I have everything all planned out just right and something happens, I am reminded today that I need to trust that God’ will is the best possible thing that could happen to me.  Thank God (literally) Mary did not say, “no, I don’t think that having a child, not to mention the Son of God, is the right plan for me right now.”  For the remainder of this Lent, let’s try to respond with a jubilant “Yes!” to God’s plans for us just like the Blessed Mother.

-Alyssa T. ’13