Questions

I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.
Lou Holtz

I love questions.  Questions say that you care.  That you want to know another person.  I love receiving questions that really cause you to pause and consider the truth about yourself or the world.  This past week has been full of wonderful questions.  Even though this has been one of the most stressful weeks I have had this semester, I feel like this week was lovely.  For anyone who surprised me with a good question this week, thank you.  I hope to return the favor soon!

Beautiful

So these are totally about the same thing. Think about it.

Holy Week

So this Lent I decided to do something different.

I decided to try.

What does that mean exactly? Well it’s easy to not care.  Catholics are notorious for not being 100% about their faith, which is really too bad.  I admit I’m guilty of passing Lent and Easter without giving it much thought.  Sure, I said I would give things up for Lent like any good Catholic, but it didn’t mean much.  This time, I wanted to really challenge myself.  My commitment for this Lent was to go to mass more.

This Lenten resolution had a few effects.  First, it gave me time to think.  Think about things that matter.  Like my life.  My happiness.  Where I’m going.  Love.  And I had the opportunity to connect this back to the Scripture, to the message of Christ and the Church. 

My friend has been struggling with similar questions in her own life and I feel like my meditations have helped us piece together our ideas.

Second, my time in mass has given me the opportunity to spend time with quality people.  Even though mass isn’t a particularly social affair, sitting next a friend and celebrating liturgy together is really special.  You find out something about their character.  I thank each and every person who went to mass with me this Lent.

I also enjoyed going to several different masses on campus.  Seeing students celebrate mass in their own way inspires me to appreciate the service even more.  Log chapel mass was so charming and intimate; I will certainly go again in the future.  And the Basilica was beyond incredible.

The Basilica was the stage for the third gift I received this Lent.  I really felt my spirit come alive this Lent, especially as I attended Holy Week at the Basilica.  In total, I attended Palm Sunday, Stations, Holy Thursday, Tenebrae, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil mass.  It has truly been a special week.  I feel like I didn’t really understand the truth about Catholicism until this week.  Like perhaps I had missed some secret about our Church.  You see, I have an obsession with symbols and rituals.  I have an active imagination and I like to pretend magic exists and we can master it.  Well you can imagine my surprise when I found out magic occurs during Holy Week.  Of course, magic would be a poor description; it’s more like a miracle.  A miracle of faith. 

My personal miracle began during Tenebrae.  I managed to feel frightened.  The candles were disappearing.  Until there were none.  And it was lonely!  Not to mention how unsettling it was during strepitus.  I left the Basilica relieved that at least one candle was burning.

Good Friday managed to continue the suspense as I imagined a world without Christ.  I can understand how the apostles could have been scared out of their mind when the crucifixion happened.  It certainly didn’t help that all of us are at least a little responsible for Christ’s death.

I was grateful when Easter vigil arrived.  The gradual lighting of the candles was awesome and I was glad to be with such a great community.  The happiness of the ceremony was a wonderful contrast to the solemnity of the previous week.  I left the mass feeling elated.

It’s true when they say you have to die a little to be reborn.  I finally feel ready for Easter tomorrow.

I think what really made this Lent special is that I decided to stop fighting God.  I have always struggled with faith and believing in God.  But now I can’t even imagine a world without God.

Even if I do end up forgetting God, the good news is that Lent comes around every year to remind us.

In the mean time, I have this blog to remember all the little gifts from God. 

Pushing Daisies

Ned: You're the only one for me.

Chuck: I know you feel that now, but there are things you want. There're things we both want.

Ned: So? Everyone wants stuff, we wake up every day with list of wishes a mile long and maybe we spend our lives trying to make those wishes come true, but just because we want them doesn’t mean we need them to be happy.

Chuck: What do you need to be happy?

Ned: You.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

What is love?

What is love?

What do you think love is?

What does your mother think love is?

What does your father think love is?

What does your family think love is?

What do your friends think love is?

Who is right about love?

What does God think love is?

Can love be taught?

Can love be learned?

Can love be touched?

                         Seen?

        Smelled?

                       Tasted?
                        Heard?

Is love physical?

              Mental?
            Spiritual?

Can love be lost?

Can love be found?

Can love be understood?

Can love be described?

What do you think love is?

What is love?

Shake the Dust

I don't know if you've noticed but you're alive. Enjoy!

Future

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/future_timeline.png

I mean it's comical but I sometimes worry that the world is going to collapse and we won't see it coming.

At least I know that humans could persevere through almost anything.

Love Story meets Viva La Vida

 

I listened to this song with a few friends last night.  Their faces lit up as we silently sat appreciating the piano and the cello work their magic.  

I love this song even more now.

This is dedicated to my friend who is having a bad day:

Love is when you shed a tear and still want him, it's when he ignores you and you still love him, it's when he loves another girl but you still smile and say I'm happy for you, when all you really do is cry.
-Kay Knudsen

Take My Whole Life

I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.  ~Author Unknown