Blessings!

+JMJ+

            Welcome! As I begin ‘blogging’ for the first time. My friends suggested that I blog over the summer while I am interning at the Theology of the Body Institute in Exton, Pennsylvania which is right outside of Philadelphia. I think it’s a good idea so I can share this amazing gift I am receiving with all my loved ones! And it’s practical so I can keep in touch! I returned from Europe on Saturday evening and as I begin to process the reality that I am leaving tomorrow morning for Philly. I am trying to connect with my friends and family and tell them about my amazing experience in France, Spain, and Portugal!! So I would like to start with that! I am trying to meditate on all the beautiful places we visited and the simple beauty of the Catholic Church!

                                                            Basilica of Saint Therese

              First, I named this blog, All By Grace (ABG), because honestly, all of this is happening because the grace of God. I made it to SEMO four years ago and I attended Mass at the Newman Center and I traveled to Italy two years ago and Theology of the Body was introduced to me in 2009 and recently spent another two weeks in Europe. I am very lucky and it’s the grace of God which has led me to this day! It could have been anyone, but all by grace it’s me!

           

            And just for a little laugh: ...I seriously considered naming the blog....

            “Gaufre’s mama goes to Philly” and “TBS: Traumatic Blog Syndrome”

            Or my GUH Christine suggested “rambling.blogspot.com” Whoa. RUDE! ;)

            Secondly, spending two weeks in Europe with 32 wonderful people: complete enjoyment is an understatement! We left on Monday, May 23^rd from St. Louis! We flew into Paris and toured the city and visited small towns nearby such as Nevers and Lisieux. They were very quaint towns! And if I return to France, I will spend more time in both of those places. Nevers, France is where St. Bernadette entered the convent and where her beautiful incorrupt body is placed next to the sanctuary in the Chapel! Father Patrick celebrated Mass right next to her tomb!!!! It was an amazing space to be and an amazing experience to share with everyone. Learning more and more about St. Bernadette really has helped my faith! We ventured onto Normandy: May God bless our fearless men and woman in uniform and their families! If I make it back I would love to walk around the cemetery and see every name on each cross! Time didn’t allow this time. (Freedom ain’t free!), then onto Avila and Burgos in Spain, then onto Portugal.

             The visit we had in Fatima was very relaxing and full of surprises! The atmosphere was more prayer friendly and our hotel was very close to the Basilica. To be so close to where Our Lady brought the message of penance and that suffering can be beneficial for us and for others’ souls! The opportunity for Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; seeing the bullet which passed through Blessed Pope John Paul the Great, which was during an amazing tour of the museum. Many spiritual bombs were dropped during that hour tour. We moved on to the end of our trip in Lisbon, Portugal where our final evening was full of laughter, Fado music, and delicious food followed by our two-hour jam session in the hotel lobby with Father John Paul (the baby grand master!!). His talent on the piano allowed for a memorable night!

           
           Overall, something I took away from this pilgrimage was the importance of suffering in our earthly life. Listen to the Beauty of the Cross by Johnny Diaz! Jesus Christ suffered immensely for us and I am experiencing just a slice of the pie in my daily trials and tribulations. As Father Patrick tells us, “It could be worse!” “People of the Earth!” and that is true but understanding the importance in the suffering we experience day to day whether it’s small in say. St. Bernadette’s life on earth was full of persecution and she was sick most of her life which caused her body to be in much pain during her thirty years on earth. Now, the faithful can come, see, and venerate at the foot of her tomb. The promise God gives us is right there! She is beautiful and her body is incorrupt!! Her soul is in heaven and her body doesn’t look a day old from the time of her death! She looks as if she is taking a nap! And from this I can see that she went through a lot in her earthly life and it was painful and she is being rewarded in Heaven. It was just a real hit to my faith to see her! It shows the rewards of suffering and doing the will of God. When Mary appeared to St. Bernadette she said, I can’t promise you happiness in this life time but I can in the next. And Our Lady has kept that promise! It a grand sign of hope!!

            Lastly, at the beginning of the trip I had researched and I understood these were great places to visit and miracles have occurred but it didn’t soak in! It wasn’t until I saw St. Bernadette and then an evening at Lourdes down by the Grotto when no one was really there and be able to feel the miraculous water run down the rock of the Grotto. It was amazing, every single experience! Then, when we arrived in Fatima, Portugal where I really was smacked with the Holy Spirit and felt a sense of God not only in the knowledge of these places in my head but also in my heart. To feel Mary as my mother not just as Our Lady and to feel her love for us and her concern for souls with reading and understanding the story of Fatima, the request for penance and conversion! The experience of walking on my knees and experience the pain many pilgrims take part in, which the Fatima children and St. Bernadette chose to do many times throughout their lives. They knew there was a purpose for their pain. They experienced the joy after all the suffering. Once the joy is experienced, the painful journey is a blur. I think of the Gospel reading from Friday, June 3^rd, which was John 16:20-23. And Our Lady told the children to recite this prayer,

            “O Jesus, this is for love of you, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation of sins committed against of immaculate heart of Mary.”

           Our Lady of Fatima            

          A new friend, Joe Kelly, shared this with me, “You’re not okay, I’m not okay, but it’s going to be okay!”  and it really stuck on my heart! It is that hope we have that gets us through the hardest parts of our lives. The song Strong Enough by Matthew West comes to mind. Mary said she may not make us happy in this life but the glory of Heaven will make it all worth it! St. Bernadette, thank you for your example of perseverance! I really enjoyed the entire pilgrimage! Everyone on the trip was there for a reason and I think it shined when we all got to together for fellowship, a good ol’ game of freeze frame helps! Everyone brought their own joy to the group, which made each day count. The laughter was remarkable. I am having withdrawals and I catch myself smirking by myself, Oh Gaufre! 

          Thank you to my amazing friends who experienced this pilgrimage with me.

                         The group infront of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima

               Thank you to all my family and friends for your support thus far! XOXO! Enjoy the blog! Leave comments and most importantly, PRAY FOR ME! (Pro nobis!) This summer is truly a gift from God and I haven’t even made it to Philly yet! Also, my address this summer will be: Theology of the Body Institute 479 Thomas Jones Way, Suite 100 Exton, PA 19341

                                                          God Bless you!