This morning, I woke up early, threw my hair in a ponytail, got the kids dressed (with Joshua’s help) and headed off to Mass (with the kids, but without Joshua). Our pastor was offering the Mass today in Thanksgiving for Pope Benedict XVI and I wanted to be there, as it would be the last Mass where we would hear “Benedict our pope.”

I made it there, with a minute to spare, got in the pew with the kids. I made it through the Mass with a few children who thought silence was an option. I made it through with my temper in check. I ignored a fit being thrown by a cute four year old (she missed the Holy Water font on the way in and wasn’t happy about). Her fit involved her laying on the floor and being very quiet. I was okay with that for today.

Benedict (the two year old, not the Holy Father) brought a stuffed toy in with him. Yikes, normally not permitted and I was reminded why. Flamingo started snoring during the homily. No it wasn’t a toy that made noise, Benedict decided that it was sleepy.

Margaret and Karol had their little skirmishes but were mostly okay, I think. Maybe not. All I know is that at 37+ weeks along, I took my four kids to Mass on my own. There was a time where I was scared to just take the older two out in public on my own.

I am so very thankful for the Mass that Father offered this morning. Our pastor has a special connection to our Holy Father. He was studying in Roma when Blessed John Paul II died and was there in the Square when Pope Benedict was announced our pope. He was also selected to read during the Holy Father’s Inaugural Mass.

Let us keep our Holy Father in our prayers as he finishes out the final day of his Pontificate, and let us offer our prayers for the College of Cardinals, that they be guided by the Holy Spirit as they prepare for, then enter the Conclave, in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

 

“But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,- but the Father alone.”
Matthew 24:36

I’ve seen a lot of discussion around the interwebs these past few weeks, about the end times. It seems that many people are buying in to prophesies about the end of the world and tying them into the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Many of these people, good and faithful Catholics, those who would scoff at a Mayan Calendar or someone predicting that the end of the world would happen at 6pm this Saturday, are taking to heart that Pope Benedict is the second to last pope and that the end of the world is upon us.

I don’t know if this is the case, because I’m not God (see scripture above), but even if it were, if I’m living my life as I should (trying to be faithful, receiving the sacraments as often as possible) why should I be afraid? Shouldn’t I trust in the Lord to deliver me from evil? We pray that every time we pray the Our Father, shouldn’t we believe that He will?

 

Have you seen this? It’s a pretty cool thing to do, adopting a Cardinal to pray for leading up to and including (and I’m sure after) the upcoming Conclave.

I am praying for Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, O.P. from Austria. Who are you praying for?

I have some bad news, the Ron Paul magnet has been removed from the van. I know I said I’d keep it on there for always and forever, but I needed to make room for a magnet that I bought last week. I figured, though, that Dr. Paul would not mind at all being replaced with this:

 

 

Ten years ago today, I met Joshua. I didn’t know at the time he was to be my husband, as he was a religious brother and I discerning a vocation to the religious life myself.  Even though, when meeting him, I never thought of him as anything more than a brother in Christ, I still remember many trivial details about the day we met, something I am thankful for. Joshua will also tell you that I remember random things about everything, so this isn’t a big deal, but it is to me.

 

Here is a picture of us a few months later, having run in to each other during a Hispanic Fest at the Josephinum. (I took a picture of the picture hanging on our fridge and cropped out the other people in it, sorry Andy and Fr. Avram.) Ten years later, I think we both look pretty much the same, don’t you?

 

*When you click on the picture it turns sideways, I’m sorry!*

 

This morning, I woke up and rolled over to check the time. I am also in the habit of reading emails and news before I get out of bed in the morning as well. This morning’s news of the resignation of our Holy Father, Benedict, came as a surprise. At first, when I went to tell Joshua, I was very sad and confused. Joshua and I talked for a few moments and the fear rather quickly moved to excitement for the Conclave that will be coming and the election of a new pope!

Yes, I am sad at the resignation of Pope Benedict, as he has been a wonderful shepherd these nearly 8 years, but I understand why he will be stepping down. Let us all pray for our Holy Father and for the upcoming Conclave, and for our next Holy Father, whoever he may be.

From catholicculture.org:

Pope Benedict XVI will resign from his papal office, effective February 28 at 8:00 PM local time.

“Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church,” he said in a statement addressed to cardinals. “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

“I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering,” he continued in his statement, which was dated February 10 and released by Vatican Radio on February 11. “However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

“For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is,” he added.

“Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.”

 

 

 

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13: 1 -8

I saw that my parish website had been updated and clicked over to see what was new. To my joy I saw this announcement:

This Lenten Season we will have our communal recitation of the Stations of the Cross every Friday in English immediately following our Friday 5:30 p.m. Mass. Then we will have Eucharistic Adoration from 6:30-7:30 p.m. during which Fr. Justin will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Confessional. Following adoration, we will have the praying of the Stations of the Cross in Spanish.

Every Friday in Lent: Mass, Stations, Adoration, Confession! We already go to Mass every Friday as it is, so adding Stations and Adoration won’t be too hard for us. The hardest part will be for me to make sure the kids and I eat before we leave.

What a blessing though, this will be for our parish community and our family. Deo Gratias for faithful priests and the availability of the sacrament!