prayer request
Posted By Christina M on January 11, 2007
If you don’t mind, I don’t want to say what it’s about, but God knows. Please, if you could offer a little prayer for a special intention, I’d be grateful.
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Catholic Alphabet Meme
Posted By Christina M on January 9, 2007
I didn’t see Julie’s tags, so I went ahead and tagged myself after reading it on Happy Catholic. Only afterwards did I see she’d already tagged me. Well, I wanted to do it, anyway, so here goes.
[A is for apparitions – your favorite]: Fatima
[B is for Bible – the one you read most often]: RSV
[C is for Charism – the one you would most like to have]: I would love to have the gift of healing, though I’m not sure my desire is unselfish.
[D is for Doctor of the Church – your favorite]: St. Teresa of Avila
[E is for Essential Prayer – What’s yours?]: Mostly whatever comes from the heart. Lots of thank-yous, and I love the Canticle of Zecharias (Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. He has come to his people and set them free) and Psalm 95 (Come, let us worship the Lord, and shout with joy to the rock who saves us.)
[F is for Favorite Hymn]: I have a lot. One of them is The Servant Song (Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you…) which is also a really good song for a wedding, I think.
[G is for Gospel – your favorite author?]: Matthew or John. I love how Matthew lays it all out, and I love the wisdom of John.
[H is for Holy Communion – How would you describe it, using one word?]: Incomprehensible
[I is for Inspiration – When do you feel most inspired by God?]: in nature
[J is for Jesus – When did you first meet Him?]: I don’t remember ever not knowing Him.
[K is for Kindness – Which saint or person has most inspired you by their kindness?]: My mom.
[L is for liturgical year – your favorite time in the liturgical cycle?]: Very specifically, Easter Vigil. But heaven protect our Choir Tyrant if she forgets the Alleluia again!
[M is for Mary, the Mother of God – Your favorite term of endearment for her]: Mother
[N is for New Testament – Your favorite passage]: See above — Blessed be the Lord…
[O is for Old Testament – Your favorite Book here]: Tobit.
[P is for Psalms – your favorite]: 95
[Q is for quote – saint quote]: “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you haven’t got very many.”
[R is for rosary – your favorite mysteries]: Joyful. I always want to pray the joyful.
[S is for Saint – the one you turn to in time of need – not including the Blessed Virgin Mary]: In case it isn’t obvious yet, St. Teresa of Avila. Also, St. Anthony and St. Therese.
[T is for Tradition – your favorite Catholic tradition]: Eucharistic Adoration
[U is for university – Which Catholic University have you attended or are currently attending?]: None.
[V is for Virtue – the one you wish you had]: self discipline.
[W is for Way of the Cross – Which station can you most relate to?]: Falling.
[X is for Xaverian Brothers – Do you know who they are?]: No.
[Y is for your favorite Catholic musician]: Michael John Poirier. His Ave is the most divine thing I’ve ever heard.
[Z is for Zeal for the faith]: Um, what’s the question?
tags… um, how about Joel? (I always know he’s going to see the tag. What can I say?)
Apes do read philosophy
Posted By Christina M on January 6, 2007
Otto: Apes don’t read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don’t understand it.
The line, from “A Fish Called Wanda,” speaks my thoughts very well.
This morning I read a delightful post on Catholic Pillow Fight, in which Tony discusses his views on science fiction and literature. I read it to my charming and patient husband, and we had a chuckle over our own differences in reading styles. He likes science fiction, and I prefer literature. But I am selective in what sort of literature I enjoy. Just because it’s called “great” or “classical” doesn’t mean I necessarily enjoy it. I don’t, for example, like most philosophers. In fact, most of the philosophy I’ve read so far has seemed sneer-worthy, with the possible exceptions of Socrates and Kant. One of the main reasons I dislike the others is because they often make assertions based on little if any evidence or reasoning, and simply state them emphatically, as though that made it automatically, empirically true. The main argument seems to be “It’s true because I said so. You can trust that what I say is true, because I’m a philosopher. You can tell, because I say things with such certainty.” Socrates, the father of philosophy, leads his reader through a step-by-step exposition of his reasoning; and even though I sometimes find fault with the logic he uses, at least he is following a train of logic. Unfortunately many who followed him do not.
Part of my criticism of philosophy and philosophers, though, is less fair. Some of my frustration with philosophy lies in my frustration with many who study it today. It seems to me that there are three kinds of people who tend to study philosophy: the apes, the intellects, and the minority.
The apes are those Wanda mentions. They read it, but they don’t understand it. Alas, too many do not realize that they don’t understand it. They are people who tend to be above average intelligence, but not hyper-intelligent. They read what they consider the “highest” form of literature because they want to be more intelligent, or want to be thought more intelligent. They want to be intellectual, and they think that a certain brand of knowledge will ensure that niche. They are, in short, intelligent people who are educated beyond their intelligence.
The intellects, on the other hand, are not educated beyond their intelligence. They read, and they actually understand the material. They find insight, and thought-provoking suggestions in the material. They often come to revere what they read, leading them to the sad but common conclusion that intelligence is a thing to be rewarded. These are people who have an abundance of intelligence, but are educated beyond their wisdom. They allow themselves to become convinced that intellect is virtue, and that they are superior human beings because they have superior intellects. They forget that it is the soul, the conscience, and the heart that determine our quality and our worth in the world.
Then there are those in the minority of philosophy readers. They are the people who read it because they are searching for answers or an education, but they understand that even if they find the answers, having those answers will not make them better people, and will not make them superior to anyone else. They understand that any philosophy they read is no more infallible than the person who wrote it, and they do not attribute a special moral authority to the thinkers simply because of their fame or intellect.
When you think about it, life is a lot like philosophy. We are all given gifts, whether intellectual or otherwise; and our special abilities do not make us better or worse than others. It is how we use them that matters. And the moment we forget that, and think ourselves superior because we have an insight, an education, or an ability, we’ve lost the very wisdom we hoped to attain.
There is good news in all of this, though. Like the man who asked Jesus what must he do to attain eternal life… like the woman at the well… like the tax collector, we all have the opportunity to lay aside our mistakes and step with humility into the future. Then, and only then, we can be able to love others as we are called to love them.
Catholic Devotions Meme
Posted By Christina M on January 5, 2007
Makes it way here from Julie of Happy Catholic, and the remiss Chris finally gets to it. I’ve kept those answers of hers that applied.
1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus?
Eucharistic Adoration2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer?
The Brown Scapular, of course.3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
Yes, the medal. Actually, a 4-way medal.4. Do you have holy water in your home?
No.5. Do you ‘offer up’ your sufferings?
When I remember.6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
Occasionally, but not often.7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration?
I go through phases. Working on it.8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or Sunday morning Mass person?
I tend to prefer Sunday Evening, but my husband prefers morning, and it tends to work out better for the family if we split shifts — adults in the morning, kids at LifeTeen evening.9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Yep. Bless us O Lord and these Thy gifts…10. Favorite Saint(s)?
St. Teresa, St. Anthony, St. Therese, St. John the Evangelist…11. Can you recite the Apostles Creed by heart?
Yes.12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
Yeah. It’s kind of like an ongoing dialogue of snippets.13. Bonus Question: When you pass by a automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
Yes, and for the workers helping them.
I am tagging: Joel, and anyone else who still reads this. 🙂
Note to self:
Posted By Christina M on January 5, 2007
Spend more time in Eucharistic Adoration.
A few days ago I had to go to the Church office for some religious education related paperwork. While I was there, I stopped at the chapel to spend a little time in front of the Tabernacle. In front of our Tabernacle, when the chapel is not in use for Mass, is a portable kneeler. As I knelt there, suddenly the reality hit me that I was two feet away from the Creator of the Universe.
I firmly believe that time spent before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration enhances my awareness of Christ’s presence when I receive Communion.
Our Dreams Are Like Our Children
Posted By Christina M on December 16, 2006
No, I’m not waxing sentimental. Actually, it’s a game we have in our family, an inside joke if you will. We saw the movie “My Fellow Americans” a couple years ago, and one of the characters used the phrase “Our dreams are like our children.” Naturally, we could not resist the temptation to fill in a second half of the sentence.
Our dreams are like our children… often scary.
Our dreams are like our children… we don’t like to admit to them in public.
Our dreams are like our children… other people just don’t understand them.
You get the idea. The sentences don’t have to be true, just amusing. Feel free to add to the list. It gets fun.
Fact or Opinion?
Posted By Christina M on December 6, 2006
Now that there’s been a bit of time for thought and discussion on the question below, I’ll say why I posted it. I remember when I was in elementary school, and they used to quiz us on the difference between fact and opinion. “The sweater is green… Fact.” “The sweater is pretty… Opinion.”
For that matter, “The sweater is good.”
If I state that the sweater is good, or pretty, it’s an opinion. My value judgments may or may not be reliable, but before any value judgment of mine can be considered empirical, I’d have to have perfect judgment and perfect values. Unfortunately, I do not. So when I say that something is good, it’s an opinion. It may be a valid one or it may be a silly one; but either way, others may disagree with me.
God, on the other hand, is perfect. His judgment is perfect, and in fact anything that he deems to have value by definition has value. His perfection defines good. We, on the other hand, can only be good to the extent that we reflect Him.
So, I may be of the opinion that X is a good idea, God knows empirically that X is a good or bad idea. Because His “opinion” defines truth, it is no longer opinion, but fact.
It saddens me to see how far our society has come from this basic reality. Many people, and even institutions, hold the illogical view that my opinion can be right and at the same time someone else’s contradictory opinion can also be right. Further, merely by stating such assertions, we elevate them to the level of truth (fact) rather than opinion. The only way we can be wrong, by this logic, is if we assert that it is possible to be wrong.
But we can’t change certain truths. If we do not believe that God exists, we do not make Him cease to exist. If we do not believe that God made man in His own image, we may tarnish that image but it does not change the fact of our creation. And if we do not believe that the creation of man is very good it does not change the fact that God gave His opinion on the subject already… and His opinion is fact.
I don’t know all of His opinions, and I probably disagree with quite a few because I do not yet know His ways; but where my opinions differ from Gods, there is one thing of which I can be certain. I am wrong, and God is right.
Question of the Day
Posted By Christina M on December 4, 2006
Is God capable of having an opinion?
life planning
Posted By Christina M on November 27, 2006
This summer, I bought Franklin Planner software. I’ve used the paper version before, but I had concluded that the software would be less expensive in the long run than having to keep buying refills, and I liked the idea of a “to do” list that carries forward. In most ways, it has met my expectations. There are a few things that I really like about paper, but I especially like having a planner I can’t lose because it’s on my computer.
Today I made the exercise of doing the section of my planner called “Mission.” To be specific, I wrote my personal mission. It is based on what I value in life, and what my priorities are. For those who do not have a planner and would like to buy one, I highly recommend the Franklin Planner, in either the paper or the electronic form. It does more than keep track of your appointments; it helps you to plan your life and accomplish the things you want. For those who are not in the market for a planner, I still recommend the process of mission planning. Every mission is personal, and your list will not look like mine. It can be in paragraph form or (as I’ve done) in an outline form. It can include pictures if you want, or lists, or key words. But the key is to determine what matters and put it into words.
Here’s what I wrote. It may not be a final version, but I like it.
I am a whole person, and all my “parts” are integrated.
My mission is to do as God wills me, and to do the best that I can at the roles that He has put into my life.self
health
emotional health
learning
goalsfaith
prayer
service
obedience
worshipmarriage
treat Joel as he deserves
be supportive
make home and self pleasant to come home to
keep the romance alive
share my passions and his
share a sacramental relationship, include God in our marriagefamily
homemaker
teach good habits
spend time with kids, appreciate them
children’s faith formation
provide healthy and educational environmentwriter
develop writing habit
blog regularly
overcome inhibitionsCarmelite
study
keep in contact with formation director
pray dailyhomeschooler
develop routine
be committed
inspire commitment
teach necessary academics
teach the “whole person” & life skills
I’d love to hear if you do this, and if you’re willing to share the results.
Gradworthy
Posted By Christina M on November 22, 2006
You paid attention during 100% of high school!
85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don’t get scores that high! Good show, old chap!
Do I get extra points for catching the misspelling of Twelfth Night?