Wisdom from the Pope......

Today was a pretty hard day, probably one of the hardest that I have had in a long time. I lost a coworker this weekend and the sorrow that it has caused in our community is overwhelming. For the homeless, those that provide services to them in many ways become their family so the sorrow that those I serve was intense. I also felt my own greif over the loss of a great man, coworker, and friend. When I came home today, an article in the criterian jumped out at me. It was an article about suffering written by Pope Benedict XVI. "We are called to participate with our whole being in the entire event of the death and resurrection of Christ. We have as the Apostle says died with Christ, and we believe we will live with him. The affirmation that those who have been baptized into Christ's death will rise with him implies that there will be suffering, but that suffering and death will not have the last word. To live with faith in Jesus Christ, means having to renounce things each day. It implies suffering. Christianity is not the path of ease, but is more like a challenging climb. Only by plumbing the depths of suffering, do we find the deepest meaning of life, its beauty, its great hope, and promise."

These words brought me great comfort and helped me to realize that I experienced this in it fullness today. It was in the sorrow that saw and expereinced today that I was reminded of the sanctity of life and the impact that loving and serving those in need has on the world. I was reminded again today of the importance of living a life dedicated to loving God and loving service to our neighbors. I also experienced in a deep way the comfort of knowing that I am loved and supported not only by God, but by many others. I felt the prayer support of many giving me the strength to comfort those mourning around me. I received many phone calls and a special surprise coffee drop off be the best vocation director ever. I am truly blessed to have the support of my family and the Sisters of St. Benedict. They encourage me to continue to use my gifts in the service of the Lord each day. Most importantly these words reminded me that Christ's death and resurrection gives us the hope for our own resurrection at the end of our days and that Greg's death is not the end, but a new beginning.

Things I love about Our Lady of Grace Monestary

I have been cleaning and simplifying the past few days since I got home from Our Lady of Grace monastery vocations retreat. While cleaning out my closet I found my journal from last year and in it I found an entry that listed all the things that I loved about the monastery. Although I could probably add a hundred more to it now, I thought it was interesting to reread what I love about the monastery than and think about all the things I love now.

A year ago I broke my list down into three categories; prayer, hospitality, and community life.

Prayer
- singing the songs/psalms and they way that the songs continue to resound in my heart once prayer has ended.
- that life is centered around prayer and seeking God in all things.
- the silence after each reading that brings peace to the soul.
- praying for the world and local communities.
- that all of life is lived as a prayer to God by each sister

Hospitality
-guests are always greeted with a kind hello and smile
-that each sister lives out hospitality on a day to day basis in their ministry
- that guests are invited to help....I always enjoy doing dishes there
- the openness of the sisters to get to know guests

Community Life
- common mission to be people of constant conversion, seeking God together, and encouraging one another to use their gifts and talents to serve God and God's people.

I created this list around Thanksgiving last year and later I will post my list from this year. One thing is for sure I still do love this community of benedictine women and I truly blessed to be an affiliate working towards entering. I am sure that as the years go by my list will continue to grow.....

Italy Trip

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Italy. It was one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had. I was able to experience the christian faith in such a powerful way. I thought I would share a few of my trip pictures on my blog.

The Kingdom of God.....

Throughout the past few weeks at mass the theme of building the kingdom of God here on earth has come up on more than one again. One of my favorite songs from the Taize community proclaims this call on our lives so beautifully. The words proclaimed in the song are "The kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Come Lord and open in us the gates of your kingdom." Every time I hear or sing this song the words penetrate my soul and I am reminded that building the kingdom of God begins within me. I must allow God to change me. I must allow God to open within me His kingdom, a kingdom where justice and peace rule, where love rises above all other things. As I allow God to change me, than I am given the grace to love, serve, and build his kingdom here and now. I was reminded again this week of how God uses so many aspects of our lives to change us within. I am changed daily through the ministries that God has blessed me with. As I work with the homeless and the elderly, God teaches me how to love a little bit more deeply with each passing day. He calls me out of myself and into a world that is other focused. I also am transformed through the holy friendships in my life. I have been blessed to have people on my journey who are above all else completely honest with me. They encourage my growth and help me to realize when my pride or stubbornness is getting in the way of me participation in the building of the kingdom of God. All to often I can get wrapped up in doing things perfect or succeeding at everything that I loose focus on the big picture. My local parish priest, Father Paul reminded me the other day that Mother Teresa said that "we are called upon not to be perfect, but faithful." This has become my new mantra as I try and untangle myself from this need to do everything and allow myself to be who I am. I am a child of God far from perfect, but working towards becoming the person God is calling me to be. It is my prayer and hope that I would continue to be faithful to God and who he is calling me to be so that I may help to build his kingdom here and now on earth. Finally, I am changed through regularly receiving the sacraments of the church. It is through these sacraments that I receive the graces needed to truly change. I am so thankful for God and for the ways in which he is molding and shaping me to become more like him.

My Safe Place

Recently, one of our homeless neighbors at work shared with us a poem that he had written about our day shelter. It was shared at our fundraiser earlier this month and now I will share it with those of you who read my blog. It made me reflect once more on the importance of hospitality and the need that we all have for a safe place to be ourselves. A place where we are not judged, but loved for who we are and for the person we are trying to become. May this poem be a reminder to each of us to continue to live lives of hospitality, reaching out to those that God has place in our path.

My Safe Place

Just when I thought all was lost

I heard about this place

I was hungry, tired, and scared

until behind the counter I saw this smiling face.

That one smile assured me, that it was going to be o.k.

and that I wasn't alone.

For I wasn't the only one that was without a home,

Over the weeks of me walking through those big glass doors

I know I have found security

I need nothing more

Although there are hundreds of faces the staff see a day,

when I approach the desk they call me by name and help me right away

No matter my problem big or small they seem to work through them all.

I thank the Lord for for keeping me safe and for giving me this place.

Pumpkin Spice Latte = Fall is coming soon!!!!

This morning I was absolutely delighted that it is once again pumpkin spice latte season. This is my favorite drink and it only becomes available during my favorite time of year, fall. I love fall and I thought that I would share with all who read this post some of the reasons that I love fall past and present. Now I do realize that fall does not officially begin until closer to the end of this month, but the latte does symbolize its eminent arrival.

I think my love for fall came almost from birth because fall is harvest time at the Foltz Family Farm. Growing up we spent every Fall weekend that I can remember up at my Grandparents farm in Michigan helping harvest the winter berry. Winter berry can be found in almost every floral arrangement from thanksgiving through the new year and our grandparents grew and sold it every year until both of them had passed. I was a part of the production process from the time I was old enough to pick leaves and my whole family participated in the process. It was so much fun. We also use to take breaks to rake up huge piles of leaves and jump into them. I was quite the little dare devil when I was younger ( I don't know what happened). I use to love climbing on top of the fence and jumping into the huge pile of leaves that Holly and I made. We also use to go on walks with my grandma on breaks and she would teach us life lessons on those walks. My grandmother was truly a gift from God. She loved God so much and her family with all that she was especially her grandchildren. She always encouraged us to be who God was calling us to be. When I graduated from high school she gave me a bible and in it she write "No matter what the trails of life may be the lessons in this book will get you through. Know that God loves you with an everlasting love and He will guide you all the days of your life." The fall lessons my grandmother taught us and the time we spent together as a family having fun are why I have such a deep love for fall. We spent hours working together, cooking together, watching movies together, and playing cards. Those fall memories and those life experience have helped to form me into the person I am today. It was in those moments of family togetherness that I knew I was truly loved not only by God but by my family.

Although, I am no longer a part of the fall harvest I look back upon it with loving memories and realize that I am still a part of the fall harvest just in a different way. Now I am investing in and working on harvesting souls. In the fields, we nurtured the plants and the fields so that they would produce the berries need to have a good harvest. This fall I continue to work towards teaching our homeless neighbors the skills needed to find meaningful employment and I know that as I tend to the needs of the neighbors here eventually they will be ready for the harvest and move on to the next chapter of their lives.

This fall, I am also looking forward to having two service learning students from U of I, a trip to Rome, a vocations retreat, and hopefully a new roommate. I think you can see now part of the reason why I love fall so much. God has truly blessed me with a plentiful harvest in life through relationships both in the past and currently. I love that I do not journey alone, but have wonderful people with me in all seasons of life.

The Adventures of L and H (part 1)

This weekend one of my closest friends, Laura Ann Steed, returned to town. We met in college at U of I and we spent this past year until May living together. In May, she moved to NC to begin Grad School at Duke. She is a first year Divinity student. Our friendship has been a blessing since day one. I am continually amazed at how we can go months without seeing each other, but when we are together it seems as if no time has passed at all. We are two peas in a pod and I treasured this time that we had together. I thought I would share some of our adventures with you! The picture above is from our meeting place halfway between Laura's parents House and Indy at this huge candle shop.
The weekend was filled with meeting up with people that we both love dearly. It began with Coffee and holy conversation with Sr. Jennifer. Three things that I love dearly!!! We had a great time. Upon our departure, we went to the monastery and met up with Sr. Nicolette. We had dinner and than played rummy with Sr. Catherine and Sr. Eugenia. We had a lot of fun, but it did get a little competitive. I was threatened at one point that if I went out one more time that I would no longer be prayed for. haha. Laura won both games, which Sr. Eugenia said that they always let guest win. I love that I am no longer considered a guest and I can not wait to enter. I desire that so much...if only I could figure out a quicker way to pay off my student loans. It is really nice to have friends that are open to going and hanging out at the monastery. It is a reminder to me of how blessed I am to have supportive friends and family on my journey. After that we met up with my sister and some friends at b-dubs. We hung out for quite some time and than went back to the burg (aka our house). I will share more about our adventures later this week..........

Seek God in the Ordinary

This past Sunday Father Paul talked about seeking God in those ordinary moments of life. It is interesting because lately it seems that every homily I hear the message is exactly the words that I needed to hear. Words that encourage me to change so that I can be more loving, kind, and compassionate. Words that help motivate me to continue to seek God and his will with all that I am. Words which make me fall more deeply in love with Jesus everyday. I am blessed to have an incredible priest that speaks the word of God in a manner that challenges me to not only hear the word of God but to live the word of God.
This Sunday the first reading told the story of Elijah going up on Mount Horeb to seek God. He was looking for God in extraordinary things like the wind, an earthquake, and fire, but he did not find God in those things instead Elijah found God in a quiet whisper in the ordinary. Father Paul encouraged us to begin each day with the mindset of seeking God in the ordinary. He encouraged us to look for God's voice in our friends, family, and even in the co-worker that may drive us crazy and to be an example of God's love to them as well. This was where God touched my heart and challenged me to be more loving.
Lately things have been so busy at work and we are working towards making a lot of changes. Change is not always easy on everyone and gossip has been running like wild fire throughout the walls of this building. Judgements are placed on those who are working for the changes and at times it has been very discouraging to me. I know it is hard to believe, but I am not loved by all (haha). The words that Father Paul spoke to all of us at St. John's on Sunday has changed my entire work week. I came in with a more positive attitude and it was my prayer that God would help me to see Him in my disgruntled co-workers and that I may be more loving, patient, and kind in my interactions with them. It has not been easy everyday, but I am challenged each day to try and love all whom I encounter with the love that God has poured out abundantly on me. I am blessed by all of you who journey with me. I am daily encouraged by you. Know of my prayers for each of you and my love.

Single-Hearted Devotion

This Sunday the topic of single-hearted devotion was discussed in the homily. Father Meinrad Bruner was our guest celebrant from St. Meinrad Arachabbey and the words that he spoke have stayed with me throughout this week. He spoke beautifully about vocation and honoring your vocation with single-hearted devotion no matter what road blocks get in your way. If you are called to marriage to live out that call with every fiber of your being, to nurture it, and seek God with all that you are. He said that if you are called to religious life or the priesthood that you should seek that path with all that you are working to build the kingdom of God on earth with either your parish or community. His homily was great and I was renewed in my own effort to seek after God's call on my life with all that I am. As I have reflected on this throughout this week, I was continually reminded of the blessing that comes with having others seeking God along with you. When the road blocks and challenges arise in each of our journey's there are people that God has placed in our lives there to support, encourage, and love us through the challenges.

I am blessed to have a supportive circle of friends that are here to journey with me. Some of them have been called to the vocation of marriage and others religious life or the priesthood, but all of us are on the common journey of seeking God with all that we our and living out our baptismal call to love God and serve our brothers and sisters here on earth. The homily this week has filled my heart with gratitude and the desire to continue living out my vocation with all that I am. It was a reminder to continue to embrace this time of serious discernment and faithfully work towards being ready and able to enter Our Lady of Grace Monastery. Thank you to all of the beautiful men and women in my life who support me and love me and keep me grounded in this wonderful journey of seeking God. From my college friendships to the Sisters at OLG, I am constantly reminded that I am not alone on this journey (my office is covered in encouraging cards from all of you)! I am blessed and I thank God each time I remember you.

Re-entry

Prisoner re-entry has been on the forefront of my mind a lot lately. I know this may seem odd to many because it is not a topic that is easy to discuss or crosses the average persons mind, but it is an issue that I encounter daily. Many of the homeless neighbors that I work with daily face huge re-entry barriers. Many do not have a support system to lean on when they are released. All the neighbors that I work with come in with no place to stay causing addition barriers and are currently not employed. On an average it takes an ex-offender five times longer to find employment than the average adult. At this time in our economy, it is taking the average adult 20 weeks to find a job full-time job with no criminal history (I learned this at the training I am attending this week). This is crazy considering that most recently released individuals have a very short amount of time to find employment (usually 90 days) before their parole is revoked and they are sent back to prison.

This significant issue has been in the news in Indianapolis a lot lately. One of the reasons that it has been in the paper this past week is because our new mayor is hosting a re-entry job fair and has named Tony Dungy the chairman of the re-entry committee. The day center that I work at is one of the referral sites for this upcoming job fair. I am excited about the fact that this issue is making the news. Our community really needs to get more employers involved in working towards a solution to this problem. We need more employer that are willing to give people a second chance. This fair should new faces to the table of re-entry discussion. It is my hope and prayer that this will not only temporarily be an issue that it is on the minds of the community in Indianapolis, but one that we continue to look at and work towards solutions. If people are being given a second chance to start over, to make changes, and to work towards being active members of society employment is key. Without employment many people cannot even afford the basic necessities of life including food, shelter, and clothing. The paper said yesterday that without employment they are unable to meet their obligations of child support, restitution, and court fees. Yes these are some of the things that get neglected minus employment, but more importantly they are unable to care for their own basic needs and the needs of their families. This is a shame and it causes so much extra stress to those who trying their best to make the changes needed to be productive members of society.

One of my co-workers, always says that we are all an ex- something or other. He spent many years working in corrections and I have to agree with him. I have made many mistakes, in my life and have at times had to make significant changes in my life in order to live according to God's will. I am lucky to have a God that is loving and forgiving as well as friends and family who are loving and forgiving. I think that our communities would do well to model God's love and forgiveness. After all, those who are exiting the prison system have already paid dearly for what they have done. It would benefit the whole community to work together to give people a second chance. Just as God gives all of us many chances to change and become more loving, holy, and God centered people, we need to do the same for our brothers and sisters. We need to give them the opportunities to change, to work, and to build new relationships.

New Adventures

After receiving encouragement from more than one person I decided to start a blog. It will help keep those I love updated on the happenings of my life. First of all, God has been doing amazing things in my life over the past few years. God has blessed me with so many wonderful opportunities to seek Him, to be changed, and to build relationships with some incredible people. One major change that has happened within the last month is that I became an affiliate of the sisters of St. Benedict, which is the first step towards entering that monastery. I have been visiting there for four years and I have fallen in love with this particular community and the rule of St. Benedict that calls for a way of life that is centered in prayer, hospitality, and ministry. I still have a lot to learn about what it means to seek God in community, but I am excited about this new phase in my discernment process. I am excited to continue to seek God with the wonderful women at Our Lady of Grace Monastery and I am excited to continue to work towards making changes in my life so that I may be a more loving, compassionate, and holy person serving God and His people with all that I am. (The picture on this post is of me and my vocations director at my affiliation ceremony.)

I am still working at a homeless day center in Indianapolis and will continue to do so as I continue in discernment with the sisters of St. Benedict. I work as the employment placement coordinator. The main functions of my job include teaching job readiness classes and job placement case management. I love my job so much. I learn so much each day and even on the difficult days I am encouraged by those that I work with to continue to seek towards our goals of providing the necessary resources to empower our neighbors lives so that they can permanently end their homelessness. I am truly thankful for all that is going on in my life currently.