A beautiful prayer for daily spiritual renewal

“O merciful God, fill our hearts, we pray, with the graces of your Holy Spirit; with love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Teach us to love those who hate us; to pray for those who despitefully use us; that we may be the children of your love, our Father, who makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. In adversity grant us grace to be patient; in prosperity keep us humble; may we guard the door of our lips; may we lightly esteem the pleasures of this world, and thirst after heavenly things; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayer of Anselm, 1033-1109 AD)

The Beauty of Literature

Good day! 

I'm currently in summer school at the Abbey as most of you know and I just wanted to let you in on a little tidbit of the joy that my imagination delights in through the gift of American literature. Imagine you are about to enter into a forest. You get out of your car or off your bike, walk up to the trailhead and upon a tree there rests a sign, crudely carved onto an old piece of driftwood. It reads: 

"Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs

No school of long experience, that the world 

Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen 

Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares, 

To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood

And view the haunts of nature. The calm shade

Shall bring a kindred calm, and the sweet breeze

That makes the green leaves dance, shall waft a balm

To thy sick heart. Though wilt find nothing here

Of all that pained thee in the haunts of men, 

And made thee loathe thy life. The primal curse

Fell, it is true, upon the unsinning earth, 

But not in vengance. God hath yoked to guilt

Her pale tormentor, Misery. Hence these shades

Are still the abode of gladness; the thick roof 

Of green and stirring branches is alive 

And musical with birds, that sing and sport

In wantonness of spirit; while below

The squirrel, with raised paws and form erect, 

Chirps merrily. Throngs of insects in the shade 

Try their thin wings and dance in the warm beam. 

That waked them into life. Even the green trees

Partake the deep contentment; as they bend 

To the soft winds, the sun from the blue sky 

Looks in and sheds a blessing on the scene. 

Scarce less the cleft-born wildflower seems to enjoy

Existence, than the winged plunderer

That sucks its sweets. The mossy rocks themselves, 

And the old and ponderous trunks of prostrate trees

That lead from knoll to knoll a causeway rude, 

Or bridge the sunken brook, and their dark roots, 

With all their roots upon them, twisting high, 

Breathe fixed tranquility. The rivulet

Sends forth glad sounds, and tripping o'er its bed

Of pebbly sands, or leaping down the rocks

Seems, with continuous laughter, to rejoice

In its own being. Softly tread the marge, 

Lest from her midway perch thou scare the wren

That dips her bill in water. The cool wind, 

That stirs the stream in play, shall come to thee, 

Like one that loves thee nor will let thee pass

Ungreeted, and shall give its light embrace.

Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood - William Cullen Bryant

If you had trouble reading it, go back and reread it. Read it according to the punctuation, not the line breaks. 

This poem brings me so much joy! Think of the rivulet (a small brook or stream) that "sends forth glad sounds, and tripping o'er its bed of pebbly sands, or leaping down the rock seems, with continuous laughter, to rejoice in its own being." WHOA! I spent last summer as a camp counselor and this poem takes me back to so many places and so many times when I sat upon rocks amidst the stream just listening to the river. God bless your day! I hope this poem brought you some peace or a much needed break from work. 

Matt

In Christ Alone

Hey all, 

I've been at summer school for about a week now and I wanted to take a quick second to reflect on what I've been thinking about for the past week. I learned there are a few very important things in life: friends, faith, fellowship, and fun. Friends and fellowship have occupied a lot of my time here during the first week and I really enjoy just hanging out with the guys. Finding a good group of friends is very beneficial to well being. During my first few years at college, a lot of my friends from high school came to me saying "Matt I like my school but I'm not having any fun because I can't find a good group of friends who share my same values and are fun to hang out with". I've been blessed with the gift of good friends. Friends I can hang out with, pray with, drink with, exercise with, etc. It's a true blessing. FAITH: I'm really attached to my relationship with Christ. Like everyone, I sometimes stray and I sometimes deny Him or forget to talk with Him, but He's always there, waiting. That's the biggest blessing in my life. Tomorrow, I get to receive the very flesh and blood of God. I think that's pretty amazing!!! The last F is for FUN! I've been having loads of fun this week in between looking for a job and going to class. I've been biking at the US National Whitewater Center, running, working out at the Y, playing basketball, reading classic American literature, watching Band of Brothers.. LOADS of fun stuff! What a blessing to have that freedom. Basically, God is good! I hope you can take the upcoming week to seize the day! Make a concrete plan and stick to it. I plan to finish reading Wild at Heart, run 3 miles twice this week, and find a job. Make some goals and execute them! God bless you and please pray for me as I will for you. 

Matt the disciple

Peace be with you

Thanksgiving

This post is in thanksgiving to all those who supported me on my Italian journey. I really really really appreciate all the prayers, donations, and love given to me over the past few months. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the ability to go on this life changing journey and for that I'm very grateful. 

Today I was taking a trip to Ace hardware to pick up some washers, the wrong ones I might add, and I thought about how wonderful life is. Especially mine! I have so many opportunities in everyday situations. You do too! Just look at the little things that we take for granted. First of all it was a gorgeous day outside to be power washing! So I got in my dad's Jeep and it started (some people's cars don't start, some people don't have cars). I turned on the radio (we live in a country where we can decide what we listen to and a large variety is provided for us) but I didn't like any of the music so I popped in a CD (what kinda crazy technology is it that a circular piece of plastic with a little groovy design can hold the music of our choice!!!). The roads were well maintained give or take a few small blemishes. The traffic lights function. I drove right next door to fill up the tank and gas wasn't outrageous. I also bought this gas with a little piece of plastic that knew it was me because of a little magnetic strip (again, crazy technology). I think you get the point. There is so much in life that we can be thankful for! From living in Cary, NC, I know that we kind of exist in a bubble where whatever we need is right at our fingertips and I think we sometimes take that for granted. I know I used to say "oh my gosh, Cary is so boring!" You can't do anything without paying a fortune ($9 movies) but that's just a pessimistic outlook. The other day I stopped by Bond Lake and realized I can go fishing for FREE!!! Right here in Cary, NC!!! I can go for a run in some of the best maintained parks around. I can ride my bike on the millions of sidewalks here, spend some time contemplating life at our many available Catholic churches (we aren't persecuted for our religion like China). WE ARE SO BLESSED!!! I guess I'm just kind of rambling now but I've made my point. Today, step outside and take a deep breath. Thank God for all He's provided you with! If it's hot, go outside, sweat a little, and then step right back into your air-conditioned home! If it's raining, get a little wet, then go dry off with a towel and enjoy the sound of the rain from under your roof. Enjoy life! Grab it by the horns and go for a ride. God bless your day!!! 

Peace be with you. 

Matt

New Direction

Hello Friends! 

I've decided to use this blog as a window into my life for you to look at. I find people really interesting and sometimes we can affect each other in such a profound way by simply telling each other our story. Hopefully you will find mine interesting enough to keep an open ear. God has given me many many gifts and I hope to actualize their potentiality. Maybe come along with me, offer me your input, tell me your story.

This morning I was given the opportunity to go to the most wonderful celebration. Mass! Besides God's beautiful mercy of saving us by His sacrifice, He decided to give us His body to sustain our weak and trembling flesh. The Gospel was about the importance of Jesus leaving the apostles so that the Advocate (Holy Spirit) could be sent down. Msgr. Tim suggested the importance of the Holy Spirit and how He can sometimes be the little brother of the Trinity. We focus a lot on the Father and the Son but do we ask the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God to intervene in our daily lives? What a blessing the Holy Spirit is! 

I just recently tested out the wonderful waters of creativity through iphoto. I made an official picture book to represent the essence of my recent journey. Loads of joyful pictures fill its pages with quotes interspersed throughout to show that I actually learned something over in Italy. It wasn't all fun and games... just mostly. The book should be here by Friday so hopefully I'll have it at the party on Saturday. 

Monday's gone and the week is in motion. Take advantage of the next four days to get something done and maybe ask Mary to guide you on your path. 

Peace be with you

Matt

Check this out

Hey everybody! 

I'm back in America and I'm having a great time at home! I recently received an email from a close friend with an interesting video. It highlights the importance of God's most precious gift, children. Today we are living in a small family culture. Let's get some big Catholic families out there! This video is only to show how important children are in one aspect, not to emphasize the message at the end. Although, evangelizing Muslims from the oppressive Islam is very important too. 

Thy Kingdom Come!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

One More Week

Dearest faithful blog followers, 

I will be returning to America in one week from today!!! I am very excited about seeing everyone and telling of my great adventures and wonderful new friends. I would like to tell you a little bit about the awesome time I had this past weekend in a little private village just outside of Florence. 

We were given the amazing opportunity to have a retreat and just an all around good time this past weekend in a little town on top of a hill in Tuscany and it was a delight. The town was ancient, with a castle, a really old church, and the house of a Baron. I will have pictures up pretty soon and you can see the sweet ancient foot and a half long pipe that I posed with (no I didn't smoke it). It was a real blessing to have a retreat here at the end of the ILS semester and I could reflect on everything I've learned here in Italy. Before I reflect, I'll tell you about the weekend. We stayed in a brick house with real fireplaces, mills, and detailed painted walls. It is where the Baron brings his friends to go for a weekend of hunting on their horses with hunting dogs, top hats, and whatnot. On day one, I met a wonderful Italian man named Enzo who lives there with his friend Daniella in a beautiful apartment with a view of the hills of Tuscany. (If anyone has seen "Under the Tuscan Sun", take the scenery in that... times 10) I really enjoyed it. I was invited up to his apartment for a glass of water. After 5 hours, 4 bottles of vino, lots of delicious chocolate, some artichoke hearts, a binocular view from the window all the members of the program, including Fr. Alfonso and Br. Nathaniel, had visited the apartment for good fellowship and conversation, and I knew how to understand and translate Italian. Enzo showed us his three BEAUTIFUL horses (cavalle) that were butterscotch colored with creme manes. They were gorgeous. That night, we all sat around the table and enjoyed a paella, homemade vino, and homemade limoncello. We all shared our gratitude about the program and much to my surprise, I ended up translating the convo into Italian for Enzo. It was a wonderful day!

Sunday, we had a mini retreat in which we meditated on Mary of Magdala's trip to the tomb of Jesus and how wonderful it is to have a great devotion to Mary, the mother of God. I urge all of you to take up a daily rosary and to increase your devotion to our blessed mother. We spoke of the need to Love, Obey and Imitate her... after all, we're supposed to imitate Christ, and how did he act towards Mary... with love, obedience and imitation. Consider Mary's charity at the wedding feast at Cana. She was a guest but she put herself in charge of making sure there was enough wine for everyone. That same charity is found in our Lord. I can't wait to tell you all about everything I learned about Catholic apologetics. Treasure your Catholic faith!!! 

I can't wait to see all of you when I get home! I'm having a party on May 23rd at 7PM @ my house. Let me know if you can make it by emailing me at matthewemerry@gmail.com. I love you! May the peace of Christ be with you!!!! Ciao