Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Do you ever have those moments where, when you look back on them, you can't even remember what you were thinking at the time, in a good way? Like something or Someone else had taken you over for awhile to accomplish something amazing?

I had that on Saturday night. As I mentioned in the most recent quick takes, I went on a Youth retreat as a Lifeteen Core member with a bunch of grade 9-12s. Now, I think Lifeteen gets a bad rap sometimes; yes, sometimes parishes can do Lifeteen badly, and you end up splitting the Church, and teaching liturgical abuse to teens. But I really like it in my Parish. We have people across all age groups that attend our 6pm Sunday Mass, music that, while it isn't Gregorian Chant, is not "I'm Trading My Sorrows (Say What?)", and a bunch of really fantastic teenagers who are (hopefully) learning a bunch.

We had 35 people from 14-31 years old--the thirty-somethings being our Youth Minister and our Priest--bunk down at a camp over the weekend. We talked about St. Paul and his conversion experience. How he had to give a lot of things up. How neither the Jews, nor the Christians (at first anyways) wanted him. How, after he got literally knocked to the ground by God, he still had to make the same choice to follow Him the next day.

So I told them my story. Except, it wasn't really me doing the talking. I had next to nothing written down, but my talk was smooth and coherent, and they were all listening. It was the Holy Spirit. So now I'm praying that my story can help some of those kids not make the same choices I made. Choices like pre-marital sex at 16. Choices like choosing boys over friends. Choices like choosing partying over everything else, just to fill the emptiness. Choices like thinking that a human boy could fill the hole in my heart that only God can fill.

Those were my choices. I'm grateful and filled with joy to say that those are not the choices that I make now. I got "knocked down" by God when he used a radio ad to bring me to the Evangelical church, which He used to finally get me to see that He is so in love with me, that He just wants to be with me. But it was a struggle to go against my old ways, a struggle that I continue to do everyday. But still, those choices are part of who I was. Who I am. My heart is glad at the thought that they can be used to make someone else's path a bit straighter.

Romans 8:28 - "God works all things to the good for those who love Him, and who are called according to His purpose."

I pray that this is the good that came out of those things in my past.

7 Quick Takes: The Puzzlement Episode

--- 1 ---

I'm not entirely sure where I lie on the whole headcovering issue. I don't think that I will be covering anytime soon, but I don't think I would be encountering the sort of hostility that other Catholic blogger's encounter. In fact, as the temperature has dropped down below 0 (Celsius), I've seen a staggering amount of girls using scarves as toques, face coverings and neck coverings all in one. Not to mention that there is a large International population at school, and many of those women cover and most people don't bat an eye. I wonder if the change is the fact that I'm in Canada and not the States? Or is it just the University social climate?

--- 2 ---

Speaking of temperature change, can anyone tell me what the Fahrenheit system is based on? I don't get it. Obviously, both Fahrenheit and Celsius are arbitrary numbering systems, but Celsius makes sense to me. Water freezes at 0 and boils at 100. Everything else just falls in between, which makes normal body temperature the awkward number 37. Although that's not as awkward as the 98.6 that Fahrenheit is.

--- 3 ---

Also, I realize I could just google the answer, but what fun would that be?

--- 4 ---

It's amazing how Google has take over the world. When I was young (wow, I feel old saying that), the internet was just starting out, and you had a variety of search engines like Mozilla and Spidercrawler.

--- 5 ---

I obviously have troubles walking because yesterday I split my third (THIRD!) pair of jeans, in less than a month, in the inner thigh. I think I have to learn to walk without my thighs touching... or I need to buy stronger jeans.

--- 6 ---

Our Lifeteen Winter Retreat starts today at 6! I'd be more excited if I didn't have a mountain of work to do before classes end next week. But really, it should be a very good weekend. Please keep the teens in your prayers while we talk to them about the need to make the decision, every single day, to follow Christ.

--- 7 ---

Something to get you in the Advent season! I got goosebumps when I listened to it.

Ave Maria, gratia plena Dominus tecum, Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus Sancta Maria, Mater Dei Ora pro nobis peccatoribus Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae, Amen

Hail Mary, full of grace The LORD is with thee Blessed art thous amongst women And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Holy Mary, Mother of God Pray for us sinners Now and at the hour of our death, Amen

By the way, I didn't know that Ave Maria was the Hail Mary until a few months ago... Happy Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!