Little Graces

This summer I have been carrying out phone-answering duties as the part-time secretary in a miniscule parish in northern Kansas City. Normally this only means fielding requests for monetary assistance, but aside from fulfilling that basic need this telephone has afforded me two very beautiful opportunities.

The first call came a couple of weeks ago.

The young woman on the other end of the line informed me that she was a young Catholic engaged to be married to a non-Catholic. Her fiance had expressed a desire to convert to the faith, and she was searching for an R.C.I.A. program which would do more than "meet to talk about their feelings once a week for four months". She said that she saw a unity in faith as very important to happiness in their relationship and their marriage, so she wanted to find a program which would give her fiance knowledge of the faith in a very real way.

Upon continuing the discussion, we discovered we were the same age, and later we also found that we were classmates way back in Catholic gradeschool. Heaven only knows that her experiences in that school did not render her so conscientious about her faith as she had shown herself to be, and I seriously doubt that her highschool education had anything to do with that, either. Nevertheless, keeping this little observation to myself I silently rejoiced that the grace necessary for such a deep appreciation for her Faith had come to her. I wholeheartedly supported her, gave her a list of good Catholic online resources, and told her the number of the parish catechist.

I don't know if the parish I work for has a good program or not. I doubt it, somehow. Nevertheless, I told her to please keep in touch with me if she had any more questions, and to contact the Catholic Faith and Reason Association of Kansas City if she needed questions answered or any need addressed.

I hope I was the right person at the right time. All in the grace of God.

The second phone call came this afternoon.

The woman introduced herself by her first name only. She said she was raised a Catholic, but had converted to Lutheranism a long, long time ago. She told me she had become uncomfortable with some of the things the Lutheran church had been doing lately, and was wondering if she needed permission to come to a mass here at this parish?

I told her absolutely not and she was welcome to return anytime she pleased. She expressed some concern over not being able to follow the service anymore. I asked her when she had left the Church, and she said it was the early to mid sixties. I told her that a lot had changed since then, and that the mass was no longer in Latin like that. I advised her to look up a missal for the Novus Ordo online so that she could follow along more easily, but also assured her that overall it would be much easier for her to understand than it was before.

'Yes, I seem to remember that non-Catholics weren't really encouraged to come to mass when I was young, and even if they did everything was so complicated, and in another language.'

I answered that this was part of the reason for the change that occurred, and that the new mass was much easier for protestant America to understand, since throughout it's structure it is made undeniably evident how much of the mass is Scriptural. She said this was wonderful.

She said that, when she was young, you were always supposed to go to confession before receiving communion. She asked if this were still the case (I was very glad she mentioned this - I was just about to bring it up). I told her that yes, it was, and that one of the reasons for that was so that everyone was well-prepared and fully aware of how beautiful and important it was to receive Christ in Holy Communion. She agreed that this was a very good thing to do, and asked at what times confessions were heard. I informed her of the standard time Father had set aside, and told her she could also call to make an appointment at any time.

As a parting remark, I made sure to tell her that she could call anytime she liked with questions, and pointed her to an online resource where her questions could also be addressed. She said she would love to find somewhere to associate with the Italian Catholics she knew in her youth, and that she would definitely pay a visit here soon.

Thank God for Little Graces.

Pax Christi,
Em

The Swedish Chef Makes Spagetti

One of the best ones I've ever seen!

Muppet Show - Manahmanah

I miss Jim Henson.

Replies Are Overrated

I've heard bloggers complain about lacking replies to their comments. I've recently been reading a blog I would never want to own. This led me to realize that I am very happy with my quiet little blog, which scarcely anybody ever reads. It's more like an open journal than a debate forum, and that's the way I like it.

Strange news of the summer: Obsession #2 is turning out to be a very successful garage saler. He's obtained a set of silver teapots as well as a wooden salad bowl, both of which we'd been hoping to obtain from our wedding registry. This could be a very good talent for a husband to possess, no? :)

As a couple, we've begun the official marriage-prep course thing this week. It's really only a bunch of social hours with a couple of the parish who are also homeschoolers and hosted a high-school literature discussion group for me. So far it's been an enjoyable opportunity to talk to them again. They enjoy good books, good music, and good food. I've always admired them a great deal.

Well, I'd best get back to my data entry.

Pax Christi,
Em

It's raining today, and the heat has finally abated. THANK GOD.

I have been having a heated debate online over NFP and its usefulness.

I have not been as patient as I was hoping I would be. Some people are just SO DUMB.

But an amusing aspect to it:

Obsession #2, after hearing me speak of the debate, visited the site and supported me.

I was extremely delighted with what the anonymous poster had to say about the matter and form of sins. Not for a second did I suspect that it was the man I was going to marry. *giggle* He continues to surprise me, this man I love.

I was sick yesterday. I slept most of the day and all night. Now I have to go back to work. *oh well* - I'm actually not dreading it half so much since the weather has improved so much. Less sweat for me. *YAY!*

Will post more when I have something more interesting to say.

Em

On Being Indignant

One of my most prominent tendencies is to look at the persistent errors of others as a personal affront. I might also add that Obsession #2 has the same difficulty - occasionally to a much greater degree, depending on the error and the erring.

The question is whether this stems more from virtue or from vice. Some would say it comes from a self-rightousness or a perfectionism, and in a way I can see why someone might say that, but more often than not I think it stems from zeal for the truth, and a personal connection with it.

"How dare you insult Veritas with your arrogant insistence upon (given issue)! Off with your head, heretical swine!"

I mean, really, there's a lot to be said for that kind of reaction.

But then again patience more often accomplishes the ends of the Holy Spirit. A response with gusto and personal involvement doesn't really inspire the opening of someone's ears. Perhaps the warring spirit is overall a good inclination which, when directed at poor ignorant humanity, is not always the greatest attainable good? I mean, the saints occasionally used very strong language with people - truly, it has it's place. Although, it seems to me that it belongs to that classification of things which should be used more sparingly. Lies are the enemies of God, but in reality it's not the humans who orchestrated them. All of us have a natural desire to know and love God. Therefore, erring individuals should be treated as beloved but confused siblings, not as pernicious demons (no matter how strong the inclination is to think of them as such).

Now that I've explained that to myself . . . I suppose I really should try to remember it the next time someone says, "NFP is just Catholic contraception." or "Pope John Paul II tried to annihilate the Church." or "Our current bishop is such a (insert the favorite phrases of a certain uncouth and sacreligious relative)". . . .

Oh yes, I will want to do this.

But I will restrain myself. Really, I will do my very best. Honest. . .

. . . Now, come on. Why are you looking at me like that? Don't think I can't see that look on your face. You know what - you're really not helping my resolve. Can't you just pretend you believe me? Sheesh. You know what? If I can't do it I'm blaming you, okay?

Now to stop being so lame . . .

Yes, I realize I've been posting poems and videos. Yes, I admit, that is actually pretty lame of me. But hey, give me a break, I'm working 55 hours a week, okay? I'm tired.

So, my life lately . . . come to think of it it's been pretty lame, too. The environment provided by my more time-consuming job is both tiring and demoralizing. I've been working at this same grocery store every summer since I was seventeen, and honestly I'm very grateful to them for always accepting me back every year, but I must admit the night-time clientele is about to do me in. Our store is located right smack in redneckville, and to be quite honest the mental state of our too-often-enebriated consumers is truly a staggering thing. It's been worse this year - probably because I'm working (exclusively) the 4:30-11:30 shift.

The most irritating customers this summer have been the wimpy mothers who want me to hide things from their kids so they don't have to buy them. They won't tell the kids "No", but would rather say, "The lady at the grocery store must have forgotten it.". They slip up to me in line and point to a couple things on the belt, saying softly "Please take that and put it back later. I don't want it. Just don't let the kids see you take it." Now, not only are they teaching them that lying is okay (because honestly I don't think all of these kids are stupid enough not to know what's really going on) but they're forcing me to abet their wimpy parenting. I want to scream at them "The ends don't justify the means!" and turn to little Billy, saying, "Here sweety, have all the sodium-filled Batman-theme soup you want - at least until your Mommy learns to stop being such a wimpy parent." I'm just dying to give these people a piece of my mind. Honestly, if it happens again before the summer is out I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself.

Okay, enough complaining. What I'm getting is dough, and dough is something I'm really going to need. So at least the dough fetching is getting accomplished.

Pray for the wedding plans. They aren't getting accomplished. I already said I was going to stop complaining, so please note that was NOT a complaint. Just a prayer request. It's different.

So, anyway, I need to go work some more. Be sure to look for more entertaining entries on the highly unentralling summer "vacation" I am in. ;)

Much luv' to you all, as always,
Emily

Monty Python - International Philosophy

I love this video. Down with the Germans!

Heeeeeere Fishy Fishy Fishy

I watched this video when I was eight months old. Mother tells me that I would sit up in the teeter-totter way of infants and almost fall over giggling when Ernie said "Heeeeere Fishy Fishy Fishy!!!!"