Alive and Young

The Zombie Diaries

2009-11-27T20:46:00.005-05:00

[With the ever increasingly popular vampire movies and books, mainly the Twilight series and the Vampire Diaries, I though I would begin working on my own tween horror/romance series. It will be titled the Zombie Diaries and it will tell the story of the forbidden love between an adolescent girl and an a seeming horrific adolescent zombie. After falling in love with his lurching and bone tickling groans, the girl learns that he is a 'good' zombie and has been misunderstood for all these years. What makes him a good zombie is that he only eats the brains of tofu plants. It will be set mostly from the point of view of the boy zombie. Personally, I think I might be on to something here. Anyway, here is the first installment.]

Entry 1

jhumen/asdfj/2jjkfdldf

Groan. Murrmer. Huurrrmmbheh. fajjfj. OOOOOhhhnmmmgjrhhhhhh. Opoklouihghhhhhyuhjjkneyupolmbgfh. Moooooooooaaaaannnnnnn. Gruuuuunt. Grimmerance. Moan. Moan. Moan. Looooosshhuhgroh? BRRRAAAIIINNNSSSSS! jfjijr momfe dudhyejf. fjffrk. Hu Muuumorrrrrrrron hogrrrorhn gurggurugurugur. Gurgle, gurgle! Ohnouhui tu ruoen uhhhh ohhhhhoooerrssssss.

fjkfjfmld,

zomengehem

Not Said By Jesus: Thanksgiving Edition

2009-11-26T11:28:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and that everyone enjoys all the foods and football moderately well. All things in moderation, except love. As I cannot imaging a girl staying with a boy friend who writes her a love poem that begins: "How I love thee moderately. Let me count the ways. I love thee enough to pick thee up for out date but not enough to bring drive thee home."

Prayer Book Preface (rough draft)

2009-11-16T19:30:00.006-05:00

[I've just about got the preface finished. It is in rough form at the moment. So far the prayer book is about 100 pages. It is expected to be about 150 pages in length. I put some of this on here already, but anyway, enjoy.]

Preface

In the course of his career at [JHS] a student is required to read more than sixty books. Many are textbooks, others are novels, biographies, histories and reference works. Why another book? The answer lies in why we read books. Some we read for knowledge and wisdom, some for facts and information, some for entertainment and relaxation. Still others we read to learn techniques: how to set up a model railroad, how to improved your tennis game. This book falls into the last category; it is a “how-to” book a kin to a tool kit.

All of us who believe in God feel that it is essential to communicate with Him. But the question is: How? Sometimes we try reciting vocal prayers, such as the Lord’s Prayer of the Hail Mary. Bur then, because of their familiarity, they become boring and meaningless. Sometimes we try just talking to God, and we find that we go blank and our minds are over flowing with distracting thoughts. The purpose of this small book, therefore, is to help overcome these problems by suggesting a variety of topics for prayer and a variety of methods of prayer.

However, each person must come to God in his own way. These prayers are given merely as catalysts or pump-primers for our personal prayer. Prayer is the point of contact between us and God. Through All the Days of Life is intended to facilitate that contact. Simply to read this book is not enough, for prayer does not consist in reading words to God. Rather, the words of these prayers should trigger thoughts and feeling within us that are our own. Only then will we be approaching the point of contact which we call prayer.

But full contact is made only when God responds. Prayer is not a monologue we recite to God. It is a dialogue in which each speaks. Therefore listening on our part is an essential element of our prayer. How do we recognize His voice? He often does not speak in lightning or thunder or in a burning bush. HE will speak gently in the stillness and silence of our human hearts. When old words take on new meaning, when our insight deepens, when we feel a fresh surge of courage and patience to face old problems, when love becomes our way of life, we have heard God speaking to us and we are praying.

Still, questions about prayer remain.

Why Pray?

Out of all the things in life that we can do why should and why do we need to take time out of our day to pray. Why Pray? There are any number of reasons on why we should and need to pray. In his Prayer Primer, Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. gives us six concise reasons to why pray:

1. Conversation with God.

2. Like a coin on one side we pray to give the God who created us thanks. On the other side, we pray to express sorrow, contrition and to seek forgiveness from our Creator.

3. To ask God to help us become the people the world needs. The single and best thing that we can do for the world is to become a saint of God for the world. The world does not need another Doctor, Lawyer, Plumber, Politician, Teacher, etc. . . The world needs men of virtue. The world needs saints.

4. To ask God for the things we need.

5. To bond with God, creation and humanity more perfectly so as to spread God’s good news, and in doing so we become good for others and our goodness in turn rubs off on those we meet.

6. To imitate Christ. The call of every Christian at its most fundamental level is imitate Christ. Saints, whom we all hope to be with one day, are excellent imitators of Christ.

Why is Prayer Difficult?

Because we have not prayed most of our life and as a result our spiritual faculties have atrophied, which is contrary with our bodies and athletics which we have been using and doing since a small child. In fact, I am sure there are many people reading this who learned to throw a ball before learning to speak.

As a result, we now need a kind of spiritual therapy to get our spiritual faculties into working order. Just like physical therapy, it is best to start small and build gradually till the faculties are properly strengthened. Moreover, no kind of therapy can be successful without a concrete plan of action. So when starting your spiritual therapy, make a plan and stick with it. Your plan might be as simple as praying a morning offering on waking, a visit to the chapel during lunch and an Our Father before hopping into bed, all prayed with sincerity.

Remember, simplicity is of great importance. Don't expect to move mountains with your first prayers. Above all, keep your prayer simple!

How do I pray?

This prayer book is not concerned with answering this question. For it is like asking, "How does a person (or child) begin to speak?" Simply, you begin by just doing it. The child who utters his first stumbling words knows not what he means or says and does so only out of imitation, but those stumbling words fill the parent with joy and excitement at the mere fact that the child has spoke. It is the same with us and God. Often we stumble through our first prayers not knowing the meaning of the words we pray other than knowing that we must pray, and this action fills God with great joy and excitement that His child has spoken with Him even if just for a moment.

Also, the only prayer master is the Holy Spirit. This book offers suggestions, vocal prayers and techniques to use in prayer, but ultimately it is you who prayers and the Holy Spirit who teaches you to pray.

What is Prayer?

Too often prayer is seen as a last resort. "All we can do now is pray" is a phrase uttered time and again in moments of tragedy, as if praying is the thing humanity does only after humanity has failed itself. The truth is, humanity fails itself on a regular basis and therefore, prayer must be the activity to which humanity first turns.

St. John Damascene once said, "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." In other words, prayer is the practice of putting oneself in the presence of God. It is akin to two people, say a husband and wife, best friends, or a girlfriend and a boyfriend who enjoy just spending time with each other and without the passage of words between them (though if words pass then that is no problem).

In a word, prayer is about relationship. It is about our relationships with God and how that relationship impacts your relationships with other members of the mystical body of Christ.

Every relationship is a process that begins like a seed planted that then with proper work sprouts and with more time and attention the sprout develops into a full grown plant and after more time it buds, blooms, and produces fruit. However, this only happens if the plant is given time to develop with the proper nutrition and attention.

There are no shortcuts in developing a life of prayer. If you say you do not have time it is because you do not care enough about your relationship with God who is the maker of time and Who gives you time. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, and you say that there is not enough time in the day to take one second out of the 86,400 that God has given you today to give a sincere "Thanks."

What are the different ways I can pray?

Prayer within the Catholic tradition is broad. Though there are five modes or forms of prayer that sum up most of our prayers. They are:

1. Blessing and Adoration—We bless God for blessing us and acknowledge ourselves as created before our Creator.

2. Prayer of Petition—The most common form of prayer where we ask, beg, plead, and beseech God for things we need. Often spontaneous

3. Prayers of Intercessions—Prayers that are prayed for or on behalf of others.

4. Prayers of Thanksgiving—Prayers that give thanks to God. Its most complete form and expression found in the Eucharistic celebration.

5. Prayers of Praise—Prayers that acknowledge God for who He is in his power, glory, and happiness.

For more information on these forms of prayer see the Catechism of the Catholic Church §2623-2642

What are the different ways I can express these forms prayers?

There are three ways to express the forms of prayer:

1. Vocal Prayer—The most common expression of prayer that makes up the backbone of Christian prayer. When the disciples asked Christ how to prayer, He taught them a vocal prayer. We express one of the forms of prayer using our voice. However, many words does not make vocal prayer successful. A contrite and sincere heart is what must also be at the core of vocal prayer. We are to pray every prayer with all of our heart, mind and body, which vocal prayer expresses the union of these.

2. Meditative Prayer—In meditation, which is primarily a mental form of prayer, the person praying considers using his mind to seek and understand the mysteries of the Christian faith by using their memory, thought, imagination, and emotions.

3. Contemplative Prayer—An expression of prayer that puts us in union and communion with God Himself. Often in this expression of prayer, words pass away and the person praying just sits and enjoys being in the presence of God’s Love.

It is very possible that during prayer time and using one prayer a person can pass from one expression and into others. For instance, a person may pray vocally the Our Father. Then after vocally prayer the Our Father go back and consider what it means to call God Our Father. Then after the time spent considering God as Our Father, the person in prayer might, through God’s grace, move into Contemplative Prayer where he merely sits before God’s Fatherly Love. For more information and a more in depth detailed description of the expressions of prayer see the Catechism of the Catholic Church §2700-2724

Why aren’t my prayers answered?

There are a number of reason for this but are primarily summed up into two reasons. First we can be praying badly without a contrite and sincere heart. Whereby, our prayers become empty glasses instead of pitchers full of meaning. Second, it only seems that our prayers are not answered because in our prayers we ask God for things we do not need. Therefore, we fail to have the eyes to see that sometimes God answers our prayers but that answer is “no”.

Open Book Quiz

2009-11-10T22:57:00.003-05:00

[I think I'm safe in posting this. I'm sure none of my students know I have a blog. My class just finished studying what it means to be made in God's image and likeness, so I thought I'd use a real life example of bad journalism and even worse theology to help my students learn. Here is an Open Book Pop Quiz They will be getting tomorrow.]

Name:_______________________

Date:________________________

Open Book Quiz.

Telegraph.co.uk.

By Tom Chivers
Published: 10:20AM GMT 10 Nov 2009

The Vatican joins the search for alien life

The Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences is holding its first ever conference on alien life, the discovery of which would have profound implications for the Catholic Church.

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is holding a conference on astrobiology, the study of life beyond Earth, with scientists and religious leaders gathering in Rome this week.

For centuries, theologians have argued over what the existence of life elsewhere in the universe would mean for the Church: at least since Giordano Bruno, an Italian monk, was put to death by the Inquisition in 1600 for claiming that other worlds exist.

Among other things, extremely alien-looking aliens would be hard to fit with the idea that God “made man in his own image”.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/6536400/The-Vatican-joins-the-search-for-alien-life.html

Directions: The Above is an excerpt taken from an actual article from the United Kingdon's leading news publication The Telegraph. Read the above excerpt from the UK Telegraph. Pay close attention to what the writer says in the last sentence. Using your notes and your textbook it is your job to write a letter to Tom Chivers, the author of the excerpt, explaining to him his misunderstanding of what it means to be made in God's image and likeness.

Your letter should begin:

Dear Mr. Chivers,
Upon reading your recent article in the Telegraph about the Catholic Church's involvement in the search for alien life, I would like to bring to your attention an error in your understanding of what it means when Catholics say that God "made man in his own image." Your understanding is mistaken because . . .

It Does Not Make Me Less of an American

2009-11-10T21:48:00.002-05:00

If I disagree with how the American governmental system is set up, with a few of the Bill of rights say 1-3, with amendments 13, 19, and 21, with parking tickets, and do not recognize the president of the United States and having any real authority over my actions, decisions, and how I live my life, in fact he means nothing to me as he lives in another state altogether, and since I am who I am I have taken my Americanism as something that must not be spreed about and shared with others -- as I mentioned before, I do not agree with how the American government is run -- and when I travel I tell people I am from Louisiana and that I am a Louisianian and it is only culturally, coincidentally by parentage that I am American, does this make me less American?

Sen. Kennedy would likely say "no." I am American as JFK, FDR, and Abe Lincoln.

The Undatables

2009-11-05T19:18:00.003-05:00

Can't find a date or stay in a relationship for any considerable length of time? Constantly calling your friends complaining that you just can't find a good guy or girl in your town? Don't know why? Check that iPhone of your's. It could be that iPhone that is making you undatable.

Not Said by Jesus Sunday

2009-11-01T10:14:00.002-05:00

On Prayer

2009-10-18T20:20:00.003-05:00

[As mentioned in my previous post, I am in the process of editing a high school prayer book for the school at which I work. I am currently working on a few into sections. I'm thinking about adding this as part of the introduction. I can't go into too much detail as space is limited.]

Why is Prayer Difficult?

Because we have not prayed most of our life and as a result our spiritual faculties have atrophied, which is contrary with our bodies and athletics which we have been using and doing since a small child. In fact, I am sure there are many people reading this who learned to throw a ball before learning to speak.

As a result, we now need a kind of spiritual therapy to get our spiritual faculties into working order. Just like physical therapy, it is best to start small and build gradually till the faculties are properly strengthened. Moreover, no kind of therapy can be successful without a concrete plan of action. So when starting your spiritual therapy, make a plan and stick with it. Your plan might be as simple as praying a morning offering on waking, a visit to the chapel during lunch and an Our Father before hopping into bed, all prayed with sincerity.

Remember, simplicity is of great importance. Don't expect to move mountains with your first prayers. Above all, keep your prayer simple!

How do I pray?

This prayer book is not concerned with answering this question. For it is like asking, "How does a person (or child) begin to speak?" Simply, you begin by just doing it. The child who utters his first stumbling words knows not what he means or says and does so only out of imitation, but those stumbling words fill the parent with joy and excitement at the mere fact that the child has spoke. It is the same with us and God. Often we stumble through our first prayers not knowing the meaning of the words we pray other than knowing that we must pray, and this action fills God with great joy and excitement that His child has spoken with Him even if just for a moment.

Also, the only prayer master is the Holy Spirit. This book offers suggestions, vocal prayers and techniques to use in prayer, but ultimately it is you who prayers and the Holy Spirit who teaches you to pray.

What is Prayer?

Too often prayer is seen as a last resort. "All we can do now is pray" is a phrase uttered time and again in moments of tragedy, as if praying is the thing humanity does only after humanity has failed itself. The truth is, humanity fails itself on a regular basis and therefore, prayer must be the activity to which humanity first turns.

St. John Damascene once said, "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." In other words, prayer is the practice of putting oneself in the presence of God. It is akin to two people, say a husband and wife, best friends, or a girlfriend and a boyfriend who enjoy just spending time with each other and without the passage of words between them (though if words pass then that is no problem).

In a word, prayer is about relationship. It is about our relationships with God and how that relationship impacts your relationships with other members of the mystical body of Christ.

Every relationship is a process that begins like a seed planted that then with proper work sprouts and with more time and attention the sprout develops into a full grown plant and after more time it buds, blooms, and produces fruit. However, this only happens if the plant is given time to develop with the proper nutrition and attention.

There are no shortcuts in developing a life of prayer. If you say you do not have time it is because you do not care enough about your relationship with God who is the maker of time and Who gives you time. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, and you say that there is not enough time in the day to take one second out of the 86,400 that God has given you today to give a sincere "Thanks."

Treading Water

2009-10-16T14:26:00.003-05:00

My apologies for not posting for nearly a month. I've got caught up with school and the tasks associate with my job. In addition to teaching and directing campus ministry, I have somehow got put in charge of the liturgical choir at school (granted I am a musician and played part time in jazz groups, rock bands, punk and ska bands, have led praise and worship music for CCRNO as well as music at the LSU Catholic Center but I am not in any way a voice/choir guy), and am now leading the charge in editing a school wide prayer book -- and all the while getting the football coaches pissed at me and forcing the administration to put their money where their mouth is, as it is often the case at many Catholic schools that the administration speaks of the importance of the spirituality of the school, the catholic identity of the school and the campus ministry programs at the school yet fail to back it up with resources of any sort. So the result is a campus ministry program with only one good leg on which to stand. Directing Campus Ministry is certainly sucking the life out of me and leaving me far too exhausted to do some of the things in my life that I enjoy. My goal is to move out of campus ministry and into full time teaching and possibly some part time freelance writing.

Enough explaining.

On the flip-side (and more positive), I was interviewed the other day by OSV contributing editior Emily Stimpson on Music, which related to an earlier posting I did involving Music and the Passions. She interviewed Bob Rice, Professor of Catechetics and Worship leader at Franciscian University of Stubenville, and Chris Padgett, of the late Scarecrow and Tinman fame who is now a nation youth speaker and musician working on a PHd in theology from University of Daton. What does does this mean? I'm the only one without a flashy personal website. Emily Stimpson tells me that the article should be out sometime in November.

Also, I'll be giving my music and the passions presentation the the local World Youth Day in New Orleans, LA.

This is the first weekend that I do not have a school function or commitment in almost 2 months. So, I'm off into the woods to do some camping and paddling for the weekend.

Lastly, I just finished brewing my first batch of beer. It is a nut brown ale and tastes good. People keep asking me what am I going to call it, I think I have decided on the name Verso l'alto (Toward the Top) for the over arching name of my brews.

Adventure in Catechesis #12

2009-09-16T20:44:00.004-05:00

Catechist: What did God take from Adam to make Eve?
Student: His sperm?

Part of me wishes stuff like this didn't happen in class, but it does. Sad when it happens, but funny when you are back in the department office.

Thanks Timmy

Introducing: TheoloGuy

2009-09-09T22:07:00.004-05:00

Real Name: John St. Pierre
Occupation: Owner and Manage of Local Bowling Alley
Group Affiliation: Catholics of the Roman Rite
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 194
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black (with white eyebrows)

Powers: The proportional intellect and theological expertise that rivals the greatest of theologians who roam the globe. His "T" sense warns him of approaching theological heresy and heretics. TheoloGuy is able to deliver a 15 minute discourse on the problem of evil in only 5 minutes.

History: In a strange freak accident involving a floor buffer, a cup of coffee, electrocution, and gummie bears in the theology section of the local mega bookstore, mild mannered bowling alley owner John St. Pierre awoke from his accident to find himself covered in theological books, coffee and gummie bears. To his surprise, he found that he had absorbed all the theological understanding of the books that had been covering him and was now able to solve all theological conundrums. At first he used his powers only to discourse with his drunken obnoxious theologically misguided patrons. After learning that changing the mind of a drunk isn't easy, John St. Pierre started volunteering at his local RCIA and you ministry programs and now only uses his powers to hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Allies: TheoloGuy has thought along side some of the greatest thinkers, theologians, and apologists to have lived during the modern error. His favorite theologians include St. Augustine, St. Louise de Montfort, and Jon D. Levenson.

Enemies: Now that would just be uncharitable to list here.

Not Said by Jesus Sunday

2009-09-06T10:50:00.002-05:00

Good Bye Chubby Hubby. Hello Hubby Hubby?

2009-09-04T19:45:00.003-05:00

Looks like I can scratch off the list Ben and Jerry's ice cream. No loss to me. I never cared too much for their ice cream.

From the site:

In celebration of the freedom to marry in Vermont officially beginning on September 1, 2009, Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s is symbolically renaming their iconic flavor ‘Chubby Hubby’ to: Hubby Hubby . . . Join Ben & Jerry’s and Freedom to Marry in advancing awareness about marriage equality by taking any or all of these actions: . .

People really need to understand that equality does not mean sameness. By claiming equality and really meaning sameness does nothing more than lead to confusion and the blurring of boundaries.

Full Body Condoms: The Latest in High School Fashion

2009-09-03T21:50:00.006-05:00

If the students can't keep from touching one another we might as well teach them how to be safe. Story Here.

From Story:Chest bumps. High fives. Hugs and handshakes. Glen Cove Middle School students Ali Slaughter and Hannah Seltzer say that's what friends do on the first day of school. But when students in the Nassau community return to school next week, the superintendent will be urging abstinence. Everyone from the tiniest tots to the biggest high school football players will be asked to limit skin-on-skin contact in an attempt to prevent the spread of swine flu when it re-emerges this fall.

"It will [be hard] because you really like your friends and you didn't get to see them," Seltzer tells CBS 2.

What are we learning? That abstinence prevents the spread and transmission of diseases. But really, let us ignore that fact and insist that all students attend class in a bio hazard suit. It could be the latest fashion trend. It can be made in different styles and sizes. Some tart of a celebrity can promote it on TV or in a music video. Twitter about it. Facebook it. Blog it. VidBlog it. Tell the President of the US -- he's all about protection.

Then again, is it really fair that we force students into paranoia by scaring them about disease and then insisting that they hop inside of some synthetic suit that will really only work effectively if one has a lifestyle change (but we won't tell them about the life style change)? Makes sense to me (NOT!).

Not Sait by Jesus Sunday

2009-08-30T23:07:00.001-05:00

Why the Church Has all those Dogmas and Doctrines

2009-08-29T08:17:00.004-05:00

From something by G.K. Chesterton, but it is a great reasoning on why the Catholic church does what She does. I also like it because it is familial. I might borrow this when I get to the morality lessons with my students.

The Catholic Church "is the only continuous intelligent institution that has been thinking about thinking for two thousand years. Its experience covers nearly all experiences; and especially nearly all errors. The Church makes itself responsible for warning her people against all the blind alleys and dead ends and roads that lead to destruction. She dogmatically defends humanity from its worst foes, from those devouring monsters of the old mistakes. There is no other corporate mind in the world that is on the watch to prevent minds from going wrong. The policeman comes too late, when he tries to prevent men from going wrong. The doctor too comes too late, for he only comes to lock up a madman, not to advise a sane man on how not to go mad."

Classroom Decorations

2009-08-23T23:07:00.003-05:00

Something I made tonight that I plan on hanging in my classroom. The original is about 28'' by 21''. If you want the larger version, just email me. I also put the quote in the active voice.

Not Said By Jesus Sunday

2009-08-23T12:20:00.002-05:00

[soapbox] The phrase "Let us agree to disagree" has always bothered me. Mostly because the two parties never solve anything and it is has become the politically correct way of saying "Your argument is irrational. You are unintelligent. I choose not to listen to you and your opinions." In other words, this line of thinking tries to side step objective truth and concrete realities on certain issues.[/soapbox]

Video Games Linked to Depression

2009-08-21T14:25:00.001-05:00

I love playing video games, even though I no longer have the time. I still enjoy from time to time picking up the controller and killing a few zombies. But take warning, killing too many Zombies might just be unhealthy.

From the Article:

The average gamer is 35, overweight, and more likely to be depressed, says a new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study, which was carried out in the Seattle-Tacoma area, found that gamers reported "lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns."

Garden Temptations

2009-08-17T21:31:00.001-05:00

With artistic inspiration from Gary Larson

Nun on the Run

2009-08-16T12:54:00.005-05:00

When Saint Paul wrote about running the good race, Sister Mary Elizabeth of Religious Teachers Fillippini took the Apostle's advice literally. At 60 years old, Sister Mary Elizabeth donned her black and white habit and hit the pavement in hopes to raise awareness for the AIDS orphans in Africa when she tried to run the 100 mile marathon in Key Largo, Florida this past May. Though midway through the race she was forced to to stop her run due to health and heat issues, but her goal was accomplished.

Why does she run in a habit? "Everyone looks at the nun in her habit!" The sister says. And when people ask why she is running in her habit, which I can only assume is a good number, she uses it as an opportunity to tell people that she is running for the children. Moreover, she adds "It takes more than endurance to run 40 mines -- it takes purpose. Mine is helping orphans."

This past July she was part of the support crew for ultra-marathon runner Lisa Smith-Batchen in the infamous 810 miles race across the Death Valley in the Death Valley 810. Lisa Smith-Batchen was able to raise over half a million dollars for the good sister's orphans, of which 100% of the proceeds went to the orphans in Africa.

Student or Teacher

2009-08-13T18:44:00.004-05:00

I met my 8th grade students today. In my last class of the day, I learned of a local celebrity that I will be teaching this year. I'm not really sure what I'm going to be doing with him. He is already set to take sophomore math and science classes and is only in 8th grade at a school that produced 35 National Merit Semifinalists last year (class of 2009), which placed the high school in the top 30 high schools in the US.

I think I'm going to have to be doing some serious praying this year.

Mot Said By Jesus Sunday

2009-08-09T16:25:00.002-05:00

Divine and HUMAN

2009-08-07T00:31:00.004-05:00

I often times find myself wondering, "What were the saints really like?" I ask such things because the only experience I truly have of the saints are their writings and the holy images of said saints. So as I result, I sometimes have a view of the saints being separated from the people still here on Earth: very pie in the sky. Granted the goal of the spiritual life and the sacraments is the deitification of humanity the other half the story cannot be ignored. Yet, how exactly does one who is not in Heaven relate to a saint who is in Heaven?

I do not know exactly how to relate, but I take comfort in knowing that all the saints who have walked on this green ground, the same green ground upon which I walk, were also human. They had bodies and that means they had to deal with the same bodily thing that I deal with also: blisters from walking/running too much, bad gas after too much of certain kinds of foods, indigestion, heart ache/break, hunger, cold, the stink that comes along with 3 days of travel with no showers, etc and the list can go on till being blue in the face.

Perhaps I will never know what the saints were really like, but maybe, just maybe, there is still hope for a sinner like me and you.

Book Review: A Taste of Heaven

2009-07-29T10:35:00.004-05:00

If a historical study of culinary delights and delectable cuisine could be done a very convincing argument might be had that those delectable delights rest upon the backs of monks and nuns. A Taste of Heaven: A guide to the Good and Drink Made by Monks and Nuns by Madeline Scherb, though part cook book, travel guide – as the inside cover promotes – contains bits of history of various foods and the monkish developments to those foods over the centuries.

My favorite parts of the book, included the sections where the author gives a brief history of the various abbeys from where she draws her recipes and food, which often included a little gems on the abbey’s spirituality and daily routine. I say this mostly because I am a theology teacher who sometimes teaches church history, so this was a nice easy readable book, which I hope to share some parts with my students.

Each recipe highlights one of the Abbey’s signature food. So if the Abbey is known for it’s beer, as is the case with Saint Benedict Abbey and many other monasteries in Europe, then the recipe will be Creamy Beer Soup, which includes Achel, the beer brewed by the monks at St. Ben’s near Achel, Belgium. Likewise if the Abbey is known for its cheese, as is the case with Postel Abbey in Mol, Belgium, then the recipe will include that Postel Cheese; in this case, the recipe was a Flamiche, which is a Belgiam quiche. No worries, the book also highlights several Abbeys in the United States, including Gethsemmani and the cheese for which they are known.

Practical advice about eating and tasting this monastery food is also found in the book. How to enjoy a Trappist brew is just one of those sections, and the author, who calls on the expert beer advice of Tim Webb, describes a pour that is equally important to the enjoyment of the Trappist beer that rivals the pour of Guinness. Also, when tasting cheese she writes, it is best to “start with the mildest and work up to the strongest.”

Not devoid of spirituality, Madeline Scherb invites her readers to make the journey to some of these abbeys and not only enjoy the food but also emulate the daily life of the monks and nuns while on the grounds of the Abbey. Make a pilgrimage, “Do consider a retreat even if you’re not Catholic; monasteries welcome guests of all faiths” she writes in the section titled “Monastery Etiquette” where other practical advice is given to the unfamiliar monastery visitor such as:

“Do bring cash or a check to pay for your room, because many guest houses don’t accept credit cards.”
“Don’t be afraid to leave family and friends behind; the best retreats are spent in solitude and silence.”
“Don’t be nervous about attending prayers for the first time”
“Do feel free to attend prayers. (It’s polite to do so before meals.)”
“Do bring flip-flops for the shower.”

Is it a must read? Well if you like cooking and trying new recipes the book is certainly worth reading as there are a variety of recipes of a variety of complexities from the simple only needing a few ingredients to the more complex that requires at least a working knowledge of the kitchen. Personally, I’m waiting for a nice cold rainy day to try the Creamy Beer Soup.

Though she was silent about Affligem, my faviorite Belgium Abbey Ale, she covered a nice selection of foods that can be found in the US via certain national specialty stores, online, and Whole Foods. There is even a "shopping guide" that ends the book so you can be certain on where to find the specific food for which you are needing.