Moving to Melbourne

I’m going to start with the really exciting news. I’m now living in Melbourne!!!

During our time on training the priest that was journeying with us got us good. We were blessed to have daily Mass with him which was great. During his homily he would often ask us questions pertaining to the readings so it wasn’t strange when he started asking us questions before Mass had even started. What was strange was that he was dressed in red on a day that wasn’t the memorial of a martyr and it wasn’t Pentecost either. As he was standing the front, he questioned and we were only getting more and more confused as to why he was wearing red. THEN out of no where he said something like Red is the colour associated to the Holy Spirit and we’re going to announce the teams!!!

I was caught off guard and wasn’t sure how to react. Everyone around me had mixed emotions as well. We knew team announcement was soon to happen but not that soon. Some people were crying, some laughing and others were just in shock. I was definitely in shock. 

Australia!!!

Aye mate!

Ok!!!!! I have some super great news for you! It is official! I’m going to Australia in January!!!!!!

As many of you know I’ve been discerning religious life for a while and have many fears about taking the next step. To help me with this I decided (with the help of God) to join something called NET (National Evangelization Team).

This peer to peer, value-driven ministry is very effective because it offers a radical alternative to what is offered by society at present. NET teams bring their own positive stories, struggles, their willingness to listen and relate on a youthful level, this is indispensable.

As a member of NET I will deepen my faith, strengthen my relationship with God all by sharing the Gospel with others. What better way to discern religious life than with other young adults? 

Run! Run! Run!

I wasn’t planning on blogging today but then I had a crazy thought…. Why not?

Have you ever started something and thought this is never going to work, I’m a failure. And then you realize wait it’s actually working, I’m not actually as much of a failure that I thought I was! 

I say this because I have never been a runner, I like running but running was never my thing. Two Fridays ago I was sitting in my room, probably watching a funny cat video or something like that and I had this crazy thought why don’t I go for a run? I told you it was a crazy thought!!! I look like a dying chipmunk when I run, not a pretty site. But eh the thought came to mind and I couldn’t shut it down because it was actually a good idea.

 

How I feel when I run.

On a New Journey all the Time

After a great weekend full of excitement I am now back waiting at the bus station for a new adventure. I always love spending time with family but when it comes time to leave it’s always bitter sweet. I love my work up north but I also love my family, if only I could have both.

A picture I took about a month ago. Fall is here!

I only have a few months left in the north… yep you read that right. It is finally official that I will be leaving my work in the north. Another bitter sweet decision but definitely another decision I took with the help of God. I love my time in the north, I love the people, the different culture, nature and even the animals. On a side note when I came down to the city the other day I saw a moose! 

Sleeping Bag and Bugs

Last night I was all cozy in bed and all of sudden I imagined two big black bugs in my bed!!! YUCK! You want to know how I dealt with them? You won’t believe me as what I did wasn’t very intelligent but eh it’s what I did.

I wanted to keep sleeping without having to actually find the bugs so I decided to get my sleeping bag and sleep in it. I made sure the pull string was at its tightest so that the bugs couldn’t get in. Yes I know, I’m a genius.

This morning when I woke up I was just like whaaaaaa? Why am I in a sleeping bag? And then it slowly came back to me. It was really weird.

I wanted to start with this story because sometimes we do something and don’t know why.  I always like thinking there’s a purpose behind everything we say or do but after experiencing something like that it got me thinking.

Legend of Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’

Change is Good

The other day I heard a comment that was very upsetting. The comment was something like bigger women should never wear a bikini because it’s not flattering on them. Now before I keep going on I have to state that I’m actually against women wearing bikinis as I believe they reveal too much but that’s a story for another day

When we’re hurting ourselves we’re hurting God as well.

 

Saying that a bigger woman can’t do something because it’s not flattering is a complete insult.

Biking fail

Yesterday I was so excited to go for my bike ride, I was going to go on a nice trail through the town and around and zigzag but that dream got crushed pretty fast.

During dinner I asked one of my housemate if he wanted to go for a bike ride and to my surprise he said yes! We agreed on a time to meet and then we would leave. I was so pumped!!

Psalm 51 Miserere

This has to be my favourite psalm. It’s the psalm I encourage everyone to pray and to pray it everyday. The very thing that I love about this psalm is that everyday something new catches my eye.

I suggest that you start by reading it slowly, then meditate and eventually pray with it. God speaks through Scripture.

This psalm reminds us that we are all sinners and that we are in need of His mercy. Imagine a world without mercy, can you do that? I tried imagining it and what I saw was terrible. Without God’s mercy we wouldn’t have confession. Many of us would be like walking skeletons, we’d be lost, confused with no way to get closer to God. We would most likely all be in a state of mortal sin meaning that we would be completely separated from God. There would be no hope.

Thank God this isn’t our reality! We have a merciful God, a God full of love and peace. A God who gave up His own life for us. He died on that cross for the sins we had not even yet committed.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.

That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.

Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

Tempted to change

A few days ago I was texting someone and they really put things in perspective. This person had asked me what my plans were for the week and I told them that I was wanting to go back to the pool as I had been lazy ever since I got back from Poland.
What this person replied back was a true challenge, …live like Pope Francis taught us, get off that couch!!!!

I needed to get off that ouch as Pope Francis said while addressing us at WYD in Poland. This led me to thinking about a lot of different things such as temptation. How that subject came to mind is a whole different story.