Category Archives: Critical Mass

Daytime Prayer – A Short Reflection

Critical Mass, Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer

Today, during Daytime Prayer (assuming I’m not screwing it all up, not having my official training until the end of the month and all…), I was reading Psalm 13. There was this one line in it:

Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death,

which I thought was rather significant. Christ being our light, our truth and our way; by giving us “light to our eyes,” He is showing us the way home to the Father — the path which we must all walk, “lest I fall asleep in death,” which of course is not mere death, but eternal estrangement from God.

We were just talking yesterday in Bible study how it is much better to pray for wisdom and “sight,” than for material possessions or money. Money and ease of financial concerns can affect some aspects of this life, but not those parts which truly matter. Why should I be so concerned about comfort here, when I should be concerned with the state of my eternity. Why concern myself with the type, quality and quantity of things which I possess. I would rather count myself rich in the people I had an opportunity to love.

Such a Good Prayer for a Monday

Critical Mass, Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer

God our Father,
work is your gift to us,
a call to reach new heights
by using our talents for the good of all.
Guide us as we work and teach us to live
in the spirit that has made us your sons and daughters,
in the love that has made us brothers and sisters.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen!

Office of the Readings

Critical Mass, Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer

1 Thessalonians 4:1-18

Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.
What God wants is for you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the body that belongs to him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another, and in fact this is what you are doing with all the brothers throughout the whole of Macedonia. However, we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to, so that you are seen to be respectable by those outside the Church, though you do not have to depend on them.
We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them; to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord for ever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another.

Tale of Horror of the Day

Bioethics, Critical Mass, Neat Things I Didn't Author

Courtesy of “The Clone Age: Adventures in the New World of Reproductive Technology” by Lori B. Andrews:

After Jonathan Slack cloned headless frogs, other researchers suggested cloning headless humans to serve as organ donors. They argued that, with no brain, such creatures would not be considered persons under the law.

I just had to stop eating my Cheerios after that. I mean, most of the book talks about human life being treated in a horribly callous way, but that…takes the cake right there. Even in the researchers’ argument, they are looking for ways to depersonalize and dehumanize…human people! The question is more like: “How can I make this not a person, so that I can do whatever I want to it and others will not object?” Well, a good start would be to call it a “creature.” Oh, wait. They already did that.

So disgusting.

Please Pray for Elianna

Critical Mass, Photography, Prayer/Prayer Requests, ,

Elianna

Elianna will be undergoing cardiac surgery this Monday, February 2nd, for a patent ductus arteriosus. Please pray for a successful surgery, a rapid recovery and continued good health. For the skill and wisdom of her surgeons and caregivers. And especially for her mom, dad, and siblings during this time of anxiety.

“In the day of distress I will call
and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
nor work to compare with yours.” — from Psalm 86

What Happened to My Prayer?!?!

Critical Mass, Prayer/Prayer Requests

Okay, I know it’s icy out there and the roads are horrible. My car seems to think it would be a great idea if it were, say, a sled. I seem to slide all the time. Which, at near-highway speeds, is not always a good thing (is it ever?).

So, I do a lot of praying when I drive, too. 🙂 I pray for my safety, and the safety and wisdom of all the drivers on the road. I pray for my friends and family. I pray for people I see in the ditch, or in accidents — for their safety, for quick aid, and for a help with finances in case they need repairs or worse.

Tonight, when I was driving home, the road was pretty much clear…. Except for the viaducts, where patches of ice would lie in wait for me. Sure enough, I’d hit them and my car would go skidding sideways a couple feet — not too much, but enough to make me anxious, especially if there were people in the lane next to me.

My first reaction when this happens (besides correcting the car’s trajectory) is to pray. I thoroughly anticipated praying something like, “Lord, please don’t let me crash!”

Oh no. That’s not the prayer that came to me.

Remember I said that I had someone that God put on my heart? I was to pray for them — kinda like a job? (I love that job, by the way!) Yeah. My prayer was, “Please, Lord, keep him safe!”

Wait a minute! Isn’t this supposed to be about ME??!? *I* am the one slipping over here!!

Nope, nope. Sorry. It’s about him. Seriously, every time I slid (which was a lot).

Since when are prayers for me turning into intercession for him??!! I guess…um…since now.

Interesting. 🙂

Great Weekend!

Critical Mass, Photography, Sacraments, St. Anastasia, Tales of My Amazing Priests

Sorry if this post is incoherent.  Not much sleep this weekend, but it was so much fun!  🙂

First, the Priests vs. Seminarians game on Friday.  I arrived early and got to tag along on a tour of the Sacred Heart by Jonathan the Seminarian. 
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The game was good, and although the “official” score was 73-73,
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that was only after a mercy-gift of 30 points at halftime.  Fr. JJ was the impromptu coach for the Priests.  I was thoroughly on the side of the priests, but I was watching for that #13 player, who was our gracious tour guide.  🙂 
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After the game, we hung out at the bar (yes!  Seminary has a bar!  With $1.50 beer!)
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and had some pizza which was provided.  Then, I tried to give Lindsay a tour from what I remembered.  We made it to the chapel and the library and found the hallway with the old photos of our priests when they went to Sacred Heart.  That was so funny.  I took pictures.  🙂

Is this not the best Boy Band hair you have seen? 🙂
Fr. JJ, The Boy Band Days -- DSCN5711

Saturday morning I had my hair done,
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and got ready for the wedding.
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I was really early, perhaps the first one at the church, so I ran between Katie and Joe a little bit before the wedding, as I do.
They had 4 priests, a deacon, and 2 altar servers.
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See, I’m not kidding! 🙂
It was a beautiful wedding, and I was so glad to be able to witness it!
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Here’s a link to the video of the beginning of Fr. John’s homily to Katie and Joe.  Here’s a link to my Flickr page with all the pictures I took at the wedding.

After the wedding and the reception at Picano’s, there was an after party at the hotel. Then, I went home and danced a bit on my own, before collapsing in bed. I did manage to make it to Mass the next day with gorgeous Morning After hair (actually, wasn’t too bad). Then, I spent all day getting stuff uploaded. 🙂 Didn’t get anything else on my list of things-to-do done this weekend, but a great weekend overall! 🙂

Now…. What’s next??? 🙂

Priests Rock!!

Critical Mass, Photography, Tales of My Amazing Priests

Tomorrow evening is the Priests vs. Seminarians basketball game at Sacred Heart Major Seminary!

Obviously, I’ve already chosen which side I’m rooting for! 🙂
Sacerdotes delent! Scholares modo velint! -- DSCN5617

Sorry, seminarians, but the ordinati have my heart! 🙂

And, I’m just all excited about that T-shirt. There is something most appropriate about a Latin-language smack-down. 🙂

If you can make it down, the game starts at 7 pm. Fr. Mark said that he will be playing. 🙂

Go Priests!!! You rock! 🙂

Commentary by Jaibee

Critical Mass, Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer, Neat Things I Didn't Author

From a letter to the Ephesians by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (from the readings of the Liturgy of the Hours):

Have faith in Christ, and love

Try to gather together more frequently to give thanks to God and to praise him. For when you come together frequently, Satan’s powers are undermined, (1) and the destruction he threatens is done away with in the unanimity of your faith. Nothing is better than peace, in which all warfare between heaven and earth is brought to an end.

None of this will escape you if you have perfect faith and love toward Jesus Christ. These are the beginning and the end of life: faith the beginning, love the end. (2) When these two are found together, there is God, and everything else concerning right living follows from them. No one professing faith sins; no one possessing love hates. “A tree is known by its fruit.” So those who profess to belong to Christ will be known by what they do. (3) For the work we are about is not a matter of words here and now, but depends on the power of faith and on being found faithful to the end.

It is better to remain silent and to be than to talk and not be. Teaching is good if the teacher also acts. Now there was one teacher who “spoke, and it was made,” and even what he did in silence is worthy of the Father. He who has the word of Jesus can truly listen also to his silence, in order to be perfect, that he may act through his speech and be known by his silence. (4) Nothing is hidden from the Lord, but even our secrets are close to him. Let us then do everything in the knowledge that he is dwelling within us so that we may be his temples and he may be God within us. (5) He is, and will reveal himself, in our sight, according to the love we bear him in holiness.

“Make no mistake,” my brothers: those who corrupt families “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” If those who do these things in accordance with the flesh have died, how much worse will it be if one corrupts through evil doctrine the faith of God for which Jesus was crucified. Such a person, because he is defiled, will depart into the unquenchable fire, as will any one who listens to him.

For the Lord received anointing on his head in order that he might breathe incorruptibility on the Church. Do not be anointed with the evil odour of the teachings of the prince of this world, do not let him lead you captive away from the life that is set before you. But why is it that we are not all wise when we have received the knowledge of God, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we perish in our stupidity, (6) not knowing the gift the Lord has truly sent us?

My spirit is given over to the humble service of the cross which is a stumbling block to unbelievers but to us salvation and eternal life.

(1) For me, I associate this with daily Mass. Daily reception of the Eucharist which gives us amazing power and grace to be not only what He wants us to be, but to be the man or woman we ourselves wish to be.
(2) Faith — even the size of a mustard seed; Love — conformity to God, who is love.
(3) We will not be saved by our works, but rather by our faith in God. As we trust only in Him, we grow in conformity to Him and thus more closely resemble that which is pure love. The more we allow ourselves to be filled with this pure love, the more our actions will demonstrate this; not out of pride or boasting, but from an interior conversion of heart.
(4) How often do we sin by the works of our tongue? Of what need do others have to know of our good deeds? To inflate our egos and to make a mockery of the humility to which we aspire?
(5) Live so as not to show others “me,” but to show “Him in me.”
(6) It is by listening to that evil doubt within us, the seed planted by the Evil One, that we are not strong enough or that maybe we don’t have all the answers and should get other opinions (opinions from the world, and not of God) instead of clinging to our own faith. Of course, we are not strong enough — but God is! If we but have faith in Him, there is no one who can take us from His hand!

The Steward’s Prayer

Critical Mass, Prayer/Prayer Requests

I know that God’s kingdom is not only beyond my
effort, but also beyond my vision.
I will accomplish in my lifetime only a fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing I do will be complete,
just another way of saying
the Kingdom lies beyond us.

So this is what I am all about:
I plant seeds that one day will grow.
I water seeds that are already planted, knowing that
they hold future promise.
I lay foundations that will need the future effort
provided by others.
I will bring the yeast that will produce effects that
stretch beyond my capabilities.

I cannot do everything
and there seems to be a sense of liberation
in realizing that.
It enables me to do something
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step
along the way, an opportunity for God’s grace to
enter in and do the rest!

I may never see the end results, but
there is a difference
between the Master builder and the worker.
I am a worker, not a master builder; a minister,
not a messiah.
I am a prophet of a future not my own.

Amen.

(Adopted from a prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero, killed in San Salvador in 1980)
Thank you, OLGC! — For I totally ganked this from your bulletin! 🙂