Katie’s Blog

So here we are, just past midterms, and already I’m thinking about what classes I’ll take next semester. This spring will be my sixth (and last) full-time semester of studies. (I’ll wrap up my remaining classes the following two semesters as a part-time student.) So here’s what’s on the docket for the spring:

- Lay Formation VI (a directed reading)
- Christology (which I’ve been waiting to take since last spring)
- Sacramental and Theological Foundations of Ministry (a mouthful)
- Foundations of Preaching II (an extension of the Preaching I course I’m in now)
- Theology and Spirituality of Marriage and Family (another mouthful)
- Theology and Ministry of Teaching (another exciting class!)

On a separate (though I promise related) note, I have a list in the back of my planner. It’s a list of all the people that I know who just got engaged, are about to be married, or are expecting children. People just sort of laugh when I tell them I have this list and say “You’re just at that time in your life.” And I guess I am. But when I signed up to take “Theology and Spirituality of Marriage and Family” I began to think about these people even more. So here’s part of my ever-growing list of friends and family who are beginning families of their own. Please join me in praying for them…

For the newly engaged and recently married…

Katie & Karl; Gill & Phil; Lisa & Chris; Kyle & Heather;
Holly & Mikey; Jennifer & Ryan; Teresa & Uriel; Mary Beth & Drew;
Katie & Jason; Jeff & Kathrine; Stephanie & Doug; Drew & Ashley;
Kyle & Heidi; Sarah & Chris; Dan & Amanda; Jack & Dana;
Abbie & Ken; Kathy & Josh; Lindsay & Jesse; Jackie & Joffrey; Cal & Shannon

For those awaiting new life…
Bethany & Jimmie; Chip & Sarah (and sister Grace); Wendy & Jeff (and brother Jack)

And newly arrived…
Baby Connor, parents John and Maureen and big sister Madeline.

“You O Lord, call me, and I come to you, not through my merits, but through your mercy alone, which I ask of you in virtue of your blood.”
~ St. Catherine of Siena
This quote is taken from a bookmark I received this past weekend at the Ordination to the Diaconate of two Dominican Brothers. I have had the pleasure of having classes with both Br. Simon and Br. Kevin. Their deep faith is worthy of great admiration. And I ask that you join with me in prayer for these two men who come with their whole hearts to serve the Body of Christ!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Waterloo, Ontario for the ordination of a classmate, (now Father) Toby Collins, C.R. Ten friends (mostly Aquinas employees, students, and/or graduates) and I road tripped to the north and were warmly welcomed by the Congregation of the Resurrection for the first ordination in their province in 11 years.
Toby, a 2007 M.Div. graduate, is a delightful man. I felt honored to be in attendance for this very important part of his life. On Saturday, June 2, the day of his ordination, the local paper (The Register) wrote a half page article on him. While the article is not available through their website, it has been posted on another blog. I wish to share this link with you so you have some insight into what a great priest we have in our church! Please pray for him and all members of the Congregation of the Resurrection, particularly those studying here at Aquinas Institute!
http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2007/06/man-to-be-ordained-at-church-where-he.html
(Yes he really does like hippos, Spiderman, and kite flying!)

My intention in updating this blog was to have a joyful post reflecting on this great season of Easter. Yet in light of yesterday’s massacre (I do find that to be the most painfully appropriate word to use), my post will not come out as joy-filled as I intended. Upon hearing the news story, and then watching the news myself, I turned to the internet. I scoured sites… trying to find a prayer that might help express my feelings in light of my faith. The prayer below is one I found on a blog. It is a very appropriate prayer, I feel. Appropriate in light of the tragic loss of 33 innocent people; appropriate in light of the fact that we believe in the Risen Lord.

A Prayer for the Innocents of Virginia Tech:

Christ our eternal King and God, You have destroyed death and the devil by Your Cross and have restored man to life by Your Resurrection; give rest, Lord, to the soul of Your servants, the Innocents of Virginia Tech, who have fallen asleep, in Your Kingdom, where there is no pain, sorrow or suffering. In Your goodness and love for all men, pardon all the sins they have committed in thought word or deed, for there is no man or woman who lives and sins not, You only are without sin.

For You are the Resurrection, the Life, and Repose of Your servants, the Innocents of Virginia Tech, departed this life, O Christ our God; and to You do we send up glory with Your Eternal Father and Your All-holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit; both now and forever and to the ages of ages.

Amen.

SOURCE: http://thomistic.blogspot.com/2007/04/prayer-for-innocents-of-virginia-tech.html

The following is an email sent to me by a catechist I work with. She and I work together with a group of 9-12 year old children at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church. The children, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, are amazing. True sources of inspiration. I think the insight shared by this catechist shows the deep wisdom and faith children have.
“I wanted to tell you that we had a “blessed” day in the Atrium this past weekend. I floated on a cloud the rest of the day. There was so much fullness of their knowledge, so much “coming together” of words from the Bible. For example, we discussed Lent and preparation for the Resurrection. One child asked why we wait for 40 days. We talked about whether that was too many days, too few days, why we must prepare… But then they all started to interject the other times in the Bible when 40 days are referred to … Noah’s Ark, Jesus in the desert, and so on. Then there was the discussion of why Jesus wore white. Then the fact that he was clad in white swaddling clothes at birth and very similar white wraps at his death, and then baptism and then communion and weddings and why don’t they HAVE to wear white at confirmation? The connections were wonderful! What a humbling experience to my knowledge and depth of understanding at their age. WOW!”
***Their prayers of petitions from this past week:***
- For all people in Iraq, and wars all over the world, that peace will conquer the world. We pray

One of the first blog entries I posted was a reflection on petitions written by the 9-12 year olds I teach at College Church. This past weekend, I was blown away once again. Two fourth grade girls, clearly reflecting on the goings on in the world around them, wrote and read the following during our communal prayer:

~ We pray for all the children in the world, especially those in Iraq or who are orphans. We pray to the Lord…

~ For all those people who are in the war, that peace will spread over the world. We pray to the Lord…

~ For all people who do not have homes this winter, that they will be warm and safe. We pray to the Lord…

~ That all parents who have lost their children, that they will stay happy. We pray to the Lord…

~ For all our prayers that we hold in our hearts. We pray to the Lord…

~ That God’s help will be ours whenever we need it. We pray to the Lord…

A blessed Christmas and healthy, happy New Year to everyone. It\’s nice to be on break from required readings.
(My brain had nearly turned to mush!)
In a personal effort to live out Christmas in my life these next few weeks, I offer the following poems for your reflection.
_________
Dialogue:
A Word, a Word
Thou, Lord, didst utter which Thy willing handmaid heard,
And infinite, small Life within my own life breathed and stirred.
A blessed space
My Lord in me and I in Him found resting place;
In such divine repose I waited, silent and full of grace.
Answer is nigh;
O God, I lift a Child up heart-and-heaven high
And say,  “This is my Flesh and Blood”; Thy Word is my reply.
_________
Sheepfolds:
The shepherds are stricken; the sheep have fled;
Their folds are broken, their watch-fires dead.
Not only the lost and wayward one;
The ninety-nie, they, too, are undone.
The laden ewes, the driven sheep,
Where can they lay their young to sleep?
This Lamb, new-born and weak and cold,
This Lamb of God, -will you be His fold?
_________
Stars:
We are the old stars that have watched the night skies with the prophets of old;
We are the magi from out of the East; we are bringers of gold.
Heaven has incense of praise from censers seraphic to bring;
Earth, the world-weary, bears bitter-sweet treasure of myrrh to the King.
Homage of incense and myrrh for a God and a Savior are meet;
We are your stars, little King, and we scatter the gold of ourselves at Your feet.
_________
SOURCE:
Wolff, CSC, M. Madeleva.  “The Four Last Things: Collected Poems.” 2nd ed. Notre Dame, IN: Saint Mary’s Press, 1986.

I can’t put my finger on it exactly… but Advent may just be my favorite liturgical season. Maybe it’s because it’s so hope-filled. Maybe it’s because we celebrate the coming(s) of Christ in a truly counter-cultural way.
And in this maddening and slightly chaotic exam season, I wish to share with you some of my favorite Advent prayers that ground me and reconnect me with God:
A Prayer for Lighting Advent Candles:
In the darkness we light a flame of hope. May it dance not only upon our Advent wreath but within each of our hearts as well. Hope is the flower that blooms from the ground of faith. And so, with joy, we keep the tradition of ages past as we encircle our Advent wreath with love and prayerful expectation. May this Advent season bring us a new birth of hope in the ancient promises of God. Amen.
(2006 Advent Calendar, compiled by Julia Schloss and Mark Neilsen for Creative Communications for the Parish, Inc. Fenton, MO)
A Christmas Prayer:
Source of divine Light, Emmanuel, God-with-us,
your radiant love illuminated our waiting world
with the surprise of your Bethlehem birth.
Each year since then we celebrate this astonishing event,
rejoicing in your coming anew, not as a newborn Babe,
but as the presence of divinity contained within each of us.
To our great astonishment, we have become your dwelling place.
We are now your Bethlehem.
Now you are a Treasure birthed in the secret place of our soul.
Now you are a Light gleaming through our gestures of generosity.
Now you are Hope radiating inside the core of our courage.
Now you are Joy shining into the dark caves of our gloom.
Now you are Peace glowing quietly in the crevice of our anxiety.
Now you are Love brilliantly reflected within our kindness.
O Christ, Light of all lights, Star of all stars,
dweller within these human homes of ours,
open our wandering minds and hesitant hearts
so your endless goodness radiates more completely within us.
We welcome you again and again, with gratitude and trust,
not only in this Christmas season of rembrance and celebration
but all through the new year that awaits us.
~ Joyce Rupp, OSM
(from: “Welcome the Light” written for Creative Communications for the Parish.)

Each month, I spend two Sunday mornings praying with 9-12 year olds at College Church. They\’re a quieter bunch, yet very much full of energy. Using the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd approach to religious formation, we gather for an hour and a half to read and talk about how we see God in the world. We reflect on stories from the New and Old Testament and explore the meaning behind each sacrament. At the end of our time together, before we return to Mass for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we pray communal prayer. Usually a group of three or four children come together and select opening and closing songs, a scripture passage, and a psalm. In our atrium (classroom), it is typical for children to write petitions to read during prayer. Sometimes they consult the large group when writing their petitions. Other times, a smaller group composes them.

The petitions prayed at our last gathering have had a deep impact on me. Each week I am humbled to be in the presence of children who teach me how to pray. So I asked the four 10 year-old girls who wrote them if I could share them with you. Thus, I offer you (copied just as they wrote them) prayers of wisdom and insight that is great beyond their years.

- For all who have suffered starvation, thirst, coldness, or loss of loved ones. We pray…

- That anyone who is in Iraq, they will be safe. We pray…

- For all who are poor, sick, shelterless, or unloved, that they shall have all their needs. We pray…

- For world peace, that we come to the parousia soon. We pray…

AMEN.