Lord, that I May See

Marital Infidelity in the media

2011-10-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else get bothered by all the marital infidelity in the media?

Honestly, this never used to bother me, or maybe I just never paid attention to it. Before I got married I watched lots of shows that had all sorts of cheating and lying and horrible things, but I guess I got desensitized to it. It's weird, and cool that marriage can re-sensitize you to some things.

I think someone (maybe Kristine?) blogged about something like this in relation to her children. Something like seeing children hurt makes you automatically sad because you think of your own child and how horrible it would be if he or she was hurt.

I think the same thing is happening in my mind with marriage.

Every time I see someone cheat, or flirt on tv or in a movie when they have a husband or wife it makes my skin crawl. Sometimes even if I'm enjoying the rest of the show I just want to turn it off because it's so offensive. I think, "Ugh, how could you do that to your husband or wife? How could you then just turn around and go back to them pretending you didn't cheat on them and lie to their face?" Ugh. It grosses me out. More than that it gives me irrational nightmares. Not that nightmares are usually rational, but you know what I mean, Jon would never do that (I am also pregnant and pregnancy dreams are usually crazy). I wish netflix had better descriptions on its movies so you'd know which movies had marital infidelity in them along with other offenses.

I suppose it's something that comes when you learn to appreciate marriage and your spouse and what this Holy Sacrament means in your life. I can't even imagine that this happens all the time in real life. Shame on you mass media for making it seem commonplace, fun, and daring.

Marital infidelity tears marriages apart, it ruins relationships, it scars husbands, wives, children, and society. Blech.

It makes the world believe LOVE doesn't really exist anymore. God is love. Work the logic friends. Marriage makes God and his love known to the world in an amazing way.

Let's pray for stronger marriages and those who have been hurt by marital infidelity. The world needs it.

(I'm starting to meld blogs now, I like the prayer thing on the food blog so I'm going to do it here too.)

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Dear God,

thank you for Jon my amazing husband. :) Help all of us who are married to always be faithful to our marriage vows and to you God. Bless and comfort those husbands, wives, and families who have been scarred by marital infidelity and help them to once again believe in love and in you as the source of all love. Amen.

my Vision board? How about a vision list?

2011-08-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

So my friend from High School (Natalia) has in the last little while become a really inspired/inspiring mom. She gave birth to her little Tiana just a few weeks before Mikey got evicted from the Mom motel and (I think) little Tiana has changed her mommy's life. It seems Nat has become really excited about being a mom and wants to tell everyone else that being a mom can be amazing!

She's started a business called Tutu Mama and now she's doing a series of vlogs for moms where she is basically trying to light a fire under our bums for whatever inspires us. Great idea. I love how energetic and inspired she is! Way to go Nat!

Well anyways, she has been asking her blog readers and vlog viewers to make vision boards on pinterest or the old fashioned way a la collage. Since I neither have the desire to register for another (probably cool, but at this point unpractical for me) time vacuum, and I don't own a plethora of magazines, I'm going to make a rather bland....Vision list! Ha ha! Sorry for being so boring Nat.

Here it goes.
Things I'd like to be really good at...or good at again.

Making time for prayer and meditation. Gosh it was so easy in college wasn't it? I just need to drag myself out of bed early in the morning so I can worship my amazing God. It's ridiculous how lazy I am in the morning, really. If my children could form more coherent sentences to describe my morning behavior, I'd be in trouble.

Playing piano, guitar, sax, flute, violin. - It saddens me a bit to think about how much I used to practice and play some of these instruments and probably how lethargic my fingers and embouchure have gotten in the last few years. C'est la vie. My arms are stronger from toting babies around and my vocals have improved from singing many a lullaby. There's hope yet.

Making sourdough bread. - I know I can feed a sourdough starter, because it bubbles happily. I know I can make good bread with conventional yeast. But gosh darn that sourdough just does not taste good, look good or have good texture. But I WILL get it. Gah. Tips?

Blogging more frequently...... Ha ha ha! I don't know if I actually feel a need to get better at this, or if I just feel bad for the people who have me on their blog roll. They probably think I've given up, but alas, every 3 or 4 months I do blog. Hopefully it won't be so long until my next installment.

Couponing. I am totally inspired by my friends who are saving loads of cash or getting paid to buy stuff. I know it would be a great asset to our family's budget if I could get toothpaste, toilet paper, or Kleenex for free. One of these days when I get life a teeny, tiny, bit more organized, I'm going hunting on blogs for those organic and all natural coupons. Gosh I wish they had coupons for organic produce. Ha ha!

Putting pictures into albums or frames. Some of you from high school and college who saw my room will probably remember seeing photos taped to the walls in creative shapes. No, I don't still do that in our apartment, but now the poor pictures just sit in boxes, or even worse, in folders on the computer never to be printed out. At least they're on facebook, right? I have been blessed with so many amazing experiences in my life and I have taken a lot of pictures of those experiences, but gosh no one else is seeing them! I suppose it'd help if I could hang a picture straight. I don't know what it is. It's like cutting paper, I can't cut straight either.

Canning/jarring fruit and other stuff. To be honest, we don't have a pantry so this isn't really do-able at the moment unless I want to stock Mikey's closet with jars full of peaches and tomatoes. But after reading food blog after food blog about canning and "putting up" summer fruits, it makes me want to seize the opportunity and stuff things into jars! When we have more space, and when Jon and I learn to break things less often, this will happen.

Reading! I used to read so much, but at the end of the day all I seem to want to do is veg out. We have so many amazing books on the shelves that could probably really help out my spiritual life and general human maturity. Seriously, we have a pretty nice looking Catholic library in here and so far Jon is the only one making use of it! The most reading I've done in the last few months is thumbing through my Medicinal Plants of the world book (reference book, not exactly a book you delve into) checking out herbal remedies.

It's not an incredibly exciting vision list, but that's as far as my "dreams" go at the moment. Not exactly glamorous, but exciting in their way. I don't know about you, but perfecting a stellar sourdough boule would be crazy fantastic!

But here's another short list of things I will be doing, for sure in the near future.
-Making cheese. I found a recipe for paneer/queso fresco/cottage cheese on saveur.com that looks super easy and I'm going to make it. Did you know that those were all the same thing? Yeah, me neither until I watched a few youtube videos tonight.

-Putting a bunch of photos into an album. My fabulous friend Annie gave me a coupon code for Snapfish last week. It's one of those photo sharing/printing websites. I printed out a huge load of photos from when Clare was born up until now and they will finally be out for viewing pleasure in our living room! Woohoo! Thanks Annie!

Any tips for my aspirations?

I'm a doctor mama.

2011-06-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Clare walked into the bathroom this morning with her kiddo laptop and said, "I'm a doctor mama. I'm going to check you."

I said, "You're a doctor just like Dr. Platz?"

She said, "Yes just like Dr. Platz. I'm going to check you 'cuz your heart hurts."

She sat down on the floor and started typing on her toy laptop and said, "Don't move, I'm going to check you."

"Where's your stethoscope?" I said.

"Oh, let me go get it."

She got my old book light which actually does look like a medical instrument and proceeded to check me with it and now she is insisting that I stand on the scale. Ha ha ha!

Should we start saving for Med School now?

how much I LOVE to cook!

2011-06-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

I recently sent an email to my sisters in law with some recipes that I make on a regular basis. I thought I'd share in case anyone was bored with their usual repertoire and in need of new recipes.
In no particular order.

Yucatan Lime Soup

Jon's fav (we had it at a restaurant on our honeymoon after a snorkeling excursion and he had me find a recipe when we got home! Ha ha!)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/yucatan-lime-soup-recipe/index.html

Filipino Adobo - serve over rice!

1lb chicken (pork ribs or country style ribs work too)
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of vinegar
2 tablespoons of water
4 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
Pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a pot (the liquid should come half way up the chicken) and bring up to a boil. Don't stir until it boils (my grandma says that it gets sour if you stir it before it boils). Once it's boiled then stir it and turn the temp down to low and let it simmer for half an hour or more until the chicken or pork is tender. That's it! Enjoy!

Beef Pastel - Filipino Beef Stew (Pie)

This is actually supposed to be a beef stew with a pie top crust. I don't usually make the crust.

Ingredients
1lb stew meat (Mom uses sirloin since she doesn't usually use the slow cooker)
1tbsp butter or olive oil (grandma says use butter)
1/2 c onions
1 can mushroom soup
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1c peas
mushrooms (as much as you like)

Brown the beef lightly. Drain meat and set aside. Heat butter in pan, add onions and beef and saute until the
beef is completely brown. Add the can of mushroom soup (no water). Simmer on low-medium heat until beef is almost tender. Add potatoes and carrots, cook until almost done. Add mushrooms and peas, cook a bit more. Season with salt and pepper.

If you want you can do it in the slow cooker to make the beef really, really tender. Just add the vegetables (besides the onions) into the slow cooker an hour or two before you want it to finish.

Quiche!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/spinach-and-bacon-quiche-recipe/index.html

Beef and Spinach Burritos

http://shallwecook.blogspot.com/2009/02/beef-and-spinach-burritos.html

Tilapia Parmesan (You know, for Fridays)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broiled-Tilapia-Parmesan/Detail.aspx#

Indian Butter Chicken

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=24782&servings=6

Shepherd's Pie

Sorta goes something like this.
Saute ground beef with chopped onions and garlic.
Add veggies (carrots, peas, green beans)
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add a tablespoon of flour and a bit of water to make a bit of gravy-ish substance.
Throw into a casserole dish, top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with a bit of cheese. Pop it in the oven until everything is warm and the cheese has melted.

Hot wings (or thighs or drumsticks)
Marinate chicken in buttermilk +salt and pepper for an hour or two.
Toss into a bag with breadcrumbs and a bit of whole wheat flour.
Bake in a 400 oven for 30 minutes until just about done.
Toss in 1/4cup of hot sauce and a tablespoon of butter.
Return to oven for 10 minutes.

(Variations) Plain Breaded Chicken or Lemon Pepper Chicken
If you just want to make breaded chicken this works too without the hot sauce step. I've also tried making lemon pepper chicken this way by marinating in lemon juice before, adding lemon pepper seasoning to the breading, then tossing in lemon and butter at the end.

I also love to drool at the recipes on Saveur.com and davidlebovitz.com

I find allrecipes.com very helpful too. Happy Cooking!!

..how important Guardian Angels are.

2011-05-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

A conversation I had with Clare today while we were getting in the car.

          Clare: It's (seatbelt) too tight!!

          Me: Your seatbelt has to be tight. Your seatbelt protects you while you're in the car.

          Clare: No, my angel protects me.

Duh. I should know better. Ha ha ha!

...that I knew nothing about liturgical music in College.

2011-04-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

This post may catch some of you off guard. This post may even upset some of you, but I feel this needs to be said so that I can come clean with all of you. It’s somewhat of a confession. It also lets you in on my educational journey. I’ll get on with it then.

I knew nothing about liturgical music in college. During my junior year I was blessed to have been chosen to serve as peer minister of music. I happen to have some musical abilities and had been in many choirs and church choirs at the time. For some reason this led me to believe that I was qualified to lead music at Mass.

I tell you now, I am not qualified to lead music at Mass. Retreats? Sure. Praise and Worship sessions? Sure. Campfires? Sure. Mass? No, definitely not.

Throughout high school I was part of choir and at my Catholic high school, the choir provided music at Mass. During my 12th grade year our choir changed leadership and our protestant calculus teacher took over the duties of choir director. She was anglican I believe. She was full of faith, full of vibrancy and had a special love for praise and worship music. This is where my interest in Praise and Worship music entered. At first I was hesitant and constantly thinking, “We shouldn’t sing this music, it’s protestant.” At some point I voiced this opinion to one of the teachers at my high school who responded, “So? It speaks about Jesus doesn’t it? It’s Biblical isn’t it? What’s wrong with it?” At the time this answer satisfied me and from there my desire to sing the faith filled ballads grew.

Fast forward to college. At the Campus Ministry Masses where I went to college our choir sang “Catholic Top 40”. You know the songs - On Eagles Wings, You Are Near, One Bread One Body etc. When I was chosen to be the music minister I began to think about “spicing”things up a bit. I decided that I’d add in some praise and worship music because I knew that many people at the campus ministry came from a “Life Teen” background and I knew that “Life Teen” was heavily influenced by praise and worship music. I thought that it would make Mass more inviting and familiar to freshman coming in from “Life Teen” parishes. I also happened to like a lot of PnW songs from my high school experience.

To all of you who I led in song, I apologize. To all of you who questioned my choice of music after I took the music ministry in a new direction, I apologize. I did not know what I was doing.

After I graduated and while I was discerning I came to an appreciation of a few things, namely sacredness and reverence. At the time, I was discerning religious life and the order that seemed to strike me the most was the Benedictine Order. Benedictines are known for (among other things) being contemplatives and for their liturgy. Through spending time with the Benedictine Monks in Mission and the Sisters of St. Walburga I came to an appreciation of chant and polyphony. I began to more fully understand why the Church claims these forms of music as her music. This appreciation grew even more as Jon and I talked and grew closer and has grown even more so in our marriage. Somehow I began to understand how chant and polyphony don’t disrupt the silence that should envelop your soul while at Mass. I began to understand that music at Mass shouldn’t distract you from Christ, it should invite you to focus more precisely on Him who you came to worship.

Last year we were fortunate to go to half a workshop (at my parent’s parish in BC) on Liturgical Music by a UBC Music Grad named Peter Mulholland. We missed the first half which was an overview of Liturgical Music from the beginning of the Church onward. During the second half we learned about what the Popes have said about liturgical music, how it is supposed to be evaluated (how to tell which music is fitting), how liturgical music flows with and out of the liturgy, and we even learned how to chant a bit. It was so incredibly enlightening.

Did you know that the music at Mass should be evaluated by Holiness, Universality and Goodness of Form? Did you know that what the Pope said about liturgical music has been ignored by many Bishops? Did you know that the songs at Mass are supposed to be replacements for the antiphons? Did you know there isn’t really supposed to be a Recessional hymn? Did you know that the Church favors the Organ as the instrument for Mass Music? Did you know that when Readings are chanted there are specific intonations to designate specific statements? Did you know that different readings during Mass have specific chants? How intricate!!! How beautiful!!! How much is being lost in our quick and generic song choices!

Do you know that feeling when you hear the truth? It’s as if you hear Christ’s voice and a light goes on in some room of your soul. That’s what it felt like to discover the beauty of liturgical music in this workshop.

Unfortunately, many people like me have made mistakes (though with good intentions) with Mass music. I can understand that if music sounds nice and if it speaks about Jesus that you could think it’s appropriate for Mass. But if you contrast it with the beautiful music our Church has claimed for herself and pair that with what our Vicar of Christ has said about music, I don’t see how some of the music that is played at Masses today can be accepted.

Mass music is supposed to lift our minds and hearts to God. The Mass is supposed to help us transcend time to meet with Christ himself in the Blessed Sacrament. Our souls should be filled with reverence, solemnity and wonder while we behold Christ at Mass. Doesn’t it seem fitting that the music at mass should be reflective of this?

When I think of playing music with the electric guitar and people dancing around in silliness during Mass as a result of my Music leadership my heart is heavy. I want everyone to learn what I’ve learned. I want all music ministers to know what the Church says. I wish I had bothered to ask, learn, seek, and study what the Church says about Music while I was a music minister. I pray no one was scandalized by the music I chose and sang.

God help me. If only I had more humility. Forgive me for my mistakes!

UIOGD. Sing well, pray well, Christ deserves it.

If you want to know more about liturgical music and read the documents from the Vatican many of them can be found on the Adoremus website.

....why I shouldn't worry about my children's future

2011-04-17T21:32:00.001-07:00

For the last couple of weeks I’ve caught the end of the show “The Biggest Loser.” After this show there’s one called “Parenthood.” Last week “Parenthood” looked interesting, so yesterday, I thought I’d stay up and watch an hour of it.

In this episode two parents find out that their daughter (I think she’s supposed to be 16 or 17) has begun having sex with her boyfriend. The girl’s parents find this out in a terrible way when the girl accidentally calls her parents on her iphone by hitting it with her foot during sex. When her parents answered their phone while they were in the car they heard ….something they did not want to hear.

A little later, the girl’s mother confronts her and asks her if she’s having sex with her boyfriend, to which the girl responds, “no, no, no.” A few days later she comes to her mom and says, “Okay yes, we’re having sex.” Her mother responds with a look of shock and begins to ask her if she’s using condoms and “being safe”, if she’s being forced, etc. The girl says she’s using a condom and that she wasn’t being forced, to which her mother responded with more looks of disbelief and nothing else. When her father finds out he avoids her and tells her mother that he doesn’t have anything to say to her. At some point during the show the daughter breaks down and doesn’t understand why she’s being shunned and judged by her father and her mother only says, “we wish that you would have waited”. Her father at some point says, “I don’t ever want you to get hurt.”

This episode at first glance would seem pretty normal for a modern family. As I watched it, I empathised with these people more than I ever have with characters on a television show because I realized that this is the world in which I am parenting my children. I had a few panicked moments of horror saying over and over to myself, “THIS CANNOT, WILL NOT, happen to Clare or Mikey.” I was stuttering in my thoughts with sheer terror at the situation the parents in the show were faced with. I kept thinking, “What would I do? What would I say? How would I react?”

Towards the end of the show the father was talking to his sister (who is a parent of an incredibly rebellious teen who had at that point in the show run away). Of his emotional distance from his daughter he said, “I figured what she needs now is space”, to which his sister responds saying something like “When they think they know better than you and when they push you away that’s when you need to show up, to push harder, to be there. It may be too late for me.” I thought that was great. That’s exactly what a parent needs to do, to show up for their work, to guide their children, to lay down the law and show them how to pull themselves out of the miry clay.

It was strange watching this show as a Catholic parent. I found it odd that the girl’s parents didn’t seem to have any idea of why they were upset by their daughter having pre-marital sex. They also didn’t seem to address what they wanted their daughter to wait for. They merely said, “We wish you would have waited.” These parents seemed ill prepared to talk to their daughter about this situation and the only questions they posed to her were to ask if she was using a condom and if she was being forced. I fear this is the case with many parents today.

Most parents will acknowledge that they are upset about their child losing his or her virgininty, but don’t understand why and don’t know what to say or how to talk to their children. I hope and pray this never happens to us as parents and I feel more and more blessed and hopeful because I know that Jon and I are equipped with Christ’s truth. Thank God for John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Thank God we have heard the good news and know the freedom that the Church proclaims about human sexuality. God help us when our children hit their teen years (or pre-teen years) and start to feel society’s pressure to have pre-marital sex.

This show just reminded me that we as parents need to pray SO hard for our children. Please pray for us as we struggle to raise up holy souls. Dear God use us in our brokenness and help us to be instruments that bring you glory.

Gah, what a horrible episode. I don’t recommend that show, but I guess I’m glad that watching it stirred up this reflection.

UIOGD.

....that I need prayers this week.

2011-03-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hi,
just asking for a few quick prayers this week.
Please pray for:
1. Thursday night I'll be starting week 1 of 3 weeks of Theology of the Body with our Confirmation class. We're talking about Masculinity and Femininity.

2. Friday afternoon we leave for the Confirmation Retreat. We're running our own this year and not just joining with another parish. Jon and Clare will be hanging out with Grandma. I'll be taking Mikey with me. I'm not worried about anything on the retreat, but I am worried that Mikey is all of a sudden going to go out of character and be a psycho, screaming, noisy baby. Lots of prayers please.

3. Please pray for our teens this weekend as they learn how and why to defend the Kingdom of God.

Thanks!!!

UIOGD.

...that Holy is not the same as "okay".

2011-02-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have conversations in your head? Do you ever test out conversations and have them play out in your mind? I have been doing this a lot lately, mainly because I've been thinking a lot about a few big decisions we'll have to make when the kids get older. The decision I've been thinking a lot about lately is school. But before I get into that, let me give you some background.

For the past year I have had the honor (or should I write honour? Hee hee!) of being on the Seattle Archdiocese's Womens commission for Marriage and the Family. It's basically a committee of women and a few married couples who have been nominated and approved to serve the Archbishop in finding out what Catholic Married couples and Families in the Seattle Archdiocese need most. So we've been talking a lot about raising up good and holy Catholic families by supporting and properly catechising those entering Catholic Marriage. Etc, etc.

During the preparation of our document for the Archbishop we've come across the idea of raising saints. I was told, by my good friend Fr. Oakland, at Michael's baptism that my job (and Jon's) as a parent is to raise up Michael as a saint. This is no easy task or light order. That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. Thanks Father! I need to raise saints? I need to do my best to make Clare and Michael saints? Yikes! I mean, I knew this when I got married, but it hit me in a different way, a more tangible way at Michael's baptism when Father res-iterated our duties as good Catholic parents.

So back to the conversation in my head. I've been thinking about what to do about Clare's schooling, since we'll be headed that way in a few years. I really don't want her to go to public school because that's not something I did for elementary school, nor is it something Jon did.

My personal preference would be to find her a wonderful Catholic school for her to attend that we could afford. This is no small feat, since Catholic schools are incredibly expensive here. They were a large chunk of money in Canada where I grew up, but at least there, they were subsidized by the government. Here people pay almost double of what my mom did.

Then.....there was the third option. The option that I didn't want to acknowledge at all. The option that I wasn't open to at all. The option that I have so many horrible stereotypes in my own head about. Homeschooling.

Now I know many people who are going to homeschooling route. Many of them are cool, young, trendy, Catholic moms my age. Many of them have degrees. Heck, I even know some amazing young adults who were home schooled. I love and respect these people. But for some reason the word homeschooling in my head just conjures up images of denim jumpers, awkward children, cultish people and snooty families.

I have almost convinced myself that it's okay though. Almost.
So the conversation that was going on in my head last night as I was brushing my teeth, was me trying to convince person x (anyone really, probably more myself) that homeschooling is the best option. Here's how the conversation played out:

person x: What the heck? Why would you home school your kids?

Me: Because right now it seems like the best option financially and spiritually.

person x: Why don't you just send them to public school?

Me: because I don't want them to be so influenced by the junk that's floating around in our culture and I want them to be solid in their faith.

person x: But there are lots of kids that go to public school that turn out okay.

Me: But that's just it. I don't want my kids to be "okay".

And this is where the conversation stops and my reflection begins again. Whenever I hear people say, "but we turned out okay. You turned out okay." I used to think, "yeah ....but" and then I never had a quick answer. The answer is this: I don't want my kids to be "okay" I want them to be Holy. I want my kids to be the least messed up emotionally and spiritually as they can possibly be. If this means I have to home school them so that they know their faith, trust their parents, and don't buy into the lies our culture tells them about...well everything, then so be it. If God gives me another wonderful option, then Thanks God!

Anyways. I thought I would share my insane conversations. Sometimes they're pretty good.

Oh, and speaking of another option. Ha ha! Last night, I heard about this amazing school, which
happens to have lower tuition, is less than 20 minutes away from us, and just happens to be so solidly Catholic that they teach the children LATIN. Crazy eh? I wonder if this is one of those Abraham type situations where God tests you to the breaking point and just says, "Okay, nevermind. I just wanted to see if you'd be obedient." and then hands you what you were looking for all along. I feel like that happens to me a lot.

Here's the link for that school.

Veritas Academy Kenmore, WA

UIOGD

...how beautifully you created the female body.

2011-02-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jon and I were listening to a great cd while driving to my parent's house. It was a talk given by Dr. Alice von Hildebrand. The talk was entitled "Women as the Guardians of Purity."
You can click on the title for the text. **(later note. This is not the exact text, but the bulk of the talk is here). You can order the cd (for $1) here. It was a very refreshing and enlightening talk.

I sometimes slump into the "I know it all" sort of mentality when it comes to things like what the Church teaches about human sexuality, because I've taught it to a few teenagers a few times. Then I listen to something like this by a real theologian and I realize how little I actually know. (Maybe the title of this post should be" ....how little I know." Heh.)

A few things that struck me about the talk were how she talked about the female organs being hidden and veiled. Now if you follow along with me, in the Theology of the Body we know that the female body is supposed to be an archetype for humanity and the Church. So our bodies are considered sacred and holy and show the world that we are supposed to be recipients of Christ and bear forth fruit to the world like Mary. This is pretty amazing.

So imagine my surprise when Alice Von Hildebrand makes this even more amazing by going further. She says that biologically the female organs are veiled. In medical terminology they are veiled by a membrane called a hymen. She says that medically there is no reason for the hymen. I haven't really checked up on it, but I'll take her word for it. So we all know when this is broken in the female body. Okay... yes. But think about this.

When Christ dies on the cross his last words are "consummatem est" or "it is consummated". He was referring to His marriage to the Church. Now what happens after this? The veil of the temple is torn in two. The (now I'm quoting Fr. Frank Schuster) profanis (common people) and the fanis (sacred) are now free to mingle because Christ has conquered death. He is now joined to his bride the Church. We are now free to live eternally with God if we so choose.

At this point, my brain pretty much explodes. Really exciting. How cool is that? The female body is such a well designed sign. God did a lot of planning! How cool is it when we can understand some of his mysterious and glorious ways!!

Well, I hope I made your brain explode for the day. Theology of the Body is really amazing.

Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus.

Contemplating the title of the blog

2011-02-02T15:12:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about the title of my blog and it served its purpose very well while I was discerning my vocation, but I think lately it's been taking a back seat. I'd like to revive the name a bit by starting my new posts as continuations of the sentence. We'll see how well this works. For those of you who actually read my blog, you know I'm not the best at updates on .....anything really. So hopefully this new mini-resolution will help me keep the blog on my mind.

All Hallows Eve

2010-10-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

We didn't do too much for Halloween this year, but I did make the kids costumes!! My sister in law sent me this link for making the Mother Teresa costume. The habit Michael is wearing was a quick sewing project for me! I made the mistake of not measuring his head, so the hood is too small!

Feast of the Guardian Angels

2010-10-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

I went to the Abbey this weekend with Jon and little Michael because Father Abbot was giving a conference on the document Christifideles Laici called "Salt, Light and Leaven". It was a great conference! One of the things that struck me most about the day though, was the homily given at Mass in the morning by Fr. Peter.

Saturday was the feast of the Guardian Angels and so Fr. Peter preached on this topic.
He began by saying that the reason we have a guardian is because we need to be guarded against something. "Against what?" you may ask. He said there are 2 types of enemies you fight against and that your guardian guards you from. 1. yourself. 2. demons. He said they often work together.
It was so refreshing to hear Father speak about this so plainly and without reservation. We don't often hear about the spiritual battle spoken about with such a sense of reality devoid of an almost "Hollywood horror" type of exaggeration. Again, so refreshing!

Fr. Peter mentioned the seven deadly sins and the demons that tempt you to those sins and said that the one sin that attacks you most is sloth. He explained sloth in a different way than most people tend to think about it. He said that the demon of sloth doesn't so much tempt you to laziness as he does to busy-ness. He said it can tempt you to be busy doing bad things and even good things. But the goal of this demons temptations are for you to be so busy that you are inattentive to your relationship with Christ. So basically, you're so distracted that you've neglected your one end. You are tempted to be lazy about your life in Christ while being so busy.

This was so important to hear. While it is important for us as lay persons to get things done in the world, even while praying and offering everything up, it is more important that we remember our reason for being, our reason for working, our reason for life. Our beginning and our end is Christ and we must not be allowed to be tempted to be lazy about our relationship with Him. I often find so much difficulty making time for this relationship with Christ amid daily activities and the routine. So this for me was a wonderful wake up call. One that I've been receiving a lot lately, "Make time for Jesus! He's the most important part of your life! You can't give what you don't have!"
These messages have been said to me recently a lot in homilies and Masses and those words have been popping out like crazy.

I don't blog very often, but I felt such a push to blog about this. I think it's a message I need to hear often and I thought it'd be worthwhile to share.

So to sum up:
We have guardians for a reason.
We need to guard against sloth, which can be different than the sloth we normally think about.
Our relationship with Christ is our primary obligation.

Otherwise, I'd highly recommend checking out the Apostolic Exhortation written by JPII on the laity. It's very important that we recognize our vocation as lay persons and how we are an integral part of the life of the Church. We literally make up 99.9% of the Catholic Church today. If we depend on the .01% alone to sustain her, then we're not really fulfilling our role as "priest, prophet, and king". Good stuff!
The Church is so amazing. Being Catholic rocks!

Pain vs. Harm

2010-07-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

Today I was poking around on the cosmetics database website, which tells you about toxicity levels in different self-care and cosmetics. I was wondering about the toxicity levels of the new soap I bought for Clare at Babies R Us and how it compared to the soap we previously used, Avalon Organics Baby. I stumbled onto the listings of least toxic baby shampoo and soap and read one of the labels from the third least harmful soap. It said, "We do not add numbing chemicals, so this is not a tear free soap." I was shocked! At first I was stupidly shocked because I thought, "who makes soap that isn't tear free for babies?" then I realised how backwards this was and then freaked out realising, that if a soap isn't tear free it contains numbing chemicals and is actually interfering with my child's nervous system!!! WHAT THE HECK??

So I have to ask, when did this become acceptable? In my mind, allowing something to disrupt a natural pain reaction is pretty harmful. This is of course unless we're talking about having surgery or something like that. Usually our bodies react to pain because the stimulus is hurting us in some sense. So if we're numbing the pain stimulus isn't something wrong? Aren't we teaching our bodies to stop reacting to harmful things?
Furthermore, when companies say things like, "our products are mild, pure, and gentle" are they really being honest with you? Is something that numbs your baby's nervous system really gentle and mild?

So I guess I should probably just be more careful about getting soap in Clare's eyes when I give her a bath instead of getting soap with numbing agents that disrupt pain receptors. Heh!

This just got me thinking a lot about how our society deals with pain and how we've really become wimps, to the point of actually hurting ourselves more so that we don't have to deal with pain. I might eat my words in a few days if I totally cave and scream for an epidural in labor. Hopefully this doesn't happen and all that reading about natural childbirth and practicing relaxation techniques will actually work. But seriously, back to the pain and harm thing. Is pain really harmful? Not usually. Can we harm ourselves by numbing everything? Yes definitely.
At least I think so.

There's my random rant for the day. Yikes, numbing baby eyes!!!
Still makes me cringe to think about it.

Clare's singing debut

2010-06-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Clare really enjoys singing along to just about anything. I think Unforgettable is currently her favorite.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is so awesome.

2010-03-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

So every time I help prepare teens for Confirmation I rekindle my friendship with a great book called the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I'm currently doing some prep for a talk on Theology of the Body this weekend. Here are the latest gems....

----------------------------------
I. "In the image of God"
356
Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator." He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake," and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundatmental reason for his dignity:
What made you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her, for my love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of tasting your eternal Good. (St. Catherine of Siena)

--------------------------------

Rarely can you read something where every phrase is important. The catechism is so packed with knowledge! I don't know, I just love it. Gives me goosebumps.

------------------------------

Each for the other "--A unity in two"

371
God created man and woman together and willed each for the other. The word of God gives us to understand this through various features of the sacred text. "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him." None of the animals can be man's partner. The woman God "fashions" from the man's rib and brings to him elicits on the man's part a cry of wonder, an exclamation of love and communion: "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Man discovers woman as another "I," sharing the same humanity.

372
Man and woman were made "for each other" - not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons, in which each can be "helpmate" to the other, for they are equal as persons ("bone of my bones...") and complementary as masculine and feminine. In marriage God unites them in such a way that by forming "one flesh," they can transmit human life: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." By transmitting human life to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents cooperate in a unique way in the Creator's work.

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The Catholic Church is so beautiful. What an amazing vessel of grace Christ has left us.

Michael Benedict

2010-03-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

We had the ultrasound yesterday! Here he is! Almost halfway there!

Facing forward.

There's a foot.

Another facing forward. I think you can see a hand.

And my favorite, profile. So cute!

Olympics

2010-03-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

Clare and I went up to Vancouver to check out some of the Olympic festivities. Sadly, Jon had to stay at work. At first I didn't want to go anywhere near Vancouver while the Olympics were happening because I figured the border lines would be horrendous. There were in fact no waits at the border!!! I think this was due to the fact that every lane was open at the crossings. If only it could be like that every day.

In any case, I realized what an idiot I would be if I missed out on the Olympics being in my home town. So off we went!

The Olympic Mascot ice show.

Clare and I in front of the Olympic Cauldron.

Clare waiting for the train.

Bobsled!

Canada pride everywhere!

Lent, scripture and the office......of readings (not the show).

2010-03-01T11:10:00.001-08:00

It has been way too long since I've blogged. Often Advent and Lent bring on more blogging because of the Divine office. It's just to cool not to share.

Lately I've been loving the book of Exodus. I think this is mainly because it's much easier for me to understand the foreshadowing in this book and it's relation to Christ and the sacraments especially Baptism and the Eucharist. There's a great second reading from St. John Chrysostom today(Monday the 2nd week of Lent).

Check it out HERE

now selling

2009-11-10T23:03:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! Here's the merchandise. If you click on the image you'll see pricing! Find me on facebook! My line is called, "Adorned with Christ". Thanks for looking!!!

Favorites around here

2009-10-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

I met some new people tonight that are new to our area. They're friends of a friend and they came to Rosaruck. In conversation this evening we brought up several cool things in our area that I'd like to pass on. There are a lot of local treasures around here!

Alleluia Catholic Store!!
This is a really great Catholic Store. Every time I go here I can't help but spend at least an hour parousing everything. They always have new and exciting stuff! I just found out recently that they also have Catholic DVD rentals!! Woohoo!

Spotted Cow
We go to the one at Mill Creek Town Center. This is my favorite local spot for gelato and ice cream. They make their own gelato and ice cream and they come up with really creative flavors! All very good. They have some great sandwiches and other stuff too. They have local art on their walls, local wines, a variety of local merchandise on the bookcase at the entrance, a great coffee house feel, a kid friendly play area, host local musicians, free wifi, it's just a great place to hang out. Oh yeah and they have coffee (I've become a Mystic Monk coffee snob, so I haven't tried the Spotted Cow Coffees yet).

Nirvana Kebab and Curry
This place is a couple of blocks from where we live. Great indian and mediterranean food and absolutely wonderful customer service. We often have to order take out because we don't want Clare to start whining, squirming, screaming while we're in the restaurant, but when we get there we're seated at the special take out waiting couch and coffe table, given complimentary chai and very well taken care of. This guy is also a very experienced chef. The service at this restaurant is really great.

San Miguel Grill
17917 Bothell Everett Hwy, Bothell, WA
(425) 481-7870‎
There's no website for it. It's attached to a Mexican Store called "El Paso". It's got a really homey feel and has great food. It tastes like it was made with love by a relative who loves cooking! Good variety and better prices than the chain Mexican restaurants. And hey, who doesn't like a restaurant that has St. Michael as it's patron!?

Everything Tea
I'm a huge tea drinker so I was really excited to find this place! Not only is it in the very cute historic town of Snohomish, but it's loaded with hundreds of types of tea and tea accessories!! They scored points because they had my favorite type, "Monks Blend". A few other good teas I've tried are the creme caramel and Canadian Ice Wine Tea. Make sure to spend some time wandering around Snohomish. There are a ton of antique shops and a huge antique mall that's fun to poke around.

Country Village
This village has a lot of really cute shops, a small park like area with a stage, chickens that roam around, a children's train, and is just a neat place. One of my favorite shops is
Toys that Teach
The Whitehouse Antique and Candy Shoppe is also lots of fun. They have all the candies you loved when you were little but may have forgotten about.

Trader Joe's!
I know Trader Joe's isn't really local, but there's one around here and it's great. I love getting organic produce, good specialty foods and wines at low prices. It's just a great store to have around.

Aca Las Tortas
This place used to be a taco truck, but now it's inside a convenience store on 164th street across from Martha Lake park. Cheap, good, real Mexican.....I think.

Mayuri Indian Cuisine
Great Indian Food. Nicer dining atmosphere. Great Samosas and homemade mango ice cream!!

Thai Bistro
I don't know if this is locally owned or a chain, but they have great thai food, great service, elegant decor, and reasonable prices. This is the best thai food around here in my opinion.

Himitsu Teriyaki
20806 Bothell Everett Hwy, Bothell, WA
(425) 483-2152‎
Again, I don't know if this is locally owned. They have great sushi, teriyaki, etc. Really nice lady who runs the shop. Everything tastes fresh and it's fast.

That's all I have at the moment. I'm sure we'll add more as time goes on. Enjoy!

For those of you who aren't in the facebook world - A Clare update

2009-10-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

She's getting good at standing and is probably going to be walking very soon.

She's trying out new facial expressions. I call this "stink face".

Doesn't it look like she's smelled something nasty?

She's getting more cuddly. She fell asleep on Daddy a few weekends ago while we were in Canada.

She's developing a naughty streak. You can see it in her eyes. Ha ha!

And some things haven't changed. She's still loud.

She likes being tickled and she has a lot of teeth!

She is giving "speeches" full of facial expressions and hand gestures. I have videos for proof of both of those statements, but they won't load onto blogger. I think I'll have to load them on to youtube and post them another time.

Happy Feast day of St. Teresa of Avila!

2009-10-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

St. Teresa of Avila is the first female doctor of the Church, reformer of the Carmelites, and my mom's patron saint. Happy Birthday Mom! Here's the Second Reading from the Office of Readings today.

Reading - St Teresa of Avila

Let us always be mindful of Christ's love

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight.

Many, many times I have perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we wish his Sovereign Majesty to reveal to us great and hidden mysteries. A person should desire no other path, even if he is at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it seems that no other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, because the name of Jesus was fixed and embedded in his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they took no other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Siena. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.

Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favours, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love him. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort.

Rosaruck

2009-09-17T12:58:00.001-07:00

So we've started a new mini-ministry at home. We're doing Rosary-Potlucks. Every week friends come over, we share a meal, write down our intentions, and pray the rosary together. It's only happened twice so far, but I'm hoping it continues and grows. For Jon and I, the rosary is something that has been really central to our marriage. It's nice to be able to share the devotion to this great prayer with friends.

If you want to join us come on over! We usually have it on Tuesdays at 6:30pm. Though this week we're either going to change the time or cancel because of the 40days for Life kick off.

Maybe in October we'll kick Rosaruck up a notch and read a paragraph out of Secret of the Rosary each week. Who knows, we're open to suggestions.

Anyone done anything like this before? What made the experience richer or more meaningful?

Seven Things I love

2009-09-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Carrie.

1. Watching my husband laugh really hard. Jon's face goes a bit red and his smile is so huge.

2. Waking up some mornings to Clare saying "mamamamamamama" and waving at me.

3. Going to Mass and recieving Christ. Bringing Clare to Mass. I love trying to face Clare towards the altar during consecration and whispering "that's Jesus" in her ear. She's distracted most of the time, but it's still cool.

4. When Jon and I have time to sit down and read together.

5. Cooking! I like trying new recipes. I like trying new recipes even more if I already have the ingredients. :)

6. Hosting parties, espeically ones that involve the Rosary.

7. Being with my whole family. It's so much fun having my parents, Joy and Peter, all the kids, the aunts and uncles, and cousins around. That's why the wedding reception was so much fun. The whole Ledesma family + Ramseyer family + all our friends!!! If we all get to heaven it's going to be awesome.

I tag...Jessica, Janet, Neil, Lauren Frisch, Jon, Colin and Brett

I know they don't all have blogs, but maybe they'll do it on facebook.

I had a dream of the Church Militant.

2009-08-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had a dream on Saturday night that really struck me. It was quite vivid. I think it's worth sharing. When I have a dream it tends to be like watching a movie rather than being an actor in it. Though sometimes when I wake I can remember the emotions the dream-me felt. It's weird. Anyways, here's the story.

It began with me and a large group of my Catholic friends trying to find shelter. I had the sense that we were part of some military rebellion or something of the sort. We were trying to enter a large brick or stone building. My dream began with us standing at the door. When we entered the building it was quiet. We were in a long hallway with one door to the right. I had the impression that we would find shelter and safety on the other side of this door so I led everyone through it. The room it led to turned out to be an adoration chapel. We were to spend some time there preparing ourselves to meet CHrist the King face to face in his human form. He was the King we were fighting for.

After a few hours spent in adoration preparing ourselves, we went back into the hallway and we went down through it further. It was relatively dark, it looked like a castle. The hallway eventually opened up to an enormous Cathedral. Standing there in front of the altar was Christ himself. I can't describe what he looked like. I don't know if it's becaue I don't remember or because I just knew it was Jesus but didn't see his face or look at Him directly. Or maybe Christ just didn't let me take that away from my dream. I don't know, dreams can sometimes be hazy. In any case, CHrist celebrated mass for us and spoke to us about the battle we would be fighting in. He told us about how hard it would be. I got the impression that many would die. He told us that while we were not fighting, we should take shelter in the room we were in before. The adoration chapel. He told us that he would be waiting for us there.

After that we left Him. Some went to fight. I remember hearing the battle. Hearing people dying whilst siting in front of the Eucharist in the chapel. I knew some were dying in the battle. I remember hearing the battle go on in the great Cathedral where Christ said mass for us. I remember praying for Jon's safety, also knowing that I would soon be in battle.

I woke thinking, "The Church Militant".

I suppose it's some sort of wake up call. Possibly Christ telling us to go to adoration more. I can't get over how vivid it was. How much real meaning it has in life. Usually my dreams are completely random and have no sense whatsoever. But every now and then I have something like this. Something that makes me think twice and re-examine reality. I thought I'd share.

UIOGD

Happy Feast of St. Clare!

2009-08-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

It's the Feast Day of St. Clare today.

An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall and right there, where the enemies could see it, she had the Blessed Sacrament placed. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters. "O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. A voice seemed to answer: "I will keep them always in My care."

"Totally love Him who gave Himself over totally for love of you."

"Ever since I have known the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ no suffering has been bothersome, no penance too severe, no infirmity has been hard."
"When You have loved Him, You are chaste; when you have touched Him, You become more pure; when you have accepted Him, You are a virgin."

-St. Clare of Assisi

Here's a little bit about her life.

Jon, Clare and I are hoping to get to the Cathedral for afternoon mass today for St. Clare's feast day. Early on, Jon and I discussed wanting to be a family that really celebrates Catholic feast days and the kid(s) namesake days. Hopefully we can keep this up! That's one of the cool things about being Catholic. There are so many reasons to celebrate!! So many people to celebrate! So many great examples that a life lived for Christ is possible in any age! St. Clare is also my Confirmation saint, so this feast day is special for me too!

I also learned something new today about her. Apparently her feast day used to be celebrated on August 12th (my sister's birthday!). I don't know why it was changed to the 11th. That'll take more investigation.
And....the first place Clare stayed before building her order was with...Benedictines! :D ha ha ha ha!! They always come through.

St. Clare is the patron saint of Television and is often prayed to for good weather because her name means Clear. :)

UIOGD

Sisters

2009-07-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just felt like looking up the religious communities my friends are in on facebook and I found some cool stuff! I'm so proud of these ladies, I thought I'd showcase them on my blog.

Sister Kristina (novice) - Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburga [she's the Filipino one!]
http://walburga.org/Novitiate.html

Renee Myrick (postulant) - Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal
http://www.franciscansisterscfr.com/postulants.htm

Sister Donne Davidson (I don't know if she's received a new name as a novice yet) - Poor Clares of Mission BC [the one with the white veil]
http://www.poorclare.org/mission/pageone.html#intro

Sister Antoniana - Sisters of Life [the one in the picture]
http://sistersoflife.org/apostolates.html

Sister Julia Shideler - Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic
http://www.mklsisters.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=986&Itemid=1

Wonderful witnesses !!!

Too good not to share.....

2009-07-22T18:09:00.001-07:00

Here's the second reading from the Office today. It was just too beautiful not to share. It's from the Imitation of Christ.

Uh.....as I was going to copy it from Universalis onto here I realized I read the wrong day's second reading. It's the feast of St. Mary Magdalene..... So.... anyways, here's the reading from another day as if it weren't that feast day. And I'm going to go read the real office for the day now....

From book 2 of the Imitation of Christ:

"Turn, then, to God with all your heart. Forsake this wretched world and your soul shall find rest. Learn to despise external things, to devote yourself to those that are within, and you will see the kingdom of God come unto you, that kingdom which is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, gifts not given to the impious.

Christ will come to you offering His consolation, if you prepare a fit dwelling for Him in your heart, whose beauty and glory, wherein He takes delight, are all from within. His visits with the inward man are frequent, His communion sweet and full of consolation, His peace great, and His intimacy wonderful indeed.

Therefore, faithful soul, prepare your heart for this Bridegroom that He may come and dwell within you; He Himself says: "If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him."[9]

Give place, then, to Christ, but deny entrance to all others, for when you have Christ you are rich and He is sufficient for you. He will provide for you. He will supply your every want, so that you need not trust in frail, changeable men. Christ remains forever, standing firmly with us to the end.

Do not place much confidence in weak and mortal man, helpful and friendly though he be; and do not grieve too much if he sometimes opposes and contradicts you. Those who are with us today may be against us tomorrow, and vice versa, for men change with the wind. Place all your trust in God; let Him be your fear and your love. He will answer for you; He will do what is best for you.

You have here no lasting home. You are a stranger and a pilgrim wherever you may be, and you shall have no rest until you are wholly united with Christ.

Why do you look about here when this is not the place of your repose? Dwell rather upon heaven and give but a passing glance to all earthly things. They all pass away, and you together with them. Take care, then, that you do not cling to them lest you be entrapped and perish. Fix your mind on the Most High, and pray unceasingly to Christ.

If you do not know how to meditate on heavenly things, direct your thoughts to Christ's passion and willingly behold His sacred wounds. If you turn devoutly to the wounds and precious stigmata of Christ, you will find great comfort in suffering, you will mind but little the scorn of men, and you will easily bear their slanderous talk.

When Christ was in the world, He was despised by men; in the hour of need He was forsaken by acquaintances and left by friends to the depths of scorn. He was willing to suffer and to be despised; do you dare to complain of anything? He had enemies and defamers; do you want everyone to be your friend, your benefactor? How can your patience be rewarded if no adversity test it? How can you be a friend of Christ if you are not willing to suffer any hardship? Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with Him.

Had you but once entered into perfect communion with Jesus or tasted a little of His ardent love, you would care nothing at all for your own comfort or discomfort but would rejoice in the reproach you suffer; for love of Him makes a man despise himself."

Office of Readings

2009-07-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

I love doing the Office of Readings, but it is something I struggle with. In lent I tried to pray it every day and that went very well, but as soon as Easter came, I found myself growing lax in it once again. I know it's soooo good for me, but for some reason there's always this hurdle in front of it. I guess that's the way it goes with many things that are good for us. There always seems to be a great temptation to stay away from them. So, I'm attempting to re-discipline myself once again and get back into it during the laziest time of the year, summer.

I usually find myself saying the psalms in the office of readings quickly to get to the readings which I often find most fruitful, but today God had me really chew on the third psalm for the day. It's a good one! (In case you're wondering where to find it in the Bible it's a chunk of Psalm 73)

Ant. Those who depart from you will perish; my joy is to remain with you, my God.

And so when my heart grew embittered
and when I was cut to the quick,
I was stupid and did not understand,
no better than a beast in your sight.

Yet I was always in your presence;
you were holding me by my right hand.
You will guide me by your counsel
and so you will lead me to glory.

What else have I in heaven but you?
Apart from you I want nothing on earth.
My body and my heart faint for joy.
God is my possession for ever.

All those who abandon you shall perish;
you will destroy all those who are faithless.
To be near God is my happiness.
I have made the Lord God my refuge.
I will tell of all your works
at the gates of the city of Zion.

Glory to the Father....

Ant. Those who depart from you will perish; my joy is to remain with you, my God.

I thought this was really great to read this morning. The first stanza really spells out what we all fall into now and again. When we are bitter and short, when we are stupid and don't understand we're like beasts in the sight of the Lord. Hah! So true! It's often so difficult to look past the "stupid little instances" (the deacon at Bl. Sacrament mass mentioned these moments) and remember the peace and joy that we're constantly called to. We're always called to be in the presence of the Lord and to remember that the only thing we should want is heaven with Him. So even amidst the wonderful pleasures and irritating annoyances we're supposed to remember that our happiness and long lasting joy comes from God. Which brings me back to one of my favorite quotes from St. Teresa of Avila (mom's patron saint).

"Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee
All things are passing;
God never changeth;
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth."

Well I hope that was as fun for you to read as it was for me to think!

a bit of St. Ambrose

2009-07-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

I thought the office of readings today were really cool. Here's the second reading from St. Ambrose.

Reading
From the treatise On the Mysteries by Saint Ambrose, bishop

To the newly baptised on the eucharist

Fresh from the waters and resplendent in these garments, God’s holy people hasten to the altar of Christ, saying: I will go in to the altar of God, to God who gives joy to my youth. They have sloughed off the old skin of error, their youth renewed like an eagle’s, and they make haste to approach that heavenly banquet. They come and, seeing the sacred altar prepared, cry out: You have prepared a table in my sight. David puts these words into their mouths: The Lord is my shepherd and nothing will be lacking to me. He has set me down there in a place of pasture. He has brought me beside refreshing water. Further on, we read: For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I shall not be afraid of evils, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff have given me comfort. You have prepared in my sight a table against those who afflict me. You have made my head rich in oil, and your cup, which exhilarates, how excellent it is.

It is wonderful that God rained manna on our fathers and they were fed with daily food from heaven. And so it is written: Man ate the bread of angels. Yet those who ate that bread all died in the desert. But the food that you receive, that living bread which came down from heaven, supplies the very substance of eternal life, and whoever will eat it will never die, for it is the body of Christ.

Consider now which is the more excellent: the bread of angels or the flesh of Christ, which is indeed the body that gives life. The first was manna from heaven, the second is above the heavens. One was of heaven, the other is of the Lord of the heavens; one subject to corruption if it was kept till the morrow, the other free from all corruption, for if anyone tastes of it with reverence he will be incapable of corruption. For our fathers, water flowed from the rock; for you, blood flows from Christ. Water satisfied their thirst for a time; blood cleanses you for ever. The Jew drinks and still thirsts, but when you drink you will be incapable of thirst. What happened in symbol is now fulfilled in reality.

If what you marvel at is a shadow, how great is the reality whose very shadow you marvel at. Listen to this, which shows that what happened in the time of our fathers was but a shadow. They drank, it is written, from the rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. All this took place as a symbol for us. You know now what is more excellent: light is preferable to its shadow, reality to its symbol, the body of the Giver to the manna he gave from heaven.

Last night made me come to appreciate some things....

2009-07-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things I love about my faith.

I thought I'd share.

1. 2000 years unbroken. We don't have any gaps in our history, the Holy Spirit has been guiding us along the same path (the path Christ gave us) for 2000 years.

2. I love these words, "You are Rock, and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."

3. I love that faith and reason are to go hand in hand. You can use your mind and your heart to glorify God because the Catholic faith makes sense!!!

4. I love the Eucharist. Christ in our Church, just like he said....until the end of the age.

5. I love the Bible and the fact that it is a product of Catholic Tradition. It didn't just pop out of thin air and King James didn't put it together!

6. I love that our sacraments are documented and they're the same from the beginning. I guess that goes with tradition, but it's also cool on its own.

7. I have more than emotion or blind faith to back up my religion.

8. I can count on the saints to pray for me. What great examples!

9. With the Catholic faith there is always an answer. I just have to go find it.

10. I'm so glad we have the Pope and Bishops and Priests. Where would we be without them? Thank you awesome priests and thank you awesome seminarians who are going to be there someday!

The conversion story of a former protestant pastor.
Read it here!!

business?

2009-07-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Soo....I've been thinking of starting an Etsy store, but I'm not sure about the whole paypal thing and the whole $0.20 per item listed thing, and just a general feeling of "I don't know if this is right for me" hangs over the whole thing. Anywhoo, I talked to the owner of Alleluia Catholic store in Mill Creek today and she said that she'd sell some of the stuff I make consignment! Cool! Anyways, here's some of what I'll be selling. Still working on prices, but I think the bracelets will be $15. I'll probably get chains for the pendants too. Let me know what you think! I'll probably be taking a trip to Michaels soon to get some materials to start making my own cameos too. We'll see how that goes.

Coerced abortion

2009-07-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is disgusting. I just saw an article on American Papist talking about a Men's magazine that gave tips to men about how to coerce their girlfriends into having an abortion. Check it out.

"Outrageous: Absolutely vile’ advice column tells men how to pressure pregnant women to abort"

The blatant disregard for the fact that the woman is carrying a human person is disgusting. The liberal media's approval of abortion is just disgusting. Blech, I don't know what else to say.

Pray to end abortion.

Modern Physics and Ancient Faith

2009-07-03T12:51:00.001-07:00

Jon just finished reading this book, "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith". While he was reading it he described a lot of it to me and it sounded soooooo interesting I had to start it as soon as he finished. It's by Dr. Stephen M. Barr a physics professor at the University of Delaware. He received a Papal medal for it. Yeah, it's that good!

I'm only on page 15 and so far the book is so great that I need to share some things.

Did you know that St. Augustine, St. Clement, Origen and other early Church people held this view about creation

"St. Augustine held that the six days of creation were not to be taken literally as a period of time or a temporal sucession. He held, rather, that all things were produced simultaneously by God in a single instant and subsequently underwent some natural process of development."

Sounds a little like Big Bang and evolution :)

I knew St. Augustine was an awesome doctor of the faith, but I didn't know he wrote stuff like this:

"Usually even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars and even their size and relative positions, about the predictable eclipses of the sun and moon, the cycles of the years and seasons, about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics, and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn.... If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe our books in matters concerning the ressurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falshoods on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason? Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren, ... to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture, ... although they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make the assertion."

SO AWESOME!!

This is why believers have a responsibility to educate themselves about the natural world and science. Basically you don't want to be caught spouting nonsense. Faith and Reason people, faith and reason. JPII said something at one point about Science and Faith both being out to find the truth. Since faith and reason go hand in hand we can't deny that which is found to be true! Something like that anyways....

In short, this book is rad. I highly recommend it, even though I'm only on the 15th page. Jon said the whole thing is awesome so I'd trust his opinion. I'll update more as I go on!!

Birthday

2009-06-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was my birthday!
My husband once again surprised me with a cool get together bbq at Meadowdale Beach park on Thursday. It was a small gathering but loads of fun. We got a workout hiking back up from the beach though. Man that incline where the stairs are is brutal!!

The next day (my actual birthday) we drove up to Canada and caught the last half (Silly Everett traffic) of the Mass of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart then went to get Pho with my parents.

On Saturday I had an awesome BBQ in my parent's back yard with the family and some friends. Clare got to play with her cousins and her friend Seher and we all ate lots of great Filipino food that Mom and Dad made too much of. :)

Sunday and Father's Day we went to Mass then headed straight down to be with Jon's family for Father's Day dinner. Lots of travelling!

On Thursday someone at the bbq asked me what year # 25 was like. I didn't say too much besides, "pretty cool" but I've been thinking more about that.

What a blessing my 25th year was!

I...
...went to Australia for World Youth Day
...had my first child
...transitioned from work to being a stay at home mom
...my best friend Annie got married and I got to be her maid of honor
...learned how to make all sorts of things (spa stuff, cool jewelry, pretzels, naan, all sorts of bread stuff, butter chicken, much more)
...went to Eastern Washington for the first time
...celebrated my first Mother's Day
...am learning to practice the Little Way every day
...helped out with Theology of the body at another parish
...paricipated in 40 days for life while pregnant
...am growing in patience as Clare learns that screaming is her favorie form of communication
...took more pictures and video than I ever thought I would in my entire lifetime

I'm sure more will come to me, but that's a little bit of what my 25th year was like.

Thanks for another year God. You bless me in more ways than I can count.

my eight! Lauren tagged me!

2009-06-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Lauren Frisch

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Jon coming home at a decent hour today.
2. My new niece being born in August.
3. Seeing my friends be ordained.
4. Clare's first word.
5. Open house at Evans Lake next weekend.
6. Starting Clare on solids this week.
7. My mom parents next visit down here in July.
8. Clare's first sign.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Went to mass
2. Drove for a few hours from Canada back here.
3. Wished Jon Happy father's day like 4 or 5 times.
4. Hung out with my family.
5. Hung out with Jon's family.
6. Changed a poopy diaper in the back seat in the Alderwood mall parking lot.
7. Taught Clare a few tunes on the piano.
8. Listened to Clare scream herself to sleep :(

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Swim laps whenever I wanted.
2. Start an online Catholic jewelry store. (considering etsy, but still unsure)
3. Sew clothes.
4. Finish the 4 books I'm reading simultaneously.
5. Be disciplined enough to read the Divine office every day.
6. Buy a house.
7. Travel to the Philippines so Jon can meet the rest of the family.
8. Travel to Euyrope again so Jon can see how cool the Vatican, Lourdes, Fatima, Paris and Salamanca are.

8 Shows I Watch: - I can't get some of these anymore, but if I did I'd watch. Only Heroes and Fringe get weekly attention.

1. Heroes
2. Fringe
3. Legend of the Seeker (though I don't know if it's on anymore)
4. What not to wear
5. Myth busters
6. CSI
7. Law and order
8. Masterpiece movies

I tag Jessica!

Backwards Culture of Death

2009-03-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is an article a friend sent me. She said it makes her angry. It makes me angry too, but I can't say that I'm surprised that this is happening since the man the nation elected as President was all about making abortion more available.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29864032/from/ET/

Doesn't anyone see how backwards this is? Why is there so much money going in to contraception and abortion? People want their babies!! Give them money so they can have their babies!! Not abort them!! God help us.

Clare's communication skills

2009-02-25T13:38:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to get her making noise on the camera for a couple of weeks now. She finally got over her stage fright and let loose!! Ha ha!!

I don't know how to turn the video, so sorry for the neck workout!

Vaccines

2009-01-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

I had heard that some vaccines were made using cells from aborted fetuses. That disturbed me, but I didn't check it out at the time. Recently a friend sent me an article about embryo adoption because we had a conversation about it a while back. It had some information about a company called avm biotech which is committed to producing vaccines without aborted fetal cell lines. So I started reading more about all this. Here's my info track so far. I thought you might find it interesting.

The article my friend sent me

http://www.seattlearch.org/FormationAndEducation/Progress/VaticanBioethicsDocument01-22-09.htm

the company that is trying to do things ethically
http://www.avmbiotech.com/home.html

more info about the vaccines and how they're produced
http://www.lifecanada.org/html/science/Vaccines/VaccineQuestionandAnswers.html

Moral implications
"On Vaccines Made From Cells of Aborted Fetuses - Pontifical Academy for Life Response "
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1452002/posts

"However, in this situation, the aspect of passive cooperation is that which stands out most. It is up to the faithful and citizens of upright conscience -- parents, doctors, etc. -- to oppose, even by making an objection of conscience, the ever more widespread attacks against life and the "culture of death" which underlies them.

From this point of view, the use of vaccines whose production is connected with procured abortion constitutes at least a mediate remote passive material cooperation to the abortion, and an immediate passive material cooperation with regard to their marketing.

Furthermore, on a cultural level, the use of such vaccines contributes in the creation of a generalized social consensus to the operation of the pharmaceutical industries which produce them in an immoral way.

Therefore, doctors and parents have a duty to take recourse to alternative vaccines [13] -- if they exist -- putting pressure on the political authorities and health systems so that other vaccines without moral problems become available. They should take recourse, if necessary, to the use of conscientious objection [14] with regard to the use of vaccines produced by means of cell lines of aborted human fetal origin.

.....

Summary

To summarize, it must be confirmed that there is a grave responsibility to use alternative vaccines and to make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems.

As regards the vaccines without an alternative, the need to contest so that others may be prepared must be reaffirmed, as should be the lawfulness of using the former in the meantime insomuch as is necessary in order to avoid a serious risk not only for one's own children but also, and perhaps more specifically, for the health conditions of the population as a whole -- especially for pregnant women

The lawfulness of the use of these vaccines should not be misinterpreted as a declaration of the lawfulness of their production, marketing and use, but is to be understood as being a passive material cooperation and, in its mildest and remotest sense, also active, morally justified as an "extrema ratio" due to the necessity to provide for the good of one's children and of the people who come in contact with the children -- pregnant women.

Such cooperation occurs in a context of moral coercion of the conscience of parents, who are forced to choose to act against their conscience or otherwise, to put the health of their children and of the population as a whole at risk. This is an unjust alternative choice, which must be eliminated as soon as possible.

Clare after 1 month

2009-01-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

Our little Clare is already a month old. I don't know where the time went! Out the window with our sleep I guess!! She's had a busy first month what with snowstorms, Christmas at the Ramseyers', New Years at the Ledesma's in Canada, a wedding in Bellingham and her Baptism last week!

Her Baptism was really special. Our little Clare Scholastica was Baptised in a truck driving school on the eve of the Baptism of the Lord. Well....okay so it's a Church inside a truck driving school, but it's still fun to say. All parishes have to start somewhere! Fr. Frank made the private baptism feel extra special. It was wonderful having a priest we've known for so long be able to bring our baby into life with Christ. I wasn't sure how it would feel as a parent to have our baby Baptised, but I think for Jon and I the most prominent feeling was of relief. For me it felt like our first duty of being a parent was fulfilled. Task #1 get her baptised has been completed. I almost had a feeling that someone up there kept telling me, "The clock is ticking! Get it done!!"

So when it finally happened I was a lot more relaxed. Ah, who knows it might have been the great smell of the Chrism working some aromatherapy magic. ;) ha ha! j/k

Woohoo! Now she's without original sin! It's crazy to think that she'll basically be in a state of grace until she's 7 at the age of reason. That's so cool.

God does marvellous things with our lives. Baptising our baby was step one in acknowledging that. We had the chance to sign the sacramental child rental papers. I think it was St. Therese of Lisieux's mother who instilled the idea in her that God had only let her mother borrow her for a time before she was to be returned to God. That's a lot of what I thought about as the water was pouring over her head. I just kept thinking, "We'll take good care of her for you God."

Choice Fr. Frank quotes from the baptism:

"Yay no more pagan baby!" - after baptising Clare with the Holy Water
"This will be the most well documented baptism in a truck driving school ever!" - after all the camera flashes

Here are some of my other favorite shots of her in the past week. She feels like she's grown so much! My arms tire quickly now when I hold her and Jon found out last night that he can't secure her diaper as tightly as before. It seems that when you're a parent time just feels like it's constantly slipping away, so you really have to make a point to enjoy every second of their development. People aren't kidding when they say, "They'll be all grown up before you know it!"

Pictures of Clare from the Hospital

2009-01-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

This is easier than emailing people. The shots we have are really big. My sister Joy took these while she was at the hospital for Clare's birth and through the next day.

Baby Clare

2008-12-29T23:26:00.000-08:00

Well, she's out!

Clare Scholastica was born on December 19th 2008 at 6:46pm. She was 6lbs 11oz and 19.5 inches long.

The started me on pitocin at around 8am, broke my water and my ob described me as 3cm dilated after forcing me open with a balloon. After 11 hours, no further dilation and Clare not dropping any further into my pelvis they gave me a choice

1. Get an epidural to deal with the contractions which were around 1 minute apart and rendered me unable to speak while they were happening and just wait to see if anything else happens (they said I'd probably have to have a c-section in the end.)

2. Go straight for the c-section.

The doctor (not my ob, but a nice parter of the same practice) told me that the chances of me dilating further were slim considering my mother didn't dilate with my sister or me and my sister didn't dilate with her kids. After 11 hours of pitocin and contracting it didn't seem likely that I would progress and that I might just end up spending hours in pain with no result and a c-section anyways..........

...............................so we decided to have a c-section.

About 20 minutes after I signed the forms Jon had Clare in his arms. :)

We're recovering very well and Clare has gained some weight since birth. She had her first pediatric appointment today and we found that she's in the 15th weight percentile, 35th length, and 70th for head circumference!! Ha ha!! My baby has a big head.

Anyways, here is my favorite shot of our cutie pie!!

Update

2008-12-18T21:02:00.001-08:00

Being induced tomorrow at 7:15am!! Hopefully all goes well and we'll be able to show everyone pictures of little Clare Scholastica soon!! We're bringing the laptop and the hospital has wifi. Ha ha! So if Jon is still functioning after tomorrow's ordeal he'll probably be posting pics of our little bundle! Please pray for us!! Thanks!

Waiting....

2008-12-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

So .....she's 4 days late now. She was supposed to be born on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12th). Interesting factoid about the image of our Lady of Guadalupe: in the image she is wearing an aztec maternity belt to show that she's pregnant! Cool huh?

Just like me....I guess Mary wouldn't have had a specific due date to look towards when she was giving birth. Or maybe she just knew that Jesus would come out at exactly 9 months 'cuz the Son of God probably wouldn't be tardy. Ah, who knows. Mother Mary please pray for my patience.

I can't say I've ever wanted to feel bodily pain in my life....but going against all survival instincts I am really wanting the pain of contractions to start up. At least, everyone says they're going to be painful. C'mon baby! So prayers for baby to come soon would be greatly appreciated. I'd rather not be induced, which may be the case if she's not out by Friday.

There are a few reasons I'd rather not be induced:

1. My doctor will be on vacation.

2. Artificial administration of oxytocin usually means fast, painful, full force contractions instead of a gradual build up to them.

3. There's not even a guarantee that I'd be induced on Friday. I guess we have to request days and it's possible that I may be denied Friday, so it may have to happen next week! Being in the hospital on Christmas would be pretty lame.

Ah, but what a lesson for advent eh?

Patience people. I read so many of my friends' blogs saying that parenting is a time when you learn to give up control because you realize that you didn't have it anyways. So I guess it's time to start realizing that now. You think with all the surprises in life I'd have learned that already. Ha ha! Oh well, time to learn God's time.

An advent slideshow I made a while ago.

2008-12-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

Advent 2006

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: advent catholic)

Coffee

2008-12-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

The doctor said I can have a little caffeine. So don't worry, it's okay.

They sell Mystic Monk coffee at the Catholic Bookstore in town and I've been wanting to try it every since I saw an ad on my google ads sidebar, so I bought some on Saturday. Then I started hearing ads on Catholic Radio. I was on their website last week and about to order but I didn't.
This is my first brew of their Chocolate Mint blend and it's awesome. I highly reccommend buying this coffee! The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming Brew it and sell it so they can build a new Church for their order! So support a good growing Catholic religious order and get some rad coffee!!

There's a link to the Mystic Monk Coffee site.

http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/monks.html

Here's a link to the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming.

http://www.carmelitemonks.org/

39 weeks

2008-12-07T01:19:00.000-08:00

Well I'm officially 39 weeks along! She's due next Friday the 12th. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! I think I've begun to feel Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor contractions.) Not too bad, just a little strange feeling. We'll see what real contractions feel like hopefully very soon! Since it's advent I should be working on patience......but I'm so ready and excited to meet this baby!! Here's some photographic evidence of me being ready to pop!

And here's what it looks like when I look straight down!!!

Women and Childbirth

2008-11-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Two friends of mine have recently given birth naturally! This is amazing to me not only because of how painful I've heard childbirth is, but because of their willingness to sacrifice in the face of that pain. Their main reasons for giving birth without the help of pain meds is because of side-effects meds can have on the baby. My friend Natalie, gave me some incredible words of encouragement after giving birth to her beautiful son Joseph that I want to share. Natalie and I met while discerning the religious life. We both spent a week together at St. Walburga's in Colorado a couple of years ago. Here's what she had to say:

"I will definitely pray for you... that you will trust God, not be afraid and that all will go well for you and your baby. And don't worry, God will help you out. Something that really helped me was continually offering up the suffering for the salvation of my baby. Seeing labour as the cross Christ was calling me to bear at the time made it actually really meaningful suffering. One's attitude toward suffering, whether you fight it or try to embrace it, really makes the world of difference! "

Such a beautiful example of motherhood, and so early into it too!! Thanks Natalie!!

Only 4 few weeks left until I get to put all the childbirth classes and faith I have into practice!

The numbers

2008-11-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

When I look at the numbers I'm confused as ever. My friend Andrew recently posted an entry about the Catholic Vote in the election. It leaves me puzzled. Catholics...what happened to you? Do people really think that Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are good examples of living according to what the Church teaches? They aren't. Check out Andrew's post.

CLICK HERE TO READ

The Culture of Life is happening in some places :)

2008-11-06T07:56:00.001-08:00

Here is a great article about AIDS declines in Uganda due to.....yay! Abstinence education!!! Woohoo!!

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2008/0805fea3sb2.asp

In hope we are saved right?

2008-11-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here are the daily mass readings for today. Hope in Christ always.
"I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living."

Reading 1 Phil 2:12-18
My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For God is the one who, for his good purpose,
works in you both to desire and to work.
Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14R.
(1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?T
he LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I ask of the LORD;this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Gospel Lk 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

Well...he won.

2008-11-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

Last night on facebook after watching the election coverage I posted my status as "Val thinks moving home to Canada is a good idea now. :)"

Here are some of the fun responses I got.

friend 1 - "so what are Canada's immigration policies?"

friend 2 - "that is the best thing that's been said all night. I might go study abroad until the next election. Australia anyone?"

friend 3 - "Val, I only live 2 miles from the border, so please pick me up on your way. I'll start packing now!"

Yes, amid all the media coverage of the celebrations across the United States there are some young adults asking themselves, "How do I get out of here?!"

I am asking myself, what's next?

Is he really going to sign the Freedom of Choice Act?

"The Freedom of Choice Act (H.R. 3719/S. 2020) is a bill in the United States Congress which, if enacted, would abolish all restrictions and limitations on the right of women in the United States to have an abortion, whether at the State or Federal level."

Well he did say no to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, so probably.

So we can be sure that Barack Obama is going to allow another 1,000,000 babies to die through abortion on demand in this country in the next year without a fight.

This has also been weighing in the back of my mind.

So I guess we should start praying that FOCA doesn't happen and that we aren't tested by terrorists. Why would Biden say that? So weird.

Hrm....... roll up your sleeves Pro-Life Movement, this is going to be a really tough 4 years.

My friend Neil posted some really amazing comments from a prominent apologist about the election. Check this out.

http://thedepositoffaith.blogspot.com/2008/10/coming-election.html

I hope Neil doesn't mind me reposting it on here. Wow, Martignoni, Wow!

-------------------------------------------

Here is a few Words from John Martignoni from the Bible Christian Society about what is at stake in this election. This is from his newsletter: "Apologetics for the Masses"

What I have tried to do in the past two newsletters is simply provide information pertinent to the upcoming election. I have given you information regarding what the bishops have said – as a group and individually – regarding Catholic moral teaching and how it relates to this, or any, election. I have given you the positions of the two main candidates for President on pro-life issues – the issues that should be the most important, bar none, to any Catholic who believes that God is the Author of life. And, I have told you how I, personally, am going to vote.

In this newsletter, I would like to ask you to ponder a few questions that I believe get to the heart of what is at stake in this election, and hopefully make it crystal clear what you are voting for this Tuesday, regardless of how you vote:

1) If Adolf Hitler said that electing Barack Obama would result in the gassing of more than one million Jews per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

2) If the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan said that electing Barack Obama would result in the lynching of more than one million blacks per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

Now, I want to be clear in that I am not comparing Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler or to the Grand Wizard of the KKK. The point I am making with these two questions is this: If someone who has knowledge of, and a vested interest in, the gassing of Jews, or the lynching of blacks, says that the policies instituted by another person will result in the killing of millions of Jews and blacks…do you think they might know about that of which they speak?

Which leads me to my third question: 3) If the abortion industry said that electing Barack Obama would result in the killing of more than one million unborn babies per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

And, guess what? The abortion industry has said just that. The abortion industry has stated that the restrictions that a majority of states have put on abortion – parental consent laws, 24-hour and 48-hour waiting periods, informed consent laws – have all worked to reduce the number of abortions by a few hundred thousand per year over the last several years. Plus, the abortion industry has further stated that the lack of federal funding for abortions has “forced” women to carry more than a million pregnancies per year to term. In other words, more than one million babies per year are being born, that wouldn’t be born, if we had federal funding for abortions.

Now, Barack Obama has vowed to do two things that are relevant to these questions. He has vowed to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which will eliminate all of the restrictions on abortion that have been enacted by the states; and, he has vowed to repeal the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment currently prohibits federal funding of abortion. In other words, Barack Obama has promised to do the very things that the abortion industry has stated will result in a million or more additional abortions per year.

So, if you answered, “No,” to the first two questions above, then to be morally consistent, you should answer, “No,” to the third question. But, there are any number of people who call themselves “Catholic,” who have no problem answering, “Yes,” to the third question. How can that be?

How can one not vote for a man if they know his policies would end up killing a million or more Jews per year, or killing a million or more blacks a year; but they can vote for that man even if they know his policies will kill an additional million or more unborn babies each year?

I’ll tell you how: Catholics, or any one else, who would not vote for Barack Obama if he was going to institute policies that would kill Jews or blacks, but they are more than willing to vote for Barack Obama knowing that he will institute policies that will indeed kill unborn babies, have de-sensitized themselves to what an abortion actually is. They speak of killing babies in terms of a woman’s “right to choose,” or a “woman’s reproductive freedom,” but they never think of abortion in terms of a baby getting sliced into pieces which are then removed, piece-by-bloody-piece, from their mother’s womb. They never think of abortion in terms of a baby being literally burned to death through saline poisoning within its mother’s womb and then being expelled from its mother’s womb by induced labor.

That is why I challenge anyone who plans to vote for Obama, but especially those who call themselves Catholic, to go to this website and view this short video on what an abortion actually is. If you’re going to vote for a man whose policies will result in the killing of an additional one million human beings, then by golly you have the moral responsibility to take a good long look at what it is your vote will allow to happen.

And, if you cannot bring yourself to look at this video, because something in your gut is telling you that what you will see will be too horrible for you to stomach, and will cause you to lose sleep at night, then how in the name of all that is holy, can you vote for a man who is promising to visit this horror upon a million or more babies each year?!

If you do not watch this video, yet you go on and vote for Barack Obama, then I call you a coward and a hypocrite and I ask you what, pray tell, will you say to the Creator of Life when you stand before His Judgment Seat with the blood of millions of unborn babies dripping from your hands? Will you say, “I didn’t know?” Or, will you say, “But I was worried about my tax bill?” May God indeed have mercy on your souls.

Now, if you are all in favor of increasing the number of abortions in this country; or if you don’t believe in God and that God will have the last say in regards to the horror of abortion; or if you believe the killing of millions of unborn children is just one issue among many that you need to consider…well, it is clear that you need to vote for Senator Obama and I am happy to offer this newsletter as an informational source that will help you to solidify your vote.

In Conclusion

Please pray for God’s will to be done in this election on Tuesday, and may God have mercy on us, every one!

Elections make me rant.

2008-10-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

Regardless of what religion or political party your affiliate with most people could logically say that they'd want to be a good person and affiliate themselves with truth and honesty etc. Right? I would like to believe this. I'd like to believe that most people want to be good, would like society to be good, and woud like to live in a just society.

If we can say that, then shouldn't we be a different society?

Isn't it true to say that killing an innocent human being is immoral? It's bad and we shouldn't allow it in society?

Why is it okay to kill a human being in the womb? Did it do something wrong?
Why is it okay to allow a mother to ruin her life? Will killing her child really make all her problems go away? Does killing a child ever make a problem go away? Who thought up that ridiculously evil solution?

Why is it okay to help people kill themselves? Even if they did to something wrong, isn't their life valuable?

If 1,000,000 people would die absolutely if you said "it's above my pay grade" would you say that?

Who are you Barack Obama to say babies are punishments? If someone called you a punishment would it be okay to kill you? Obviously not, because your life also has value.

It seems like some people are just avoiding the truth. If you can't face the truth, then how are you supposed to run a country? How can you be responsible enough to lead 300 million people if you can't decide when a person becomes valuable?

*Human Life begins at conception. Read it in any embryology book. If not then biology would probably be a different science, it being the study of life.

Isn't the United States supposed to allow it's people the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

Why then are we so gladly voting for the right to death, opression, and the pursuit of self-destruction?

People in other places of the world dream of America being a country where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the norm. What happened? What are you doing to yourself America? Why are you allowing yourself to be duped by the father of lies (that's Satan, please don't take that to mean Obama)?

I hope and pray that people take a long, hard, honest look at what they want the world to be like and then think even harder how that world is even possible if we allow death and evil to creep in under the guises of abortion and assisted suicide.

Abortion and Assisited suicide are not good, they are not holy, and they will not make the world a better place. You all know it deep inside.

Yes, I understand that war kills people too. But will it kill 1,000,000 people by the end of next year? It's a numbers game. Weigh the numbers of lives that hang in the balance.
And no it doesn't matter if you're born or unborn. Human life is human life. A child is no less valuable because it hasn't yet had the chance to live outside it's mother's womb.

Barack Obama as president would allow 4,000,000 million people to die in the next 4 years without a fight because he says babies can be burdens and because he won't take the time to think about when human life should begin being protected.

McCain isn't perfect but at least he can muster up the courage to say "at conception" when questioned about the beginning of human life.

Form your conscience well and vote by it. Can you really vote for a man that won't defend the voiceless? What kind of president is that?

Pro-Life Catholics for Obama???? Check out the Newsweek article.

2008-10-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

My husband found this article. It's a good read. There have been some crazy arguments out there for Catholics that want to support Obama. Read on.

Here's the LINK to the Newsweek page, or you can read below.
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Should abortion be the litmus test for political support?

George Weigel
NEWSWEEK

In an election cycle filled with its share of quirks, oddities, and surprises, the emergence of Roman Catholic pro-lifers as leading supporters of Sen. Barack Obama—himself a favorite of the National Reproductive Rights Action League—must rank as one of the strangest of twists and turns. Whatever its effect on the election, this unexpected development may also portend a new hardening of the battle lines within the Catholic Church, no matter who is inaugurated president in January.

The most visible of the pro-Obama Catholic pro-lifers has been Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec, formerly dean of the law school at the Catholic University of America and a minor official in the Justice Departments of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Kmiec began the 2008 cycle as co-chairman of Mitt Romney's campaign, but recently told the Chicago Tribune that, as the campaign unfolded, "I kept discovering that Obama was sounding more Catholic than most Catholics I know" on issues like the family wages, health-care costs and the war in Iraq. With Romney out of the race, Kmiec announced his support for Obama on Easter Sunday, arguing that "Senator Obama comes reasonably close" to embodying "an alternative way to be pro-life." Kmiec develops that arresting claim in a new book, "Can a Catholic Support Him? Asking the Big Questions About Barack Obama," published in mid-September.

Other pro-Obama Catholic intellectuals include Notre Dame professor M. Cathleen Kaveny, whose Obamapologetics are frequently found on the Commonweal blog, and Duquesne University law professor Nicholas Cafardi, one of the original members of the U.S. bishops' National Review Board to study problems of clerical sexual abuse. In a recent statement, "Senator Obama: A Moral Choice for Catholics," Cafardi summarized the three most frequently deployed arguments of self-declared pro-life Catholics who support Barack Obama for president.

First, according to Cafardi, Catholics have, as a matter of law, "lost the abortion battle ... and I believe that we have lost it permanently." Second, abortion is not the only "intrinsic evil" of the day; the Bush administration has been guilty of committing acts that are "intrinsically evil" in its policies on interrogation of terrorist suspects, in its failures after Hurricane Katrina and in its detention of terrorism suspects at Guantánamo Bay. Third, Senator Obama "supports government action that would reduce the number of abortions," including an "adequate social safety net for poor women who might otherwise have abortions."

The argument, in sum: the constitutional and legal arguments that have raged since Roe vs. Wade are over, and Catholics have lost; there are many other "intrinsic evils" that Catholics are morally bound to oppose, and Republicans tend to ignore those evils; liberalized social-welfare policies will drive down the absolute numbers of abortions and Senator Obama is an unabashed liberal on these matters. Therefore, a vote for Obama is the "real" pro-life vote.

The argument is, some might contend, a bold one. Yet it is also counterintuitive, running up against the fact that, by most measures and despite his rhetoric about reducing the incidence of abortion, Barack Obama has an unalloyed record of support for abortion on demand. Moreover, he seems to understand Roe vs. Wade and subsequent Supreme Court decisions as having defined abortion as a fundamental liberty right essential for women's equality, meaning that government must guarantee access to abortion in law and by financial assistance—a moral judgment and a policy prescription the pro-life Catholic Obama boosters say they reject.

According to his own Web site, Obama supports the federal Freedom of Choice Act [FOCA], which would eliminate all state and federal regulation of abortion (such as informed consent and parental notification in the case of minors seeking an abortion); these regulations have demonstrably reduced the absolute number of abortions in the jurisdictions in which they are in effect. FOCA would also eliminate, by federal statute, state laws providing "conscience clause" protection for pro-life doctors who decline to provide abortions. Obama (along with the Democratic Party platform) supports federal funding for abortion, opposes the Hyde amendment (which restricts the use of taxpayer monies for abortion) and has pledged to repeal the "Mexico City policy" (initiated by Ronald Reagan and reinstated by George W. Bush, which bans federal foreign-aid funding for organizations that perform and promote abortion as a means of family planning). According to the pro-choice Web site RHRealityCheck.org, Obama also opposes continued federal funding for crisis pregnancy centers.

Then there is the continuing controversy over Obama's role in the Illinois state legislature when that body was considering an "infants born alive" protection act that would extend full legal protection to infants who survive a late-term abortion. According to the Annenberg Political Fact Check (Obama opposed the 2001 and 2002 Illinois "born alive" bills on the grounds that they were attempts to undermine Roe vs. Wade but said he would have supported an Illinois bill similar to the federal "born alive" legislation signed by President Bush in 2002. Yet, according to Annenberg, "Obama voted in committee against the 2003 state bill that was nearly identical to the federal bill he says he would have supported." However one sorts out the conflicting claims in this often-bitter debate, in which charges of infanticide and lying have been hurled, there can be no doubt that Barack Obama did not make his own the cause of legal protection for infants who survive an abortion.

The "social safety net" component of the pro-life, pro-Obama argument may seem, at first blush, to make sense. Yet it, too, runs up against stubborn facts: for example, Sweden, with a much thicker social safety net than the United States, has precisely the same rate (25 percent) of abortions per pregnancy as America. As for the claim, often repeated by pro-life, pro-Obama Catholics, that more financially generous welfare policies would drive down abortion rates because financial pressure is a predominant cause of abortion, another stubborn fact intrudes: according to a survey conducted by the research arm of Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute, a mere 23 percent of abortions in the United States are performed primarily because of alleged financial need. There is also what some would consider the insuperable problem of squaring a concern for fostering alternatives to abortion with Senator Obama's opposition to federal funding of crisis pregnancy centers that provide precisely those alternatives. Moreover, the Freedom of Choice Act Obama has pledged to sign forbids publicly supported programs helping pregnant women from "discriminating" against abortion. Thus a federal Pregnant Women Support Act—a key plank in the platform of pro-life congressional Democrats—would, in Orwellian fashion, be legally bound by FOCA to include support for abortion.

As for the claim that the legal argument is over, and lost, that, too, seems belied by the evidence. Roe vs. Wade remains deeply controversial, in the culture and among legal scholars. Since 1989, the Supreme Court has shown a willingness, on occasion, to uphold laws regulating abortion clinics or banning certain forms of abortion. No Clinton-appointed justice contributed to that trend; it seems very unlikely that Obama nominees would extend the trend. In that respect, a pro-life, pro-Catholic Obama vote is not so much a recognition that the legal argument is over but, de facto, a vote to repeal the legal protections for the unborn that have been laboriously crafted in the 35 years since Roe eliminated the abortion law of all 50 states.

Another line of critique against the pro-life, pro-Catholic Obama activists has been mounted by, among others, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who holds a doctorate in political philosophy and currently serves as president of the U.S. bishops' conference. In a September letter to the people of the archdiocese of Chicago, the cardinal laid down what he described as a basic principle of justice: in a just society, innocent human life, especially when incapable of self-defense, deserves the protection of the laws. No one who denies that, the cardinal argued, can claim to be advancing the common good. And, as Roe vs. Wade does indeed deny the protection of the laws to the unborn, no one can, with any moral or logical consistence, claim to support both Roe vs. Wade and the common good. It's one or the other.

Similarly, two New York bishops, William Murphy of Rockville Centre and Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, the present and immediate past chairmen of the U.S. bishops' committee on domestic policy, implicitly challenged the position of Kmiec, Kaveny, Cafardi and others in a Sept. 24 letter to The New York Times. According to a Sept. 18 Times article, the U.S. bishops' statement on the 2008 election, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," had been crafted so as to "explicitly allow Catholics to vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights if they do so for other reasons." That was simply not true, according to DiMarzio and Murphy, who said that "Faithful Citizenship" states that a Catholic can support a pro-abortion candidate "only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences...." Moreover, the bishops concluded, "this standard of 'grave moral reasons' is a very high standard to meet."

The pro-Obama, pro-life Catholics would doubtless reply that that standard has been met in this instance. But that claim still leaves them with a problem. As Cardinal George's letter indicated, the Catholic Church's teaching on the intrinsic evil of abortion involves a first principle of justice that can be known by reason, that's one of the building blocks of a just society, and that ought never be compromised—which is why, for example, Catholic legislators were morally obliged to oppose legal segregation (another practice once upheld by a Supreme Court decision that denied human beings the full protection of the laws). Questions of war and peace, social-welfare policy, environmental policy and economic policy, on the other hand, are matters of prudential judgment on which people who affirm the same principles of Catholic social doctrine can reasonably differ. The pro-life, pro-Obama Catholics are thus putting the full weigh of their moral argument on contingent prudential judgments that, by definition, cannot bear that weight.

One of the most interesting facets of the intra-Catholic furor over Kmiec, Kaveny, Cafardi and other pro-life, pro-Obama Catholics is the way this argument seems to have displaced the struggle between bishops and pro-choice Catholic politicians that was so prominent in 1984 (when the contest was between Geraldine Ferraro and New York's Cardinal John O'Connor) and 2004 (when the candidacy of John Kerry embroiled the entire U.S. bishops conference in a dispute over whether pro-choice Catholic politicians ought to be permitted to receive holy communion). That displacement, however, is likely to be temporary.

In the wake of ill-advised (and nationally televised) ventures into theology by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, several bishops—including Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, Madison Bishop Robert Morlino and Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl—issued statements underscoring the Catholic Church's unswerving moral opposition to abortion from the very beginnings of Christianity; the morality of abortion was not an open question for serious Catholics, as Pelosi in particular had suggested. (After receiving what seems to have been an avalanche of protest over the Speaker's misstatement on "Meet the Press," Pelosi's own archbishop, George Niederauer of San Francisco, announced publicly that he would invite Mrs. Pelosi in for a conversation.) Moreover, in the wake of both the Pelosi and Biden incidents, the chairmen of the bishops' pro-life and doctrine committees, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., issued sharp statements deploring the misrepresentation of Catholic teaching by the Speaker and the senator.

Many U.S. bishops, in other words, seem exasperated with Catholic politicians who present themselves as ardent Catholics and yet consistently oppose the Church on what the bishops consider the premier civil-rights issue of the day. It seems unlikely that the bishops, having found their voices after discovering the limits of their patience, will back off in an Obama administration—which could raise some interesting questions for, and about, a Vice President Joe Biden, whose fitness to receive holy communion may well be discussed in executive session at the bishops' annual meeting in mid-November.

Biden is not the only Catholic who will be seriously challenged by an Obama administration bent on reversing what its pro-choice allies regard as eight years of defeat; pro-life Catholics will face different, if equally grave, dilemmas. The bishops already find themselves defending the Catholic integrity of Catholic hospitals under pressures from state governments; those pressures, as well as pressures on doctors and other Catholic health-care professionals, will increase in an Obama administration, especially if FOCA succeeds in knocking down state conscience-clause protections for Catholic health-care providers and institutions. And should an Obama administration reintroduce large-scale federal funding of abortion, the bishops will have to confront a grave moral question they have managed to avoid for decades, thanks to the Hyde amendment: does the payment of federal taxes that go to support abortion constitute a form of moral complicity in an "intrinsic evil"? And if so, what should the conscientious Catholic citizen do?

About which, it will be very interesting to hear what professors Kmiec, Kaveny and Cafardi have to say.

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More articles from George Weigel HERE

Really Good one Here

More Interesting Stuff for voting Catholics. This bit is from Catholic World News. The link is HERE

Full text here..

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News Briefs
US bishops to ponder excommunication of pro-abortion legislators October 14, 2008

Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, revealed in an interview with John Allen on Monday that the US bishops will discuss in November whether voting for pro-abortion legislation entails automatic excommunication. ‘I think there are several issues’ to be discussed, Bishop Kicanas said. ‘One is, what is the level of cooperation involved in a legislator voting for legislation that encourages, or allows, intrinsically evil acts? Is that formal cooperation, or isn’t it? That’s a critical question, because if it is formal cooperation, then serious consequences flow from it.’ When Allen asked, ‘You mean automatic excommunication?’ Bishop Kicanas answered, ‘Right. That’s one question that has not been answered.’ Bishop Kicanas made clear there was no consensus in the conference about that issue or about the related issue of withholding Holy Communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians.
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The Catholic Vote

2008-10-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessi just sent this to me. It's a pretty awesome video. Check it out.

Earliest Version of the Bible...What Bible?

2008-10-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this BBC article to me. It is about an early version of the "Bible". Stick around at the end of the article because there are some very important things to point out.

Here's the link to the original.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7651105.stm

-----------------------------------------------

The rival to the Bible

By Roger Bolton

What is probably the oldest known Bible is being digitised, reuniting its scattered parts for the first time since its discovery 160 years ago. It is markedly different from its modern equivalent. What's left out?
The world's oldest surviving Bible is in bits.
For 1,500 years, the Codex Sinaiticus lay undisturbed in a Sinai monastery, until it was found - or stolen, as the monks say - in 1844 and split between Egypt, Russia, Germany and Britain.
Now these different parts are to be united online and, from next July, anyone, anywhere in the world with internet access will be able to view the complete text and read a translation.

For those who believe the Bible is the inerrant, unaltered word of God, there will be some very uncomfortable questions to answer. It shows there have been thousands of alterations to today's bible.
The Codex, probably the oldest Bible we have, also has books which are missing from the Authorised Version that most Christians are familiar with today - and it does not have crucial verses relating to the Resurrection.
Anti-Semitic writings
The fact this book has survived at all is a miracle. Before its discovery in the early 19th Century by the Indiana Jones of his day, it remained hidden in St Catherine's Monastery since at least the 4th Century.

The monastery at the base of Mt Sinai
It survived because the desert air is ideal for preservation and because the monastery, on a Christian island in a Muslim sea, remained untouched, its walls unconquered.
Today, 30 mainly Greek Orthodox monks, dedicated to prayer, worship there, helped as in ages past by the Muslim Bedouin. For this place is holy to three great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam; a land where you can still see the Burning Bush where God spoke to Moses.
The monastery itself has the greatest library of early manuscripts outside the Vatican - some 33,000, and a collection of icons second to none.
Not surprisingly, it is now a World Heritage Site and has been called a veritable Ark, bringing spiritual treasures safely through the turbulent centuries. In many people's eyes the greatest treasure is the Codex, written in the time of the first Christian Emperor Constantine.
When the different parts are digitally united next year in a £1m project, anyone will be able to compare and contrast the Codex and the modern Bible.
Firstly, the Codex contains two extra books in the New Testament.
One is the little-known Shepherd of Hermas, written in Rome in the 2nd Century - the other, the Epistle of Barnabas. This goes out of its way to claim that it was the Jews, not the Romans, who killed Jesus, and is full of anti-Semitic kindling ready to be lit. "His blood be upon us," Barnabas has the Jews cry.
Discrepancies
Had this remained in subsequent versions, "the suffering of Jews in the subsequent centuries would, if possible, have been even worse", says the distinguished New Testament scholar Professor Bart Ehrman.

And although many of the other alterations and differences are minor, these may take some explaining for those who believe every word comes from God.
Faced with differing texts, which is the truly authentic one?
Mr Ehrman was a born again Bible-believing Evangelical until he read the original Greek texts and noticed some discrepancies.
The Bible we now use can't be the inerrant word of God, he says, since what we have are the sometimes mistaken words copied by fallible scribes.
"When people ask me if the Bible is the word of God I answer 'which Bible?'"
The Codex - and other early manuscripts - do not mention the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and omit key references to the Resurrection, which the Archbishop of Canterbury has said is essential for Christian belief.
Other differences concern how Jesus behaved. In one passage of the Codex, Jesus is said to be "angry" as he healed a leper, whereas the modern text records him as healing with "compassion".
Also missing is the story of the woman taken in adultery and about to be stoned - until Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (a Jewish sect), inviting anyone without sin to cast the first stone.
Nor are there words of forgiveness from the cross. Jesus does not say "Father forgive them for they know not what they do".
Fundamentalists, who believe every word in the Bible is true, may find these differences unsettling.
But the picture is complicated. Some argue that another early Bible, the Codex Vaticanus, is in fact older. And there are other earlier texts of almost all the books in the bible, though none pulled together into a single volume.
Many Christians have long accepted that, while the Bible is the authoritative word of God, it is not inerrant. Human hands always make mistakes.
"It should be regarded as a living text, something constantly changing as generation and generation tries to understand the mind of God," says David Parker, a Christian working on digitising the Codex.
Others may take it as more evidence that the Bible is the word of man, not God.

----------------------------------

Okay, so a few things to note.

***They claim this Codex was written around the time of Constantine.
Constantine died in 337 AD.

***The Biblical Canon had not been decided until (at the earliest) 382 AD at the Synod of Rome. It is more commonly attributed to the Council of Hippo in 393 and the Council of Carthage in 397. So the Church had not yet gathered all these texts to discern which are the inspired word of God. As we know there are many books that didn't make it in.

***There are many early translations of the Gospels which were written long before this Codex was written and compiled. Wouldn't it be prudent to compare those early Gospels in Greek and Hebrew to the Gospels in this Codex which are apparently missing parts?

Who the heck wrote this Codex anyways?

My husband is at the moment trying to post to the BBC website to point out some inaccuracies. Please pray for those whose faith is already shaken and those whose faith will be shaken when this version of the "Bible" becomes readily available on the internet.

UIOGD!

baby stuff

2008-09-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the chance to go up to Vancouver to visit my family and grab some hand me downs from my sister and bro-in law. I'm so glad I have an older sister that has done this 3 times already. Joy and I wandered around Babies-R-Us and she helped me put stuff on a baby registry that we'll need, but didn't even look at while I was doing my registry online. Thanks sis!

From Joy and Peter's baby superstore of a home we unloaded a whole 6 months of Kia's old clothing, a basinette, a vibrating bouncy seat, and some odds and ends for Clare's room. It was a mutual relief. Peter exclaimed, "Yes! Get stuff out of my house!!" and I thought, "Sweet, now Clare's room will have baby stuff in it!"

We also got to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad and of course the 3 munchkins. They're growing so fast! We watched Kia and Jacob go to gymnastics class. That was hilarious! Kia is very good at listening to instructions and following the teacher. Jacob....well Jacob just likes being carried, chasing Joy around, and bouncing on trampolines. Ha ha ha!!

Kia is developing the funniest personality. She likes to pretend she can read! She "read" me a whole book this weekend. She also likes to pretend that she's a tv show host and had Jon be a guest on her Macaroni and Cheese show. Jacob on the other hand was busy jumping off window sills on to my mom's couch and wandering around saying "Papa? Papa?" while looking for his grandpa. Lucas is becoming quite mobile and crawling all over the place and learning to stand up on his own. These kids are way too cute. I can't wait until my little gymnast comes to greet the world (trust me, with the way she moves she must be a gymnast).

So other things I've been pondering as I hang out at home....what sort of diapers to use. I'd really like to do something more environmentally friendly than disposables. If possible more friendly on our budget as well. I've been looking at a few choices I saw at the green festival in Seattle and trying to weigh pros and cons.

Here are the options for the cloth diapers. It seems like the bum genius ones would be the cheapest in the long run, though it depends on water usage. The gDiapers look like they'd be easiest to use, but more expensive. Take a look!! Any suggestions or advice?

Bumgeniushttp://www.bumgenius.com/one-size.php
It says on the website that you need to run these through 2 washes. That's a lot of water (how expensive will that get?). I think it's probably easier to learn how to get clean water in the long run than it is to figure out what to do with tons of non-biodegradable diapers.

Fuzzibunshttp://www.fuzzibunz.com/fuzzi_details.php
Not sure about the snaps on these.

gDiapershttp://www.gdiapers.com/gdiapers101
These are cool because they seem as convenient as regular diapers, but without the toxic non-biodegradable waste. The cons are that they're more expensive. If you're bored watch the videos on the website, they're pretty informative.

long needed update

2008-09-12T13:08:00.001-07:00

Okay folks. So this is waaaay overdue.

Here's what's happened in the last while.

In case you didn't know..... I'm pregnant!! :) 27 weeks as of today. That's a week shy of 7 months for those of you who don't like to divide. We had an ultrasound done at 20 weeks and 4 days. Here's one of the cool shots from that!

And here's one of the creepy shots where she sort of looks like an alien or skeletor. :) Ha ha!!

Yes we have picked a name for our baby girl and it's Clare Scholastica. Clare because St. Clare is totally awesome, was my Confirmation saint, and I've grown up with my mom talking about her devotion to St. Clare and the Poor Clares she used to visit and the Franciscan sisters she studied with etc. Scholastica because St. Scholastica is St. Benedict's twin sister! Jon and I really like those Benedictines. She was the abbess of the first Benedictine Convent.

If it somehow turns out that Clare is in fact not a Clare like the ultrasound technician said, our baby will be named Michael Benedict, for very similar reasons!

In other updates. We've moved....again. Gah, 8 times in 7 years(for me at least). Toooo many. The reasons for our move were two-fold.

1. Our old apartment complex decided that it wanted us to pay $120 more this year for our one bedroom apartment bringing it up to $960/month. Ick!!

2. We needed a place to put the baby when she arrived and I wasn't quite comfortable with Jon's suggestion of putting her in the living room. Ha ha ha!!

So while I was away in Sydney, Australia in July (yeah I should have posted about that too) Jon went apartment hunting. He found a place that was only 3.8 miles north of where we were currently living. The best part about this place is that it has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, it's only $15 more than we would have paid to stay at the one bedroom, and it's super close to Annie!!

We moved in about a month ago and we're at a place I'm pretty happy with in terms of unpacking. Fr. Frank came over at the end of August to our apartment warming and blessed the place for us. It was great to have him over with the crew. His eyes just about popped out when he saw Shalomers filling the apartment. It was great.

In a few weeks we'll get to make Clare's room a little more like a nursery and less like the computer/catch all room. Thankfully my older sister has had a girl already and the newest baby

has grown out of his newborn and infant stuff so I get the hand me downs!! She's also informed me that she's not currently pregnant so we will be able to use everything until Clare grows out of it!

Okay...update 3. I went to Sydney, Australia for 15 days in July to party with the Pope and 400,000 (I think) Catholic youth. I took 11 youth from St. Cecilia's and 4 other chaperones including my good friend Becky. We made it a double venture and teamed up with St. Luke's from Shoreline. All in all it was a difficult and rewarding trip, as any pilgrimmage should be. My youth were amazed at the reactions from the people of Sydney and the sheer numbers of youth all gathered in one area to pray, celebrate and learn. Many of them came away with a new view of Pope Benedict. He is a Catholic Rockstar.

We had the opportunity to ride on a boat and chase the Pope Boat in Sydney Harbour thanks to Becky and her Regnum Christi connections, listen to 2 huge presentations by Christopher West, see Fr. Stan Fortuna perform, visit the vocations expo and meet with religious from all over the world, attend the welcoming pilgrim's mass, spend the entire time in homestays, and attend the fabulous closing mass celebrated by his holiness Pope Benedict XVI. It was great. I truly hope our time there changed some lives and that we in some small way envigorated the youth and Catholics of Australia. Please pray for them as they have said seminaries and religious orders are having a difficult time attracting youth. Thank God for the surge in vocations we're seeing here. I haven't unloaded my camera of my Sydney shots so I'll have to post those another time.

Update 4 (actually they're in no particular order). Jon and I had our first rosary/potluck night last night. I got this random idea while we were praying the rosary one night last week to invite people over so we could pray with others. We had Sara and Casey over last night for dinner and prayer. It was cool! Hopefully our little group will grow and our prayers will be effective for our world and a great way for us to grow closer and offer roses to our Lady :).

And....last but not least update 5. I am no longer employed.

I decided to end my stay at St. Cecilia's at the end of July. I wanted to finish out the year with World Youth Day and make sure that the new person would have enough time to be organized and in their groove before they started the new year of ministry in September. So I stepped down and the old youth minister stepped back in!! Crazy how things work. So at the moment I'm hanging out doing the housewife thing and enjoying sleep before the little sleep stealer (I mean bundle of joy) comes in December. So far I've learned how to bake a pretty good pie, bake my own wheat bread, and been amazed at the wonders of the Kitchen Aid mixer. :)

That's all folks!

We are the Catholic Church

2008-06-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

This is the coolest video!! I was listening to Sacred Heart Radio this morning and heard this commercial so I decided to try to find it hoping that it was a video and not just a radio clip! Lo and behold it is!! Enjoy! Celebrate being Catholic!!! Woohoo!!!

Catholic Church Commercial

Here's another cool one. It's from the Catholics Come Home website. Cool stuff!!!

I can't post it so if you want to see it click here

Vegan or Vegetarian

2008-04-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting this. This is hilarious. It's from the Catholic Answers forums. Hee hee!!!!

KARL KEATING'S E-LETTER
October 5, 2004TOPICS: Discuss
Index Prior issue Next issue Sign up
EAT RIGHT--OR ELSE
Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:I warned you last week that this would be a pre-recorded installment of the E-Letter. As you read this I am on the Catholic Answers cruise; the itinerary says we should be at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, today.I suppose I could have figured out how to compose a fresh E-Letter while on board ship, but I prefer to leave the office at the office. Consider what follows your penance for the day.
* * * * *
On September 20 I came across an intriguing thread at the Catholic Answers discussion forums. The topic was "Why I Am a Catholic Vegan."When I first came across the word "vegan" some years ago, I thought it was a neologism that referred to extraterrestrials from a planet orbiting Vega, which is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. Maybe I had been watching too many science fiction movies.It turned out that "vegan" came into use around 1944 and means "a strict vegetarian, one that consumes no animal food or dairy products." A run-of-the-mill vegetarian refuses to eat meat but will consume milk, cheese, and eggs. A vegan won't touch even those items because they come from animals.My contribution to the discussion about "Why I Am a Catholic Vegan" was post number 27. I reproduce it below. If you want to read the whole discussion, go to:http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=15375

* * * * *

I find vegetarians and vegans to be inconsistent in their principles and inconsiderate in their practices. The chief problem is that, while both disapprove of killing animals, they approve of killing plants.

From Catholic theology we know that man, animals, and plants all have souls. Man's soul is a spirit and therefore is immortal. The souls of animals and plants, as St. Thomas Aquinas noted, are material principles. They die when the animals and plants die.

Thus there is a symmetry between animals and plants. There is no good reason to treat them differently. It is false to say that animals must be protected but that plants are expendable.

I don't think it's right to kill either animals or plants. Thus I subsist on water and minerals only. I use a mortar and pestle to grind up a complex of minerals that works for me. I admit that the taste leaves a bit to be desired, but that is a small price to pay for doing the right thing.

In this part of the country I can find all the minerals I want at abandoned quarries and mines. We do have a lot of sandstone, though, and I have to work around it because I don't care for the gritty feel in my mouth.

My favorite mineral is tourmaline, particularly the deeper shades. They result in a smoother taste. Garnet isn't too bad either, but I know it upsets some people's stomachs.Since I'm against killing animals and plants, I'm also against using their byproducts. Not only does this mean no fur but also no cotton or other natural fibers. Everything I wear is synthetic. This has made for some problems during humid weather--another reason I live in the arid Southwest.

Recently, I admit, I've come into a moral conundrum. I tardily have realized that the synthetics I wear are made from petroleum, and petroleum ultimately comes from animals and plants. If I don't believe in eating dead animals and plants, how can I justify wearing them?

I have tried to fashion clothing out of inorganic matter but am having trouble doing so. The best I have done is to make a long tunic out of wired-together oblongs of glass. The tunic looks okay, but I sound like a wind chime whenever I walk. I find I can't sit down because that would shatter the glass, and I could end up with shards in my posterior.

I am considering using metal instead of glass, but I don't have a furnace hot enough to work pieces of it. I suppose I could take the easy route and use an old 55-gallon barrel, but that would look cheesy (and barrels are heavy!). As with the glass tunic, I wouldn't be able to sit, since a barrel has no flex.

One alternative is aluminum foil, but I shy away from wrapping myself in it because it crinkles at every movement and can appear a bit immodest if not properly draped.

I always have prided myself in applying first principles consistently, but I seem to have brought myself to an impasse. Yet I can't escape the logic. If it is wrong to kill and eat animals, it is wrong to kill and eat plants. (I have known some plants that were smarter than some animals, so please don't tell me that what matters is the respective intelligence.)

And if it is wrong to kill and eat animals and plants, it is wrong to kill them and use them for any other purpose, such as clothing ...

Wait a minute! I think I just reasoned myself into a solution! My problem has been using dead things, particularly dead plants, as clothing.

All I need to do is to figure out how to adorn myself with live plants. Maybe I could make a tunic out of small clay pots, each of which grows a leafy plant.

Yes, that's it! I even could do Adam one better if each pot grew a miniature fig tree.

* * * * *

Well, that was my contribution to the discussion. Make of it what you will.As I said, at the moment I am on the Catholic Answers cruise. Cruises are known for their cuisine. The chefs serve up just about every kind of dish one can imagine--and you can eat as much as you can stomach.Vegetarians and vegans have no trouble finding plenty to fill their plates when on cruises, but I'll have to see whether provisions are made for folks on a strict mineral diet. I'll let you know.

from: http://www.catholic.com/newsletters/kke_041005.asp

Fun tips for my engaged friends

2008-03-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

So there were a few things that Jon and I did before our wedding that proved to be really wonderful and extremely fruitful for us.

1. Go to mass together as often as you can.
2. Get to confession together.
3. Pray the rosary every day and every time you're together.
4. Begin praying the psalms like a countdown to your wedding. We didn't start until the 40th(?) day until before our wedding. So start early if you can with day 150 on the countdown and start with psalm 150. It'll be fun once you start getting closer.
5. Stop kissing each other 40 days before your wedding. It's like a lent/easter sort of idea. (Ours was an extended Advent/Christmas 'cuz our wedding was in the liturgical Christmas season).
6. Begin praying the Novena to St. Joseph together 8 days before your wedding and finish the novena on your wedding night. I didn't fully realize what an amazing husband and father St. Joseph was until we began praying this novena (I'd never said it before.)
7. Go to adoration together the night before your wedding. We did it right before our rehearsal. It was our last hour alone as single people. We were alone...with Christ. It was so awesome.

Marriage is so awesome guys. We are just continually feeling the grace from this Sacrament. It's so powerful and so unique. Happy Wedding planning and marriage prep!!!

UIOGD

Lenten food from Benedict XVI

2008-02-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

We have an awesome Pope! As I was searching for information on Food Fast which we're doing for our teens I found this on the Catholic Relief Services website. During Lent we're called to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. This is an awesome message from the Pope about the spirit of Almsgiving. Enjoy!!

UIOGD,
Val

Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008

"Christ made Himself poor for you" (2 Cor 8,9)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Each year, Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters. In the Lenten period, the Church makes it her duty to propose some specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal: these are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. For this year's Lenten Message, I wish to spend some time reflecting on the practice of almsgiving, which represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the same time, an exercise in self-denial to free us from attachment to worldly goods. The force of attraction to material riches and just how categorical our decision must be not to make of them an idol, Jesus confirms in a resolute way: "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Lk 16,13). Almsgiving helps us to overcome this constant temptation, teaching us to respond to our neighbor's needs and to share with others whatever we possess through divine goodness. This is the aim of the special collections in favor of the poor, which are promoted during Lent in many parts of the world. In this way, inward cleansing is accompanied by a gesture of ecclesial communion, mirroring what already took place in the early Church. In his Letters, Saint Paul speaks of this in regard to the collection for the Jerusalem community (cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27).

According to the teaching of the Gospel, we are not owners but rather administrators of the goods we possess: these, then, are not to be considered as our exclusive possession, but means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of His providence for our neighbor. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, material goods bear a social value, according to the principle of their universal destination (cf. n. 2404)
In the Gospel, Jesus explicitly admonishes the one who possesses and uses earthly riches only for self. In the face of the multitudes, who, lacking everything, suffer hunger, the words of Saint John acquire the tone of a ringing rebuke: "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?" (1 Jn 3,17). In those countries whose population is majority Christian, the call to share is even more urgent, since their responsibility toward the many who suffer poverty and abandonment is even greater. To come to their aid is a duty of justice even prior to being an act of charity.

The Gospel highlights a typical feature of Christian almsgiving: it must be hidden: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing," Jesus asserts, "so that your alms may be done in secret" (Mt 6,3-4). Just a short while before, He said not to boast of one's own good works so as not to risk being deprived of the heavenly reward (cf. Mt 6,1-2). The disciple is to be concerned with God's greater glory. Jesus warns: "In this way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Mt 5,16). Everything, then, must be done for God's glory and not our own. This understanding, dear brothers and sisters, must accompany every gesture of help to our neighbor, avoiding that it becomes a means to make ourselves the center of attention. If, in accomplishing a good deed, we do not have as our goal God's glory and the real well-being of our brothers and sisters, looking rather for a return of personal interest or simply of applause, we place ourselves outside of the Gospel vision. In today's world of images, attentive vigilance is required, since this temptation is great. Almsgiving, according to the Gospel, is not mere philanthropy: rather it is a concrete expression of charity, a theological virtue that demands interior conversion to love of God and neighbor, in imitation of Jesus Christ, who, dying on the cross, gave His entire self for us. How could we not thank God for the many people who silently, far from the gaze of the media world, fulfill, with this spirit, generous actions in support of one's neighbor in difficulty? There is little use in giving one's personal goods to others if it leads to a heart puffed up in vainglory: for this reason, the one, who knows that God "sees in secret" and in secret will reward, does not seek human recognition for works of mercy.

In inviting us to consider almsgiving with a more profound gaze that transcends the purely material dimension, Scripture teaches us that there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. Acts 20,35). When we do things out of love, we express the truth of our being; indeed, we have been created not for ourselves but for God and our brothers and sisters (cf. 2 Cor 5,15). Every time when, for love of God, we share our goods with our neighbor in need, we discover that the fullness of life comes from love and all is returned to us as a blessing in the form of peace, inner satisfaction and joy. Our Father in heaven rewards our almsgiving with His joy. What is more: Saint Peter includes among the spiritual fruits of almsgiving the forgiveness of sins: "Charity," he writes, "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Pt 4,8). As the Lenten liturgy frequently repeats, God offers to us sinners the possibility of being forgiven. The fact of sharing with the poor what we possess disposes us to receive such a gift. In this moment, my thought turns to those who realize the weight of the evil they have committed and, precisely for this reason, feel far from God, fearful and almost incapable of turning to Him. By drawing close to others through almsgiving, we draw close to God; it can become an instrument for authentic conversion and reconciliation with Him and our brothers.

Almsgiving teaches us the generosity of love. Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo forthrightly recommends: "Never keep an account of the coins you give, since this is what I always say: if, in giving alms, the left hand is not to know what the right hand is doing, then the right hand, too, should not know what it does itself" (Detti e pensieri, Edilibri, n. 201). In this regard, all the more significant is the Gospel story of the widow who, out of her poverty, cast into the Temple treasury "all she had to live on" (Mk 12,44). Her tiny and insignificant coin becomes an eloquent symbol: this widow gives to God not out of her abundance, not so much what she has, but what she is. Her entire self. We find this moving passage inserted in the description of the days that immediately precede Jesus' passion and death, who, as Saint Paul writes, made Himself poor to enrich us out of His poverty (cf. 2 Cor 8,9); He gave His entire self for us. Lent, also through the practice of almsgiving, inspires us to follow His example. In His school, we can learn to make of our lives a total gift; imitating Him, we are able to make ourselves available, not so much in giving a part of what we possess, but our very selves. Cannot the entire Gospel be summarized perhaps in the one commandment of love? The Lenten practice of almsgiving thus becomes a means to deepen our Christian vocation. In gratuitously offering himself, the Christian bears witness that it is love and not material richness that determines the laws of his existence. Love, then, gives almsgiving its value; it inspires various forms of giving, according to the possibilities and conditions of each person.

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent invites us to "train ourselves" spiritually, also through the practice of almsgiving, in order to grow in charity and recognize in the poor Christ Himself. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the Apostle Peter said to the cripple who was begging alms at the Temple gate: "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk" (Acts 3,6). In giving alms, we offer something material, a sign of the greater gift that we can impart to others through the announcement and witness of Christ, in whose name is found true life. Let this time, then, be marked by a personal and community effort of attachment to Christ in order that we may be witnesses of His love. May Mary, Mother and faithful Servant of the Lord, help believers to enter the "spiritual battle" of Lent, armed with prayer, fasting and the practice of almsgiving, so as to arrive at the celebration of the Easter Feasts, renewed in spirit. With these wishes, I willingly impart to all my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, February 2008

Taken from http://crs.org/united-states/pope-lent-2008/

Professional Photos

2008-02-12T15:59:00.001-08:00

http://www.pictage.com/430819

Here's the link to the photos!

My husband is getting me interested in this stuff....

2008-02-10T15:01:00.001-08:00

Here's a great article written by Archbishop Chaput called "Better Citizens, More Faithful Catholics". It's intention is to help us prepare for November.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0190.htm

Check it out!

Sidenote** Just got the professional photos of the wedding!! I know it's silly and probably a bit vain, but it's so fun to look at wedding pictures!!

UIOGD.

Freakin' Politics

2008-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well, all I have to say about politics is, this election is sad. Trying to vote your conscience where nothing works with your conscience is a rock/hardplace. I just felt like posting this important information from the Catholic Church. http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/excerpt.shtml

"Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. In these brief reflections, we highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.

Life and Dignity of the Human Person

The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

Call to Family, Community, and Participation

The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our societyin economics and politics, in law and policy directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Rights and Responsibilities

The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

Solidarity

We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that “if you want peace, work for justice.”1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.

Care for God’s Creation

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
This summary should only be a starting point for those interested in Catholic social teaching. A full understanding can only be achieved by reading the papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents that make up this rich tradition.

For a copy of the complete text of Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (No. 5-281) and other social teaching documents, call 800-235-8722. "

It's also important I think to recognize that these themes of Catholic Social Teaching are arranged in a specific order. They all hold importance, but also build upon each other. If the basic dignity of the human person is not upheld then the following precept cannot be upheld etc. This is of the utmost importance when forming our consciences to make decisions which impact our country.

Don't take the Church lightly. She doesn't take you lightly.

January 5th 2008

2008-01-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm Married!! The wedding was the most beautiful nuptial mass I could ever have asked for. It was absolutely amazing.

Readings!!!

2007-11-25T23:38:00.000-08:00

1st reading Jeremiah 31:31-34

Response Psalm 128

2nd reading Revelation 19:1, 5-9

Gospel John 17:20-26

These are the readings that we're having at the wedding.

Today's Feast Day

2007-11-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FEAST OF ALL SAINTS

Music to set the tone…. http://www.spiritandsong.com/jukebox/listen/11867_1_5.asx

SOME QUOTES FROM THE SAINTS:

"Nothing but self-will can separate us from God." ~~ Saint Alphonsus Ligouri

"It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey." ~~ Saint Ignatius of Loyola

"It is a form of trade, you see. I ask God for souls and pay Him by giving up everything else." ~~ Saint John Bosco

"To be criticized, denounced, and despised by good men, by our own friends and relatives is a severe test of virtue." ~~Saint Frances de Sales

"Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine." ~~~ Saint Thomas Aquinas

"God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry." ~~ Saint John Vianney

"Learn to hate your faults, but to hate them calmly." ~~ Saint (Padre) Pio

"To sin is human, but to persist in sin is devilish."!! ~~ Saint Catherine of Siena

"Even if you are committing mortal sins, keep on praying, and I guarantee you will reach the harbor of salvation." ~~ Saint Teresa of Avila

Here are some from Saints that I want to be closer to. These guys are awesome!

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self"-St. Francis of Assisi

"When You have loved Him, You are chaste; when you have touched Him, You become more pure; when you have accepted Him, You are a virgin."-St. Clare of Assisi

"Listen carefully, my son, to the Master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice. The labor of obedience will bring you back to him from whom you had drifted through the sloth of disobedience. This message of mine is for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for the true king, Christ the Lord." -St. Benedict

"I asked a favor of you," Scholastica replied simply, "and you refused it. I asked it of God, and He has granted it!"-St. Scholastica
Ha ha! Funny story that goes along with this.

"I will wait for as long as you wish. It's just that I do not want our union to be delayed through any fault of mine. Meanwhile, I am going to do my best to make myself a beautiful wedding dress, all studded with jewels. I am sure, my Beloved, that when you consider it sufficiently adorned, no one will be able to prevent you from coming down and uniting me to you forever."

- St. Therese of Lisieux"St. Therese by those who knew her

"When Jesus told her, "Teresa, that's how I treat my friends" Teresa responded, "No wonder you have so few friends." "But what do I know. I'm just a wretched woman."

Sometimes her whole body was raised from the ground. If she felt God was going to levitate her body, she stretched out on the floor and called the nuns to sit on her and hold her down.

-St. Teresa of Avila http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=208

"Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus."

"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness."

"Today it is very fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately, it is not fashionable to talk with them."

-Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first.

Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall and right there, where the enemies could see it, she had the Blessed Sacrament placed. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters. "O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. A voice seemed to answer: "I will keep them always in My care."

"Totally love Him who gave Himself over totally for love of you."

"Ever since I have known the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ no suffering has been bothersome, no penance too severe, no infirmity has been hard."

St. Clare of Assisi http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=215

Pax Christi. Have a wonderful Feast Day!!

Revelations

2007-10-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Wow....I have to admit I'm not well read on the book of Revelations. I was checking out a facebook group that I belong to called "Warriors of Light" and this was on the group site. I never knew this was in the Bible. If you ever need any more evidence that the Devil does not like women and is trying to destroy the dignity of women check this out....

7 And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels: 8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of the testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth, and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man child: 14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman, water as it were a river; that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 18 And he stood upon the sand of the sea.

-Revelations 12:7-16

The attack of Satan on Mary, on the dignity of women, and those who believe in God. Mary's place in God's plan and her holiness. The saving Blood of Christ. Man, this passage has it all.

107

2007-09-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

107 days and counting. I can't believe it's coming up so quickly.
Yay we for sure have a photographer. He's got awesome stuff

Take a look

We also have a priest, for sure this time.
Fr. Quithac is presiding.
Fr. Matthew is concelebrating.
Fr. Abbot is concelebrating and giving the homily.

Woohoo! I'll probably contact Fr. Frank sometime soon to see if he'd be able to come. That'd be sweet.

More Archbishops like this

2007-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hey check out this awesome article about a rad Archbishop from Argentina! We need more guys like this to stand up and tell it how it is. Go Church!

Archbishop denounces “Catholics” who fight against Church teaching

Now this was a really interesting article. I wonder how this is going to play out for World Youth Day. Well the theme is based on Acts 1:8 so we'll see how everything works out in Australia!!

Australian Muslims to join in World Youth Day planning

While searching for info to give to my students I found this!!!

2007-08-13T14:28:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this amazing article I found in a back issue of "This Rock". This is my generation!!! Woohoo!!! I was searching for information to give my youth group kids on choosing a good CATHOLIC University and I found this article. Definite pick me up after that nasty article with the bitter lady talking about Tridentine Mass. Check this out, it's from 1996 too.

"Sour Grapes and other Bitter Fruits"

Cool!

2007-08-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting this. Click to see the article. The videos are below.

Seminarians bring Church’s teaching on contraception, sexuality to YouTube

The Originals

FOCCUS

2007-08-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ah it's been a while since I've blogged. So here's the update recently.

June - engagement party
July - engaged encounter and 1 year anniversary.
August - FOCCUS inventory.

So far we've discovered that we're okay and we can still get married. Phew!!

Engaged encounter was pretty good. The format was basically:

hear a talk from a married couple on some issue like Unity in Marriage, or Finances in Marriage, or Children etc.
Then journal on a bunch of questions relating to the talk separate from your "potential spousal unit" as they call them
get back together and read your P.S.U.'s response and then talk about it.

It was a neat process. All in all, Jon and I had talked about.... oh 95% of the stuff brought up. It wasn't all new. But I did discover a lot about myself. It was also a good examination of the way I show love and go about loving in a self-sacrificial way. I think that was more of the spin Jon and I took on it anyways, becuase most of the material wasn't incredibly Catholic.
It wasn't anti-Catholic, I'd just say it was a little vague. The whole weekend was kind of a strange attempt at ecumenism at a Catholic Engaged Encounter, yet still fruitful for us and definitely worth going to. Especially after the bethrothal pledge part! So cool, but I won't ruin the surprise for those of you who don't know what it is. It's just darned cool. At least Jon's pledge to me was amazing. For those of you who have had the pleasure of reading his poetry/writing you can probably imagine what this would be like.

Hmm....as for the other stuff. The engagement party was hilarious. If you have "friended" me on facebook you may have seen some strange pictures from the games we played at the party. It was also really cool to have western people, friends from home, my family, and Jon's family all there having fun and eating, as Jess put it, enough food to feed a small African nation, as is Filipino custom.

We took the FOCCUS test this weekend.
If you're wondering what that is you can google it.
I was a little apprehensive about taking it at first because it sounded like a compatibility test.
(It gave me the feeling that if we passed this test we should get married, and if we didn't then we shouldn't, black and white, tough beans, try again later. Ick!)
And while it sort of is a test like that, it's really just an inventory to make sure that you've talked about various things that a couple should talk about before getting married. It shows you how much your agreement as a couple on certain issues agrees with the ideal Christian marriage.

For instance one of the questions might be "I am concerned that abusive relationships in the past will affect my role as a husband/wife" and then you check agree, disagree, or undecided.

There are certain topics like financial issues, family of origin, personality, communication, views on sex etc. So you take the inventory. Someone scores it, it was the PAFF at MQP that did ours, and then you get back together with the scorer and discuss the places where you disagreed with each other, and the places where you disagreed with the test's preferred answers (basically the preferred answer is the answer that you'd want if you were in a well functioning Catholic relationship) .

Well we scored very well. I think the test scorer even seemed a little surprized at how well we did, so things are cool. No more test anxiety. And again, even though I doubted and was a little anxious it was fruitful and well worth it. As it turns out, there are also a few things we discovered that we haven't discussed in detail. So, yeah, cool.
I think it would be great if all couples discerning marriage had to take that inventory to make sure that they've talked about all that stuff. Though, I wonder if that's what happens during regular marriage prep anyways. It's interesting how this stuff works.

Anyways, today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. I hope you are having a wonderful summer and for those of you who take "vacay" during this time I hope you are being renewed and transformed so you're up and raring to go spread some more good news once the fall hits. I feel like it's Advent or Lent with all this preparation and anticipation. God is so cool.

UIOGD

This makes.....

2007-07-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

a. Me sad
b. My blood pressure rise
c. Want to pray for the soul of Joan Chittister

Look at this horrendous article

If you haven't been caught up on the news here it is. You have to read the entire thing before you can comment intelligently.

From the US Bishops on Benedict's Motu Proprio

From EWTN on the statement from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith

The Actual Document recently released from the CDF from the Vatican

the problem with mantillas

2007-06-19T14:18:00.001-07:00

okay so the spanish mantilla,
super cool. But does it work if you pull it forward to have a blusher as well? Take a look
http://www.weddingveil.com/veils2/content/show_xlarge_photos.php?id=20602

Yay!!!!!

2007-06-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

update!!
We have a priest!!! Yay!!! We've been praying that he would say yes and thank God, he's answered our prayers!!!
Fr. Abbot John Braganza
of
Westminster Abbey in Mission, BC
will be officiating our wedding!

That's him showing off the bells in the huge bell tower. So excited!!! Yay!

Also, Arizona was great. It was nice to get away into the hot sun for a while and be refreshed with a kick in the butt for my ministry. At the end of the year it's easy to start feeling burned out, or allowing yourself to feel that way, or even slipping into the "good enough" mentality. This conference did a nice jumpstart to get me back into the mentality I had when I started the job. With God using me as his instrument my job is to lead teens closer to Him! It's a relief to have a savior! It's a relief to remember that the ministry isn't about me, it's about God. It was a refreshment to remember how exciting it can be to work on the front lines!! Good conference, not without things to improve on.....but nonetheless, in retrospect, I've deemed it a worthwhile for me.

Long time again..

2007-05-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm a slacker. But I'll use wedding planning and work as an excuse again. It seems like the last month and a half has just swept by, but not without being productive. So far we've got

the Church booked. St. Edmund's in North Vancouver

The hall basically booked.

Click here for the virtual tour

The honeymoon booked....

...at the Secrets Excellence Riviera Cancun

I have a dress.

But I can't put up a picture because then Jon will know what it looks like.

It's a Maggie Sottero and I got it at Alicia's Bridal in Bellingham.

Send me a message if you want to see it :)

We have a guest list.

Around 150 people

We've started thinking about what to put on the invitations etc...They should be pretty cool looking.

So we're doing alright. We even had some time to go on a few amusement park rides last weekend. Unfortunately I went on a few too many spinny rides and got a little bit dizzy.....

Anywhoo, God is making things work out and is helping us grow closer and I think has helped me with patience a little bit. If not I must be too busy to notice :)

My new favorite thing, listening to Jon read "Light and Peace" by Quadrupani.

Engaged!!! The story....

2007-04-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

Yep that's right! Engaged!!! Woohoo!! God is so good.

April 14th - Saturday in the Octave of Easter.

Okay so I can't say I was completely suprized, but it was still a surprize. Let's just say Jon's been really secretive, but I like to speculate. We were planning out what to do for the weekend and Jon seemed unusually insistent that we go to adoration in the morning rather than in the afternoon when it worked better. So I said, okay we can go to daily mass and then adoration afterwards on Saturday morning. (at this point I was a tad suspicious).

We went to daily mass, then we thought that the sanctuary would empty out a bit so we could say the rosary in front of the tabernacle, but there was a whole bunch of old ladies in the church that started the rosary so we stayed and prayed with them, then we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

After that we left the church. While we were walking towards the car I thought, "Oh well, I guess it won't be today." Because I thought he would propose in the sanctuary. So we got to the car and he opened the door for me and on the seat was a teddy bear with the words "Marry Me" on the stomach. I believe I said something like "How did that get there? That wasn't there before we left for mass." Then I turned around and Jon got down on one knee and said something like... "It's become apparent to me that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and that you are the one with whom I want to walk to Christ. Val will you marry me?" And...no I did not cry. But I was really really excited, and of course I said, "Yes!!"

As it turns out, my mom was in on the whole thing. He gave my mom a key to his car and she brought the teddy bear while we were inside at Mass. She also had all my aunts and uncles and Joy and Peter come over for lunch as a surprise to all of them. Joy and Peter's reactions were great! And ladies, here's the picture of the ring. Jon did a good job :)
Jon and I and the "Marry Me" bear.

Yay!! Engaged!!! This is so surreal.

I miss....

2007-04-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

I just read the bio for my friend Tyler's band "SaidtheWhale". Absolute genius. My friend Hamish wrote it. It brought back my fondest memories of Evans Lake. Laying on the field watching stars and the northern lights listening to Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the Moon". Going on midnight excursions around the lake to the muskrat rock. I really feel like I've been smacked in the face by nostaligia. Missing so many things and people. Evans Lake, high school, Bellingham, Friends. Oh to return..
I wonder if when we get to heaven and are outside of time with our Lord we'll be allowed to experience the joy which he graced upon us in those exsquisite moments of our lives. I suppose being in the presence of God can be the most exquisite experience inside and outside of time.

Bouncing from grace to grace

abandoning everything for heaven

for every taste of heaven on this earth

Longing for the one exquisite

moment of eternity

with my God

Jesus Christ

Lover of the world.

It's been a pretty cool lent. Very different in character than last year, with different trials, but thankfully still fruitful. Last year seemed to be a struggle to get the spiritual car started whereas this year putting on the brakes was incredibly difficult. I definately got some great chunks of scripture that hit me at just the right angle on some days like Philippians 3:12-14

Some wonderful opportunities for spiritual direction, a few bites of lectio divina, incredible experiences serving and teaching my teens, learning the hard way, patience building.

Dei gratias.

Have a blessed Holy Week.

Core meeting

2007-03-03T00:45:00.000-08:00

I was chatting with one of my core members yesterday after our monthly meeting and since we've been studying TOB with the teens he wanted to share this thought about the Fall of Man. He basically said, when thinking about the fall he came to the realization that, before Original Sin entered in, everything that Adam and Eve did glorified God. Every moment of their existence gave glory to God. Whether it be naming an animal, walking around, or eating. Their whole existence lived out Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus. That phrase which I so nonchalantly have as my signature on all of my e-mails. This was what we were meant for before our sin ruined us. Anyways, it was one of those moments where a familiar phrase or concept does the 12 inch drop from your head to your heart. He said that after coming to that realization he then began to examine his daily life. He began to think what percentage of his day did he give glory to God? How much of the day do we fail in this, our primary vocation? To love and live in Love ...Deus Caritas Est? It was one of those moments where your soul and mind collide and you realize that you were meant for God and that doing anything that didn't glorify Him was just fluff or dangerous. Ah Lent. What a wonderful time of self examination. Sorry God, thanks for the patience.

I hope I can shape up and make this Lent as fruitful as last year. I'm in such different circumstances. Total spin from....on my way to visit a convent and see if Benedictine cloistered life is for me.....to.......working in the Church with youth and trying to make time to pray and see my boyfriend. But, as St. Teresa of Avila says.......
Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee;
All things are passing;
God never changeth;
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth.

Just thought I'd share that 12-inch drop moment with all of you. Hope you're all having fruitful Lenten time. UIOGD :)

Patron Saint of snow?

2007-03-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Snow, really? Stop already. This is ridiculous. Spring is supposed to happen in March, not Winter's sequel.

Well my first attempt driving in the snow was not so successful, though I didn't put myself in a ditch which means I wasn't a total failure. I tried to go up the usual hill I go up every morning, but started skidding right away and slid backwards a little bit. Thankfully there was no one around so I backed down the hill. When I tried to go forward in the direction of my house I again had no traction and had to go heavy on the gas before anything moved....bad noises, poor engine. So I kind of slid back into my driveway. Both of the roads I could take to get to the main hwy to get off the Island were iced over. Not good for me. Bah. Time to invest in some chains..... Is there a patron saint of snow?

trabajo

2007-02-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

It's Jon's first day of work. Yay!

Balance? What's that?

2007-02-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it's been a long time since I've written. I think the title of this entry says it all. February was just plain nuts. March is going to start off like that, but taper down nicely in time for Holy Week.
Lent has begun. I think I'm going to try to take a personal retreat at the Abbey in March to slow my lent down and really balance my life. I've got the list of things to stay away from and the list of things I need to start doing. Apparently I'm better at depriving myself than motivating myself.

I think I'm starting to feel the groove of this youth ministry thing. We had our first retreat (though only one day) last weekend. We split up the girls and the guys for a whole day. The retreat was centered around the Cardinal virtues - Temperance, Prudence, Justice, and Fortitude. It turned out to be a really good time, and surprizingly not as exhausting as I was expecting Thanks to my two favorite Catholic Maple Ridge girls aka Donne and Kristine. We had a great time.

There was a great quote from the weekend....Ephesians 6:10-20
It's all about putting on the armor of God. Good stuff :)

It's a real blessing to be a Youth Minister. I find that God is constantly challenging me each week on what I'm teaching these teens. There's always some sort of interaction the week that I'm teaching that leads directly to practicing what I preach. Thanks God :) Always making sure I stay humble.

We're coming upon the end of our study of Theology of the Body soon. Next week is contraception and abortion and the week after is vocations. Please pray for us. As with all the topics we've covered with TOB these are highly controversial and the teens are so immersed in the world it's hard to clear the "deep yogurt" from their eyes sometimes.

As we start to fundraise for World Youth Day in Australia I'm reeling from the thought of what next year could be like. I can't believe that it's going to be March soon.

Since I've just spent the weekend hanging out with a couple ladies discerning the sisterhood, and I'm going to be doing a night on Vocations with the Middle School I was looking at vocations videos....I thought this one was cool. Enjoy. UIOGD.

Veritas

2007-01-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Here we go. www.stanwoodveritas.blogspot.com
It's the competition of the Young Adult Groups!

Kolkata

2007-01-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

January is Poverty Awareness Month

Last night I taught the middle schoolers about poverty. Kolkata came up. I started looking for videos on YouTube to put on the youth group blog when I came across this. The trip to Calcutta, India changed my life. There are a few really familiar shots in this video.
1. Hotel Modern Lodge. This hostel was just off Sudder Street where most of the volunteers to the Missionaries of Charity found their lodging. It wasn't really modern, but it gave us security, a place to sleep, showers, and squat toilets. More than most have in Calcutta.

2. JoJo's restaurant. We ate at this place every day for the first two weeks (we got more adventurous after that). We ate there so much that the owner gave us t-shirts. The waiters there are cool, and they had air conditioning which was a big plus. Good prices, awesome lassis, and it was right beside the Hotel Modern Lodge.

Take a look at Calcutta. I want to go back, but next time I'll take a steroid inhaler and different Malaria medication. Darned side-effects.

Ah to be....

2007-01-05T00:31:00.000-08:00

To be a Catholic. Thank you God.

It's fun to sometimes stop and count your blessings. I did that tonight after griping about how someone at the Archdiocesan office keeps forgetting to put me on the Youth Minister e-mail list so I find out about the important professional events super late. I stopped right afterwards and realized....Thank God I even have the Archdiocese! I began to remember a conversation I had early on in September with a Lutheran YM about how she had no structure, she didn't know what to teach, she didn't have any support from a larger organization, there was no organization, etc etc... To top it off they had just gotten a new pastor and were beginning to re-evaluate what they believed as a church and how they worshipped.

I could not imagine what it would be like to try to do this job without the structure, tradition, magisterium, and 2000 years of unchanged truth that this Church holds. Thank God for the Catholic Church. Thank you God for blessing me with this faith to begin with. Yay God! Yay Parents! Yay Catholic School teachers who did things right!

If you're Catholic, celebrate. There's a lot to be greatful for and lots of richness to share with our separated (hopefully for not too long) brethren.

Holy Days

2007-01-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
Happy Feast day of the Holy Family!
Happy New Year/Feast of Mary the Mother of God
and Happy Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
....so many awesome Holy Days packed into such a short amount of time.

Some highlights of last week....

-seeing Kia and Jacob
-seeing my Great Aunt
-having Jon come up and spend time with my family during the Holidays
-Accidentally stumbling upon the Archbishop's Mass at the Holy Rosary Cathedral for Pro-Life intentions on the feast of the Holy Innocents
-receiving the Eucharist kneeling down at Mass
-going to vespers and adoration at 11:00 on New Year's Eve
-listening to an Ave Maria/ Still Still Still remix by the awesome choir at St. Luke's at Midnight Mass
-shopping with mom
-watching Dad open his presents
-showing Jon random bits of Vancouver like Robson St. and Ikea
-having friends over for my "Party for Jesus" at my apartment

So much Joy it's hard to believe.
Speaking of Joy, I came to really enjoy something amazing today at daily Mass. I had no idea when I walked upstairs to daily mass today at work that it was the feast day of the Holy Name of Jesus. I suppose I didn't really understand what the feast day was for. But as I waited for Fr. Matthew to get ready to say Mass I read the little blurb in my Magnificat for January and it made some amazing connections in my brain very quickly. I love when that happens. It feels the same way when I do lectio divina....like the Lord is whispering something just for you and then smiling at you saying "you got it! Good!" Well maybe it will happen for you if you read it too. I might be breaking some copyright law or something....but it's okay if I attribute it to Magnificat magazine right? ....

The Lord Jesus promised, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do" (Jn 14:13). For "the name 'Jesus' contains all... His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies" (CCC 2666). "You have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 6:11). For there is no "other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4:12). This memorial (p.55) provides us the chance to live with special attentiveness before the Holy Name. "If you think the name 'Jesus' continually, it purges your sin and kindles your heart; it clarifies your soul, it removes anger and does away with slowness. It wounds in love and fulfills charity. It chases the devil and puts out dread. It opens heaven and makes you a contemplative. It puts all vices and phantoms out from the lover" (Richard Rolle)

This blurb in the Magnificat about the Wednesday before Epiphany had such a huge effect on me this morning. I decided after finishing it that I'd try thinking 'Jesus' over and over continuously. I think I've done it before, or continuously thought something like "Jesus Christ Son of the Living God have mercy on me a sinner", but God must have given me some extra graces this morning (Thanks for fasting Jon and E5 guys!) to help me understand some things. For some reason thinking 'Jesus' over and over magnified the readings and made things come alive this morning. It was like breathing Holy Spirit filled air or something.

As I approached in the line to receive the Eucharist I heard a friend of mine sigh a huge sigh while in line that implied a sentiment of awe and excitement to receive the Eucharist. It was almost a sigh that said in itself "incredible". At that moment I thought..."how true. It's so difficult to really believe that Jesus is that piece of bread, yet when you believe it...how amazing! How incredible that our Lord loves us that much." I was overwhelmed with this burst of faith and gratitude to Our Lord for loving us so simply, with such complexity, and with an unfailing desire for us. It brought confidence and faith to other loves that I'm greatful for and sometimes can't believe I've been graced with..... All in all a wonderful day of simple graces found merely in repeating the name that contains all. The name that contains the presence it signifies. What profound words.

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:10-11

Coolest thing....

2006-12-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Archbishop is asking everyone to fast on Wednesdays during Advent for peace. I got a text message from one of my youth today saying "Val it's (teen name here). if ur fasting can u have bread?" !!! Yay!!! My teens are observing the fast requested by the Archbishop!! Well, at least one of them is! Ehem....these teens are so cool. Thanks for the rad job God.

Sleep patterns....

2006-12-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

I don't know if any of you are used to experiencing sleep interruptions, but lately they seem to be coming on a lot for me. The last week or so I've been waking up at 6:30am for no reason. I can't figure it out, I mean it's not like I'm going to sleep early. Right at the beginning of the advent season I made a comment to Jon about needing to up my prayer life and getting up super early to say my morning office. I wonder if this is God's way of saying "yeah do that!"

Things are going to get really busy really quick. Two big meetings this week, an RCIA function on Wednesday, Advent dinner and guest speaker Friday, Jon's graduation on Saturday and the last life night before Christmas break on Sunday. That should be really neat. We're going to do Eucharistic Adoration and have a talk on putting Christ back into Christmas.

Yikes!
Next week is more of the same. A trip to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Pac. Sci., the Lights of Christmas, Parish Christmas Party, Soup Kitchen and Youth Group Christmas Party, then My Christmas Party. Crazy stuff. Going home is going to be so nice. I can't wait to go home to the parents and pretend I'm a kid that needs taking care of again. No more of this independant solitary adult stuff. Too much work.

Tomorrow is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

UIOGD.

Pie

2006-12-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

So here's a tip, if you're baking a pie. Don't use frozen fruit. Or if you do make sure you defrost and drain as much as humanly possible, 'cuz if not your pie will come out like fruit soup with some crust bits in it. Oh the joys of trial and error. Anyone want some Strawberry Soup?

Anywhoo.....I went and saw the Nativity Story with my youth group on Friday. A definite must see for the HOLY - Days.... I echo Bryan Ochs' views on the movie. They did a really great job of building the relationship of Mary and Joseph in the movie. My favorite scene....trying to find room in Bethlehem. I did have teeny little beefs with Mary's behavior in one scene, but hey, it's Hollywood, this is as good as it's going to get right now. Let's just pray for more awesome Catholic films to come out. Personally I think they need to make a movie about Padre Pio. How cool would that be? I mean how many other people that have lived in the last century do we know that have had stigmata, bilocation, and the odor of sanctity? Wait, did he levitate too? Hmm...looks like I'm going on a tangent.

This week's topic for the high school kids.....Original Sin and Suffering. Such a cool topic. Happy 2nd week of Advent!

Fern and Bamboo

2006-12-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

My mom forwarded this to me. Of course we biologists know that bamboo doesn't grow naturally in this biogeoclimatic zone, but just imagine you're in asia and everything should reconcile in your head. Anyways...

This is a good message for this time of year when people forget about God and sink into despair and depression.

God Bless your Advent, that it might be joyful and fruitful.

The Fern and the Bamboo

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me.
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.
The same in year four.
Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.
Don't compare yourself to others." He said.
"The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life.

Weirdo dream.

2006-12-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

Okay so I had a freaky weird dream last night.
I had a dream that my computer screen blacked out and came back with a staticky interview with Satan. I kept trying to turn the computer off, but it wouldn't shut down and I couldn't get Satan off my computer screen.

Then the scene switched (my dreams are like movies) and I was standing outside of some building with my 3 best friends. Well, best friends in my dream. I have no idea who these people are, all I know is that in my dream we were good friends and they were really holy. All of a sudden Satan drove up in a really nice car. He looked really futuristic. He had a gun with him. He walked up to my friends and I and pointed the gun at my friend. We all started praying really hard, I don't think we were praying out loud, but I was praying and I knew my friends were. He pulled the trigger and the gun clicked but didn't fire. He pointed it again at another friend and it didn't fire either. He looked irritated and said "you're concentrating too hard". Then he pointed the gun at my head and smiled. I remember being terrified thinking "oh crap, what if I'm not praying hard enough". Then he pulled the trigger, but my dream ended. I don't know what happened.

Weird.
I wonder if God is trying to tell me something....

Well here's a little video to start off Advent. I'm not usually a fan of this song, but this version isn't too terrible. I just wanted an Advent video to put up. This is part of the first reading from the 1st Sunday of Advent 2006.

Oh don't forget to go to mass this Friday everyone. It's the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Yep that's Mary's conception, not Jesus'. Happy Holy Day!

Poverty. in America

2006-11-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

When I was in Calcutta the Missionaries of Charity always referred to Mother Teresa saying something about there being great poverty in America that cannot merely be fixed by giving people food. It is loneliness, people being neglected, people not giving compassion to others and caring for each other. A much deeper hunger that is much more difficult to fill when it is caused.

My friend (who will someday, I believe, be a Missionary of Charity) told me when we're judged at the end of our life we're judged on "how we responded to Christ's need for us in the poor". I believe that these poor extend to more than just the hungry and the dying and those poor that Mother Teresa talks about in America. It extends to those who have been cheated and hurt; those who have this marred vision of what God is like and what the Church is like.

To be completely honest, it breaks my heart more to see how people have been hurt by vessels of the Church (teachers, priests, religious, anyone who represents the Catholic Church and extends herself to the members of her body) than it is to see people starving and dying every day. What a challenge it must be to be a priest and see this every day and know that it is your duty to love and bring spiritual health back to these people. What a mission of Christian love, of charity we have in front of us!

UIOGD

Snowww!!!!!

2006-11-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

There's snow. There's a lot of snow!

Yesterday Jon brought me home from Sammamish. I spent the whole Thanksgiving weekend with him and his family, and it was awesome. We had a great thanksgiving meal, went to check out old town Snohomish and all the antique shops the day after Thanksgiving, went swimming with Jon, went to see a few movies (don't see "The Fountain", do see "Deja Vu"), spent some time relaxing, and did a little shopping for the family at Fry's. All in all a very cool weekend. Since Canada has a different Thanksgiving, it didn't matter to my family that I wasn't home. We already had ours! My sister was in Costa Rica anyways, so my parents were babysitting the munchkins.

Anywhoo....yesterday we were in the car leaving Sammamish and it was raining a little, then it started raining harder, and by the time we got around Everett it looked like Blizzard conditions. There were cars in the ditch left and right between I-5 and the highway to my parish. Most of them were SUVs. So sad. While I was practicing music in the Church (since our Choir Director and entire Choir were trapped at home from the snow) Jon was putting chains on the car. We went to mass with about 12 people and then made our way out to the Mexican restaurant for dinner, where surprizingly there were tons of people. Weird.

When we left the restaurant the roads looked like they'd been plowed a little, so getting back to my house on the island wasn't a problem. My apartment however, had no power. Ack! Good thing I had some candles and one of those nifty-no-batteries-needed-flashlights. Jon ended up leaving, thinking that the roads would be totally fine, around 9pm. Thank God he made it home okay amidst the nastiness of I-5. My apartment didn't have power all night.

Amazingly, my coworkers got to my apartment in the morning to pick me up for work this morning. But when we got to the church it didn't have power either!! It came back on around 11:00am. We left work early because it was still snowing and we wanted to be able to get home. I took some firewood from the padres rectory in case the power hadn't come back on yet at my basement apt. Thank God, when I got home the power was on and running. Still running, though it went out for about a second an hour a go. Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

I think it's still snowing......I don't think I'm making it in to work tomorrow. It's absolutely beautiful outside. I hope the power stays on....... Hope you're all safe and warm!!!

Last weekend

2006-11-20T16:01:00.001-08:00

I had a fabulous weekend. It was Jon's 24th birthday last Wednesday so I decided to do a little surprizing. So Friday we went to Lonsdale Quay and hung out there for a bit, wandered around shops, ate a Beaver tail (you Americans know them as Elephant Ears), bought some tea, tried some fudge, checked out the view of Vancouver. Then off a little further north, we had a little bit of time to kill so we went to the Fish Hatchery....ha ha! I know, but the river was cool, and we saw a few fish swimming around. But the final destination of the night....tada!!
Surprize dinner at the Observatory on Grouse Mountain!
We got up to Grouse Mountain 3 hours early and wandered around in the Snow a bit, saw the Grizzly Bears in the sanctuary up there, played chess in the chalet, Watched a short film in their Theatre in the Sky and had an amazing dinner at their Observatory fine dining restaurant.

After dinner we headed to Prospect Point at Stanley Park and were lucky enough to catch a bit of dry sky to appreciate the fabulous view of the Lions Gate Bridge and North and West Vancouver. Only one scary thing about this....we were stalked by racoons. I don't know if these were the rabid racoons that you're warned about in the signs around Stanley Park, but they sure were friendly/scary. They came right up to the car when we pulled into the parking space and were sitting right beside the car door looking at me through my window making their racoon noises. We sat in the car not knowing what to do for a few minutes, freaked out 'cuz they could be rabid. They left when another car came. We got out and wandered over to the lookout and they snuck up on us again, and another time after that! Freaky!!! So anyways, after catching some awesome views, eating the best food ever, and being chased around by animals we called it a night.

It's been so long...

2006-10-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. I've been really busy constantly updating the Youth Group one, but I thought this was worthy of a blog...as of 2 Thursdays ago (October 19th) I officially got my driver's license!! Woohoo!! I can drive now! Too bad I don't have that car yet. Ack! Soon, please God, soon!!! Yep, so watch out people, I'm on the road now and if Jon doesn't give me any more lessons on stick then you'll know I'm coming by the screeching and grinding of the clutch whenever I get this car :) Ha ha ha!! In other news, yesterday Jon and I had our 3 month anniversary. Yes I know, I'm a dork for counting the months like that, but whatever. Crazy how quickly 3 months can go by. It's so weird to think about what life will be like a year from now.

Last Friday Jon and I went to Fright Night at Playland. I don't know what it is that's so scary, but I was screaming all over the place. There were lots of Playland employees walking around in costume and in black and a couple of them thought it would be fun to sneak up behind me and start growling or just shout at me, so naturally I screamed. Let's just say my voice was pretty hoarse at the end of the night. We went to get some of the best Chinese food in Vancouver afterwards and got home way late, but it was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow for Halloween I'll be trick-or-treating with Jon and some people from the Parish. That should be lots of fun, I haven't done that since I was in 9th or 10th grade I think. This will be really funny, especially when we get to other parishoner's houses. Ha ha ha! Just in case they weren't worried enough that they hired an immature little girl, I'm going to go trick-or-treating. I had a crazy idea the other day that I should make up some flyers for the Church or something to hand out while I was trick-or-treating. I might try to make those up tomorrow, that could be really cool. We'll see what happens. I'll talk to Father about the idea.

Video

2006-10-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Why am I Catholic?

This is such a cool video. Definite throwbacks to World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne. Here's to the WYD Crew.

Drama Queen

2006-10-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

I must apologize, that was a bit drama queen in that last post there. Like Jon says, I need to let stuff go and not let it bother me. Like in the Bible quote that I put up....I don't need to worry. Christ's got it. I think I need to remind myself of Calcutta in times like those. Not to compare sorrows, but to remember how uplifting that place was in the midst of Chaos.

Anyways, I had a fabulous thanksgiving. Jon and I went to the Abbey for 6:30am mass and got to spend some quality time with Fr. Abbot. I was telling him a little bit about my new job and got to ask him some questions about things I didn't really understand and hadn't ever been exposed to. The Seattle Archdiocese sure is exciting....But anyways, it was really cool to be able to talk to him with Jon. I think I was more nervous bringing Jon to see him than I was to my own parents, of course my parents had met Jon before under different circumstances, so it was different. In any case it was a lovely visit.

We ate a lot of ...well let's face it, I was at home. We ate a lot of everything. My aunts and uncles came over with the kids. I got to spend lots of quality time with the niece and nephew.

Sunday before that, the life night was awesome. The teens seemed to really be getting into it. We had so much stuff to cover we had to cut it short and we'll be continuing on this Sunday. The next XLT is also coming up, excited for that. The feedback from some of the teens....great stuff, but they want some silence! That's awesome! Teens want silence, it's so much of what they need too.

I put up another blog so they can look back at the topics we've covered in the past weeks. So far I've only got up last Sunday's stuff, but there's more to come.

UIOGD