March 23rd, 2011

This entry was written prior on Word because I had no internet. :) Enjoy:

It is already the middle of the week and I am quite certain within a blink of an eye I will be transported to Sunday night working 10pm-6am. It seems it goes by quickly and yet it doesn’t for it is just 11:07am and I thought it was about 2pm.


This morning I did my morning routine, which consist of: Liturgy of the Hours, reading the Magnificat, and Magnificat: Lenten Companion. Since I am unable to go to Daily Mass, I read the Magnificat to at least know what today’s readings were.

The great part of the Magnificat is the fact that they add a piece of work written by a Saint, Blessed, Religious, Clergy, Laity, or even Pope as a meditation. Sometimes these written works do not really invoke me to write about them, but today the Holy Spirit invoked this one to me.

Written by Mother Elvira Petrozzi, she writes about pain and suffering and how “pain is a part of human life”. She also writes, “Do not avoid it, minimize its significance, or talk about it in such a trivial way!” I have in my lifetime remembered being told to avoid being hurt by doing this, or it happened in the past get over the pain. How I have suffered when I was silent to those few words said to me as I was growing up!

Mother ends her work by writing, “The risen Jesus is our true hope, because in Him pain and death are defeated!” Jesus took on our suffering when he did not deserve any of the sufferings, He was the Word made flesh. He reminds us that the suffering we endure here on earth we will not endure in Heaven. How joyous I am that Jesus saved us from always being in pain and suffering after death. I know I am going in deep, but these are just the thoughts being thrown out from my mind.

In the Magnificat: Lenten Companion, Father Richard G. Smith writes about how “the Gospels are the great and true epics of Christianity, and the Twelve are our heroes”, but also “none of the Gospels shy away from the real humanity of the first disciples”. This is true we read stories of heroes who are strong and perfect, and yet we know that is not humanity. “We’re meant to see something of ourselves here-like these disciples, we often miss the boat with Jesus, even after so many years of living with him!” How true that is, sometimes I find where converts like me and reverts like my fiancé, JR are at, we for so many years missed by how we seek perfection. “Jesus doesn’t need our perfection, he only asks for our faithfulness.”

That quote reminds me of what I was reading for my Third Order Novice class this coming Friday. Obedience, as in my lesson works says, is misinterpreted gravely, even by those of the society and even the Clergy sometimes. “To be obedient is to strive ceaselessly to hear even more clearly God’s Word, the Gospel, and Jesus Christ.” Obedience is not a way for us to be shoved down on our knees crawling as slaves, no obedience is freedom.

I am not a theologian, maybe I would like a degree in theology one day, but I do not have it now. With that said, sometimes though I know I am writing the Truth, sometimes it is even difficult for me to explain how I know the Truth. Kind of funny, right? I would say so, but please I ask that those who love to argue or just debate because they have a thrill, please know that I am baby in my own faith, still learning how to defend myself in what I know in my mind, heart, and soul as true.

To change the subject a little, today is the feast of Saint Turibius de Mongrovejo. I would just like to copy down the little biography from the Liturgy of Hours:

“Saint Turibius was born in Spain around the year 1538. He taught law at the University of Salamanca, and in 1580 he was chosen as the bishop of Lima and journeyed to America. Burning with apostolic zeal, he called together many councils and synods which successfully promoted the reform of the religion throughout the whole region. He vigorously defended the laws of the Church and earnestly looked after the people committed to his car by visiting them frequently. He devoted much of his time and attention to the car of the native Indian population. He died in 1606.”

If I am not correct the Josephinum, which is a pontifical seminary and college and the only one outside Vatican City. But, anyways, the one main chapel that they are trying to restore is the St. Turibius chapel, so named after this holy man. One more thing I would like to copy from the Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer for Saint Turibius:

“Lord, through the apostolic work of Saint Turibius

and his unwavering love for truth,

you helped your Church to grow.

May your chosen people continue to grow in faith and holiness.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.”

Yesterday, JR and I went over to his grandmother’s house to look through things because his grandmother was getting rid a lot of her things for she is now in a retirement home. JR and I felt a little uneasy because I can say it felt like she was dead and I knew she was alive.

But, we started going through her pictures which I was looking for something special, which was her wedding photos because I asked about them. I found them and what a beautiful couple! I will say that I had a difficult time trying to not look at JR and say, “I cannot tell if that is you or your grandfather”. For those two look so much a like. Literally JR looks more like his grandfather Unverzagt than any of the others.

It is amazing, but there is one picture we found that he never thought he would see. It was a photo taken before his grandfather died, where his grandfather was holding him and on the side of the photo his dad was sitting there smiling. I cried a little because you could just see the joy in John Sr.’s eyes even though he was going through cancer. JR grabbed that picture and wanted it, and I do not blame him. It is a moment he treasures, though he doesn’t remember it. I do wish I had a photo like that with my own grandfather Phillips, but he died while I was still in my mother’s womb.

So, what will I do today? I am probably going to just relax this is my vacation! JR is coming over later this afternoon and we are going to eat out and probably just have a good day/evening together.

God Bless,

Nikita