Category Archives: Critical Mass

Reconciliation

Critical Mass, Photography, Sacraments

Since tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday, I thought it would be best to reconcile myself with God. I figured that my priests at my home parish would probably be quite busy, so I decided to drive down to St. Bonaventure in Detroit.

PictureMail

It had only been 2 weeks or so since my last confession, but I have things that I struggle with for which I need grace, and I have been feeling rather conflicted between the “me” that I was before and the “me” that I am now that I know the Lord.

During my absolution, the priest said that he absolved me of all the sins of my past life.

That’s right. My past life.

That hit me about like an anvil.

It wasn’t all that long ago that I was attending a lecture by Fr. John, where he was telling us that Reconciliation is like a second baptism, where we are cleansed from our sins and made new again.

Each time I go to Reconciliation, I am made into a new creature, and my past sins are forgiven and gone. They truly are the sins of my past life.

Then, before I left, the priest gave me some prayers. I got a booklet called “One Bread, One Body” which appears to be some daily reflections taking us from Winter into the Lenten season — a little out-of-date, but I am sure still very valuable and worthy of reflection. A sheet on how to pray the rosary (since I admitted that I do not really do this all that often). And these two prayers:

A Litany of the Person
image of God
born of God’s breath
vessel of divine Love
after his likeness
dwelling of God
cacacity for the infinite
eternally known
chosen of God
home of infinite Majesty
abiding in the Son
called from eternity
life in the Lord
temple of the Holy Spirit
branch of Christ
receptacle of the Most High
wellspring of Living Water
heir of the kingdom
the glory of God
abode of the Trinity.
God sings this litany
eternally in his Word.
This is who you are.

My Lord God
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you well never leave me to face my perils alone. — Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”

I do not normally get emotional going to Confession. I wasn’t particularly emotional during this one, or right afterwards. I came out of the confessional and went into the church to pray my penance in front of the tabernacle. As I was kneeling there before the Lord, I just started weeping. I couldn’t tell you why. I was sorry for my sins, but I wasn’t weighed down in sorrow. Actually, despite my tears, I felt… love. His love for me and mine for Him. And gratitude.

I am not sure why, but I find much comfort in going to St. Bonaventure for Reconciliation.

Prayer of the Day

Critical Mass, Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer, Prayer/Prayer Requests, , ,

I’m probably going to end up repeating myself a lot on this blog, but praying the Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer really gets me sometimes — and I just have to share! 🙂

To you, Lord, we lift up our souls; rescue us, do not let us be put to shame for calling out to you. Do not remember the sins of our youth and stupidity, but remember us with your love.

This one seems particularly fitting for Reconciliation.

I Hope I Did Not Actually See That

Critical Mass, Prayer/Prayer Requests, , ,

On the drive in this morning, it was raining and I was driving perhaps a little more carefully, because I was thinking over the bills I needed to pay during lunchtime, and realized that my car insurance was a little overdue. (Hey, it was Holy Week! I had other things to think about!)

On I-275, near the 7 mile exit, traffic slowed to a crawl, and then I heard the sirens. Stopping on the highway, two fire trucks passed right in front of me coming from the on-ramp, crossing all lanes of traffic and going across the median to the northbound lanes. Already there were a couple of police cars and ambulances. As I passed, I saw a pretty smashed up looking car, and what looked like the body of a person lying on the road, covered in what appeared to be plastic.

I hope that was not actually what I saw.

I pray for all those involved in that accident. 😦

Update:

Six cars crash on I-275 after man leaps from taxi
Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News
Livonia — Authorities aren’t sure why a passenger jumped from a moving taxi cab this morning, causing a multi-vehicle crash that closed down northbound Interstate 275 at Seven Mile.

According to the Michigan Intelligent Transportation System, the incident happened at about 7 a.m., and by the time it ended, six cars ended up crashing together.

Two persons reportedly received minor injuries, including one woman who was injured when her airbag deployed.

A spokesman at the Metro South Post of the Michigan State Police said the unidentified passenger also received minor injuries and was transported to Botsford Hospital, where his injuries were treated before he was admitted to the psychiatric unit for observation.

The MSP said it was unknown at this point if the taxi jumper would be charged.

Man jumps from moving taxi, causes I-275 snarl
BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
April 15, 2009 08:07 AM

Traffic backed up this morning on I-275 at 7 Mile in Livonia after a passenger jumped out of a moving taxi and into highway traffic.

No one hit the man at 7:01 a.m., but two cars crashed into each other trying to avoid him in the northbound lanes, according to the Michigan State Police.

One of the drivers suffered a facial injury after her airbag deployed, but no one else was seriously hurt, a spokeswoman at MSP’s south post said.

The man who jumped was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and police were interviewing the taxi driver to see what led up to the accident.

By 7:45 a.m., only one lane of traffic was blocked, she added.

Saint Obama? Disturbing Photo of the Day

Critical Mass, Photography, Prayer/Prayer Requests, , ,

H/T to Jennie C.

Obama AP

This is a rather disturbing image. Jennie (the other Jennie 🙂 is right, it looks like religious icon art. You know, I do hope that President Obama becomes a saint one day. I hope that everyone makes it home. However, with his public actions, especially regarding life issues, I feel that there is much to pray for. I pray for a conviction of heart, a determination to do God’s will and an understanding of the intrinsic dignity of every human life.

I pray for all those in leadership and who have wide influence, but also for all of us. Each of us can be an example for better or for worse to those around us. May all of God’s people recognise each other as such.

God bless you!

Analytical Writing

Critical Mass, Grad School/Seminary, , , ,

This weekend I got my official GRE scores in the mail.

Verbal – 660, 94th percentile
Quantitative – 590, 46th percentile (Okay, so I can’t multiply my way out of a paper bag — at least I can write about the experience!)

Analytical Writing — the only one that is graded by a human and based on essays we write instead of radio buttons we click:
5.5 (out of 6)

What they say about that:
Scores 6 and 5.5: Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; skillfully uses sentence variety and precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively; demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and language usage but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.

🙂

That and yesterday I was told that they held an admissions meeting in the morning and I’ve been accepted to the Master’s degree program at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for Theology.

YAYYYY!!!

Renovations

Critical Mass, Penance, , , , , , , ,

I had been intending to turn my third bedroom — the baby’s room — into a prayer room for quite a while now. However, it had accumulated so much junk that it was a daunting thought to clear it out and make something out of it. I had managed to put a chair in there, and clear a little path so I could exercise on the elliptical trainer, but that was about it. This is what the room looked like:
The Would-Be Prayer/Exercise Room -- DSCN5602
I left it like this for a long, long time.

I won’t get into my Confession, but yesterday, Father gave as my penance that I would ask Mary to be my designer, and in particular that she would help me to do something with my house. I went to Michael’s and Office Max after Confession and randomly walked up and down the aisles, picking up things. I had some candles from some recent PartyLite gatherings recently.

This is what I came up with after some hard work yesterday evening:
DSCN6620
My little desk:
DSCN6621
My candles:
DSCN6623
And the other side of the room with my comfy chair and white board:
DSCN6629
Now, it will be much more functional as a prayer room! I just need to find a way to hang my picture….

Please Pray for Justin Wainwright

Critical Mass, Prayer/Prayer Requests, , , , , , ,

Justin is a 15-year-old who was last seen on March 16th in Ohio. He is traveling with a friend. There has been an Amber Alert issued. Please pray that both boys return home quickly and safely. If you have any information, please contact the Plymouth Township police, 911, or visit the website hosted by the boys’ families at www.findjoshandjustin.com.

Here are some photos:
Justin Wainwright
Justin Wainwright
Justin Wainwright
Josh Zohr
Josh Zohr
Police said the pair is traveling in Zohr’s red Pontiac Grand Prix with a Michigan license plate BYP1180:
Josh Zohr and his car

Pontiff Proclaims Year for Priests

Critical Mass, Pope Benedict XVI, , , , , , , , , ,

From Zenit:

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is proclaiming a Year for Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, the Curé of Ars.

The Pope announced this today during an audience granted to participants in the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Clergy, a Vatican communiqué reported.

The theme for the priestly year is “Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests.” The Pope is scheduled to open the year with a celebration of vespers June 19, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the presence of the relic of the Curé of Ars, to be brought to Rome by Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, the press release stated.

The closing ceremony will take place exactly one year later, with a World Meeting of Priests in St. Peter’s Square.

During this year, a directory for confessors and spiritual directors will be published, along with a compilation of texts by the Pope on the core issues of the life and mission of priests in the modern times. As well, Benedict XVI will officially proclaim St. Jean Marie Vianney as “patron saint of all the priests of the world.”

The congregation will aim in this year to promote initiatives that will “highlight the role and mission of the clergy in the Church and in modern society.”

Another goal will be to address “the need to intensify the permanent formation of priests, associating it with that of seminarians.”

An entire year devoted to our priests! I love it! Love it, love it, love it! Thank you, Holy Father!

In an article talking of the importance of priestly ministry and of the distinction between the ordained priesthood and the priesthood we are all called to due to our baptism:

The Pope stressed the importance of the ministry, without which “there would be no Eucharist, no mission, not even the Church” and he recalled that the mission of the priest “has its roots in a special way in a good formation, carried out in communion with unbroken ecclesial Tradition, without pausing or being tempted by discontinuity.”

“In this regard,” he continued, “it is important to encourage priests, especially the young generations, to correctly read the texts of the Second Vatican Council, interpreted in the light of all the Church’s doctrinal inheritance.”

The Pontiff spoke about the urgent need for priests to be “present, identifiable and recognizable — for their judgment of faith, personal virtues and attire — in the fields of culture and of charity which have always been at the heart of the Church’s mission.”

He said the mission of the priest concerns the Church, communion, hierarchy and doctrine, and added that these aspects should not be separated.

He explained: “The mission is ecclesial because no one announces or brings themselves, but rather in and through his own humanity, every priest should be very conscious of bringing Another, God himself, to the world. God is the only treasure that, definitively, mankind wishes to find in a priest.”

The Holy Father said the mission concerns communion “because it takes place in a unity and communion which only at a secondary level possess important aspects of social visibility. These, moreover, are derived essentially from that divine intimacy of which the priest is called to be an expert, so that he can bring, with confidence and humility, the souls entrusted to him to the same meeting with the Lord.”

He said that “the ‘hierarchical’ and ‘doctrinal’ dimensions emphasize the importance of ecclesiastical discipline — a term related to that of ‘disciple’ — and of doctrinal — not just theological, initial and permanent — formation.”

The Pope concluded by urging those present to discover the centrality of Jesus Christ who gives meaning and value to the ministerial priesthood.

He added, “As Church and as priests we announce Jesus of Nazareth, Lord and Christ, crucified and risen, Sovereign of time and history, in the joyful certainty that this truth coincides with the deepest hopes of the human heart.”

I absolutely believe in the necessity and blessing of a visible, valid, faithful and orthodox priesthood. These are our shepherds — the men who guide us and care for us and bring us life. They provide us access to Jesus in the sacraments, break open the Word of God for us, demonstrate to us a holy life and what it means to love our neighbor and give our entire selves in service to others. They give and they love, and they help us to do the same.

On Passivity vs. Activity in Suffering

Critical Mass, Of Trials Opportunities and Gifts, , , , , , ,

When we are in pain, real pain, it becomes easy to fall into despair regarding our condition, especially when our suffering is long-term. What we are often told by well-meaning Christian friends is to “offer it up.” What does this really mean? At first glance, it appears that they are asking you to dismiss your suffering, which, of course, is impossible. The mere suggestion is liable to make you feel less than charitable towards your friend.

A friend of mine frequently offers the suggestion that we not “offer it up,” but that we “unite it to the cross.” He finds that “offering it up” is far too passive of a thing. Rather, we should actively donate our suffering, *give* it to Christ to be used for the purposes of someone else. Not only to make it not just something we endure, but to make it efficacious and redemptive, as Christ’s Passion is efficacious and redemptive for all of mankind. Because Jesus made His suffering efficacious specifically for each and every one of us, by name, we too should unite our sufferings to a specific person or intention, so as to direct the efficacy of our suffering. This is all great, and works to make the person suffering feel useful, because now instead of being a victim, they are able to work, actively. Suffering is no longer something which “happens to them,” but is a medium in which they can effect results through Christ.

But before I completely tossed aside the phrase “offer it up,” I decided to revisit it once more. After all, as my friend says, this is the phrase that Pope Benedict XVI uses. Perhaps there is something else to the use of the passive voice which is intriguing to the Holy Father. Allow me to speculate on this for a moment. For a person who is new to the concept of redemptive suffering, I am really taken by the concept of “uniting it to the cross,” to give the sufferer a means by which he can feel useful and connected to the community, instead of despair. However, the caution that I would add would be to not get so caught up in the concept of our own action in “uniting our suffering to the cross” that we begin to think that our action in willing this unity is the efficacious agent in this transaction. It is God, and not us, who is able to use our suffering in some way for the benefit of others. What we are doing, in essence, isn’t actually an *action* per se which renders aid, but a submission of the experience of our suffering which the Lord then uses. It is neither the selfishness of wallowing in our negative experience, or the pride in thinking that we are being personally effective which aids our brothers, but the willful, humble submission to the will of God. In this humility, this proper ordering of our desire for unity with God and with our brothers and sisters, are we able to make a true gift of ourselves back to the Lord and cooperate in His saving action. For this reason, I argue that the use of the passive voice is a good and legitimate use, not to show passivity in will, but to show docility to God.

For My Priests

Critical Mass, Tales of My Amazing Priests, ,

Yes, I did quote this very passage almost exactly a year ago, but it bears repeating…. And, I am reading it again today in Scripture:

1 Thes 1:2-4
We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen.