Hey, it’s the correct day and I remembered to take my photo! First time in a long time for that.
My dress is from Old Navy. It is layered with a Target undershirt, as usual. The white starbursts are positioned in just such a way that I was glad I double-checked all my layers from all angles before I left for church, if you catch my drift. I don’t think I’ve worn this dress since I started this meme, but it’s a summer favorite of mine. It was finally summer this weekend in Austin, Texas. Now I remember why I only cautiously wished that warm weather would arrive.
Once again, those are not the shoes I wore to Mass. They aren’t even the ones I wore home; I kept my driving flip-flops on during dinner at Rudy’s, so those came off as soon as I stepped in the door.
Of all possible convergences, I went to Mass at one of the churches near where I live only to have Mass celebrated by a priest from the church near where I used to work. I enjoyed his homily, during which he managed to mention Pentecost, the Tower of Babel, Klingon (the language), and the Internet. Good times. Happy birthday, Church!
I’m starting with a video again! Here is “A Week in the Life of a Priest.” He’s Australian, and I think the funeral scene is staged, but otherwise, this is pretty legit. I can confirm the “drive-by signing” moment with the parish secretary is a real experience. It was mine for three years!
— 2 —
A few months ago, one place on the Internet linked me to a blog from Benedictine College in Kansas. The post about how to get more out of Mass had a really positive effect on my Massgoing experience. I haven’t yet applied the tips for praying a holy hour (mainly because I like to pray the Liturgy of the Hours during mine), but I’m excited for the possibilities.
— 3 —
No progress on the job front yet. I will be busy for the next week or so, so I’ve intentionally avoided doing a big push since I am not available for interviews yet. I am also still on vacation time, which I am using to do things like catch up on blogs, clear out my DVR, and (mostly) get my sleeping patterns back in order.
— 4 —
My air conditioning is out. This is horrible because (a) no A/C is always horrible, and (b) summer has finally arrived in Austin. I knew, during the last two months of unseasonable cool temperatures, that I was anxious for summer but that I would hate it when the heat finally turned up. I was right. I was so very right.
On the bright side, since I am having a staycation, I was able to sit around with the fan blowing to recirculate the too-warm air I have forced in by keeping the blinds closed all the time. I hope the carpet cleaners don’t think I’m a weird recluse, because that’s not entirely true.
— 5 —
Assuming I don’t mess it up tonight, I will have had an alarmingly successful run of extended prayers.
First, my friend Katie led (for the second time) a novena to St. Dymphna for her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. I prayed for Katie’s grandmother and for a friend of mine from college who experiences anxiety. That ended Wednesday. The main triumph there was that I remembered to pray all nine days’ prayers on the correct days!
In the middle of that novena, I started the Pentecost novena (“the original novena,” as I like to say). I almost forgot, since it starts after the Ascension, and I, like most Catholics in the U.S. don’t live in a diocese that has Ascension Thursday. I considered signing up for the prayers through Pray More Novenas, but I didn’t like theirs as much as the ones EWTN posts (link to the text-only version). I don’t know if I realized it last year or the year before, but I re-realized this year that the italicized portions at the beginning of each day’s prayers translate the Pentecost sequence into one that can be sung to the tune of the Stabat Mater, which you know if you’ve ever been to a parish Stations of the Cross. How genius is that? I’m just hoping to hear the Pentecost Sequence at all tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Finally, I also realized around May 3 that I ought to be praying to find a new job. It is alarming how often I forget to pray about things, despite often giving people that very advice. I whipped out my TAN book of prayers to St. Joseph and started a 30-day one for myself. (I know, 30 days is not a novena, but it’s extended prayer.) Within days, I had three other job-seekers to pray for. One, my friend Brittany, just accepted a job offer! That St. Joseph works fast, and this bodes well for me.
— 6 —
I saw The Winter’s Tale put on by Austin Shakespeare. Longtime readers may remember my trip to see Twelfth Night last year and Love’s Labours Lost the year before. Summer shows at Zilker are literally the only thing I do outside on purpose all year, and I was rained out on Thursday, so I had to go on Saturday. Most of my companions couldn’t go, but it was a great opportunity to have a good chat with a friend, try P. Terry’s burgers (verdict: cheap, but not that great), and see a delightful show.
This year’s twist was a South American dance setting. The first half took place in a stark and emotionally bare Argentina, with a beautiful tango to spark the king’s jealousy. (Bonus: Queen Hermione is where the Harry Potter character gets her name!) The second half was set in Brazil, with two incredible samba performances to highlight the party scenes. I’ve never seen samba before, at least not when I knew what it was. It’s such a fun dance, and it doesn’t need a partner (the single girl’s dream)! I could have used a little more clothing on some of the dancers, though. I was especially amused by the “bear”: a giant costume worn by an actor on stilts. Good times.
— 7 —
Here’s another, shorter video to send you off. It’s no secret that I love clever advertising. This is pretty genius. It’s a shame that such a thing and such a tactic are needed, but it’s still brilliant.
I have been catching up on my RSS feeds so quickly lately! It’s been the most productive thing I’ve done during my vacation time, even though it involves a lot of sitting on a couch and staring at a screen. It’s a months-long backlog of sitting on a couch and staring at a screen, though. I recommend Feedly if you, like me, are sad about Google Reader going away. To keep up with me, you can just type lindsayloves.com into Feedly or another RSS aggregator like Bloglovin’, or you can subscribe via email in the sidebar.
Pick up your nearest book or whatever book you’re currently reading, and turn to page 50 and then share the first 50 words with the rest of us.
I’m only in the middle of Of Mice and Men because I was between books for a while, and my copy of Strange Gods is an e-book, so you get the last book I finished, The World’s First Love: Mary, the Mother of God.
He has mercy upon those who fear Him, from generation to generation; He has done valiantly with the strength of his arm driving the proud astray in the conceit of their hearts; He has put down the mighty from their seat, and exalted the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty handed.
Archbishop Sheen is quoting from the Magnificat, Mary’s song, Luke 1:50ff in the Bible. That’s pretty crucial for a book about Mary. It’s also one of the alarmingly few passages I have memorized.
What book(s) do you find yourself going back to? Beloved children’s classics? Favorites from college? Something that touched you and just makes you long to visit? (Because, doesn’t everybody have at least one book they would like to curl up with, even if they don’t make a habit of rereading books? Even if they maybe don’t even have the time to visit and just think back longingly?)
I love re-reading Harry Potter, of course. It’s sad now that there won’t be another book to inspire a marathon re-reading of all the previous books, but it was incredible journey, and I’m so glad to have been part of it. I don’t think there’s anything else that has had a significant enough effect for me to use some of my precious reading time on it. (Well, the Bible, but do you ever really finish reading that?)
Well, it is not Sunday, but I did remember to take a photo of what I wore…mostly.
Top is my work polo. Skirt from Old Navy. Unintended flip-flops also from Old Navy.
Since it was my unofficial last day at work, I decided to wear my work polo one last time. It fits really well, and it has a subtle shine to it, so it seemed fancy enough for Sunday.
I have been working on developing my personal style for several months, and part of it is combining casual tops with fancy bottoms. The skirt is one of my favorites. I bought it back in college. I was in Old Reliable/Navy, and it was a limited edition way above my usual budget, but I splurged. I’m so glad I did! It’s ankle-length, super comfortable, and fancy-looking without being too fancy-feeling.
And yes, those are flip-flops in the photo. I wore my white cork wedges with it at work, but I had to switch to flip-flops for the drive home. Fashion is not driving-friendly.
Regarding Mass, I kind of wish we had Ascension Thursday. Having it on Sunday only increases attendance artificially (because more people always come on Sundays), it makes people think it’s not a holy day of obligation (which isn’t true), and it ruins the nine-day period for the original novena. Oh, well, I’m not in charge of the Church. I’ll take everything else even if I have to start the Pentecost novena before I celebrate the Ascension. Le sigh.
I’ve had a rough few weeks. If you could send your prayers or good wishes my way, here’s what’s on my heart lately:
My brother was diagnosed with diabetes. He’s managing it well, but the initial symptoms and diagnosis was scary.
I gave notice at my job. It’s a long story that is not at all appropriate to discuss on the Internet, but if you know of any good opportunities in Austin, I’m on LinkedIn.
Sarah, a really close friend of mine who I’ve blogged about before, came down with appendicitis and had emergency surgery. She’s recovering and home now. It’s so frustrating that we still have an organ that does absolutely nothing except almost kill you. It’s not an organ: it’s a ticking time bomb that might be a dud or might explode.
My grandfather has colon cancer. He’s in his 70s but has started chemotherapy. Maybe he’ll be able to walk down the aisle at my wedding yet. (I’m not seeing anyone, but that’s part of my wedding vision.)
No one else close to me come down with a serious illness, please!
— 2 —
I think I’ve posted about this before, but I am always delightfully horrified to find Photoshop portfolios online. I know perfectly well that most of the images we see in magazines and on billboards are barely of real humans, but to view the actual transformations is something else.
The people who do this work are definitely skilled, but couldn’t they put those talents to better use than thinning arms, adding locks of hair, and lightening skin? If you’ve ever wondered why you don’t look like the women (or men!) in magazines, those photos are a good reminder of the reason why: no one looks like that, not even the original models.
The fashion photos are not quite as terrifying. They look more like normal people.
— 3 —
As if Let Me Be Catholic wasn’t addictive enough, it turns out there’s another one out there about Catholics. It’s just older and didn’t burst into my life quite as quickly. Here’s my favorite from What Should Catholicism Call Me:
When I’m Explaining Supernatural Catholic Doctrines to People And I’m Like
Except that I’m more likely to say, “It’s okay to think that’s weird. It kind of is.”
— 4 —
In other fun images, check this out!
Aww! The U.S. Naval Institute, which I found via Cheezburger and Manteresting (I know, right?) offers this explanation:
“Accepting her fate as an orphan of war, ‘Miss Hap’ a two-week old Korean kitten chows down on canned milk, piped to her by medicine dropper with the help of Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor… The Marine adopted the kitten after its mother was killed by a mortar barrage near Bunker Hill. The name, Miss Hap, Sergeant Praytor explained, was given to the kitten ‘because she was born at the wrong place at the wrong time’.” Korea, ca 1953
Now that’s a real man: TCB.
— 5 —
And then there’s this:
— 6 —
Enough images and silliness. I watched The Vow in my long break from work today. I can’t afford premium movie channels (although Degrassi has all but ensured that I will have cable for many days to come), so I keep an eye out for free preview weekends and fill up my DVR. The last one was Thanksgiving weekend, so it’s been waiting in the wings for quite some time.
I liked it. I thought the swearing sounded awkward and superfluous, but I loved the portrayal of a husband who will not give up on his wife. He made a vow, and he tried so hard to live up to it, even in an impossible situation. I found myself thinking very deeply and wondering how to apply my feelings about marriage and commitment to the wife’s situation with her parents. I wondered if I could ever love someone enough to take the steps we saw married characters taking. It was not the kind of love and marriage Hollywood usually gives us, and I appreciated that.
I also really liked that, even though Rachel McAdams’s character (and her real-life counterpart) never got her memory back, she managed to get some of herself back. She was never her old self; she was just herself. I’ve made some big life changes in the last several years, and I wouldn’t want to go back to that old person, but I’d like to think that my maturity is more than just reactions to old motivations. I’d like to think that it’s who I was always meant to be.
— 7 —
So that’s my week (or two weeks, really; I drafted this post last week). I might go see Matt Maher on Thursday, so that’s potentially exciting, but in the meantime I need to find a new job and a new place to live. It’s going to be an interesting summer.
I have changed the time on this post because I am in denial about how late it’s gotten. Work doesn’t end until very late on Sundays, so when I need a few hours to relax after work (like most people), that can easily run past midnight.
I also had the sudden urge to try on the bridesmaid dress I have for a friend’s wedding over Memorial Day weekend. I bought the shoes before Easter but was never in the right place (mentally, time-wise, or wow-it’s-hot-and-I’m-all-sweaty–wise) to try on the whole ensemble. Sorry, no photos of that just yet.
I do, however, have today’s hasty ensemble.
Dress from Target’s Converse collection. Undershirt from Target. Sweater probably from Kohl’s. Shoes from Payless.
Those are the same shoes I wore for Easter Vigil, except that I painted my toenails better this time, so they lasted long enough to show off through the peep-toe hole. I can’t drive in them, though; I wear flip-flips and pack the cute shoes. I only had enough energy left to put one back on for the photo. At least it’s unique, right?
I love the dress. Well, I love it when I make it modest with a t-shirt. I don’t own many purple items even though it’s my favorite color. This was more than I’d usually pay for a casual dress, but I found it so flattering that I just went for it. Purple Chucks would probably just complete the look. Love.
The sweater was a weird choice, I admit. It was still chilly when I left for work, so I threw on the closest thing to a matching sweater I could grab. As you can see, it doesn’t really match. It’s actually a hand-me-down from my mom. Everything she buys is from Kohl’s, so I think this is, too. I usually wear brown shoes with this dress, so my light brown sweater (not this one) matches, but I had to improvise and run since my shoes were white. It warmed up to 82 by midday, though, so the sweater was okay as an afterthought.
The first reading at Mass was one from daily Mass last week. Am I the only one who wonders what happened to the Pharisees and such? Did they ever come around to believing in Jesus? They thought they were getting it right, even if they totally weren’t. I’d like to believe that the God of second chances would give them one. Thoughts?
I don’t have many traditions. I have habits, routines, and personal rules galore, but not a whole lot of traditions, per se. When you work in the Church, “tradition” is a very political word, so I try not to even say it; I prefer “custom.”
I do have a tradition for Holy Saturday, though, one that I have not broken in years. It’s easy to figure out how to celebrate Holy Thursday and Good Friday. I work them now, so that’s different. But there’s no special celebration for Holy Saturday. There are some optional RCIA rituals, and some parishes offer Morning Prayer, but otherwise, there’s nothing. No Mass. No special Liturgy of the Word like on Good Friday, even if it’s technically not Mass. The Easter Vigil is its own thing. No weddings, no funerals, no baptisms. Nothing.
Holy Saturday is about hope. The virtue of hope is more than just wishing that nice things will happen or looking toward the future. Hope is a combination of waiting and trust. We wait for the Resurrection, and we trust that it will come. We wait three days, trusting that the prophecy is true. We wait as the hours of darkness pass, trusting that the light will triumph.
Jesus doesn’t wait, though. He’s quite busy, actually. The following is from the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday. It’s from an ancient homily given on that day. The homilist is unknown. Every year, on Holy Saturday, I pray the Office of Readings, and my heart swells with joy (and my eyes with tears) as I grow in hope.
Something strange is happening. There is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the Cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: ‘My Lord be with you all.’ Christ answered him: ‘And with your spirit.’ He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in Hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I in you; together we form one person and cannot be separated.
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.
Rise. Let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.
I have been familiar with the “What should we call me” meme [partial language warning] for a while, mostly through my friend Katharine. She’s an aero grad student (a.k.a. a rocket scientist) who follows one such blog about being a graduate student.
But I never realized the potential of creating a Catholic one!
When I wake up late and realize I missed morning Mass
For me, there’s also usually some mild cursing. Let’s be honest.
When I go to a church and the doors are locked
This was totally my face one morning when I almost couldn’t get in for my holy hour. But it was early, so I didn’t start out looking quite this happy.
When I leave the confessional
Aww, yeah!
“For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)
So right, Cady!
When I feel like God isn’t listening
This would be maybe every day.
When I haven’t been to Confession in over a month
And this would be me right now. I’ve got a plan, though.
I apologize for ruining your productivity, but not really, because Let Me Be Catholic can brighten all your days now! I actually read through all the archives (which takes a while, just so you know). Which is your favorite?
It seems like it’s past time to post this! If you are one of the bazillion people who visited last year’s post and subscribed to that Google calendar, you are all set, because I added the dates through 2013 way back in the summer. I put those in by hand, too! (Thanks to Romcal for the 2011 and 2012 files and the inspiration for my Google calendar.)
Take note of such fun liturgical twists as the Solemnity of the Annunciation in 2013 (April 8, the first available day to move it to since March 25 is the Monday of Holy Week) and that St. Kateri’s first memorial as a saint is unfortunately a Sunday (July 14), so it’s not technically her day. Who says being a Catholic doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat?
If you are not subscribed and you use Google Calendar (or another program that accepts the iCal format), you can download the .ics file and upload it. For Google Calendar, I used this method:
On the left-hand side of the screen, click the small arrow next to “My calendars,” then choose “Create new calendar.” Mine is unsurprisingly named “Catholic Calendar.” You can fill out the other information if you want to, but it’s not necessary. Click the “Create calendar” button.
Farther down on the left-hand side, click the small arrow next to “Other calendars” and choose “Import new calendar.” Find the .ics file you downloaded and upload the events to Catholic Calendar. (You can upload them to your main calendar if you want, but I prefer to be able to turn the Catholic Calendar off quickly and easily by keeping it separate.)
All the U.S. Catholic holidays for 2011, 2012, and 2013 should be visible now as all-day events. If you click the name of each event, you can see the color of vestments and the rank of the day in the description. For more on ranking, see the Table of Liturgical Days.
Alternatively, you can visit the online version of the calendar and bookmark that or click the button in the bottom left-hand corner to add it to your Google Calendar. Clicking that button will add the events to your primary Google Calendar. I can’t remember if you have to confirm it first, so click with caution.
Happy worshiping, and happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! Salve Regina!
Today is the first day of the Year of Faith, for which I am super excited. The pope has called all Catholics to dedicate this year to learning more about and truly living the faith we claim. I think and talk about churchy things all day, so I’ve been further immersed in it than your average Catholic, but I’m very excited about the resources I’ve seen so far. It seems much more inviting than the preparations for the new translation of the Mass.
Then again, if you like to read like this, I’m not stopping you. (photo by Marc)
One great resource I just stumbled across is a way to read the Catechism in a year. Flocknote will email it to you every day, but you do have to register*. I’m hoping that the website Flocknote draws its information from will offer an RSS feed (or any option where I don’t have to register—I hate superfluous registrations) Going to the site and clicking “Daily Catechism” will have to do for now. I refer to an ink-and-paper copy fairly often at work, so I can attest that knowing that book is not nearly as important as knowing the ink-and-paper Bible. With the Bible, you need to know where to find books when you need it. With the Catechism, I usually start with the table of contents or the index anyway.
None of the technical difficulties detracts from the importance of knowing the Catechism, though. When I teach RCIA, I note the Catechism references on my handouts. When I needed to know the official Catholic word on justification recently, I reached for my book, flipped to the index, and found exactly what I wanted.
A good companion resource is the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA). Every country is meant to develop their own national catechism based on the universal one. The USCCA is written in a more natural, chattier tone, but it has the same information, in addition to stories about saints whose lives reflect the theme in each chapter and a section of Catholic prayers and lists.
Enough about the Catechism. (Ha.) I think that, personally, I might pick up reading the Catechism, but it will be better for me to finish reading the Bible. This is year six of my Bible-in-a-year goal, and it would be nice to be finished during the Year of Faith.
Mary Lane (among my favorite young Catholic bloggers) recommends an online course by her alma mater called Pillars of Faith. I keep meaning to check that out. I have, however, read Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) over the summer, so I’ve got that under my belt. I read it like I was taking a class, so I have good notes…at work. That would be a good post for another day.
So, happy new year, sort of!
*Edit 10/12/12: It turns out that registering with FlockNote is optional. You can still get the emails without giving your name and creating a password, but you do have to respond to the email address verification email. Good news!
My name is Lindsay. I love. If you're looking for a blog about a 20-something Catholic from Maryland currently living in Austin, Texas, who loves Jesus, loves grammar, loves Harry Potter, and just plain loves, you're in the right place. (More?)
