Earliest Version of the Bible...What Bible?

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

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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.

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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

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

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

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

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.
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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

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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.



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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

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

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

http://www.pictage.com/430819

Here's the link to the photos!

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

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

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

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

Readings!!!

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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!

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

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.....

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

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!!!!!

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..

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....

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....

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

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?

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

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

Balance? What's that?

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

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

Kolkata

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....

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

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....

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....

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

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

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.

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

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