Rome

Rome
Originally uploaded by hnwate04

I just want to say that God did a great job when he created man in his own image. There are so many interesting people in the world. I took this photo right after walking out of where JPII's tomb is underneath St. Peter's basilica in Rome.

Steubenville St. Louis

Last weekend I traveled to Missouri with some awesome teenagers and Youth Ministers. It was my first Steubenville Conference and I got to go as a chaperone which was pretty amazing if you ask me. If you are ever doubting your call, sometimes it takes a mountain top experience like this was to be encouraged and affirmed. That is what this weekend did for me. For anyone who has never been to a Steubenville conference, it is for High School students. It is filled with singing praise and worship, Eucharistic adoration, speakers, and Mass! That hardly explains it, but at least it might give you an idea. I have never seen so many teenagers so excited to be Catholic in my life. Seeing the Body of Christ together in one room is breathtaking, and to think that there are so many more people than that in the world who are united through the Church is so beautiful. I encourage anyone to go as a teen, or as a chaperone.

I am learning how to be more comfortable with my call to Youth Ministry, and this weekend was a great aid in that. Please pray that I continue to doubt less and less and trust more and more in God's plan for my life and the lives of those that are around me.

The teens that traveled with us were such a blessing. I could see a transformation in how they believed in their Catholic faith and how they worshiped our Lord at adoration and Mass and all the time. It's not often that we get to see the fruits of what has been planted in people's lives, but this weekend was very fruitful thanks to the conference and the influences in each of our lives, but most of all because of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a great renewal, a great time to come back to deeper relationship with him.

I want to thank the youth ministers who were with us for keeping the focus on Christ the entire time. They were truly acting as the instruments of God's plan.

I want to leave you with these words from Saint Edith Stein (otherwise known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross):
"Whatever did not fit in with my plan did lie within the plan of God. I have an ever deeper and firmer belief that nothing is merely an accident when seen in the light of God, that my whole life down to the smallest details has been marked out for me in the plan of Divine Providence and has a completely coherent meaning in God's all-seeing eyes. And so I am beginning to rejoice in the light of glory wherein this meaning will be unveiled to me. "
-Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Amen.

God Listens, I promise.

Have you ever thought about the power of prayer? I definitely think about it a lot. It's almost funny and fictional to think that someone can hear my silent prayers (and all of my silent thoughts) and that this person wants to give me what I ask for. But we are so blessed because this is NOT fiction! God is real, and He hears everything. Never forget it, I know I have forgotten it at times. But I have been fortunate enough to be reminded that God listens to everything.

There is a thing called coincidence. But coincidence doesn't happen. How could it? When there are so many obstacles to make things not work out? So how do things work out? When you ask for something from God, and you get it... it's not a coincidence. God is the reason. But sometimes, many times, He doesn't answer our prayers in the way that we expect...

New blog, this is new for me...

Hi, my name is Hannah... I must say that I have never kept an online blog like this before, so it's going to be fun to see how I do. Let me tell you about the name "Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit." This of course is the first of eight beatitudes in the gospel of St. Matthew. I recently had a conversation about what "poor in spirit" really means. I had never given much thought to these words... honestly, I just assumed that 'poor in spirit' meant 'weak in faith.' But this in fact is NOT what it means. I have come to understand that 'poor in spirit' is actually very similar to the 8th beatitude in Matthew, "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 5:10. To be poor in spirit is not a weakness in faith, rather it is a suffering for one's faith. Jesus tells us that we are blest because we withstand the suffering that comes with standing strong in our faith. Amen to that! I don't know about you, but it's nice to hear him say that we will get some kind of reward for any suffering in this life.

That being said... this blog is to be used for inspiration, to provoke thought, and to address issues that come up in my life that are relevent to this blog. Basically, what you read is what this blog will be.