Best Staff Christmas Party...Ever

On Thursday, Dec 17th, the staff at St. Andrew held our staff Christmas party. I was on the party planning committee, and thankfully we didn't have any issues of what kind of cake to get. The other ladies on the committee were super excited about things, and possibly a little overzealous and ambitious about games and skits. We played team games, mostly relay ones, that involved wrapping or unwrapping gifts. We had two skits; the first, before lunch, was The Christmas Carol. The newest friar to join St. Andrew played Scrooge, and he was magnificent. Fr. Carl, the friar that passed away in August, came to visit him three times as the ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Here is a picture of the Ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge:

We had a delicious lunch of steak (or chicken), baked potato with all the fixings, a broccoli salad, spinach salad, bread, and of course plenty of desserts. After lunch our pastor read the St. Andrew rendition of 'The Night Before Christmas.' Our retired pastor played Santa and I, well, I was a reindeer. That was also when we received our Christmas bonus and then did our gift game swap, whatever you want to call it (similar to white elephant, but we had nice gifts). I think at least 4 or 5 people went home with a bottle of alcohol. I was so close to taking home Butterscotch Schapps, but the last person took it from me, since the gift also included a blanket. SO CLOSE! Here is a picture of 'St. Andrew's Night Before Christmas.'

The New Evangelization

So the joys and "Hot Mess" of NCYC are now over and its good to be back home. 24,000 screaming teens, the Jason and Crystalina talk, a 30 min concert by Matt Maher, a phenomenal Mark Hart talk, and the smiles and prayers of the teens made it all the crap of being a chaperone worth it. I compare it to a fusion of a Lifeteen conference (the singing and dancing) and World Youth Day (the chanting in the sidewalks, trading of items, and less charismatic stuff). All great stuff that sent the kids out on a spiritual high...but I believe that there's a better way to evangelize.

As you may know, Charlie Weis is soon to be disposed of as the Head Coach of ND Football. My friends (including our one-and-only Isaac Garcia) and I have been sending each other around 50 emails about the possibilities of who will replace him. At the top of everyone's list-Urban Meyer of Florida-2 time National Champion, has resurrected every program he's been at, and was named after the Popes (talk about a devout Catholic family!)

I told someone about the 50 emails that we have been sending about the tantalizing possibility of Urban Meyer and she said that my friends should spend more energy on saving the world or something like that. I relayed this message to my friend Kevin Baker and he responded with this:

"If Urban Meyer comes to Notre Dame, we will win National Championships. If Notre Dame wins, then the school and the Catholic Church will be in the mind of every kid out there. All those kids in poor urban areas will want to study hard and get into ND. Then they will come to visit Notre Dame, see the Basilica and the Grotto, convert to Catholicism, and then soon- we will have a bunch of Catholics running around. And who wouldn't want that?"

The person I told this to simply said, "Touche." So what can we all do for the Catholic Church? Pray that Urban Meyer becomes the next Head Coach. For sure.

Why haven't we been doing this all along??

In the last week or so, I've stayed up past my arbitrary bedtime on several occasions. Why, you ask? Because I've been video chatting with various Echoites. Skype, iChat, G-Chat... I've used them all. Why haven't we been doing this more? I demand more inter-Echo video chatting!

(...because I miss all of your beautiful faces!!)

Charity!? : A response to Isaac

Thank you, Isaac, for your recent postings, especially on the Catholic blogosphere. Reflecting on the idea of "charity" made me think about other areas of our lives as well. Has our world forgotten about charity? No, I don't think it has forgotten, but it is easy to pass up.

Today the Young Adult Council of the Diocese of Fort Worth hosted a Flag Football tournament for charity. This is the fourth annual tournament and each year the winning team's name goes on the trophy. Maybe it is the fact that there is a trophy, or that people get really into football, or the simple nature of competition that lies within most of us, but parts of the day can be rough.

Of course we want to do our best and beat the other teams, but people easily forget that this is for fun. Emotions get high, the attitudes change and taunting words come out. Today I had to tell two people to "chill out, this is for fun." We forget that it is a day for fellowship and supporting the two places that would be receiving our money (the Sisters of Mary of Namur and the Loretto house, a place of those who are considering abortions and other critical life issues). Games are not fun when people get too rough, too competitive, and have unsportsmanship behavior - we all know this. It's sad to know that that can impact the day for someone. Praise God for the teams that do come out for fun and don't care if they win or lose.

As Apprentice Catechetical Leaders, what can we do to encourage charity in our world today?

Speaking of the Headless Clown...

You know you need to clean your room when...

... the Headless Clown has been "hidden" in there for almost a week in a not-so-discrete spot, but you fail to notice it until you're told it's there.

The Headless Clown: You're doing it right

The Catholic blogosphere is like any blogosphere: those who are most passionate speak their mind about subjects they care about.  But the Catholic blogosphere also has numerous charity fails, and when they are from self-proclaimed Catholics, it hurts all of us.

This article on the Catholic blogosphere goes into more detail (including quotes from Bishops/Cardinals who are the target of a uncharitable words), but I think that we're doing it right here on the Headless Clown.  So I say congrats to all of you.  *slow clap*

Kinda Miraculous

I happened across an article I wanted to share: Texas Planned Parenthood director has change of heart.

Another example that no one is beyond the mercy of God, beyond the possibility of continual conversion to love.  Praise be to God!

Do you? DO YOU?

Scene: 1st Reconciliation Prep meeting, run by my mentor, Kathie. In the Church.

Kathie: "Then, right before you go to Reconciliation, we'll ask you to renew your Baptismal promises all together. [Explanation.] Would someone like to come up here and read the first part out loud for everyone to hear?

Precocious 2nd grader: Raises hand.

Kathie: Come on up.

Precocious 2nd grader: Looks at the paper; the first line is "Do you reject Satan?" Begins to read, and very confidently asks, "Do you respect Santa?"

Curtain.

A Most Fortuitous Plane Delay(s)

So this weekend, I went to go visit the grand metropolis of Peoria. Why? Because I am applying for a job with Caterpillar. Actually because I wanted to see the lovely lady(ies) of P-Town.

My flight from Philadelphia was originally scheduled to leave at 2, but then I got an email saying that it was delayed until 3:40. When I got to the airport, it became 4:45. Then when I got to counter, it became 5:45. Things were not looking so good. The agent started looking for some other flights and there was a flight to Detroit where I could spend the night in Detroit and then leave in the morning. OR I could go to Memphis then Chicago and get a rental car.

The guy behind me in line said that he was going to Peoria too and that we should get the flight to Chicago where upon arriving his company would pay for a rental car. Obviously two thoughts flew into my mind. 1) I want to go see Anna ASAP and will do whatever it takes to get there. 2) I have no idea who you are and I don't want to end up dead in the backfields of Illinois. I chose the former.

We introduced ourselves and then he asked if I wanted to grab a beer. I couldn't turn that down and when he said I could use his money vouchers; I thought "this might not be so bad after all". We talked at the bar about sports, jobs, family, etc. when he asked me what I do. I told him a bit about Echo, which prompted the question, "So you're Catholic then?" I affirmed and he responded, "Well it looks like we're going to have a good conversation in the car then. I have a lot of questions for you". (cue ominous music)

So we get in the car and start driving when we begin our convo. It turns out that he didn't grow up Christian at all, but joined a non-denominational church for his one-year old son. I told him that he should be commended for the effort and desire. He thought Catholics were just a big club that no one could get into. I told him about how Catholics are universal despite race, age, background, country, etc and how you could go to a Mass anywhere in the world pretty much. We talked about Islam and salvation. He talked about not wanting to be baptized because he's afraid of failing. I quoted Merton and recommended C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. He never read the Bible. I told him to give it a shot by getting a beginner's version or a commentary. We talked life.

At the end, he said, "You know- I really think that God put us here to talk." I agreed. Had our flights never been canceled, we would have never gotten the chance to talk about our lives and faiths. He might have gone his whole life thinking that Catholics were just snobs and I would have never learned where I should take Anna to dinner, stand up for our faith, and get free chicken tenders at the bar in the Philadelphia airport. We exchanged emails and the belief that God is good.

I got in at the house at midnight...and well that's a story for another time.

This is Freaking Awesome

Anyone have 10,000 hours to spare?

I recently finished reading a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink) and its about what makes people successful. It's a fascinating read. Gladwell argues against the belief that individuals by their own sheer force of will or genius make it by themselves. Rather, people are successful because of cultural legacies, how their parents seized opportunities, or even what month they were born in. He writes on what makes Asians good at math, why it was good to be Jewish in the latter part of the 20th century, and how a man with a 200 IQ has done nothing notable besides be on the game show 1 v.s. 100.

One of the points that Gladwell makes is that people who are successful in life are those who put in a lot of time in their field so that when opportunity arose; their abilities and events culminated into something phenomenal. For example, Mozart started composing when he was 6 years old. His first compositions weren't all that great (what great things did you do when you were 6?) but he kept working at it so that when he was 21 years old-he was composing the masterpieces that we still hear today. Or the Beatles were playing in concerts in Hamburg non-stop until they hit it big. Or Bill Gates spent all his free time on a computer in the library purchased by a mom's club. So how much time does it take to be successful? 10,000 hours.

The question, therefore that I ask you, is what are you willing to put in 10,000 hours in to become an expert in? Have you already put in those 10,000 hours? Are you on your way?

What a bother

The cheerful smile for those who bother you; that silence when you're unjustly accused; your kind conversation with people you find boring and tactless; the daily effort to overlook one irritating detail or another in those who live with you... this, with perseverance, is indeed solid interior mortification.

Don't say, "that person bothers me." Think: "That person sanctifies me."
-- St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, nn. 173-174

(Via Paths of Love blog)

Women and Ecclesial Decision Making

Historic step by the Bishops Conference of India.

How can we move toward this in our parish ministry and in our national structure?!

Something to think about!

Who Are We?

I apologize for the length of this post. This afternoon I received some upsetting e-mails and this is my response and reflection to them:


As young American Catholics we need to ask ourselves “who are we?” in the broader context of the Church. What do we truly believe and how are we carrying out the gospel message? Today we are faced with many inculturation questions: in our personal lives, our work, and our parishes, and this is not just in Texas.

Two weekends ago my parish began to introduce a new Mass setting, “Misa Luna.” The bishop wants all parishes in the diocese to incorporate this into Sunday worship because this is the setting that will be used at diocesan-wide events. There is an option for doing it bilingual, and my parish has decided to use it. Most of the parts we sing are in English and only a couple we have sung in Spanish. They continue to introduce new parts week by week.

Today I, and many other staff members, received an e-mail from a young married woman. She said she is very sad today because her family is leaving the parish I work at. They have been here for 8+ years and it is where she went through RCIA. Her reason for leaving is the switch to singing bilingual Mass parts. She said she was sad, but her responses are what sadden my heart: “If you don't speak English, I think you should go to a Spanish-Speaking or Vietnamese-Speaking parish. We will drive farther and go out of our way to attend an entirely English-Speaking church because that's the language we speak.” And in a response to my e-mail she said:

“Why is it okay to have completely Spanish-Speaking Parishes, completely Vietnamese-Speaking Parishes but no completely English-Speaking parishes? Why do my children have to learn a language that is different from that of our Constitution, that which is printed on our Dollar Bill, that which our President delivers his national addresses in?”

I do not know why this woman has such strong feelings and perhaps she had a negative experience in the past. But isn’t this the American attitude that we need to fight against? Who are our neighbors? And if we cannot accept and welcome our neighbors into our lives and into our places of worship, then who are we as Christians? Paul fought against similar attitudes: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

We cater our world to what we want. We fit things into our own boxes and make decisions and actions that are selfish and uncaring of others. Sure, communication would be easier if we all spoke English, but what about the beauty of inculturation. If we simply pass on the opportunity to learn about other cultures, the rich traditions they carry, and even their language, then we are rejecting our neighbor, our brother, our sister.

If we answer the question that Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” and proclaim him to be our Messiah, the Christ, and we profess to be followers of him, then we need to answer the question “Who am I?” in light of those responses.

A Meeting of Cultures at the Table

"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners"- Pharisee #5

A little known fact about my parish is that it has a Korean community that meets on Sundays at 6 p.m. As a pureblood Korean, one would assume that I have gone to say hello, help out with catechesis, or even poach a free Korean meal or three. You would be wrong. Why? There's a multitude of reasons, I suppose, including the fact that I am the worst in my family at speaking Korean. It would kinda be like asking Barack Obama to speak Swahili...wait probably not that bad. I can at least get by in restaurants and some social situations and talking with my mom.

But yesterday was the Confirmation celebration of the Korean community and my pastor invited me to attend as his special guest. I figured that now in my 2nd year at IHM; I would be more settled and ready to take this on-so I accepted. I went to the liturgy and it was a pleasant reminder of my childhood-a fusion of our Bishop's english, a valiant attempt at speaking English, and Korean. After the liturgy, the Bishop invited me to sit at the head table with the leaders in the community and a couple of the priests. I am sure everyone was wondering, "Who the heck is this joker? Why does this schmo get to sit with the Bishop?" For once in my life, I get to be a mysterious figure-yes!

One of the funniest moments of the night had to be one priest grabbing a whole wasabi (a Japanese hot spicy mustard) ball and putting it in his mouth. You're only supposed to eat a dab of it. We thought that we had to take him to the emergency room. Ironically enough, one of the Korean leaders did the exact same thing a minute later. The white priest felt much better.

The great thing about the meal was introducing our Bishop to the wonders of Korean delicacies and dishes. He was genuinely interested in trying the different things unlike my pastor who was nervous in everything pretty much. He asked me to explain different things about the foods and Korean culture. Just as Jesus met with a different culture (tax collectors and sinners) and ate with them, our dinner was a meeting of different cultures and customs yet the same creed. The Bishop then asked me, "So what are you planning on doing in DE after this year?" He was adamant about wanting the four of us to stay in DE and he wanted to make sure that we were in constant conversation with the diocese about it. Apparently we were an "investment".

At the end of the night, I turned to one of the leaders and thanked him for their hospitality. I gathered up some courage and said, "My Korean sucks, but if you need any help with classes or ministry; I would be happy to help." I don't know if anything will come from this meal, but I look forward to seeing what happens.

Jesus, Compassionate Savior

I wrote this for our intergenerational catechesis program (GIFT), for our newly rolled out blog.  Wanted to share it with y'all.  The answer to a basic question, "Who do you say that I am?"
---
Jesus, you are our Compassionate Savior.

Compassionate because you, the Eternal Word, didn’t regard equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, you let go, you humbled yourself, you emptied yourself taking the form of a servant and came to us like us in all things except sin. You could have come in a scary way, through a talking animal, a powerful giant, or a flying angel. Instead, you were found human in appearance. You wanted to be like us. You lived life as one of us and you know of our pain, our suffering. Jesus, you yourself suffered and were obedient to death, even death on a cross.

But Jesus, your compassion is not limited to your birth and death. Your life speaks of compassion. We see you healing the blind, curing the lame, dining with sinners and the least among us. You speak with women and men, with children and adults, the words of everlasting life. You look upon crowds both now and then and are moved with pity and provide nourishment, with bread that sustains our body, mind, and spirit. You want to be with us, want to meet us most especially in those places we consider unworthy, unsatisfactory, imperfect. Your special love for the poor extends into the poor areas of our life.

Jesus, your desire to heal extends beyond our time and our space; you are our savior.

You saved us through your suffering, death, and resurrection and save us now when we call out to you. When we face a difficult situation, when we are in pain and need healing, when we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, we turn to you. Salvation is life-giving and you are the source of life.

Jesus, you are our Compassionate Savior. Desiring our good, loving us until the end, and always calling us towards yourself, may we live eternally in your loving embrace.

El Greco: The Miracle of Christ Healing the Blind

"Who do you say that I am?"

Holy Name Elementary School Needs Your Help!!

Remember in Jan's class when I was talking about how we basically have two years to figure out our funding problems or my Church faces closure? Well this is a quick way to help! Just click the link and in 15 seconds, you can help Holy Name win $20,000.


Thank you so much!!!!

MY SISTER GOT ENGAGED!

I know that none of you know her, but I was so flippin' excited yesterday that I clearly had to share the news with all of you. They are currently in Hawaii - he proposed yesterday on the top of Diamond Head. (Get it - diamond... eh?) :) They got a woman to take some pictures of the two of them after their hike to the top. After she took two pictures, Bryan asked her to take one more and pulled out the ring. Pretty perfect if you ask me...

Oh. And I get to be the maid of honor. So exciting!!!

What did you see on your drive?

A very simple question. Sometimes our drives are monotonous. Sometimes they're glorious. Most of the time they fall somewhere in between.

But what did you see driving today?

Me, I saw chickens pecking around a yard, about 20 feet away from the highway. You?

The Spirit Is A-Movin'

Our RCIA program is getting a huge overhaul this year. And I'm coordinating it. In the past, it was dry and boring. The Spirit still worked through this, but it could definitely have been more engaging. Since the new Rector at St. Jude's gave me responsibility for developing an RCIA team, I have been operating within various levels of "Holy shit I don't have an effing clue what I'm doing." Rather than spend all my time freaking out, I've been trying to commit my new roles in the parish, especially the ones in which I am least experienced, to prayer.

And so, as I've been searching for team members in a parish that has no sense of community, God has been very good to me. The best and most surprsing evidence of God's hand in the matter came today. I was working on the new handbook for religious education when the receptionist called to tell me I had a visitor. A woman I'd never met before was in the waiting area of the office, hoping to volunteer for the RCIA team. She has had years of experience coordinating RCIA for her last parish. She is moving to another state in 9 months and wants to get involved somewhere else while she lets them transition to new leadership. She said she just had a feeling that we could use some help, but she wasn't sure why. Needless to say, I signed her up immediately.

God is crazy!

And by crazy I mean awesome.

Our Cute Retired Pastor

Our retired pastor still hangs out around the parish. He's not here all the time, but he comes into the office and answers e-mails, reads things, who knows what else. Today he walked by my office and said "Don't fall asleep now!" Surprisingly I'm rather awake! I went down to our copy room to pick up some stuff I printed off and there he was, looking at a magazine. He started telling me a story of his sister, who has passed away. He said she would always call people by cute names, such as honey bun. When she was in the nursing home the assistant would say good night and she would respond with "Good night sweet pea." He said the assistants working there laughed so hard at that. I was thinking to myself, where is this story coming from!? Well, on the cover of the magazine there was a picture of a baby wearing a hat. And on the hat it said "sweet pea." Funny how God can make us remember things about our loved ones.

Need to Sell a Pilot Project?

At my first staff meeting yesterday, I presented on a new idea for an event that I had at the end of last year. It is to be a Lenten series on Interreligious dialogue where we have speakers from other faiths come speak to our parish or a group would go visit a local mosque or synagogue. When I first brought up the idea at a Christian Formation Committee meeting, the idea was met with a lot of doubt and skepticism by the members. I took their suggestions and contemplated over the past several weeks on how to present it to staff when I got back.

But I knew this time, I needed to learn from the master of creative advertising, Don Draper from the emmy-winning "Mad Men". While Gen's sister gave me a lot of grief the other day for watching this supposedly scandalous show, what we can take away from Don Draper is on how to persuade people to "buy our products". This is how to present to a skeptical crowd. He's the best at what he does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2bLNkCqpuY


So I learned from Don Draper, presented my pilot project, and my staff loved it. They are all for it now. Thanks Don Draper!

1st day in DE

Things that happened on my first day:

1. I saw camels on my drive to work.
2. People were excited to see me and my mentor Sr. Catherine was pessimistic and sassy.
3. May implied that my summer was a vacation until I reminded them I was in school all summer.
4. My car died on my way home from work. (Tae was a saint and helped me out!)

Interesante...hoping for a better day 2!

P to the S...cool new website on the new translation of the mass which will roll out in ~2years: http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/ HUGE catechetical opportunity!

Prayers for the Bish

Some of you might remember that during our closing Mass of the summer, Jerry prayed for our Bishop. We recently received this blog post (yep - our Bish has a blog!) from a diocesan staff member updating us on his situation. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to heal and recover.

(The day we prayed for him at our Echo Mass was on Wednesday, August 5th, when he was at his worst. It looks like our prayers helped the first time, so let's keep 'em comin'!)

Where in the World have you Been?

On July 27th as you know, I was operated on for the removal of a suspicious polyp in my right colon. The operation was, for all intents and purposes, very successful, and my progress to returning to full health was going very well. In fact, it appeared that I would be going home in a matter of days. That turned out not to be the Lord’s plan for me. One of the remaining challenges in modern medicine is the control of infection, and I fell victim to something called sepsis. I have no memory of anything after Wednesday night, August 5th, so what I now will relay to you is the experience of my family, friends, and caregivers. With a very skilled medical and nursing team, I was rushed into surgery for a second time on Thursday, August 6th. The consequences were so challenging that my nephew Christopher felt it necessary to convene the family as my life seemed to teeter minute-by-minute, and hour-by-hour. Again through the work of a very highly skilled team of Doctors and Nurses, it slowly became clear that more is expected of my life, than to have passed away at that moment. In the intervening days my strength has returned; although I believe that I have not yet reached 50% of what is necessary to return home. I will spare you all the unnecessary and personal details except to say that when one is so sick and death seems so immanent that the love of family, faith, and the prayer of others is an important part of the healing process.

We have tried to keep my whereabouts as closely contained as possible simply to allow time for me to regain my strength, and, quite frankly, to keep the hospital staff from being besieged by flowers, cards, and other things which are gratefully received at the Pastoral Center Office, and which will be acknowledged when I am well again. This has imposed severe limitations on many people who would like to come and express their interest and love. I apologize for this, but I do not believe that it would be possible for me to be where I am today, were it not for the restrictions and privacy that I and those attending me needed.

I believe that I most likely have two more weeks remaining in the hospital, and then a period of rehabilitation. I also face a third surgery at some uncertain date in the future. However, I believe the worst is truly over, the Lord’s will for my life has been made manifest, and I can only promise that the gift of life given to me will be shared in greater abundance with all of you when I am well. Thank you for your prayers, your love and your support.

And the first apprentice back to work is...

It’s been an eventful week since I last saw you!

Went to Josh Schaffner’s Wedding
Laughed at a TWSS joke IN THE HOMILY
Opened the Echo house as a hotel for half a dozen wedding guests
Met the new Lalanne teachers that I’ll be living with
Visited Saint Barnabas for Mass
Cleaned my office
Got caught in traffic / construction on my way to Chicago for a conference
Heard presentations from awesome CTU faculty (including Donald Senior CP. Check your Catholic Study Bible.. he’s definitely the editor)
Went to a Phish concert
Met one of Muller’s friends from Marquette
Had coffee with an echo alum
Bought MORE stationary (I can’t stop…) from a fair trade store
Celebrated my best friend’s birthday with Chinese food and sparkling grape juice
Spent the night of her couch and reflected on how good it is to be with family
Received mail from Cuthbert (Mike, it’s okay to be jealous) He sent postcards from his monastery
Packed up everything I own and moved into a different room in the house (here's to new beginnings!)
Attended the Saint Barnabas Parish Picnic on Sunday
Painted faces, made buttons, sold sno-cones and Capri Suns to raise money for NCYC (oh the joys of youth ministry…)
Back in the office before mass this morning... it's good to be "home"
And, for those of you who saw my artwork on summer retreat, I think there are fewer trees.

Before We Decimated It, The Best Catholic Book Section Ever

Gen and I wandered into Downtown Books in Milwaukee today, and, after dropping 80 bucks, came out with this haul:

1) The Gift of Peace // Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
2) An Introduction to the Old Testament // Laurin J. Wenig (local MKE pastor)
3) How God Created // John Dunne, C.S.C.
4) The Way of All the Earth // John Dunne, C.S.C.
5) The Church of the Poor Devil: Reflections on a Riverboat Voyage and a Spiritual Journey // John Dunne, C.S.C.
6) The Homing Spirit: A Pilgrimage of the Mind, of the Heart, of the Soul // John Dunne, C.S.C.
7) Church: The Continuing Quest // Richard P. McBrien
8) A Theology of Protest // Bernard Haring
9) Elements of Rite: A Handbook of Liturgical Style // Aidan Kavanagh (woot)
10) What Makes Us Catholic // Thomas Groome
11) Global Responsibility: In Search of a New World Ethic // Hans Kung
12) Jayber Crow // Wendell Berry
13) The Holy Longing // Ronald Rolheiser
14) Communion of Immigrants: A History of Catholics in America // James T. Fisher
15) The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation // Aidan Kavanagh (woot)
16) Witnessing to Justice // Justice in the World, Synod of Bishops; volume by Pedro Arrupe
17) The Art of Praying // Romano Guardini
18) Philemon's Problem: The daily dilemma of the Christian // James Burtchaell, C.S.C.
19) Commonweal Confronts the Century // Patrick Jordan and Paul Baumann, eds.
20) The Divine Milieu // Teilhard de Chardin

Phew.

Sunday Musings

You know you're an ACL when you get excited about the homily from the priest at your "home" parish. This morning he started his homily saying we were going to continue in the "mini series on the Eucharist." He tied in church teaching and the readings for today. It was great, and in the past it has been difficult to get excited over this priest's homilies.

And how about a little catechizing on the waters? I went up "north" to Island Lake with my dad, 3 other relatives (2 uncles, 1 aunt) and a friend of my dad's. This friend of his, Alan, is not Catholic, but on our pontoon ride he asked some questions about the Church, especially about when the Catholic religion started and it's relationship with Judaism. They were great questions. Gotta love being an ACL, we can answer questions like these for the rest of our lives!

A Look in a Wisconsin Fridge...

Over 8lbs of Cheese!

End of Year One

Sorry to pull an Isaac here, but no one's posted for a while and it's our last day in the parish! well at least for a couple of months! i am stoked to see you all back at ND for the summer. i like to think that i have matured a bit over the past year but that's probably not true.

anyway, what are people's plans for the weeks between now and ND? for me, my mom is coming out to visit and we will take day trips around here (Bethany Beach, PHL Art Museum, National Shrine, getting a new summer suit for me) and then go to Niagara Falls. Following that, we are going to Chicago to visit my cousins and then I go to a wedding before heading back for 16 credits in 6 weeks! woohoo!!!

My Mentor is a Catechetical Bada$$

http://www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday/liturgical-catechesis.shtml

yup. that's my boss being published by the USCCB

If I had a hail mary every time I thought of you i'd have a glorious mystery!

JJ Abrams is to Star Trek what the J-Cav is to Theology

I'll explain the title later in the review. Let me begin by saying that unlike Genevieve Jordan's mother; I did not grow up a Star Trek fan. Never watched the Original Series. Only watched a couple The Next Generation episodes and watched one of the movies that my cousin made me watch. I preferred Star Wars growing up. Ok now that we got that out of the way

I saw Star Trek last night instead of studying for the final...and wow. just wow. so worth it and effing awesome. it was an exhilarating epic that had a lot of heart, space battles, great comedic timing, romance, etc. etc. the cast was pitch perfect in their roles and each had a chance to shine. ladies, there's enough eye candy in this movie for you to go around (william shatner and leonard nimoy never looked this good). guys, you will love uhura...and the green alien girl if that's what your type is (i know it is for jonathan!). themes of fate, destiny, daddy issues, friendship, sacrifice, struggle, heroism-nothing less from the genius of J.J. Abrams (LOST) here.

So what does this have to do with J-Cav and theology? Well, there may be some of you out there who say, "Why would I watch Star Trek? It's about aliens and spaceships and stuff. I hate sci-fi. It's just for a bunch of geeks." Yes, but what Abrams has done here is create a Star Trek/sci-fi movie for people who are not Star Trek fans. In fact, the fact that he deviates from some of the canon of the original series is bound to piss some people off. Abrams had made it ACCESSIBLE to people. In all lack of bias, he made quite a thrilling and energetic ride. He didn't necessarily water it down or dumb it down, but has made it relevant and if i may say so, pastoral, to people of all backgrounds. Go check it out. Live Long and Prosper.

If you're not convinced...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/05/the-onion-star-trek-fans-blast-new-movie-for-being-fun-and-watchable-.html

Isaac in HD

My parish recently had a retreat for the youth and adults going on the youth mission trip to West Virginia. During this retreat, I was part of the band that played.
We have a HD video camera at my parish, and we use it for things like this. And so, connecting the dots...

I Am Free! A good song and one I thoroughly enjoyed playing. There are more clips from that night, if you want to watch.
Happy exegesis!

In the midst of this swine flu crisis, you may want to check out this very helpful website:

http://www.doihavepigflu.com/

Don't try this at home...

I got this in a forward today, and I just about peed my pants. Two possible headings:

"Critical Swine Flu Prevention Tip -- Don't Do THIS!"

or

"Look at what this brat started!!" (my censored version of the real one I heard today...)

Joy: Not just for almonds

I wrote an article for my parish's newsletter about my experience during the Triduum at the parish and joy. I thought you might en-joy it (or it en-joy you, actually):

During the Easter Triduum I saw and experienced much joy.

The Holy Thursday’s foot washing brought tears to my eyes. The musical backdrop of “The Servant Song” (“will you let me be your servant?”) and other similar songs provided a perfect atmosphere to witness the foot washing of twelve parishioners: young, old, male, female, those I know, those I hope to know. The incredible joy of a child, smile from ear to ear, witnessed to what we as Christians believe and know: our call to service extends to those we don’t always think about; our need to be served and the humility to allow ourselves to be served; that the love of Christ knows no bounds.

On Good Friday we venerated the cross. I was moved as I saw how differently we expressed our relationship with Christ. Some kissed the cross, others bowed, rubbed different parts of the cross, kneeled, or did a combination of all the above. Still others might have been uncomfortable with the veneration and chose stayed in their seats. But all desired an intimacy with God, all wanted to reflect on the mystery of the death of Jesus Christ.

And of course, the climax of the Triduum and the entire Liturgical year, the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. There was such a joy and electricity present in the congregation, especially during the singing of the Glory to God and the Alleluia. Hungry with forty days of fasting and preparing for this moment, we were ready to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord. Finally, let’s not forget the joyous reception of our brothers and sisters into the Church, faces glowing with holy oil and Holy Spirit. So much joy and excitement!

The Gospel of John says that “the disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord” (John 20:20, NJB). It’s no wonder the joy I found throughout the Triduum. The same joy that filled the disciples fills us as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. It is for this reason that we are Christians, because we believe that Jesus is the Christ; we believe that his resurrection saves us. His resurrection provides us with hope in the midst of our own “Good Fridays”. After all, we follow in a Savior who knows his way out of the tomb.

We are people of the resurrection; we are people of joy. As muffled as the joy may be at times, amounting to the tiniest trickle of water, joy drives us to seek more joy. The joy of Easter leads us out of the desert (of Lent and of our lives) as we follow the dribble of water, upstream towards the source, towards Jesus, the source of joy and new life.

As we continue in the Season of Easter and roll on into the summer months, I invite you to be on the lookout for joy. Joy found at home in your family, joy found in the lives of others, joy found at St. James, joy found in creation, and joy found in yourself. Rejoice in that moment of joy and thank God. Where we find joy, we may find the Lord.

May we be the loving presence of the risen Christ to our family, friends, and neighbors. May they be filled with joy. May we take to heart the invitation present in the hymn “We Are Called”: “Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!”

Happy enjoying! See you in August!

Blessings,
Isaac Garcia, Echo Catechetical Apprentice

NCCL

To those of you who attending NCCL, see you in Detroit.

To those of you staying at your parish and actually having responsibilities for the next week, we'll miss you!

To those you who broke their leg, bummer, dude.

Certain of us more single Echo 5 men may or may not be on the lookout for CILFs or even the elusive DREILF while at NCCL. Pray for us.

A Quick, Enlightening, Entertaining Read

Friends,

I have just finished reading The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose and I recommend it quite highly. Roose, who grew up a not-so-religious Quaker family and went to Brown University, spends a semester abroad...at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. For those not familiar with Liberty, it was founded by Jerry Falwell the founder of the "Moral Majority" and prominent evangelical pastor who well...yeah...the book tells more about him.

Anyway, it is quite an interesting read as Roose enters into a culture that is completely unfamiliar to him, learns to get rid of the stereotypes that he had for the university and conservatives-at-large, and engages in every opportunity possible including joining the choir, going on a mission trip to Daytona Beach during Spring Break, and falls in love. To go from the liberal, hippie Brown to the fundamentalist, Sean Hannity loving Liberty was a huge stepping-out-of-comfort-zone and I admire that about him and his experience. Oddly enough, Roose had an interview with Jerry Falwell and that was the last printed interview of Falwell's life.

I think that's a lesson we can all take- The ability to step out of what is comfortable and easy for us and engage openly and genuinely with people. He sees the human behind the stereotype and realizes that they have the same struggles with faith, the other sex, life goals as he or any other secular college student has. Yes, he does meet the intolerant (in fact he rooms with one) but he meets people who wished for more academic freedom and watch R-rated movies (not allowed) in the dorms. Overall, it is a very compelling and honest read.

Borders Price: $24.99 hardcover

Look for my X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Star Trek reviews in May!

Feel Better Soon!

Feel free to post thoughts, memories, messages of hope, etc. for T-bear.

I TEACH Sunday school...

Once again, Stephen Colbert advertises for us catechists:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Philip Zimbardo
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Joy and humor

This wisdom is a Christian humanism that radically affirms the dignity of every person as a child of God, establishes a basic fraternity, teaches people to encounter nature and understand work, provides reasons for joy and humor even in the midst of a very hard life. CCC#1676

Looks like the Church is calling me to be funny. 8-).

Possible Career Choices?

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

I've recently had a revelation when it comes to life after ECHO. I figured if this whole theology thing does not work out, I can go into either one of these fields.

Dancing with the Stars














or a Model...

'Cause I haven't made much progress...

Mark's Passion, which we all heard Last Sunday (or Saturday evening), might be my favorite of the passion accounts. It is absoultely beautiful in places, straightforward and human.

However, I noticed one section that I hadn't noticed before and have never heard anyone talk about. I've been having trouble figuring it out, so I'm asking for your opinions Mark 14:50:

"Now a young man followed him
wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.
They seized him,
but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked."

Whos is that young man? Why wasn't he wearing clothes? How did he get away? What's the significance?

So, sisters and brothers in exegesis, what do you think?

Catechetical Success

I planned a Stations of the Cross prayer buffet for Palm Sunday evening, for our Religious Education students and for anyone else in the parish who wanted to come. Essentially, each station had a different prayer experience- so instead of marching around the church singing "Behold the Wood" a dozen times, the stations were scattered all over the school and included things like making crosses out of pipe cleaners, icons, lectio divina, praying while you colored, taping burdens to a cross, etc.

We were coming off of spring break, and it was pouring rain so I didn't have high hopes for attendance. I was praying that even 50 people would come. We had printed booklets and prepared food for 300, knowing that was a high estimate, and I just prayed for 50.

When I entered the cafeteria, I almost fainted. I was utterly astounded by what I saw. Every single table was full.. there were kids sitting on the floor eating. The line for food was out the door... we estimate that 300+ people had come.

It was the most well-attended formation event of the year (besides Mass, of course)... I reviewed the evaluations, and it even received high marks all around.

I have no idea how I pulled it off... but I will say this: that, my friends, is a catechetical success.

Quote for Holy Week

In the last chapter of the last book of his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote: "The death and passion of our Lord is the sweetest and the most compelling motive that can animate our hearts in this mortal life. It is the very truth that mystical bees make their most excellent honey in the wounds of this 'lion of the tribe of Judah,' slain, pierced and rent upon the Mount of Calvary. The children of the cross glory in this, their wondrous paradox that the world does not understand: Out of death - which devours all things - has come the food of our consolation; and out of death - strong above all thins - has issued the all-sweet honey of our love. O Jesus my Savior, how worthy of love is your death, for it is the supreme effect of your love...Mount Calvary is the mount of lovers. All love that does not take its origin in the Savior's passion is foolish and perilous. Unhappy is death without the Saviors' love; unhappy is love without the Savior's death. Love and death are so mingled in the Savior's passion that we cannot have the one in our hearts without the other. Upon Calvary we cannot have life without love, or love without the Redeemer's death. Except there, all is either eternal death or eternal love. All Christian wisdom consists in choosing rightly..." (XII, 13)

Prayers for a blessed Holy Week. At least if I didn't start strong...or be strong in the middle...I can finish strong!

What Goes Around Comes Back Around

As you may know, I greatly enjoy impersonating people especially Theology Professors. Some notables include: Fr. Paulinus Odozor C.S.S.P., Lawrence Cunningham, and of course John C. Cavadini Ph.D, M.Phil, M.A., B.A. Little did I know that it would come back to haunt me already.

During our final 8th grade CRE Pizza party, I found a couple of the girls doing this. They even copied my handmotions and voice inflections!

"To contemplate the truth and to share with others the fruits of that contemplation"

I took my personal retreat a couple of weeks ago on a gloriously warm and breezy day. Below is a reflection from that day, and I thought I just might be brave enough to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy!

I was sitting in the woods on a breezy day contemplating the inevitable struggles of life. Just then, a strong wind burst, or rather, danced through the woods and the treetops wavered threateningly, banging their branches together as the trees themselves groaned mournfully from deep within. As my eyes moved from the treetops to the ground, they followed the trunk of a tree. I noticed how even though the light branches of the canopy swayed in the wind, the bottom of the tree remained motionless. It struck me that we are just like the trees. The winds of struggle inevitably visit us time and again, and it is the tallest of the tress that are most moved. Yet how can we grow so tall as to be pushed by the wind? How can we remain standing when the wind blows? We grow little by little, and slowly. In the time it takes to grow skyward, our trunks grow sturdier and we are also growing deeper, with our roots weaving their way through the soil. Christ is the ground. Christ allows us to grow and be strong. The deeper we grow in Christ, the taller we will be able to stand in the world. Yes, the winds will visit and shake us, but they will not bring us down. Trees do not fear the wind, for they know they can withstand it. Can we then, face our struggles courageously with deep faith, knowing that we will remain strong however relentlessly the wind blows? To be sure, the wind, rocking the upper limbs, vibrates down to our very core, but we remain standing. It is our faith that has saved us. We need Christ, who is our grounding, and we need our roots of faith in Him. We will stand.

Itch that

That's what I taking for my allergic reaction to Sulfa. Anyone out there know what it's called? Or at least it's Chemical makeup? If you get it right, I might give you a prize.

Waking up in the middle of the night with itchy, swollen hands is not fun. The phrase "go big or go home" obviously wasn't crafted for situations where hands swell up.

And taking Benadryl right before teaching 2nd grade made the class interesting, for sure.

I am posting this so I no longer have to look at that disgusting spider when I check the blog. I love these dogs (Lab-retriever mix!)

Arachnophobia, anyone?

This is our new house pet, Tobey.



Enough said.

Perhaps useful for parish work (at times)

Bringing Back Chivalry One DRE at a time

Last week, the members of D-House went on a retreat with the DREs of the Diocese of Wilmington at a hotel in Ocean City, MD. It was a beautiful and relaxing couple of days drinking tea, catching up on life and the kids, oh and praying the Scriptures. Anyway, you can probably guess the female to male ratio in attendance and that plays a role in these next two stories here.

1) On the last night, a group of us went out to dinner at a local restaurant. This group consisted of 13 DREs....and myself. While we are out to dinner, this man grabs the back of my chair and says in a gruff voice, "Are all of these women yours?" I jokingly respond, "Why yes they are!" The table bursts out laughing and he goes, "Wow. What a lucky guy. Keep it up." Then he walks away. One of the DREs turns to me and says, "He's a Knight of Columbus." Ha. Weird.

2) After the final presentations of Thursday night, a group of us go to the hotel bar to discuss theology over a couple drinks. This group only consisted of 8 DREs...and myself. Someone is playing the piano, people form dancing lines, tambourines are shaken and drums are drummed-all in all a good time. While we are just chilling at the table, one of the DREs says, "Tae, you got to protect me from that guy over there. He's really creeping us out." Turns out that there was this older gentleman there who was checking out the DREs at our table. He comes over to me and asks if all of these women are "mine"-to which I respond yes. I ask him if I could get him a drink and he says, "I only want to know one thing! How did you get all these beautiful women? Especially that redhead! She's amazing". I simply replied, "Luck. God is good I guess. " He asks me for my name and I tell him. He goes, "Tang? Big Daddy Tang!!!" All of us are laughing about my new nickname but before he can say any more ludicrous things about the ladies (or at least to them)-I send him away bewildered on how I can be surrounded by such beautiful women.

A Day in the Park with Meli Barber

Hey everyone! Check this out. The Peoria house was blessed with a visit from our very own Meli Barber a couple weekends ago. It was a jolly good time. Some of the highlights included going to the park where they have a giant zen garden and making zen echo man, learning guitar, and enjoying vegetarian camaraderie. Miss you all!

Crossing Generations

Yesterday I met a guy. It was during the soup and sandwich lunch our church has every Wednesday during Lent after the 11am Mass (which only happens during Lent). This guy was really kind and sweet. And turns out he is an alum from Notre Dame! He is part of the class of 1944. Awesome, huh!? He is 87 years old. And it turns out that he was the executive director for Catholic Charities of the Fort Worth Diocese. So this guy, Clem Constantine, is quite a big deal! I bet he has many leather-bound books and his house smells like rich mahogany. It was neat talking with him. There are so many Notre Dame connections down here, it's ridiculous!

On a side note, as I was leaving the cathedral today an older woman asked me what the top of my shirt said (on the back, since my hair was in the way). I told her, "Forming Leaders, Serving the Church." So I got to explain to her a bit about the Echo program and how I want to go into youth ministry afterward. She said her parish needs a youth minister, they don't have one at all. Maybe there will be a job opening next year!

An Irishman with an inferiority complex

is one who thinks he's just as good as everybody else.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from someone who is actually Irish (no Tae, you are not!)

As I am wont to do

I've been reading some blogs. Well, actually, a blog today. The blog post that I want to share with you today comes from Amy Welborn, who is a Catholic author and who lost her husband about a month ago or so. The blog post is called "Giving up something for Lent"

In her blog post, she talks about how we as church workers face a temptation for to let our work become our spiritual lives:

That is- you are tempted to let all sorts of things fall by the wayside in your personal life because those things are a part of work. They fall to the wayside either because you decide that since these things somehow characterize your work or make up part of your workday...been there, done that..scratch that off the list for today.

So perhaps because you led a bunch of kids in prayer several times in school or you (yes) said Mass or because you led a prayer service before a meeting or even participated in a prayer service before a meeting...you neglect personal prayer time.

Or because you do Scripture study or instruction with students, you almost never sit with the Word of God yourself anymore, by yourself, just listening.

Or because your paycheck is so small and your hours are so long and the problems never really end you figure....well, that's my almsgiving.

The other, slightly more negative reason that the spiritual lives of church workers goes to pot is that work sometimes goes to pot and worst of all, "ministry" becomes a job, then a job that is endured and even disliked and when you can finally get away from it, the last thing you want to do is think about religion. Or even, you know, God.

I hope to never lose my hunger for the spiritual despite the "I already know it" attitude that I can sometimes posses and the always present temptation of letting my work be my spiritual life. It's easy to tune out that which is familiar: a favorite Scripture passage, the Holy Mass, sometimes even our friends or our community members. Each of these familiar things is an encounter with Jesus, or at least it can be if we're open to it.

Personally, one way that I like to keep things exciting and fresh in the spiritual life is by writing. More specifically, by blogging. (Yea, spiritual blogging) I find that whenever I sit down with the Gospel for the Sunday and go through it, seeing what everything says, the implications, the stories, the backstories, the textual context, the historical context, I can come to a better understanding of how God is at work in the world. If I know that someone else is going to read it -- or at least that someone, anyone, could read it -- I have the accountability of the community of the Internet (more likely my friends and family). I will spend more time struggling with the text in order to produce fruit.

So I guess that's why I blog, for spiritual reasons. How do you keep away from the attitude that Amy describes above?

The Most Interesting Coffee I Ever Had and Most Awkward Question

So I am meeting a friend at Starbucks drinking a coffee and discussing college, community living, spiritual direction, and Theology of the Body, when a homeless man comes up to us and asks me if I work for a church. I say yes (obviously) and he starts talking to me about what it means to be genuine because he heard me say the word a couple times in conversation. We talk a little and then I offer to buy him a drink (one of the few times that I was hoping that a person would not say alcohol in response to that question) and he said that a green tea would be nice. Then I get him a tea and he asks me, "What denomination are you?" From the rooftops of the Starbucks I am at, I proclaim that I am Catholic and he goes, "Ah Catholicism...Sincere and Genuine People". You can take that to the bank.

So we start walking back to my table and he asks me a question that I have never heard in my life:

"Are you Asian?"

I did my best to refrain from laughing but politely affirmed his question. He then tells me about he knew this Mormon Thai woman for a while and that Asian women were beautiful and whatnot. He then told me that all Asians originated from around there and crossed the ice bridge from Russia to Alaska. News to me. We then thanked each other for conversation and went our merry ways.

Community life

From the Daily Gospel

Community life: «You are all brothers»

In whatever they do, the brothers should be charitable and joyful with one another. Someone who is working will speak like this about someone who is praying: «The treasure my brother possesses is also mine since it belongs to both of us» On his part, someone who is praying will say of someone who is reading: «The benefit he draws from his reading is enriching me, too.» And again, someone who is working will say: «I am carrying out this service on behalf of the community.»

The numerous members of the body make up only one body and support each other by each fulfilling its task. The eye sees for the whole body; the hand works for the other members; the foot, as it walks, bears them all; one member suffers as soon as another does. This is how the brothers should behave with one another (cf. Rom 12,4-5). The one who is praying won't judge the one who is working because he is not praying. The one who is working won't judge the one who is praying... The one who is serving won't judge the others. To the contrary, whatever he is doing, each will be working for the glory of God (cf. 1Cor 10,31; 2Cor 4,15)...

In this way a great concord and tranquil harmony will be formed, «the bond of peace» (Eph 4,3), that will unite them among themselves and cause them to live transparently and simply in the sight of God. Of course, the essential thing is to persevere in prayer. One thing is necessary besides: each must possess this treasure of the living, spiritual presence of the Lord in their heart. And whether working, praying or reading, each must be able to claim they possess that imperishable good of the Holy Spirit.

Happy Spring Break!

Happy Spring Break everyone! Down here in Texas it seems like most of the world is going on spring break next week... and during my spring break the weather will get a bit chilly (down into the 50s, hopefully not the 40s). Reguardless, I hope you all are enjoying not watching class and not working on any papers! I've taken some time to get some leisure reading in and it has been fabulous. In high school I read this book called "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. In December I found it for $1 at a used book store and was extremely excited to discover this find. Last night I stayed up to finish reading it and it was a delight, both in reading the marvelous book again and in my accomplishment of not reading something that had to do with theology (hey, it's been awhile)! For the rest of spring break I should catch up on reading I've missed for JCav's class... oops.

Happy Birthday, Genevieve!!!

Ah, the joys of turning 24. Try and look a bit more excited, Gen.

Just FYI

Since there was a misunderstanding in D-House about this...

A Graphic Novel is a Comic Book (but a lot more serious). Not a risque romance novel.

Do not use simply the literal interpretation but the spiritual and moral.

Thank you.

Wasn't there a post about fins earlier?

That was a mere type. Now here's a mermaid:
Disabled Woman Turned Mermaid
Watch and be amazed.

Standing Up for the Faith One Chinese Restaurant at a Time

Today being Ash Wednesday, Ginny (our volunteer secretary) and I went on another "date" to our favorite Chinese restaurant to get some shrimp. After we were seated, our waiter came up to me and pointed to my forehead and asked, "Ummm...what's that?" I tried to explain that I am Catholic and its something we do and all...which he then walked away. Ginny and I just shrugged our shoulders. He then came back and asked, "Do you want a towel?"

Contemporary Lenten Image

Sackcloth and Ash was SO 3,000 years ago...

The spirit of repentance and mourning in the new millennium:

I'm calling it now...

Echo NYC, sometime before Echo 10.

"I've just got to have that program!"

Stones into Bread

From a daily email reflection I get, I thought it was good to keep in mind:

Question of the day:
What stones have you been asked to turn into bread?


I believe that all would-be ministers must face the same three temptations as Jesus before they really can minister. The first temptation of Christ, to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:3), is the need to be effective, successful, relevant, to make things happen. You’ve done something and people say, “Wow! Good job! You did it right. You’re OK.” When the crowds approve, it’s hard not to believe that we have done a good thing, and probably God’s will.

Usually when you buy into that too quickly, you’re feeding the false self and the system, which tells you what it immediately wants and seldom knows what it really needs. You can be a very popular and successful minister operating at that level. That is why Jesus has to face that temptation first, to move us beyond what we want to what we really need. In refusing to be relevant, in refusing to respond to people’s immediate requests, Jesus says, Go deeper. What’s the real question? What are you really after? What does the heart really hunger for? What do you really desire? “It’s not by bread alone that we live” (Matthew 4:4).

from Radical Grace: Daily Meditations, p.294, day 308
(Source: Preparing for Christmas With Richard Rohr)


Current mantra:
Jesus said, "Follow me"

The Matthew 25 Project

So my best friend from high school happens to be a badass designer, and put this together for me in, like, 11 minutes. It's for this new Lenten/Easterly small faith group I'm starting at St. Dom's called the Matthew 25 Project, using the Last Judgment passage as a guide for discussion, reflection, and service. Should be fun. Perhaps an edgier image than most of our 65+ target demographic can handle, but totally worth it.

NCCL

Looks like I'm headed to NCCL--- who else is going?

"There's no way we can fit into there"

A Gospel reflection for this weekend (Mark 2:1-12) I wrote for our catechist blog:

“There’s no way we can fit into there.”

I peer into the subway car packed with people to brim. There are so many people; I can feel heat emanating from the subway car as I stand outside.

“We’ll just wait for the next one,” I think. My Dad has a different idea as he starts entering the clown-car like full subway car, dragging myself and my other friends into the car with him.

Once inside, the smell of body odor attacks my nose and I wonder, “Why did I make this trip to China?”

Without a doubt, in the above the situation I found myself in the most person-packed place in my young life. There was no room in the car, none. Yet, we found a way to get there.

So it is with the Gospel this week. St. Mark describes a scene in not as much detail as above, but likely with a similar feel. Hundreds and hundreds of people are crammed into this house, hoping to hear a few words from a man they hear can heal the sick. There’s likely little air circulation, a heavy stench in the room, and the annoying guy from work is standing across the room.

Suddenly, from the back, four shouts are heard: “Let us in! We have someone that needs to see Jesus! We know he will help him!” But no one wants to give up their spot, some because they have a legitimate need for healing, others because they want to test Jesus, and still others out of sheer curiosity, for this Man has captured their attention.

Minutes later a crashing noise comes from above. Light streams into the room followed by a shaky eclipse. Straining from the adjustment from relative darkness to light to relative light all can barely make out what’s happening – a man is being lowered from the sky!

As the mat comes down, people are forced to make room. Personal space no more, it’s necessary for this man to land safely. Astounded, Jesus, on account of the faith of the paralytic, says, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” When pushed by the testy in the crowd, Jesus says “Rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”

The man who could no longer walk gets up. Shouts of pure joy and exaltations come from above: the paralytic’s friends can’t believe their eyes!

There’s a consensus among the crowd: “We have never seen anything like this.”

And so St. Mark presents us with an image of faith. Do we have what it takes to approach a seemingly impossible situation and dive in head first? Will we be like my Dad and move into the crowded car? Will we have the faith of the paralytic who, despite seeing and hearing the filled house, wouldn’t give up. He just knew that Jesus would heal him. Do we have the same faith in the same Jesus?

An image of community is also presented. Four friends find a way to bring their sick friend on the mat to Jesus. Sometimes we are the four friends, stopping at nothing to help our friends heal. Other times we are the one in need of healing. Often, we’re both in need of healing and the instrument through which God works to bring others to the place they need to be to heal. Yet, often we don’t want to admit that we are in need of healing, in need of a visit to Christ in the Eucharist, in Reconciliation, in the poor and homeless, in our parents, our children, our siblings. Jesus is there, waiting to embrace us, waiting for us to come through the roof, waiting for us to gently lower others through the roof.

If we live a life of such faith, a life of doing the dirty work, a life of service, a life of faith, hope, and love, a life that’s a living reminder of Jesus; if we live such a life, perhaps others will say, “we have never seen anything like this.”

Let us strive to live this life but never desire to hear those words, only desiring to echo the forgiveness, healing, and love of Jesus.

I don't know how this is signficant...

February 25th is the one year anniversary that I found out I got into Echo, ran up to Tae's room, and we celebrated with a man-hug, congratulations, and smiles. If you asked for an e-mail, you probably got it then too.

This year, February 25th is on Ash Wednesday. Like I said, I'm not sure how this is significant, but it's pretty cool.

Have you ever considered a career change, Anthony?

We know he can sing... and after the Indiana Jones show at Disney, we know he can act... BUT did you know he can dance too?! Anthony was part of a Murder Mystery dinner on Saturday night -- he was the groom, getting married in order to inherit $10 mil. His best man was having a Mrs.-Robinson-type affair with his mother AND is in love with his bride-to-be. So, clearly, the best way to resolve the drama is with a dance-off. Lucky for Anthony, I caught some of it on video... :)

In Honor of that Other Tall Skinny Guy from Illinois

To commemorate Lincoln's 200th Birthday, I read a book called "Abe Lincoln Remembers" to a bunch of 2nd graders. This was my 2nd time reading to 2nd graders as I read a book about Santa and Jesus for Christmas. Anyway, I don't know how you do it, Isaac, for those kids are ridiculous.

They were bright-they knew he was the 16th President, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, and is on the $5 dollar bill. Some of their comments were priceless.

About War: "My great grandfather didn't fight in the Civil War, but he did fight in World War II."

About Being President: "I want to be President because I want to rule the Universe." (well, only God can do that but the president can help-i said)

About Wrestling: "When Patrick and I wrestle, I beat him all the time." "that's not true!!"

About Being Honest: "I like to read."

About Being President II: "I want to be President so I can tax people."

Special Weather Statements

... SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK FOR NORTH TEXAS LIKELY TODAY...

INGREDIENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR A WIDESPREAD EPISODE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. RICH GULF MOISTURE IS WELL ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE REGION. A POTENT UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA ALONG WITH A DRYLINE TAKING SHAPE TO OUR WEST... FROM WESTERN OKLAHOMA INTO THE TEXAS BIG COUNTRY.

(as found on weather.com)

seriously... who writes these things!?! I find the special weather statements rather amusing... ingredients...episode...rich moisture...potent...Texas big country...

they're bbaaaaaaccccck

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/nyregion/10indulgence.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

is it a good thing? (like most things, if catechized well!)

Vatican and Technology

Interesting view that the Vatican must do more.

From Fr. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. Editor of "America" magazine.

"The Vatican still believes that all it has to do is announce a decision by the pope and everyone will greet it with enthusiasm. One-page press releases will not do it. Most large American universities have more sophisticated media offices than does the Vatican, which is the headquarters for a 1.1-billion member organization. Simply setting up a YouTube channel will not do it either. The Vatican needs a sophisticated and modern communications strategy.

The sad thing is that Pope Benedict is saying and doing many great things, but these media disasters are undermining his papacy. His words about peace, justice, refugees and the economic crisis are not being heard. Benedict wants to be a pastor and teacher, but he needs people who know how to run an organization and communicate in the 21st century, and he does not have them. The Vatican's model for the papacy is still the absolute monarchies and royal courts of the past. That model simply will not work today."

I think if Vatican City were located in NYC and not La Citta Eterna it would be different! My other comment is that this question begs a more local and personal question. How are our parishes and Dioceses effectively using technology, or not?

How should Echo or we as catechists help?

BIG NEWS!!!!

On her birthday, Saturday Night February 7, 2009, my mentor Terry Gerlach got engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is a phenomenal human being and awesome mentor. She has been waiting for this to happen and I am so stoked that he finally woke up and smelled the coffee/bacon/whatever breakfast food you want to use for the metaphor.

Speed creed

He's not right word for word, but pretty close:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The De-Deification of the American Faithscape

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

Just writing my paper...

If you read this tonight and you're in J.Cav's class, I may be so bold as to call you a procrastinator. (Or an obnoxious overachiever who's already done...)

That's really all I have to say. I just don't feel like writing the paper, so I figured I'd write on the blog. Happy writing, everyone! :)

Overheard in the office

Female Administrator Assistant: Eye injuries are worse than childbirth

Me: I'll take your word on that.

FAA: I think you'll have to.

Vatican joins Youtube

Rome joins in on the fun of Youtube with the Vatican Channel on Youtube. Next up, an official Pope Benedict XVI facebook account. If only.

Things I have learned while on Sabbatical

So for those of you who don't remember, I have been on "sabbatical" following the retreat at LaPorte (miss you all!). I highly recommend taking a sabbatical as it gives just more time to chill and you can never go wrong with that. Besides learning that the Keenan Revue (my dorm's big event that i came out for) was not this weekend, I have learned some other things.

1. Time really does travel faster here at Notre Dame
2. Blu-Ray is awesome.
3. Duncan Hall is phenomenal. Especially the chapel
4. Explaining what exactly I am doing with my life takes up a lot of words.
5. Blu-Ray really is better quality than DVD.
6. Hesburgh Library is actually a pretty solid place to get work done.
7. The Dark Knight in Blu-Ray is like watching it in theaters.
8. Free pizza is always delicious.
9. Prioritizing who you are going to see in a week is somewhat difficult.
10. I need to get a Blu-Ray.

Education, education, education

Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without
it nothing great was ever achieved.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I ran across an article talking about education that I wanted to share with you guys. It's actually the first chapter of a book (I think), but it's worth the read, especially if you're considering teaching as a vocation. I might end up getting the book...

The number one thing I took from the article is enthusiasm. I hope to be more enthusiastic with my classes from here on out.

Ultimate Pool

Today in Wilmington...

Today, Gen and I made another attempt to take advantage of our house location by catching the Obama/Biden train-stop in Wilmington. Obama traced the footsteps of past presidents who trained into Washington, D.C. from Philadelphia. Obama and Biden both spoke before a decent crowd in Wilmington where we had a chance to say hello.

Snarkiness

A Conversation with my mentor, Terry Gerlach in the office

Me: So yeah, I am pretty busy today so I am trying to work on being a bit more self-centered today.
Terry: ...And how is that any different from every other day?
(me scowling)

The Next Day

Terry: It's been such a long day. I am so brain dead!
Me: ...And how is that any different from every other day?
(Terry rises up out of her chair and "chases" me down the hallway as I cower in fear)

Comic Relief

Have y'all seen Jim Gaffiain? He's hilarious! I have no idea how to get the video on here, otherwise I would... maybe Isaac should catechize us about how to do that. So here is a link to one that my friends and I watched at probably 1:30am New Years day.

Hot Pocket

Oh, and don't fret, I'm not RickRolling you! (Thanks Isaac, I never thanked you before) Some of the high school kids and I were talking about getting RickRoll'd. Pretty awesome I could partake in that conversation!

Helloooo Sabbath

If you include Mass I will be putting in 11 1/2 hours at the parish today... Definitely coming in really late tomorrow!

I had Mass at 8:30am, RCIA after that, a youth ministry team meeting at noon. I decided to not waste the gas and the 30-40 min. in total driving time of going home and back here, so I stayed! Mmm aren't I awesome. So I walked to a grocery store to pick up some pizza sauce for our youth group dinner tonight, did some stuff for my lesson, took a nap, set up the room downstairs, and got really amused by this ball that lights up if you hit it against something! It's pretty awesome. I still have half an hour before the kids come... kind of wish I brought one of the books we'll be reading for our class!

ok cool. k bye.