Up at Benedictine
Happy Friday to everyone. I haven’t had time to update today, because I’m currently up at Benedictine College hanging out with the Monks. I promise to have a game sometime Sunday night, when i get home. Sorry about that delay.
In other news, it was a bit of a trying week. I have this youth rally on Sunday that I have around 38 kids attending, and I’m definitely looking forward to it, however, the planning and prep to get all the information to the Archdiocese definitely took quite a while.
Ok, so, I promised to update with something about people being blind to church needs, so here goes:
I recently read a blog site that was talking about renovating churches and that all churches should have tile and hard walls, etc… so that there can be more echo in each space. Here’s my problem with that: I think that, while this thinking is good, there are a number of other parish needs that should be evaluated. Perhaps this is just a tirade over nothing, but the blog that I was reading seemed to present the argument from the standpoint that replacing carpet with tile in order to "enhance" a room’s acoustics (yes, that’s right, enhance is in quotes), is paramount to any parish budget.
For this, I cannot agree. There are a number of other needs that a parish has to take into consideration. I, for one, would like to see parishes start instituting positions for adult ministry (both old and young adult), as well as other married couples ministry. Of course, things like these positions (along with tile) take money, and money means donations, a topic that no one likes to hear about, less talk about, so I will not cover that here.
So, in essence, I’ve calmed down a lot since I posted the previous entry, however, I challenge people to take a look at their own parishes and find needs where they can help out. Remember those three T’s? Yeah, I know it sounds cliche, but Time, Talent and Treasure do really matter. It’s unfortunate that the majority of parishoners these days have a hard time involving themselves in the church beyond Sunday’s mass. I challenge everyone to work to help others to become more involved.
Above all, pray for the good of your parish and for your parish priest. Those prayers are direly needed.
Update to come later…
One more thing. There are a number of groups today that are completely blind to the monetary limits and needs of a parish. I wish I had the time to post my tirade right now, but I have to get up and go into work. Maybe this will give me a chance to actually think about what I’m going to post.
Today’s word
Today’s word is gyrovague, because I feel like one. (Look it up kids.) This week, I will be travelling all over the state, not to mention driving to my job daily. This weekend, I’m on a retreat that ends on Saturday, and I will probably be driving down to camp on Saturday night to stay the evening and get ready for the junior high youth rally on Sunday. Ok enough about that.
I am currently doing some prayer for the upcoming TEC retreat, which almost a week away. One thing that we always tell people is that the week before the retreat will be an extremely hard week, because the devil doesn’t want such a powerful retreat to happen. Based upon this, I know that this retreat is going to be amazing.
Everyone on the retreat is asked to make a sacrifice for the weekend and we all offer that to God so he can do with it as he wants to help make the retreat better. In my case, I have already rooted out temptations that have happened to me in order to prevent me from doing my sacrifice daily. It’s a bit worrisome but at the same time, I know that I need to work harder to fight these temptations and continue. How appropriate that this week’s daily mass readings are from the book of James.
Please take a moment and pray to God, asking Him to help make this retreat a success.
I’ll leave you with a bit of yesterday’s first reading:
So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
And, yesterday’s psalm:
Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Bible Study
Ok, a couple of things. I have become addicted to Battlestar Galactica. There I said it. Get over it, I already have.
Second, Lea and Natalie rock, because they came to bible study tonight. In addition, we have decided, after hours upon hours of careful study and discernment that the book of Number is the gossip column of the bible. Lea said it, Natalie laughed at it and we saw that it was good.
Finally, Adrian wrote on my arm today. I’d tell you the nickname he has for me, but I don’t want it to catch on. Needless to say, I will be working to wash this ink off my arm tomorrow.
I hope that everyone had a great day off (if you got it). I spent most of mine driving around the state and going to different meetings.
Discussion question of the day: Out of Adam and Eve, who is more at fault for eating of the tree of good and evil? Ok, discuss amongst yourselves!
Writing More
I’m currently writing this while waiting for my roommate and my pseudo-make-up-roommate to return. We were in the middle of an extremely intense game of In a Pickle when they both went to run an errand. Go figure.
So, what am I to do while they are gone but to sit here and post on my blog. Jan requested that I write a bit more often. I would have posted something earlier today (or yesterday for that matter) but seeing as how I was on the clock from 7:30am-10:00pm yesterday and in a church most of the day today, I didn’t really have time to post. Nevertheless (one of my favorite words, by the way) I am working hard to live up to my end of the bargain (read: free content for all.)
I have started doing some [w:lectio divina], and look forward to learning a bit more about my faith. I highly recommend trying it for yourself. Take some time today to slowly read a bit of the Bible and work to focus in on a particular phrase that hits you. The ones I found today were pretty deep and helped me to understand a bit more of my vocational direction.
Tonight is going to be a fun filled evening of watching movies, playing card games and having fun with friends.