Popular Music and Prayer

Music can be a very beautiful thing. (How's that for a platitude?) As such, it can be a way of bringing glory to our Creator in its very essence. That is not to say that all "music" falls into this category nor that only hymns can be used for prayer. 

Basically, what I am trying to say is this: music, even that not expressly written to praise God, can be used as a conduit to prayer. As such there is a time and a place for both popular music and hymns. Obviously, pop music does not belong in the liturgy, nor should hymns be restricted to liturgical use.

Nevertheless, popular music, as long as it is not inherently evil, can be a very useful jumpstart to prayer. Even the saints have used it to praise God. In particular, "St Josemaria used to love singing love-songs, to which he gave a new meaning about loving God. “Never be afraid,” he said, “to use clean human love songs to sing about divine love. Because we love with one same heart. God loves us like that, madly, each of us, as if we were the only person on earth” (quoted by Ana Sastre, Tiempo de Caminar). " From http://www.josemariaescriva.info

 A song that I've come to appreciate more in light of God's goodness is "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. 

I cannot listen to it without meditating on Christ's presence in the Eucharist. I like to see it as a dialogue between the soul and Christ. For example, the song begins with a soul afraid to submit to God's will. In the refrain, we find Christ's response:

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Who else has loved and waited for us for thousands of years in the tabernacle? Who's death is made present in the Sacrament of the Altar every day in all corners of the world?  

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

The purpose of our life here on earth is to follow Christ's will for us: in every moment, at any time, fiat! Let it be done!  "Every hour" of our life comes down to this. Strengthened by God's grace, we must "be brave" and rid ourselves of attachments which distance our relationship with not what, but Who is standing before us in the Eucharist. 


"Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration."
--Mother Teresa

"When you approach the tabernacle remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries."
--St. Josemaria Escriva

Let us make an effort to visit our Divine Love in the tabernacle today in gratitude for his great goodness to us poor creatures. 

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Fireworks Edition!

This Independence Day, Miss Sarah and Miss Me hosted the gang over at their house for food, fireworks, and fun (not to mention fantastic friends of course). There was a fireworks show within walking distance, so an hour or so before it began we trekked our way through masses of people to find a good spot. 

Let me just say:

The show was absolutely fantastic. 

Apparently, the town hired  Zambelli Fireworks (renowned throughout the world for their displays) to put together the event. You could tell. 

~Pretty~

These photos really don't do justice to the show, but I'm thankful to have been able to catch them!

This one reminds me of a sea urchin!

There were several like this--exploding from the ground as well as mid-air.
There is another example further down the page. 

There was a light fixture that obstructed our view, but it didn't
diminish the beauty of the show, thankfully!

See the reflection of the show in the car window (lower left): so neat!

~Happy~

Did I mention fantastic friends? 

Red, White and Blue!

~Funny~

There were several times when the fireworks were so beautiful that we wondered if the grande finale had begun already. Thankfully not.  But, as a result, I was able to get some of the main show on film (as you will see below). 

Strangely enough, the fireworks at the end of this clip reminded several of us of bacterial growth/rock formations/coral. Ironically enough I'd have to say they were some of the prettiest that we saw.

~Real~

A) I didn't take out my camera until the show, so I didn't get any pictures of Miss Sarah and Miss Me's delightful party.

B) Although I'm very thankful to have captured the previous pictures, I really cannot take any credit for them because my camera has a nice "fireworks" setting and so therefore does all the work adjusting aperture and exposure (and foreign things like that ;).

Basically, I ended up taking around 200 photos, most of which turned out like this:

All in all, it was a delightful Independence Day, praise God! :)

Head over to Like Mother, Like Daughter for some more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real! (click the picture)

Happy 4th of July!

Otherwise known as Independence Day because it was the day that the Declaration of Independence was officially promulgated. (As others have mentioned, it was actually passed on July 2nd with a 12-0 vote which included all the colonies except New York, who abstained.  Who knew?)

As the Fortnight for Freedom concludes, let us continue to pray for our country that we may not lose the freedom (to choose the good) so cherished by our founding fathers. At Mass this morning, Father reminded us to seek the intercession and protection of the guardian angel of the United States. Let us do so at all times, but especially on this Independence Day as our rights are being threatened once more.

God bless America, the Land of the free! 

Happy Independence Day! 

Brave

If you could change your fate, would you?

Anyone who's seen the trailer for  Disney-Pixar's Brave should be familiar with that question. It would seem from the two and a half minute preview that the movie is all about a young lass who rises up against her parents while seeking (and succeeding) to prove how strong and independent women can be and how oppressive and backward her parents are. But don't let the trailer deceive you.

Let me just say, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Brave this past weekend. I do not want to give any of the plot away, but it ended up far from what was projected by the trailer. As my sister pointed out, it seems as if the footage for the preview was taken solely from introduction of the movie.

That said, the plot is more similar to one of Grimms' Fairy Tales than your typical saccharine Disney, so it might not be suitable for young children. (That's not to say that it's not heartwarming and funny, but that the overall feel is much darker than, say, Tangled.)

In fact, my first reaction when leaving the theatre was more like "What an odd movie!" than "What a good film!" As time has passed though (and many discussions later), I find myself liking it more and more. So, next time you're wanting to watch something other than the typically sappy Disney, check out Brave and you may be pleasantly surprised! 

So, you may be wondering....

Why the delay? What's with the infinitely (thankfully not) long lacunas between posts?

Well, I could give an excuse, but I will have to excuse myself from doing so by giving you a quote by Blessed John Paul II:

"An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded."

:) So, no excuses. Sorry. (Actually I'm not that sorry because it saves me from trying to come up with a "good" excuse anyways. ;) Don't you love that quote though? It definitely provides some food for thought!)

However, over the next few weeks, I will update you on some of the happenings between mid-April and today in addition to posting some current items!

Happy Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist! 

(Image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Gallery)

Why, Hello There!

Yes, it's me!
Don't you recognize me?
Oh dear. It has been rather a long time since I posted.

But, no fear! I am back... I hope

Actually, that may be reason to fear: you will be once again subjected to tirades of unrelated trains of thought mashed together in ill-written paragraphs. :)

Oh well, you may as well resign yourself to the fact that you're in for it if you stick around!

Personal Failures

There have been a few incidences in the past months which have made me ponder human weakness. I thought I'd share my thoughts with you over the next couple posts. Here goes!

(From Despair.com)

 Personal failures. How easy it is for us to create a magnificent mental image of ourselves when reflecting on our achievements or even just our lack of "serious sin."  We begin to put ourselves on a pedestal and then we fall--not surprisingly. We repent and with God's grace get up again, yet even as our "mea culpa" is resounds, we fall again. And the cycle repeats itself.

We must get up each time, but how easy it is to become discouraged! It is so easy to think that as soon as we make a conscious decision to strive for sanctity, *poof* our weaknesses disappear. Everyone knows this is not true, but the thought can pervade our emotions and the temptation to discouragement seems ever greater. When we think like this though, our focus is in the wrong spot. (Geek warning!) It is as if we're looking through a diverging lens instead of a converging lens--instead of focusing beyond ourselves on God, our focus is inward on ourselves.

St. Josemaria Escriva wrote: 

"If you fall, get up with greater hope. Self-love alone is incapable of understanding that an error, when put right, helps us to know and to humble ourselves." 

Wow. You get a lot of bang for your buck there! Take a minute to reflect on that: "Self-love alone is incapable of understanding that an error, when put right, helps us to know and humble ourselves." Goodness. How easy it is to forget that we are not the Redeemer but rather the redeemed. Christ, the All-Perfect One is the reason we can strive to "...be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:48)

Without His grace, all of our efforts would be in vain. Of course, we should never rejoice in our faults, but rather, once confessing them, rely on Christ's help to move forward. "With God all things are possible,"but the inverse could also be said: without God all things are impossible. If it were not for God's wonderful grace, we would be incapable of loving Him at all. Let us never forget to thank him for all the times he has helped us to love. (How good that he has pity on us even when we do not seek him out!)

Taken from The Curt Jester Blog

Someone once told me, "You know, no one--aside from Mary and Jesus--ever has been or ever will be completely perfect until heaven." It's easy to relativize that and say that "Oh yeah, every saint has sinned," but I believe there is a more profound truth to be found in that statement. That is, every saint had to deal with at least some sort of imperfection until the moment they died. As a local DRE once said, "The difference between saints and everyone else lies not in the fact that saints never sinned, but rather that they always got up and started over." This goes hand in hand with something Pope Benedict said in 2007:

"It is not correct to think we must live like this, so that we are never in need of pardon. We must accept our frailty but keep on going, not giving up but moving forward and becoming converted ever anew through the Sacrament of Reconciliation for a new start, and thus grow and mature in the Lord by our communion with him."

We all fail, but we can "gain" by our faults by turning to God in true contrition and acknowledging our weaknesses rather than focusing on our self love. In this way, God can bring great good even out of our greatest weaknesses. Obviously, we strive for perfection, but when failures come we seek He who is the Fountain of Mercy through placing our faults before the "doctors of the soul."

We're Going to Rome!

This is from Good Friday last year. The photo rights belong to the "Photographic Service of Vatican City"

Well, not exactly. 

Very few of us can actually be in Rome with the Holy Father this Easter (I can keep dreaming, can't I?), but at least we can accompany him virtually!

In case you haven't had a chance to check it out, the Vatican web site has a special page devoted to the events of the Triduum.

The site has practically everything you'll need for your trip! First of all, may I suggest that you "pick up" your virtual booklet? This will be especially helpful during the Triduum if you are not fluent in Latin. It contains the liturgy, not only in Latin but also in English and Italian. This way, when you accompany Papa Benedict at the Easter Vigil by viewing the Mass in video form, you can truly participate--well, virtually. (As an added bonus the booklets also contain the sacred music, so you can take part vocally as well).

If you want a handy copy of any of Pope Benedict's homilies to study with a friend, text files will be uploaded as each event in the Triduum takes place. Finally, if you would like to take a memento "home" with you after this virtual journey, photographs of each event will also be uploaded. :)



While few of us are privileged enough to truly go to Rome to celebrate the Easter Triduum, at least we can travel to "Rome from home"via the Vatican website. In this way, we can accompany the Holy Father in a unique way throughout this sacred time.

Come to think of it though, there's an even better way to accompany our dear Papa Bene this weekend: be truly present at the sacred liturgy. Truly pray the liturgy with Holy Mother Church. Are we not celebrating and participating in the re-Present-ing of the same passion, death and resurrection of Our Divine Lord? Are we not united with the Universal Church as she celebrates the saving love of the Divine Bridegroom? The Eternal Sacrifice of Christ is not one that is tied to the confines of space and time. Therefore, each time we attend Mass to celebrate the unbloody sacrifice of Jesus, we are in a special way united to all the Masses of the world--past, present, and future-- especially those Masses offered by the Vicar of Christ on Earth.

While it is worthwhile to take a trip to Rome--virtually or literally (and as I've heard nothing quite compares to the "real deal"), it is good to remember that all the glories of Rome cannot compare to the true Glorious One, who makes himself present on the Altar. After all, isn't that rather the point?

That said, let's remember to keep our Holy Father in our prayers this weekend as he leads the Church in her most sacred celebrations.

UPDATE: Here's the link to the webpage: http://www.vatican.va/liturgical_year/holy-week/2012/index_en.htm oops! :) 

Feet, Feet, Feet

Since it is Holy Week I've decided to re-run this post from January...

I just love babies, don't you?! One of my relatives is expecting, and we are all so excited!! I can't wait to see the little one! 

The other day, while I was making a visit I got to thinking about feet. (Bear with me here.) I was thinking about how cute and lovable baby Jesus' feet would have been. Think about it: it can be hard to resist kissing the tiny toes of any newborn, but imagine being able to kiss the adorable feet of God Incarnate! I bet Mary and Joseph spent long hours playing with and caressing His little hands and feet... though I'm not sure that they sang "This Little Piggy Went to Market." :) 

Needless to say, feet are mighty important things. They not only provide balance but also help us get around.  Without them, it would be hard--nigh impossible--to walk. 

When hearing the word "foot" one might think of a general appendage that is used for walking. But the truth is, feet can vary greatly: they can be hairy (like hobbits)/hairless, large (dufflepuds)/small, dirty/clean, overgrown/pedicured, fungus infested/... the list could go on and on. Basically, even among humans they can be quite diverse. 

Beyond a wide range of variation among types of feet, there are also many expressions in which we reference feet. Below I've included several that are well known, but there are many more.

put one's foot in it (or put one's foot in one's mouth ) informal say or do something tactless or embarrassing; commit a blunder or indiscretion. 

 have (or keep ) one's (or both ) feet on the ground be (or remain) practical and sensible: it's a very exciting time for the business but it's important that we keep our feet on the ground.  

have (or get ) a foot in the door gain or have a first introduction to a profession or organization.

have one foot in the grave informal often humorous be near death through old age or illness. 

my foot! informal said to express strong contradiction: Efficient, my foot!

feet of clay a fundamental flaw or weakness in a person otherwise revered.[with biblical allusion (Dan. 2:33) to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, in which a magnificent idol has feet “part of iron and part of clay”; Daniel interprets this to signify a future kingdom that will be “partly strong, and partly broken,” and will eventually fall.]

at someone's feet as someone's disciple or subject: you would like to sit at my feet and thus acquire my wisdom. 

get one's feet wet begin to participate in an activity. 

But why am I talking about such things? Feet are so integral to normal life and even influence on culture (making it into our everyday cliches), that it might be of value to meditate on Christ's feet. 

We can picture Jesus' feet throughout his life:  his adorable baby feet in Bethlehem, his dusty sandaled feet that carried him in the ordinary years at Nazareth and throughout his public ministry, and his bleeding and swollen feet on the road to Calvary.

Like I mentioned earlier, I don't believe anyone would have trouble kissing Jesus' precious baby feet. 

We move on to the dusty, calloused, and hot feet of his public ministry. Here most people would refuse, rather grossed out. Yet these are the same feet that the immoral woman washed with her tears (Luke 7). And again, these are the same feet that Mary, the sister of Lazarus, sat by and (later) anointed with precious oil. 

Let us then try to imagine Jesus' feet at the time of his passion: bruised, bloody, swollen, torn up by the ascent to Calvary, dirt and grime caked onto Our Lord's open flesh.

 Placed at His feet at this point, I think many of us would recoil in horror at the thought of kissing them... Far away are those beautiful baby feet, yet here Jesus fulfills his salvific mission: Jesus--Yeshua " Y[ahweh] is Salvation."  

  

While we are not living at the time when Jesus walked the earth (and so cannot physically honor his precious feet), we can honor them through our ordinary tasks done well. 

As everyone knows, some tasks can be hard to do and can even repulse us in their repugnant (or just annoying) nature. Let us turn to these tasks with more love than before... as if every motion in their completion is a way of kissing Jesus' Divine feet on the Cross. 

In this way, our tasks can become a work of love--united to the work of True Love on the cross...

After all, we are called follow in his footsteps.

Changes to the Rubrics...

Hasn't the new translation of the Mass been wonderful? 

Apparently there are some changes in the Triduum rubrics as well! Fr V. from Adam's Ale summarized the changes here:


http://clevelandpriest.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-come-i-dont-remember-it-being-that.html

They're definitely worth checking out! : )

Modern Cannibalism

There have been many concerning things in the news lately--anyone who denies this would have to have been living under a rock. One issue that has been very much under covered is the horrific case involving the use of aborted fetal cell lines as flavor enhancements. 

Yes. You read that correctly: cells from aborted babies are being used to “enhance flavor” in order to reduce caloric content. LifeSiteNews and LifeNews have both covered the  story, but I’ve only included part of the article from LifeNews. (You can find the whole article here. My comments are in red.)

Debi Vinnedge, the director of the pro-life organization, tells LifeNews.com today that, in 2010, her group wrote to Senomyx CEO Kent Snyder and pointed out that moral options for testing their food additives could and should be used. But when Senomyx ignored her letter, the group  wrote to the companies Senomyx listed on their website as “collaborators” warning them of public backlash and threatened boycott. They included food giants PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Campbell Soup, Solae and Nestlé.  Campbell Soup has since severed relations with Senomyx.

“The company’s key flavor programs focus on the discovery and development of savory, sweet and salt flavor ingredients that are intended to allow for the reduction of MSG, sugar and salt in food and beverage products,” the Senomyx web site says. “Using isolated human taste receptors, we created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with the receptor.” 

“What they don’t tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors,” she said. “They could have easily chosen animal, insect, or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors.”

Vinnedge says she has contacted the food companies working with Senomyx, but said it took three letters before one company, Nestlé, finally admitted its relationship with Senomyx and company officials claimed the line of cells from abortions was “well established in scientific research”.Seriously? Oh yeah, the scientific research which says that life clearly begins a conception. Right. 

PepsiCo wrote: “We hope you are reassured to learn that our collaboration with Senomyx is strictly limited to creating lower-calorie, great-tasting beverages for consumers. This will help us achieve our commitment to reduce added sugar per serving by 25% in key brands in key markets over the next decade and ultimately help people live healthier lives.” So you are committed to reducing sugar but not to reducing the attacks on human life in its most vulnerable form. Since when has “low calorie” trumped human dignity? So, um, I hate to ask, but what’s next? 

Aside from the macabre and cannibalistic nature of this sad affair, the whole situation reminds me of something from the Old Testament.  Let me explain. 

You recall how in Exodus, Moses and the Jewish people entered into a covenant with God at Mount Sinai?  After giving the people the 10 Commandments, the covenant was ratified through blood and a special banquet.

 “And he [Moses] sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and well will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” .... “And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.” Ex 24:5-8,11 

(Jewish elders were able to eat the sacrificed animal after seeing a vision of God...this was part of their communion with God) 

No sooner had the people promised to do everything that the Lord had commanded, that they turned around and violated the first and most important commandment! Moses came down from Mt Sinai and found them worshiping a golden calf. Interestingly enough, Moses is so infuriated that he makes them join in communion with their false god...

And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot , and he threw the tables out of his hand and broke them at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water, and made the people of Israel drink it.” Ex 32:19,20 

 Does this remind you of something? Could it be that the sick form of cannibalism we are experiencing is just a communion with our culture’s false gods of sensuality, science and self?

Haha. Oh wow. It's been a long time. Whoops.

 New post coming soon! 

Feminists in shining armor

Ok, here is a short story I wrote a long time ago. A bit dramatic, but it gets the point across. ;) When you stand around wondering where chivalry went, or why men don't act like the gentleman of the 18th century, look to the culture and how women treat themselves. I think we did it to ourselves. Maybe not you or I, but women in general pushed "equal" treatment, feminism, and independance from men.


He reached in front of her, “I’ll get that for you,” and pulled the door open. “You sure, hotness? I don’t want you to break a sweat or anything,” she replied in her usual sarcastic tone. He was shocked to find his chivalry criticized and more so his person held in contempt. “Have I offended her or something,” he searched his thoughts.
He walked inside the cafeteria at his college and found that the tables were being folded up and carried to the side to make room for the dance later that evening. Toward the back, a girl was struggling to fold and lift a heavy table. “Let me help you with that,” he kindly offered. “Why, do you think I can’t do it because I’m a female,” she snapped, offended. “It just looked like you needed help,” he defended himself. “Well I don’t, especially not from any macho chauvinist like you who doesn’t believe a girl can do anything.” “I didn’t say that!” “You didn’t have to,” she scowled.
“That guy is such a player,” he heard a redhead proclaim; “he is too sweet, like he wants something back. I think he’s just doing it because the girls play right into it.” He turned to her and said, “Chivalry was killed by females like you!” And from that day forth, he never helped a woman unless she asked, and despised those who claimed that they shouldn’t have to ask.

Hello! Wow! It’s been rather dull around here lately! I have several posts up my sleeve which I hope to post soon! Thanks for your patience! : )

The Mystery of the Golden Scarab

This happened last semester, but I think it is still worth sharing... :)

Haven't you ever wanted to entitle something like that? It seems that everyone wants to have some work of a similar name (I just googled "the golden scarab" and came up with everything from music and books to ancient egyptian cults). But, you ask, why would I want the title of this post to be "the mystery of the golden scarab" when the post itself has nothing to do with gold let alone egyptian mythology? Listen my children and you shall hear ... *oops wrong story

Let me just begin with the facts. When one lives in a household where there are multiple people sharing different cars, it can become a bit of a game figuring out who has driven before you. For instance, if the gas tank is full and the seat is as far away from the steering wheel as possible, the last person to drive has indubitably been my father. On the other hand, if the gas tank is nearly empty and the seat is as far away from the steering wheel as possible, the last person to drive was probably me. Just kidding.

Sometimes it can be pretty obvious who was driving. For instance, whenever my mother drives, she closes all the vents and directs the air towards one's feet. I on the other hand prefer the vents completely open, especially during the summer.

And so it happened on the particular day in question, upon plopping myself down in the car, I proceeded to open the air vents.  I drove to classes, arrived without mishap and the day progressed normally.

 After a weary day, I sauntered back to the car while enjoying the beautiful fall  weather. I got in the car and began the fight through traffic to get onto state route 123... After waiting through several long traffic lights, I was finally able to get on the highway. Then something peculiar happened.

As I reached the speed limit, a curious object shot out of the righthand vent and landed on the passenger seat. I was so surprised, it took a second for me to comprehend what had happened. I glanced at the seat to see if I was mistaken (I am legally blind without correction, you know). I wasn't. There on the seat next to me was this:

Yes. My very own golden scarab (i.e. a dead june bug)... that the car saw fit to propel at me through the air vent. I'm beginning to wonder if I should have named the car something other than "the echo"... maybe it wants to be the new "love bug" or something. I don't know.

Thankfully the car hasn't shot any more dead bugs at me, but I am still wary of directing the air vents towards my face just in case.

I know that it's technically ordinary time now, but we still haven't celebrated the the Feast of the Presentation yet!!

So, anyways I figured you might enjoy this short clip:

May God have mercy on us...

Happy Feast of St. Francis de Sales!

Some time ago I had the opportunity to get some quality teaching experience while on the job. Every year we give the kids a "How to Live a Virtuous Life 101" class. My boss is in love with the idea of my taking over as much responsibility as humanly possible so I had the privilege of teaching 3 out of the 4 nights each week. Let's say that it has been as enjoyable as it is eye-opening and frustrating.

Teaching the younger grades (1-4) is always fun because the little kids are always eager to raise their hand, unafraid of speaking (even if the answer is wrong) and trying to think of examples, scenarios, etc. They are, for the most part, eager to listen and learn.

Fifth and Sixth grade is a little bit of a different story. They've started to grasp that idea of "I-get-spoon-fed-at-home-and-school-why-should-I-try-exerting-myself-here?" mentality. So I, as teacher, have to be more proactive and persuade them to use their minds and come to the proper conclusion without my giving away the answer. The first few days were rough but by the last day I had a pretty good handle on it.

The last week, however, was totally and completely different.

Permit me to vent for a few moments about the condition of our poor junior high students. The 7/8th grade seminar topics cover these virtues:

-Respect
-Modesty
-Moderation
-Simplicity
-Friendliness
-Sociability

I won't go into all of them as that would be a REALLY long post but let me give you a sampling of just a few.

Respect is a big area that kids today have no clue about. And it's not really their fault either. No one has taken the time to train them or show them how to respect others or themselves. Today: Respect = toleration. I asked about six kids in the class what the definition of respect was. Answers ranged from everything to "I don't know" to "having respect". When asked if they are allowed to define a word at school by using the same word in the definition, the answer was "yes." Grrr....

Modesty. Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of speaking on this subject when both the boys and girls are together but I had to make the most of it.

Me: What is modesty?
Student: I've never heard that word before.

If anyone has been asking themselves lately why kids dress the way the they do, there is your answer. They have NO CLUE what it means to be modest. They are taught to make a statement about who they are. It's all about expression. But no one ever tells them that they still have to respect themselves and others and stay within the realm of modesty.

The best answer I got for moderation was "being modern". Well, at least he was trying to go for the root word, albeit unsuccessfully.

Of course, not all the students were quite that bad. But really, the experience led me to make to several conclusions.

First, we have a LOT of work to do.

Second, we who know have the responsibilty to educate.

Third, we can only educate others by first forming ourselves.

Fourth, I need to spend more time praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Today is the Feast of St. Francis de Sales. It wouldn't hurt to start reading Introduction to the Devout Life. Don't have a copy? Check out your local library (haha, I'm sure you'll have to ILL this one) or go to St. John the Evangelist Library in Front Royal, VA.

Can't wait to go to the library? click on this link for an on-line PDF of the entire book: www.franciscan-sfo.org/ap/wosf/devout_life.pdf

Want your own copy? Go to amazon.com and search for it. It's as simple as that.

The Letter - A Short Film

You may have already had the opportunity to see this great short film on youtube but here it is in case you haven't! It is very powerful. We need to share the news that help is out there.

CHOOSE LIFE!

This video was not made in reference to abortion, but it applies nonetheless.