Jimmy Fallon, Adele & The Roots Sing "Hello" (w/Classroom Instruments)

This was actually quite funny!

Enjoy!

What is Martyrdom?

What follows is a rough transcript of a talk I gave the Middle School Youth Group.

In honor of the Feast of the Decollation of St John the Baptist that was celebrated yesterday, today we are going to talk about martyrdom.

What is Martyrdom?  The word martyr comes from the Greek word ‘martus’ which translates to ‘witness’.  Which is fitting since the CCC states that martyrdom is “the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death.” (2473). In scripture, it usually refers to people who testified to their faith, whether or not they suffered as a result, like Susanna (who is she) preferred to die rather than yield to the advances of the two unjust judges (Daniel 13).  The association with blood came later in the first century when witnessing for Christ could mean facing the lions in the arena like Sts Perpetua and Felicity as the crowd cheered on.

Martyrdom of St. Stephen

There are three things that are required for Martyrdom: The victim must die, the murders must kill out of hatred for the Christian way of life and Christian truth, and death must be voluntary.  Of course there are exceptions to the third criterion as seen with the Holy Innocence.  The essence of martyrdom is imitating Christ’s example both in living one’s life and in giving it for a higher cause.  As they say imitation is the highest form of flattery.

The first martyr after the Resurrection was St Stephen who was also a deacon (Acts 6:8). There is also the Apostle St James the Greater (Acts 12:2).  There are also those who died for the entertainment of the Roman Empire like.  If these names sound familiar they are – they are mentioned in the Offertory prayer at Mass. Emperor Nero (the one that fiddle as Rome burned by his own hands, yes he was crazy).

But why is martyrdom important?  Well, as the Carthaginian Church Father Quintus Septimius Tertullianus, better known as Tertullian, wrote a defense of martyrs in his Apology, We become many whenever you mow us down; the blood of Christians is seed.”  Today it is often misquoted as “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” But let us go back to the original phrase; it hangs on an agricultural metaphor. So just as autumn’s crops dies the seeds spring up, so new Christians rise up from the death of martyrs.  Christianity thrives on commitment, and the commitment of the martyrs is inspiration for the ages.

Now martyrdom is not something that just happened in the early Church.  We have martyrs in modern times. In 1926 what is now called the Cristero War began in central western Mexican states; the Mexican Government imposed many secular, anti-Catholic and anticlerical policies upon its people under President Plutarco Elias Calles.  Calles sought to eliminate the power of the Catholic Church and suppressed popular religious celebrations.  It was a very bloody conflict with a lot of causalities whose effect is still felt today – the Mexican constitution prohibits outdoor worship, if there are any it requires government permission; Religious organizations are not permitted to own print or electronic media outlet (so no Mexican version of EWTN).  From this conflict is Blessed Miguel Pro, he was shoot without trial on trumped up charges. He died with his arms outstretch, like Christ on the cross, shouting out ‘Viva Cristo Rey!’ ‘Long live Christ the King!’

Bl. Miguel Pro is not the only modern martyr. St Maria Goretti was an 11 year Italian girl who was stabbed multiple times when she resisted rape in 1902.  On the way to the hospital she forgave her attacker, Alessandro Serenelli. Her attacker was unrepentant until he had a vision of St. Maria holding a bouquet of lilies.  She handed him each lily one at a time, each one representing a stab he inflicted. When he grabbed hold of the lilies they each burned in his hands.  He had a complete change and was released after he finished his sentence.  He attended St. Maria Goretti's canonization with her mother.

School, So Far

Allow me a moment to collapse unto the floor and rest.



Ok, update!

I am about halfway through my first semester of graduate school and I cannot believe it! I knew it was going to be a ridiculous amount of reading, but the challenge comes with doing both school and working full time.  There are days in which I just want to fall into bed and sleep after a hard day at the library, but then I remember the several articles and book chapters I have to read. I am getting reacquainted with the long nights of my college days.

Am I learning? Absolutely.

Tired? Mostly.

Overwhelmed? It varies.

Am I glad I started this program? Very much so.

I continue on with the rest of my semester, and getting ready for registration for my second semester.

Look out World!!

I'm Doing What Now?

I'm a geek.

Am I ashamed of this? Nope. I'm very proud of my geekiness and I make no excuses for it (mostly because I don't have any).  I love my sci-fi, my fantasy, and examining those things at every possible angle til your eyes get crossed.

Yes, it's a Swiss Guard with a lightsaber.
Your argument is invalided.

But I don't keep my geekiness reserved for just those things.  I geek out over my Catholic faith, and there is a lot to geek out over.  We got traditions (both big T and little t), sacraments, history, saints, and I could on and on.  But I won't here.

No, the place I will completely geek out on my favorite shows and the faith on The Catholic Geeks.

The Catholic Geeks is a collection of people who are Catholic, who are geeks, and who are (to quote the Scarlet Pimpernel) demned proud of it.

Will I stop geek out over stuff on this blog? No.  It just means that there will be more stuff by me to read in internetland.

Enjoy my first posting Scarlet Pimpernel, Vatican Style.

Next Big Step

I can easily say that for the past five years of my life I have felt stuck in rut.  Mostly in the job/occupation department. Combination of economy and choose of degree made for a very interesting job hunt to say the least.

So I have worked mostly part-time positions, with little possibility of upward movement.  One such position is a Library Assistant at the local library system.  I really do enjoy working in the library, and loved the time I spent in the archives.  It took me awhile, but I finally buckled down and signed up to take the GRE (Graduate Records Examination), which is like the SAT/ACT for graduated school.  Taking the test was a experience to say the least (don't bring anything to the test expect a form of ID, trust me).

My new school, see above

After looking at several school options I settled on the University of Alabama School of Library and
Information Studies and was just recently accepted into the program.  It was an adventure with what I, and the admissions counselor, call the 'Transcript Drama'.  Dun dun daaaa!!!!!

Let me explain . . . well sum up actually - there is too much to explain: in something that could be akin to a comedy of errors I had to get an unofficial copy of a transcript of a school that no longer exist.  Yeah, that was fun. Anyway, the program is completely online, except for orientation, so I can keep working to pay the bills and hopefully not take out another school loan.

This, while not difficult, took a long time for me to figure out.  The only regret I have is that it did take so long.  All I ask of people is that they keep me in their prayers as I go through this process.  I have done independent studies before, but nothing like this online schooling.  That's really the only thing I'm majorly nervous about, but it's life and I'm a woman, I need something to fret about. ;)

Wish me luck and offer some prayers!

Ready or not Alabama here I come!!!

Random Quotes

"I've been married to a dental hygienist for years and if you think I haven't heard "Use the Floss" you'd be mistaken."
-- Mark Hamill

"The simplification of anything is always sensational."
-- G.K. Chesterton

"That’s the real trouble with the world. Too many people grow up.”
--Walt Disney

"We cannot like everyone, but we can love everyone."
--Venerable Fulton Sheen

Reflection on Volunteering

As some might surmise by some of my recent post, I help out with my church's Middle School Youth Group.  The Youth Minister discovered my Bachelor's in Scared Theology and did the whole puppy eye thing and asked if I would volunteer for Youth Group.  Needless to say the puppy eye thing worked.

Thus began my weekly obligation on Sunday evening in which I took nuggets of Theological information wrapped up in fun and talked with the kids.  I have made attempts in the past to volunteer at church, mostly with the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults).  I will say with no ill will that it did not work well.  Most people going through the program were older than me, enough that they were in a different generation than me. 

After every talk I gave there was a complaint; I was unsettling, unfeeling, or unkind.  The last person demanded my removal from the program because I offended her.  Now, I can understand the annoyance of someone younger than you telling you what to do; really, I do.  But I do have a degree in Theology!!!! I know what I'm talking about.  The overall experience was not completely bad - it just left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

So with that experience under my belt I was not sure how good I would be with the Middle School. To my amazement they liked me - they really really like me.  The moms are happy, the kids are having fun and they pay attention.  One Sunday when I told the moms I was going to teach the kids about the Four Lasts Things, they were wary - I don't blame them.  It's a heavy theological topic, but it's something that I was never really taught in Middle or High School.  But the following Sunday a few moms approached me and said that their kids were rapid firing questions at them about the talk and how they were really into it.

This is an instant where I have no shame in saying 'SQUEEEEEEEE!', none at all.

Last Sunday there was no Middle School Youth Group so I helped out with the High School Youth Group in their small group discussions.  I tagged along with another volunteer with her group.  We had fun talking going over what was earlier discussed.  My crowning moment of the evening was when one girl said 'ReTweet that!' to something I said. That's right, I got a non-virtual retweet.

So all in all, am I glad I started volunteering with the Youth Group - Yes.  Now if you will excuse me, I have to get ready for my next talk.

St John Bosco, Patron of Youth Ministries, Ora pro nobis 

The Four Last Things: Part II

What follows is a rough transcript of a talk I gave the Middle School Youth Group last Sunday.

We are going to finish up the Four Last Things with Heaven and Hell.

Let’s start with Hell.

This is the worst possible thing to happen to any person, not losing your phone or not getting the latest gadget on the market or being late meeting your friends. No, it’s Hell.

Hell. detail, Bosch

So what is Hell?

It is the complete and willing rejection of God and His love.  It is a complete separation from the source of all goodness. A flat out NO to God.

Think back to the parable of the wedding feast where a king goes out and invites everyone to come, but there is one person who come inappropriately attired and is rejected out into the cold (Matthew 22:1-14).  What is not explained because everyone knew this is that the wedding attire is provided by the host, so that one guest rejected the kind offer of the king and throws it back in his face. Translating this, the soul is provided the opportunity for all the joy and delight for the taking.  But he refuses to put on the commandments of God, the Gospel, and grace which causes the soul, aka the poorly dressed guest, to be cast away.

God does not put people in Hell.  Remember that - He wants us to be with Him. We are made to be in union with God. This union happens in Heaven.  God sent His only Son so that the Gates of Heaven could be open to us.  Think about it – He loves us that much!

So, who gets to Heaven?
Simply put, those who are just, free of guilt and punishment.  There are two types of punishment, eternal and temporal.

Eternal punishment aka guilt is forgiven and removed at Confession with absolution. Temporal punishment is what remains after confession which has to be paid in this life or the next aka Purgatory.

We talked a little about this last week and there was a bit of confusion that I hope to clear it up now.  Purgatory is not a second chance to get into Heaven.  The souls in Purgatory are already going to Heaven, they just have to take a pit stop since nothing unclean can enter into Heaven.  The CCC (1030) states that those who die in God’s friendship and grace but are still imperfect need to undergo purification.

Think of Purgatory as a Hospital for the Soul, or a very Hot Painful Shower for the Soul.

Heaven. detail, Bosch

The living can help the Poor Souls by prayer.  It is considered a Corporal Work of Mercy to visit the cemetery and pray for the dead, especially for those who have no one to pray for them.

After Purgatory is, dramatic music here, HEAVEN!!!

So our goal in life is to get to Heaven and be with God. We were made for Heaven because God wants us there with Him.

The Four Last Things: Part I

The Four Last Things: Part I

What follows is a rough transcript of a talk I gave the Middle School Youth Group a few weeks ago.  It veered off towards the end because the kids had so many good questions. But this is generally what was talked about.

I’m going to talk about the Four Last Things, which are Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. There’s a whole study of it called eschatology, from the Greek word eschata meaning ‘the final things’.  Tonight, we’re just going to talk about the first two, Death and Judgement.

So the first, Death, happens at the end of our earthly life.  Death is a result of sin (Romans 5:12).  To really understand this let’s go back to the beginning – Creation.  Before the Fall of Adam and Eve, they possessed what is called Preternatural Gifts:

• Infused knowledge
• Integrity
• Bodily Immortality

We are just going to focus on Bodily Immortality.  What is important to see here is that Adam and Eve, like we are, were pilgrims on this Earth. The Garden of Eden, what we at times refer to as Paradise, was not Heaven. At some point, they were to pass on to the next life in Heaven, but it would not have been through what we call death.  Bodily immortality was lost when Adam and Eve sinned, thus bodily death entered the world.

Death. detail, Bosch

So what is death exactly?  Simply put, it is when the person’s human body and human soul separate.
That’s it!

But even as we were cut off from God due to sin, God did not reject mankind; He immediately began to work on our Salvation.  In Genesis 3:14-5, in what is referred to as the Protoevangelium (aka first announcement of the Gospels) we get a glimpse of the beginnings of God’s work on Redemption.

Which leads us to the second part of our talk:  Judgement.  When we die we face judgement, the time to choose between good and evil ends at death. There are two types of Judgement:  Particular and Universal.

Particular Judgement is when we die are individually judged by Christ.  At this moment we see our lives the way that God sees us.  We see every act of sin and its consequences and every act of goodness and its consequences. Here we learn if we go to Heaven or Hell.  Those who are saved but still have the stain of sin on their soul must first go through a period of time in Purgatory.

Does anybody know what Purgatory is?
It’s a place of purification, what Pope St Gregory the Great referred to as a purifying fire.

Judgement. detail, Bosch

Is it painful?
Yes, only in so far that you feel the effects of our sin.

We refer to those in Purgatory as the Poor Souls. It is highly recommended and encourage to pray for these Poor Souls to help them shorten their time there and to get to the Beatific Vision.  So in your petition prayers remember those in Purgatory that have no one to pray for them.

Second type of judgement is Universal, sometimes called the Final Judgement:  This happens at the Second coming of Christ aka the of Time.  Each person’s sin is revealed for all to know.

But why is everyone's sins revealed?

Well, God’s justice demands that all will be revealed.  It often seems in life that the wicked get away with their actions and the good suffer. At the Final Judgement we learn that everything is as it should.  God’s mercy and justice will prevail despite some appearances.  This is the main reason why we are taught not to judge others because we never know what is in their hearts, unlike God who does.

One of the things for which we have time to overcome in this life is the sin of pride. It is because of pride that we fear others knowing our inmost dark secrets. The practice of humility, strengthened with frequent sacramental confession can overcome that fear and deepen our spiritual life.

The Four Last Things: Part II

What's Happened to Love?

I fully admit that I read young adult novels.  It's a habit I develop in school when I wanted something light and easy after reading dense philosophy and theology texts. A nice reprieve.  One main reason I veered towards the young adult novels is that I know that there will not be a sex scene, maybe intense awkward kissing but no sex.

So with the desire to vegging out I began reading The Selection by Kiera Cass.  Best way I can describe the book without getting into too much detail is that it's a water down version of the Hunger Games meets the teen version of The Bachelor/ette.  Overall the story was meh.  It had the overused trope of love triangle with a all talk don't see a lot of action war going on in the background.  Again me reading this series was solely for the purpose of vegging out.  It worked all the way up to the last few chapters of the third and, thankfully, last book when the main girl and the prince start stripping off each other's clothes.

Let me repeat that - stripping off each other's clothes!!!!

My brain crashed in on itself when I first read the passage.  Fortunately they stop when they reach the last layer of underclothing because they didn't want to get caught.  This point in the story they just declared their love for each other and are unmarried.

I quickly finished the book just to know what happened. It was predictable with unnecessary angst and way too many side characters killed off for dramatic effect.  I guess the author was going for a 'earn your happy ending' trope.

It is an unfortunate trend I see with anything about love directed at the tween to young adult audience.  Love has become less about wanting the best for the other (ultimately getting that person to Heaven) and more about physical gratification.  There are common placed, and getting overused descriptions of 'eyes clouded with want', 'a need that they could not explain', 'quickening pace of the heart' all used to describe what true love is like.  Having never been in love, I do not know what it is like, but I do know what is expected of people when they are in love (many thanks to parental units and married sibling).

Love in it's truest form is selfless, wanting what is best for the other.  You can get mad at your spouse, fight, give the silent treatment, disagree, or keep secrets, because lets face the facts we're human we made more mistakes then we would care admit to anyone.  In the marriage vows it states that you will be by your spouse's side for better or worse, not just when you are happy.  There is no such thing as 'Happily ever after' because being in love takes effort, work, and determination. We live within the passing of time, never just in a moment.  We remember and relish the happy moments, we try to ignore the bad, but we cannot stay.

As I rant about love another book comes to mind: Arms of Love by Carmen Marcoux.  In this novel a young couple work on having a chaste courtship/relationship and everyone, outside of the girl's family and friends, sees their actions as something defective.  I read this one several years ago when I was still in college. While I applaud the efforts of Mrs. Marcoux to present love authentically, I really cannot recommend the book. I really did want to enjoy the book, and on Amazon there are many positive reviews, but in the end it felt fake.  It was more of a sermon with a thin plot rather than a story with a moving message.  I doubt many secular or non-Catholics would even consider reading it. For me the Catholicism in the book felt ... too touchy-feely for me. But I'm a smells and bells kinda girl.

I have witness relationships that seemed to have stepped out of pages of 'Arms of Love' and they have the strange aftertaste of spurious and induce fear for any children they may have. DO NOT misunderstand me, chastity (both mind and spirit) rocks in my humble opinion.  But something does not ring right when a couple waits til they exchange their vows for their first kiss.  An act such as that has a gnostic feel to it, like the couple is saying they are better than the rest because they rise above the physical acts of affection (kissing, hugging, holding hands).

Take the book as you will. I'm not going to force you to read it.

With the recent release of '50 Shades of Gray', a pornographic fanfic turned book turned box office record breaking movie I feel that we as a society has lost touch on what love actually is.  Love is expressed in so many muddy confusing ways that in the ends leaves many wanting more, thus looking for that something more in all the wrong places and end up hurt.

St. Raphael the Archangel, Patron of Love and Lovers, Ora Pro Nobis.

Top Eleven Random Things You Didn't Know had a Catholic Origin.

(Just my notes for a talk I gave the Middle School Youth Group)

• 11. Autobiography: We can thank St Augustine of Hippo for the existence of the autobiography.  In his Confessions St Augustine recounts his younger life before his ordination with painful honesty telling the reader his thoughts and reflections of his past actions.
• 10. Friday the 13th: Friday is the day that Christ died on the cross, something to be cherished and revered, but because it is a day of Christ’s death it has always has a penitential character to it i.e. not eating meat.  As such it developed a reputation of being the unluckiest day of the week.  So beginning any on this day was considered was bad luck (which means I’m in a lot of trouble). 13 was associated with Christ and the 12 apostles, the 13th being Judas the Traitor.
• 9. Calculator: The first truly operative mechanical calculating device made its appearance in 1642 when Blaise Pascal (French Philosopher, Mathematician, Apologist) wanted to help his father, who was a tax official, with his work.  He called it ‘percaline’, it was 4x20 inches long with 8 dials on its face that was able to add and subtract with great accuracy.  We could also consider the pacaline the first basic computer.
• 8.A Capella: style of singing without musical instruments. Italian = ‘in the chapel’ written for sacred spaces too small for orchestras or a pipe organ
• 7. Piñatas: This started out as an Italian sin-bashing during Lent; 
• there were colorful 7 pignatta ‘fragile pot’ representing the 7 deadly sins that would dance on a rope showing how difficult it is to overcome sin, blindfolded – hard to see as sin.
• As evil can be defeated by good, we have aids: virture = bat, faith = directions shouted by the crowd, hope = directing his actions heavenwards, charity = when the pignatta is finally busted and sweets shower divine gifts and blessings cascading out
• 6. Almond Milk: great alternative to cow milk in the Medieval Age, it lasted longer and was often used in Lent when on Fridays one abstained from all animal products.  One couldn’t find a cookbook in a Medieval kitchen that did not have a few recipes that required almond milk.
• 5. Croissant & Pretzel: I ranked them the same since they are both food items.
• Croissant: commemorates the Battle of Vienna in 1683, Vienna was an Eastern outpost of Western Christendom against the larger superior army of the Ottoman Empire.  If Vienna had fallen The Turks could have very easily taken over all of Christian Europe, but they were defeated by a spectacular counterattack with a coalition of troops from different Catholic Countries led by the Polish King John Sobieski. 
• The Legend: Baker heard the Turks trying to tunnel under the city walls and he notified everyone. He was rewarded with a patent to produce a bread to commemorating the victory. The crescent is a symbol of Islam
• Pretzel: The Lenten treat of Ancient Christianity. In 400s the Great Fast of Lent included total abstinence from all meat and dairy products. Simple bread of flour water and salt in the shape of praying arms (crossed arms across chest in prayer). Were call bracellae Latin for ‘little arms’, from which German brezel or prezel = pretzel
• 4. Tempura: comes from the observance of Ember Days where there was a mandatory fast and abstain from meat.  The Spanish and Portuguese missionaries of the 16th century settled in Nagasaki, Japan started deep frying shrimp as a tasty alternative for meatless meals.  The idea caught on and the Japanese began to deep fry everything. The name is from Latin  Quatuor Tempora ‘the four seasons’ = the Embertides
• 3. Groundhog’s Day: Feb 2 Feast of Purification of the BVM – the presentation of Jesus at the Temple 40 days after birth. Simeon’s prophecy of Jesus being a light to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32) led to a folk believe that one could predict the weather on this day. The Germans would use a badger or hedgehog to determine; brought over to Pennsylvania in colonial times and a woodchuck was used. Woodchuck was considered a wise animal by the Indians of the area.
• 2. Big Bang Theory: not the show! States that at some moment all of space was contained in a single point from which the Universe has been expanding sever since. This theory was first proposed by Fr. Georges Lemaître, Belgian astronomer and professor of Physics at the Catholic University of Leuven. Sounds similar to the creation story, doesn’t it?
• 1. Solmization: You might know it as the Do-Re-Mi Scale. Hymn in the Divine Office for the Feast of St John the Baptist by Paul the deacon
• Ut Queant laxis Resonare fibris, Mira gestorum, Famuli tuorum, Solve pollute Labii reatum, Sacte Ioannes.
• An Italian monk, Gudio of Arezzo noticed that the melody of the hymn ascended precisely one note of the diatonix scale of C at each verse. Took the sybllables for each note of our scale.

Honorable Mentions

• Cappuccino: said to have been invented by Bl Marco D’Aviano, a Capuchin monk after the Battle of Vienna when a bag of coffee beans left behind by the Turks was found.  He found that it was too bitter for taste thus added milk and honey turning the color brown. Dubbed the drink ‘little Capuchin’ or cappuccino
• Lobbies: A lobium in medieval Latin was a cloistered walkway where it is believed that many would wait to seek council and help from the monks.

Now enjoy this cappuccino made with almond milk while I calculate the Big Band Theory to the sounds of 'Do a deer' in the background.