Mary's Fiat

A blog post by Chelsea Graham, Fall 2011

I’m sure many of you were expecting posts about the Rome and Assisi pilgrimage, and that is what I thought I would be writing about too, but I changed my mind!

Before we had to be in Rome, we had a few days to travel on our own, and it has been tradition for my household to go to Loreto, where the Holy House of Mary is now. I was excited to spend time with my household, but at the same time I really just wanted to get to Rome and not have to deal with all the trains to get to Loreto and then to Rome. But I put on a smiling face and got on the train to get to Loreto.  

Well, naturally, everything did not go as smoothly as we had hoped for.  Getting there was way more complicated than it needed to be. Train schedules got all messed up, we had complications with our Eurail passes, and we really thought we would never get there.  Eventually, we did, but only for about a half hour. After twenty hours of riding on trains, sitting in train stations, etc., we finally arrived in Loreto…and our train to Rome left in an hour and half. The Holy House is quite a hike from the train station, so like I said before, we really only had a half hour at the Holy House.

Well, even though it was just a half hour, the trip was so worth it. Walking into the house where Mary said “yes,” where she gave her life to God without questioning, and where she conceived Christ! I prayed in the same room where Our Lady prayed!

After spending our half an hour there and almost missing our train (we literally had to run to catch it)  I was sitting on the train really thinking about Mary’s fiat.

And as Christmas is drawing nearer (just over a month away, not that I’m counting down the days or anything…) it seems like the perfect topic.  So many people pass through the Christmas season without really even thinking of Mary’s yes. Most of us, hopefully, recognize the true “reason for the season” but how many of us think about what leads up to the birth of Christ? We celebrate the Annunciation, but why not the excitement of the pregnancy all throughout it? When you hear a friend is pregnant, do you congratulate her and then never ask questions, see how she is doing, etc., until the child is born? By now Mary (thousands of yeas ago) would be about 35 weeks pregnant! She could probably feel Christ kicking her! She is going to be so obviously pregnant to everyone that sees her, and she’s probably going through a lot of persecution.   Mary’s fiat wasn’t just in accepting Christ into her womb on March 25th, it was for the length of her pregnancy, and her whole life after that!

I’m not saying we should take away from the attention leading up to the birth of Christ and put it on Mary, but just take a minute and ponder it deeply. Think about the fullness of Mary’s yes. Would you be willing to say yes as she did? Is Christ calling you to do more? As the Advent season starts in just a few days, I hope and pray that you let Christ into your life, just as Mary did.

Luke 1:38, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”

Pope Kiss

Last week in Rome during the Papal Audience--which was luckily outside--our son Narek Michael was kissed by the Pope on his exit from St. Peter's square.  It was as if the Pope kissed each one of the students through him.  So far we are three for three, having all three of our boys kissed by Pope Benedict in Rome!  Lucky parents we are indeed!

A Language of Love: Lourdes (Part 2)

 A blog post by Leanna Praetzel, Fall 2011

She spoke Spanish.  They spoke French.  She spoke Italian, and I spoke English.  In training we were told that, in the service of the baths, the language barrier between workers was not really a barrier at all.  “The Holy Spirit takes care of it,” our advisors told us.  Cool! I thought; we’re going to be able to interpret tongues!  Not quite… 

 Day 5:  I had learned a few words in German and had taken a few years of Spanish, but not even my entire lifetime of English-speaking prepared me for the communication needed for the job at hand.  What I realized was that the language we were called to speak in was not one of words, but one of actions.  I began to pick up the classic pointing-and-nodding method, along with the “universal language of Lourdes”—a smile.  Soon I realized how astronomically effective these techniques were!  The quote by St. Francis I had so often heard of yet overlooked was actually coming to life: “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”

 Day 6:  Wednesday morning was full of adventure.  If getting the lights turned off on me in the shower wasn’t adventuresome enough (still wondering why Europeans put the light switch on the outside of the door…), than getting stuck in an elevator packed aside one English-speaker and a dozen or so rowdy Frenchman definitely was!  Later on in the day I got to pray before holy relics, befriend people from other countries, and meet St. Bernadette’s great-great nephew.  (What a striking resemblance!)

 Day 7:  I went inside “the grotto” on Thursday—the same one Mary appeared to Bernadette in.  It was amazing to touch the inside of the mountain, the rock being extremely smooth from the feeling of countless hands.  I brought a candle in with me and attempted to light it off the grotto’s beautiful candle arrangement in honor of my siblings’ birthdays (shout out to Robby and Christina—HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!), but once again I got scolded at in French.   (I was, however, after exiting the grotto, able to light the candle and place it among others.)

 Day 8:  Our last day at Lourdes?  Already?  I said my three Hail Mary prayers at the statue of the “Crowned Virgin”, a tradition that will supposedly bring me back to Lourdes, and recited a few more in the hopes that family and friends might join me in my return.  (Who’s up for it?!)  That evening, when the group I was going to travel with discovered that we missed our train (by an hour!), I got very excited—Maybe we can stay in Lourdes forever! I thought.  I had solidified friendships, had been inspired by faith, and had learned the language of love.  How could I ever leave?  Alas, the perfect train showed up and I was forced to recall the words of an Italian woman I had met:  “Take Lourdes with you in your heart.”

 Day 9:  We arrived back in Paris, but since we weren’t due to depart for Gaming until the evening, I went with a couple other people to visit the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette.  Some snacks and a three-hour train ride later, I found myself gazing upon a spectacular miracle: the body of St. Bernadette, completely intact.  Although our stay was cut short by a closing for lunchtime, the trip was completely worthwhile.  Not only did I get to see Bernadette, but I also like to say that I received a gift from her.  Right next to my things I was gathering on my way out, I noticed a medal of St. Padre Pio.  Only hours earlier had I resolved to concentrate my life on Padre Pio’s saying: “Pray, and don’t worry.”

 Day 10:  That was something I realized when looking back on the week—not once did I worry.  Not once.  This is monumental for me, especially when there are so many things to do and such a small amount of time to do them in.  It felt wonderful to be anxiety-free, a quality I prayed would continue to stay with me after my leave.  I also knew that I would want to keep close to me the new language of love that I had learned… something so simple, yet so powerful.

On the way back I pondered these things, laughed with new friends, and got creamed in a game or two of Rummy—slowly changing into a new person all the while.

Adventures in the Holy Land

Over the fall 10 day break, there was an unofficial trip to the Holy Land with 25 students participating.  Moving along at lightning speed, we visited many of the main shrines as we journeyed on pilgrimage by bus.  Our tour guide, Iyad, a palestinian Catholic, also ameliorated our experience by providing a rich historical and cultural backdrop to the tense political situation.

We could write for weeks, reflecting on our experience, but for now, a picture of our group is below.

Kartause Peace

A blog post by Chelsea Graham, Fall 2011

This past week has been a pretty busy week! With students’ parents arriving, planning trips, talks, talent shows, and classes on top of all that, it seems like I didn’t get a second to sit back and think!

Earlier this week Matthew Kelley came to Gaming and gave a talk about our upcoming pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. During his talk he spoke a bit about his time here in Gaming and what he said really struck me. During his time here he didn’t travel every weekend, and he didn’t try and see as many places as he could throughout the semester; he was content with staying at the Kartause. After traveling for 10- day and other weekend excursions, I can understand why. Always being on the move or planning your next trip is exhausting. It’s hard to settle down at the Kartause, because you know you’re just going to leave in a few days for another trip. And in doing all that traveling, I barely get to appreciate the place that I am so blessed to be able to call my home for the semester.

During one of my first philosophy classes of the semester, my professor told us that the Kartause is the perfect place for solitude, recollection and to find who we really are. At the time I didn’t really understand what she meant, but now I couldn’t agree more. Even with all the students around, and the Kartause kids laughing and playing outside, the Kartause seems like one of the most peaceful places. I don’t know if its because after traveling and staying in hostels, it’s nice to be somewhere familiar, or its because we are surrounded with God’s beauty everywhere we look, or just because of the spiritual “vibes” the Kartause emanates. Whatever it is, it’s amazing, but I haven’t taken full advantage of it. Even after knowing this, I am planning trips and running off to other parts of Europe, and as Matthew Kelley said, I have a feeling I’m going to regret it in the future— later the place I’ll miss most will be Gaming, not another part of Europe.

We do this throughout our whole lives, instead of enjoying where we are at in our jobs, relationships (with God, friends, and significant others). We need to know what’s next, what is going to happen, or we move too fast to see any of it happen. I’m challenging all you readers out there to stop, take a deep breath and look at the beauty and blessings around you.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Matthew Kelley’s book, Rhythm of Life: “Slow down. Breathe deeply. Reflect deeply. Pray deeply. Live deeply. Otherwise you will spend your life feeling like a bulldozer chasing butterflies or a sparrow in a hurricane.” 

Taking the Plunge: Lourdes (Part 1)

A blog post by Leanna Praetzel, Fall 2011

I wasn’t going to Lourdes.  And then I changed my mind.

The clock was winding down, and only a few hours remained before the application packet was due.  I still needed money, information, and paperwork, plus I had to hunt down the person in charge.  In the blink of an eye, it was taken care of, and I was stepping off the overnight train and into the country of France.  Just like that.

Day 1:  Upon arriving in Paris, a friend and I thought it would be fun to walk around the streets sticking our noses up in the air to “blend in” with the arrogant French stereotype… Turns out we were the only ones.  But at least we kept ourselves occupied while some people in my group tried to figure things out; supposedly the trains were booked, and it was impossible for us to get to Lourdes.  But I knew that if God wanted us to get to Lourdes, we’d find a way.

And we did!  We ended up having to get a few different types of tickets (splitting our group up a bit), but at least we were all going to end up in the same place!  My ticket was for a train leaving that evening… which meant, for the remainder of the day, Paris was calling!  I stayed with a buddy and together we climbed the Eiffel Tower!  We tackled those stairs, even with all of our luggage for the 10-day break.  I decided it would be very fitting to sing that song from Mulan (“Let’s get down to business…!”) to keep me motivated as well as keep things interesting.  It worked!  With a lively step and a lack of breath, we reached the “second floor” (about halfway up… but still very high)!  The view was beautiful, although, alas, we have no picture proof (both my camera and my iPod died, boo-hoo)!

Day 2:  Another overnight train later and I was in Lourdes!  Many adventures took place including a delicious visit to the local pastry shop, and a lady kicking me out of McDonald’s for no apparent reason (I never knew what I did wrong because I don’t know a lick of French)!  Our leaders hadn’t arrived in town yet, so I didn’t discover the heart of Lourdes until…

Day 3:  International Mass in a giant underground Basilica?  What?  I thought there would be a couple helpers and some pilgrims at Lourdes!  What a surprise it was when a gargantuan Church hidden beneath our shoes was packed with people from all over the world, armed and ready for Mass!  I got to go on the altar with other Frannies to lead the crowd in the “Our Father”.   It was amazing!

Later on in the day, we got assigned our stations for the week.  I was told that I would be serving in the baths—the miraculous waters (from the same spring Bernadette dug years ago) that people come from all over the world to wash in!  I went from being a study-abroad student to being a privileged servant in Catholic Disneyland.  God picked me up from Gaming, set me down Lourdes, and plunged me right in.

Day 4:  Monday morning we went on a tour of different places St. Bernadette lived.  It was quite fantastic; I felt like I was walking in her shoes!  Then, I, along with nine other Franciscan girls, proceeded to the “Piscines” (the Baths) wearing our nurse-like outfits.  After praying the rosary with the other women serving that day, we first-timers were split up into different baths where we would remain for the entire shift.  Then, at 2:00pm, the curtain was opened and women of all different nationalities poured in.

The very first woman I helped left me in tears (although she probably didn’t know it).  The love in her face, the determination in her eyes…  All I could think about was the magnitude of her faith.  This woman had traveled the distance and gone through only Lord knows what to reach that moment in time.  And now she was there, humbly praying before Jesus and his Mother, while stepping into the icy water.  She was seemingly unaware of its bitter coldness, and even of the fact that I was still in the room.  For the rest of my shift, and for each and every woman present, I was struck by the faith that shone before me, a faith that was visible in the form of actual human beings.  My first day serving in the baths and I was already full to the brim! 

That evening, my voice echoed throughout all of Lourdes as I was honored to introduce the First Luminous Mystery at the “Torchlight Procession.”  What a wonderful gift, and to see from a stage hundreds of candle flames poking through the night’s falling darkness!  I felt like the entire world was in front of me, and I knew that there was no place on Earth I would have rather been.

To be continued…