Tuesday Lenten Media Fast for Freedom!

Hey friends!  So, I received an email from Gina today about fasting from media on Tuesdays during Lent specifically for our government leaders and our religious freedom.  That means, Emma, no blog posts for me for the next few Tuesdays--not that I have anything great to say anyway!  But read her email below and join in!  (Yes, that would mean postponing NCIS for the night...)

To my brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am sending out an email to invite you to join me in a small Lenten fast. This past 6 months have been a real challenge for me to maintain hope in a world full of despair and brokenness. With this latest HHS mandate (and attack on religious freedom), I have especially felt helpless and discouraged as I feel there is only so much one person can do in such a small sphere of influence. I have been praying very specifically for a conversion of our country and especially for the leadership of our country to recognize the truth that lies at the very foundation of this country - the Judeo/Christian God - the Way, the Truth and the Life and for them to recognize the gift that comes from each and every human life.

"Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there; if you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that." ~ St. John Vianney

We need a mighty fire! If we want to set this world on fire with the Holy Spirit and bring life back into America, we are going to need sacrifices and prayers from MANY!

I am inviting you to join me in a media fast once a week - on Tuesdays - in which I will fast from all media. Of course, I cannot fast from my computer entirely as I would be unable to complete my job, but I will not spend any time on personal email, social online media, or reading up on the news via computer. I will not read the newspaper, watch the news, listen to the radio or read magazines. In my opinion, it would be irresponsible to do this for the entirity of lent since we, as Christians, need to be as educated as possible if we really want to be "dangerous" out in the the world in engaging those around us in relevant and important conversations. However, one day will be enough of a sacrifice where 1) we are free from the discouragement current events can bring and 2) we can offer this sacrifice up as a prayer intention for the conversion of the leadership of this country. I am also offering my rosary and daily prayer specifically for this intention all day so the time I would be spending on social media can be directed toward intentional prayer.

I know this isn't exactly public prayer, but it is a group of God's faithful children defending the Truth on a united front. Will you join me this Lenten season as we pray for a miracle and we pray for the salvation of our country, our families, and the world our children's children will inherit?

Keep fighting the good fight... and may we grow in hope this Lenten season as we await the Resurrection on Easter!

Waiting in joyful hope,

Gina

P.S. Please feel free to pass this on to others who might want to join us:)

Happy Lent!

A great weekend...if I were a grandma!!

So, I had a really wonderful weekend!  Was it filled with friendship and fun?  Not really...  I realized I would make a perfect grandma (no offense, mom). Read on...

On Friday I worked hard in the morning and got some of the things done that I needed to get done in order to leave work a little early.  I left at like 3:00 with hopes of doing some laundry and cleaning up a little.  When I got home I decided to read a bit.  I sat down with Father Elijah.  Hours later...Well, I got a call from Fr. Nielsen's assistant (one of my fellow interns) asking if I could go set up a back altar in St. Paul's cause Father was going to be back by 7:30 and wanted to say Mass.  I said sure.  So, I went and did that, prayed while I waited for Father to show up, and then went home.  My roommate had a few girls over and they were watching LOTR.  I would have joined in, but just really wanted to read.  Then, at like 10:30 I finished my book and went to bed.  (BTW, it was Father Elijah--second time through, just as good!)

Saturday, I woke up and worked from 8-2 (with Mass in there, obvi.).  Then, I started a new book (The Shadow of His Wings--it's the autobiography of a former SS officer, German Army soldier, Franciscan Seminary, etc.  Great story.  Maggie lent it to me years ago and told me to read it.  It was intimidating, or something. But it's actually really great.  Maggie, I'll return it to you when I go home next and you can lend it to someone else.  I hope you haven't been looking for it.  Actually, there's a note in it from Mag to dad saying she things he would really like it!)

Anyway, I'm now 150+ pages into that book.  Today I went to Mass, worked a little, met mom and dad and they gave me pink m&ms all the way from Vegas and then I napped/read.  Tonight my old roommate, Jake, is taking my friends Madeline and Lindsey and me out to supper.  That should be an adventure--maybe even more of an adventure than the rest of the weekend--hopefully I haven't forgotten how to behave in social situations after my weekend of solitude and 350+ pages of reading! :)

So, I could totally be the Rosary praying, Mass going, book reading, nap taking, pink m&m eating grandma!  I'm totally going to be a fun grandma!

Would you believe me...

...if I said I had nothing to say?



done. and done.

Random Fact of the Day

Let's be real...I googled "Random Catholic facts"...found this, thought Mom might like it.  I'll start saying the prayer:

• Looking for a spouse?  Pray to Saint Raphael, the Patron Saint of Happy Meetings, advises the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales: "You were sent by God to guide young Tobias in choosing a good and virtuous spouse. Please help me in this important choice which will affect my whole future."

Prayer For the Choice of a Good Spouse

"Saint Raphael, you were sent by God to guide young Tobias in choosing a good and virtuous spouse. Please help me in this important choice which will affect my whole future. You not only directed Tobias in finding a wife, but you also gave him guidelines which should be foremost in every Christian marriage: Pray together before making important decisions.  Amen"

Oh my... desperate much? hehe

No Babies and No House...But I Did Cook Three Pig Butts Today!

My blog is not exciting.  I have no small child named Therese.  I haven't just bought a house.  I don't have pictures of pancakes that spell random German words.  But....I did cook three entire pig butts today (okay, most people call them pork butt or pork shoulder, but pig butt is funny...and more awkward).

Anyway, Newman Dinner tonight was pulled pork.  I will never make it again.  I spent all day cooking instead of just 2ish hours.  Well, it wasn't that bad, but still...pretty. gross.

What was the best part?  Probably that I had a one-on-one this morning and what did we do?  Did we talk about Jesus?  A little.  Did we chat about her life over coffee?  Nope.  Did we butcher the pig butt and try and get all the fat off?  You betcha!     Ha, I feel a little bad, but she said she was having fun! :/

Anyway, Newman Dinner was a success again.  Pulled pork, cornbread, homemade coleslaw, sweet potato fries, regular potato fries and apple crisp.  A shout out goes to Paula Dean for the sweet potato fries..mmm, mmm.

That's all I've got in the ever-exciting-I-don't-have-a-baby-or-a-new-house-but-I-still-have-plenty-of-fun-stories-for-you blog!

Alright, Alright, Lent Has Come and So Has Blogging!

Here's your post pooky-pants (i.e. Emma).

So, today begins Lent.  I got to distribute ashes at noon Mass and 5pm Mass.  At noon, one gentleman said, "thank you" after I put the ashes on his forehead and said, "remember you are dust and to dust you shall return."  It was funny...

Also, I just had a one-on-one with one of my peer-mentees, Claire.  It was fun.  Except, we talked about literally the most random things--which we blame on lack of food today.  Maybe 10-15 minutes of our hour-long convo. has to do with food.  Now, my office has resorted to talking about food...so much fasting like pagans and hypocrites! ;)

At the noon Mass there were probably 275 people and at the 5pm Mass there had to have been almost 400.  7pm is just as packed and 9pm probably will be.  (7am, not quite as packed, but that's expected.)

So, someone just ran up here saying we were out of song sheets--7pm Mass will have contemporary music.  Then, I remembered this happened last year.  We ran out of song sheets before Mass.  We printed more off--Gina Z. was at the copier, I was on the stairs, someone else was in Lower Commons, and another person was in the sacristy.  We would print like two of them off, run them to the next person and then immediately give them to a Mass go-er.  I should have remembered and warned them--my b.

Oh well, that's all for now of this boring nonsense.  Happy Lent!