"No more black and white. Life's too colorful!"

"No more black and white. Life's too colorful!" (song-lyrics--Silent by Tori Kelly)

I write this post with you in mourning, mourning for the pride that surrounds so many of our hearts.
Not only is pride the root of all sin, but it is the beginning and the end of the fall...the hardest of sins to let Christ conquer. 


I must share with you a part of me that had to come into the light to start to be redeemed. One thing that is so very easy for me to get caught up in is transforming my mind. I want knowledge of Christ. About a year ago, it was really to a more extreme point, but a few months ago I had these really bold things brought to my attention. This desire to learn was so good to have, and it didn't seem like it was a bad thing, but this wanting to know more spiritually got me stuck in my head. I am a thinker. Men and women can both get caught up in this, but women naturally tend to think...a lot. Wanting a transformation of mind, I forgot the true authentic transformation of heart that needed to take place. Yes, intellect is important, but it is not thinking that will get us to Heaven, it is Loving that will get us to Heaven. I thought that to know Christ I must learn about him through my intellect. This is such a source of pride for so many Christians. This quickly diminished the childlike faith that I was meant to have. My faith had been brought from heart to mind, diminishing the tranformation of heart more and more. This transition to wanting to know more, wanting to understand, leads to a lack of love and trust in heart. The transformation of our hearts is ALL that matters. 

Let me repeat: The desire of wanting knowledge of Christ is SO good, but that knowledge of Christ will come from He and Mary teaching your heart how to be stripped rather than an extreme focus on documents and doctrine.

A serious question that we can ask ourselves is: Do profound words or words of sincerity strike me more? When I read or hear someone say something profound and intelligent, is my heart stricken more than if I read or hear someone say something of true sincerity? If so, this is disordered.
To have intelligent and profound words mean absolutely nothing if it does not come straight from the heart. The words that come from the heart of a man are to be cherished much much more than the words that come from the brain of a man.

If we are stuck in our intellects, how can we possibly let Mary teach us how to be tender? There is no room or time for pride. Allow your heart to burn and be stripped, even if it has to be done so slowly. I can tell you; I am weak. It takes me much time to receive and to give with sincerity but we must strive to do just that.

I numb myself. It's become a habit for so many of us, but the saints knew how to desire and desire and desire all over again. Whatever the emotion in our hearts, I pray that we stop trying to numb them and start letting our hearts both ache and praise and love in tenderness. It's so easy to think about God. To spend time in the chapel thinking, but how often do we go in loving and letting our hearts beat hard in our chest. That heart beat will reach the Heavens. To know God isn't to think about God but to love Him and meet His heart.

It's thought that to be spiritually mature is to be reserved, in control, and intelligent. Sometimes that may be necessary, but do not forget the love of a child that Jesus says we must have. I can promise you that when I am most free is when I am like a child. Spiritual maturity is to be most free to love. When I am loving most is when I stop thinking so much and start letting go. Christ and Mary like to take over for us when we begin to let go. Do everything in love and you will not have to worry about pride. If you are stuck right now, you are not alone. Mary will break down the walls of pride surrounding your heart. 

Reflect on what it means to be childlike. Reflect on the Child Jesus! Innocent, playful, loving. I believe that if Mary and Jesus would have had snow, they would have been the first to throw snowballs. When they went to the beach, they were the first to jump in the waves. They were filled with laughter with their friends, always smiling in sincerity and with such joy. They did not over think life, but loved life and the people around them... and they had a lot to come that they could have been thinking about. But they took each other by the hand and lived in joy. This. This is where Jesus wants our hearts. It will start with desiring what Christ desires, weeping for what Christ weeps for and falling in love with every soul that we encounter. Jesus, teach us how to weep! We are weak children. 
Having a childlike faith is not a virtue that decreases, but rather increases with maturity in the spiritual life.

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:4

"Please don't take yourself so seriously. Remember that you are but dust. Put that pride in your pocket." -Mother of Anne Marie Schmidt

"Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound." Jeremiah 14:17

"I have come that they might have life and have it to the full." John 10:10

The Eyes I See

Over the past month or so, I have fallen in love with the eyes I see. Not my eyes but the eyes of our savior. I've been moved over and over again when meditating on Christ's gaze. I’m quite blind when I think about it. Jesus knew how to see: how to see the internal. His eyes didn’t stop at the surface, but they pierced through to the depths. They pierced through to the beginning: to Genesis 1:27 “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created them…” This is how Jesus looked into the eyes of others, as a divine image, created for a cause beyond our comprehension. It's when we contemplate Christ's eyes that we begin to understand Theology of the Body.

My eyes have to strive daily to begin to see how Jesus sees. Praise God for the Spirit that works in us. 

The eyes I see never wavered. They never looked away when passing a stranger or someone alone and hurting. These eyes saw people suffering. Really Suffering. Every person that Christ saw drew Him in. Can you imagine being in the flesh and starring at those You created in Your image? Jesus did that. Creator starring those He created in the face. Jesus looked at every person he encountered yearning to be the shepherd of their heart. His eyes were always filled with mercy and compassion. I believe that Christ's eyes alone converted sinners. The Eyes I See transformed lives. 

The purest of eyes that ever existed.

These eyes cry out, “my heart breaks for you who are lonely, discouraged, and abandoned. The tired, the weak, and the worried. Look at me. Rest in Me. My mercy is endless. My eyes fill with tears for my children who do not see that I am their only fulfillment. I am here; let me in.”

He Loved being so near to us so much that He couldn't leave. Christ LOVED being tangible and staring us in the face SO much that He didn’t leave.

In adoration I felt Christ whisper, "I look out at you today just as I looked out at your brothers and sisters in Jerusalem..."

Uncomfortable? Good.

Uncomfortable? Good.

"You weren't made for comfort; you were made for greatness." Pope Benedict XVI

(As you read, remember that I am no expert. I write as someone in the midst of trials, and I pray that Christ uses the insight He gives me to work in you).

At a young age, you were taught to stay in school, do exceedingly well in high school, go to college, and study until you receive a degree for a well-paid job. Who cares if it’s something you love doing or not! You’ll get paid well…

 It’s something that our whole nation strives for: “comfort.” Goals and dreams are wonderful, but it’s prominent for you to ask yourself a few questions. “What is at the root of this dream of mine?” “Why do I have such goals that I cannot imagine falling short of?” “Is it because I want to make sure that I hold the reigns in my life, that I remain in control, that I never lose comfort?”

I don’t know about you, but quite often in my life, the answer to that third question is yes. If that’s the case, it is important to remember where we come from and Who is actually in control. Jesus didn’t walk through life looking for ways to make His next day a little easier. The sole purpose of His mission was to be united to God through prayer and bring lost souls to His Father. He woke up each day knowing what His future was: The Cross. Comfortable? Far from it.

We must have the same mission, and more often than not, it won’t bring warm and fuzzy feelings, but indeed it will bring us truth, freedom, and salvation.

Sometimes I put aside what God is really asking me to do so that I can do something a little more comfortable. One day in prayer, as I was trying to rationalize with God, I had many excuses.  He spoke to my little, restless heart, “Take up your cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) .BAM. Open ears. Scripture makes it a little harder to continue giving God “buts” and “what ifs.”

(Life isn’t easy)

It isn't comfortable to simply say grace at a table with your friends that haven't seen this side of you before. Christ said, “Whoever disowns me before others, I will deny before my Father.” Matthew 10:33. Bold, yes, but He will give you strength.

It's hard to politely ask your coworkers or peers to stop gossiping about one another, no matter how simple the comment may be. It would have been easier to participate in the conversation. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

It isn't comfortable to break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend because you've come to realize that he/she isn't defending your purity. There are still virtuous men and women of God who will fight to defend your soul. Don’t settle because it would be easier than a breakup. Seek Sainthood. “Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of its origins” (CCC 2336).

Forgiving someone over and over again is painful. It will make you feel quite low to continue loving through the pain. “Jesus, grant me the grace to desire that others may be loved more than I.”

You had a heck of a long day. Praying Night Prayer is the last thing you feel like doing, but you do it anyway. It isn't easy or comfortable, but it’s love. “From the love of my own comfort… Deliver me, O God.” –Audrey Assad

It's uncomfortable to recognize the areas that satan has a hold of in your life and to bring these into the light. It will bring about true humility, vulnerability, and freedom.

It is hard. Hard to let your heart break over and over again, but your heart must break to allow Christ in. Your heart must open to release your old habits. You must be vulnerable with the people you love and the people you hurt, with tears in front of a crowd, with the actions you just committed- if bad, seeking forgiveness. Vulnerability is self-surrendering. Remember… “When you pray ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ that means that your kingdom has to go.” –Mark Hart

Suffering is far from comfortable. I pray that you would be able to lay your suffering at the foot of the Cross and ask Christ to use it to atone for the souls in purgatory.

Suffering is the closest you'll ever be to the embrace of Christ crucified. Embrace of a Savior who wants to remove your faults, fears, and unclean desires. Surrender your reigns to Our Father. It's your only choice to find truth and freedom. It's your only option to find Love, Himself.

It's easy to conform to society and peers. It's comfortable, but it isn’t what you were made for. You’re capable of greatness because (and only because) of His grace.

Know that the closer you become to Jesus, the less hard these things become because your heart will start to mend to Jesus' heart. Jesus commands that you pray unceasingly. You’ll start to experience the Love that you were created for, before the Fall. His Cross is your Redemption to experiencing His Love and giving it to the world. The two most important commandments will start to seem much easier. 1. Love God above all. 2. Love your neighbor above yourself.

It takes sacrifice. It takes commitment, dedication, and a dying of self.

If anything on this Earth can give you the strength needed, it is Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist. He wants to mend His flesh to our own. He is our Savior, and we are His Body.

It’s all about LOVE.

Never stop seeking Sainthood. I can’t promise that it will be easy, but I can promise that it is worth it. I find more things that I need to work on everyday, but Christ is so good. He forgives, He gifts, and He calms my heart. Love will take you out of “self” and bring you to Other. May Christ always be the “Other” to your love; you will always be His “other.” In the beauty of this Divine Romance, Christ calls us to greatness. "Fall in love; stay in love, and it will decide everything." –Fr. Pedro Arrupe

Relic of The Lord

Hi, my name is Emily Laris, and I am a young adult. I pray that the Holy Spirit works through these blogs. Catholic believer and blogger, I am a sinner prostrated on the ground in awe of the Lord's Mercy for me. Living With Mary for Jesus, Welcome to my first blog: Relic of The Lord.

Picture taken from online Saint Anthony Church.

The second and third class relics of Saints are very much cherished by us, Catholics. Sometimes we go desperately searching for a teeny tiny second or even third class relic. If we can only see or take a picture of a first class relic, we are entirely satisfied! A quick explanation of the different classes of relics: a first class relic is an actual piece of a Saint's body, a second class relic is a piece of a Saint's clothing or possession, and a third class relic is a cloth that was touched to a first or second class relic. First class relics will be incased and are often gazed at. It's so very beautiful to reflect on the life of a Saint and to ask for his/her intercession, knowing that he or she is in Heaven praising Our Lord. In no way is wanting to see or have a relic a bad thing. It shows your genuine love for authenticity. I would just like to change this thinking a little...

Jesus Christ gives His Flesh to us to be adored in Adoration! Christ's Flesh! Not only this, He gives us His Flesh to eat of daily. Yes, daily. We believe that Christ offers us His Flesh in every Mass. A first class relic of Our Lord is granted to us so easily. If we truly believe that the Eucharist is Christ's flesh, we should go running to Mass. This Sacrament is the highest form of worship we will ever take part in. As Saint Maximillian Kolbe states, "If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion."

We ourselves are a first class relic of the Lord. WHAT!? Okay, I'll repeat it again. Each person who receives Holy Communion becomes a First Class Relic of Jesus Christ, True God. True Man. True Flesh. The Mass. 
As we receive Jesus Christ's flesh in the most beautiful Mass, He becomes a part of us. Does not our food make up our bodies? Jesus is placed on our tongue and travels down our body becoming a part of us. He doesn't only pass through us. He makes us whole, both spiritually and physically. 

"Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Jesus' body remains within us forever, making us a temple. In this sense, we should treat our bodies in a pure, loving, and responsible way. We are to give up the deadening worldly desires of this world, and we are given the strength to do so in the Mass. Most importantly, we should treat each other as Christ. Yes, we should treat mere strangers as if they are the living and breathing Jesus Christ...because they are.

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the least brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

Daily Mass is not far from you. Desperately search for Mass. Remain in awe of the Lord. Be entirely satisfied! Treat it as it deserves to be treated. 
"Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." -Fr, Pedro Arrupe, SJ