Wednesday, February 16, 2011

slowly, slowly

Do you get tired of me saying there is nothing to write about?  Sometimes the words and ideas seem to flow like a faucet, and other times, like now, not so much.

Maybe because all there is to write about is boring ordinary.  Maybe it's because I'm not finding the beauty in the ordinary?

Maybe because since I have my iPad, many nights I don't even take out my laptop, and I can't blog from my iPad.

Adoration.  That's one extra-ordinary thing that I'm seeing beauty in.  It could never be ordinary to sit in the presence of God.  I find that instead of going to the little chapel once or twice a month, now I'm looking to grab a few minutes whenever I can, at an open church near my school.  Yes, I could get to work a few minutes earlier and do a few things, but most likely that time would be wasted gabbing about something.  The precious minutes in the Lord's Presence can't be over-estimated.

Last Friday, I was there, and God pointed out a thing or two that needed work.  In his homily on Sunday, the priest was talking about knowing the Lord.  Really knowing Him...spending time with Him....talking to Him.  He mentioned about a God who confronts us and challenges us, and I thought, "yep - got that right."

Weddings.  Saturday was the day of two weddings.  One was a Catholic wedding.  The daughter of a friend who I met summer before last.  I had discovered a wonderful church near my house, and we were among the very few white people who go there.  We hit it off, and pleasantries exchanged after Mass have turned a friendship.  Cool how that works.

Anyway, we were invited to the wedding.  Hubby and I went, even though we knew no one else there, in part because the same priest had married us (17 years ago) and because his present parish has played a part in our journey.  We were late due to a road closure, and we never found our way to the reception, but as we sat near the back, my mind wandered back to the day almost 10 years ago, when I'd made my way to that church one cold afternoon looking for confession.  I found it, and so much more.

The second wedding was a colleague.  This guy is the real deal - faith-filled, warm, sincere, kind.  I was a bit like a grain of rice in a gumbo pot.  This ceremony was held at a black Pentecostal church.  I was on time for this one, but it was about 30 minutes late starting.  Then the dozen or so attendants had to make their way down the aisle.  Half an hour late, the bride and groom had finally made it to the front.  He sang to her.  It was beautiful.  Then there was some preaching, the theme of which was "untie me".  Praise the Lord and Hallelujah.  Finally the vows were made and read.  Quite a joyful occasion that has been anticipated for a while.  There are not many people for whom I would have sat at a wedding for nearly 2 hours AND missed 4:00 Mass (which I love)....  Definitely an experience!

Saturday was also an Ad Altare Dei day.  Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) is a religious award that Boy Scouts can earn.  It involves quite a bit of time as the boys journey through the sacraments and hopefully grow in faith.  I would never have suggested it, but when my oldest came home from the National Jamboree last summer, he said that he needed to earn it.  A counselor is required, so I set about looking for a counselor.  I don't need to tell you how that worked out, do I?  I am now a religious emblem counselor.  So Saturday morning, we met to finish up the chapter on Baptism, complete with a prayer service "involving candles and water and the renewal of baptismal vows."  Here is a picture of our little group.  Do say a prayer that our time is not wasted with these teens.

Today on the way home, for some reason, my youngest and I were talking about vocations.  I don't remember how the conversation started.  He said that he thought he could never be a priest.  I replied that no one can be a priest on their own; it takes grace from God, and if God is calling, He will also supply the grace.  He then asked that if God calls, can someone say, "no".  To which I said, "Yes.  Our lack of priests today is not because God quit calling people, but because people stopped hearing/answering.  But even if one says "no", God doesn't turn His back on them."  It was an interesting conversation with my nearly 14 year old.  I sometimes think that if either of them has a vocation to the priesthood, it would be my 15 year old.  But the nearly 14 is the one who asks the most questions....often thoughtful questions.

You know, when I sit down at the laptop, the words sometimes flow.  Not sure how interesting these long posts are, though.  
I have more to say (mostly about nothing)...but I fear I have gone on quite long enough already. 

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