An Answered Prayer

Ish and I recently moved [back] to Delaware with no furniture aside from a few bookcases and a small tray table to our names. As we began our search for furniture, a clear dilemma arose; what were we going to do for a bed? We had managed to secure some nice secondhand furniture in short order, but finding a bed would not be so easy.

As someone with allergies, the chances of finding used mattresses that I won't have a reaction to are very slim, but buying brand new mattresses, even at a discounted price, would not have been a sound financial decision for us. As is very typical of me, I started to get worried about it--What in the world were we going to do? Then, I began to pray,"Lord, please find us a bed that we can afford and won't give me allergy problems."

Over the period of a few days, Ish and I continued to search for a bed via craigslist. We found a bed that was one and a half years old (boxspring and mattress included). Ish promptly e-mailed the seller to inquire about his asking price--it worked with our budget. In a followup e-mail, Ish assesed the allergy situation and found out that the mattress was coming from a pet free home (score!).

Yesterday, Ish went to check out our potential bed. Meanwhile I was at our apartment hoping and praying that this bed would be the answer to our prayers. Ish called me when he was on his way home to let me know that God had delivered. We had a bed!

When Ish came home, the boxspring was still in its original plastic which the previous owner had never removed in the year in a half he had owned it. Ish had then informed me that this bed was clearly sent from God since not only had the boxspring been enclosed in plastic but the top mattress had been encased in a plastic "allergy-proof" cover as well!

Prayer request...

I have a job interview next week for a position as a Catholic campus minister at a local college.  Please pray for me and for the ears and hearts of those who will be interviewing me.  

Another beautiful day...

You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. --Daniel 3:82

It was another beautiful day today.  I took a long walk on the beach.  Once I got past the really rocky part, I was able to take my shoes off and walk barefoot in the sand.  Warm sand on my feet is one of those things I find really comforting.  It probably has something to do with the fact that I grew up with a beach down the street.  When the sand got to be unbearably hot I waded in the water a bit.  It was surprisingly not frigid--just cool and soothing on my burning feet.  It was such a peaceful walk.  I find walking in nature to be a good reminder of the beauty of God's creation.  Sometimes I need that reminder more than I would like to admit--today it came with perfect timing.  While I was walking, I was reminded of the prayer in Daniel 3:52-90 when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are invoking all of creation to praise God and how we are all called to take a place in this hymn of praise throughout our lives.

Litany of the Saints

I thought this was really beautiful and I felt the need to share.  

Weekend

I had quite the weekend.  I spent most of Saturday at the Paulist Center (my church).  As it was the  Palm Sunday liturgy, the liturgical dancers were asked to dance (we only dance at certain liturgies).  I know that many Catholic's object to liturgical dance during liturgies.  I hate to knock liturgical dance ministries, but I think we often get a bad name because some ministries do very unliturgical things during the mass.  I have yet to hear a single negative thing about liturgical dance from people at the Paulist Center, and although I am sure that it bothers some people, I believe that the director of the liturgical dance ministry at the Paulist Center is very liturgically conscious.  She is constantly reminding us that liturgical dance should help people focus on the liturgy and not detract from it.  This is why during the liturgy, we processed in, presented the gifts, and processed out--no interpretive dance during the music at communion and no abducting the Bible during the Gospel.  The response I have heard from many in the congregation was that the dance added to the liturgy.

Something else happened this weekend at mass.  Every year the Paulist Center gives out the Isaac Hecker Award to a Catholic American who is working to promote social justice in the world (Isaac Hecker was the founder of the Paulist Fathers) .  In 2006 the award went to Martin Sheen, but he was unable to visit to receive the award until this Saturday.  If you were unaware, Martin Sheen is extremely involved in social justice and has gotten himself arrested because of it (apparently on more than one occasion).    Normally when the award is presented, the recipient of the award reflects on that days readings and Gospel , but because of the sacred importance of Palm Sunday, this  was not the case.   He did talk to us after communion about his connection to the Church, and his connection to the Catholic Worker (which started when he was receiving food from their breadline in NYC in 1959).  I was inspired that a man with Hollywood fame uses it to do what is good and right in the world.  Oh and just so you know Martin Sheen is his chosen not his given name.   I asked a priest if Martin Sheen was related to Fulton Sheen; I was not surprised when he said "no", but I was very happy to hear that he named himself after Fulton Sheen.  Oh, and for the record,  Martin Sheen apparently enjoys liturgical dance; at least, that is what he told me.

After mass, Meg and I went to Zoe's for turkey burgers.  They are the best turkey burgers I have ever had, and so it has become one of the two restaurants Meg and I frequent when together.  I am always glad for a chance to hang out with Meghan, and having turkey burgers surely didn't hurt the situation.

I pretty much spent my entire Sunday with Genevieve.  It was a wonderful break from my generally mundane social life.  We went and got crepes in Harvard Square, and then decided on our destinations for the rest of the day on whims and fancies.  Clearly, a bookstore was involved.   

  Now that the weekend is over, the next two days are focused on me getting ready to spend 8 days in DE.  I can't even start to express my excitement for this trip.

Please Pray for this pilot and his family

Yesterday an F16 crashed at Luke AFB in Arizona where my brother is stationed.  The pilot of the plane died.  Please pray for the  pilot and his family during this time.

To veil or not to veil that is the question

I have been in this constant debate with my pride as to whether or not I should cover my head at mass.  When I say constant, I mean that I have been debating this since my reversion to the Catholic faith.  My ideas about modesty have been a long time in the development, and they are finally starting to unveil themselves.  I have had this notion since summer of 2005 that I am supposed to cover my head.  For a while I covered it every day.  That lasted for summer of 2005.  I gave up my uncovered ways for Lent in 2006 and 2007.  Both of these periods of time in my life were so fruitful spiritually, but I do not any longer feel called to cover my head at all times in public; I do, however, seem to like to ignore God's call to me to at least submit and humble myself during mass.  I stumbled across this article today that really put a lot of how I feel into words.  If you think of it, pray for me that I may have the strength of conviction to do what I know I am being called to do.