"Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things." - Matthew 6:33

I'm sure I've sent this verse before - it's one of my all-time favorites - but I thought it was really fitting for this week. I know a lot of people, myself included, are in the middle of finals week, and during this time it can be really easy to get completely absorbed in what we're doing. This to an extent, is a good thing. We should focus on studying, we should try to do our best, etc. However, this can get taken a little too far in that we forget that this isn't everything. Yes, they are important tests and we need to do our best, but in the end it really doesn't matter how we did on a couple tests. It all will work out in the end even though it might not seem like it right now. This goes beyond finals as well. How often do we get completely wrapped up in whatever is going on in our life, good or bad, that we forget to pray? This verse helps to remind us that we should put our relationship with God and our journey to the Kingdom before all else in our lives. If we do this, then God will provide everything else we need. He will help us with our tests or whatever it is we are dealing with in the moment. Ultimately, God provides. Put Him first and allow Him to provide for you. He loves you. 

The quote for this week comes from Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati: 

"To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing."

Have an awesome week! :) God bless! 

"Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him." - 1 Chronicles 16:11

I think this is a great verse for the beginning of Advent. Although it can be hard to tell with the commercialized way Christmas has become in our society, these four weeks leading up to the celebration of Christ's birth are such a sacred time and can be such a blessing to us if we truly enter into them. It is distracting in our culture, with stores start putting up Christmas stuff sometimes as early as Halloween and the constant commercials. But Advent is not a time to pretend it is Christmas already... In fact, it is here for a very specific purpose. Although society is trying to forget this, the real meaning of Christmas is the fact that the God who created the universe and created you and me became a real human being, came down to earth, and made it so that we can live forever! That is something to truly rejoice about!! But it is also something that needs to be prepared for. And I don't mean preparation in the sense of shopping, but rather in the sense of our hearts. Yesterday at Mass, father said that "everything worthwhile requires preparation." And I think this is completely true. To do well on a test, you study. And the same is true for this season of Advent. It is a time for us to prepare our hearts to receive the Lord of lords. As this verse says, it is time to search for the Lord and His strength. It is a time to remove all those things in our life that are distracting us. I challenge you to take advantage of this time of preparation. Take some time to make the way for the Lord in your heart. Spend time with Him. He delights in you. 

Today's saint quote comes from St. Alphonsus Liguori: 

"But one thing is necessary, and it is not beauty, not health, not talent. It is the salvation of our immortal souls." 

Have a fantastic week filled with the Lord's peace! God bless you!