Pope Francis

I kid you not, this conversation happened yesterday at IKEA.  My parents and I were discussing the conclave, the different candidates and naming possibilities.

Dad: I would love to see a "Pope Francis."  (My dad has a deep devotion to St. Francis of Assisi.)
Me: Dad, stop.  Who ever it is, is not going to take the name "Francis."  He'll take something more traditionally papal like "John Paul III."

Today, as I was driving to Aurora for a blood test, my husband called and told me about the white smoke.  Nathan was at work, so I called my dad right away to find out what was going on.  I had to wait until my appointment was over for any real news.  Then, after the election announcement was made, this conversation happened:

Me: Well, what name did he take?
Dad: I thought he said "Francis" but I couldn't hear him very well.
Me: Seriously, stop it.  He did not take the name "Francis."  (And yeah, I laughed a little bit.)

Then, the call dropped.  A few minutes later, Dad called me back.

Dad: I just talked to your brother--it IS Francis.  SO THERE!

Moral of the story: have better faith in Dad's Latin.

Let's pray that our dear Pope Francis is able to engender greater love and understanding between the Holy Church and the secular world which surrounds Her.   That people will remember, while we may disagree with each other, it does not have to lead to hate.

7 Quick Takes

one

Today is Nathan's 32nd birthday!  For his birthday this year I did something completely unexciting and let him pick out his present.  We had a date night last night, which was awesome, and we stopped at Best Buy where he picked out a new set of super spiffy headphones for his computer.

Elijah's all bundled up because that was the day we took him sledding.

two

Check out how grown-up this kid looks!  I can't get over it.

three

Please say a prayer or two for my sister's friend Taryn who is trying to pay off the last thousand dollars of her student loans so she can join the Discalced Carmelites in Buffalo where she was recently accepted.

four

My car is officially fixed.  It's out of the shop and back in our garage.  I won't get into all the details of what was wrong, mostly because it was my fault and it's embarrassing.  But I will say that for all I hate to drive in general and even though I get mad at the car when I do something stupid and it has to be worked on, I actually do love that little car.  I drove it home from the shop yesterday and was very happy to have it back.

Nathan's car is a stick shift and I really hate having to drive it.

five

  I don't think anything has caused me more "first time mom" anxiety than what to feed Elijah now that he's eating regular food.  We have the chart about serving sizes and what he needs nutrition-wise everyday, but I keep wanting to feed him more.  He usually gets bored of sitting in the highchair before I think he's really full.  I also need to figure out better snack foods than just giving him Gerber crunchies and Goldfish.

six

As I said, last night was date night, so Nathan and I went to see the new Oz, the Great and Powerful.  I have to say I was surprised by it.  The plot did things I didn't expect and it was actually a pretty good movie.  A big thanks to my father-in-law for babysitting last night!

seven

Are you as excited as I am that the conclave starts Tuesday?  I can't wait!  

For more 7 Quick Takes, check out Conversion Diary.

 

Taking His Leave

Eight years ago, we lost someone who was probably one of the greatest modern advocates for Catholicism.  He was wise, he was charismatic, he was traditional.  At least to me, he made orthodoxy seem not only appealing, but also necessary.  And we all grieved terribly at his death.  Of course, I'm talking about Blessed Pope John Paul the Great.

But, a few short days after his death, we were filled with a kind of wild hope and joy, like always after the death of a pope, there was to be a conclave.  The first in 26 years, the first in my lifetime.  I was 20 at the time.  I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when the conclave concluded.

I was in my dormroom eating lunch between classes: French and algebra, if I remember correctly.  CNN was playing on the TV and they were interspersing clips of the anchors with images of the faithful gathered near the Sistine Chapel and the chapel's chimney.  Then, suddenly, the started saying the two magic words, "white smoke."  My heart jumped up into my chest.  Then it was confirmed.  White smoke, habemus papam.

My brother was studying in Pennsylvania at the time and we were on AIM talking about what was going on.  We were several hundred miles apart, but we sat together and started at the TV waiting for the announcement.  Then on the balcony the cardinals appeared and announced, yes, we have a pope: Cardinal Ratzinger.  And the Piazza San Pietro went nuts.  And I went to algebra.

Here we are eight years later at a different kind of crossroads.  Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, through prayer and careful thought, has concluded that he is no longer fit to occupy the Throne of Peter.  At the end of this month he will no longer be our Holy Father.

This is an incredibly unusual occurance.  We actually know, down to the hour how much longer our pope will be our pope.  I can only imagine what the college of cardinals must be thinking.  How strange to be in this place.

Like everyone else in the world, yesterday I was shocked.  And deeply saddened.  Seriously, you only have to ask some of my coworkers to find out how close to tears I was.  But they let me talk about it and they made me laugh.

And thankfully, the sun came up today, and while we enjoy the last few days of Pope Benedict XVI's reign we can look forward again to a conclave.  There will be speculation about the successor, but thankfully, only 118 men will get to vote.  They who know the church best, they who love us and want what is best for us and for the church. 

All we have to do is look to Christ and His Holy Mother and pray.  Pray for Pope Benedict, pray for the college of cardinals, pray for the church, and pray for each other.  What a wonderful thought to take into Lent.

Modern man and Sainthood

It's easy to believe that the progress of life with its new capabilities and possibilities makes it harder for people to be saintly.  The theory is that life is more complicated these days, and that the complications include blocks to saintly life.  Really, that is untrue.  Men connect with God in the same ways today that we always have: through prayer, thought, meditation, Church services and events, and learning.  This modern world of ours has seen its fair share of sons and daughters elevated to the holy cannon.

Many contemporary saints are overlooked because when people think of saints they think of people like the Apostles, the St. Georges, the St. Thomas Aquinases, and many others whose lives are so far removed from us their memories are stamped on our minds.  

But it is possible that recent saints and holy men and women can teach us a great deal about how to fit society and the swirling mass of experience into our lives and fight the increasing belief  that our lives and experiences should fit into societal conventions. 

I would like to take some time on this blog, maybe once a week, to highlight a modern saint or holy person and what they can teach us about being in the world and not of the world.

I have to think a bit more exactly what this will look like.  And please don't hold me too stringently to the idea of once a week, I may not make it every week.  Also, I need to come up with a title...But I already know who will be the subject of my first post.  Guesses?    (Dad, you can't guess, you know who it is.)

Also, feel free to suggest someone.

The In-Betweens

For a long time, now, I've been wanting to read more about the Church.  I don't have many local Catholic friends and apart from being a lector in our parish, I haven't been super active in church, which I realize is my own fault.  I hope the reading will help me increase not only my knowledge, but also strengthen my faith.  I'd like to read about church leaders, church teachings, lives of saints, and apologetics.

The problem is, I don't know where to start from a background of having read very little outside formal settings.  I also get extremely bored with nonfiction very easily.  A few years ago, I read Milestones by Pope Benedict XVI.  But I don't remember much of it. 

Therefore, my new resolution is to read nonfiction between whatever other books I pick.  Right now, for example, I am between books.  I just finished The Lost Wife which was amazing and I'm waiting for The Atlas of Impossible Longing to come in through the library.

My current book between books is Pope John Paul II: the Pope I Knew So Well by Caroline Pigozzi.  It is a small but entertaining biography written by a woman who spent time narrating the Bl. John Paul the Great's activities for her newspaper Paris Match.

Like I said, it's small and almost lighthearted, so it is a fairly benign introduction to the world of Catholic biography and theological writing.


Anyone have suggestions on where to go from here?

7 Quick Takes

one

Everyone in our house: all bipeds, quadrupeds, and face-scooters are mostly back to full health.  I'm healed up quite nicely and my bruises are even starting to fade.  Hyperion is back to himself as well.  He has his last round of medications today.  Thank God! 

two

The week after we got home with Elijah in February, I went to my church's rectory to talk to the priest about having the baby baptized.  I found out that priests individually decide if they want to baptize adopted children when they come home or when the adoption is final.  Father decided he wanted to wait until everything was done and dusted.  I told him that would be in early August and he checked in with me every couple weeks for the next six months.  I was very happy when I got to call the rectory last week, I waited until after the cath, and tell him everything was ready.

I'm even happier to say, Elijah is going to be baptized into the Catholic Church on Sunday, September 23!

three

Tomorrow is shift change at work.  I am effected only a little. I stay on second shift but my weekends change to Tuesday/Wednesday.  Shift bid for next year is right around the corner and thanks to some retirements and relocations, I am a couple rungs farther up the seniority ladder than I was last year.  I will have a little more choice about what I shifts I pick and what weekends I take.  I'm looking forward to it!

four

Am I the only one who gets really excited thinking that in one week it will be September?  I'm almost giddy about it.  I'm feeling that way about all of the next four upcoming months.  It'll  be Elijah's first September, his first Halloween (I can't wait for that!!); his first Thanksgiving, and then Christmas.  Nathan keeps reminding me that he won't remember this Christmas, so I shouldn't go too crazy with presents.  That's going to be difficult.

five

It's no fun living far away from the other babies in your life.  My mom told me my 17 month old nephew has started trying to say 'Elijah.'  When my brother or sister-in-law says to him, "Brian, who's your cousin?" he says, "Eeiyah!"  Too cute.  Miss that little guy.

six

Does anyone have any sippy cup training pointers?  We have two kinds, one with a straw and one with two handles and the sippy nub-like-thing.  I gave him the straw one first and he seemed to do okay with it in the beginning, but then he started chewing on the bottom or using it to just chew on the straw.  The other kind he doesn't get at all, even when put it in his mouth and tip it up.  He just chews on the nub part.  Then he turns the cup upside down and gets himself thoroughly wet.

 seven

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Ignitum Today

My very good friend Bonnie, who is a wonderful writer and blogs over at Learningtobeanewlywed, also is a regular contributor to Ignitum Today a website which posts articles on religion, family life, political issues, and relationships written by and for young Catholics: the JP2 and B16 generations.  Recently, the editors at the website announced they were going to look for guest contributors and Bonnie mentioned me to the editors.  She wanted me to write about our adoption story.  And I did.  It was neat to be writing for someone else to publish again.  But, I will admit, especially now, I work much better when I have deadlines.

Click here to read my contribution.

God bless

God bless little James Fulton Engstrom and his family, my good friends.  James was stillborn, then brain damaged.  His healing, which is widely attributed to the intercession of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, is being submitted as the alleged miracle to the Congregation for Causes of the Saints for the beatification of the good archbishop.  

James is now a perfectly healthy happy 1 1/2 year old little boy.  Click here to read Bonnie's account of how everything happened.

God is great!

Advice

I love taking Elijah to Mass with me.  I think it's important for him to know this is something we do every week unless we have a very strong reason not to.  I also like watching everyone else smile at him as he smiles at them.

Usually we leave around 8:20 for 9 am Mass and I give him his morning bottle in the pew before Mass starts.  My problem is what to do when I want to go to confession.  Those days I usually just leave him at home with Nathan, but I hate that.

For other Catholic moms or dads who go to Mass on their own, how do you handle this situation?  Is it okay to take him into the confessional with me?

You are Dust

A few months ago, I happened to think about Lent and I felt a happy rise in my heart.  I noted it, because Lent is usually my least favorite liturgical season.  Every year, I dread the coming of Ash Wednesday and the dark weeks ahead full of self-evaluation and meatless Fridays.  But this year felt different.  This year I was looking forward to the opportunity to work on my flaws and faults.  I didn't know yet what my Lenten resolutions were going to be, but I was eagerly anticipating them.

Then, life changed.  And to be honest, I haven't really spared much thought for Lent or resolutions since.  But at the eleventh hour last night, I resolved to try harder to say my Rosary daily.  I also resolved to more happily embrace my so-far-least favorite part of parenting, when Elijah wakes up at 8:30 ready to go for the day.  I know, that's not so early for most people, but it is a struggle for me to respond to my son joyfully.

I also thought about resolving to eat more healthily.  But that is such a nebulous proposition that it seems silly to make it.  So for now, let's say I'll work harder on portion control and trying to force a few vegetables in a week.

This morning, after I gave Elijah his morning bottle, I got dressed, loaded him into the car and we drove two towns over to where we go to church.  As we were driving, I thought to myself, here we are, in Lent again.  And it was back, that happy joyful feeling.  Welcome to Lent.

It's kind of worn off since 9 am, but Elijah got his first cross of ashes today.  And yeah, we leave them on all day.

Ave Maria, gratia plena
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et benedictus fructus
Ventris tui Iesus

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.

Amen.

God is great.

Personality Television

I love YouTube.  I love the variety and the possibilities.  Lately I love watching clips from old game shows...most specifically What's My Line?.  I love how dressed up everyone used to get and how polite they are to each other.  I love the celebrity guest portions.  It's so funny to listen to the strange ways they come up with to disguise their voices (Elizabeth Taylor's voice change was hilarious.)  But I think this clip is probably my favorite, just because.




He was just great.

St. Nicholas Day

For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated St. Nicholas Day.  For everyone who doesn't understand, let me give you a brief summary.  St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, is the patron saint of children and his feast day is December 6.  So on the night of December 5, St. Nicholas visits the homes of those who believe in him and leaves small presents in stockings, usually with a little candy, too.  What child doesn't love candy?  I think this is mostly a German Catholic tradition.

I knew when I was little that when I got married and established my own family that this was something I wanted to carry on.  So, these days, Nathan and I have our own St. Nicholas celebrations.  This year, the Bishop brought Nathan a cable to connect my computer to the TV so that we can watch Netflix on the TV screen.  He brought me a space heater.  :)

Godmother in Training

My older brother's wife is going to have a baby. She's due in March and they have asked me to be the baby's Godmother. 

This is a very important role in the life of all Catholic families.  And, while my Godmother is my wonderful Aunt Clare, I have to say, I know very little about it.  What does a Godmother do?  I know that officially speaking their role is to assist in the spiritual upbrining of their Godchild(ren).  How does one go about this? 

I have to say, as touched and humbled as I am by this honor at this point, I feel little equiped for it.  I need guidence.

Do over...please?

I have failed at Lent this year...catastrophically.

Every Friday but two so far I have forgotten it was Lent and enjoyed something along the lines of a ham sandwich or pepperoni pizza.

As far as my Lenten resolutions go, to work harder on the book I'm finishing and the book I just started, moving and packing sort of took over.

I always planned to sit down and work on the book, but then I got home and stuff needed to be packed or unpacked or cleaned.

So, I respectfully request we all go back to Ash Wednesday and start all over. Maybe I should call Rome.