Is what you’re doing today getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow? There are small things you can do today, this week, this month, to get yourself steps closer to reaching your goals, whatever those goals may be.
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4/16/2020 0 Comments what is eucharistic adoration?The Eucharist, aka the Communion Host we receive at Mass, aka Jesus, is on display in a beautiful golden cross we call a monstrance. From the Latin word 'mostrare' meaning 'to show', the monstrance holds Jesus so that we can pray while looking at Jesus, and we can listen while Jesus looks back at us.
Adoration of the Eucharist, or Eucharistic Adoration, usually begins and ends with a prayerful Latin hymn. We are invited to kneel during these sung prayers as we are reminded of Jesus’ presence there with us in the visible form of the Communion Host. Many students use Adoration as a time to talk to Jesus face to face, to pray for loved ones, to ask Jesus questions, to journal, to read more about Jesus’ life and ministry as shared in the Bible, and to find peace in the silence. Typically, Campus Ministry at the Mount is offered every Thursday from 3:30-5pm in the DC Chapel. We welcome you to join us for this beautiful and simple time to adore Christ and visit Him. If you’d like to try Eucharistic Adoration during this time at home, many parish churches offer live-streamed Eucharistic Adoration. Check your home parish to see if they offer this online! Earth’s saddest day, the death of Jesus on the Cross, is remembered every year on Good Friday. But why is Earth’s saddest day referred to as Good Friday, if that Friday was, in fact, not so good? Without Jesus’ crucifixion, the saddest day on Earth, Earth never would have experienced it’s gladdest day: the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Good Friday is good, then, because those moments of crucifixion are what led up to Jesus’ Resurrection and defeat of death.
Good Friday is a somber day- one to remember Jesus’ sacrifice made out of love for us. Take the time this Good Friday to reflect on Jesus’ example of love. His love for us is so strong that He accepted His Good Friday to provide us with our Easter Sunday. 3/30/2020 0 Comments Let's be kind to each other.Don’t let stress or worry steal your kindness. #continueactsofkindnessJesus tells us: “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). What could be more suitable to a time like this than a reminder to love each other with that same heart that Jesus chose to love us with. His heart is slow to anger, rick in kindness, loving, forgiving, and giving. The stress and anxiety caused by these weird last few weeks, and the next few, will provide us with a choice: either respond with frustration and a bitter attitude, or respond with love and kindness. In a time where almost every person is strained and stressed, we can choose to be a kind conversation in a person’s day- a reminder that despite the circumstances, we can still love one another.
A few weeks ago, the School of Nursing promoted Random Acts of Kindness Week. That week, students and the Mount community were encouraged to go out of their way to be kind to each other. I encourage you over the next few weeks to make the conscious effort to continue acts of kindness and love, wherever you are. 3/27/2020 0 Comments HAPPY FRIDAYSo it’s the first official week since classes have been moved online for the rest of the semester at the Mount. How did it go? Better than expected? Maybe a little more stressful than you thought? Or a little less? This week was a tough one. And there’s still time to adjust. But guess what: you made it to Friday. And although this Friday is different from the many Fridays you’ve spent out with friends, you can still celebrate the end of the class/work week and the beginning of the weekend. Get dressed up (or change out of the sweatpants you’ve worn for the last 3 days and into something you’d normally wear out). FaceTime your friends during dinner, eat a bowl of Ben and Jerry’s for dessert, throw a dance party for yourself in your room...do something celebratory for the beginning of the weekend.
This will help separate the work week from the weekend even though we can’t separate ourselves completely from where we do our homework, and where we can take a deep breath and relax after getting through a weird week. Happy Friday, fam. 3/26/2020 0 Comments Virtual bible studyOur Campus Ministry at the Mount offers a uniquely student-led Bible study. When class is in session on campus, students meet in Campus Ministry once a week to open up scripture and discuss relatable events and parts of Jesus’ life and ministry. Focusing on stories that are relatable allows us to more easily make a connection with Jesus as both God and as a man. As Bible study progresses each week, students have the chance to build that connection and understanding through the lens of another student’s walk with Jesus in scripture. This unique experience of a student-led Bible study demonstrates in a tangible way what a daily walk with Jesus as a young adult in college can look like, ie. reading through scripture with a group of friends and discussing what seems most relevant to present-day.
As classes have recently been moved online for the remainder of the semester, this student-led study wants to make sure that you still have the option to drop in for Bible study each week. Bible study has been moved online, but is still structured in the same way. Students lead the study, using relevant points in scripture to help make the time together the most fruitful and to learn together what God could be sharing with the group. Bible study lasts less than an hour, and students have said that they never leave Bible study each week without having learned at least one new thing. If you’re looking for a time to connect with Jesus and some friends, or if you have questions and would like to learn more, virtual Bible study is a great place to do that. If you need some socialization with some Mount fam, Thursday nights at 7pm is your moment! The link for Bible study is sent out each week to MSMC students via email. Join for one week, two weeks, or all of them, and I can promise that you won’t be disappointed with this unique opportunity to learn more about Jesus through scripture with your Mount family. 3/23/2020 0 Comments IN THIS TIME OF UNCERTAINTY.It is easy to allow anxiety, fear, and unease to creep their way in and take over our calm, hope, and peace. Change is always hard, especially when we don’t get to make the choices to change, and someone else makes those decisions for us. And yet, we must remember that our lives are less about comfort and more about stepping out of our comfort zones. Although you would typically spend a March day like today in class with your friends, try to look at the discomfort of your spot at the end of the kitchen table with your laptop and textbooks as an opportunity to learn about and take care of yourself. Replace the discomfort of online learning with the comfort of wearing your favorite pajama pants to “class”. Replace your comfortable workout routine at Kaplan with a workout routine at home with pets to hop on your back during the last set of pushups. Switch up your after-class activities from club e-board meetings to meeting a good book on the couch where you can finally learn more about that hobby you’ve been meaning to pick up.
Let’s use this time of discomfort to learn more about ourselves, to take care of our needs, and to resettle our unsettledness as we shift our approach to this time into one that is opportunistic, positive, and hopeful. |
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