A Year of Excellence, Part One
Happy Anniversary, Seeking Excellence! My name is Marissa, and I have had the ultimate gift of working alongside Seeking Excellence President Nathan Crankfield over the last year. We have received numerous questions on how we started, what inspired the organization's creation, and how the team got involved.
This exclusive Q&A session with Nathan, provides a little insight into the hard work and dedication put in over the last year to make Seeking Excellence what it is today!
What was your inspiration for creating Seeking Excellence?
My inspiration for beginning was derived from one of my most quoted scripture passages that comes from the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 9, where Jesus goes, and he heals various people in the town; a blind man, a layman, all different and unique in circumstances. The gospel says that he went through all the cities and villages, healing every infirmity and every sickness that he came across. When Jesus looked out towards the crowd he had pity for them. Jesus had compassion for their conditions and that they were helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
A Call for Vulnerability, Part 2 of 3
In part one of our vulnerability series, we discussed what it means to be vulnerable and all of the ways it can add grace into our lives. If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, take a look at it here, then hop back over to join the discussion on being vulnerable and how it can impact our interaction with others. In part two, we discuss the most profound form of vulnerability; being open to others and letting our relationships experience the joys and sorrows that come from being available to love!
In romantic relationships, couples experience two strong differing emotions that seem to be at the core of the dilemma of vulnerability: love and pain. While hardship may be part of the equation, vulnerability also stems from love, joy, and acceptance, all of which are essential parts of the human experience. Healthy, intimate relationships are what give our lives happiness, meaning, and purpose. In contrast, social isolation and closing our hearts puts us at risk for psychological and physical issues such as depression and disease. Love is a choice, and like all things in life, it requires courage.
We had hoped
St. Louis de Monfort grew up in France with a dad known for having the most “fiery temper in all of Brittany… He was a volcano frequently erupting”
St Louis confessed that his temper was as bad as his father’s. He’s most often remembered as a man with an almost incomparable passion & zeal.
Mainly because of this, and my questionable ability to reign in my own emotions, I have a deep love for this Saint.
I re-read a story this morning about his priestly life that I can’t seem to let go of -
Real Love & Hard Truth: Part 3
And yet, we’ve seen the proverbial pendulum swing back in the other direction to a new type of extreme.
Now, it’s as though some people in the LGBT community and some of those who advocate for them do want homosexual behavior to be in a class of its own. It’s supposed to be the sin that might need to be completely reconsidered and revised. It requires the utmost sensitivity and care, almost to the point that it ought to be ignored and disregarded because of the emotional toil it creates.
Real Love & Hard Truth: Part 2
Recently, I watched an interview with America's most controversial priest, Fr. James Martin ...
Fr. Martin is known internationally for his work with the LGBT community. He's coined the term "LGBT Catholic," which I inherently dislike for the priority I think it gives to someone’s sexuality over their identity as a child of God.
Needless to say, I was ready to disagree with him from the jump.
But then I didn't.
Know thyself through the temperaments
Self-knowledge is a virtue that St. Teresa of Avila highly valued.
“Self-knowledge is so important that, even if you were raised right up to the heavens, I should like you never to relax your cultivation of it.”
Genuine self-knowledge leads to humility, being truly grounded in who we are as God’s unique son or daughter.
The concept of the four temperaments was first proposed around 350 B.C …
Real Love & Hard Truth: A Soul Saving Combination
On Monday, the Vatican released a Pope Francis approved statement which, in summary, said that Catholic priests cannot give blessings to same-sex unions.
This statement has been met with a lot of anger, devastation, and push back from both clergy and laity.
Fr James Martin, SJ is among the leading voices in what are considered "Pro-LGBT Catholic" communities.
Seasons
What season do you currently find yourself in? Much like the weather, there is a variety of circumstance changes that lead to different outcomes. The many seasons can include a season of waiting, a season of silence, a season of confusion, and a season of answers.
What can we learn from looking at the changing patterns of the earthly seasons compared to our lives?
Radiant faces
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord”
Exodus 34:29
For forty days and forty nights on that mountain, Moses did not eat or drink, proving that man does not live on bread alone.
Do you believe that?
Mother of Fair Love
February 14th - it’s probably the best day of the year. For those of you who are single with zero V-day plans what-so-ever you're probably saying "What is this girl thinking?" ... but please hear me out.
Lost - a story of St. Anthony
When I see the word, “lost” my immediate thought is to St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint for lost items. Did you know that St. Anthony of Padua is also known for finding things that are missing that aren’t material? St. Anthony can be summoned when we are lost on our journey and need to find our way, or when we have lost our sense of self and need the reassurance to feel whole again. How has St. Anthony helped you in your life?
I love thinking about the saints and how real they all are. It is a fantastic thought to think that an average person could achieve the greatness that is so close to our father in heaven. The story of St. Anthony is special and unique.
Hand it Over
You poured everything you had into loving someone – a friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a sibling, a child, a parent, a stranger. And now you’re disappointed. Because it didn’t “work.”
We need to stop and ask ourselves why we think that – why we think that it didn’t “work.”
What was your love supposed to do?
The Innate Spirituality of Your Career
“Your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are. There you have your daily encounter with Christ. It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind.” - St. Josemaria Escriva
Getting from here to there
One of the most critical, basic lessons a soldier needs to learn in any basic training is land navigation. What good are the skills of marksmanship, communication, or grenade throwing if you can’t find your way to the enemy?
Every mission has a destination, or an outcome it is seeking to create. Learning how to navigate through the difficult terrain of the mountains of Georgia and the swamps of Florida helped me to understand how to get from point A to point B. These lessons are incredibly valuable as we head into a new year with new goals.
2020 was rough for many of us. The secret though is that 2021 will only be better if YOU make it so. Here’s how you can do that:
Choose to Hike the Mountain
Isn’t it crazy how different a certain thing can look from a different perspective? Our experience of life is so profoundly based upon not just where we stand, but where we choose to look. As a society, and even as a Church, we have lost our inclination to look for beauty in the world around us. Our planet, our lives, and our reality are all constantly changing. If we don’t start to pay attention, this sweet, short life of ours will just pass us by.
It’s time we become more intentional about the direction of our gaze.
Brand New
Do you ever think back on your past and remember a time in your life when things were going really well—you were achieving your dreams and living on a high—and think, “I wish that was still me.” You remember the rush of emotions and feelings you felt in a previous moment of consolation.
Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe you’re running from the past—feeling like an empty shell of the person you used to be before the mistakes, the hurt, the decisions made, or life circumstances. You just want to be able to start over and shake it all off. But it sticks with you.
Be Not Afraid
The week we were leaving, I was scared out of my mind. I tend to get really anxious and worked up, so I went to Adoration to let it all out and pray for protection.
As I was sitting in my parish’s Adoration chapel, I looked up and I saw the words painted behind the monstrance - Be not afraid, follow me. I had seen those words on the wall for years, but on that day it was like they jumped off the wall. I even felt the Lord continue, “Follow me to Poland.”
5 steps to effective evangelization
For two millennia, the Catholic Church has been the missionary church.
The Catholic faith has and will continue to be the only religion whose primary goal is the conversion of souls.
You may be thinking that that is a bold statement.
You’re correct, it is a bold statement.
One that also happens to be true.
Hail Mary, Gentle Mother
"Take a deep breath, really hold it, allow the breath to travel from your nose to the bottom of your chest, Marissa... take a deep breath, MARISSA.. are you breathing?" I think to myself.
Isn't it funny how the most straightforward act can be so challenging to do?
Nathan Crankfield's blog, Mama's boy, on building a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary, prompted this reflection.