Hold Me Like Holy Water

Wow. So this coming week is the last week of classes. I have an incredibly ridiculous amount of reflections to write and other crazy random worthless things to do. Why I took 21 credits this semester is beyond me. But alas, I will make it out alive - I am confident in that. I just have about 6 more reflections for Introduction to Reflective Teaching, a semester worth of lesson plans and reflections from my Foreign Language in Elementary Schools class, the finishing touches on my Language Arts presentation for my Technology for Practitioners class, about three different papers for my Critical Analysis: Spanish class, and a 3-5 page paper for Educational Psychology. Yes, all of those are due this week.

But enough of that. Because after this week, it will be over. I guess Father was right in his homily when he discussed how human beings are inclined to be "done with things, without considering what it takes to be through with them and without considering the outcome". Precisely. I just want it all to be over.

However, despite all of this crazy schoolwork, it is still the last week of school, which means that it is the last week of bonding with my friends before the long respite called summer. And it means the last of bonding with some friends who will be graduating. Sad times. I long for the year to continue longer, just without the homework part. :) Is that possible? Heh. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have plenty more to post about the random times that happen throughout the course of this next week...the lunacies in us comes out most strongly when we are tired, stressed and grasping for good times to last forever

On a happy note: Elizabeth comes home in less than a week! Austria is too far, a semester is too long, and I miss my best friend like CRAZY! Yay!!!

I am off to the Spring Fling dance in my fancy new dress. I got all gussied up. I'm even wearing hose on my legs. I mean, we're talking dressed up. :) I feel pretty, oh so pretty...

you are the dancing queen...young and sweet...only twentyyyyy...

Pax et veritas.




I heart dancing in black and white swing dresses with ribbons around the waist.

Me and St. Catherine of Siena hanging out in Roma!! Happy feast St. Catherine! 

Hurrah! The Feast of St. Catherine of Siena!

I am very excited for this particular feast. I mean, granted it has been an awesome week for feast days, I really like St. Catherine of Siena. She is one of those saints that you can read a little blurb about their life at random places and learn something new each time. I have been working on her "Dialogue" for quite some time now - never spending too much time on it at any one time just because it requires a lot of thought and prayer, and for the most part, that is tough to come by. I really hope to enjoy it this summer - perhaps it will be my spiritual reading during my daily holy hour. :)
As for St. Catherine of Siena, I think she is tremendous. I love that she came from a very large family. I love that she was so filled with love for God that she could concentrate on nothing else. I love that she is a Dominican saint. And what's really cool - I've seen her (well, sort of) in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome! Hurrah. As Sister Catherine Marie would say, "She is a very big sister to us". Precisely. St. Catherine of Siena, teach me to have zeal for God and for souls as you did, in following in the footsteps of St. Dominic who would urge the brethren to "have zeal for souls, my sons".
Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us.


Pax et veritas.



I heart Dominican feast days. :)

So the school year is coming to a close, again. So weird. This is from last year's end of the year. The guy who is second in from the left is now a Dominican brother. One of the people in this picture is a future FOCUS missionary. What about the rest of us? :) 

First I would just like to thank the kindly person who left a comment in my comment box but forgot to kindly leave their name. Perhaps next time, if you, my dear reader, are to make a comment on my logic/morals/ideas/what-have-you, be bold enough to leave your name. Cowardice is not my style.

On a completely different note:
I am still as stoked about Pope Benedict as if it were the first day! He's really a great man. We had a huge poster of him in our newspaper yesterday and on the backside the newspaper printed the names and pictures of all the vocations from the archdiocese (many of whom I know or am good friends with). Yay! It's really very exciting.
And regarding Pope Benedict XVI, I have one thing to say:
Truth is Truth is Truth is Truth is Truth...
You cannot jade that, regardless of whether you swing to the left or right on the liberal/conservative Catholic "pendulum". There is not "Truth for liberals" and "Truth for conservatives". There is only Truth. So please, my friends, stick with Truth. I'm getting quite annoyed by the propositions and ideas which seem to suggest that the Church is a subjective democracy. The Pope cannot change the Truth - and he will not. He will defend it, and if it's up to me (which it is, this is my blog), I might add that he always has (as Cardinal) and will continue to be a great defender of the Faith which is built upon the Truth.


"And the greatest of these is love."

Pax et veritas, my friends.



I heart Truth.

Pope Benedict XVI! Hurrah! 

Habemus Papam!!!!

I am pumped. I am really excited about Pope Benedict XVI. I will list my reasons for my current joy.
1. He's German. I was in Germany - they need a revival like crazy. With him and WYD coming up - it's sure to help create an atmosphere of faith in Germany. I mean, if he has only half of the impact on Germany that JP2 had on Poland - just imagine!!
2. He was "intellectual bedfellows" with JP2 - which is self-explanatory. The man is a rock star.
3. Everything he's done has been tremendous - it can only get better.
4. The liberals are freaking out. Hence, GOOD NEWS. :)
5. The Holy Spirit is in charge anyway - it's not like any amount of complaining can change that!! God is good!!

I pray that he is a beloved, warm man who gets the Truth across to a world that is hungry for it.

Yay!!!! :)

(more later...I may or may not be in Educational Psychology class right now...heh.)

So how amazing is this conclave thing? As a proud member of the JP2 generation, this is the first conclave I have known, and I am loving it. The media is baffled - and when that happens, I smile. :)

By the way, the quote of the day is from my Language Acquisition and Reading Development for Young Children teacher. We'll just call her Sven.
"I can't just make them appear. I'm not a musician. ::pause for confused look:: errr...magician."
Wow. That takes a special kind. And we have plenty of them.

On another note, I had a pretty darn cute conversation with my 8 year old cousin who just received her first communion yesterday. She said that she was a little shocked by the taste (what little kid isn't?), but then she reminded me that she loves God and Jesus and she will pray for me.
God bless her little heart. :)

Well, I'm off to bed - I can't do another late night - no more being late to class.

Perhaps we will have a new pope tomorrow?



Pax et veritas, friends.

And bring on the narcotic-induced lapses of consciousness. :)

I am recovering from the surgery on Wednesday (thus the lack of recent posts). The surgery went well, according to the doctor, and I would have to agree, as I have begun to regain the use of my pinky and ring finger on my right hand. Now I just have a pretty tremendous bruise and 6-inch incision which is done up with some amazing stitches on my elbow right now. The ACE bandage I have to wear to keep the wound clean and dry is the itchiest thing this side of the moon...oy. Anyway, I am recovering pretty well, although I have quite a ways to go.

So tomorrow begins the conclave - how exciting! I am rooting for a certain Dominican, although I will be very clear in stating that no matter who the next pope is, I trust the Holy Spirit and the will of God in that he will be holy shepherd of the Church, keeping in line with the Truth which the Church has been built upon for years upon years. Come Holy Spirit!

So, I am off to bed now - I cannot stay up much longer as I have class tomorrow...however, I will post more thoughts and whatnot tomorrow.


Pax et veritas, amigos.

Surgery tomorrow - and nearly everyone I know has told me they'll be praying for me.
Sr. Mary Emily and Sr. Catherine Marie said that they, along with the other sisters, will be praying for me.
My grandma said that she will not put her rosary down until she hears how it went.
And all of my other family and friends have wished me their best and said that they will be praying for me.
Yay!!

So here's the song of the day.
I've had this CD forever and a day, but I just decided I love this song especially today.
i was scared.
i was frightened.
but you sent your love down to comfort me.
i was lost.
i was afraid.
then i felt your presence there.
mother mary, you protected me, gave me strength for the trials ahead.
warm with peace, cool serenity, you put my mind at ease and you healed my pain.
i was down.
oh, i felt helpless.
and i felt like i was abandoned.
i felt pain, like none before.
then i felt your presence there.
mother mary, you protected me, you gave me strength for the trials ahead.
warm with peace, cool serenity, you put my mind at ease and you healed my pain.
hail mary, full of grace, the Lord is surely with you.
blessed are you, among all, and blessed is your son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
-gretchen harris, "mother mary"

I love it! :)

Well, I'm out for a little pre-surgery fast feast. Isn't that how it's supposed to go? :)

Pax et veritas.


I heart rapping priests.

New mission in life: 

Let it be known: I was productive this weekend. :) And we watched Napoleon Dynamite. Heck yes.

I bought two books this weekend which I cannot wait to begin.
1) Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts
2) Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All

They mostly rock. Heck yes.


So, I had to write an essay for my Spanish class about what my ideal funeral/burial would be like. It has to do with the story we just read in class. Anyway, here's what I wrote. :) I'm uber-proud of it.
If I had the option to have the ideal burial, I would ask for various things. First, I would want to be buried in the city of Rome, Italy, in the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva because this basilica is my favorite church in the world. It is a Dominican church, and I like Dominicans a lot. I want to be buried in the same church as St. Catherine of Siena. At the Mass, the Dominican priests would use a lot of incense and candles, and they would wear fiddleback chasubles. The other priests and seminarians (who would be altar servers) would wear cassocks and surplices. The music they would sing would be in Latin, with my favorites, the Salve Regina and Ave Maria. Also, after the funeral, there would be exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with benediction and hymns like Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris Hostia. After the holy hour, my body would be interred in a simple tomb and everyone would be invited to a joyous celebration.

Ah, yes. What a tremendous assignment.
My teacher will, without a doubt, laugh at me.

So as I'm writing this Beth is doing the Napoleon Dynamite dance. Just thought I'd say that.

Pax et veritas.



I heart dancing.

This whole picture thing has got to be one of the most thrilling tasks I have ever accomplished. I am not computer-literate by any means, and generally the way I operate them is by stumbling upon the correct answer (persistence is key!). I am just trying to figure out ways to make my blog a little more visually stimulating (us visual learners are easily bored when our eyes are not entertained!).

I will try to figure out how to do other things to make it more exciting.
Yay.


On another note- it is the weekend! Hurrah! I woke up this morning at 2am (after two hours of sleep) to watch the funeral of the Holy Father. Afterwards, I was super tired. Like, I'm a college student, so I know tired. I'm familiar with tired. But this was an "it-pains-me-to-be-conscious" tired. So, after Philosophy class I decided to hit the hay. Yes, that means I missed my Language Acquisitioin and Reading Development for Young Children class, but I think I can live with that.
I will have to miss it again next Friday as I will have had surgery (darn!). Heh, by the way, I don't like that class. Anyway, the papal funeral was beautiful. It was a very bittersweet experience to watch it. I was with a few of the folks I was in Rome with this past December/January, so we were reliving our experience in a very surreal way. Then we got to thinking about how we just had seen the Holy Father, and now he's gone. My emotions are very mixed: I am very saddened by the fact that I will never see him again in this life; will never again hear his words, read his words, see him on the TV, see him in person, just think about him and know he's physically present to us. However, I think it is terribly beautiful that he is in heaven with the Father, in the arms of our Mother (whom he loved so dearly!!), with all those he loved throughout his life, rejoicing with the saints and angels and praying for all of us in a way which transcends anything he could have accomplished on earth. How blessed our Church is to have him watching out for us from heaven.
As far as all the cardinal talk goes - I am looking forward to seeing where the Holy Spirit takes us. I believe that the Holy Spirit knows what He is doing, and I am excited to see what the will of God has in store for the next pope!! Veni Sancte Spiritus!

Well, my hand is starting to go numb (can't wait to get this fixed)...so I won't write much more.

Pax et veritas.

I heart Hallmark movies.

St. Peter's at Christmastime has got to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed... 

Ah, Roma.  

So the sisters have come and gone.
And boy do I miss them.

I will definitely be going to visit them this summer.

We had a great time together. They arrived about 3:30, and while we were still standing in the parking lot a news crew came up and asked if they could interview them about the memorial Mass which we were having for the Pope that day...and they told the news team to interview me. Oh joy. I didn't see myself on TV, but according to those who did watch later that night, I sounded relatively eloquent. But for the grace of God go I.
While I was being interviewed, the sisters ran in to find a restroom Keane Hall (aka boys dorm and home of offices of important people like the President). So...when I was done with the interview, I ran in there looking for them, and couldn't find them. I searched, meanwhile whisper/yelling "Sister!?", and upon passing by the President's office, his secretary told me that the sisters were in visiting with the President. Of course they were. :) So, I went in to find them, and the President was not at all surprised to find out they were with me. Heh. Anyway, he was really excited they were here, and invited them back, and promised to do dinner and whatnot. Hurrah for that.
Later we went to Mass, which was beautiful. It was very elaborate on account of it being the memorial Mass for the Holy Father. I thought the singing was beautiful, and the entire celebration was really quite outstanding. God is good. I guess the sisters remarked to a few of the musicians how beautiful the music was. Hurrah for them liking our liturgies. After Mass they got to meet nearly everyone. This included my advisor, the FOCUS team, random friends of mine, etc. It was great fun.
Then came dinner, which involved much fun, goofing around, and ice cream. Enough said.
Later we did a little session for women in Campus Ministry which allowed the women who came to find out a little more about the sisters, and to ask questions. I think it went quite well. There weren't many questions, but that's common when you're first becoming acquainted with something. I asked the women who came what they thought of the session afterwards and they said that they really enjoyed it and found it very fun and informative. Another hurrah.
Then I took them on a mini-tour of campus, which mostly included just walking from Campus Ministry to my room and back to their room. It works. They liked my room a lot - which, of course, what's not to like? :) Then I brought them back to their room where I told them ghost stories and joked around with them before making sure they had everything they needed and I left. Later Mary and I decided to throw a pebble at the window to frighten them a little (think back to the ghost stories). It was quite humorous.
The next morning they met us in the chapel for Morning Prayer, which I hope they enjoyed. We do not pray the Office nearly as beautiful as they are accustomed to - but we do what we can! :)
Then we did breakfast in the caf...which was another fun experience.
Then they left. :( I missed them as soon as they were out of sight. It was too good to have them so near. I still maintain that my heart was born in Tennessee.

Alas, it was a beautiful time spent with them, and I look forward to them coming back next year! (hint hint!)

As for the rest of my life - my mom left for New York today (and mentioned that she's bringing bail money...should I be concerned?...) Heh. :)
I have surgery a week from today. I'm kind of nervous (no pun intended).

Well, the time for Mass draws ever nearer.
I rejoiced when they said to me
let us go unto the house of the Lord. (except no one invited me yet...I'm just going).

Happy birthday to my Maurice!!
Love, your Therese.

Pax et veritas, y'all.

The pope has died.

My initial reaction was of relief - there is no suffering in heaven.
Then, when the bells started tolling, sadness came over me. I will miss this man. I saw him on two different occasions - in World Youth Day, and in Rome this past December - and he was a wonderful beacon of hope and light each time. The first time I ever saw him I thought "How can this man be loved so universally? How can he be an inspiration to people on every continent? And how can he be so hopeful and joyful all the time?!". Perhaps I was juvenile, but I remember it was also at World Youth Day that he invited all of us youth to consider the great calling which we have been given to be saints. We are all called to give our all, and he told us to "Be not afraid!" and to "Put out into the deep". And, it was, at this time, that I realized my vocation to religious life. I had been denying it for a few years, but in watching this man's hope, this man's joy, this man's love and holiness and faith...how could I say no? I owe my courage to this man.
The second time I encountered him, I was reliving the experience mentioned above. I was joyful, hopeful, and excited to be able to see the man whom I had grown to love with a profound love over the course of the past 2 years. His presence called people to rejoice, to sing, to dance, to be proud of being who they are as Catholics, and to dedicate their lives to God, seeking to become saints. I just watched the pope, in his ailing condition, as he fed on the energy, joy, and love of all the people at both the audience and the vespers service, and I was moved by the fact that he TRULY LOVED us, and we TRULY LOVED him.

Which is why I now have mixed feelings. Which I guess is only normal.
I will miss him terribly. No one will ever be who he was to so many people. Nearly everyone who loved him felt they had a personal connection with him (whether they had met him, seen him, or just witnessed him on the television!). He was a motivational figure for us youth - calling us his "dear young friends", and being more real and genuine with us than we have ever witnessed. He was unrelenting in calling us to be who God calls to be. He was like we have never known before and will never see again. How can our hearts not be moved when we see him kissing babies and hugging children and smiling and laughing and...oh, he truly was amazing.

However, I cannot imagine what joy he is experiencing in heaven. He is suffering no longer. He is with his mother, father, and brother who he hasn't seen in YEARS. And I have no doubt that Mary is cradling him in her arms. What jubilation amongst the saints and angels. How amazing for him - and for us.

For this reason, I am peaceful in facing his death - as an Easter people, we must believe in the power of the Resurrection, and be witnesses of hope, joy and love to the world.

What have I to say now? Bring on the canonization.

Requiescat in pace, John Paul II. We love you.

Pax et veritas.