Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have been so blessed this past week with preparations for our play, and finally, the play itself. Our homeschool acting troupe put on Shakespeare's: Much Ado About Nothing with a cast of 29 children ranging from seven to sixteen years old. The play itself was a challenge, considering it is Shakespeare and is a difficult performance to pull off, but it was a total blessing! I wish I could express how happy I am to have participated in such a blessed play. The cast was all so fantastic, encouraging, holy and wonderful! I really felt God's blessing poured out on us from beginning to end. I have a journal entry that I think expresses my feelings more completely. Here it is,
May 27th 2011
Journal,
Today was our play! We put on two performances of Much Ado About Nothing. I was sooo blessed by it all! I realize how fortunate I am to participate in this wonderful theater class. I have been so unbelievably blessed by all of the cast! Joseph has decided to let me know that I could be a professional actress every five minutes :) . Bryan is so encouraging, Emily is so sweet, all of the little ones are fabulous, and I feel so loved! Everyone hugs me all of the time, and Trevor asked me if I took acting classes. The performances went really well. The first was a little choppy, but the second was perfect! I got all of my lines/cues right and I didn't screw up at the guitar. I was so proud of my handsome little brother who I have worked so hard with, and Anika did FANTASTIC! I realized today that I will miss New Orleans more than I could ever imagine. I wouldn't mind living here another year. It's funny how quickly things change. All I know is that God is good and he is faithful. He has loved me so much through the hugs, smiles, encouragements, thumbs ups and excitement of my fellow cast. Right now I am just so pleased, blessed, happy and proud of everyone! Alleluia, God is good!
-Alyse
This play has really wrapped up our year in New Orleans. We are moving in two months now, and I realize how quickly the time has flown by. It will be hard leaving again, but God knows best! He has the best plan for my life and for my family, wherever we move, or even if we stay, God will be the same wonderful God that he always has been and that he always will be. I don't deserve all of the love that He has given me, but he pours it out endlessly nonetheless. All I can do is praise him and continue to seek his will for my life. Although the future is uncertain, the present is blessed. Our acting class has definitely been a ministry, and God has definitely blessed it. Praise Him for his goodness!!!!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
p.s I updated my Photos page!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Reading That I Love
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I really loved the second reading yesterday at mass. It is Peter 2:4-9 but I am just going to share two little snippets that I particularly enjoyed. The first is this: "Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
I was wondering what a "living stone" was, and then I realized it is to be alive. Instead of something that is dead, and therefore without life, we are to be full of life for God, even if you are a stone. Also, I love that part where is says to let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. The truth of being something bigger than just yourself, to be a part of a community forming a house for God through self denial. I just love that! We, his living stones, are brought together to be something beautiful for the glory of God.
I also love the part at the end where it says: "But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. "
I feel that that passage really encompasses the necessity of evangelization in a very short sentence. The fact that we are God's chosen people is why we must announce the praises of him who saved us. He, who called us out of darkness and into a wonderful light. A wonderful light, doesn't that sound fantastic? A light that must be spread because it is the light of the savior of nations! Praise be to Him!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
I really loved the second reading yesterday at mass. It is Peter 2:4-9 but I am just going to share two little snippets that I particularly enjoyed. The first is this: "Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
I was wondering what a "living stone" was, and then I realized it is to be alive. Instead of something that is dead, and therefore without life, we are to be full of life for God, even if you are a stone. Also, I love that part where is says to let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. The truth of being something bigger than just yourself, to be a part of a community forming a house for God through self denial. I just love that! We, his living stones, are brought together to be something beautiful for the glory of God.
I also love the part at the end where it says: "But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. "
I feel that that passage really encompasses the necessity of evangelization in a very short sentence. The fact that we are God's chosen people is why we must announce the praises of him who saved us. He, who called us out of darkness and into a wonderful light. A wonderful light, doesn't that sound fantastic? A light that must be spread because it is the light of the savior of nations! Praise be to Him!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday's Gospel
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Yesterday's gospel really blessed me. It happens to be one of my many favorites! It is the reading of John 10: 1-10 about the good shepherd who's sheep know his voice. I like the particular part where it says, "When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice." I love to think of us, God's people on Earth, following Jesus by recognizing his voice. So much of our walk with Christ relies on hearing God's voice every day and following it. Many times, whenever we hear the voice of God, it becomes apparent because we recognize him, because he has made himself known to us. If we can recognize God's voice we become able to follow it and to avoid the voice of sin and deceit. God has blessed us so much by letting us know his voice in scripture, and also through the words of our brothers and sisters who are also following Him.
Another part I love in that scripture is at the end when it says, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Our good shepherd came for us to live life to the fullest. If we follow him we not only receive his gift of life, but that life in fullness and abundance! To live abundantly is something we all desire. I don't know anyone who strives to live an empty life. Who wakes up and says, "I am going to sit around, earn, learn and do nothing today. That is what I want in life, utter emptiness!" On the contrary, so many people go through life looking for fulfillment. Unfortunately, many do not know that only Christ can bring that fulfillment, that no amount of money, things, friends, or entertainment can truly fill us. We are the good shepherd's flock and only he is enough. Only he can give us life in abundance! Praise Him!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Yesterday's gospel really blessed me. It happens to be one of my many favorites! It is the reading of John 10: 1-10 about the good shepherd who's sheep know his voice. I like the particular part where it says, "When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice." I love to think of us, God's people on Earth, following Jesus by recognizing his voice. So much of our walk with Christ relies on hearing God's voice every day and following it. Many times, whenever we hear the voice of God, it becomes apparent because we recognize him, because he has made himself known to us. If we can recognize God's voice we become able to follow it and to avoid the voice of sin and deceit. God has blessed us so much by letting us know his voice in scripture, and also through the words of our brothers and sisters who are also following Him.
Another part I love in that scripture is at the end when it says, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Our good shepherd came for us to live life to the fullest. If we follow him we not only receive his gift of life, but that life in fullness and abundance! To live abundantly is something we all desire. I don't know anyone who strives to live an empty life. Who wakes up and says, "I am going to sit around, earn, learn and do nothing today. That is what I want in life, utter emptiness!" On the contrary, so many people go through life looking for fulfillment. Unfortunately, many do not know that only Christ can bring that fulfillment, that no amount of money, things, friends, or entertainment can truly fill us. We are the good shepherd's flock and only he is enough. Only he can give us life in abundance! Praise Him!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Friday, May 13, 2011
Father Cantalamessa's Talk
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I was so blessed to be able to hear Father Cantalamessa speak at church on Wednesday night. My grandparents were celebrating their forty-eighth wedding anniversary, and they came in to hear him and spend time with us. Let me start off by saying that this man is amazing! He has written a handful of books, many on the Holy Spirit, and he is the personal preacher to the pope! He preached to our holy fathers John Paul the second, and now to Benedict the sixteenth. Father Cantalamessa was introduced with an extended round of applause, but he turned to the altar and clapped with us. I was immediately struck by two things, his humility and his joy. He had a constant smile on his face that lit up the room. Also, is accent was great, it was a very soft, nice sounding Italian accent that resonated with joy and emotion. Right at the beginning my mom whispered to me, “I bet he will be canonized some day.” I truly got the feeling that I was in the presence of a living Saint. I felt God say to me, “This, Alyse, is special. This is special.” it was such a beautiful feeling that it brought me to tears.
I wish I could remember everything he said. Even though I kept my ears tuned in to every word that came out of this man’s mouth, a lot of it has escaped my memory. I would love to share a few things that he said, and I will try, but it might be best to buy his cd :) . His talk was on a new pentecost, and of course the Holy Spirit. As he opened his talk he said, “I want each of us to be able to go home and say, I saw Christ tonight, and share it with everyone.” One great thing that he said was this, “To know God is not an intellectual knowledge, it is something you experience. Christ is not a character, like Napoleon or other historical figures. Christ is a person. Even though you can talk about Napoleon to people, if you ever said, ‘I talked with Napoleon last night’, people would think you are crazy.” He made so many good points! Another good point that he made was this, that often the term “baptism in the spirit” is thought to be made up by a religious group, when really Christ instituted it as it can be seen in Acts 1:5. Also that baptism in the spirit is not a new baptism, simply a rekindling of our first one.
He also gave the homily for mass, and that was awesome too. He said that the point he wanted to bring across was joy. He said that in the world when you think of happiness and sorrow, happiness comes first. It is always the high that leads to the let down. With Christ though, it is the opposite. Suffering brings eternal redemption, that is why Good Friday is first and Easter is second. He said that in Italy the cold of November and March is the same, but for some reason he can stand the cold of November. It is because, he continued, that the cold of March brings the hope of spring whereas the cold of November brings the prospect of more cold.
Like I said, I wish I could remember everything he said. But I hope I was able to bless you through a few of the words of this holy man of God. I was so glad I decided to give my night so that God could give me such a huge blessing. God bless!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
I was so blessed to be able to hear Father Cantalamessa speak at church on Wednesday night. My grandparents were celebrating their forty-eighth wedding anniversary, and they came in to hear him and spend time with us. Let me start off by saying that this man is amazing! He has written a handful of books, many on the Holy Spirit, and he is the personal preacher to the pope! He preached to our holy fathers John Paul the second, and now to Benedict the sixteenth. Father Cantalamessa was introduced with an extended round of applause, but he turned to the altar and clapped with us. I was immediately struck by two things, his humility and his joy. He had a constant smile on his face that lit up the room. Also, is accent was great, it was a very soft, nice sounding Italian accent that resonated with joy and emotion. Right at the beginning my mom whispered to me, “I bet he will be canonized some day.” I truly got the feeling that I was in the presence of a living Saint. I felt God say to me, “This, Alyse, is special. This is special.” it was such a beautiful feeling that it brought me to tears.
I wish I could remember everything he said. Even though I kept my ears tuned in to every word that came out of this man’s mouth, a lot of it has escaped my memory. I would love to share a few things that he said, and I will try, but it might be best to buy his cd :) . His talk was on a new pentecost, and of course the Holy Spirit. As he opened his talk he said, “I want each of us to be able to go home and say, I saw Christ tonight, and share it with everyone.” One great thing that he said was this, “To know God is not an intellectual knowledge, it is something you experience. Christ is not a character, like Napoleon or other historical figures. Christ is a person. Even though you can talk about Napoleon to people, if you ever said, ‘I talked with Napoleon last night’, people would think you are crazy.” He made so many good points! Another good point that he made was this, that often the term “baptism in the spirit” is thought to be made up by a religious group, when really Christ instituted it as it can be seen in Acts 1:5. Also that baptism in the spirit is not a new baptism, simply a rekindling of our first one.
He also gave the homily for mass, and that was awesome too. He said that the point he wanted to bring across was joy. He said that in the world when you think of happiness and sorrow, happiness comes first. It is always the high that leads to the let down. With Christ though, it is the opposite. Suffering brings eternal redemption, that is why Good Friday is first and Easter is second. He said that in Italy the cold of November and March is the same, but for some reason he can stand the cold of November. It is because, he continued, that the cold of March brings the hope of spring whereas the cold of November brings the prospect of more cold.
Like I said, I wish I could remember everything he said. But I hope I was able to bless you through a few of the words of this holy man of God. I was so glad I decided to give my night so that God could give me such a huge blessing. God bless!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Few Little Things
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
First of all, happy mother's day to all of you mothers out there. We can all honestly say we wouldn't be where we are today without you :) I hope you are all abundantly blessed on this day.
A few days ago my family and I went into Lafayette for my mom to have a D and C, the doctor said it was mandatory so that she wouldn't run the risk of hemorrhaging to death again. My mom's surgery went perfectly, and now she is recovering and off of bed rest. I do ask all of you to pray for her healing, we don't know what the matter is but God does, so please send prayers our way. My mom is such a strong woman of God, and I admire how well she has handled this situation.
We had already planned to go into Lafayette for my cousin's first communion and so my siblings and I attended. It was a beautiful mass. There were so many children receiving the beautiful sacrament of Jesus' presence that day. For my first communion I was all alone, so I didn't have a church jammed full of people. But for theirs the church was absolutely packed. My cousins read the prayers of the faithful in mass and I was really blessed to be there. The priest gave a great homily. His name is Father Blessing, which I think is a great name for a priest! He told a funny story that I want to share. He said that he was shopping at a local grocery store and a woman came up to him. She said,
"I think I know you from some where."
He said she couldn't guess and so she said,
"Give me a hint."
He replied,
"Mass?"
She said,
"No, that's not it."
He laughed and let her continue to guess for a little while. He finally said,
"At church on Sunday?"
She said,
"Oh yeah! I didn't recognize you with your normal clothes on."
He said that was a good analogy for us and God. Sometimes we don't recognize God in our everyday lives, even though he is always there. I liked that a lot, partially because that is one thing my blog is dedicated to, recognizing Him every day. So, I was blessed by that and decided to share it with you all.
Have a blessed weekend everyone!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
First of all, happy mother's day to all of you mothers out there. We can all honestly say we wouldn't be where we are today without you :) I hope you are all abundantly blessed on this day.
A few days ago my family and I went into Lafayette for my mom to have a D and C, the doctor said it was mandatory so that she wouldn't run the risk of hemorrhaging to death again. My mom's surgery went perfectly, and now she is recovering and off of bed rest. I do ask all of you to pray for her healing, we don't know what the matter is but God does, so please send prayers our way. My mom is such a strong woman of God, and I admire how well she has handled this situation.
We had already planned to go into Lafayette for my cousin's first communion and so my siblings and I attended. It was a beautiful mass. There were so many children receiving the beautiful sacrament of Jesus' presence that day. For my first communion I was all alone, so I didn't have a church jammed full of people. But for theirs the church was absolutely packed. My cousins read the prayers of the faithful in mass and I was really blessed to be there. The priest gave a great homily. His name is Father Blessing, which I think is a great name for a priest! He told a funny story that I want to share. He said that he was shopping at a local grocery store and a woman came up to him. She said,
"I think I know you from some where."
He said she couldn't guess and so she said,
"Give me a hint."
He replied,
"Mass?"
She said,
"No, that's not it."
He laughed and let her continue to guess for a little while. He finally said,
"At church on Sunday?"
She said,
"Oh yeah! I didn't recognize you with your normal clothes on."
He said that was a good analogy for us and God. Sometimes we don't recognize God in our everyday lives, even though he is always there. I liked that a lot, partially because that is one thing my blog is dedicated to, recognizing Him every day. So, I was blessed by that and decided to share it with you all.
Have a blessed weekend everyone!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
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