Furthermore…

Politician:

“To me, life begins at the point where the pro-choice crowd won’t squawk for saying so!”

The highlight of my week is attending the children’s or School Mass in our parish. The kids are to me a powerful army portending. in their uniform clothes and sedate behavior, a bright tomorrow. There’s usually music and singing, and perhaps some chances for the braver kids to try to answer questions about the faith posed by the priest during an interactive homily.

I once heard on the radio a speaker talk about how girls are better suited for school as we know it — sitting quietly, paying attention, giving the expected answers and responses — than are the boys, more suited for moving about, expressive behavior, and spontaneity.

But at the last School Mass I sat a few rows behind five cute-as-buttons little five year old girls whose constant squirming, fidgeting and activity, almost more than their attentive young teacher could monitor, vitiated all the theorizing about what might be expected, gender-wise .

Director of Christmas pageant to cast:

“It’ll be a mostly traditonal production, except instead of angels and shepherds we’re having UFO’s and cowboys!”

A couple of years ago I watched a film on TV telling the story of St. Teresa of Los Andes. As presented, she was so sweet and pure that I felt drawn to starting a personal devotion to her. A product of twentieth century Chile, she seems to provide a needed contrast to what today’s media have concocted and foisted on us as the typical image of young womanhood.

The other day I was watching on TV a choir of nuns singing accompaniment to a sacred liturgy. In the front row of the group of nuns was a devoted-looking youngish nun reminding me, for all the world, of my treasured impressions of the saint.

We never know how we might be impressing or striking people who see us (especially if we’re on television). This uplifting unexpected “vision” of a saint I consider a beautiful example of the directive given by St. Francis of Assisi — preach the Gospel (use words if necessary).

Kid to Dad:

“At school we’re not supposed to say ‘Before Christ’ anymore. We’re suppose to say ‘Before Common Error’!

Continuing about “where two or three are gathered…” (my 2008/08/21 ‘Bible Study Leftover’ post), I caught a Bible Study today on EWTN touching on the meaning of the verse. Discussing the Book of Exodus where God gives Moses His secret name, the teacher on TV pointed out that when Jesus said “wherever two or three are gathered together in my Name” His statement was reflecting the great power attached to the Lord’s name. It is this great power which accounts for the promise that Jesus will be among the two or three believers gathered in (My) name. The teacher also pointed out that no miracles appear in the Bible up until those of Moses, and that those he worked were on account of his having power due to knowing God’s secret name.

One woman scientist to other at cocktail party:

“I love your dress. It’s such an intelligent design!”

We have some good ‘go-rounds’ about topics that are suggested by the past Sunday’s readings which we discuss within the ’small group faith sharing’ framework. Yesterday someone mentioned the verse “wherever two or three are gathered together in my name I am there…”. He was wondering what might lie behind or be suggested by it, and how it differs from how the Lord views the prayer of an individual. We tossed out ideas about how sharing thoughts, prayer or devotion with ‘the other’ or multiple others calls out a different kind of awareness. Perhaps greater clarity, intensity, or feeling might result. Something was said about how “two or three” suggests the Holy Trinity, God the Father in His Love generating the Son, the Reflection of His Love, generating the Holy Spirit, the Result of the love between the Father and the Son. Other persons spoke about the beauty and value of individual prayer, talking with and relating directly to God.

I talked to a priest about how I had gotten fascinated with Internet social networking sites, but was not at peace with participating there because they seem to be heavily invested with sugggestive pictures and material, which I would try to navigate past as one would mythical Scylla and Charybdis.

He divined (oops!) that this interest suggested (oops!) lonliness, and recommended I get more active in real life social activities. He also mentioned that I might look into a certain Catholic online site, where I might find interesting possibilities for replacing the unsavory ones saturated with sexy stuff.

The site he mentioned didn’t very strongly capture my interest, but following up a bit late I discovered a well-known social networking site I had joined some time previously but had never much frequented had a ‘Catholic Friends’ group, which is just what the “doctor of souls” ordered. International in character, it turns out to have many active members from Poland and the Phillipines, two of the most thoroughly Catholic countries in the world. A number of the participants are consecrated members of religious orders, and lay folk highly interested in the Church and personal holiness comprise a good part of the membership. There is a sprinkling of inquisitive non-Catholics too. I get to see some elegant religious illustrations, read about favorite saints and devotions, and enjoy uploaded music of good quality.

Voice eminating from confessional:

“… Oh my God, I’m hardly sorry…”