Novena in Honor of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Day Two

Day Two:

Jesus says: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Pier Giorgio responds: “Our life, in order to be Christian, has to be a continual renunciation, a continual sacrifice. But this is not difficult, if one thinks what these few years passed in suffering are, compared with eternal happiness where joy will have no measure or end, and where we shall have unimaginable peace.”

We pray: Blessed Pier Giorgio, teach me that I must be able to mourn if I will be able to rejoice. Show me how to face my sorrow, and not avoid it or pretend that it does not exist. Help me to enter into any present sorrow, so that my soul can empty itself and be filled with God’s peace.

Blessed Pier Giorgio, I ask for your intercession in obtaining from God, Who is our Consoler, all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare. I confidently turn to you for help in my present need: (mention your request.)

Litany of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati 

(for private devotion)

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

God our Father in heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

All the angels and saints, pray for us. 

Blessed Pier Giorgio, pray for us. 

Loving son and brother, pray for us. 

Support of family life, pray for us. 

Friend of the friendless, pray for us. 

Most Christian of companions, pray for us. 

Leader of youth, pray for us. 

Helper of those in need, pray for us. 

Teacher of charity, pray for us. 

Patron of the poor, pray for us. 

Comfort of the sick, pray for us. 

Athlete for God’s kingdom, pray for us. 

Conqueror of life’s mountains, pray for us. 

Defender of truth and virtue, pray for us. 

Opponent of every injustice, pray for us. 

Patriotic citizen of the nation, pray for us. 

Loyal son of the Church, pray for us. 

Devoted child of the Madonna, pray for us. 

Ardent adorer of the Eucharist, pray for us. 

Fervent student of the Scriptures, pray for us. 

Dedicated follower of St. Dominic, pray for us. 

Apostle of prayer and fasting, pray for us. 

Guide to a deep love for Jesus, pray for us. 

Diligent in work and study, pray for us. 

Joyful in all of life’s circumstances, pray for us. 

Strong in safeguarding chastity, pray for us. 

Silent in pain and suffering, pray for us. 

Faithful to the promises of Baptism,  pray for us. 

Model of humility, pray for us. 

Example of detachment, pray for us. 

Mirror of obedience, pray for us. 

Man of the Beatitudes, pray for us. 

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,  have mercy on us.

V.   Pray for us, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray:  Father, You gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati the joy of meeting Christ and of living his faith in service of the poor and the sick.  Through his intercession, may we, too, walk the path of the Beatitudes and follow the example of his generosity, spreading the spirit of the Gospel in 

society.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

IMPRIMATUR, November 2, 1994: 

+Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D.,  

Bishop of Beaumont, TX 

Novena in Honor of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Day One

Seeing as how I'm a huge Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati fan, I thought it would be great to do the novena on my blog again. The first time I did it was two years ago and, if I remember correctly, it was successful so why not do it again?

I'm going to be reading a couple of his books to review over the nine days as well so I can write something good on his actual feast day (July 4th). Side note: His feast day has a very significant to me in more than one way but I'll wait to share that on the actual day.

Special note: I will schedule the novena to go up at 4 a.m. PST every day though I won't be able to tweet or post the link on the Facebook page until much later. I am doing this so that my lovely Irish and UK friends/readers can do it as well (8 hour difference).

I owe a lot to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (i.e. graduating with the smallest loan possible after being told I needed to ask for a loan 10 times that amount) and I hope that he intercedes for those of you who do this novena as well. :)

Day One:

Jesus says:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Pier Giorgio responds:  “The faith given to me in Baptism surely suggests to me that of yourself you will do nothing; but if you have God as the center of all your actions, then you will reach the goal.”

We pray:  Blessed Pier Giorgio, teach me true poverty of spirit. Help me understand that God cares for me; and that He asks me, in return, to care for others, especially those in need. Guide me to make choices in my life which will show a preference for service of God and neighbor, rather than accumulating financial wealth and social advantage for myself.  Give me a special love for the poor and the sick. 

Blessed Pier Giorgio, I ask for your intercession in obtaining from God, Who is the Lover of the poor, all the 

graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare.  I confidently turn to you for help in my present need:  

(mention your request.)

Litany of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati 

(for private devotion)

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

God our Father in heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

All the angels and saints, pray for us. (Repeat after each invocation.)

Blessed Pier Giorgio, 

Loving son and brother, 

Support of family life, 

Friend of the friendless, 

Most Christian of companions, 

Leader of youth, 

Helper of those in need, 

Teacher of charity, 

Patron of the poor, 

Comfort of the sick, 

Athlete for God’s kingdom, 

Conqueror of life’s mountains, 

Defender of truth and virtue, 

Opponent of every injustice, 

Patriotic citizen of the nation, 

Loyal son of the Church, 

Devoted child of the Madonna, 

Ardent adorer of the Eucharist, 

Fervent student of the Scriptures, 

Dedicated follower of St. Dominic, 

Apostle of prayer and fasting, 

Guide to a deep love for Jesus, 

Diligent in work and study, 

Joyful in all of life’s circumstances, 

Strong in safeguarding chastity, 

Silent in pain and suffering, 

Faithful to the promises of Baptism,  

Model of humility, 

Example of detachment, 

Mirror of obedience, 

Man of the Beatitudes, 

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,  have mercy on us.

V.   Pray for us, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray:  Father, You gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati the joy of meeting Christ and of living his faith in service of the poor and the sick.  Through his intercession, may we, too, walk the path of the Beatitudes and follow the example of his generosity, spreading the spirit of the Gospel in 

society.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

IMPRIMATUR, November 2, 1994: 

+Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D.,  

Bishop of Beaumont, TX 

Remember to report any and all intercessions made by Bl. Pier Giorgio here as he's one miracle short of sainthood at the moment. :)

Anyway, no regular posts (unless it's something major) until the novena is done. I hope those of you who don't know who Bl. Pier Giorgio is will look into his life story (which is incredible).

I look forward to doing this novena with y'all for the next nine days. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

I Need to Learn How to Say "No."

Cary Grant is accurately telling my problem what it can do. (And for the record, I found this GIF on tumblr and, therefore, do not own it.)

I have a problem. I can't say "no" when someone asks me to do something for them. This would not be a problem if people didn't take advantage of this fact... and I'm noticing it happening more and more often. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

For as long as I can remember, I have been unable to say "no" when asked for a favor... unless it's illegal or immoral. My parents (and especially my mother) taught me to help others even if it means giving up some things. Usually this means that I have to let go of any selfish wants and think about how much the other person needs help with what it asked. Sometimes this causes me to spread myself very thin because so many people ask me for favors at the same time. My inability to say "no" can cause me stress because of this reason. 

While I don't mind helping people, some of them can become quite demanding and/or have gotten used to me doing their dirty work for them. In more extreme (and sad) cases, I've noticed that people have started to manipulate my feelings in order to get me to do what they want. This caused me to post a rant on Facebook which said: "I love guilt trips when I say I can't do something because I've very lightheaded and dizzy... and anxious. Please, make me feel like I'm a horrible person for not wanting to risk my life driving a car when I clearly cannot." When I realized how immature and snotty that sounded, I added: "Sorry for the rant. I love you guys but, seriously, I already feel bad enough that my anxiety is making me cancel plans and these guilt trips are not appreciated. Unless you have this darn condition, you don't understand how frustrating and debilitating this thing can be." I won't go into what caused this reaction but let's just say it's been accumulating over time.

Though some of my friends joke about it, I am not superwoman. I can't do everything for everyone all the time. When I am having a bad anxiety day (which is becoming more and more frequent, much to my annoyance), I have to cancel plans because I never know how long the anxiety will last. I am going through a lot of things in my private life (things that would surprise people) and all of that amps my anxiety... which makes it harder for me to make or keep plans. I can totally see where my friends and family come from when they get upset but I can also see that a lot of things that are asked me of are asked because they simply don't want to do it themselves.

Of course, my Facebook rant (despite it being childish on my part) has truth behind it. People have learned that they can easily guilt trip me into doing things... and they use this technique... quite often. They know that I immediately feel bad that I can't do something for them and they start playing what therapists would call the "victim card" to manipulate my feelings. When I realize that this happens, I get angry at both the person doing it and then at myself... followed by feelings of guilt for not doing it. It's an endless cycle in which I rarely "win." Today, as I drove (crying because I was having bad anxiety no less) to a meeting location (even though I had called the person ahead of time, telling them that I couldn't make it because it's never a good idea to drive while anxious and dizzy), I decided that it was time to change.

I don't want to stop helping people but I feel like I'm hurting myself for not learning how to say no. Not only that, I have to learn how to not let those guilt trips affect me as bad. I'm sensitive so it comes with the territory but I'm also tired of feeling bad. Like I said, I see where they come from but I've been told by both doctors and priests that I need to start taking care of myself. A confessor once told me that I've lived my life for others -- taking care of my parents, friends, strangers -- but that I neglect myself in the process. And he's right; I do. 

My new spiritual director told me that I need to start spending more time in front of the tabernacle (or the crucifix in front of my bed when I can't make it to church for some quiet solo time) because I need to let go negative feelings as well as to get a better understanding on what God wants me to do. If I want to beat this anxiety, I need to do this. I need to learn how to take care of myself so I can be of better use to God. To God I will never say "no" but to those who take advantage of me, I need to learn to be stronger.

Anyway, just wanted to share this because I have a feeling there are more people in this "can't say 'no'" boat than they want to admit.

I have the apartment to myself for a couple of hours so I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet... and spend some time in front of my crucifix since I really don't want to go out again until I have to pick up my mom from work.

I hope you all have a great, blessed weekend. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D






OH! P.S. I'm starting the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati novena again this Monday so if you want to join in, let me know. :D

I Really Don't Like Summer

On the first day of summer I want to admit that I really don't like summer. In fact, it's my least favorite season. I don't like the hot weather (it can get up to over 128 degrees in my part of L.A. during the hottest summers). I don't like the limited things I can do because of the sun/heat. I have really sensitive skin so any prolonged sun exposure creates an allergic reaction (read: rashes and hives). I really, really don't like having to stay indoors because it is so unbearably hot. I have the unfortunate luck of having a west facing room so my room is an oven during the hottest part of the day. I can't drink my favorite drink, tea, during the summer. And don't suggest iced tea; that's bordering on sacrilege for this tea drinker. lol. For some reason, my anxiety is heightened during this gross season and I tend to get more sick during it, which is a big reason why I hate it.

I like the spring. I love cool but sunny days. I like rainy days. I like the idea of getting my umbrella and trying to recreate Gene Kelly's famous dance from Singin' in the Rain. I like drinking tea and baking. I love listening to Ella Fitzgerald while I drink tea and bake cookies. I love wrapping myself in my blanket, reading a book on the love seat (which is in my bedroom), drinking tea (notice a trend?), and listening to the rain fall outside my window. I love the flowers blooming and the grass getting greener. I am a spring girl. I am happiest during this season (and fall... because I'm a massive nerd and the whole "going back to school" thing makes me giddy). Most of my happiest memories happened during the spring. Since I won't get to experience spring again until next year... well, I'm not going to be a happy camper. lol.

I am trying to think of what to do this summer to keep my mind and self occupied. I firmly intend to not go out after 11 a.m. unless it's to pick mom up from work... or because I have to do something at a later time. I don't want a repeat of last year when I had a 2.5 month throat infection (thanks, summer) and hives on my arms from the heat. No gracias. Obviously, I'm going to be reading... a lot. I know what times my local libraries (I live in between two) open so I can get there early. I also have overflowing shelves full of books I've been given for my birthday. But, I also want to do something good for others.

At the moment I haven't come up with a plan but I'm taking the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati PACT seriously this summer. There has to be something I can do for others while I'm holed up in the house. My usual preference (working to make meals for those who need it) won't work out this summer for obvious reasons. I'm too poor to, at least, make sandwiches at home and do my own distribution. I really need to put on my thinking cap because I want to do something good this summer... you know, besides ranting about how I hate the season. lol. I figure if I do something good I won't hate the season so much. It's just a theory; we'll see what happens. ;)

Anyway, sorry... I was just ranting/writing "out loud." Yes, I am that bored. lol. I promise I won't write many of these. ;)

I hope y'all are having a great week thus far. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

It All Makes Sense Now!

Yes, the picture accurately describes how I feel right now. It'll be quick but I wanted to write about this.

Went to Saturday Vigil Mass since mom has to work tomorrow and what did I get? One: A major "ah ha!" moment about my vocation and my current time off that made everything make so much sense that I feel a wonderful peace. (I will eventually share what it is.) Thanks to my confessor for that great homily that brought this to me. Two: my new Rosary blessed by my confessor... after he jokingly said "No!" Three: A bigger desire to work for a church (parish). God bless Saturday Vigil Masses... and everyone who's been praying for me. I will try to catch up on emails and messages this week to personally thank you all. :)

Also, heads up: there is a good chance I will be in a funk tomorrow (third Father's Day without my dad) so I may not be in a chatty mood on twitter or blog. Because of this possibility, I want to wish all fathers a Happy Father's Day. If I do feel myself in a funk, I will offer it up for you guys. :D

I hope you all have a great weekend! :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D