Clinging to the Cross: JPII's Final Good Friday

On this holiest, most solemn day, I'll get myself out of the way.  I just want to share with you an incredibly beautiful, new-to-me story and image and let them speak for themselves.

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Jason Evert's Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves and learned the details of JPII's final days for the first time.  He died during Easter Week, and the book describes the Pope's last week on earth.  At the time, he had just undergone a tracheotomy, concerned he might never speak again, and his body was weary.  John Paul embraced his weakness for the burden that it was, calling it his own Way of the Cross.  As Holy Week of 2005 drew to a close, he was too weak to leave the Vatican for the Good Friday service and Stations of the Cross, so a TV was brought to his private chapel and he watched the service and prayed the Stations there.  He clung to a crucifix nearly the entire time.

Of course, as soon as I read that account I went straight to Google, and the image of this great saint embracing Christ made me sob.  It wasn't just the postpartum hormones.  Here are photos from this sacred moment in time, if you've never seen them before.

Even as the sky darkens and the earth shakes, even as Christ temporarily departs from us, there's joy on the other side and our hope is in the Resurrection.  Have a fruitful Good Friday, friends.

Waiting With Mary through Advent and Dating: Guest Post from Brooke

Brooke and I bonded this summer over hearts for ministry and Catholic wedding planning (she dreams of having her own planning business one day!) and the fact that we were wearing the same sandals when we met for coffee.  She's been dating her love, Timothy, since high school, and we've talked about the difficulty of waiting for engagement and marriage when your season in life, namely college, just doesn't make getting engaged the most practical idea for a while.  My story is pretty different; when Andrew proposed, we'd been friends for about a year and a half and boyfriend and girlfriend for only eight months.  So, having come from a different side of dating, I always enjoy and admire stories of couples who have known each other for years before falling in love and who are faced with a significant time of waiting before being able to start their married life together.  Brooke blogs at Something to Behold, where she shares her life as a college senior, her spiritual journey, and her majorly enviable style.  I promise you'll love her site, and her wisdom that follows here:

Advent is all about waiting. But more than that, it is about waiting well. Its funny; I was incredibly resistant to all things Advent this year, and I am just now figuring out why. This Advent was one of my worst as far as my spiritual life goes. My prayer life had no significant changes or increases; I  read zero reflections on the birth of Christ, did zero devotions, and barely even listened to Christmas music. More than just being resistant to getting more seriously into this Advent season, I was resistant to even wanting to try. 

This is new for me.  Usually when I’m at a low point in my spiritual life, I at least want to want it. But almost all of Advent, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t even want to want Advent. And I think it is precisely because Advent is all about “waiting.” And I am tired of waiting.

Timothy and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in October. We started dating when we were 16, and by 18, we knew  God was calling us to the vocation of marriage. We’re both 21 now, and on some level it feels like we’ve been waiting since we were 18 for our lives to truly begin. 

Don’t get me wrong. God has been so so good to us over these past four years we’ve been in college and has blessed us with joys and challenges that have helped us grow in so many ways. Still, there is something really hard in knowing what you're called to and then being asked to wait at least 4 years for that to be a reality. And if I’m being really honest with myself, I have not been my best self with waiting for God’s plan to unfold this past semester. I have not been asking God to continue to reveal to me the value in waiting, or to use this time of my life for His greater glory, or to help further prepare Timothy and I’s relationship for the vocation I’m so impatient for. Instead, most of the time I’ve been complaining and begging God to let the waiting be over.

So when Advent came this year and the Church asked me to reflect on what it means to wait, I said “um, no thank you.” It wasn’t until the phrase “We wait with Mary” crept into my mind, in a way I was somehow forced to listen to, that this resistance that I had towards Advent and waiting finally broke down, which occurred two days before Christmas. This phrase reminded me of an Imagination Prayer I once did from a book titled “Quiet Places with Mary.” This particular prayer asked me to imagine what the time between Mary’s Annunciation and Joseph’s Dream must have been like for her. 

Mary had no idea what Joseph’s response would be, what her life would look like, or exactly how God’s plan would unfold. She simply had to wait. And as I sat in this prayer, all I could imagine is that it must have been the presence of Christ in her womb that gave her the strength to wait and to trust in the will of God. At the end of my prayer, I felt Mary pointing me towards the Eucharist. I remember thinking, “If the presence of Christ in the womb of Mary sustained her in her time of waiting, then the presence of Christ in the Eucharist can sustain me.”

Remembering this prayer was exactly what I needed to not completely waste my Advent season. Instead, on the last two days of Advent and now for the rest of this Christmas season, I am remembering the inseparable connection between celebrating the birth of Christ and the Eucharist. Mary, who adored the Body of Christ in her womb, adores Him at every Mass in the Eucharist. She continues to guide us into adoration of her son, not just before the manger scene, but also before every Tabernacle. It is Mary I will continue to turn to as I struggle with this time of my life that feels so characterized by waiting.  By her example, hopefully I can learn what it truly means to “wait well.”

Thanks so much, Brooke!  Any other longtime daters out there?  I'd love to hear your stories and insights into developing a patient heart during times of waiting.

 

The Ultimate Fiance Gift Guide: Guest Post from Elise!

Elise and I are natives of the same state and have discovered through our email friendship that we have a ton of friends and experiences in common.  Somehow, and despite our best efforts, we have yet to meet in person…here's to changing that in 2016.  Elise is a grad student who does freelance media and branding marketing, and just one glance at her blog, Anchored Hope, shows how legit she is.  I have such admiration for Elise's love of the good, true, and beautiful, her amazing wardrobe, her podcast, Caritas, and the fact that through her work and storytelling, she really acts as a missionary of beauty.  She and her fiancé, Hunter, are planning their wedding, and today she, with her excellent taste, is sharing her gift picks for your sweetheart!

Being engaged during the holiday season is so much fun!As a couple, you are slowly building your lives together,which means you might be spending the holidays with each other for the first time. It’s also a romantic time of year where you can drink hot cocoa by the fire, steal a kiss under some mistletoe and maybe even skip around the city viewing your favorite Christmas trees.

My love language is gift giving so I always have so much fun picking out a present for my own fiancé each Christmas. Looking to gift your man with something personal and fun? Here are some of my favorites that I’ve gifted Hunter in the past and some ideas for the future:



1. Experience gifts: My guy loves adventure and I’m sure he’s not the only man who does. Find a relatively inexpensive experience gift for your guy that you can both do together. It could be something as simple as ice skating or hiking and a picnic. You could even plan a day trip to a nearby town or city for a day of adventure. Groupon has great deals for this type of gift!

2. Icons: The Byzantine Catholics understand icons as windows into heaven.  What a beautiful reminder for your man to have on his desk or beside his bed. These or these icons are great options.

3. Quality Flannel: This shirt is awesome and so versatile. Your fiancé can wear it out, as comfy pjs, camping or for yard work. The possibilities are endless and he’ll get so much use out of it!

4. Grooming Supplies: Even guys like a little pampering now and then. I gifted my fiancé with a straight razor for his birthday this year and I’m pretty sure he’s in love with it. Even if your man doesn’t want to wade into straight razor territory, he’ll love a safety razor that he doesn’t have to throw away after a few uses. He can spiffy up his routine with a shaving brush and fancy shaving cream. It’s an investment, but one that is totally worth every penny in the long run.

5. Books: The gift of knowledge is always valued! Help your fiancé delve deeper into his faith with some of these amazing reads: one, two, three, four, five.

6. A Pocket Knife: I was nervous to suggest this one but my fiancé (and brothers) insisted! Apparently, it’s a necessity. This one is sturdy and affordable.

7. Rosaries: This website has a great selection of themed rosaries, from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Rosary to the St. Benedict Medal Rosary.

8. Guy’s Night Essentials: Equip your man with fun things for a night with the guys: Do It yourself Beef Jerk kit, Fish flask, Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour, Diamond Whiskey Glasses, Geometric Drink Rocks
 I hope you find something meaningful and exciting for your fiancé this Christmas!   

xoxo,

Elise

@elisecrawford

anchoredhopeblog.com

How about you?  Any surprises up your sleeve that you're especially excited to give this year?