I Heart Conan

Since I don't feel much like writing my music paper, I decided my time is best spent compiling my favorite Conan pics....O! the boyish face! O! the flipped hair! O! the slender, girlish build! Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.








AND................................

JACKPOT!

NYC With Rabbi Jeff

So many of you sufferred yesterday. I am aware of this and can only express my utmost sympathy, for I hath leaveth Connecticut on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to pursue my long-held dream of becoming a Rockette.

Okay, anyway, my Youth Group went to Radio City to see the Rockette Christmas Spectacular, which was, I admit, spectacular. Fr Jeff showed up wearing a black fedora and a long black wool coat, and even though his white collar was clearly on display, it didn't prevent this one guy from thinking he was a rabbi. It was hilarious. This guy sees Fr Jeff and makes this look like he's seen the Almighty GOD and says, "HAPPY CHANNUKAH!" Fr Jeff returns the greeting. Apparently, there aren't many Jews in New Haven. Nope, not many.

Well, I thought it was funny. He did look like a Rabbi.

We went to St Patrick's Cathedral for Mass. I've never been there for Mass before. Rabbi Jeff served with the diva priest which was cool. I sat in the front. The Mass was nice, but I have to say I think regular Masses, especially weekday Masses, at Holy Trinity are nicer. I think we have wonderful, sincere priests, including the Rabbi (also, as many of you know, Fr Dairo is hot). Just their presence is warm, and I have to admit, I don't get that from many priests. I tend to judge a priest by his handling of the Eucharist. I think It's so sublime that most people, including priets, CAN'T totally understand it. But I have affection for priests who view each consecration as a separate, awesome gift - you can tell who they are because they have this look of awe and wonder on their faces. Each Mass is an individual celebration of God - you can never get it back. I think too many priests look at it as a kind of - bad word, but I can't think of another - performance. They just say the words and pass out the Eucharist like it's something else - nothing sacred or awesome. I must say I've never met a priest outside Holy Trinity that has the same auror about him when he handles the Eucharist, and of my three priests, none of them are like Fr. Dairo, though Rabbi Jeff and Fr Charlie are still wonderful.

Oh, also, we had about an hour to wander about the cathedral before the Mass. I spent some time in St. Mary's chapel, where the tabernacle is located. I loved the statue because she was looking down on the tabernacle smiling. I also loved the shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe. She's my favorite image of the Blessed Mother. She appeared to Juan Diego with child, ya know. She's also the intercessor of the unborn and the patron of those who are sick.

When I went to sit back down with my mom and my sister, we noticed someone walking to St. Mary's chapel.

my mother: Is that....is that....o my gosh!
me: it can't be! it can't be!
hollis: quiet!

later...

madre y yo: omG! IT'S [OUR PRINCIPAL]!

She didn't notice me, but she saw Carmen, Sam, and Stephanie cos they were on the other side of the cathedral. It was really funny. Amy was with her. I didn't know why.

St Pat's Cathedral is beautiful, but I still dont think it can compare with Holy Trinity. My church is absolutely breathtaking. It looks like a small cathedral, I think. It's beautiful, and so are the priests, the sisters, and the laity who make it beautiful.

I also noticed that the Rockettes all had the same legs. It was scandalous. UTTERLY SCANDALOUS. :-D muahhahahahhaha....everyone besides Bizzle, just nod and comment.

Also, I have the ostrich flu and now I'm heavily drugged. I inhaled too much New York.

A HOLLY, Jolly Christmas

I can't believe I almost forgot such delightful Random PC Holiday cheer:

CHRISTMAS IN HOLLIS

I think I enjoy this way too much. But I have an excuse. The sibling's name is Hollis.
yeah, I'm down with the King...foo...

Biblical Christmas Reflections on the Eucharist

from catholic.org...please read, or at least skim - I promise, this won't mean nothing.

For God so loved the world that He sent us His only Son (Jn 3:16)

This one line is perhaps the best description of Christmas recorded in Scripture. It fully explains the divine motivation behind the Incarnation of Christ, and is the origin of the spirit of giving which we experience as an essential part of Christmas. This spirit of giving is the key for understanding the immense Gift of God to us in the Eucharist.

It is love which compels one to give. The spirit of giving is an immediate and direct consequence, as well as an indication, manifestation and proof, of the love one bears for another. Moreover, this spirit is such that the greater our love, greater still is our desire to offer a gift which adequately expresses the magnitude of our love. We can only marvel at the fact that in sending His Son, God revealed a love for us which is infinite.

Our wonder is not merely a nostalgic yearning for an event given to a privileged group of people two thousand years ago. Because God’s desire to give flows from a love that transcends time, it can be satisfied only by a gift that lasts forever. Resplendently, the same divine love made visible on that silent night in Bethlehem continues to shine forth in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

When we come to the Blessed Sacrament we come to Bethlehem

“The Virgin shall be with child... they shall call Him Emmanuel.” (Mt 1:23) “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah... from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people.” (Mt 2:6)

Jesus chose the name Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God is with us’ and chose to be born in Bethlehem, a name which means ‘house of bread’ to let us know that in the Blessed Sacrament, the Living Bread come down from heaven, He continues to dwell with us here on earth. When we come to the Blessed Sacrament we come to Bethlehem.

Mary's Mission

“Mary set out, proceeding in haste into the hill country...” (Lk 1:39) “...the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit...” (Lk 1:41)

Babies are alive in their mother’s wombs from the moment of conception - fully human. Jesus was alive in the womb of Mary from the moment of her "Fiat" - fully human and fully divine. Today Jesus is alive in the ‘womb’ of the Church from each moment of Consecration - truly, bodily and personally Present and Alive in the Most Blessed Sacrament; with His Body, His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity.

Today Mary proceeds in haste, through the valleys and hills of our lives. As she brought Jesus to Elizabeth then, she wants to bring you to Jesus now, so that you too may be filled with the Holy Spirit, leap for joy and give praise. How often do you feel like leaping for joy?

This Christmas, Mary wants to find your heart open to accept the invitation of her Son: Come to Me in the Blessed Sacrament, be filled with the Holy Spirit, leap for joy and give praise!

St. Joseph's Mission (Random Leslie comment: DON'T FORGET JOSEPH!)

“...there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodged.” (Lk 2:7)
Just as there was no room for Jesus back then, there is often no room for him today.

The two biggest arguments against Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration are:

"We just don't have room for a chapel!" i.e. "There is no room for Jesus in the inn."

“The people of this parish are just too busy!” i.e. "There is no room for Jesus in our lives."

St. Joseph's mission remains eminently pertinent today. Christmas provides a good time to reflect on our priorities. Make room for Jesus by committing yourself to spend an hour with Him each week, or even each day. In this way you will "make ready the way of the Lord, and clear Him a straight path" (Lk 3:4).

Ask St. Joseph to help you prioritize, so that through your witness to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, "all mankind will see the salvation of God" (Lk 3:6).

Shepherds & Magi

God sent "tidings of great joy" (Lk 2:10) to the shepherds and astrologers of old. He did this both through messengers and through nature. God continues to send tidings of great joy in much the same way today. The message remains the same: "A Savior has been born to you" (Lk 2:11); He is the "King" (Mt 2:2).

The Incarnation of the Son of God, as a Babe in Bethlehem and as the Living Bread in the Eucharist, defies all human reason. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said the shepherds and the magi represent the two kinds of people humble enough to find their way to Jesus; those who are simple enough as to know they know nothing and those who are wise enough to know they do not know everything. Scripture records the accounts of these privileged witnesses as an example for us to follow.

They got the message and set out to confirm it. “We observed His star at its rising...” (Mt 2:2) “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see...” (Lk 2:15)

They went without delay and saw. “They went in haste and...” (Lk 2:16) “found the child with Mary...” (Mt 2:11)

They understood, adored and proclaimed. "they understood what had been told them...” (Lk 2:17) “prostrated themselves and did Him homage.” (Mt 2:11) “ ...returned, glorifying and praising God...” (Lk 2:20)

Today, as of old, one must humble and also vigilant, i.e., awake like the shepherds and alert like the wisemen, in order to perceive the tidings of great joy: God became Man for love of us and remains with us forever in the Blessed Sacrament because He loves us too much to leave us.

Go in haste, like the shepherds, even if you have to travel far, like the magi; to see Jesus, to understand His love, to adore Him and to proclaim the Good News of His Real Presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament - the continuation of His Incarnation here on earth!

Mary's Treasure (Random Leslie comment: Jesus Christ is Mary's treasure - He's her Son! He is our treasure.)

“Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” (Lk 2:19)

What great joy and privilege were given to the shepherds and magi! Heeding the invitation to give honor, glory and praise to the newborn King they forever occupy a treasured place in Mary's heart.

When you heed the invitation to give honor, glory and praise to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through a holy hour of adoration, you take the place of the shepherds and magi in Bethlehem. Mary holds you in her Heart, treasuring and reflecting upon the love you give her Son, and the graces He lavishes upon you.

Mary's great desire is to keep you forever in her Immaculate Heart, guiding you day-by-day to her Son in the Blessed Sacrament, in anticipation of and preparation for the 'wedding feast of the Lamb', union with Jesus in heaven for all eternity.

Celebrating the birth of Santa

Christmas actually does have meaning...

"On this day the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph, caring for his foster-Son, help round out the scene.

But if we were to select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after, and yet compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search for a mystery.

On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed, “un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between skepticism and wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the shepherds, let us treasure that discovery in our hearts."

from BeliefNet's Patron Saint of the Day

I hope you all had a meaningful CHRISTmas.

*Sniffle*

I broke my great-grandmother's rosary beads. It was a very traumatic experience for me, thank you for the support.

My mom gave them to me, and she got them from her Nonni Adeline. Thus, when I die, Ima gonna getta asmack acrossa da face.




(Captain: Ima is a friend of mine so you don't need to make some jackhole comment about premeditated abuse of an innocent....so please make things easier for yourself and not comment for once....)

Turn to Mary

I just finished writing the introduction for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I put a lot of research and thought into this, so I hope you get something out of it:

“So your strength is failing you? Why don't you tell your mother about it? . . . Mother! Call her with a loud voice. She is listening to you; she sees you in danger, perhaps, and she—your holy mother Mary—offers you, along with the grace of her Son, the refuge of her arms, the tenderness of her embrace . . . and you will find yourself with added strength for the new battle.” A new saint, St. Josemaria Escriva, offers each one of us so much hope in our Blessed Mother, Mary. Today, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, in which Mary, from the first moment her heart beat, was exempt from the stain of original sin in preparation for the coming of God Incarnate. So pure and holy is our Mother Mary that we can turn to her in full confidence whenever we feel “[our] strength…failing [us].” As we likewise try to purify ourselves for Christmas, we can invoke her faithful intercession with the Lord Jesus Christ to remove us of our sins and our burdens. Her exclusion from original sin never released her from the sorrows and struggles of life. She knows us better than we think and by no frivolity do her countless titles include “Comforter of the Afflicted,” “Our Lady of Sorrows,” “My Body’s Healing,” “My Soul’s Saving,” and “Cause of Our Joy.” Mary needed God in order to be holy and she needed Him to be redeemed and saved, like any of us, despite her special status. As we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of this Blessed Woman and as we continue the sometimes sorrowful path of life, may we never cease to see Mary as a fountain of graces that we too can obtain from God. Now, may we unite to Hail Mary, full of grace, and to worship her Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

THIS is Pro-Life

Here are the intercessions I just spent the past hour writing for Thursday's Immaculate Conception Liturgy, sponsored by my beloved Pro-Life Club. Just in case you don't know, the Immaculate Conception is God's choosing Mary to be the Mother of Jesus and commemorates her conception without original sin so that Christ may be born among an unadulterated faith, purity...I ramble...Mary's amazing...non-Catholics miss out! ;-)

Here are the intercessions for the Prayer of the Faithful...what do you think? (THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PRO-LIFE!)

The response will be: Lord of Life, Hear Us

For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and all leaders of the Church:
That through their proclamation of The Gospel of Life
they may be given the grace to inspire the world.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For all members of our country:
That God may make them strong and effective defenders
of the poor, the unborn, and the forgotten.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For all of God’s children, each one of us:
That we may recognize that it only took one faith – that of the Holy Virgin Mary – to bring Christ into this world, and that we may see in ourselves the light of God at work.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For all the world as we journey through Advent:
That we cherish each other as the Child Jesus is cherished
and that we open our hears to the revelation of God and His love.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For all expectant parents, with special care for those who are young or afraid:
That God’s grace foster their love for the child in the womb,
that God sends them supportive relatives, consoling friends, and safe refuge.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For our armed forces, who defend freedom, peace, and life:
That they may be strengthened by God’s greatest commandment and sacrifice, that they may bring all war to an end, and that they may be brought home safely to consoling arms.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For all who are alone or afraid,
That they may find peace and joy in the Advent of Christ.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For those we have been taught to hate – the criminal on death row, the abortionist, the terrorist, the atheist, the anti-Christian:
That God teaches us to love them without condition, and that justice founded in Christ can reunite and redeem us.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

For each and every one of us:
That we experience the wonder of life.
-Lord of Life, Hear Us

Deep Thoughts

I was thinking...

I bet the Oreck guy would make a really good grandpa.

Black Belt & Blues

I got banned from two of my signature moves for slamming a few of the chicken kidlets in the face. Okay, fine. By a "few" I mean "twelve."

This saddens me.

I'm going to tell you why. Of all the different areas in martial arts, sparring is not my forte because I am stuck in a class of lower ranks who are half my already short size. This means I can't hurt them on purpose. And because they're shrimpier than Pee-Wee Herman, they really don't put up much of a fight so I KINDLY let them punch me in the solar plexus (it has come to a point where I have to ASK them to do so...). See? I'm nice.

But I also don't think it's beneficial for the student if (s)he has to fight a black belt who isn't doing anything. So every now and then I throw them one of my signature moves (okay, just the fact that after 13 years I FINALLY have not just one but three signature moves is the only remotely cool thing about me):

1) Roundhouse (Tollyo Ahp Cha Ki) - I've been told this kick was made for me :)
2) Spinning sidekick (Toe Ra Yup Cha Ki) - it's usually really sloppy and sometimes comes out as a back kick, but w/ev, heck it inflicts pain


AND....my FAVORITEST...

3) Spinning backfist (Kap Kwan)- I actually injured a 40 year old man with this...*drums fingers and cackles*....

Well, I was fighting this one kidlet, basically doing nothing, so I pull a SLOW - I'll say it again....erm...well, okay, truthfully, I MEANT for it to be a slow spinning backfist but I ended up creaming the kidlet right in the nose.

(Oh, and btw, I was distraught)

(then I got over it)

Then FINALLY when the black belts get to fight other black belts, this apprentice black belt who loves me begged me to fight him instead. I couldn't say no because...I felt bad...

Plus, he thinks I'm a hot piece of meat. He's 12. He thinks I'm 13. I have yet to tell him the truth...HEY, there ARE benefits to acting your IQ and not your age...

So my pre-pubescent love interest and I begin our fight...he's actually very good at sparring so it's a good match. The only deal is that I actually clobbered him in the face with a spinning side kick.

Then I got yelled at...again.

BANNED from both my spinning moves. Crud. YA KNOW WHAT? I get punched in the right eye multiple times every class; I spar half blind but you don't see ME whining...grrrr rrrrrrrr

I ended up owing over 100 pushups by the end of the night. At the end of the class, the instructor said he wanted to talk to the parents of all the kidlets who got injured...couldn't imagine why....crud, again.

So in the course of learning his 7-year-old son was deprived of some blood that evening, the first chicken kidlet's dad is staring at me...I wasn't wearing my glasses so I couldn't see his face but I knew it wasn't happy.

"I'M SORRY! IT WAS ME! I'M SORRY! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I WAS TRYING TO GO EASY AND IT BACKFIRED!"

And then the instructor jokes, "Oh, yeah, I didn't want to tell you who it was but here you go."

And then I get accosted for being a really hard instructor - apparently I push the Little Ninjas too far...NO I DON'T. I push the 5 and olders way too far (after I earned the nickname "Boot Camp Betty" for some reason I haven't been asked to run class again...WIMPS.) (and the chicken kidlet's little bro loves me...the previous class he drew me a picture...*sniffle*...)

Ugh...so now this means I have to work harder at sparring and start practicing other strategies...flippin' kidlets.