Apr 19, 2013

It's Almost Time

My Aspirancy is almost over. Tomorrow morning I will be officially accepted into the OCDS to begin working towards making my first promise. It's exciting and scary all at once.

May will mark two years since my first contact with the OCDS. It doesn't feel like its been that long, but it has. And I've learned so much about the Order, about God and about myself. I have not always lived up to my calling as a secular. Sometimes I am my own worst obstacle when in comes to prayer times and religious observance. But, I try.

There is so much more that I still need to learn about the Church and God. How do you condense 2000 years worth of learning into a lifetime or in my case a 1/2 a lifetime? It's a little overwhelming.

Anyways - please pray for me as I make this next step.

Apr 2, 2013

Love In A New Way

Holy week is my favorite time of year, especially the Triduum. It's the one time of year when there are tons of religious activities going on. Because I work I'm not able to make it to most of the activities, but I try to go to as many as I can. And at the end of it all is the Triduum, when mass is held in the evenings at a reasonable time, that I can go to.

This year I didn't go to any Triduum services because Thursday afternoon I became ill. I spent then entire weekend in bed, except for the hour on Easter morning when I drug myself to the entirely too early Latin Mass. I would have preferred to go to Mass later in the day, but with how packed the churches are on Easter Sunday, I decided that I would infect less people if I went to the sparcely attended Latin Mass.

I took a seat as far away from the other 50 or so people in the Cathedral and didn't go to communion. The Latin Mass was as foreign as ever, but since I have been practicing my Latin prayers there were a few recognizable words.

Before I knew it, Lent and Easter were over and I felt so cheated out of the wonder and beauty that is the Triduum. I should be joyous that even though I missed the suffering and misery, I was there to witness the resurrection. To have Jesus with us, once again, to spread the glorious news of God. Instead, I'm feeling like Thomas who focused on what was lost and couldn't see what was gained.

So throughout this Easter season I am going in search of the beauty of Christ's return; walk with him as he reveals himself to his followers; look at the world with new eyes; think wiht a new mind; and love in a new way.