Ascension Presents...Good News and Good Media

6:30am: I wake up, well if you can call me 'awake.'  Light is streaming into my bedroom but I'd rather just hit the snooze button and slip back into sleep.  But the phone persists, so I get up and shut it off.  And turn on my notifications to see if anyone has texted me.

8:30am: Morning Mass is done, so I say quick good morning's and hello's to the fellow sleepy eyed pilgrims on the journey to holiness and slip out to my car.  I have just a quick break for coffee and a car radio before class starts.  But before I pull out of the parking lot, I check to see if anything interesting has happened on Facebook while I was at Mass.

11:00am: Classes are done, and I'm off to work for the day.  My tests and assignments sitting snugly in the backseat.  I hurry along the busy streets, but at the stoplights, I'll pull out my phone and check if there was anything that I had missed.

1:00pm: E-mails flood my inbox as the rest of the social media world begins to find it's way into my life.  Work e-mails, school e-mails, student organization e-mails, and quick notes from friends swirl around, a constant sound of noise and interaction. 

6:00pm: Off of work, and onto night activities with friends, bible studies, dinners, or just homework.  Yet either way I flip on my screen to start up my drive home tunes, and return any calls that came through that day.

12:35am: Bed, finally.  My sleep eyes close, but I snap awake one last time to run down the dark stairway and plug in my phone so that the day can start on time in a few short hours.

Seem like something you can relate to? If you are like me, you may identify with the fact that millennials, according to The Wall Street Journal, can be present on some form of media 18 hours a day.  18 hours a day. 

What are we consuming?  Is it making us healthier? Happier? More content with the world we live in?  What about our faith life?  Are we growing closer to God through the media we choose to fill and crowd our lives with?  Does God even have a place in our media?  

I say yes.  And so does Ascension Press.   Oh, and so does Saint John Paul II, who once said, "The question confronting the Church today is not any longer whether the man in the street can grasp a religious message, but how to employ the communications media so as to let him have the full impact of the Gospel message."  So if JPII agrees....what else do we need?
Ascension Press has recently released a new evangelistic platform called Ascension Presents.  It's goal is to bring 'entertaining, faith-filled, and dynamic presenters straight into your news feed.  By providing engaging content for our audience that reflects the good, the true, and the beautiful, we hope to bring their hearts closer to Christ."


Good media....for God purposes.  


And they've done a fantastic job.  The website is chock full of amazing content, phenomenal presenters and great subjects.  There are four channels - different aspects of the faith life and media world to explore.

Father Mike Schmitz runs a channel himself, with videos concerning current events, movies, vocational discernment and the Bible.  Videos run about seven to eight minutes long and are formatted so that it feels like Father Mike is just sitting in your study room, having an old fashioned conversation with you.  The human connection.  Centered in Christ.  

In the promotional video for Ascension presents, Father Mike can be seen hanging with young adults around a outdoor patio.  Can we just make pocket sized Father Mike Schmitzs?  That way everyone can have a fantastic priest who really wants to connect with you on a personal level available anytime.

But because that isn't a real possibiliity (yet, I'm still working on the science side of the cloning option), #askfrmike is a hashtag that was recently was released through the video series, which will allow viewers to interact with Father Mike as he answers questions that they may have about faith or life in general.

Father Mike is not the only big name of the Catholic world that can be found on Ascension presents.  Another channel is called "Caffeinated Conversations."  In these video segments, Ascension Presents producer, Maria Mitchell, sits down with some amazing people in the Catholic media today.

Can we take a quick pause and appreciate the sheer awesomeness of this combination?  Maria is sitting there with people like Emily Wilson and Jason and Crystalina Evert(and their adorable newest little baby) while making coffee for them and life chatting.

Life chats.  Amazing Catholics.  Coffee.  Be right back, fangirling. 

There you can find interviews with Emily Wilson as she chats about fashion and relationships in the modern world, Bob Lesnefsky and Dirty Vagabond Ministries in Steubenville, and even the beautiful and talented Jackie Francois, as she chats about her newest little and authentic friendships and relationships.

Guys, it keeps getting better.  Hold onto your seats.
                                        

If I were to say what my all time favorite aspect of being a Catholic is, it would be that I believe in a faith where I will never know everything...there is always something to learn that will blow my mind about the beauty of God's amazing grace and constant love.  The third channel on Ascension Presents does just that.  A series of videos that not only teaches the beauty of the faith, but combines it with amazing visuals of the Holy Land and the wisdom of people like Jeff Cavins, who has visited and studied the Bible and pilgrim sites for years.  But also in the studies channel is how-to guides on subjects such as prayer (ever wondered how to pray Lectio Divina?) and understanding the beauty of the Virgin Mary (What does perpetual virginity really mean?) 


                                     
Finally, the fourth channel of Ascension Presents is a beautiful mixture of cultural awareness.  Videos with topics such as the recently released Planned Parenthood scandal are followed by gorgeous music by the Ike Ndolo Band and Emily Wilson and their new song "Land of the Rising Sun."  
                                          

Ascension Presents knocks it out of the park with their newest platform that appeals to young adults. Like their page on Facebook and be pleasantly surprised with the gorgeous artwork and articles that flood your feed.  Enter your e-mail onto their website and you can have their news delivered to your inbox on a weekly or monthly basis. 

The Faith does not mean an alienation from any culture for any people because all cultures await Christ and are not destroyed by the Lord.  In fact, they reach their maturity.
  - Pope Benedict XVI 

Why the Hook Up Culture is Ruining Marriage

At Stanford University, a sociologist named Paula England has been researching the hook up culture for the past ten years.  She has interviewed almost 20,000 students from over 20 colleges.  Her research indicates that by the time one reaches their fourth year of college, 72 percent of students have had at least one hook up.  A majority of people, college students in this particular study, have felt the need to test drive their relationship, or have given themselves to someone they met in class, at a party, or over tinder.

Why is hooking up such a problem in today's culture?  For multiple reasons, but essentially the process of hooking up and breaking up is destroying the beauty of sex in the way that God intended.

Hooking up takes away from the beauty of intimacy and sex in the right context. 

Despite the fact that hooking up promotes the very physical act of giving yourself to someone, it destroys the beauty of what sex is meant to be - and the whole intimacy surrounding the gift of yourself to another human being.   In Love and Responsibility, Pope John Paul II wrote, "Love between a man and a woman cannot be built without sacrifices and self-denial."

Sacrifice and Self Denial. 

Yet hooking up promotes immediate gratification and selfish desires.  We are living in a world enamored with the idea of finding 'the one' but the solution is to go out with as many people as possible and give yourself away to whoever asks in the idea of test-driving what you like and don't like.

Hooking up is counter-intuitive to people who are looking for long-lasting relationships.


Sleeping with someone before marriage doesn't prevent relationship woes, or solve marriage. In fact, if anything, it can make it harder.  With hooking up, your body is connecting with someone on a physical and emotional level long before you even know the character traits of the other person.  It's a relationship or even a brief encounter when you jump automatically into a deep, yet unsustainable connection.

In the end, marriage isn't about how you are compatible with someone.  As Jason Evert once said, "I'm a guy and she's a girl.  We're incompatible.  She thinks we need seven throw pillows on the bed.  This marriage thing is going to be tough."  What really matters in a relationship and in a marriage is how you as a couple deal with those incompatibilities.

You do not have to test drive someone physically to find out if they are the one. 


And contrary to common concepts or slang, a person is not a car, or a cereal kind that you have to try out before you know if you are going to be compatible with or be able to have a relationship with them.

Here are things to do to find out if your significant other is the one that doesn't involve reducing them down to their physical body alone.


Pray about it.


Prayer is not about changing God's mind so that His plan for our lives finally lines up with what we think is best for us.  Instead, it is about aligning our will to God's will.  So if you're wanting to take your relationship to the next level and really show love for him or her, then talk with God about the relationship.  Not talk at  God about what you want the relationship to be.


Will Their Good

Authentic love is willing the good of the other as other.  Not your good above their good.  Or your friend's opinions above their good.  Or your pleasure above their good.


Share Experiences With Them

Your married life with someone is not going to only consist of being with them physically.  What does your weekend looks like with your significant other? Do you share passions? Have you conquered something together?  Are you experiencing the adventures of every day life with them? Have you seen them in situations with their friends, or people who really know them?  What are they like?  How someone interacts with those around them is significantly more telling of how a life will them will look like, in comparison to how well you are sexually compatible.


Ultimately, keep striving dear friends.  It's a hard life.  We're living a counter-cultural phenomena - and are swimming against the current.  It's hard....but it's so worth it it.  Keep up the good fight.

In Christ,

Chloe M.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Adult life is hard, not going to lie.  Long gone are the days of decisions being made for you.  Now are the times where you must make choices for yourself.  Where you are going to school, your degree field, your friendships, your relationships, your faith are all just a small portion of the things that are now resting on your shoulders as you bravely step out into this crazy world called 'Adulthood.'

Maybe you, like me, are wondering how in the world this is going to work out.  How am I supposed to be responsible for the course of my life here on this earth when I still draw in coloring books and have to sing the whole alphabet to find out what letter comes next?

With a lot of help, needless to say.  So the latest partner in this walk down the path of adulthood has been Saint Ignatius, or specifically, Father Timothy Gallagher and his book The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living.  This book is amazing - and it goes through how to make a decision and properly discern in matters both big and small.

Let's tackle the big matters, shall we?  In three semesters, my undergraduate degree is finished.  Signed, sealed and diploma delivered.  And while I am counting down the days until I walk across that stage, shake the hand of the president of the University and trip my way down the stairs, I am also dreading that day.

Because it means more decisions.  And the decisions just keep getting bigger the older I get.  Adulthood is funny that way.

So how does one go about making those decisions?  Prayer? Yes - but it has to be more than that.  I can't sit in the chapel fourteen hours and leave angry because God didn't tell me what to do.  Instead, it must be followed up with understanding and action.

Be Aware:  You can't make a decision if you don't know that the decisions needs to be made.  Say that five times fast.  Basically, know where you stand and what is going on in your life.  Are you coming up on a decision that has quite a bit of gravity to it?  Where do you stand? What are your options?

Saint Ignatius describes this awareness as having his eyes 'opened a little' towards what was moving within his soul.  It's a realization that God has a plan for your life, and that the role you are called to play in that plan is an active one.

Yet we live in a world where the noise of the business and distraction blind us to the plan God has.  Saint Augustine says, "You were within, and I was without.  You called, you shouted and broke through my deafness.  You flashed, you shone and dispelled my darkness."  What is crowding your life right now that is blocking the sound of God's shouts and calling to your heart?

Understand: In my high school graduation card, a friend wrote one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes: "You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."  Key words that have always stuck out to me in that phrase: Steer and Choose.  This means that the knowledge and ability that you have after you've gained an awareness of your decision is active.  It requires understanding and reflection and choices.

Father Gallagher writes, "This is the interpretative step in discernment, and it too, like a spiritual awareness, is an invaluable spiritual aid.  A clear perception of the origin and direction of the spiritual stirrings of our hearts provides us with the necessary light to follow accurately the guidance of the Spirit."  You know that there is a decision to be made, and now have an understanding of the ramifications and consequences of the decision.  So now what?

Take Action: This is the most important step.  Ignatius boils this step down to two words: Accept and Reject.  Once you have looked at a decision and understood it in light of your spiritual life, it's time to do something.  Father Gallagher says, "Everything in the discernment of the spirits is directed towards action: towards firmly accepting what is of God and equally firmly rejecting what is not.  Through spiritual awareness and interpretation, accurate and decisive spiritual action is possible."

Accurate and Decisive Action. Is prayer important? Yes. Is asking people's opinions and thinking about the different facets of a decision valid? Sure! But if there is no action to back it up, then why even discern?

When the morning's freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles quiver under the strain, the climb seems endless, and suddenly, nothing will be quite as you wish.  It is then that you must not hesitate.  (Dag Hammarsjold). 

Virtus in Media Stat

College is upon us...and the first week is done (well, for me at least.  Maybe you haven't even started yet, you lucky soul.)  As each semester rolls around, I always find myself with lists upon lists of things that I've made for myself in areas that I know I can improve.

I have lists and pinterest boards galore for polishing up my eating habits after a summer subsisting on root beer floats, organizing my closet that has exploded over the room, organizing my list of books to read and movies to watch...putting together exercise plans....which is usually the first one to fall off the bandwagon with the first Panera cinnamon roll that crosses my path.

Each beginning of the school year presents with it a blank slate, open wide to the possibility of improvement.  It's a chance to smash down the wall between the current version of yourself and the best-version-of-yourself (#MatthewKelly) that is constantly seeming to escape our grasp.

What's the secret?  How in the world does the balance between schoolwork, social activities, responsibilities, and improvement happen?

A simple Latin phrase....Virtus in Media Stat. And the translation? Virtue Stands in the Middle.

So often it's easy to go crazy on resolutions.  You should see my list on December 31st that I ring in the New Year with.  Pages upon pages of things I know that I can physically and mentally accomplish, but by January 3rd (If I'm lucky) the list has been reduced to nothing because I've either given in or given up.

Moderation. Temperance. The middle ground.  Middle Earth.  It's not just my mind wandering on a late Sunday night - J.R.R. Tolkien had some great things to say about starting new habits.  In The Fellowship of the Ring, Sam's grandfather says, “It's the job that's never started that takes longest to finish.” 

It's not just a concept for hobbits...it's pretty practical in our everyday life as well.  So here are the top three tips I've received on becoming who God created you to be - fully alive.

1) Moderation 
It's easy to stack our planners full of things we want to do, are asked to do, feel called to do.  But take it from the girl who worked seven jobs (at one time) last summer.  Sometimes less...is more.  Don't be afraid of that open time in your planner.  Yes, you could be doing something.  But don't be afraid of spontaneous visits with friends, time to sit in silence and just relax, or that adoration chapel you've been wanting to stop into but never have the time.  Don't be afraid to schedule free time, as ironic as that sounds.

2) Accountability
Are you going to try to make it to morning Mass more often? Planning on training for that marathon? What about that book you said you were going to read...two years ago? Ask someone to tackle the challenge together.  Maybe it's your room mate, sister, or girlfriend.  But don't be afraid to ask for someone to keep you accountable.  The path to Heaven is a journey that is meant to be walked together.

3) ForgivenessYou're going to slip and fall sometimes - if only because of the fact that you are human and not perfect.  What matters when that happens is how you learn from your mistakes and move on.  Don't spend the time after the mistake wallowing on what you could have done.  Now is time time of thinking how you can avoid that mistake in the future.  So find what triggers you to give up on your process of becoming a better person, and then remove that from that path.  But keep walking.

Do you have any tips for how you stand in the middle when it comes to virtue and self improvement? Share them below in the comment box!

5 Tips for Catholic College Students

In less than a week, my last semester of my junior year starts. It's an experience that has flown by faster than you can say "textbook rental" - but I've learned so much along the way.  So whether you are just starting college, or returning for another year in the trenches, here are my top five hints that I've learned - advice from a seasoned college vet as you will.

Calling all the college students

1) Make Time for Prayer

Conversation (talking and listening) with God is one thing that can keep the craziness that is college life in check.  However, prayer is usually the first thing that gets shoved to the back burner once college starts for me.  The hint that I got from a friend my freshman year was to make my prayer time an unmovable appointment in my calendar.  Literally pencil in 'time with God' in for a certain time during the day and keep that appointment.  You wouldn't call and cancel coffee with your best friend because you weren't suddenly feeling up to it.  So don't do that with your conversation with God.

Running to my God appointment 

2) Emphasize Christ-Centered Friendships

The word for 'religion' and the word for 'relationship' have the same root - there's a reason.  No man is an island, especially in the sea of college life.  Find friends who are going to hold you accountable, who are going to challenge your faith life and who are going to push you towards Christ.  Friends who are going to get to know you well enough that when you say 'I'm fine' they know something is up.  Friends who don't let you pack your faith away with your high school diploma and who tell you when you mess up.  Friends to laugh, cry, and grow with.  Friendships centered in your most mutual friend - Christ. 

which leads to.....

3) Find your Newman Center

When I was a freshman in college, the Newman center was on my way home from work.  I'd get off at 6 pm, and the center would open at 7 pm for fellowship on Wednesday.  I cannot tell you how many times I took the turn for home instead of the campus center and had to turn myself around and decide to go the campus center.  It's not an instant thing - there are going to be awkward moments, and funny moments, and moments you'll relive again and again once you get in there and get comfortable.  Some of my best friends from my Newman center are people that I would have never have guessed would know all the things they know about me now.  But I never would have met them if I hadn't gone to the Newman center.  So get yourself to one. 

Surprise friends are the best friends 

4) Reach out and don't be afraid to evangelize 

Your Catholic faith is going to be challenged.  Despite the college you go to, the time spent at the Newman center, the friendships you form.  It's inevitable - someone is going to ask you why you're Catholic.  It could be in a class, where the only time the Catholic Church is talked about is when it's being bashed.  It could be in the form of a room mate who wants to know why Catholics do what they do.  It could be in a conversation in the cafeteria.  Regardless of where it is, don't be afraid to be blatantly Catholic.  The world needs more Catholic nerds - embrace it.  But also don't be afraid of not knowing the answer.  We belong to a church that has been around for over 2,000 years....questions that are asked in 2015 have been answered - we just have to do some research.  So never be afraid of the response "That's a good question - and I don't know the answer.  But I know there is one out there.  Can I do some research for you and get back with you?"  They're more impressed by your humility of admitting that you don't know then by you avoiding an answer.  

I will find an answer....I promise

5) Find your devotion

Find something to keep you grounded in your faith life.  Similar to not letting your daily appointment with God down.  It could come in many different forms - maybe you're going to make it to morning Mass two times a week.  Or say a rosary every day.  Or learn more about the saints.  But have a game plan and stick to it.  Oh, and remember the friends you met in tip number 2? Don't be afraid to bond further with them over your commonly shared faith.  Start a Bible study together, or meet at the grotto to say a novena.  But having a goal in mind makes it easy to stay on target.

When I talk about Eucharistic Adoration 

What were tips you were given when you started college?  Do you have any tips for those going in to college?  Are you starting your first year? What are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below!

In Christ,

Chloe