CNA Columns: Faith on the Quad

I Trust You

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Beth LeDuc

God, I don�t know what to write. I only want to be your instrument. I only want to write your words. Are you not speaking any to me? Is silence your message? If you want to use me as your instrument, then hurry up and do it because we both know I need to go to sleep.

All right then, I suppose I want to say a few things to you. I know you are aware that I am graduating in May. I also know that you have some exciting and fulfilling purpose for me. So, with knowledge of your good plan, my heart is working on convincing my mind to calm down and trust that you will lead me where you need me.

However, before my mind is completely convinced to adapt a holy indifference to your will, I want you to know a few things. I know you already know my dreams. But, please, don�t forget that I like adventures. I love to be creative. I so terribly want to travel the world. I am passionate about conquering the loneliness my generation is secretly suffering from. I�d like to be surrounded by moderate and down to earth people. I thrive in challenging environments, and my biggest fear regarding my future is living a mediocre life. Just want to make sure you remember these things. (Read more)

Working for peace, working for love

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Michelle Bauman

Earlier this month, U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It was a decision that stirred up a great deal of controversy and indignation from some who protested that the prize was undeserved. Some dissenters said that the President has merely issued empty promises, but he has failed to make any concrete progress in achieving peace.

In the midst of this debate, I looked up a list of past Nobel Peace Prize winners to identify some of the other individuals and organizations who had been deemed worthy of this distinction. One individual who caught my eye was the 1979 recipeint of the Nobel Prize. She was a less-controversial candidate and she had left a clear stamp on the effort for peace in the world:. She is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. 30 years ago, the Nobel Committee honored the work of this humble nun who labored without complaint in the streets of Calcutta. What did Mother Teresa do to help work for peace? She simply loved.

Love. Charity. It is a simple concept and the greatest of the virtues, but how often we forget its importance! It is the instruction of the Lord at the Last Supper: �Love one another as I have loved you,� (Jn. 15:12) and it continues to be His instruction to us today. Love makes all the difference in the world. (Read more)

Learning From Your Faults

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Beth LeDuc

This weekend I sinned, strayed, fell, whatever the name - I messed up. It was the kind of sin I feel more responsible for than any other. It was the kind I had been working on for months, making sacrifices for, and had been pleading for the grace to overcome. But, when the moment came to choose against the sin, all that preparation vanished from my mind and I chose what I knew was wrong. Later, I felt dumb, dumb, dumb.

I told myself that I had failed. In desperation, I went to the one I had offended and sat in sorrow. The weird thing is I wasn�t there to apologize for hurting Him. Instead, I went to tell Jesus what a horrible person I was. I wanted Him to know that I had failed. I sat there for a long while, beating myself up, asking how I could have allowed myself to fall again.

Eventually, I knew I needed to get back home, so I began to leave. As I neared the exit, a woman in the adoration chapel handed me a book. I faked a smile and thanked her. When I walked out into the fresh air and looked at her gift, my smile was no longer faux. The book was called How to Profit From Your Faults by Joseph Tissot, based on the writings of St. Francis de Sales. (Read more)

Trusting God�s Timing

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Michelle Bauman

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

I spent last spring studying abroad in Rome. It was a wonderful experience, and one that has continued to affect my life and the lives of my friends. Of course, the many great memories that accompanied life in a foreign country were mixed with the difficulties of language and culture discrepancies, obstacles that sometimes had to be overcome. (Read more)

God�s spoiled children

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Sean McPherson

While trudging along to a 5:00 p.m. theology class, I was exhausted. The whole week was draining from tests to late night study sessions and the classroom was the last place I wanted to be. The teacher began and I did my best to pay attention to the lecture � and to my surprise, the Old Testament, Biblical History class opened my eyes.

Throughout the Old Testament, God was always in favor of his people. No matter what the circumstances were, from the first Fall, to the Israelites� slavery in Egypt, God truly has always had what is best in mind for all of humanity. This crucial concept to the Judeo-Christian faith is something that is easy to forget, especially in the midst of stressful times, but it remains true nonetheless. It is faith that allows us to constantly remember that God has a plan, a perfect design of life, for each and every one of us. One must bring this faith to all aspects of life and continually praise and thank God for the times when his consolations are both transparent and foggy.

This being said, I think it is necessary to reflect on different times in your life when God guided you to exactly what you needed. Sometimes this is difficult because not everything has been revealed, but have faith and pray for the gift of wisdom to see the situation in the light of the Holy Spirit. In time, may it be months or years, through diligence to God�s will, the events in your life will be known to have a Divine Purpose. When you do have the eyes to see clearly the drive behind every event in your life, you will soon realize that you are constantly spoiled by God the Father. (Read more)

Advice to College Freshmen (and a good reminder for the rest of us!)

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Michelle Bauman

As the summer comes to a close, students across the country prepare to head back to school. For many, this means returning to a familiar campus, classes, and friends. But for the freshmen, it is the beginning of an exciting adventure into the unknown. After two years of college, my experiences and observations have given me some insight into the common obstacles that come with the adjustment to college. With this in mind, I would like to offer some advice to those beginning college, and some reminders for those of us who are returning students:

First, the basics. Make sure you stay healthy. College dorms are a petri dish where germs can thrive and sicknesses get passed around like a hot potato. As you make the transition to college, make a real effort to help yourself stay healthy. Eating right can be difficult in a dorm cafeteria, but it is worth the effort to avoid the dreaded "Freshman 15." So is exercising regularly even when your schedule is busy. Also, drink plenty of water, wash your hands often, and try to take a break from all the studying and socializing to get a good night�s sleep.

In addition, be prepared for the academic adjustment that comes with college. Classes are often taught differently than in high school, and it is essential that you attend all your classes, do the homework, and ask for help if you need it. Don�t get behind in your reading, because it can be very difficult to catch up. Remember that your education is the reason that you are at college. Your studies should be a priority. (Read more)

Trusting in Tough Love

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Beth LeDuc

I�d like to welcome new students to college. Many of you have experienced your first syllabus this month. Boxes are filling your dorm rooms, text books are being flown to you from all over the country, and you are experiencing your first college lecture. You have left some good friends, or perhaps they have left you, and you are being thrown into a new environment full of different faces and confusing places. As romantic as beginning college may have seemed, it is most likely not a peaceful experience.

Many freshmen, transfers, or even current students question whether they are supposed to be studying their particular college or university. This wonder comes from the anxiety a place may bring about in their hearts. I know many freshmen who are wary of beginning school in a large secular university and I can�t blame them. I started my college career at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln (UNL). Despite its solid Newman Center, I was still thrust into a world where my neighbors were living morally relativistic, loose lives, and it was advertised everywhere I went. This, I thought, could not be the right place for me. Our first reaction to such a situation is to flee. Some of you who are in this situation are already making plans to transfer. I must beg you to stop!

Others are beginning school at a small college. There may be a smaller amount of students enrolled there than at a large high school. This can be scary as well. I began to thrive on a big campus. Therefore, when I found myself wandering around a school where everyone knew my name it seemed terribly uncomfortable. Perhaps, you are yearning to join your friends at the nearest state university, wishing to get out of the small town atmosphere God has placed you in. Again, I implore you to reconsider! (Read more)

Frodo and The Lord of the� decisions?

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Sean McPherson

In life, we are constantly faced with challenges and decisions. How is it possible to know God�s Will when a choice can indelibly change the future? We can find some light on this subject by diving deep into the popular story of Frodo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien�s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

At the commencement of Frodo�s journey, he is nearly entirely at the mercy of Gandalf and Aragorn. Although they may ask his opinion, he will not make a choice with which they would disagree. It is very easy for Frodo to be in congruence with their wills because they are a near and ready source of protection, and they have strong, noble voices that reflect truth. As a Christian, one often feels as Frodo does. God seems near at hand and we can hear his omniscient voice clearly. This is the first step in making a grave decision, seeking the voice of God that is near at hand and asking for His good guidance. For a majority of decisions, when one is near God, the path is paved by the Holy Spirit. Our peace and confidence are easily upheld when we feel God guiding each step.

As Frodo travels, the voice of Gandalf is lost, and the decisions are left primarily to Aragorn. When the Fellowship reaches the point at which a serious decision must be made - whether to take the ring and fight a war in Minas Tirith or to destroy it in the lands of Mordor - Frodo has little guidance in the decision he must make. Thoughts of what Gandalf would want him to do, what will protect his dearest friends, and what is best for all of Middle-earth's inhabitants are racing through his mind. He eventually decides to simply go alone to Mordor, as he does not wish any of his company to face the darkness that awaits him there. His best friend Sam guesses Frodo�s decision and follows him to Mordor. (Read more)

Ignorance: Not an Excuse

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Michelle Bauman

Last August, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi caused a stir when she made some questionable statements on Meet the Press. Pelosi described herself as an �ardent, practicing Catholic,� and said that abortion is an issue that she has �studied for a long time.� She then went on to say that abortion is an �issue of controversy� in the Church, one that has never been definitively decided one way or the other.

This statement is blatantly false. The Church is very clear about her teachings on abortion. Furthermore, modern science supports the Church�s teachings that life begins at conception. There is really no room for differing opinions on this matter.

With Catholic leaders being so explicit in stating the Church�s long-held beliefs, one has to wonder whether Pelosi truly believes her claims that the Church is undecided on the issue. Of course, I am in no position to judge my fellow human being, but I do know that any Catholic who has studied the subject on either the scientific or theological level will find that both point towards the truth: human life begins at conception. (Read more)

Lessons from Manual Labor

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Sean McPherson

�The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.� (Gen. 2:15)

As the hot sun beat down on my neck and the sweat dripped from my brow, I put the umpteenth shovelful of dirt into a wheelbarrow. Over and over again I underwent the same process: dig, scoop, lift, and dump. This is just one of the many tasks of manual labor I take on every summer, along with mowing lawns, raking leaves, and sweeping up sand. At first I did these jobs around the neighborhood for some extra cash in my pocket. Little did I know these monotonous jobs would have an enormous and beneficial impact on my life.

My dad has always proclaimed that when I do something I dislike it will �build character.� This phrase has had a negative connotation to me until recently, when I discovered that my dad was actually correct. Waking up early on hot summer days and mowing grass was the last thing I envisioned doing during my summers, but it has truly developed my character as a whole. (Read more)