7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 4)

Let's see if we can actually make it "quick" this week!

1

Best part of my week, hands down: getting a last-minute invite to have dinner with a lovely parishioner last night, then helping her make a pinata for her grandson's birthday! When was the last time I made a pinata?? It was gloriously messy and wonderfully random, and I left her house in the happiest of happy moods!

2

Oh yeah, I was also on the radio for the first time in my life, ever... you can listen to it here, if you really want to: http://radiomaria.us/battleforpurity/2013/07/29/july-29-2013/. I was kind of nervous that almost an hour would be wayyyyy too long, but it was actually pretty fun and the time went by quickly!

3

This: "Dear friends, let us bring to Christ's Cross our joys, our sufferings and our failures. There we will find a Heart that is open to us and understands us, forgives us, loves us, and calls us to bear this love in our lives, to love each person, each brother and sister, with the same love. Amen!" -Pope Francis

4

On Monday, I learned that I had signed up for Twitter two years before, to the day. I dubbed it my "twitterversary," and did nothing to celebrate. Except giggle whenever I thought to myself, "twitterversary!"
 

5

I'm in hard-core youth ministry planning mode. I really should get some caution tape for my office door and a sign that says "construction zone: authorized personnel only," like we have on the church door right now (the renovation is going on as we speak!). At any rate, enter at your own risk...

6

We had a great S.O.S. (Society of Saints) night on Wednesday based on Philippians 1:27-2:11. I'm so grateful to the core team member who planned and led the night... I've been feeling so over my head lately, and it was so blessed to just get to listen and reflect on the Scriptures along with everyone else, instead of leading it!

7

Last but not least, happy 18th birthday today to my brother Patrick! I got to go home last weekend for his high school graduation party, which was all you could ever hope for in a high school graduation party: family, friends, food and cornhole.

And here's a classy one of us, from our cousin's wedding the weekend before (which, by the way, was a blast... my whole family hasn't been together at a wedding for years and years!):

Happy birthday "Patty Pancake"... love you!

On Newtown

The only response to the Connecticut shootings that I can think of:

In all of our suffering, Christ is right there with us, on the cross. 

Please keep everyone who was involved or affected in your prayers. Also, please keep the youth of my parish in prayer, too - I'm sure we are going to be having some discussions about this over the next few days, as it is very much on their hearts and minds. The problem of evil, and the need for hope and forgiveness and healing, are sure to come up... pray for openness.

Sleep Well

I'm currently listening to a beautiful talk by Fr. Thomas Richter entitled "Trust in the Lord." I'm only about halfway through, but I wanted to share (paraphrasing) a brief story that he told:

There once was a little four year old who couldn't sleep. He was so weighed down by the world - he wondered, how would I pay the bills? How would I pay the mortgage? How would I earn enough money to be able to eat - to provide for my family? The four year old tossed and turned, tossed and turned, and had only restless, uneasy sleep all night.

The next day, on the monkey bars at school, some of his friends noticed that he wasn't acting like himself. They asked him, "Johnny, what's the matter? You look kind of tired and worn out." He replied, "I couldn't sleep last night. I was worrying about how I would pay the mortgage... how I would provide for myself and for my family... how I would pay all the bills..." 

His friends looked at him, confused. One of them said, "Johnny, I don't worry about all that stuff. My daddy takes care of it for me."

Just as it is ridiculous for a four year old to worry about the mortgage, it is absurd for us to think that we are all alone in our struggles. We don't become more independent as we become holier, says Fr. Richter; we become more dependent, more childlike and trusting on our heavenly Father.

"If you had a magic wand, what would you get rid of in your life? That right there is the holiest place in your life - potentially - if you learn how to trust in the Lord, and let Him do what you can't." -Fr. Thomas Richter

We don't have to worry quite so much... our Daddy is taking care of us.