Surrendering to God Through Mary

“From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God.”

 ~St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II knows what he is talking about. This is very true. We should strive to become closer to Mary as she is the Mother of God. By becoming closer to Mary, she leads us closer to Christ. When we do not know where to turn, we can ask Mary to pray for us. Just as she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word,” we too should decide to surrender to God and let Him do what is best for us. Even if we have trouble understanding God’s will for us and why He might be calling us down a certain path, we can ask Mary to help us completely surrender to God. Since Mary shows us such a good example of trusting in God, she can help us transform our heart so that we will have an open heart as she did.

When we are afraid or worried, we can ask Blessed Mother to intercede for us. There is a beautiful prayer by Mother Teresa, “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.” When you are alone or fearful ask Mary to be a mother to you. As our mother, she comforts us, loves us, and cares for us. Mother Teresa had a great deal of hardship in her life and often said this prayer during those times. This prayer is, therefore, a beautiful way of asking for her intercession.

How exactly can we grow closer to Jesus through Mary though? We can spend time every day asking Mary to intercede for us. Praying the Rosary is a very good way of getting closer to Mary and Jesus. She asks us to pray the Rosary, so it is a very powerful way of growing in holiness. In addition, the Marian Consecration to Jesus through Mary can help us strengthen our relationship with Jesus through His mother Mary. There are many different kinds of Marian consecrations such as the one by St. Maximillian Kolbe. Learning more about Mary by reading books about her is also a great way. One book that is especially good is St. Louis De Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary.

Jesus loves His mother very much, so He is very happy when we honor her and ask her for prayers. Ask her to help you imitate her complete trust in God and have an open heart to do whatever He asks of you.

Faithful Friends: The Reflection of God's Love

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he who finds one has found a treasure." ~Sirach 6:14

True friendship is a gift from God. It can be extremely hard to find faithful friends who will always stay by your side and remain loyal to you, which is why I personally stopped trying so hard to find one. I also realized that if I have to try so hard to be someone's friend, are they really a true friend? By this I mean, if you are always the one that is asking them to do things with you, always the one to start a conversation with them, and they never seem to really have an interest in being your friend back... then are they really a faithful friend? So instead of trying so hard, I decided to ask God to find me faithful friends. And He did...

 Many people will just hang out with you occasionally, might share a few interests with you, and then forget about you. Faithful friends do not forget about each other. They enjoy spending time with you and genuinely care about you. True friendship is also not just about getting along and having many things in common. While having things in common is important, it is not the only aspect that you should look for in a friend.

 

(Photo credit goes to my beautiful friend Angela!)

 

As the picture above says, faithful friends are a "source of strength." True friends are the reflection of God's love for you and through this reflection, they help you grow closer to Him. Faithful friends seek to help each other in times of hardship instead of backing away. They help each other get through these trials by their willingness to help, their kindness, and their love for you. By doing this, they each help to strengthen the other during these difficult moments that we all face in life. They help you to see how much God loves you. As a result the friendship becomes very joyful and it gives you strength.

They also do not say negative things about you, but instead encourage you to stop saying negative things about yourself. Instead, they uplift you, encourage you, and help you to see how God sees you.

So if you are wondering how to find a faithful friend, ask God to send you one that will lead you closer to Him. Some things to think about when praying about your friendships can include:

Do they say negative things about you or to you?

When there is distance between you, does the friendship last?

Do they abandon you in difficult moments?

Do they only hang out with you occasionally and only when you come up with the idea first?

Does the friendship help you to become a better person? Does it lead you closer to God?

So please remember to seek God with your whole heart. Ask Him to send you faithful friends and ask Him to help you be a faithful friend as well. When we let God decide who He wants us to be friends with, we will have the happiest and most authentic friendships we could ever imagine because He knows what is best for us. :)

Introduction

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to start this blog! Before I start my actual posts though, I think I should introduce my blog first! So here I go! :)

"She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future."

 ~Proverbs 31:25

This has to be one of my favorite Bible quotes... this is why my blog is named after it! :) As women we worry a great deal about many things: school, friends, our career, our future... God, however, has it under control and we have to trust Him. My blog, therefore, is going to focus on this theme by writing about lessons from scripture and the saints. I will then talk about how we can put these teachings into practice.

I love writing about many different saints, especially St. Therese and St Anne. They are wonderful saints to imitate by the way! I hopefully will be able to write something each week, but if not that... at least every month. :)  I hope you enjoy reading my blog!