Friday, September 30, 2005
The Neumann's Hartebeest, native to the African plains, wears macked-out green star-shaped shades and smokes a fragrant stogie. He currently resides in the St. Joseph Hall of Science at Loras College. How privileged we are to have such a distinguished member in our humble Iowa classroom.
Bidding time: 1 day 23 hr 10 min
It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.
I just bid on a beautiful 1947 Bells of St. Mary's movie poster. Original. It's probably the best thing to happen to me all week.
It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.
I just bid on a beautiful 1947 Bells of St. Mary's movie poster. Original. It's probably the best thing to happen to me all week.
The coveted movie poster. I must have it.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Ah, the joys of teaching. I love my second-graders. They are the best!
Today one of the little girls looked at me and said, "You know, you're pretty good at this. You should become a teacher!" :) Thanks, I'm trying!
And then at the end of class they all yelled, "Gracias Profesora!" and three of the kids gave me a big hug.
My kids are rockstars.
I talked to Sister Mary Gabriel today, and I am evermore excited about her visit here. It will undoubtedly be one of the most amazing things Loras has ever encountered. I cannot wait.
And just so you know, it's on!! The yo-yo's who live above us were louder than normal tonight (seriously, we had no idea what they were doing, but some ideas we had were the likes of sumo wrestling, body slamming, etc.). So, we were getting really annoyed and pounded on the ceiling. Then the girl who lives under us came up and knocked and was like "Um, I live below you. And you're really loud", and we're like "Um, it's not us. It's the people above us." And she looked at us like we were liars, and I was like, "No, really. We just pounded on the ceiling. Let's go yell at them." So, she and three of us from my apartment went up to yell at them. Surprisingly enough, they didn't answer the door. So, she opened it, and they were sitting in the dark, with chairs stacked on top of each other in the kitchen (umm...). She was like "Are you guys being loud?" and one of the kids was like "No, we're just studying" (BULL!), so she's like "Oh, OK, I didn't think it was you anyway" with this REALLY catty tone in her voice. Ugh! As if! So, I walked away, really unhappily. Then I mumbled something not nice, which I quite loudly shared with my flatmates once I returned. Then, as I thought more about it, I got more upset, and went upstairs and stood outside of their apartment door, just listening. The conversation went like this:
Girl: So, you can do the worm?
Guy: Yeah.
Girl: Oh! Show me!
Guy: Ok.
(meanwhile I'm thinking "They have been BREAK DANCING?!?!")
Another guy: So, the people below us just came up to yell. They said we were too loud.
::all laugh sinister-like::
Guy: Yeah, we were like "Oh, we're just studying"
::all laugh again, even more cruelly::
That was when I heard enough. I do not deal with liars well. Nor do I deal well with people who accuse me of something I did not do. So, it's on! I will take you down. And you will wish you never had to face my Polish, stubborn nature. Bring it on, yo!!
Road trip tomorrow - cannot wait!
Caritas et veritas (in true Theresian fashion!).
Today one of the little girls looked at me and said, "You know, you're pretty good at this. You should become a teacher!" :) Thanks, I'm trying!
And then at the end of class they all yelled, "Gracias Profesora!" and three of the kids gave me a big hug.
My kids are rockstars.
I talked to Sister Mary Gabriel today, and I am evermore excited about her visit here. It will undoubtedly be one of the most amazing things Loras has ever encountered. I cannot wait.
And just so you know, it's on!! The yo-yo's who live above us were louder than normal tonight (seriously, we had no idea what they were doing, but some ideas we had were the likes of sumo wrestling, body slamming, etc.). So, we were getting really annoyed and pounded on the ceiling. Then the girl who lives under us came up and knocked and was like "Um, I live below you. And you're really loud", and we're like "Um, it's not us. It's the people above us." And she looked at us like we were liars, and I was like, "No, really. We just pounded on the ceiling. Let's go yell at them." So, she and three of us from my apartment went up to yell at them. Surprisingly enough, they didn't answer the door. So, she opened it, and they were sitting in the dark, with chairs stacked on top of each other in the kitchen (umm...). She was like "Are you guys being loud?" and one of the kids was like "No, we're just studying" (BULL!), so she's like "Oh, OK, I didn't think it was you anyway" with this REALLY catty tone in her voice. Ugh! As if! So, I walked away, really unhappily. Then I mumbled something not nice, which I quite loudly shared with my flatmates once I returned. Then, as I thought more about it, I got more upset, and went upstairs and stood outside of their apartment door, just listening. The conversation went like this:
Girl: So, you can do the worm?
Guy: Yeah.
Girl: Oh! Show me!
Guy: Ok.
(meanwhile I'm thinking "They have been BREAK DANCING?!?!")
Another guy: So, the people below us just came up to yell. They said we were too loud.
::all laugh sinister-like::
Guy: Yeah, we were like "Oh, we're just studying"
::all laugh again, even more cruelly::
That was when I heard enough. I do not deal with liars well. Nor do I deal well with people who accuse me of something I did not do. So, it's on! I will take you down. And you will wish you never had to face my Polish, stubborn nature. Bring it on, yo!!
Road trip tomorrow - cannot wait!
Caritas et veritas (in true Theresian fashion!).
Dance party. The only picture - the rest are videos, not available to the public. :) And yes, I am in the middle of head-banging.
What an absolutely ridiculously crazy day. I truly believe that if anyone were taping my life, they would never stop scratching their head in confusion - I'm not consistent, normal, or even sane.
And that's the beauty of it. :)
So the run-down of the day. In Christian Sex class this morning I gave a presentation...on celibacy. It was probably quite unexpected by both the professor and the class. Hence the appeal. I also got a verbal "gold star" in that class for knowing my Aquinas. Yesss. Then in the next class, Genetics, I had a "very intelligent question". Please, you embarrass me. ;) The next class, Spanish, was booring, and I didn't pay attention. I worked on transforming my blog.
Then I came back to the apartment and made lunch and watched a few movies. And slept. Until just before 6pm. At 6, we had bible study, which was very good. About the Eucharist. We studied Justin Martyr and Ignatius of Antioch...good stuff.
Then my roommate Mindy straightened my hair (I have pretty curly hair that I NEVER straighten...), and we listened to the "Sounds of Rohlman" CD again. Yesss...it has such quality music on it.
Then we went to Mass. Where Father, during the Eucharistic Prayer, said "dis-kye-ples"...you know, like, disciples, with a hard 'c'. It was quite funny. Then he said "Then He took his disciples, gave it to His disciples and said..."...which was hilarious too. He clearly was a little flustered and fumbled. It took a lot of tongue-biting (lips didn't work...), deep breathing, and praying to not laugh. And, at Mass on Wednesday nights, we always wear nametags. Now, for the most part, people know each other's names. So, sometimes we change things up a bit. My friend Chad decided to go with something with an 'F', so I told him to go with 'Francesco'. Then I asked him which letter I should go for, and he said 'Z'. So I put 'Zita' on my nametag. Then when I introduced myself to a Franciscan sister, she said "Oh, hello, Zita. Nice to meet you". I tried to tell her my name isn't Zita, but she didn't seem to believe me. Dear me. Then after Mass the flatmates and I decided to run to the store for some Oreos. I ran into the store with Beth, with my Zita nametag still on. I'm a loser. The clerk looked at me with two very obvious questions in her eyes. 1. Why the heck are you wearing a nametag? 2. Who the heck is named Zita? It was kind of embarrassing, actually. Profound humility. And, in the car, we listened to our theme song, "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" (you know, the song from Office Space). We pretend the vulgar lyrics don't exist, and we just sing the words "damn it feels good to be a gangsta" and dance to the beat. We know we're complete dorks, and nowhere near gangsters...but somehow, that doesn't matter. Then, we came back and had an Oreos and milk dance party, complete with 80s hair ponytails (you know, the ones ON TOP of your head), and music like "Ice Ice Baby", "Shot Through the Heart", and "You Spin Me Right Round"...along with MANY others. It was pretty great. Then the people who live below us who SWEAR that we are the loudest people to walk the earth started pounding on their ceiling/our floor, so we stopped. Boo. Pictures of the night to follow.
And as an educational piece: St. Zita.
Caritas et veritas!!!
And that's the beauty of it. :)
So the run-down of the day. In Christian Sex class this morning I gave a presentation...on celibacy. It was probably quite unexpected by both the professor and the class. Hence the appeal. I also got a verbal "gold star" in that class for knowing my Aquinas. Yesss. Then in the next class, Genetics, I had a "very intelligent question". Please, you embarrass me. ;) The next class, Spanish, was booring, and I didn't pay attention. I worked on transforming my blog.
Then I came back to the apartment and made lunch and watched a few movies. And slept. Until just before 6pm. At 6, we had bible study, which was very good. About the Eucharist. We studied Justin Martyr and Ignatius of Antioch...good stuff.
Then my roommate Mindy straightened my hair (I have pretty curly hair that I NEVER straighten...), and we listened to the "Sounds of Rohlman" CD again. Yesss...it has such quality music on it.
Then we went to Mass. Where Father, during the Eucharistic Prayer, said "dis-kye-ples"...you know, like, disciples, with a hard 'c'. It was quite funny. Then he said "Then He took his disciples, gave it to His disciples and said..."...which was hilarious too. He clearly was a little flustered and fumbled. It took a lot of tongue-biting (lips didn't work...), deep breathing, and praying to not laugh. And, at Mass on Wednesday nights, we always wear nametags. Now, for the most part, people know each other's names. So, sometimes we change things up a bit. My friend Chad decided to go with something with an 'F', so I told him to go with 'Francesco'. Then I asked him which letter I should go for, and he said 'Z'. So I put 'Zita' on my nametag. Then when I introduced myself to a Franciscan sister, she said "Oh, hello, Zita. Nice to meet you". I tried to tell her my name isn't Zita, but she didn't seem to believe me. Dear me. Then after Mass the flatmates and I decided to run to the store for some Oreos. I ran into the store with Beth, with my Zita nametag still on. I'm a loser. The clerk looked at me with two very obvious questions in her eyes. 1. Why the heck are you wearing a nametag? 2. Who the heck is named Zita? It was kind of embarrassing, actually. Profound humility. And, in the car, we listened to our theme song, "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" (you know, the song from Office Space). We pretend the vulgar lyrics don't exist, and we just sing the words "damn it feels good to be a gangsta" and dance to the beat. We know we're complete dorks, and nowhere near gangsters...but somehow, that doesn't matter. Then, we came back and had an Oreos and milk dance party, complete with 80s hair ponytails (you know, the ones ON TOP of your head), and music like "Ice Ice Baby", "Shot Through the Heart", and "You Spin Me Right Round"...along with MANY others. It was pretty great. Then the people who live below us who SWEAR that we are the loudest people to walk the earth started pounding on their ceiling/our floor, so we stopped. Boo. Pictures of the night to follow.
And as an educational piece: St. Zita.
Caritas et veritas!!!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Ok, everyone. Clearly things are different around here. This was the chain of events:
Change template for fun -> lose hyperlinks -> look for new template now that hyperlinks are gone and there's nothing to lose -> try about 10 templates -> find one I like -> redo the html to fit what I want it to look like -> what it looks like now.
It was fun. But don't expect it often. Whew. My geekiness is exhausted.
More later.
Caritas et veritas.
Change template for fun -> lose hyperlinks -> look for new template now that hyperlinks are gone and there's nothing to lose -> try about 10 templates -> find one I like -> redo the html to fit what I want it to look like -> what it looks like now.
It was fun. But don't expect it often. Whew. My geekiness is exhausted.
More later.
Caritas et veritas.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
We just buried Olivia. She was pronounced dead today at 1:45pm. Cause of death: Ghandi-like hunger strike. She would not eat, even when food was placed before her. It was a tragic way to die, wasting away like that. I watched her die today...she just kind of got stiff and fell off the log. We will miss her. We buried her in a Kraft macaroni and cheese box, digging the hole in the backyard of our apartment complex with a pizza spatula we stole from Pizza Hut, and consequently named "Jack". The burial was followed by a simple eulogy. Refreshments will be served at 10:00pm - brownie batter for all.
Requiescat in pace, Olivia. :(
(for those of you who do not know, Olivia was our beloved green anole lizard...)
Ok, homework time...for real.
Caritas et veritas.
Requiescat in pace, Olivia. :(
(for those of you who do not know, Olivia was our beloved green anole lizard...)
Ok, homework time...for real.
Caritas et veritas.
Quote of the day...nay, month.
This morning, when referring to the fact that our TV was smoking (yes, smoking...), I asked Rusty:
Russ, what would you do if your TV was smoking?
and Rusty replied:
Well, probably say "Dude...cool!" and start head banging.
.....what? :) Haha!
This morning, when referring to the fact that our TV was smoking (yes, smoking...), I asked Rusty:
Russ, what would you do if your TV was smoking?
and Rusty replied:
Well, probably say "Dude...cool!" and start head banging.
.....what? :) Haha!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Earlier today I was irritated by the mere fact that I had to go to the class I hate. But I got over that.
And then I was just cranky. And when I came back from class, I heard a song on the radio that I've heard a million times, but it struck me differently. The lyrics are as follows:
"Listen To Your Heart" by Roxette
I know there's something in the wake of your smile.
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yea.
You've built a love but that love falls apart.
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark.
Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye.
Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea.
They're swept away and nothing is what it seems,
the feeling of belonging to your dreams.
And there are voices
that want to be heard.
So much to mention
but you can't find the words.
The scent of magic,
the beauty that's been
when love was wilder than the wind.
I just stopped and listened to the words, and today, somehow, they had particular significance for me. The line "Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile" seems like it sums up how I've felt recently - as though my efforts are in vain, because I'm really not impacting people. I feel that I am trying and trying and trying and then I look around and see nothing changed, and it's distressing. And frustrating. And then I get cranky, ergo the way I am now. However, the part of the song that really got me was the chorus, especially the line "I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why, but listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye" - I guess lately I've been so caught up doing things and being everything to everyone and in the process I've lost my direction a bit. Or... a lot. I don't know where I've been heading - but I've been journeying there quite headstrong. And I don't know why I've set off so determinedly to get to the destination I know nothing about. But I do realize that if I don't slow down and take things a bit more according to the will of God and less according to the will of me, I will lose sight of Him. And that's what I need to really pay attention to - the point of life is not pleasing people, getting good grades, packing as much as I can into one day, one hour, one minute - it is doing everything for God, giving Him all I am, and learning to know, love and serve Him better every day. That's what it's all about.
Well, that's today's insight.
Caritas et veritas.
And then I was just cranky. And when I came back from class, I heard a song on the radio that I've heard a million times, but it struck me differently. The lyrics are as follows:
"Listen To Your Heart" by Roxette
I know there's something in the wake of your smile.
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yea.
You've built a love but that love falls apart.
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark.
Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye.
Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea.
They're swept away and nothing is what it seems,
the feeling of belonging to your dreams.
And there are voices
that want to be heard.
So much to mention
but you can't find the words.
The scent of magic,
the beauty that's been
when love was wilder than the wind.
I just stopped and listened to the words, and today, somehow, they had particular significance for me. The line "Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile" seems like it sums up how I've felt recently - as though my efforts are in vain, because I'm really not impacting people. I feel that I am trying and trying and trying and then I look around and see nothing changed, and it's distressing. And frustrating. And then I get cranky, ergo the way I am now. However, the part of the song that really got me was the chorus, especially the line "I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why, but listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye" - I guess lately I've been so caught up doing things and being everything to everyone and in the process I've lost my direction a bit. Or... a lot. I don't know where I've been heading - but I've been journeying there quite headstrong. And I don't know why I've set off so determinedly to get to the destination I know nothing about. But I do realize that if I don't slow down and take things a bit more according to the will of God and less according to the will of me, I will lose sight of Him. And that's what I need to really pay attention to - the point of life is not pleasing people, getting good grades, packing as much as I can into one day, one hour, one minute - it is doing everything for God, giving Him all I am, and learning to know, love and serve Him better every day. That's what it's all about.
Well, that's today's insight.
Caritas et veritas.
Oh Dr. Oatmeal. Here are today's Quaker noats.Try to follow the logic. It's like a maze.
1. Fire's moral purpose is to provide warmth and light.
2. Sex's moral purpose is to provide procreation and unification.
3. Is it morally wrong to use fire for just light?
4. Is it morally wrong to use sex for just unification?
Ok, I'm not sure if this is just a poor example of a professor trying to get me to think, or if there is a less-than-subliminal message here. Is she justifying sex without the possibility of procreation? And if she is...why?!? I about lost it when I saw that.
Too distracted right now to post anything more...look for more later, though.
Caritas et veritas.
1. Fire's moral purpose is to provide warmth and light.
2. Sex's moral purpose is to provide procreation and unification.
3. Is it morally wrong to use fire for just light?
4. Is it morally wrong to use sex for just unification?
Ok, I'm not sure if this is just a poor example of a professor trying to get me to think, or if there is a less-than-subliminal message here. Is she justifying sex without the possibility of procreation? And if she is...why?!? I about lost it when I saw that.
Too distracted right now to post anything more...look for more later, though.
Caritas et veritas.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Du-Du-Du-Duhawks!!
Today was our first actual home game of the year (the other one was played at a different location since the field wasn't quite completed...), and it was soo much fun! It was pouring rain for most of the time, and it was really quite cold, and the other team was winning, but it was tremendous. Then at half time there was lightning, which meant rain delay, and then came the torrential downpour, so we left and puddle-jumped. It was great fun. We ended up losing the game, but it was still a wonderful day, just the same. :) I love cheering at football games!!
The best cheer: "To the window! To the wall! To the endzone with the ball!!" (it only makes sense if you (ashamedly enough) know the perverse rap song that it is modeled after...)...both that and "Hit somebody!!!"...now that's a great football cheer.
Ah well, you can't win 'em all...
There's always next time, dear Duhawks!!
Then I came back and worked on my Ethics paper (which is coming along quite nicely considering the little time I've put into it thus far), and Rusty called and asked to do something tonight with us gals. Since all of us but me and Victoria had plans, it was just the three of us on the town tonight. We went for dinner, then to Hy-Vee where we ran into our FOCUS missionaries. And the quote of the night:
"These Smart Ones dinners are practically theological. ::reading backside of box:: 'So good, it'll make you want to be good'...you see, that's the Eucharist right there!"
Haha...you know you're a Catholic nerd when... ;)
Anyway, we left them a bit later and got some sherbet and Sprite to make a little treat with (but no blender, so we used a hand-mixer...haha...). Rusty also suggested that we paint our toenails together, so we could truly bond, but we ended up forgoing that to watch Ice Age. :) Haha...
Then he left, and Megan came home and showed me two great card tricks she learned from a random old guy. We ended up playing cards for the next three hours. Everything from Speed to King's Corners to Gin Rummy (which we actually played for 2 hours...while listening to rap music...it was quite odd.) We busted out Beth's CD collection, since she's gone and has more CDs that most music stores. There was one entitled "Cruisin' rap mix", and we decided to give it a try. It wasn't bad, considering neither of us are huge rap fans, but we were kind of in the mood (and needed something to balance the octogenerian feeling we were getting from Gin Rummy). So then when that CD ran out we put in the CD entitled "Sounds of Rohlman" (Rohlman being the hall some of us lived in last year), and that had everything from "Mmm Bop" to the Spice Girls to Sister Act music...it was really a random and beautiful mix...songs I would never expect anyone to own on CD. :) Anyway, we just finished playing at 1:30am, and our sleep deprivation is mimicking intoxication...so it's high time for bed.
Crazy day...lots of fun and silliness. Tomorrow is homework day.
Boo.
Caritas et veritas!!!
Today was our first actual home game of the year (the other one was played at a different location since the field wasn't quite completed...), and it was soo much fun! It was pouring rain for most of the time, and it was really quite cold, and the other team was winning, but it was tremendous. Then at half time there was lightning, which meant rain delay, and then came the torrential downpour, so we left and puddle-jumped. It was great fun. We ended up losing the game, but it was still a wonderful day, just the same. :) I love cheering at football games!!
The best cheer: "To the window! To the wall! To the endzone with the ball!!" (it only makes sense if you (ashamedly enough) know the perverse rap song that it is modeled after...)...both that and "Hit somebody!!!"...now that's a great football cheer.
Ah well, you can't win 'em all...
There's always next time, dear Duhawks!!
Then I came back and worked on my Ethics paper (which is coming along quite nicely considering the little time I've put into it thus far), and Rusty called and asked to do something tonight with us gals. Since all of us but me and Victoria had plans, it was just the three of us on the town tonight. We went for dinner, then to Hy-Vee where we ran into our FOCUS missionaries. And the quote of the night:
"These Smart Ones dinners are practically theological. ::reading backside of box:: 'So good, it'll make you want to be good'...you see, that's the Eucharist right there!"
Haha...you know you're a Catholic nerd when... ;)
Anyway, we left them a bit later and got some sherbet and Sprite to make a little treat with (but no blender, so we used a hand-mixer...haha...). Rusty also suggested that we paint our toenails together, so we could truly bond, but we ended up forgoing that to watch Ice Age. :) Haha...
Then he left, and Megan came home and showed me two great card tricks she learned from a random old guy. We ended up playing cards for the next three hours. Everything from Speed to King's Corners to Gin Rummy (which we actually played for 2 hours...while listening to rap music...it was quite odd.) We busted out Beth's CD collection, since she's gone and has more CDs that most music stores. There was one entitled "Cruisin' rap mix", and we decided to give it a try. It wasn't bad, considering neither of us are huge rap fans, but we were kind of in the mood (and needed something to balance the octogenerian feeling we were getting from Gin Rummy). So then when that CD ran out we put in the CD entitled "Sounds of Rohlman" (Rohlman being the hall some of us lived in last year), and that had everything from "Mmm Bop" to the Spice Girls to Sister Act music...it was really a random and beautiful mix...songs I would never expect anyone to own on CD. :) Anyway, we just finished playing at 1:30am, and our sleep deprivation is mimicking intoxication...so it's high time for bed.
Crazy day...lots of fun and silliness. Tomorrow is homework day.
Boo.
Caritas et veritas!!!
Friday, September 23, 2005
So happy feast of St. Pio everyone. He's really a pretty amazing guy. One time, this summer, at work, a really old guy came in and told me a story about Padre Pio. It went something like this:
Guy: Have you ever heard of Padre Pio?
Me: Yes.
Guy: See this here? (showing me a bead on his keyring)
Me: Yes, what is it?
Guy: A bead from Padre Pio's rosary. Know how I got it?
Me: No...
Guy: Oh, many moons ago, I was in the army. Stationed in a small town in Italy. It was Christmas Eve and a bunch of the guys decided to go to midnight Mass. I wasn't Catholic, and wasn't interested, but they talked me into it. We had to drive over an hour to get to the church, and there were people lining the streets, walking for miles to get to the church. It was really something. Anyway, the priest who said the Mass was Padre Pio. I didn't know who he was, but one of the guys that brought us there had met him before, so after Mass we all went to the back and met him. Boy was he amazing. He had these bandages on his hands...do you know the stigmata?
Me: Yes.
Guy: Yeah, he had that. And after we talked to him for some time, he gave me a rosary. I gave it to my mom, and when she died, she left it to me. But I didn't want it for my own. So I took it apart and gave a bead to everyone in my family. He was an amazing man... ::gets kind of emotional, teary-eyed:: and I always have this bead in my pocket. Always.
And then he just smiled at me.
I love my job. :)
So here are the two random things that have happened today - both in class.
1. In Christian Sexual Morality this morning, we were studying Luther's teaching on sex. I was quite annoyed with his writings about celibacy, and the Quaker really wasn't helping to clarify anything according to Catholicism (surprise...). So the question was to put into a hierarchy Luther's view of certain sins. Throughout the class, we had been being punks in the back of the room (back of the bus club...yea yea!), and commenting on how odd Luther's teachings were. When we came to fornication, my friend Rusty raises his hand and says, "I thought he was weird when he talked about fornication..." and Quaker said, "How so?" and Rusty, very honestly said, "I really can't back that up with anything."
Who says that? :) EVERYONE laughed.
2. I must set up this situation: my Genetics class is in the Science Hall...and has mounted animal heads on the wall. We have, in our classroom, the Neumann's Hartebeest, the Blesbok, the Impala, and the Kudu. They are pretty great. Anyway, we're big fans of the Neuman's Hartebeest, because of the name, really. Now with that in mind, today we all walked into class, and lo and behold, the Neumann's Hartebeest had a stogie hanging out of his mouth. Yes, our mounted heads smoke cigars. :) It was really quite hilarious...
That's all I've got for now. I'm watching the Life on the Rock Encore. No talking during my show.
Caritas et veritas.
Guy: Have you ever heard of Padre Pio?
Me: Yes.
Guy: See this here? (showing me a bead on his keyring)
Me: Yes, what is it?
Guy: A bead from Padre Pio's rosary. Know how I got it?
Me: No...
Guy: Oh, many moons ago, I was in the army. Stationed in a small town in Italy. It was Christmas Eve and a bunch of the guys decided to go to midnight Mass. I wasn't Catholic, and wasn't interested, but they talked me into it. We had to drive over an hour to get to the church, and there were people lining the streets, walking for miles to get to the church. It was really something. Anyway, the priest who said the Mass was Padre Pio. I didn't know who he was, but one of the guys that brought us there had met him before, so after Mass we all went to the back and met him. Boy was he amazing. He had these bandages on his hands...do you know the stigmata?
Me: Yes.
Guy: Yeah, he had that. And after we talked to him for some time, he gave me a rosary. I gave it to my mom, and when she died, she left it to me. But I didn't want it for my own. So I took it apart and gave a bead to everyone in my family. He was an amazing man... ::gets kind of emotional, teary-eyed:: and I always have this bead in my pocket. Always.
And then he just smiled at me.
I love my job. :)
So here are the two random things that have happened today - both in class.
1. In Christian Sexual Morality this morning, we were studying Luther's teaching on sex. I was quite annoyed with his writings about celibacy, and the Quaker really wasn't helping to clarify anything according to Catholicism (surprise...). So the question was to put into a hierarchy Luther's view of certain sins. Throughout the class, we had been being punks in the back of the room (back of the bus club...yea yea!), and commenting on how odd Luther's teachings were. When we came to fornication, my friend Rusty raises his hand and says, "I thought he was weird when he talked about fornication..." and Quaker said, "How so?" and Rusty, very honestly said, "I really can't back that up with anything."
Who says that? :) EVERYONE laughed.
2. I must set up this situation: my Genetics class is in the Science Hall...and has mounted animal heads on the wall. We have, in our classroom, the Neumann's Hartebeest, the Blesbok, the Impala, and the Kudu. They are pretty great. Anyway, we're big fans of the Neuman's Hartebeest, because of the name, really. Now with that in mind, today we all walked into class, and lo and behold, the Neumann's Hartebeest had a stogie hanging out of his mouth. Yes, our mounted heads smoke cigars. :) It was really quite hilarious...
That's all I've got for now. I'm watching the Life on the Rock Encore. No talking during my show.
Caritas et veritas.
Happy Feast of St. Pio!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
The more we sing together, together, together, the more we sing together, the happier we'll be. "Skinnamarinky dinky dink..."
So here's the dilemma:
The pro-life club, of which I am president, has expressed to me that some of them desire to go to the March for Life in DC. This is a possibility, as funds are available for such a trip. However, it is at the same time as the FOCUS missionaries regional conference, which I was unable to attend last year since I was in Europe. My plan was to go to the conference this year, then the March next year, but I realized today that next year in January I will be student-teaching, and will not be able to attend the March for Life. So, this is my golden opportunity. Now or never. And I'm voting now. But because of this, I might be taking people away from the conference. But hey, it's the March for Life, right? What's more important? Oy. Why couldn't FOCUS have just planned for another weekend? Could they not have figured that every Catholic interested in attending their conference would also be interested in attending the March? Dang. So, the dilemma herein lies: Do I put the trip together, possibly taking away from the conference, mostly out because of the realization that I (along with some others) cannot make it to the March next year? Or do I forego it, and allow the students to attend the conference this year, March next year (without me)? Decisions, decisions.
Now here's another, less serious question: What do you do when a priest is blessing/absolving/otherwise saying a serious prayer, and he messes up and you just HAVE to laugh? Two examples from my own life:
1. While having my scapular blessed, the priest said "...through the intercession of St. Jovis..." and, if you've ever seen "Bells of St. Mary's" and know the Nativity play scene where the innkeeper calls Joseph "Jovis", you know where I'm coming from when I say that I nearly busted out laughing. I had to bite my lip to avoid such behavior. (P.S. I'm a HUGE Bells of St. Mary's fan. I have it in black and white and color, and I have the book too. I love it.)
2. While being absolved tonight at confession, the priest said, "God the Father of Percies..."PERCIES? What the heck is a percy? Once again, I wanted to laugh. I bit my lip, again. It didn't help completely, and I did a little shake, which I was sure he noticed, so I quick covered it by a cough. Oh man. Totally busted. But seriously...percies?
See? It's a tough situation!! Just you wait until you're faced with it!!
By the way, I have the craziest flatmates ever. We just seriously sat together in the living room and sang "Skinnamarink". You know the song, and you love it - don't hide it. We sang it together and acted out the motions and everything. We are very odd and quite proud of it. Earlier today someone asked me if I drink beer. I told them that I do not (which is true) and we got to talking about how I really have no need of it - I'm completely off my rocker as is. :)
Well, that's that. Time for bed.
Caritas et veritas.
The pro-life club, of which I am president, has expressed to me that some of them desire to go to the March for Life in DC. This is a possibility, as funds are available for such a trip. However, it is at the same time as the FOCUS missionaries regional conference, which I was unable to attend last year since I was in Europe. My plan was to go to the conference this year, then the March next year, but I realized today that next year in January I will be student-teaching, and will not be able to attend the March for Life. So, this is my golden opportunity. Now or never. And I'm voting now. But because of this, I might be taking people away from the conference. But hey, it's the March for Life, right? What's more important? Oy. Why couldn't FOCUS have just planned for another weekend? Could they not have figured that every Catholic interested in attending their conference would also be interested in attending the March? Dang. So, the dilemma herein lies: Do I put the trip together, possibly taking away from the conference, mostly out because of the realization that I (along with some others) cannot make it to the March next year? Or do I forego it, and allow the students to attend the conference this year, March next year (without me)? Decisions, decisions.
Now here's another, less serious question: What do you do when a priest is blessing/absolving/otherwise saying a serious prayer, and he messes up and you just HAVE to laugh? Two examples from my own life:
1. While having my scapular blessed, the priest said "...through the intercession of St. Jovis..." and, if you've ever seen "Bells of St. Mary's" and know the Nativity play scene where the innkeeper calls Joseph "Jovis", you know where I'm coming from when I say that I nearly busted out laughing. I had to bite my lip to avoid such behavior. (P.S. I'm a HUGE Bells of St. Mary's fan. I have it in black and white and color, and I have the book too. I love it.)
2. While being absolved tonight at confession, the priest said, "God the Father of Percies..."PERCIES? What the heck is a percy? Once again, I wanted to laugh. I bit my lip, again. It didn't help completely, and I did a little shake, which I was sure he noticed, so I quick covered it by a cough. Oh man. Totally busted. But seriously...percies?
See? It's a tough situation!! Just you wait until you're faced with it!!
By the way, I have the craziest flatmates ever. We just seriously sat together in the living room and sang "Skinnamarink". You know the song, and you love it - don't hide it. We sang it together and acted out the motions and everything. We are very odd and quite proud of it. Earlier today someone asked me if I drink beer. I told them that I do not (which is true) and we got to talking about how I really have no need of it - I'm completely off my rocker as is. :)
Well, that's that. Time for bed.
Caritas et veritas.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Here's a great way to start the morning on the wrong foot:
Shower with a spider. Oy vey...there was a gigantic spider in the shower with me this morning...this ugly yellowish-orange colored spider that I'm sure was venomous. I couldn't concentrate on the shower, thus making it take longer than necessary (you try to watch a spider AND close your eyes while washing out the shampoo!). Since it was on the ceiling, I was afraid of it falling on me. I'm not much of an arachnophobe, but I do not like spiders on the ceiling. Wall, floor...no problem. Ceiling grosses me out though...the thought of them dropping down on you is just too creepy. Anyway, the spider fiasco made me late for Morning Prayer, and my hair looked kind of flat. Boo for that danged spider. (Which is still at large!!)
Saw another GREAT Italian movie today: Ciao, Professore! Definitely worth watching. It reminded me very much of an Italian version of "Dangerous Minds", which I find wonderful as well. The teacher in me loves children - the punk in me loves the difficult ones. And so, I enjoy watching movies about teachers who struggle with their students a bit, only to find it all the more rewarding. Anyway, I just loved this movie. :)
And now for my little insight of the day:
I worked at a Confirmation retreat for high-schoolers tonight. It was a two-part retreat, with the first part taking place last semester, and the second part tonight. They are to be confirmed this coming Saturday. The group was pretty good - your "average" high-schooler - relatively caught up in image, gossip, whatever is "cool", their cell phones, etc. That is to be expected, and doesn't bother me that much. The thing that got to me was when we were in small groups and I asked the girls "So, what is your Confirmation saint's name?" and they were like, "Um, I don't know, really. She (the director) said to just pick one off the list, and we could research them if we wanted." and so I was like "Ok, do you remember who you picked?" and one girl said "Yeah, Elizabeth". I said "Which Elizabeth?" and she looked at me like I had 12 eyes, so I said "There are a few Saint Elizabeth's. Is it Elizabeth, Mary's cousin?" and she said, "I don't know. The one on the list." The other girls picked "Victoria", "James" (surprising!) and "Kay" (unfamiliar with St. Kay...). It did make me quite sad, though, that these kids were totally unaware of the saints that they had chosen. And then I realized how reflective this is of a lot of Catholics my age, and that makes me sad too. I guess I grew up with a huge love of the saints, and so this is rather foreign to me. I used to read saint books before going to bed all the time. Whenever I babysit, I tell saint stories instead of reading "Cinderella" or something of the like. I just LOVE saints. And yet, I will confess, I didn't really care about the saint name I picked when I was confirmed (things were different for me then...) and I picked St. Genevieve (who really is wonderful, don't get me wrong!) for two reasons: 1. she has a pretty name that goes very nicely with the rest of my name, and 2. her feast day is my birthday. Ah yes, to plumb the depths of my spiritual life in those days... But in all honesty, I really do wish that young children/teens/adults/EVERYONE was a little more educated about saints, only because they are so fascinating, so inspiring, and really have the most amazing stories. Even the saints that were rather common, in that they weren't "Joan of Arc" or "Ignatius of Antioch", they have such a beautiful simplicity and practicality to their lives that, if you let it, permeates into your mind saying "This CAN be done! You too can be a SAINT!" (in this I'm thinking of St. Gianna Berretta Molla or Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati or St. John Berchmans)
I love it.
We must teach the children.
And on an exciting note: I completely and utterly forgot about my first lab assignment for Human Genetics. It was due Monday, and I didn't have it. I just assumed that because of my stupidity, I deserve to not have the points, so I didn't mention it to my professor. However, it turns out the lab is worth 100 points. Ay caramba! So, I was talking about this with some friends, and they were like "Angela! Ask if you can at least have partial credit!"...so I did. I emailed my professor, explaining that it's really my own fault, and I understand if it's too late for partial credit, but to let me know anyway. He emailed back. If I turn it in Friday, I receive full credit...I just must not do this again.
To those who show mercy, mercy will be shone.
:) Yesss.....
Caritas et veritas!!
Shower with a spider. Oy vey...there was a gigantic spider in the shower with me this morning...this ugly yellowish-orange colored spider that I'm sure was venomous. I couldn't concentrate on the shower, thus making it take longer than necessary (you try to watch a spider AND close your eyes while washing out the shampoo!). Since it was on the ceiling, I was afraid of it falling on me. I'm not much of an arachnophobe, but I do not like spiders on the ceiling. Wall, floor...no problem. Ceiling grosses me out though...the thought of them dropping down on you is just too creepy. Anyway, the spider fiasco made me late for Morning Prayer, and my hair looked kind of flat. Boo for that danged spider. (Which is still at large!!)
Saw another GREAT Italian movie today: Ciao, Professore! Definitely worth watching. It reminded me very much of an Italian version of "Dangerous Minds", which I find wonderful as well. The teacher in me loves children - the punk in me loves the difficult ones. And so, I enjoy watching movies about teachers who struggle with their students a bit, only to find it all the more rewarding. Anyway, I just loved this movie. :)
And now for my little insight of the day:
I worked at a Confirmation retreat for high-schoolers tonight. It was a two-part retreat, with the first part taking place last semester, and the second part tonight. They are to be confirmed this coming Saturday. The group was pretty good - your "average" high-schooler - relatively caught up in image, gossip, whatever is "cool", their cell phones, etc. That is to be expected, and doesn't bother me that much. The thing that got to me was when we were in small groups and I asked the girls "So, what is your Confirmation saint's name?" and they were like, "Um, I don't know, really. She (the director) said to just pick one off the list, and we could research them if we wanted." and so I was like "Ok, do you remember who you picked?" and one girl said "Yeah, Elizabeth". I said "Which Elizabeth?" and she looked at me like I had 12 eyes, so I said "There are a few Saint Elizabeth's. Is it Elizabeth, Mary's cousin?" and she said, "I don't know. The one on the list." The other girls picked "Victoria", "James" (surprising!) and "Kay" (unfamiliar with St. Kay...). It did make me quite sad, though, that these kids were totally unaware of the saints that they had chosen. And then I realized how reflective this is of a lot of Catholics my age, and that makes me sad too. I guess I grew up with a huge love of the saints, and so this is rather foreign to me. I used to read saint books before going to bed all the time. Whenever I babysit, I tell saint stories instead of reading "Cinderella" or something of the like. I just LOVE saints. And yet, I will confess, I didn't really care about the saint name I picked when I was confirmed (things were different for me then...) and I picked St. Genevieve (who really is wonderful, don't get me wrong!) for two reasons: 1. she has a pretty name that goes very nicely with the rest of my name, and 2. her feast day is my birthday. Ah yes, to plumb the depths of my spiritual life in those days... But in all honesty, I really do wish that young children/teens/adults/EVERYONE was a little more educated about saints, only because they are so fascinating, so inspiring, and really have the most amazing stories. Even the saints that were rather common, in that they weren't "Joan of Arc" or "Ignatius of Antioch", they have such a beautiful simplicity and practicality to their lives that, if you let it, permeates into your mind saying "This CAN be done! You too can be a SAINT!" (in this I'm thinking of St. Gianna Berretta Molla or Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati or St. John Berchmans)
I love it.
We must teach the children.
And on an exciting note: I completely and utterly forgot about my first lab assignment for Human Genetics. It was due Monday, and I didn't have it. I just assumed that because of my stupidity, I deserve to not have the points, so I didn't mention it to my professor. However, it turns out the lab is worth 100 points. Ay caramba! So, I was talking about this with some friends, and they were like "Angela! Ask if you can at least have partial credit!"...so I did. I emailed my professor, explaining that it's really my own fault, and I understand if it's too late for partial credit, but to let me know anyway. He emailed back. If I turn it in Friday, I receive full credit...I just must not do this again.
To those who show mercy, mercy will be shone.
:) Yesss.....
Caritas et veritas!!
Monday, September 19, 2005
3. Sacred Vessels[117.] Sacred vessels for containing the Body and Blood of the Lord must be made in strict conformity with the norms of tradition and of the liturgical books.[205]The Bishops’ Conferences have the faculty to decide whether it is appropriate, once their decisions have been given the recognitio by the Apostolic See, for sacred vessels to be made of other solid materials as well. It is strictly required, however, that such materials be truly noble in the common estimation within a given region,[206]so that honour will be given to the Lord by their use, and all risk of diminishing the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in the eyes of the faithful will be avoided. Reprobated, therefore, is any practice of using for the celebration of Mass common vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate.[207]
With this in mind, I beg your thoughts, dear reader.
There is a certain priest I know who really is a wonderful man. Very concerned about each person in the congregation, extremely apt at connecting with people, an extraordinary homilist, etc. etc. However, the chalices and other vessels which he uses for Mass are nearly always either glass or clay. This has always bothered me, and when it has been mentioned to him before, he responds by saying that there is not sufficient money for such chalices, or that these are what Jesus would have used, and it makes the atmosphere more like it was at the Last Supper (or something like that). Really, I think it's ridiculous. If this priest wanted to get gold/silver chalices, he would be able to. I've always believed that where there's a will, there's a way, and when it's God's will and God's way...well...things happen. However, I am not sure how to bring this up to him, as it was recently discovered that the clay chalices were made by some friends of his who are nuns (good ones, too!). Clearly they mean a lot to him. But that isn't reason enough (for me, or anyone else I've asked) to use them at Mass. Especially when the document clearly states that they are reprobated. So, the question now is whether it is my place to talk to him, and if it is, how I am to go about it. I am not alone in this - nearly everyone I've spoken to (being those educated enough to understand the difference between using Rubbermaid, clay, glass and gold), say that they strongly dislike the use of the clay. Anyway, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Caritas et veritas.
With this in mind, I beg your thoughts, dear reader.
There is a certain priest I know who really is a wonderful man. Very concerned about each person in the congregation, extremely apt at connecting with people, an extraordinary homilist, etc. etc. However, the chalices and other vessels which he uses for Mass are nearly always either glass or clay. This has always bothered me, and when it has been mentioned to him before, he responds by saying that there is not sufficient money for such chalices, or that these are what Jesus would have used, and it makes the atmosphere more like it was at the Last Supper (or something like that). Really, I think it's ridiculous. If this priest wanted to get gold/silver chalices, he would be able to. I've always believed that where there's a will, there's a way, and when it's God's will and God's way...well...things happen. However, I am not sure how to bring this up to him, as it was recently discovered that the clay chalices were made by some friends of his who are nuns (good ones, too!). Clearly they mean a lot to him. But that isn't reason enough (for me, or anyone else I've asked) to use them at Mass. Especially when the document clearly states that they are reprobated. So, the question now is whether it is my place to talk to him, and if it is, how I am to go about it. I am not alone in this - nearly everyone I've spoken to (being those educated enough to understand the difference between using Rubbermaid, clay, glass and gold), say that they strongly dislike the use of the clay. Anyway, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Caritas et veritas.
Happy Feast of St. Januarius!!
So to explain the following:
The other night all of the cool kids were hanging out at our apartment. And one of the fellows, we'll call him Troy, saw that our placemats somehow looked like mitres when folded just so and placed properly upon the crown of the head. So, he did just that, and declared that he was Pope Benedict. Well, the other fellow, whom we will refer to as Adam, decided to do the same. Now, they both couldn't be Pope Benedict, so they decided to arrange who they were according to the dates on their baseball caps. Adam became Pope Benedict, and Troy Pope John Paul II. And so what you now see is them, giving their papal blessings, adorned in their mitres (notice the very unliturgical blue color...but we can pretend that it's Marian.) :)
More later (on a serious topic...get ready for this one!)
- time for genetics class.
Caritas et veritas.
The other night all of the cool kids were hanging out at our apartment. And one of the fellows, we'll call him Troy, saw that our placemats somehow looked like mitres when folded just so and placed properly upon the crown of the head. So, he did just that, and declared that he was Pope Benedict. Well, the other fellow, whom we will refer to as Adam, decided to do the same. Now, they both couldn't be Pope Benedict, so they decided to arrange who they were according to the dates on their baseball caps. Adam became Pope Benedict, and Troy Pope John Paul II. And so what you now see is them, giving their papal blessings, adorned in their mitres (notice the very unliturgical blue color...but we can pretend that it's Marian.) :)
More later (on a serious topic...get ready for this one!)
- time for genetics class.
Caritas et veritas.
So to explain the following:
The other night all of the cool kids were hanging out at our apartment. And one of the fellows, we'll call him Troy, saw that our placemats somehow looked like mitres when folded just so and placed properly upon the crown of the head. So, he did just that, and declared that he was Pope Benedict. Well, the other fellow, whom we will refer to as Adam, decided to do the same. Now, they both couldn't be Pope Benedict, so they decided to arrange who they were according to the dates on their baseball caps. Adam became Pope Benedict, and Troy Pope John Paul II. And so what you now see is them, giving their papal blessings, adorned in their mitres (notice the very unliturgical blue color...but we can pretend that it's Marian.) :)
More later (on a serious topic...get ready for this one!)
- time for genetics class.
Caritas et veritas.
The other night all of the cool kids were hanging out at our apartment. And one of the fellows, we'll call him Troy, saw that our placemats somehow looked like mitres when folded just so and placed properly upon the crown of the head. So, he did just that, and declared that he was Pope Benedict. Well, the other fellow, whom we will refer to as Adam, decided to do the same. Now, they both couldn't be Pope Benedict, so they decided to arrange who they were according to the dates on their baseball caps. Adam became Pope Benedict, and Troy Pope John Paul II. And so what you now see is them, giving their papal blessings, adorned in their mitres (notice the very unliturgical blue color...but we can pretend that it's Marian.) :)
More later (on a serious topic...get ready for this one!)
- time for genetics class.
Caritas et veritas.
Imparting their papal blessings. We are Catholic nerds, and proud of it. :)
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Ok, first of all this is hilarious.
Secondly, I found this on a random Xanga, and I decided to steal it. And so...
I AM: Angela Leigh
I WANT: to drink some tea from my new tea kettle.
I HAVE: a lot of fun.
I WISH: I could remember everything I'd ever learned.
I HATE: people who are inconsiderate and stupid.
I MISS: having a lunchbox with characters on the front. And a Thermos.
I FEAR: rabid liberal feminists and liturgical dancing.
I HEAR: the Chicago Bears kicking some serious butt.
I SEARCH: for good in others.
I WONDER: what God's face looks like.
I REGRET: not living enough in high school.
I LOVE: God. and Dominicans. good ones.
I ACHE: for those who suffer.
I ALWAYS: am up for anything random, as long as it's not stupid, dangerous or immoral.
I AM NOT: too shy to be me.
I DANCE: to the song inside me. and that song is ALWAYS playing and constantly changing beat.
I SING: when I'm by myself or just don't care. (God gave me this voice. He MUST want to hear it!)
I CRY: a lot. when I'm disappointed in myself, when someone else hurts, when watching Hallmark commercials, or Lifetime movies, or Steel Magnolias...
I WRITE: emails to keep in touch.
I WIN: all the time! It's always the "I win!" game.
I LOSE: everything - I cannot keep track of anything.
I CONFUSE: people.
I NEED: God.
I SHOULD: go drink my tea now that it's done boiling. Yesss....
More later - with pictures of last night's craziness to follow.
Caritas et veritas
Secondly, I found this on a random Xanga, and I decided to steal it. And so...
I AM: Angela Leigh
I WANT: to drink some tea from my new tea kettle.
I HAVE: a lot of fun.
I WISH: I could remember everything I'd ever learned.
I HATE: people who are inconsiderate and stupid.
I MISS: having a lunchbox with characters on the front. And a Thermos.
I FEAR: rabid liberal feminists and liturgical dancing.
I HEAR: the Chicago Bears kicking some serious butt.
I SEARCH: for good in others.
I WONDER: what God's face looks like.
I REGRET: not living enough in high school.
I LOVE: God. and Dominicans. good ones.
I ACHE: for those who suffer.
I ALWAYS: am up for anything random, as long as it's not stupid, dangerous or immoral.
I AM NOT: too shy to be me.
I DANCE: to the song inside me. and that song is ALWAYS playing and constantly changing beat.
I SING: when I'm by myself or just don't care. (God gave me this voice. He MUST want to hear it!)
I CRY: a lot. when I'm disappointed in myself, when someone else hurts, when watching Hallmark commercials, or Lifetime movies, or Steel Magnolias...
I WRITE: emails to keep in touch.
I WIN: all the time! It's always the "I win!" game.
I LOSE: everything - I cannot keep track of anything.
I CONFUSE: people.
I NEED: God.
I SHOULD: go drink my tea now that it's done boiling. Yesss....
More later - with pictures of last night's craziness to follow.
Caritas et veritas
Saturday, September 17, 2005
More hilariousness whilst praying the Office with Rusty (yes, Russ, you were right. It IS going on my blog).
So today's reading from the Common of Several Martyrs began with "Dearly beloved".
Rusty finished with "we are gathered here today..."
Haha...oh man.
And then I read the Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary, we began the Magnificat, and about 3 lines into it, I stop, and forcefully throw my head forward in a look of dismay. Rusty, not realizing what was going on, was like "Dude, was that like, a fist pump...only with your head? Did you just head pump the Magnificat?"
(Now as background, when we get excited, we "fist pump"...prime example was today's reading...at John 17:17 "Consecrate them in Truth", we both did a "fist pump".)
Anyway, I was like "No! I read the wrong antiphon!" ...and then I realized. The head pump. That's just hilarious. Somehow it's quite head-banging-punk-ish, yet, not. Because it was thought to be about...the Magnificat. How priceless is that?
I just might have to use that head pump thing some time. We'll see.
Tonight I ate delicious Greek food. Who knew Dubuque had delicious Greek food? And who knew it was so inexpensive...and they deliver? And they're like, 4 blocks from my apartment. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship...me and the Greeks.
Then we all piled into the car (not mine...we'll get there in a minute), and went to see "Just Like Heaven". It was surprisingly good. Predictable, of course, because it was a romantic comedy and they are predictable by nature - but it was a different type, with a Sleeping-Beauty-esque sort of business. I liked it. And it was relatively non-scandalous. Always a plus.
So about the car. I drove it the 2 blocks it takes to get to the chapel this morning (I was running laaaaaaaaaate). Then we went to McDonald's to get vanilla shakes (it was a craving...go with it), and when we got back, there was steam/smoke coming from under the hood. It's never done that before. I was minorly concerned, but as JMJ (that's the car's name) is about 12 years old, I expect oddities from her. However, later when I came out to the car after Mass, there was green goo (antifreeze, I guess) on the parking lot. My flatmates tried to tell me it wasn't coming from JMJ, but there's no way it was from another car - the spot next to me was uphill a bit. I'm no genius, but liquid doesn't normally run uphill. So...I did the only thing a girl's to do. I called my dad as we piled into the car to drive back to the apartment. The conversation went something like:
Me: Hi Mom. Is Dad there? I have a car question.
Mom: Yeah, hang on. ::to my dad:: "Rich, she has a car question."
Dad: Hey kiddo, what's going on?
Me: Dad, is it bad if the car has smoke coming out of it when you turn it off, and then later on you see this green goo that looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters underneath it?
Dad: Yeah, that's a major problem. Don't drive it.
Me: Ok Dad (as I'm driving back!)
Dad: Yeah, you can't drive it until I can look at it. I'll be up this weekend some time.
Me: Thanks Dad! You're the best! (still driving it!)
Dad: Ok, talk to you later.
Me: Ok bye! (stilll driving...)
Dear. Hopefully it's not a huge problem and we can make the Slimer appearances vanish. No more green goo under the JMJ-mobile. I don't like that. She's my baby - I love that car.
Well, enough about nothing. I'm off to bed.
Caritas et veritas.
So today's reading from the Common of Several Martyrs began with "Dearly beloved".
Rusty finished with "we are gathered here today..."
Haha...oh man.
And then I read the Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary, we began the Magnificat, and about 3 lines into it, I stop, and forcefully throw my head forward in a look of dismay. Rusty, not realizing what was going on, was like "Dude, was that like, a fist pump...only with your head? Did you just head pump the Magnificat?"
(Now as background, when we get excited, we "fist pump"...prime example was today's reading...at John 17:17 "Consecrate them in Truth", we both did a "fist pump".)
Anyway, I was like "No! I read the wrong antiphon!" ...and then I realized. The head pump. That's just hilarious. Somehow it's quite head-banging-punk-ish, yet, not. Because it was thought to be about...the Magnificat. How priceless is that?
I just might have to use that head pump thing some time. We'll see.
Tonight I ate delicious Greek food. Who knew Dubuque had delicious Greek food? And who knew it was so inexpensive...and they deliver? And they're like, 4 blocks from my apartment. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship...me and the Greeks.
Then we all piled into the car (not mine...we'll get there in a minute), and went to see "Just Like Heaven". It was surprisingly good. Predictable, of course, because it was a romantic comedy and they are predictable by nature - but it was a different type, with a Sleeping-Beauty-esque sort of business. I liked it. And it was relatively non-scandalous. Always a plus.
So about the car. I drove it the 2 blocks it takes to get to the chapel this morning (I was running laaaaaaaaaate). Then we went to McDonald's to get vanilla shakes (it was a craving...go with it), and when we got back, there was steam/smoke coming from under the hood. It's never done that before. I was minorly concerned, but as JMJ (that's the car's name) is about 12 years old, I expect oddities from her. However, later when I came out to the car after Mass, there was green goo (antifreeze, I guess) on the parking lot. My flatmates tried to tell me it wasn't coming from JMJ, but there's no way it was from another car - the spot next to me was uphill a bit. I'm no genius, but liquid doesn't normally run uphill. So...I did the only thing a girl's to do. I called my dad as we piled into the car to drive back to the apartment. The conversation went something like:
Me: Hi Mom. Is Dad there? I have a car question.
Mom: Yeah, hang on. ::to my dad:: "Rich, she has a car question."
Dad: Hey kiddo, what's going on?
Me: Dad, is it bad if the car has smoke coming out of it when you turn it off, and then later on you see this green goo that looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters underneath it?
Dad: Yeah, that's a major problem. Don't drive it.
Me: Ok Dad (as I'm driving back!)
Dad: Yeah, you can't drive it until I can look at it. I'll be up this weekend some time.
Me: Thanks Dad! You're the best! (still driving it!)
Dad: Ok, talk to you later.
Me: Ok bye! (stilll driving...)
Dear. Hopefully it's not a huge problem and we can make the Slimer appearances vanish. No more green goo under the JMJ-mobile. I don't like that. She's my baby - I love that car.
Well, enough about nothing. I'm off to bed.
Caritas et veritas.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
At the Cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, all His bitter anguish bearing, now at length the sword has passed. O how sad and sore distressed was that Mother highly blest, of the sole-begotten One. Christ above in tormet hangs, she beneath beholds the pangs, of her dying glorious Son. Is there one who would not weep, whelmed in miseries so deep, Christ's dear Mother to behold? Can the human heart refrain, from partaking in her pain, in that Mother's pain untold? Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, she beheld her tender Child, all with scourges rent: For the sins of His own nation, saw Him hang in desolation, Till His spirit forth He sent. O thou Mother! fount of love! Touch my spirit from above, make my heart with thine accord: Make me feel as thou hast felt; make my soul to glow and melt, with the love of Christ my Lord. Holy Mother! pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew, of my Savior crucified: Let me share with thee His pain, who for all my sins was slain, who for me in torments died. Let me mingle tears with thee, mourning Him who mourned for me, all the days that I may live. By the cross with thee to stay, there with thee to weep and pray, is all I ask of thee to give. Virgin of all virgins blest! Listen to my fond request: let me share thy grief divine; Let me, to my latest breath, in my body bear the death, of that dying Son of thine. Wounded with His every wound, steep my soul till it hath swooned, in His very Blood away; Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, lest in flames I burn and die, in His awful Judgment Day. Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, by Thy Mother my defense, by Thy Cross my victory; When my body dies, let me soul be granted the glory of Paradise. Amen.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Quaker noats for today:
"Well, if you accept the process theology that God (I don't believe that God is a he or a she), that God changes over time, then you would believe that God can change God's opinion or view or feelings."
Whoa, what? God changes? Missed that memo...how could I be so wrong? All these years! ::sigh::
Anyway, that's all I heard from her. I tuned her out after she ranted a bit about how she couldn't fathom cleaning after herself, and that she hires someone for that. (Disclaimer: I have nothing against anyone who hires cleaning persons. But to be snooty about it, as if you are too good to clean up after your own self...well, that's another story). So, I was not happy about that comment. Then, she asked the class to offer their suggestions about what they thought the answer to question X was, and when a student gave her opinion, she mocked her. Excuse me, but when your teaching abilities suffer so greatly as to have to beg students to answer your feeble questions, perhaps you should reconsider mocking the ones who are kind enough to help. Ugh. That was where I tuned her out. I checked the news, read some blogs, played a game...really anything to avoid listening. You may call me stubborn - I call it silent protest in favor of the dignity of the person.
(ok, no I didn't. I was just being a punk. but that does sound pretty good...) :)
So I saw an Italian movie last week that I never posted about. It is entitled, "Bread and Tulips". It was really very good. The ending wasn't really what I would have picked from a moral aspect, however, from a very you go girl! (in the least valley girl way possible) aspect, well, it was perfect. Anyway, I recommend it.
I'm off to make dinner for the flatmates. Family dinner night, or something. ;)
Caritas et veritas.
"Well, if you accept the process theology that God (I don't believe that God is a he or a she), that God changes over time, then you would believe that God can change God's opinion or view or feelings."
Whoa, what? God changes? Missed that memo...how could I be so wrong? All these years! ::sigh::
Anyway, that's all I heard from her. I tuned her out after she ranted a bit about how she couldn't fathom cleaning after herself, and that she hires someone for that. (Disclaimer: I have nothing against anyone who hires cleaning persons. But to be snooty about it, as if you are too good to clean up after your own self...well, that's another story). So, I was not happy about that comment. Then, she asked the class to offer their suggestions about what they thought the answer to question X was, and when a student gave her opinion, she mocked her. Excuse me, but when your teaching abilities suffer so greatly as to have to beg students to answer your feeble questions, perhaps you should reconsider mocking the ones who are kind enough to help. Ugh. That was where I tuned her out. I checked the news, read some blogs, played a game...really anything to avoid listening. You may call me stubborn - I call it silent protest in favor of the dignity of the person.
(ok, no I didn't. I was just being a punk. but that does sound pretty good...) :)
So I saw an Italian movie last week that I never posted about. It is entitled, "Bread and Tulips". It was really very good. The ending wasn't really what I would have picked from a moral aspect, however, from a very you go girl! (in the least valley girl way possible) aspect, well, it was perfect. Anyway, I recommend it.
I'm off to make dinner for the flatmates. Family dinner night, or something. ;)
Caritas et veritas.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Me, Megan and Beth DEVOURING the brownie batter. Chocolate fixes everything. :)
Ugh...rough day. First off, I felt like one of the "porcupines" that Padre always talks about. I did not want to be hugged, touched, talked to, anything. Just let me be. However, there were certain moments that broke that (we'll get there in a minute).
But the real problem was tonight at class. Ethics and the New Genetics. The teacher is wonderful, but the conversation was not. I felt I was the only one in the class who stood for life - nearly everyone agreed that a child should be aborted if he/she is genetically at risk for a life-threatening and painful disease. I guess I was the only one who thought that perhaps we should give life a chance, since God created it, and He has a plan for each and every life. Somehow, that life will make a difference in the world, if only we are open to the will of God. I didn't get that religious though, and mostly stuck to the idea that it's really not our decision to say whether someone is worthy of being given the chance at life. Anyway, long story short, I was told that that was opinion and I sat in class ready to cry until I got home and did. :( Rough day, like I said.
But, what makes it better are moments like these:
1. Praying the Office with Rusty. He always makes it interesting, whether it's trying to remember the Magnificat correctly, or accidentally throwing the book, or not reading the words that are there (really, making up his own but not realizing it). I love it. Always an adventure.
2. Phone call from Elizabeth. She didn't fall off the face of the earth! Yay for best friends.
3. Phone calls from Annie. She's the best. There's nothing else to say. She's the best.
4. Roommates that make brownie batter just so you feel better. We definitely had a brownie batter eating party. See the picture above. And they even put on "Beauty and the Beast"...my favorite Disney movie. Yay for roommates that care.
5. Being done with homework and ready for bed before midnight. Biiiig smile.
Yeah, that pretty much covers it. I have great friends.
Tomorrow's post may include Quaker noats. Get excited now. ;)
Caritas et veritas.
But the real problem was tonight at class. Ethics and the New Genetics. The teacher is wonderful, but the conversation was not. I felt I was the only one in the class who stood for life - nearly everyone agreed that a child should be aborted if he/she is genetically at risk for a life-threatening and painful disease. I guess I was the only one who thought that perhaps we should give life a chance, since God created it, and He has a plan for each and every life. Somehow, that life will make a difference in the world, if only we are open to the will of God. I didn't get that religious though, and mostly stuck to the idea that it's really not our decision to say whether someone is worthy of being given the chance at life. Anyway, long story short, I was told that that was opinion and I sat in class ready to cry until I got home and did. :( Rough day, like I said.
But, what makes it better are moments like these:
1. Praying the Office with Rusty. He always makes it interesting, whether it's trying to remember the Magnificat correctly, or accidentally throwing the book, or not reading the words that are there (really, making up his own but not realizing it). I love it. Always an adventure.
2. Phone call from Elizabeth. She didn't fall off the face of the earth! Yay for best friends.
3. Phone calls from Annie. She's the best. There's nothing else to say. She's the best.
4. Roommates that make brownie batter just so you feel better. We definitely had a brownie batter eating party. See the picture above. And they even put on "Beauty and the Beast"...my favorite Disney movie. Yay for roommates that care.
5. Being done with homework and ready for bed before midnight. Biiiig smile.
Yeah, that pretty much covers it. I have great friends.
Tomorrow's post may include Quaker noats. Get excited now. ;)
Caritas et veritas.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Congratulations on making final vows Sister Maria Chinweze!! (She's the one in the front on the left, looking the wrong direction)
Do the readings from the Office ever strike you as a little odd? I mean, even if you know that they aren't, because you know your Bible well enough to be that ignorant...do they still just sound a little funny? I bring this up because of today's readings for Evening Prayer. Rusty and I were praying them together, when he stopped, looked at me, and said "Does that just seem contradictory? Even though it's not?" And I couldn't help but agree. Maybe I don't make sense. But the verses I'm referring to are:
The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
for his love endures for ever.
[...]
he flung Pharaoh and his force into the sea,
for his love endures for ever.
[...]
Nations in their greatness he struck,
for his love endures for ever.
Kings in their splendor he slew,
For his love endures for ever.
Now, maybe it's just Rusty and I, but words like "smote", "flung", "struck", and "slew" don't really bring up love-y type of images in the biblical imagination. (Now don't leave comments in my box about how I'm an idiot because the Egyptians were oppressive...I know that.) Anyone else had similar experiences of feeling like the words don't match the image they're painting in your mind?
Oh! Lest I forget! What a day for rejoicing in Nigeria - my dear friend Sr. Maria Chinweze, IHM has made final vows! Deo gratias! Congratulations to Sr. Chinweze!! :)
So in regard to the dreaded Christian Sexual Morality class...today we began St. Thomas Aquinas and the Summa. In theory, that would be wonderful. I love St. Thomas Aquinas. However, she made it quite possibly as dull, droning and dreadful as she possibly could have. Holy mackerel. I've never encountered such a horrible teaching style. I resorted to playing Father Ted games online, much as most of the students had (well, maybe not Father Ted games, but definitely not-paying-attention-in-class games). It was just b-a-d. Oy.
Internet connection is shaky. More later, possibly.
Caritas et veritas.
The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
for his love endures for ever.
[...]
he flung Pharaoh and his force into the sea,
for his love endures for ever.
[...]
Nations in their greatness he struck,
for his love endures for ever.
Kings in their splendor he slew,
For his love endures for ever.
Now, maybe it's just Rusty and I, but words like "smote", "flung", "struck", and "slew" don't really bring up love-y type of images in the biblical imagination. (Now don't leave comments in my box about how I'm an idiot because the Egyptians were oppressive...I know that.) Anyone else had similar experiences of feeling like the words don't match the image they're painting in your mind?
Oh! Lest I forget! What a day for rejoicing in Nigeria - my dear friend Sr. Maria Chinweze, IHM has made final vows! Deo gratias! Congratulations to Sr. Chinweze!! :)
So in regard to the dreaded Christian Sexual Morality class...today we began St. Thomas Aquinas and the Summa. In theory, that would be wonderful. I love St. Thomas Aquinas. However, she made it quite possibly as dull, droning and dreadful as she possibly could have. Holy mackerel. I've never encountered such a horrible teaching style. I resorted to playing Father Ted games online, much as most of the students had (well, maybe not Father Ted games, but definitely not-paying-attention-in-class games). It was just b-a-d. Oy.
Internet connection is shaky. More later, possibly.
Caritas et veritas.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Olivia climbing the wall - you can see Sophia in the tree if you look closely
Sophia sitting in the tree
Beautiful Mamma Maria.
Our beautiful grotto. It sure looks radiant, now doesn't it?
So below are the pictures from our Iowan expedition to the Field of Dreams today. It was magnifico, claro, and I even got a little bit sunburned (weird...).
The above pictures are of the new additions to my life: Sophia and Olivia. They are green anole lizards and I love them. They are entirely too great. I will probably post about them a lot. Get used to it.
Oh, and I threw in a picture of our grotto here at school. I helped plant some of the flowers (in a torrential downpour rain...it was wonderful!) last spring. It's so exciting to see them so stunningly beautiful.
And so the promised longer, meatier, more insightful post is yet again delayed, as I am tired and need to get to sleep. I try to not start Mondays on a sleepy note: that just sets the whole week off.
Caritas et veritas, friends.
The above pictures are of the new additions to my life: Sophia and Olivia. They are green anole lizards and I love them. They are entirely too great. I will probably post about them a lot. Get used to it.
Oh, and I threw in a picture of our grotto here at school. I helped plant some of the flowers (in a torrential downpour rain...it was wonderful!) last spring. It's so exciting to see them so stunningly beautiful.
And so the promised longer, meatier, more insightful post is yet again delayed, as I am tired and need to get to sleep. I try to not start Mondays on a sleepy note: that just sets the whole week off.
Caritas et veritas, friends.
Acting out the tragic "choking on a hot dog" scene.
The whole group of us.:)
The flatmates being the players from the Field of Dreams.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
So here are just a few of the wild and wacky things I learned in my class with you-know-who:
Quaker noats: (I know, I'm funny)
1. The purpose of women, according to Augustine, is so that men can have babies. (boy, what a predicament they'd be in without us!)
2. Augustine writes from an androcentric point of view. (last I checked, he was a man. hmm..)
3. When you go to confession, the priest looks up in a book the punishment for your sin. This is weird. (not even going there...)
She's so...well, I'm not finishing that sentence. Prudence dictates otherwise.
I bought two Green Anole Lizards today. They're wonderfully entertaining. Their names are Sophia and Olivia. And they are definitely the best purchase I've made in a long time. I positively love watching them. I long to see them devour a cricket. All in good time, I guess.
Well, this being Iowa, I'm off to watch "Field of Dreams", because we're going out to play baseball on the REAL Field of Dreams tomorrow!!! Yay for Iowa.
I'll post something more substantial soon. I've got spaghetti cooking now. :)
Caritas et veritas!!
Quaker noats: (I know, I'm funny)
1. The purpose of women, according to Augustine, is so that men can have babies. (boy, what a predicament they'd be in without us!)
2. Augustine writes from an androcentric point of view. (last I checked, he was a man. hmm..)
3. When you go to confession, the priest looks up in a book the punishment for your sin. This is weird. (not even going there...)
She's so...well, I'm not finishing that sentence. Prudence dictates otherwise.
I bought two Green Anole Lizards today. They're wonderfully entertaining. Their names are Sophia and Olivia. And they are definitely the best purchase I've made in a long time. I positively love watching them. I long to see them devour a cricket. All in good time, I guess.
Well, this being Iowa, I'm off to watch "Field of Dreams", because we're going out to play baseball on the REAL Field of Dreams tomorrow!!! Yay for Iowa.
I'll post something more substantial soon. I've got spaghetti cooking now. :)
Caritas et veritas!!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Hey, tell your mom I said Happy Birthday!! :)
I love Marian feasts. They're the best! They're just so grace-filled. Today was good for that, anyway. Yay.
The flatmates and I decided that we should go to Jimmy John's for dinner (only because their motto is: "Your mom wants you to eat at Jimmy John's", and it just seemed right for today). It was delicious, of course. Then we made a birthday cake for Mary, and brought it to Eucharistic adoration tonight so that we could have a little after-party for our mother! It was a great time.
Anyway, here's the link for the picture/writeup below. Enjoy that one.
I have to make sure my table is all ready for Campus Fest tomorrow. Yay Duhawks for Life!
Caritas et veritas.
I love Marian feasts. They're the best! They're just so grace-filled. Today was good for that, anyway. Yay.
The flatmates and I decided that we should go to Jimmy John's for dinner (only because their motto is: "Your mom wants you to eat at Jimmy John's", and it just seemed right for today). It was delicious, of course. Then we made a birthday cake for Mary, and brought it to Eucharistic adoration tonight so that we could have a little after-party for our mother! It was a great time.
Anyway, here's the link for the picture/writeup below. Enjoy that one.
I have to make sure my table is all ready for Campus Fest tomorrow. Yay Duhawks for Life!
Caritas et veritas.
Nine months ago, Mary was immaculately conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, by her father St. Joachim. The Feast of that Immaculate Conception, 8 December, is a much greater Feast than today's, but we recall Mary's birthday, too -- the birth of the woman destined by God from the beginning of time to be born of the House of David and the Tribe of Judah, the women whose enmity toward Satan was spoken of as far back as Genesis, the woman whom St. John saw crowned with stars and with the moon at her feet, the woman whom God chose to bear His Son and bring life to the world. With today's Feast, the line between the Old and New Testaments has been crossed; the New Covenant is imminent! There are no specific traditions today, aside from those offered on all Marian Feasts. Having a birthday cake for Mary is a lovely idea, though! And praying a prayer to Maria Bambina (the Baby Mary) is most apt:
Prayer to Maria Bambina
Hail, Infant Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou forever, and blessed are thy holy parents Joachim and Anne, of whom thou wast miraculously born. Mother of God, intercede for us. We fly to thy patronage, holy and amiable Child Mary, despise not our prayers in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, glorious and blessed Virgin.
V. Pray for us, holy Child Mary.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray: O almighty and merciful God, Who through the cooperation of the Holy Ghost, didst prepare the body and soul of the Immaculate Infant Mary that she might be the worthy Mother of Thy Son, and didst preserve her from all stain, grant that we who venerate with all our hearts her most holy childhood, may be freed, through her merits and intercession, from all uncleanness of mind and body, and be able to imitate her perfect humility, obedience and charity. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
There is also this marvelous prayer in honour of Our Lady's Nativity, written by St. Anselm:
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the hope and solace of its life. When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light. Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth, and after His birth to remain a virgin. Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me from every sin. Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins. O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for me, a wretched sinner. Amen.
Note: today's Feast is one of the only three birthdays honored in the liturgical year (the others being that of St. John the Baptist and that of Jesus Christ Himself, all three born without original sin, though only Mary and Jesus were free from sin at the moments of their conceptions.)
Prayer to Maria Bambina
Hail, Infant Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou forever, and blessed are thy holy parents Joachim and Anne, of whom thou wast miraculously born. Mother of God, intercede for us. We fly to thy patronage, holy and amiable Child Mary, despise not our prayers in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, glorious and blessed Virgin.
V. Pray for us, holy Child Mary.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray: O almighty and merciful God, Who through the cooperation of the Holy Ghost, didst prepare the body and soul of the Immaculate Infant Mary that she might be the worthy Mother of Thy Son, and didst preserve her from all stain, grant that we who venerate with all our hearts her most holy childhood, may be freed, through her merits and intercession, from all uncleanness of mind and body, and be able to imitate her perfect humility, obedience and charity. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
There is also this marvelous prayer in honour of Our Lady's Nativity, written by St. Anselm:
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the hope and solace of its life. When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light. Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth, and after His birth to remain a virgin. Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me from every sin. Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins. O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for me, a wretched sinner. Amen.
Note: today's Feast is one of the only three birthdays honored in the liturgical year (the others being that of St. John the Baptist and that of Jesus Christ Himself, all three born without original sin, though only Mary and Jesus were free from sin at the moments of their conceptions.)
Nativity of Mary by Pietro Cavallini, 1291 mosaic
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Humanity reached another low today:
Planned Parenthood Provides Contraception to Evacuees
A link on Planned Parenthood’s Web site that says "Help with Hurricane Effort” takes visitors to a page that states: "You can help. 100% of your tax-deductible contributions will go directly to supporting our continued efforts to provide health services,” including contraceptives and an "emergency contraception kit.”...The effort is being coordinated by Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. Peter Durkin, president and CEO of the chapter, said: "We’re offering a free month’s supply of birth control pills and/or emergency contraception if they have either a Mississippi or Louisiana driver’s license.”
(source: newsmax.com)
Are you serious? Are you really serious? I cannot believe this article. And yet I can. How sad our nation/world is! These people have lost everything they have, their lives are without surety, and we are providing contraception. Call me crazy, but my list of needs would have had food, water, shelter, medicine, clothing, education, etc. at the top. Ugh. So disgusted with lies. So very disgusted.
On a related note: the pro-life club here on campus (of which I am proudly president) is looking toward some major changes in the near future, and I couldn't be happier. God is so good!
And...it looks as though the Supreme Court is going to get 1, hopefully 2 (please God!) good Catholic Justices! God's will be done!
And now I'm going to go look into the care and maintenance of tadpoles. I'm considering adopting one. :)
Caritas et VERITAS.
Planned Parenthood Provides Contraception to Evacuees
A link on Planned Parenthood’s Web site that says "Help with Hurricane Effort” takes visitors to a page that states: "You can help. 100% of your tax-deductible contributions will go directly to supporting our continued efforts to provide health services,” including contraceptives and an "emergency contraception kit.”...The effort is being coordinated by Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. Peter Durkin, president and CEO of the chapter, said: "We’re offering a free month’s supply of birth control pills and/or emergency contraception if they have either a Mississippi or Louisiana driver’s license.”
(source: newsmax.com)
Are you serious? Are you really serious? I cannot believe this article. And yet I can. How sad our nation/world is! These people have lost everything they have, their lives are without surety, and we are providing contraception. Call me crazy, but my list of needs would have had food, water, shelter, medicine, clothing, education, etc. at the top. Ugh. So disgusted with lies. So very disgusted.
On a related note: the pro-life club here on campus (of which I am proudly president) is looking toward some major changes in the near future, and I couldn't be happier. God is so good!
And...it looks as though the Supreme Court is going to get 1, hopefully 2 (please God!) good Catholic Justices! God's will be done!
And now I'm going to go look into the care and maintenance of tadpoles. I'm considering adopting one. :)
Caritas et VERITAS.
Monday, September 05, 2005
This weekend, I went to Mass at a certain cathedral, and I was dismayed at the display by the liturgical ministers. The cantor's skirt made me blush. Had she put her arms down the side of her legs, there is no way her fingertips would have come close to the bottom of the hem. And we're talking, like, a 35+ year old woman here. She should know better. Then there was the Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist dressed in a denim sleeveless knee-length jumper. Not only are denim jumpers BAD fashion outside of the 3rd grade classroom, it's just ridiculous for a 40+ year old woman to wear such clothing in public, let alone at Mass! And the woman distributing the Blood of Our Lord was so lackadaisical that it made me want to scream. AND this is no exception to the behavior I have witnessed elsewhere - it's not exclusive to this parish. What is the deal? There needs to be a serious sit-down with not only these three women, but all liturgical ministers, regardless of position. It was dreadful. And how are we supposed to tell our 16 year old girls who insist that mini-skirts aren't indecent that they are incorrect when the CANTOR can't figure as much out? Argh - I was embarrassed for them - and I don't even know who they are. Granted I don't always wear what would be considered "Sunday best" to Mass, I do make it a point to be modest and reverent. It's the LEAST I can do (there's much room for improvement!).
And please, please, please, please tell me we are going to be revamping liturgical music some time in the near future. I caught wind of the possibility of Pope Benedict calling together some sort of liturgical music conference of sorts, and I am ecstatic. If I hear "Gather Us In" or "Taste and See" once more, I might cry. And don't get me started on such musical abominations as "Lord of the Dance" or whatever it is. Oy vey.
Anyway, the weekend was interesting. I got home late on Friday night, spent Saturday hanging out with my brother while his friends stopped in and out (and our family also). He wasn't allowed to move for 72 hours, so he stayed on the couch with his leg elevated the entire time. I played nurse a bit, getting him water and medicine and fluffing his pillows and whatnot. I definitely am not called to nursing, though. I have a strong stomach, but I do not do well with people in pain. I wanted to cry helping him, and he only had surgery on his leg. I can't imagine what it's like working with people on the brink of death. I guess I might get desensitized, but I wouldn't want that. I want to understand the reality of life and death and the beauty and pain and all that is included with each day, without seeing it as commonplace or whatever. Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with this. My brother is fine, and we had a good time hanging out and watching movies. He's a great kid.
So I rode in my roommate's Mustang convertible the entire way back to Dubuque today. My hair may never recover. ;) It was a great time. There were four of us in the car in total. Four crazy people. The two boys were singing the crazy songs on the radio, (ahem..."Sound of Silence..."), and we were laughing a lot. Good times with crazy folks - just the way I like it.
I made roommate dinner tonight. The general consensus is that it was delicious. :) I must agree. I got the recipe from the Food Network's Chef Giada de Laurentiis, the host of Everyday Italian. She's amazing. Anyway, it was an Italian Chicken Strips recipe of sorts, and I put it on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. Yum. I used all-natural everything, from the garlic to the balsamic vinegar to the extra virgin olive oil to the freshly grated Parmesan cheese (boy, is it fun to grate 1 1/2 cups of cheese...my arm is still throbbing...haha). It was very good. Boy, do I love cooking. And if you're looking for some fun whilst cooking, mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It makes a beautiful combination - it even glistens! No, really. It does. Try it. :)
Time to figure out the homework situation. No more movies. (although it was totally worth watching Steel Magnolias for the bajillionth time)...
Caritas et veritas.
And please, please, please, please tell me we are going to be revamping liturgical music some time in the near future. I caught wind of the possibility of Pope Benedict calling together some sort of liturgical music conference of sorts, and I am ecstatic. If I hear "Gather Us In" or "Taste and See" once more, I might cry. And don't get me started on such musical abominations as "Lord of the Dance" or whatever it is. Oy vey.
Anyway, the weekend was interesting. I got home late on Friday night, spent Saturday hanging out with my brother while his friends stopped in and out (and our family also). He wasn't allowed to move for 72 hours, so he stayed on the couch with his leg elevated the entire time. I played nurse a bit, getting him water and medicine and fluffing his pillows and whatnot. I definitely am not called to nursing, though. I have a strong stomach, but I do not do well with people in pain. I wanted to cry helping him, and he only had surgery on his leg. I can't imagine what it's like working with people on the brink of death. I guess I might get desensitized, but I wouldn't want that. I want to understand the reality of life and death and the beauty and pain and all that is included with each day, without seeing it as commonplace or whatever. Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with this. My brother is fine, and we had a good time hanging out and watching movies. He's a great kid.
So I rode in my roommate's Mustang convertible the entire way back to Dubuque today. My hair may never recover. ;) It was a great time. There were four of us in the car in total. Four crazy people. The two boys were singing the crazy songs on the radio, (ahem..."Sound of Silence..."), and we were laughing a lot. Good times with crazy folks - just the way I like it.
I made roommate dinner tonight. The general consensus is that it was delicious. :) I must agree. I got the recipe from the Food Network's Chef Giada de Laurentiis, the host of Everyday Italian. She's amazing. Anyway, it was an Italian Chicken Strips recipe of sorts, and I put it on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. Yum. I used all-natural everything, from the garlic to the balsamic vinegar to the extra virgin olive oil to the freshly grated Parmesan cheese (boy, is it fun to grate 1 1/2 cups of cheese...my arm is still throbbing...haha). It was very good. Boy, do I love cooking. And if you're looking for some fun whilst cooking, mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It makes a beautiful combination - it even glistens! No, really. It does. Try it. :)
Time to figure out the homework situation. No more movies. (although it was totally worth watching Steel Magnolias for the bajillionth time)...
Caritas et veritas.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Today was craziness. Both the good and the bad kind.
Concerning the good, I have two words: Nerf Darts. Rusty and I had a Nerf Dart fight in his apartment. There was only one gun, however, which made the fight all the more interesting. If you don't have the gun, you run, and vice versa. It was great. And Rusty challenged the microwave to a dart fight, because "it was getting heated". Haha. We need serious help.
Concerning the bad, my brother had emergency surgery for four (it was only supposed to be three!) hours last night. That was a little nerve-racking, to say the least. I was nervous and fidgety like mad. No worries, he's fine. They reattached his tendons with stainless steel wires.
And then the good news:
THE SISTERS OF LIFE ARE COMING!
more later.
More later, perhaps.
Caritas et veritas.
Concerning the good, I have two words: Nerf Darts. Rusty and I had a Nerf Dart fight in his apartment. There was only one gun, however, which made the fight all the more interesting. If you don't have the gun, you run, and vice versa. It was great. And Rusty challenged the microwave to a dart fight, because "it was getting heated". Haha. We need serious help.
Concerning the bad, my brother had emergency surgery for four (it was only supposed to be three!) hours last night. That was a little nerve-racking, to say the least. I was nervous and fidgety like mad. No worries, he's fine. They reattached his tendons with stainless steel wires.
And then the good news:
THE SISTERS OF LIFE ARE COMING!
more later.
More later, perhaps.
Caritas et veritas.
