Be With Me, Lord, When I Am In Trouble

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.


The importance of inward things ("believe in your heart") as well as actions ("confess with your mouth"). I'm too utterly exhausted to try and write more - my heart believes I should have been in bed about ten hours ago, and it's time to show this with my actions. Isn't it nice how something such as sleep can be so easily related to theology?

Who's Feeling Secure?

A bit on the new security features being tested at a couple airports these days. I'm undecided as to whether the x-rays are better or worse as far as privacy is concerned; at least it's only voluntary at the moment.

I'm not planning on flying again anytime soon, anyway. And in much more exciting news, I have a new desk! Well, not new, but I get to reorganize my room. And now I have to go bake scones.

In Need

God did not ask us to follow Him because He needed our help, but because He knew that loving Him would make us whole.
-- St. Irenaus

Exhortation to the Soul on Fasting

If thou dost fast from food, O my soul,
yet dost not cleanse thyself from passions,
thou dost rejoice in vain over thy abstinence.
For if thy purpose
is not turned towards amendment of life,
as a liar thou art hateful in God’s sight,
and thou doest resemble the evil demons
who never eat at all.
Do not by sinning make the fast worthless,
but firmly resist all wicked impulses.
Picture to thyself
that thou art standing beside the crucified Saviour,
or rather, that thou art thyself crucified with Him
Who was crucified for thee;
and cry out to Him:
“Remember me, O Lord,
when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom.”

(Yes, I think this is an Anglican site.)

Enderverse and Playgrounds

Any day where I have a legitimate excuse to crawl through tunnels and go down a slide is a good day.

In other news, the 4th issue of the Intergalactic Medicine Show was released yesterday. As always, it includes (will include) another story from the Enderverse, this one about Peter Wiggin. Remember that Ender is one of the best books ever written in the entire world. It's only appropriate that you go now and read.

The Chair of St. Peter

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-19)

Dies Cinerum

O Lord,
The house of my soul is narrow;
enlarge it that you may enter in.
It is ruinous, O repair it!
It displeases Your sight.
I confess it, I know.
But who shall cleanse it,
to whom shall I cry but to you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord,
and spare Your servant from strange sins.

St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)
(http://www.churchyear.net/ashwedprayers.html)

Dies Cinerum; Ash Wednesday. Never would I have expected to welcome the beginning of Lent in 70-80 degree weather, or start it off by taking a five-year-old to get ashes, or even, once upon a time, to have found a home with other Catholics among whom the day to day observances of the different seasons are not out of place and uncommon. Today's ashes are not a specific reminder of the unexpected, near and far future, but they are a reminder of death. It's something most people don't expect to occur in the nearer future, or expect to have to deal with expecting. Christians hear often of Christ's death, life after death, and the joys of heaven, yet how many of us when asked would say "I am ready?" Perhaps more than I'm guessing, perhaps not.

That's what the priest's homily was all about today. It was my sixth time listening to an Ash Wednesday homily, but the first time I've heard a priest talk so specifically about death instead of the meaning of the ashes, the importance of conversion, or other favorite topics. Within the topic of death, and once he finished reminding us that there are people who expected to be here today and aren't, and some of us expect to be here next year and won't be (and we never believe that'll be us, do we?), he went on to mention the importance of our relationship with God. That we shouldn't only talk to him while doing other things, though continual prayer like that is good; that we shouldn't only talk to him when we want something. Like in any relationship, we have to spend time with God, with just God, and it shouldn't be a time of "I want this, I want that." Other relationships we have go far beyond that, and our relationship with God is the most important relationship we have. It's that one that will matter most when it turns out that our time is up. It's good to enjoy life, and to look forward to each day of living; but to do so while waiting for, looking forward to, an eternity of Life. If we found out we were to die the next day, or next week, or next year, we should be ready.. not rushing through a laundry list of things to do to prepare as we suddenly realize that we've been neglecting our Father, and have only limited days to develop a spiritual life and get to know Him. This new season offers us another opportunity to develop that relationship now.

(On a not-so-completely-different note, DarwinCatholic is doing a series of meditations on Dante's Divine Comedy during Lent; the first is up today. Go check it out.)

The Feasting Before The Fast

Interesting thing I learned about being down south today; they don't do Paczki. However, they do sell Kings Cakes, which I only learned of last year and which I didn't even try as there was some doubt about my ability to finish off a whole one today.. in fact, about the ability of the whole family working together to do so. Oh well.

I did, however, manage to place myself in charge of dinner. For all who are aware of my previous cooking endeavors, especially where whole meals are concerned, you can imagine this getting interesting in more ways than one. Aside from being later at night than we're used to eating, it turned out surprisingly well, though I also had help all the way through this time. I wasn't quite as adventurous.. we had Cajun Meatballs, Creole Rice (with polish sausage added into it), and cornbread. Also with Mardi Gras Punch (Vodka optional), and for dessert, the extremely creative angel food cake with kiwi, pineapple, blueberries (see, it's the right colors! Well.. if you pretend the blueberries are purple), and whipped cream on top. I haven't quite named that dish yet, since I'm thinking that "What Happens When I'm Out of Time, Nearly Out of Quickly-Made Ideas, And Need Specific Colors to be Involved" is just a bit too long to market it under.

(The other recipes weren't made up; the food came from allrecipes.com which, after tonight, can be garunteed to have at least two very good recipes, and has a very large selection; and fabulousfoods.com, which I've only used to re-find the punch recipe after making it last year and forgetting what it was called.)

Overall it definitely turned out better than last year, at which I had decorations including streamers and a purple tablecloth, color-coordinated food, and a breaded ham that kept taking its clothing off on the table. But I suppose those things happen.

Do and Don't

Tonight I was introduced to the movie Bewitched (the newer one). Aside from a few parts that were overdone, I found it amusing and.. cute. Though I definitely missed references/jokes/anything at all that came from the T.V. show, something I never did see the reruns of despite having heard people talk about it often. It's a fun light movie for wasting an evening when you don't want to think.

Much, much better that a movie I found myself watching a week or two ago - My Super Ex-Girlfriend. None of us had looked too closely at different reviews to determine the actual content of the movie, which turns out to have been something I don't think anyone under 40 should be allowed to see. Nor anyone over 40. Nor, for that matter, anyone who happens to be just at 40 instead of on either side. It could have been funny, had every other line been written differently and a couple entire scenes been cut out or redone; as is, it seems more like some poor teenager's fantasy-turned-nightmare with no thought for little things like decency and actual humor. For anyone looking for a movie to see, go watch Bewitched... and we'll all just try to forget that this movie was ever created.

Fire, Not Innocence, Is Colored Red

It's that day again. That day. The one specially designed for couples to show their love with dead plants and beans and make eyes at each other over cooked animal carcasses (or possibly long white worm-looking things) and sticks of fire. I hear they call it romance.

I, on the other hand, remain obstinately single. I wasn't going to bother with a post having anything to do with the subject, but then I realized: there might be other people like me out there. Other people who have not a clue what to do with this night. And so, for those others, I suggest my clearly brilliant solution: run around all day with kids, then crash in your room with a bowl of heart-shaped popcorn (it may take some imagination) and far too much sugar and sob your eyes out at the sappiest science fiction movie you can find.

Tomorrow, on the other hand, is the day specially designed for single people. It's the day when all the chocolate goes on sale.

Whichever day you all celebrate, I hope it's enjoyable! And now.. my movie awaits.

Mind the Music

I've entered into the appropriate music debate many times, and possibly have briefly touched on it before on this blog, but always with some trepidation. You see, I stand on the edge of any position within any particular music debate. I listen primarily to country, I'm careful and somewhat picky about what I'll hear within the style and definitely out of it, yet I've found songs I'll listen to within nearly every style in existance. I'm Charismatic everywhere except at Mass and very traditional then. I've learned, more recently, to pay actual attention to the lyrics and to what the music sounds like, but for most of the time when I was growing up, what mattered was what the music said - whether it spoke to you, how it spoke, what the song was about and said. What it leads you to.. where your heart is. It's the issue I have in particular with the traditional/charismatic debates; both can lift your mind and heart to God. Becoming Catholic in a very Charismatic church and then heading somewhere where I got Latin Masses for a year, I should know, I've experienced both. At this point I don't find much of the Charismatic music (in part because of what accompanies it.. clapping, dancing, so on and so forth) appropriate for Mass, but in a prayer meeting I have no problem with it. (I refuse to venture into which songs are just plain badly written and what place those have.)

What the music says - whether it directs you to good things, to God above all - will, to my mind, always be one of the most important aspects, no matter how much I learn about what makes a particular song good or bad. And it's to that end, not to actually debate anything, that I've gone and begun this post. You see, I discovered a new group about a week ago.

Not new new; they've been around for a while. Just new to me. You see, it's also an odd post because I'm probably the last among many of my aquaintances to have found this group, being, as I am, so often behind on these sorts of things. Nevertheless I heard one of their CDs playing during a car ride around a week ago, and a particular song came on that struck me very strongly as applying to a situation I was in. I sat, and listened to it, and it has replayed over and over in my head since then because it spoke to me that morning, and the words helped me turn my thoughts to Christ and away from myself as well as any song I've ever heard before. The group was the Foxhoven Family Singers. Completely unguessable by the name, and equally completely unusual among people and groups I've come to know and like, it's a family that sings together. Their music is specifically Catholic, and while had I heard the song in other circumstances I might have took as much notice as I have of many other groups and passed on without worrying about who it was or how to obtain it.. what I remember of their other songs also has me intrigued, and I've decided to order this CD. The samples are the ones I like best from the various CDs offered on their website, with the added benefit of being the one I was listening to in the first place and which my song is on.

I may post again once I have the CD and have found a chance to listen to all the songs again more carefully, but if I don't, and I'm wrong about being the last among many to heard of them - I'd recommened going to check out the website. It seems to be good music in that it does (well) what music about God should do, they're a large family (with cute baby pictures), and they offer free shipping. What more could you want?

*edit - Fast shipping, too! And I got a personal note included in the package. How cool is that?

Happy Sunday

"At last I understand why we have waited! This is the ending. Now not day only shall be beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all its fear pass away!"

(LoTR)

(Courtesy of http://wikiquote.org/.)

Can You Hear Me Now?

For years I protested the idea of getting a cell phone. A house phone worked perfectly well for keeping in touch with people; and if I was out, I didn't want to be taking calls anyway. Then, eventually, I began to discover a social life, a working life, an life of many different sorts, all of which included the need for people to be capable of reaching me whether or not I was at home. Since then I've found it extremely useful to be able to call people up where ever I am and to have them able to call me and get ahold of me no matter which house I've decided to wind up at or whether I'm out elsewhere.

Still, I retain one particular complaint. I don't like listening to a cell phone. For whatever reason, I can't hear as well using one as I can with a regular phone. The headsets don't work for me because they won't stay in my ears, and it's frankly impossible to balance a cell phone on your shoulder the way you can a regular one. After listening for too long, my ear ends up hurting.

Enough with the complaints. I've now discovered a gadget that, were my birthday not unfortunately many months away and Christmas even farther, I think I would be begging for. It's a phone. More specifically, it's an actual "retro" phone handset.. you know, that old fashioned thing you put up to your ear and listen to, before they came cordless with the buttons right on them. It's been modified slightly to be able to plug into most cell phones. It probably wouldn't be too useful when out and about - I doubt it'd fit in a pocket, or even a purse of a size I'm willing to carry, but it would work especially well for the longest conversations I have which all tend to be while sitting at home, and, coincedentally, also seem to be when I would most appreciate a regular phone.

Of course, if you DID carry it out around town, it could be extremly amusing to walk around talking into a seemingly unconnected handset. One of those things to try in a crowded elevator sometime, right?

Poor Old Mickey Mouse

The kids were using a tea set earlier to make Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse; a saucer for the head, two cups above it for the ears.

Eventually they added a sugar bowl to Minnie's head so that she would have a bow. At that point, while watching, I was informed that I could now tell Minnie and Mickey apart because Mickey had nothing between his ears.

The Post That Should Have Immediately Followed the Picture Post

My number one tip about visiting San Antonio? Don't accidentally go during the Alamo Bowl. Unless, of course, you're going for the Alamo Bowl, in which case I imagine it wouldn't be accidental. It adds a rather interesting touch to things such as parking, parking prices, being able to navigate the riverwalk without falling into the river, and your chances of there being another person within 100 miles who isn't wearing one of two colors (neither of which you chanced to put on that morning). If you do happen to make this mistake, don't get in any lines until after the game actually starts. There's plenty to walk around and see beforehand, and the lines will shorten significantly as people depart to watch football.

I finally got to see the Riverwalk lit up at night. They do this from after Thanksgiving until the end of December, and it's very beautiful with the number of lights they have strung throughout the place and the way they reflect off the water. This time around I also discovered a few of the stores, none of which I bothered going into the first time I visited San Antonio. There are plenty of restaurants (mostly bars, unfortunately), one of which we stopped for appetizers at, and one that I fully intend to go back to... There's a Rainforest Cafe on the Riverwalk! Rainforest Cafe, for those unfamiliar with it, is very well designed to look and sound like you're eating in the middle of a rainforest, minus the supersize bugs. There are plants, there are animals, there are frequent rain storms (without the actual rain), and delicious food if slightly on the expensive side. It's not gormet $30 dollar meals, but it's not Big Boy's either. We also found ice cream places, candy places, chocolate places, and a number of fun little general stores, one of which we went into to find postcards and play with cowboy hats. You can also get boat tours, but we found walking to be interesting enough and a lot less expensive.

The Alamo is one of those places that get lines. It's also a must-see for anyone who cares about US history, Texas, or being able to answer the one question friends who know nothing else about San Antonio will ask. Going into the Mission itself requires waiting in line (something I've been willing to do to get in both times I've been there), but if you just want to walk around the courtyard and see the other buildings before, after, or at any time, you can get without waiting and walk around.

I missed it this last time, but the first time I visited I spent time in the San Fernando Cathedral. It's a pretty church, and also pretty difficult to get a good picture of. It's easy enough to find when walking around, and on the way are some fun bridges and scupltures and parks (and some odd ones) if you walk above ground, or there's always the option of following the Riverwalk most of the way there and walking alongside the stores and water.

As seems to be usual for touristy places, there are flowers and such all over the place, with the added southwest addition of cacti which are always a nice option for taking pictures next to, mainly to send back to more northern and eastern states and say "look, a cactus!"

I once again missed seeing the missions beside the Alamo, so I'll have to make sure to catch those next time.. when I go back to eat in that Rainforest.