7 Quick Takes, 3/1/13

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This is my first 7 Quick Takes!  I've long admired Jennifer Fulwiler's writing at www.conversiondiary.com and it's very cool that she's cousins with one of the monks at Mt. Angel Abbey (one of my almae matres) I've read these in the past and thought, it would be nice to do the 7 Quick Takes someday... when I actually write on this thing more than once every three months.  And here it is!  Does this mean I'm a real blogger now?  For more quick takes from all around the world, check out Jennifer's blog.

Maybe it's because I'm a visual person, but
I really like the picture.  You can understand
without even reading that the purpose of
Mass is to ascend to heaven.

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Me being a bibliophile, there was a wonderful event today... Salem's YMCA has an annual used book sale.  Don't tell my wife, but I walked out with about 10-12 books.  Two great finds: a Douay Version of the Bible (I'm assuming it's what we know as the Douay-Rheims)... by the musty smell I’m assuming it’s a lot older than me; second was a pocket-sized Sunday Missal from the 1950s.  It talked of this new thing called a “Dialogue” Mass, where the congregation joined the acolyte in his responses... and even the priest in certain places!  (the Gloria, e.g.)  Gee, that’s a swell idea!  See the scan at the right, from Fr. Stedman's "My Sunday Missal." 

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I’ll really miss Pope Benedict.  I wish there were some retrospectives from the leftist media types who called him all sorts of unsavory things upon his election.  I’m not really caught up in who gets elected next.  The Italian, Canadian, Ghanan, Philipino... ???  Nobody saw John Paul II coming, and I didn’t think Joseph Ratzinger had even the slightest chance of getting elected.  So what do the predictors know? 

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The more I read about the prophecies of St. Malachy, the more I’m comforted and the less stock I put in them.  Although my heart skipped a beat the other day... I was reading the blog/letters of Robert Moynihan and he called the Pope Emeritus “Petrus Romanus.”  A little unnerving... but I still don’t give much credence to the prophecies.  

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Work has been incredibly stressful as I’m transitioning into a new job.  It’s funny, it’s like there are two competing parts of me.  One part wants to succumb to the strain on my mental faculties and stare into a wall for a few hours.  The other part of me knows that when I’m pushed like this, I have the capacity to excel.  God bless my wife for putting up with my irritability after work last night...

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The Portland Timbers (of Major League Soccer) start their season on Sunday.  I can’t wait!  Timbers games are a blast to attend (nevermind what my wife says) and the crowd is really into it the whole game.  I was trying to think why I like soccer as a sport when some in this country look down on it.  My answer?  It’s so fluid, it’s like a game-long fast break in basketball, or the deep ball in American football.  Wait, did I just tarnish my credibility by calling football, American football?  I promise I’m not wearing a scarf or a beret.  

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Did I mention I’ll miss the pope?  He was a great spiritual father to the Church.  God bless him in his retirement!  And God help his successor.

Praying is--oh wait, there's something shiny!

When Pope Benedict announced his resignation, I was surprised.  Shocked, really.  I understood his reasons and respected his decision; I also figured there was more to the story of his medical condition than we knew.  Inevitably, some attention turned to the prophecies of St. Malachy.  Many other people have written on this, and better than I could, so I'd refer you to Fr. Dwight or Fr. Z or The Anchoress.

I received the news on a Monday morning that Pope Benedict resigned.  At work, I was terribly distracted.  What if the next pope is the last one?  What if this is the end of the world?  And if it's the end of the world soon, then severe tribulations should be coming soon... my imagination spiraled down in fear.  At the same time, other concerns that I previously had--a job interview the previous Friday the chief among them--disappeared.  A better salary and a job with more responsibility seemed insignificant to the state of my soul and the scenarios running through my imagination.

Then a funny thing happened.  I was offered the job that afternoon and it was a complete surprise!  I thought I had a decent chance at it but I didn't expect my work to move that quickly (it is the guvmint, after all).  And poof!  My apocalyptic imagination ceased.  I resolved to read up on the prophecies when I could, but I had so many things to think about!  Getting ready for my new job... preparing a training list for my replacement... thinking of ways to spend my raise... and so forth.

Granted, not all of that is bad--especially being better able to provide for my family.  Working harder and confronting new challenges will require personal growth on my part, which in turn will benefit my marriage and my spiritual life.  All good things!

In the midst of that, however, was the stark realization of how easily distracted I can be when it comes to the spiritual life.  For all my efforts toward greater holiness, there are many more failures, distractions, sins, etc.  Last Monday was humbling and a reminder that I have a ways to go in holiness.