We don't have a pope!!!

Unfortunately, you generally have to have been ordained already to become pope, so I think you'll have to wait until the next election to get a chance.

On a somewhat bizarre note, my host mom told me today that she thinks His Holiness Benedict XVI: The Pope Eremitus (sorry, I really wanted to use his new official title) has secrets that he wants to pass on to the next pope. I'm not exactly sure if she merely thinks that he is planning on giving the new pope advice or if she thinks he renounced the papacy specifically so that he could make sure his successor hears his "secrets."

I'm confused.

I'm also praying for you!

:)

It's really amazing to me how people point out scandals and arguments in Church history and say, "The Catholic Church is wrong and I can't join it because of x." Because, yeah, that stuff is horrible, but I don't really see any way an organization could survive persecution, corrupt leaders, schisms, wars, and all the rest for over 2000 years unless it was guided by God.

I'm praying for you!

:)

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I'm praying for you!

:) 

Some Pope Benedict XVI wisdom for you:

The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, in very different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries. The inability of joy presupposes and produces the inability to love, produces jealousy, avarice - all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world. This is why we are in need of a new evangelization - if the art of living remains an unknown, nothing else works… this art can only be communicated by [one] who has life - he who is the Gospel personified.

 I'm praying for you!

:)

Yo! It's your birthday! Yay!

Click here for your present.

Yup, you're welcome.

I'm praying for you!

:)

Why wine?

Since I arrived in Spain, I've had...um, a lot of opportunities to drink think about wine, which actually got me thinking:

Why wine? I don't mean why do we drink it in general. That answer is obvious. It's delicious and classy and...anyway. No, I mean, why did Jesus use wine in the Eucharist?


I mean, I know that it's because of Passover traditions, but I feel like there's more at work here than just Jesus going, "Oh, here is a convenient custom. I'll use it." God actually knew about Passover and everything else long before it existed, so to just say that it was a custom and think no more about it neglects the possibility that the use of wine in Passover and the Eucharist was a very deliberate part of God's plan.

During the Sedar, Jewish custom dictates that each person must drink four cups of wine.

There are a lot of different stories and customs associated with the four cups, but what I find most interesting is that they are used: to begin the meal and bless it, to sing praise after hearing the account of Exodus, to give thanks for the food after the meal, and to give thanks for the "fruit of the vine."

Also, the four cups represent the four worlds: the pre-Messianic age, the Messianic age, the world at the revival of the dead, and the world to come.

Considering that Jesus was celebrating the Sedar with His apostles, I'm going to assume that he observed custom and drank four glasses of wine with His apostles. We only drink once during Mass, though, not four times. He only chose to use one of the glasses of wine for the Eucharist.

Which cup? The Bible tells us that, actually. It says, "When supper was ended, he took the cup." And during Mass, we give thanks for "the fruit of the vine." So, Jesus used the last cup.

This cup symbolized Hallel, a hymn of praise which includes a recitation of Psalm 113-118.

Some of my favorite parts of this passage:

Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters. 

Transformation and the presence of God are mentioned together.

The cords of death compassed me, and the straits of the nether-world got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. But I called upon the name of the LORD: 'I beseech thee, O LORD, deliver my soul.

Deliverance and resurrection are referenced.

I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

Oh, wait. Was that just one of those Old Testament passages foreshadowing the Eucharist? Awesome sauce!

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Sacrifice of thanksgiving? That's sounding awfully familiar...

There's a lot more about thanksgiving and being saved by the Lord, so you should check it out.

Anyway,  one thing I find really interesting is that this cup of the Sedar is drunk in thanksgiving for the wine. That is, it is a celebration of itself.

Jesus hands us the cup of His Blood and says, "Do this in memory of me." But it is Him. We receive Him in memory of Him. We receive Him in celebration of Him. Unlike other sacrifices and offerings which we might make on behalf of something or someone else, the Eucharist is offered and celebrated for its own sake. We don't celebrate the Mass as a remembrance of someone who has left us, as we might throw a luncheon after a funeral. The Mass is a celebration of Christ who is present to us. Thus, the Eucharist is celebrated for the very reason that it is the Eucharist. We rejoice in God present, not in a symbol or a memory.

I may be way off, but that's what I'm thinking, anyway.

I'm praying for you!

:)

I found a little parish near my apartment that prays my favorite prayer of all time together after Communion EVERY DAY. Best part? They end Mass by SINGING TO MARY!!! I'm way too excited about this.

Alma de Cristo, santifícame.

Cuerpo de Cristo, sálvame.

Sangre de Cristo, embriágame.

Agua del costado de Cristo, lávame.

Pasión de Cristo, confórtame.

¡Oh, buen Jesús!, óyeme.

Dentro de tus llagas, escóndeme.

No permitas que me aparte de Ti.

Del maligno enemigo, defiéndeme.

En la hora de mi muerte, llámame.

Y mándame ir a Ti.

Para que con tus santos te alabe.

Por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

I'm praying for you!

:)

Why I won't tell you my Lenten resolution

When I was little, I knew that both of my parents were Catholic, although my mom converted after she met my dad. And I knew that they both truly believed in Catholicism and that they both truly loved God, but I had this idea in my head that my dad was somewhat "more Catholic" than my mom.

If I asked my mom and my dad a question about religion, my dad would pull out scholarly texts and the Bible and give me a full sermon on the subject.

My mom was much more likely to say, "God loves you," and then give me a hug and a kiss.

My dad spends Lent joking about how horrible he was at giving up Coke, and is always the one insisting on using an Advent wreath. My mom never really comments about the fact that it's Lent, other than to remind me not to eat that leftover hamburger for lunch on Ash Wednesday. When I was little, my dad was usually the one saying that we should pray a rosary as a family before bed, while my mom seemed content to bless and kiss each of us in our beds.

I guess it's because my dad was more outspoken about it, but I just always assumed as a kid that my dad knew more about religion and God than my mom, that he was "more Catholic." If I had a question about theology, I would run to my dad.

One day, though, I don't remember the exact conversation, but I think I asked my mom what she was giving up for Lent.

She replied that she didn't like to talk about stuff like that, because it lessened/defeated the purpose.

And it just hit me, all of a sudden, that my mom actually has an extremely deep and personal relationship with God.

But she's really humble about it, and she doesn't want to brag about her awesome knowledge about God or her awesome relationship with Him.

And thinking back, she always has been a wonderful Christian example.

And she's always given really good answers about religion, even if those answers are sometimes just a kiss and a smile and "God loves you."

Because she understands that sometimes that's a better answer than a full theological argument.

And she knows that my dad likes to explain theology.

So she just lives out her humble, quiet Christian example and lets everyone think of my dad as the religious expert in our household.

Long story short, my mom is amazing. And I really want to be like her, so I'm not sharing my Lenten resolutions with anyone anymore (unless I have a really good reason to share).

Sorry for the long personal story.

I'm praying for you!

:)

I went to Valldemossa today. It's really pretty. I'm very tired.

I'm praying for you!

:)

In Spain, they kinda just casually toss ashes on top of your head instead of forming a cross on your forehead.

It seemed kinda lame to me at first, but then I thought of how you toss dirt onto the coffin when you bury someone.

And I realized, rather than smudging our foreheads, they're actually acting like they're burying us, so they're tossing ashes on us as if we were already in our graves.

Deep.

I'm praying for you!

:)

C. S. Lewis quote of the day:

 Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

I'm praying for you!

:)

I'm praying for you!

:)

C.S. Lewis Quotes: #1

If you love deeply, you’re going to get hurt badly. But it’s still worth it.

I'm praying for you!

:)

I found this poem on Tumblr, but no one seems to know who actually wrote it:

Lo, there He hangs –

Ashen figure pinioned against the wood.

God grant that I might love Him

Even as I should.

I draw a little closer

To feel His love divine,

And hear Him gently whisper

“Ah, precious child of mine –

If now I would embrace you,

My hands would stain you red.

And if I leaned to whisper,

My thorns would pierce your head.”

‘Twas then I learned in sorrow

That love demands a price;

“Twas then I learned that suffering

Is but the kiss of Christ.

I'm praying for you!

:)

Sorrowful Mysteres: The Carrying of the Cross

This one is pretty deep, and I'm a little unsure where to begin. I could talk about Jesus allowing Himself to suffer for our sake, but that's probably going to be the whole topic of the next post.

Then there's all the falls. Jesus fell and rose three times, each time giving us both proof of His human nature, an example for our own journeys, and a foreshadowing of the Resurrection. He fell (died) and rose (from the dead) after 3 days.

But what I think are really interesting are the interactions that Jesus has with the people He meets on His way to be crucified.

Because this also is an example for our own lives.

So often, we think, "I have to emulate Christ, so I have to carry my cross. That means going forward no matter what and getting back up if I fall." And yes, carrying our crosses has a lot to do with perseverance and fortitude.

But we also have to make time for the other people around us. We can't just carry our crosses and ignore everyone.

And that's tough, because that's exactly what we want to do when we've got a cross on our shoulders - ignore everyone.

"I'm in pain. I don't have to be nice right now!"

"Why do you have to bug me when I have so much bigger problems right now?"

"I don't have time to talk to you or help you. I'm going through a lot at the moment."

But the women weeping for Jesus on the side of the road weren't ignored. He spoke to them, even if the words weren't what they would have liked to hear.

And it may not seem like very much of an effort to stop and say a few words to someone on the side of the road, but I bet it's extremely difficult if you're completely bruised and bloody, sweat running down your body, heavy piece of wood across your shoulders, and being whipped by soldiers as they parade you to your death past crowds of people mocking you. In that instance, to stop and actually talk to someone is just about the greatest additional sacrifice I can imagine.

He let Veronica wipe His face, leaving her a miraculous image of Himself.

He expressed His gratitude for generous acts, no matter how small, even when He was at His lowest point.

He stopped to greet His mother.

He made time for those whom He loved, and He honored His Mother, even when it took all his strength to do so.

He let Simon help Him carry the cross.

He was not ashamed to allow someone to help Him when He lacked the physical ability to continue alone. He also showed by this that we can all participate in this mystery through living our Christian lives. We can all participate in Christ's passion, and thus, we can all be Simon.

And I like to believe that He made eye contact with people whom he walked past. He knew who was in that crowd, those of us present there through the Eucharist included, and He was loving each and every one of them as He walked past, even if He didn't talk to each one of them.

And that, to me, is utterly incredible.

Because if I was being marched to my death, if I was bloody and sweaty and tired and bruised, I doubt I would have the strength to walk at all. I know for sure that even if I did find the strength to walk the whole way, I certainly wouldn't stop to talk. I wouldn't be full of love for all the onlookers and the people jeering at me. I wouldn't want to enlighten people with the truth, or let anybody help me and thus see how weak and vulnerable I was. I would want to walk straight forward with my eyes on the ground, avoiding everyone.

But to be a Catholic means to carry our crosses together. It means that we must all trudge up to Calvary, and we must all be kind and gentle and loving to each other as we go along. We must help others and accept help when we need it. Because we can't do this alone.

Even God fell down. How can we think we won't? Even God needed help to carry His cross. How can we think we can do this alone?

I'm praying for you!

:)

“Fulfillment does not lie in comfort, ease, and following one’s inclinations, but precisely in allowing demands to be made upon you, in taking the harder path. Everything else turns out somehow boring, anyway. Only the man who “risks the fire,” who recognizes a calling within himself, a vocation, an ideal he must satisfy, who takes on real responsibility, will find fulfillment. As we have said, it is not in taking, not on the path of comfort, that we become rich, but only in giving.”

—	Pope Benedict XVI

I'm praying for you!

:)