Category Archives: Photography

Reconciliation

September 12, 2010Photography, Sacraments, Scripture PixCadyLy

This is in follow-up to my last post.

I went back to SS. Cyril and Methodius tonight at 8 pm, to try again to go to Confession. There were about 12 people already there, scattered around the room. I was difficult to keep track of who was next. Over time, new people would come in. One woman asked if she could go ahead of everyone, since she had a small child. Another older woman just cut in line. The man sitting next to me looked over and said, “Don’t worry, we will get in there eventually!” and we had a short conversation about this. I tried to be patient, but in my head, I pictured myself jumping up and down shouting, “Me! Me!” Obviously, I really *needed* to go to Confession. I spent my time reviewing what I was going to say. Not to make it sound better, but to try to be as accurate as I could and minimize the rationalization and contextualization that I often try to stick in there to make it sound as if I really wasn’t as bad as I was.

When I got in, my confession was kind of like a series of bullet points. I committed sin X, Y, Z…. Bare and hanging out there, with no justification for why I committed them. The priest stops me for a minute to ask a question, then says this:

“You are a young person, you could be such a blessing to others…. But you need to make a routine, or you will never go anywhere in your spiritual life.”

I hadn’t said anything yet about feeling like I have been slacking off in my prayer life, or feeling disconnected from God this week, but here he is! Speaking about that very thing! You need no further proof to know that when you confess, you are confessing to Christ himself working through that priest! And that is so true. I really do need a routine in my life when it comes to spiritual matters. I am so haphazard about it and that bothers me.

After confession, I went back to St. Anastasia and spent some time with the Lord in the chapel. I took the Bible off the shelf and sat there for a moment, thinking of where I should start reading. It popped in my head to start reading in Hosea. So, I opened to Hosea and started reading at the first page I came to:

When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
and burning incense to idols.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them up in my arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of compassion,
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one,
who raises an infant to his cheeks,
and I bent down to them and fed them.

How can I give you up, O Ephraim!
How can I hand you over, O Israel!
How can I make you like Admah!
How can I treat you like Zeboiim!
My heart recoils within me,
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my fierce anger,
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come to destroy. — Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9

Basking in God’s love and God’s forgiveness, I knelt down to pray. A minute later, I felt a warm glow on my face and opened my eyes. The light from overhead was reflecting from the gold of the cover of the Bible.

God’s Word was shining on me.
Such a lovely way to end the evening.

The Fractioning Question

September 6, 2010Neat Things I Didn't Author, Photography, SacramentsCadyLy

There was a link to a discussion on what happens during fractioning posted on XT3. The referenced link with commentary by Fr. Z posted here. The original post by Fr. Allan McDonald can be found here.

What they are basically saying is that the larger hosts used during Mass scatter lots of pieces of the Lord’s Body during fractioning and that they can no longer in good conscience use the larger hosts, and have switched to using a smaller host. Fr. McDonald’s trial with the larger host did show the pieces which broke off from it in detail; however, a similar trial was not done using the smaller hosts. It is possible that they scatter a larger number of pieces, which are smaller in size and harder to detect.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand Fr. Z and Fr. McDonald’s concern over the unnecessary and avoidable scattering of the Body of our Lord. However, I absolutely LOVE this reply to the discussion:

I have always felt that the Altar is a table of sacrifice. It is enough to imagine the priest of the OT accomplishing the sacrifice of the lamb by dismembering it in the ritual manner and see the pieces of flesh and blood splattered allover the altar of sacrifice as he divides the different portions. I had a view of the butcher’s shop to see how much blood and small pieces of flesh are scattered all over the place as he cuts them to small pieces.That reminded me about what happens when the sacrifice is offered each day at the Altar. I imagine the flesh and blood of the Lord splashed all over the place. Mercifully the Lord has concealed Himself in the form of Bread and Wine, that we may continue to celebrate the Mass. But how much care is needed in the fraction and cleansing of the holy vessels. And as I kiss the alter to depart, to remember that the table is soaked with the Blood of the Lord spilled to save me and mankind. — Fr. Jose Sebastian, posted on XT3 website 9/6/10

Jellyfish?

September 3, 2010Neat Things I Didn't Author, PhotographyCadyLy

Jellyfish – Living Art 2

Originally uploaded by Herman Au – http://www.hermanau.com

“Quite a number of people have the abiding impression that the church’s faith is like a jellyfish: no one can get a grip on it and it has no firm center,” Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, In the Beginning, p. 7.

For how many of us is our faith like this idea of Catholicism? Pretty to look at, nice to be able to point out to our friends, but nothing with substance that can cause us to have to reform our lives?

Are we like the jellyfish? Swimming without eyes in the great ocean of life? No vision, but just reacting according to our instincts and desires as sensations come our way? No direction, no community, each jellyfish out for whatever nourishment he or she can obtain from those weaker than him or herself?

Psalm 147:8

September 2, 2010Photography, Scripture PixCadyLy

He covers the heavens with clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he makes grass grow upon the hills.

The last few days have been particularly trying for me. It is a comfort to be able to go outside and look up to the sky and know that you are not the one in charge — that there is a God who loves you and is present in our lives. Perhaps also relevant today is:

He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. (Psalm 147:3, 5)

Genesis 3:12-13

August 30, 2010Photography, Scripture PixCadyLy

The man said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.”

I think the photo says it all…. 😉

Genesis 2:19-20

August 29, 2010Photography, Scripture PixCadyLy

So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him.

From Toledo Zoo June 2010

You have to wonder if at this one, Adam said to the Lord, “You must be joking.”

What name would you give it?

Genesis 1:6-8

August 28, 2010Bible Study, Photography, Scripture PixCadyLy

This starts a new series of photographs, which I will call Scripture Pix. I will read a section of Scripture and take a photograph in some way related to that text. Enjoy!

This doesn’t look like a photo of anything, but it is a photo of the lovely cloudless blue sky that we are blessed with today.

And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

From 2010-08-28

Sirach 2:1

March 9, 2010PhotographyCadyLy

My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for temptation.

Grocery Shopping!

January 30, 2010Jennspeak, PhotographyCadyLy

Because I know how fascinated you all are with my grocery shopping habits and are dying to see what I buy the few times that I actually make it to the store! 🙂

Many, many mangoes! 🙂 I LOVE these! They had a 10 for $10 sale and I decided to buy a small plethora with the idea of making a mango pie. I’ve tried the mango pie before, and it was good, but a little too juicy the way I had made it, so I’m eager to try again! I really don’t think there’s a way I wouldn’t like this fruit. Yum!

More fruit! Yums! I’ve been on a blueberry kick for a while — can’t explain why….

Eggplant! I have never, ever made eggplant before in my life, although I think I’ve tried it before. I grabbed one, because, well, because it was there and I figured I needed a vegetable in addition to my fruit. 🙂 I’m not certain what I will do with it, but I thought of eggplant parmesan, maybe.

Cereal stuff — the Honey O things were new and I thought I’d give them a try over my usual Cheerios.

The Dairy Food Group (minus the milk, because you probably all know what a gallon of milk looks like):

The Pasta Stuff Food Group (the perciatelli is like a think spaghetti-type thing, looked interesting):

Well, I *AM* sick, so….

Wasting away again in…. Mmmm, salsa….

Is that a wall of soup? Why, yes, yes it is!

And some reading material, because I couldn’t resist the checkout display…I was held hostage…and it was either this, or more on the continuing saga of Jen-Brad-Angelina, and I just couldn’t do that today.

2009: A Rapid Review

January 25, 2010Jennspeak, Of Trials Opportunities and Gifts, Photography, Trips/Vacations, VocationCadyLy

Every year seems to go by both very slowly and very quickly, and 2009 was no exception.

January
I started off 2009 by going to Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, MI for Mary, Mother of God. I wanted to make a conscious choice about the priorities I wanted for myself this year: God first. I didn’t want the first thing I did this year be a bar or drinking, as important my friends are to me and how very much I love them — I wanted God to be first. I remember being very tired and nearly falling asleep during Adoration before Mass, but I was so happy that I had gone.

Later that day, I got to bring communion to my godmother, Pat. This was actually the last day that I would get to see her. Her brother and her sister-in-law were in town taking care of her. It’s a year later, and I still cry because my heart hurts at how much I have lost — which is really a testimony to how incredibly much she gave me in her friendship, that her absence leaves such a ragged, gaping hole. People are so precious; and relationships are the greatest gifts you can ever receive. We spent our time talking about a third person, a mutual friend who is very important to both of us. There was something that this person had said about me that she had wanted to make sure that I knew. I can’t tell you how many times I have relived that conversation, and how many times I really needed to hear what she had said.

A couple weeks later, I heard God asking me to take a new step in my life: to go back to school and get a Master’s in Theology and PhD in Bioethics. Wow! That’s not some small thing! I’m not sure I can do it. I wasn’t even sure that I would get accepted — after all, my grades from U of M weren’t that great, and I’d never taken the GRE. Despite all that, I felt that if the Lord truly wanted me to do this, He would find a way to work everything out. I applied to Sacred Heart Major Seminary on January 23rd, and that night attended my first Priests vs. Seminarians Basketball game. I had ordered a shirt that said “Sacerdotes velint! Scholares modo delint!” Which, very roughly translated, means “Priests dominate! Students (seminarians) only hope to!” I arrived early and tagged along on a tour of SHMS by one of the seminarians. Because of my ‘inflammatory’ text on my T-shirt, I kept my coat on and zipped during the entire tour, and was dying of heat by the end!

After the game, Lindsay and I did some exploring on our own and found God:

and did some praying in front of the tabernacle.

Then, we continued our exploration, and happened upon:

Fr. Harry Potter and one of the boys from N’Sync. 🙂

The next day, Jan. 24th, I got to witness two dear friends get married,

along with an astounding number of presbyterati (4 priests and a deacon!).

On a narcissistic note, I was all dressed up and looking cute.

Take note. This doesn’t happen very often. 🙂

February
On the 1st, I served at Mass for the first time as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. I was nervous and excited all at the same time!

The next day, I attended a Mass with our new Archbishop Vigneron, where he gave me permission to belong to 2 different parishes. 🙂

It was a fairly quiet month, although I did get to start a Catechism study with Jerad, hear Fr. Tad speak on bioethics,

attend the Rite of Election:

and of course:

Celebrate Krystin’s 30th birthday!!!

March
Lent was the major theme of this month. Although, we did break our fasting just a bit with Irish Night 2009:

I attended Parish Missions both at St. Anastasia and Our Lady of Good Counsel, did some Stations of the Cross, but of greatest note was the fact that I decided that I just couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to give up the cold weather (for Lent, right?). So, I made arrangements, and Lindsay and I went to:

JAMAICA!!!!!

Ah, Montego Bay… How I miss you! 🙂
And, just so you don’t think it was all fun and surf. We devoted read spiritual books (on the beach) and went to Mass at the cathedral every day (walking a mile to get there, uphill both ways!).

April
Most notable for HOLY WEEK!!!!

Palm Sunday:

Stacy and Michael’s Bridal Shower:

My first attempt at a Passover Seder Dinner:

CHRISM MASS!!!

Lindsay’s Tour of Detroit:

Donny’s in the background. He came up to visit, not realizing the extend of Massapalooza that he would be dragged to. 🙂

Lord’s Supper Mass and Pub Crawl of the Altars of Repose:

EASTER VIGIL!!!

Dinner with the Schmitts (Always a lovely time!); Girl’s Night; Visiting with Adam; and Geocaching

May
My first day at Seminary was on the 4th, Introduction to Sacred Scripture with Dr. Healy. 🙂

I loved that class! 🙂 And Dr. Healy is awesome! 🙂

I had seen a bulletin article about someone who needed a place to stay for a few months, who had been working with a crisis pregnancy center. On the 15th, the young woman and her year-old baby girl moved in.

The very next day, two more lovely friends got married:
Congrats to Stacy and Michael!!!

The next day, we lost a dear friend, Adam, to cancer.

I love you. I miss you. And you had BETTER be praying for me up there! 🙂

We finished the month by having a baby shower for Adam and Tina’s new little girl, Gianna.

June
June is when the medical issues started coming out in full force. I had been noticing a decline in my ability to run and jump and things like this, with an accompanying shortness of breath and chest pain upon exertion. During the first week of June, I noticed a significant amount of edema. So much so that our nurses told me that I needed to be seen by my doctor before the weekend. She ended up sending me to the ER on the 5th, where I was cleared for any DVTs and sent home. I went to a bowling fundraiser the next night, and had Jury Duty on the 9th and 10th.

On the 11th was Father’s birthday, so I dropped off his presents and pie,

went to Mass and work and ended up back in the ER that evening, where they admitted me for a cardiac work-up, looking at congestive heart failure, among other diagnoses. I stayed in the hospital until Saturday, when I was released, cleared of anything major going on with my heart, but still no real answers to what was going on. Oh yeah, and I was seen by Derm when I was there, because in the few days between ER visits, I had managed to acquire a case of poison ivy. Joy.

July
I started off this month with my first speeding ticket. Ever. And I *so* deserved it. 😉

A few days later, there were some aerial explosions:

On the 12th, my grampa died.

August
On the first day of the month, I got to take pictures of Jerad and Krystin at Cranbrook. Not only are they wonderful people, but they are very good-looking, too! 🙂 See for yourself: