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.
