...not much. I'm a bit out of it today, as I made a late night (early morning?) trip to the main chapel on campus...just had stuff on my mind to hand over to God. I thought of canceling job searching today, but I'm not feeling tired *yet*, so shall continue the applying. I will be surprised if I ever discover a nursing home/hospital within 20 miles of campus that I have not looked into for applying.
Anyways, let's talk happy thoughts. Gospel of John is amazing...as always. Greek words are so rich with meaning! One of my favorite points we talked about in class today was Jn 1:5 (the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.). We took the phrase "Darkness has not _____ it (light)" by itself and looked at the Greek verb katalambanein. This verb has three possible meanings: 1) to receive or accept; 2) to overtake or overcome; or 3) to grasp or comprehend. Now, if you fill in anyone of these meanings in the blank, suddenly you can see how any one of them can work...darkness can not accept/receive light, it could not overcome light, and it could not comprehend light. Woah! Talk about meanings on multiple levels! It got even more fascinating as we related light to Logos and salvation and all that good stuff. Basically awesome.
Alright, time to peace out and look for some employment. Blessings to you!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Weekend doings
I've had one very blessed weekend. It started with a Padre Pio party, complete with Pio (Uno, only you yelled Pio), The Bilocation Game (Go Fish..."Could you bilocate a ____ to me?), Nerts, and, my favorite part, espresso and brownies. Yum.
And then on Saturday Matt and I went to visit our good friend Shawn at Conception Seminary. It was a lovely trip. Went to Mass at the abbey, got to see a ton of friends from the Wichita diocese, ate in the town near there, and sat for hours talking in their union. 'Twas grand. A very nice weekend get-away.
Today's been a pretty lazy day. Just got back from Mass, where I ended up being needed to Eucharistic minister, which was actually very good for me, I needed a reminder in my day that God was thinking about me. Getting ready to abandon homework once again and go on a walk with a good friend. I hope your weekends were filled with goodness as well!
And then on Saturday Matt and I went to visit our good friend Shawn at Conception Seminary. It was a lovely trip. Went to Mass at the abbey, got to see a ton of friends from the Wichita diocese, ate in the town near there, and sat for hours talking in their union. 'Twas grand. A very nice weekend get-away.
Today's been a pretty lazy day. Just got back from Mass, where I ended up being needed to Eucharistic minister, which was actually very good for me, I needed a reminder in my day that God was thinking about me. Getting ready to abandon homework once again and go on a walk with a good friend. I hope your weekends were filled with goodness as well!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Quote of the Day XVII
"Always remember to love your neighbor; always prefer the one who tries your patience, who tests your virtue, because with her you can always merit: suffering is Love; the Law is Love."--Bl Mary of Jesus Crucified
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Choose Life
Yesterday would have been my day to blog, but I found my words lacking, so decided to blog at a better time. Which would be today. Especially since the two tests of the week are out of the way and I can think clearly again. And, yes, I felt good about both of them. I was cutting it close on the John test. I wouldn't say I was cramming, necessarily...but I definitely should have gone over my notes in more detail the past week instead studying all the little details the morning of...however, it's done, praise Him, and the weekend is basically beginning!
On this feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, I really wanted to share this reflection that I received with the Daily Gospel, courtesy of St. Therese of Liseuex:
One day when sinners are listening to the doctrine
Of Him who would like to welcome them in Heaven,
Mary, I find you with them on the hill.
Someone says to Jesus that you wish to see him.
Then, before the whole multitude, your Divine Son
Shows us the immensity of his love for us.
He says: ''Who is my brother and my sister and my Mother,
If not the one who does my will?" (Mt 12,24-50)
0 Immaculate Virgin, most tender of Mothers,
In listening to Jesus, you are not saddened.
But you rejoice that He makes us understand
How our souls become his family here below.
Yes, you rejoice that He gives us his life,
The infinite treasures of his divinity!...
How can we not love you, O my dear Mother,
On seeing so much love and so much humility?
You love us, Mary, as Jesus loves us,
And for us you accept being separated from Him.
To love is to give everything. It's to give oneself.
You wanted to prove this by remaining our support.
The Savior knew your immense tenderness.
He knew the secrets of your maternal heart.
Refuge of sinners, He leaves us to you
When He leaves the Cross to wait for us in Heaven...
Saint John's home becomes your only refuge.
Zebedee's son is to replace Jesus .....
That is the last detail the Gospel gives.
It tells me nothing more of the Queen of Heaven.
But, O my dear Mother, doesn't its profound silence
Reveal that The Eternal Word Himself
Wants to sing the secrets of your life
To charm your children, all the Elect of Heaven?
Soon I'll hear that sweet harmony.
Soon I'll go to beautiful Heaven to see you.
You who came to smile at me in the morning of my life,
Come smile at me again ... Mother.. .. It's evening now! ...
I no longer fear the splendor of your supreme glory.
With you I've suffered, and now I want
To sing on your lap, Mary, why I love you,
And to go on saying that I am your child!
How beautiful is that?! To be charmed by the secrets of Mary's life is definitely the most beautiful image for me. Yesterday, on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, Father reminded us at Mass that suffering is an opportunity. It's just another one of life's instances that holds an invitation...to pass by it, or to use it for a greater good. And, in Hinds' Feet in High Places, Much-Afraid makes her journey to the High Places with the company of Sorrow and Suffering. In other words, sorrow isn't something to run from! Wait, but aren't we supposed to choose life and blessing, instead of curse and death (Dt 30:19-20)? Who said we HAVE to equate sorrow and suffering with curse and death?! It's often when we experience sorrow and suffering that we 1)Love the Lord, 2) heed His voice, and 3) hold fast to Him (v. 20). In other words, if we approach sorrow and suffering and make it a blessing, then it can order our priorities correctly. Mary's secret is this: that sorrow was her blessing. Her triumph was also in the Cross. May we today also recognize any sorrow or suffering as an opportunity of grace.
On this feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, I really wanted to share this reflection that I received with the Daily Gospel, courtesy of St. Therese of Liseuex:
One day when sinners are listening to the doctrine
Of Him who would like to welcome them in Heaven,
Mary, I find you with them on the hill.
Someone says to Jesus that you wish to see him.
Then, before the whole multitude, your Divine Son
Shows us the immensity of his love for us.
He says: ''Who is my brother and my sister and my Mother,
If not the one who does my will?" (Mt 12,24-50)
0 Immaculate Virgin, most tender of Mothers,
In listening to Jesus, you are not saddened.
But you rejoice that He makes us understand
How our souls become his family here below.
Yes, you rejoice that He gives us his life,
The infinite treasures of his divinity!...
How can we not love you, O my dear Mother,
On seeing so much love and so much humility?
You love us, Mary, as Jesus loves us,
And for us you accept being separated from Him.
To love is to give everything. It's to give oneself.
You wanted to prove this by remaining our support.
The Savior knew your immense tenderness.
He knew the secrets of your maternal heart.
Refuge of sinners, He leaves us to you
When He leaves the Cross to wait for us in Heaven...
Saint John's home becomes your only refuge.
Zebedee's son is to replace Jesus .....
That is the last detail the Gospel gives.
It tells me nothing more of the Queen of Heaven.
But, O my dear Mother, doesn't its profound silence
Reveal that The Eternal Word Himself
Wants to sing the secrets of your life
To charm your children, all the Elect of Heaven?
Soon I'll hear that sweet harmony.
Soon I'll go to beautiful Heaven to see you.
You who came to smile at me in the morning of my life,
Come smile at me again ... Mother.. .. It's evening now! ...
I no longer fear the splendor of your supreme glory.
With you I've suffered, and now I want
To sing on your lap, Mary, why I love you,
And to go on saying that I am your child!
How beautiful is that?! To be charmed by the secrets of Mary's life is definitely the most beautiful image for me. Yesterday, on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, Father reminded us at Mass that suffering is an opportunity. It's just another one of life's instances that holds an invitation...to pass by it, or to use it for a greater good. And, in Hinds' Feet in High Places, Much-Afraid makes her journey to the High Places with the company of Sorrow and Suffering. In other words, sorrow isn't something to run from! Wait, but aren't we supposed to choose life and blessing, instead of curse and death (Dt 30:19-20)? Who said we HAVE to equate sorrow and suffering with curse and death?! It's often when we experience sorrow and suffering that we 1)Love the Lord, 2) heed His voice, and 3) hold fast to Him (v. 20). In other words, if we approach sorrow and suffering and make it a blessing, then it can order our priorities correctly. Mary's secret is this: that sorrow was her blessing. Her triumph was also in the Cross. May we today also recognize any sorrow or suffering as an opportunity of grace.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Daily Gospel V: Luke 7: 1-10
*Before you go on, also read the reading for today, which is from 1 Timothy 2: 1-8. I like the reading a lot as well, and it goes very well with the Gospel.*
I think this is a perfect example of Jesus meeting someone on their own level. This time, with a man of authority, a centurion. In this instance, it was a centurion who had done much for the Jews and probably had much indebted to him for his aid. His servant is sick and he wants Jesus to help him out. I think the fact that a Roman is enlisting help from this Jewish Miracle-Worker is striking by itself, but then you get to near the end of the Gospel reading, as Jesus is on the way to the house of the centurion, the centurion has his friends meet Jesus and tell Him to not even come in the house, for the centurion finds himself unworthy, but only to "say the word and my servant shall be healed" (words from Mass anyone, eh?). Here's the striking words the centurion has his friends tell Jesus from himself: "For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
Jesus Himself is impressed by this. The centurion is appealing to Jesus' mystical power. The centurion is used to his own authority, and knows in his heart that Jesus has something more than he does. He knows that Jesus has authority in the spiritual realm and on earth, and so whatever He commands will happen, much as the centurion does with his own power. Wow. That IS a lot of faith! I often think of the Romans as the "bad-guy" invaders when it comes to this time period, so it's nice to be reminded here that they, too, had needs that Jesus was fulfilling.
So, what does this mean for us? I think it's to remind us of how Almighty He is. If He called all creation into being and and is Ruler of the Universe, He can also fulfill any needs I might have. May we all recognize this powerful reality in some way today by petitioning Him for anything we have need for with no fear that our prayer will go unanswered!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Trusting in Him
This week begins it...the first two of the many tests I will have this semester. That's a crazy thought. I feel like I just got to school. The good thing about my classes is that I'm already learning a lot. Normally it seems like introductory information goes on through September, even into October. I really like that this semester we're diving right into the subjects. It's awesome. I look at my notes on the Gospel of John and am amazed at the brilliance of it. There's an article I HAVE to share with you, dear readers. A) I think it's cool that my professor wrote it, and B) it gives a glimpse at the literary, inspired masterpiece that is the Gospel of John. Click here for it: The chiastic key to the identity of the Beloved Disciple.
Well, that's really it for now. I got "kidnapped" by Emily and April last night...they had found a deck on one of the upper floors of one of the buildings on campus that we hadn't known existed, so they took Courtney and Cathy and me on a trust walk and showed it to us. 'Twas a wonderful surprise :-) We now have a new place to star-gaze on campus! Peace to you!
Well, that's really it for now. I got "kidnapped" by Emily and April last night...they had found a deck on one of the upper floors of one of the buildings on campus that we hadn't known existed, so they took Courtney and Cathy and me on a trust walk and showed it to us. 'Twas a wonderful surprise :-) We now have a new place to star-gaze on campus! Peace to you!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Light of the World
Lately the theme of Light and Dark in spirituality has been coming up for me, so I'll probably stick to that for this post. I figure when a theme or topic comes up more than 3 or 4 times in a week, it probably means God wants you to draw something from it and learn from it. I can't remember when it first started coming up, I think a Gospel or other reading from church lately, but it's been coming up in my class on John, and in music (see my last post) and just in being in my house at night versus in the daytime. It always seemed interesting to me that there was such dichotomy between the two when used in spiritual terms (Son [Sun] of God, Prince of Darkness, etc...). But, just as water can have good cleansing effects and be destructive, so does light have it's good properties and proper times. Light allows sight...ergo, for us to have knowledge of what is around us and give meaning to that which would have none. Yet, there is a time for darkness when we must sleep.
Sometimes, when I think of God as Light, I think of it as an unbearable light, to be honest. A light from which I have to shield myself...because it is so overwhelming, or because I'm ashamed of what God may be aware. (Really, Lord, You don't want to know how I've been lacking in this aspect in life...don't shine on me now...I don't think You'll like what You find...) I think of flashlight searching in the dark. You know those creepy movies when the characters are using a flashlight, and it suddenly lands on something super scary that makes your heart and stomach switch places? Then I heard the song Fireflies by Jessa Anderson and it made me think of Light in a different way. A soft glow. A dazzling display. It makes you stand in awe at it's beauty, humbled and yet exalted and exhilarated at the same time. Today in John: Gospel and Epistles, Dr. S was giving his lecture on the Essenes, and how the Jews before and at the time of Jesus would sometimes pray to God as Father, but it wasn't emphasized too much, and then it was the stern, tough-love Father figure that they would have emphasized. It was Jesus who first introduced the concept of praying to God as Abba (Daddy). That which we imagined as harsh has just been re-introduced as soft, tender, and approachable. And, when I think of Light in that way, it's not so much a burning, hard light, as much as a warm, healing glow in which you want to stay.
And then, in the Gospel of Matthew, we are called to be the light of the world. I think I want to be a soft glow as well. Softly, silently revealing Beauty. Approachable...not too timid to shed light on that which is not good, but not scalding either. I love tabernacle candles. You never notice them, really. They're not self-important. Yet, the fact that they are lit gives me hope, because I know that where one is, there is Jesus. Kind of an image of Mary...always pointing back to her Son. That's the kind of light I want to be...unnoticed, but revealing the presence of Jesus. I pray that you all find your own ways to be lights unto the world!
Sometimes, when I think of God as Light, I think of it as an unbearable light, to be honest. A light from which I have to shield myself...because it is so overwhelming, or because I'm ashamed of what God may be aware. (Really, Lord, You don't want to know how I've been lacking in this aspect in life...don't shine on me now...I don't think You'll like what You find...) I think of flashlight searching in the dark. You know those creepy movies when the characters are using a flashlight, and it suddenly lands on something super scary that makes your heart and stomach switch places? Then I heard the song Fireflies by Jessa Anderson and it made me think of Light in a different way. A soft glow. A dazzling display. It makes you stand in awe at it's beauty, humbled and yet exalted and exhilarated at the same time. Today in John: Gospel and Epistles, Dr. S was giving his lecture on the Essenes, and how the Jews before and at the time of Jesus would sometimes pray to God as Father, but it wasn't emphasized too much, and then it was the stern, tough-love Father figure that they would have emphasized. It was Jesus who first introduced the concept of praying to God as Abba (Daddy). That which we imagined as harsh has just been re-introduced as soft, tender, and approachable. And, when I think of Light in that way, it's not so much a burning, hard light, as much as a warm, healing glow in which you want to stay.
And then, in the Gospel of Matthew, we are called to be the light of the world. I think I want to be a soft glow as well. Softly, silently revealing Beauty. Approachable...not too timid to shed light on that which is not good, but not scalding either. I love tabernacle candles. You never notice them, really. They're not self-important. Yet, the fact that they are lit gives me hope, because I know that where one is, there is Jesus. Kind of an image of Mary...always pointing back to her Son. That's the kind of light I want to be...unnoticed, but revealing the presence of Jesus. I pray that you all find your own ways to be lights unto the world!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Little Moments
ahhhh...done with the first full week of school...and already a 3-day weekend! Labor Day just popped out of thin air. And I'm done with classes for the day. I'm staying here this weekend and planning on going to town on cleaning, homework, and purposeful-relaxation (aka reading or baking or both). I missed morning Mass today (someday I WILL remember that the 11am Mass is at SFX, not on campus...), so I'm going to venture to Old St. Patrick Oratory in northern KC for a Latin Mass at 6pm...first time in a while I've been to one, so my project for the afternoon is to print out some responses and remind myself of them...
I'm attempting at the moment to think of one word to describe this first full week...and all that comes to mind is "unplanned". Literally, every day I had an idea of how I wanted it to go, and every day something completely threw it off. Whether it was a headache, allergies, my forgetfulness, or just in general being busy and/or having homework, nothing went as planned. Nothing. I was so agitated going to bed last night because I was SO peeved that nothing went my way. Oh, to be reminded that I am nothing by myself. But I also look back and realize that at least once, each day, there was a consolation. Whether it was somebody I hadn't seen yet who just said hi, walked a little bit with me, and/or had a meaningful conversation, I knew that God was just saying, "Look, I'm here, always will be, in your darkest hour, I am the Light...you may not always "feel" me, but I am here. You just have to be aware."
To be aware...that's something that has started blooming in my life since coming to college. In high school I was so centered in on little pieces of life that I missed out on a lot of big picture things. I honestly don't have a good memory of a ton of high school. The parts that I remember the most are actually from retreats, specifically Steubenville retreats...probably because those are what mattered the most. College and CLC "God-moments" made me open my eyes to God's interactions in life..."God-incidents" as I've heard them called. And, since I've been looking for them more, I find more of them. I have so many more wonderful memories since I've come to college...even in the bad weeks. Because even in those weeks the sun still shines, the rain still freshens, the clouds will part to a beautiful sunrise, and a friend will give you a super-hug. Blessed be God for the little moments with which He woos us.
I'm attempting at the moment to think of one word to describe this first full week...and all that comes to mind is "unplanned". Literally, every day I had an idea of how I wanted it to go, and every day something completely threw it off. Whether it was a headache, allergies, my forgetfulness, or just in general being busy and/or having homework, nothing went as planned. Nothing. I was so agitated going to bed last night because I was SO peeved that nothing went my way. Oh, to be reminded that I am nothing by myself. But I also look back and realize that at least once, each day, there was a consolation. Whether it was somebody I hadn't seen yet who just said hi, walked a little bit with me, and/or had a meaningful conversation, I knew that God was just saying, "Look, I'm here, always will be, in your darkest hour, I am the Light...you may not always "feel" me, but I am here. You just have to be aware."
To be aware...that's something that has started blooming in my life since coming to college. In high school I was so centered in on little pieces of life that I missed out on a lot of big picture things. I honestly don't have a good memory of a ton of high school. The parts that I remember the most are actually from retreats, specifically Steubenville retreats...probably because those are what mattered the most. College and CLC "God-moments" made me open my eyes to God's interactions in life..."God-incidents" as I've heard them called. And, since I've been looking for them more, I find more of them. I have so many more wonderful memories since I've come to college...even in the bad weeks. Because even in those weeks the sun still shines, the rain still freshens, the clouds will part to a beautiful sunrise, and a friend will give you a super-hug. Blessed be God for the little moments with which He woos us.
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