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After Jennifer's last post I wasn't sure if I wanted to barricade myself in my office and cry or wander the parking lot hoping to get hit by a parked car. Okay, so I wasn't that hysterical, but the idea that something may occur on August 22nd is a bit frightening. I'm praying and I'm sure you are too.

Now, on to the part that makes me smile (and therefore should also make you smile, I hope)! Drum roll please!...

Beautiful isn't it? It's an illustration of Saint Joan of Arc by an artist named Michael Komarck. You can check out his work (which is mainly for games and books) at his website, http://www.komarckart.com . He's very talented and did a few of Saint Joan of Arc for a card game called Anachronism (very good game).

You can even buy a print of this illustration, something I'm considering. Anyway, just thought I'd bring about some beauty in the shadow of this possible impending darkness. And I figured St. Joan of Arc was quite appropriate. Please pray with us this beautiful prayer...

"In the face of your enemies, in the face of harassment, ridicule, and doubt, you held firm in your faith. Even in your abandonment, alone and without friends, you held firm in your faith. Even as you faced your own mortality, you held firm in your faith. I pray that I may be as bold in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me be mindful that what is worthwhile can be won when I persist. Help me hold firm in my faith. Help me believe in my ability to act well and wisely. Amen." (from here.)

Fear and Loathing in America

Okay, that title may be an exaggeration, but I risked it for its slight resemblance to a cult film with a somewhat analogous name. However, this sentiment does stem from a conversation I recently had with a close friend of mine, who is Catholic as well.We were discussing the recent foiled terrorist plot in Heathrow and the scare surrounding the fast-approaching August 22. What really struck me about this conversation is how sharply divided it was from other conversations I had been hearing around me on television and in everyday life.

What I had heard, until this conversation, was an intense feeling of dread or an steadfast avoidance of any information about this date. Some said it will be the end of the world or a severe attack will occur that could cripple America, and their focus was on what they were doing to prepare for survival in a post-apocalyptic (pardon the paradox) world. The other side I heard was the “Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing,” or the “I don’t really know much about it,” camp.

What I hadn’t heard in the general public yet was the sentiment echoed at least every Sunday in churches of many denominations. Thy will be done. During the conversation with my friend the main topic was that what may seem unbearable is not unbearable in actuality. God does not give us more than we can handle with His grace. We also reasoned that while destruction of these kinds and terrorist attacks could be captained by Satan, he is only as powerful as God allows.

Of course preparing spiritually is important. We both have plans for Reconciliation on Saturday and Mass on Sunday and Tuesday. Like I said, we can handle challenges with God’s grace, though that grace must actively be sought in certain forms such as the Eucharist and Reconciliation. However, I feel that no matter what occurs in the future, I will be spiritually fortified by God and the Church to the point that fear does not enter my mind as a valid emotion surrounding these times of world crisis.

That is not to say, however, that I have no selfish wishes. I want to live to be old and die peacefully in my sleep. Between then and now I want to marry and have children too. But these truly are more selfish thoughts than anything else, because it comes back down to that one simple phrase of which it is all to easy to lose sight: Thy will be done.

Vacation Bible School: A High Concentration of Catholicism

I spent all of last week at Vacation Bible School. That is an experience not to be missed. If ever you have wanted to see people living Catholicism in their day-to-day lives, this is the place to see it. Each person in the building, teachers and students alike, was witnessing their faith to the others. The teachers fell into three categories:

The Parent Teachers: These were the teachers that had all of their children enrolled in the program and were kind enough to lend their time and energy in spite of a clear opportunity to rest for 5 mornings in a row.

The Childless Teachers: These were the teachers that simply taught for the sake of teaching. These teachers were similar to the above category members in that they opted to help rather than not.

The Multi-Tasker: What a special group of people we had in this category. These teachers were parents of children who were in the program AND children who were too young to be in the program. Which means that, that’s right, they got to take care of their youngest child(ren) and several other people’s children at once.

Everyday these people went home exhausted and ready to collapse. But the next morning, they were up and doing it again. I think it’s mostly because they realized how important their work was. The importance of witnessing to the youngest disciples is something that cannot be forgotten. They are the future of our faith.

Speaking of the chilren, they also were excellent examples of Catholic charity and love. The older students and teen helpers were indispensable. They made up the grease that oiled the wheels that ran the Vacation Bible School session that St. Ben's built. The older siblings soothed the younger ones that were anxious about being in a new environment. The teen helpers led the children from class to class. Also we had a reward system of gold coins, and the winning groups of children consistenly shared their loot with the underdogs. Such charity!

I guess what really stands out to me about all of this is the high concentration of Catholic living that I experienced that week. It was an inspiration to me. Such an inspiration, in fact, that I'll be teaching the seventh and eighth grade Sunday schoolers (CCD classes) in the Fall with Bryan (I hope). I'm sure many posts will result from such a colorful endeavor.

Lord Have Mercy!

I realized something on the way to work this morning. I realized, having grown up in the south, that a phrase I'd heard my grandmother and countless others say millions of times actually means something besides "wow, I'm astonished." And the phrase is, you guessed it, "Lord have mercy!"

Who would have thought that such a plea as "Lord have mercy!" would become a figure of speech used by millions of people who don't actually mean it when they say it. Now, there are those who say it at appropriate times and probably do mean it, but for the most part you just hear it and don't really think about what it actually means.

"Lord, have mercy on us." What a beautiful plea to our God for mercy we don't usually deserve. We deserve His wrath quite often, but when He graces us with mercy we are utterly thankful. Well, atleast we should be. Amen!

Fighting AIDS, Catholic Style

"The Catholic Church alone provides more than a quarter of all AIDS care in the world, according to Caritas Internationalis."

I found that on Catholic.org, an amazing site with lots of information, news, and inspiration. Here, read it again...

"The Catholic Church alone provides more than a quarter of all AIDS care in the world, according to Caritas Internationalis."

Amazing, huh? The article on Catholic.org is specifically about how church organizations are more or less getting stiffed on funds from The Global Fund when they are responsible for 40% of the healthcare in Kenya and many other countries. It's shocking to know that religious groups are doing so much awesome work and not receiving a bit of help from any international funding group. At the same time, it's heart-warming to know that people are sacrificing so much to do so much with so little.

The Church provides more than 25% of all AIDS care in the world...amazing. Something tells me it was no accident that Jesus gave the keys to St. Peter. The Church is in the world and provides for it. I'm proud to be Catholic.

Middle East Problem

The situation in the Middle East is anything but simple to solve. During Mass for the past several Sundays we've prayed for a ceasefire in that region, but I find myself questioning if that will solve anything. I'm not saying I'd prefer for people to die, I don't feel that way, but is there really a solution for these people?

I'd done a lot of reading lately and I've come up with the following conclusion: If Israel stops its attacks on Hezbollah (who started the war with Israel), then they will be most likely making the mistake of limited military contact with an absolutionist threat. Hezbollah will not rest, they will not take a beating and then ask for peace. They are an all or nothing terrorist organization that stands for the erradication of Israel, America, and all of the West.

And so I find myself in a very confusing state of mind. I read about how Lebanese groups are begging Israel to be thorough and finish Hezbollah (in Lebanon) off. When I read this I find myself agreeing with them on many levels, but my faith tells me that killing is wrong regardless. So where do I stand on this issue? Should I morally support Israel in its liberation of Lebanon and its own people of the terrorist threat of Hezbollah? Will a cease-fire in the region really bring about any kind of peace?

I suppose I can pray. Prayer is powerful. I'll pray for a non-violent solution to the problems in the Middle East and let God figure out the particulars. He is the all knowing One afterall and I don't even come close to that. Christ will come again and perhaps that's the solution. Let's pray.

Do Teens Understand Solemnity?

Okay, so I attended my very first Life Teen Mass yesterday by accident. Jennifer and I decided to go to Mass in the evening for the first time in awhile instead of our usual 11:00 am time. Since our parish doesn't have a Sunday evening Mass, we went to another parish we've been to a couple times before.

We arrived late, also be accident, and quickly took our seats with a friend in the very back. The Gospel was about to be read, so I was glad we weren't any later. We were thrown for a little bit of a loop though when we realized that the songs being sang were out of a paperback book we didn't have instead of the normal hymnals. We looked around and noticed that people were using Spirit Song, which I don't know anything about.

There were a lot of teens there, that I noticed, but I didn't put the two and two together. Jennifer and I were also a bit dazed when "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again" was sung to an upbeat pop tune. It wasn't necessarily innapropriate, just different. The same occured with the Agnus Dei.

We left Mass and talked about it in the car. While I enjoyed Mass (the Priest is a great homilist at that parish), I just felt the need to address what I had noticed. And it was Jennifer who hit the nail on the head, the Mass was lacking solemnity. And it made me wonder, was Life Teen not teaching teens the importance and the beauty of Solemnity in Mass?

Solemnity is the beauty of the Church.

Of course that's my opinion, but I'd dare to suggest that it's probably the opinion of most clergy. I think it's important that teens understand that solemn doesn't mean sad or dark. It means serious, sacred, performed with full ceremony (high mass), etc. While I didn't mind the upbeat music most of the time, it just seemed unfitting to the more solemn of responses and chants.

On another note, that Mass did get me to check out www.lifeteen.com which I found to be a great resource and community builder for teens and parish priests. Please check it out, I'm very impressed with the Q&A about Jesus from a teen perspective especially.