So I'm arranging a trip to Calcutta again, so far I have about 3 definites, 3 probables and 2 (unlikely) possibles. Pray for us!!! We're going in August for a month to help out Mother Teresa's order (Missionaries of Charity).
Also, if you're interested in coming, email me or post a reply on this blog!
Also, I'll post some things about the pope visit soon... I've been busy trying to arrange things for an art show I'm doing probably at the end of May.
I have it on Good information, that my suspicion on who started the chant was wrong... it was the Beautiful Sisters of Life!
... was the most memorable chant we made this past weekend. At the youth/seminarian rally some Dominican sisters from Michigan (I believe it was them) created it right behind my back. With the CFRs joyfully joining in the original volley. Joined quickly by the Sisters of life, and rapidly everyone.
I think it best describes this past weekend. Christ is our Hope, bringing us every good, which includes Benedict being our pope. A courageous medium height man, who's smile and joy shine beauty anywhere he steps.
I had the luxury and honor of meeting Benedict the first day. And it was all obviously by God's design. I had come to New York planning on going to St. Vincent church on Friday night to listen to the Legionaries of Christ give a talk about Benedict, and Going to the Seminarian/youth rally on Friday morning ... but it turns out that the rally was on Saturday, which was fortunate, because I had to pick up tickets Friday during the day, get my clothes pressed, and do various other things... while picking up my tickets, I learned that the Sisters of life were only in a few churches that night, and St. Vincent wasn't one. And the sisters were doing street evangelization, so I had to make a choice, either do what I wanted (listen to a talk) or help the Sisters evangelize. Ultimately, I took an email from the Sisters telling me about the Friday night masses a few days earlier as an invitation by God to help them. So I went and helped on the street.
After helping on the street, and putting away the Pope-Cutout that people took pictures with, I went into Adoration, to get some prayer in. While praying, I got a tap by one of the Sisters of life, asking me to come help. So I got up, and headed out with her. I ended up heading out with the Sisters, rushing down Lexington Avenue... scarfing down half of dinner, and realising I didn't quite look appropriate (I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt that said "I (heart) my German Shepard") By the time I finished trying to eat my dinner (I didn't finish eating it until late late that night), we were at the Secret Service security check point, and I was heading through... Goshea was great and let me put my food into her bag while we waited for the Pope to arrive. (Security by the way was about 1:1 ratio of Law enforcement to visitors... meaning about 60 security :60 visitors)
When he finally came out, he came straight for me,took my hand into his large warm, embracing hands, and kept hold of my hand as he walked left of me... my hand only being severed from his grip by the Secret Service pulling us apart... but then he came back took my hand again and looked into my eyes, when I asked him something, and then he engaged the sister beside me in brief conversation.
And the rest is History.
Hehe, so I couldn't think of a blander way of putting that into a title, so I am quite satisfied with this title. :-)
I was reading a blog on another person's site earlier and I read a comment that I ultimately decided to respond to, the topic of the other person's blog or the substance of the comment some one wrote on it, is really of no import to my purpose in publishing my response here.
I've decide to publish my response here on my blog as I found my response a nice concise representation of what I believe about Truth.
I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it encourages all of you to try to understand what you believe.
I appeal to you're sense of truth. And I encourage you to seek it and to speak what you believe is true, but I also encourage you to test it... from my experience Truth is freeing and converts people, changing their lives from one of doldrums and strife to one of essential peace and joy.
I'm former atheist and a philosopher/former physics student (5 yrs in college) so I know how to make arguments that other people can't refute and if they do I know how to make them look like idiots. And with my background I also know that almost ANY position is defensible if you have certain views about the universe.
So I do not wish to argue with you but to ask you to do something so much easier and equally so much harder. Look at what your beliefs about truth are, analyse them and assess if your beliefs about truth match what you see in the truth that you know. I.e., if you believe "truth" is enslaving, then does what you know to be truth enslave or set free, if you believe truth (after the initial internal conflict) ultimately brings peace, does what you know to be truth bring peace or does it bring frustration, anger and hatred about others who oppose you? If you believe truth enlightens you and that others need enlightenment, then when you spread what you believe is truth to others, do they become enlightened or do they dismiss you as an oppressor and not an enlightener? If you believe truth brings joy, then do others find joy in the truth you know or do they find malice and oppression?
For me I believe truth is freeing, joyous, peaceful and enlightening though I also believe when confronted with the truth, it clashes each time with our own egos and we reject it. But it infects us, until at some point it becomes so powerful that we can no longer decide to reject it and remain at peace with ourselves. It is at that point that we have to choose to be honest and humble and accept the truth or be prideful and arrogant and reject it.
And for me, it is hard to decide when I do one or the other. Yet in time I can look at my life and decide am I at peace and do I bless everyone I meet or do I curse every person I meet? Do I find joy with being in silence for an hour? Or can I not stand to be silent for a minute? And find every moment not distracted torturous?
I encourage you to continue seeking truth, speaking truth, and assessing what you think is truth.
I will do the same, though I must say I have met Him, and He is Glorious!
Blessings and Praise,
Sirhair
A couple of Anglican women "priests" have converted to catholicism...
(http://feeds.fe
My favourite quote...
Christina Rees of Women and the Church says: "Every woman who is ordained as a priest in the Church of England knows in one sense there is still a question mark hanging over her orders in a way which does not hang over the order of her male colleagues."
Catholics, incidentally, would disagree with this last claim. There is no question mark hanging over the orders of any Anglican priest – at least, not according to Pope Leo XIII.
That last line means, Catholics don't believe ANY Anglican (or protestant) has "(Holy) Orders" only Catholics, Orthodox, and a few other churches which are so small and unheard of in the US to really bear mention.
Ingredients:
1 Free Friendly's sundae (in bag)
1 Serrated Knife
1 Stuffed animal
1 Present (not pictured)
Step 1: Place items on table.
Step 2: take 1 serrated knife and 1 poor hapless creature... cut seam on bottom.
Step 3: Appear maniacal
Step 4: Show enjoyment while working
Step 5: put knife down and enjoy Friendly's sundae, while holding torture victim inverted.
Step 6: resume operation
Step 7: let girlfriend help
Step 8: Let girlfriend appear maniacal...
Step 9: Relish gutting the poor hapless being.
Step 10: Show pride in workmanship.
Step 11: insert present (e.g., vermont maple cheddar cheese and a venison jerky stick) into gutted creature.
Step 12: Invert creature again, and begin restuffing guts.
Step 13: commence surgical stitching.
Step 14: Tie knot in starting end of stitching
Step 15: Spend 15 hours staring. Just staring.
Step 16: Spend 16 hours staring closer. Closer, I say!
Step 17: Tie end knot in stitching.
Step 18: Let girlfriend stuff candy in poor hapless creature's present bag.
Step 19: Return test subject to original crate.
Step 20: Make test subject look pitiful.
Now... opening best Christmas wrapping ever...
Step 1: Present 1 cuddly stuffed animal to 1 Adult male hunter/bricklayer/Biker.
Step 2: Have adult male read attached letter explaining your desire to have sent him on a hunting expedition in southern South America for penguin.
Step 3: Include in letter your unfortunate moral dilemma of sending him on a trip to South America and thus causing an increase in green house gases due to his travel, or bring a penguin to him.
Step 4: Let adult male biker/hunter know that you just couldn't in any good conscience hurt the planet and thus you can't send him to South America.
Step 5: Present a penguin for him to gut.
Step 6: Watch as adult male hunter/biker guts a poor hapless creature and hear him say "it feels like guttin' a deer"
Step 7: watch as he rips the Penguin's bottom off.
Step 8: Watch him remove presents from carcass.
Step 9: Watch adult male hunter toss carcass to nearby woodland animal to devour.
========
Yesterday, I went snowboarding for the first time... with my friend Danny.
We left early (around 8am) and headed to the mountain...
I rented gear (figuring that it was best to do that for the first time up, though I do have a board that I bought from a thrift store...).
Riding the conveyor belt up the beginner's practice slope.
The beginner's slope...
One day I'll ride that up...
We're done.
It was fun... I think I'll buy a helmet and boots now... (I have a board/bindings, and though they are not "perfect" for me, they should be good to practice with).
Two days ago, I went skiing for the first time ever... Cross-country... it was fun but also quite funny... I fell over repeatedly when I began but towards the end of my first excursion, I was able to ski relatively well, and stay standing... which I thought were quite large accomplishments for a first timer who went by himself.
Me after my first skiing trip.
my skis... you can still see the snow.
I was really happy I had ski pants. Nice and waterproof and warm... (they give you the freedom to fall in snow and not worry about getting soaked).
So thanksgiving morning I wake up and decide to check the time... finding my alarm off, I check my cell; 6:20am... funny my alarm should have gone off by now... turns out there's no electricity anywhere...
Just darkness..
So we made breakfast (meaning cold cereal and hot coffee from stove top). Meanwhile, Mark is filleting the Salmon and cutting up the turkey, in case it needs to be cooked on the stovetop as this power outage was unexpected... after offering my help, Mark sends me home after breakfast, as others are coming in... I head home to sleep before I have to be back to help out with Thanksgiving dinner... as I get home the power goes on... I can imagine that Mark is thankful as well as everyone else.
When I wake up I go and help setup for dinner...
Later on, we have a wine/cheese/pate course served in the gallery (130) prior to dinner (200).
(Angelo, Gowri and Legend)
Devon, our kitchen help extraordinaire.
Marc (little Marc) and me
Cold Leftovers for 6pm dinner...
