Dear Papa

Today I saw Pope Benedict XVI!

He was offering Mass in St. Peter's for people involved in the New Evangelization, which is this movement to bring back Catholicism to places that have been Catholic but are loosing the Faith. Through some connecitons, I and some fellow students were able to go to the Mass and get seats toward the front, right on the edge of hte aisle. Since we were on the edge of the aisle, we saw Pope Benedict when he processed to the alter for Mass, only an arm's reach away.

I had spent yesterday afternoon writing a letter to Papa, and as he went by, I was able to give it to one of his guards. So the guard will give him my letter, if he has not already given it to him!

From my seat, I could see the entire Mass and see the Pope concecrate the host and wine. After the Mass, the Pope processed back down the aisle, and for the trillionth of a second, he looked at me.

Afterwards we went into the Piazza and prayed the Angelus with the Pope, and the Pope spoke short messages in different languages. The message in english was about the necessity of fulfilling our duties.

I wish there is more I could say, but beyond the bare facts of the event, nothing can be expressed with mere words.

Papa, we love you and pray for you with all our hearts!

This Is Not My Country

Rome is a life-changing place to be. I say that because I am here, now, in Rome; every sophomore of TMC goes to Rome for a semester, and I am here in the Fall Semester. I don't have much time to blog, which is kind of obvious considering how rarely I post anymore, but I thought I would take a few minutes to share something of my experince in Rome so far.

Rome is not my country, but it is my home. It is at times very difficult to be here: I am not a city person at all, and while riding the sweaty busses amidst the chaos of voices in languages I cannot understand and the honking of passing ambulences (there is an odd abundance of honking abulences in Rome), I miss the forested hiddeness of my beloved New Hampshire.

But that is only a fleeting sensation. What stays with me is the fact that I am surrounded by churches of unserpassable beauty, and that God is always so near. St. Peter's is always only a short trip away, and the Tiber curves gracefully through all my trampings. The cobblestone streets meander through the delightful neighborhood of trastevere, where one is always popping into piazzas. Culture and history imbue every stone, and the wine is fantastic. It is sometimes too tremendous to wrap my mind around, and that makes it all the better.

I thank God for this opportunity. I hope to post some more later on about my upcoming adventures in and out of Rome.

Man and Woman

A few months ago I was talking to one of the Senior guys at TMC. The conversation came to be about boyhood and manhood. He said that he thought that manhood was about Gentle Strength. He said he thought that Jesus' Crowning with Thorns was an example of this~ Jesus possessing the power of God, yet allowing Himself be treated like scum. His strength was not so shallow that it exploded constantly from Him, like a tyrant. And He was not so weak that He could not have defended Himself.

I suggested that maybe womanhood is about Strong Gentleness. Mary, for example, is incredibly strong, the way she handles all that she must suffer. But her strength is never without gentleness. She is never pushy, never demanding of people. But neither is her gentleness, which defines her as being feminine, without strength. Consider her conversation with Christ, when she spoke with gentleness fortified with strength.

Man and Woman: Each is beautiful; each is powerful; neither can survive without the other.

Golden and Green

All golden and green
were the secret pond's pebbles,
glittering in sacred glory.
And we all ran down
where the rocks rose up,
splashed in divine white foam.
Our dirty feet
were surrounded by foam,
our eyes drinking in the light
as it sparkled untempered
on the secret pond's pebbles
all golden and green, golden and green.

Free stretched the sky
in unending blue,
unlimited by lazy clouds.
And the air was filled
with a sweet fresh roar:
the water pounded, dancing down
in a thunderous, delicate fall.
Years of forever here are captured
in rushing, unbroken waters.

Fight for Premicy

So I was thinking while enjoying the first few days of summer vacation~ philosophers, particularly ones like Seneca, say a lot about thought ruling emotion. And if you talk to just aobut any TMC student on the topic, they will say that yes, reason is supposed to rule over reason. And it makes sense, but WHY?
I mean, why is the ideal not to have emotions rule thought? And it occured to me while cleaming up campus for the seniors' graduation tomorrow afternoon that it is because the universal is supposed to rule over the particular.
This pattern of universal over particular is everywhere that is orderly. Consider the universe. The universal laws of nature and motion rule, and each particular case follows those rules, though with some exceptions. Or in art, ther are universal prinicples, and each peice of true and real art follows those principles, with some exceptions. That is why whenever we want to learn something, we start by observation of the immediate particulars which we sense. But we always move on to the universal principle, so that we can apply our knowledge about what we sense even to things which we have not sensed.
Thought and emotion follow in this pattern in that by thought we perceive and come to understand the universal principles. Emotions, on the other hand, are what make us alive in a particularly human way to each particular situation.
So thoughts, well reasoned thought, ought to be the guiding principle. By thought we understand a situation, analyze it, classify it and so discover how to handle it according to the modes of acting appropriate to the categoryunder which it falls.
Emotions are much more particular to the situation and personality of each person. They fluxuate with the slightest of details, so they do not have the same semi-reliable reliability that thought has. Emotions, rather, make us acutely aware and alive to what is going on around us in each particular situation, but they cannot guide us to the ruling universal principle as thought can.
So that, at least, is my theory as to Why it is better, in the fight for primacy, for thought to win over emotion.

Twixt Lowly Earth and Fiery Sky

Twixt lowly earth and fiery sky
runs the winding coarse of man.
From east to west the sun doth ride
over the shifting, changing land.

All the fires that burn to ash
and all the hills that falll to rubble
upon the decaying, drying earth,
all the trees that rot to stubble~

Death is all their end entails.
Death is all that comes of earth.
Not so for man, not so:
For him the Creator suffered birth.

Twixt lowly earth and fiery sky
till all was conquered and set right
ran the bounding coarse of Christ
that all the earth may be alight.

Changeless as the turning stars,
God's own love more changeless still
bides unto eternity,
each man's lonely heart to fill.

Drinking Song

To much wine, I think, my dear
is wrong, you know, is wrong.
But just a little more for cheer
cannot be wrong, oh no!
You'll forgive me, I'm sure, my dear.
I drink, you know, to you.
I drink to all who have no fear
on all their escapades;
To those with loves ones near
and those so far away;
To those who hope to steer
mankind to his right end.
So I pour once more, my dear
into my little cup.
And I drink to German bear,
that holds our wild minds sane;
To all that remains so pure
despite man's devilish work;
To all that is, and my dear,
to what never shall be.
And now at last, I am here,
having trecked the long way
From the pub to you, my dear,
along reeling wild roads
Under a spinning moon~ "Here
I am, my spotless bride,
I've made it back to thee. Hear
my shout, for here I stay.
So open the door, my dear."

'I Do Not Know' Includes Hope For Happiness

Right now I have no idea when I will see either of my two best friends again. But it came to my mind while I was taking a test in Ancient Greek class a few minutes ago that not knowing includes hope for happiness. Suppose I did know that I would not see either of them until Christmas 2011. Then I would know exactly how many days lay between now and happiness. And I would begin the slowly treading countdown and be one of the most miserable students at TMC. But since I do not know, I am forced to take each minute one at a time and simply hope.
This is rather the same thing with Heaven. We haven't the slightest idea when we shall see our God. We have no idea when we shall pass through death which will free us into needing hope no longer.
Suppose we knew when our deaths would be- then our hope would not have the same eternal quality about it. It would be limited by time, i.e.: "I hope that by the day I die, 54 1/2 days from now, I shall be purged of all sin." But instead our hope is not confined within the set number of days we have yet to live. Our hope is light that shines upwards beyond the confines of time and gravity into the depths of eternity.

Photos of Thomas More College, NH

About a week ago I stepped outside and saw this-a land freshly sparkling in new snow. So I took pictures of the loveliness. Here are those pictures along with a poem I wrote about snow for 'Ardhoniel' a few weeks ago and some pictures of the inside of the chapel.

Snow lay softly and gleamed

in the light of the awakening sun~

light, like silken threads it seemed

as it shimmered though the trees

and past their dark silhouettes.

All was still; not a breeze

altered the hush: snow lay softly.

Snow clung to the pines. And the red oaks still haven't given up all their leaves.

These are some of the longest icicles, hanging from the roof of the girls' dorm. They are over 6 feet long.

Lanterns light the path from the girls' dorm.

Coming to the end of the path, this is the delivery truck inching over the ice rink known as the parking lot. And a senior walks by, adding some 'human interest' to these photos.

He's going over to the library where all our classes are held. With a school no more than 85 students, only three classrooms are needed, and they fit comfortably into one building. This building also holds an extensive library which wraps around the walls of the classrooms and sits in semi-organized stacks in the basement. These is also a computer room which brags of 6 computers and an art studio. One of the classrooms has a wooden floor, for which reason it is called the ballroom. By clearing out or rearranging the tables and chairs, it becomes a dance floor for formal dances, ballet lessons, an open area for fencing, and a makeshift theater for plays.

Overhead, the sun shines weakly through the clouds.

When you first step into the chapel (which used to be a barn, back when this land was a farm), this is what you see.

The tabernacle.

The crucifix on the alter

One of the station of the cross.

An illustrated book with the mass readings.

Ode to Silence

What is that I hear~ running through the rushes?
...over the water and along the wind~
......what is that I hear? Hush now,
Lest you disturb the creature with your gushes
...of long and noisy speech. How will we find
......this unearthly thing? Hush n ow
And hear how the coldness of its step clutches
...at the brains of those who are not refined
......by hearing it pass. Hush now:
You begin to feel how it softly touches
...the listener; when it leaves, you have pined
......to breathe it once more. Hush now,
And listen~ How its magic sings and hushes!

A Post for Jenee

This is a little post dedicated to Jenee.

The real beauty of a human person

is something we cannot see at first.
It is not a firework.




The real beauty of a human person
IS LIKE A BURIED TREASURE.

It is like a pearl deep inside its clam,
leagues beneath the surface
of the sea.






The real beauty of a human person...

is

not stagnant but growing. It is like an acorn, or like the tiny seeds
WHICH BECOME WILDFLOWERS.

The human person is truly beautiful because he is a reflection of the Creator.

On the Christmas Epistle Reading

At Midnight Christmas Mass a passage from Titus was read (Titus 2:11-14). I found it interesting because of its mirror-like structure.

The grace of God our Savior has appeared to all man, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works. These things speak, and exhort, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

"God our Savior" mirrors "Christ Jesus our Lord." Like bookends, these two phrases state and echo the connection between God and man. These phrases communicate an essential aspect of the Judao-Christian God who, unlike the deities of other religions, has a deep love for His creation. He is not just 'God' or 'Jesus Christ'. He is 'our Savior' and 'our Lord'. God's deep love is shown in His dedication to His creation, which is shown most in the life Jesus (and the birth of Jesus is a most important moment in that life) and which is also shown in the heart of this passage.

"instructing us" mirrors "these things speak, and exhort." What Jesus has told us, we are to tell others. The Good News was fist preached to the Jews, but it is not supposed to stop there. So St. Paul tells Titus what he has learned, that Titus might tell others, and then what st. Paul wrote may edify us to communicate to still more people. Like all good things, the Good News is open and growing.

"denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world" mirrors "all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works". The first speaks of us actively leading virtuous lives. The second speaks of us being made clean, that is, passively receiving what is being done to us. The first is in the context of obeying what Christ has instructed us and in hope of His second coming. The second is in the context of being redeemed. As the second one explains, Jesus has cleaned us of our sins that we may be acceptable to Him by pursuing good works. The first exhorts us to live up to our redemption: to do what Christ has given us the grace to do. For this purpose Christ came to earth and was born amongst us.

"looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory" mirrors "who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us". Here it is as if we are living amongst mirrors. For we are to look forward to the future, but the means by which we look to the future is nothing else than the past.

"God and our Savior Jesus Christ" calls us back to the beginning and end of this passage. And as God is the center of all the Universe, so His name lies at the center of this passage. In these few words we find a small echo of the incarnation. For first God revealed Himself as a single being, 'God' or 'Yahweh'. Then the Prophets proclaimed to the Jews the coming of a Savior. Next, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to have a son and name Him Jesus. Finally, Jesus' followers recognized that He was the promised one, that He was the Christ.

This passage is like concentric circles. In the heart of this passage we find God. Next outside of that we find the mission of Christ's life accomplished and our own lives in the context of His redemption. Then outside of that we see the essence of Jesus' mission and how we are to live according to all that He has done for us, actively leading lives in accord with all He has done for us. Then outside of that we discover that as Christ has taught us, so we are to teach others. The Passion does not stop with the Jews or with the first converts but extends to all peoples of all countries and all ages. And finally we find again the name of God.

We see in the first instance of God's name that 'Savior' is connected with 'God'. In the second instance, 'Lord' is connected with 'Christ Jesus'. This shows a melding of two views of God. He is not just our eternal ruler and Lord, nor is He just a Savior who turned up once long ago. Rather, both roles are of the same Almighty Creator.


Although this passage doesn't seem very appropriate for Christmas, it in fact leads us deeply into the heart of what Christmas means.

Surrounded by the name of God which reveals who He is, this passage leads us from
the proclamation of the Good News (as the angels sang to the shepherds)
to the essence of why Christ was born on Christmas day- to redeem us that we may live virtuously and reach heaven to be with Him.
We see Christmas in the context of the entire plan for the redemption of mankind.
From there this passage leads us to Calvary where Christ gave Himself to redeem us; and because of our redemption, we live in the hope of our redeemer's promised return.
Now we see our lives and those of all mankind in the context of our redemption.
And at the heart we again find the name of God,
as it gradually reveals more and more of who He is.

Things You Learn in College that Are Not on the Syllabus

1. Seeing a person every single second of every day does not mean they are your friend.
2. When a girl gets something drastically different done to her hair, it usually means she just broke up with her boyfriend, or something emotionally traumatic like that.
3. When a friend who is a guy punches your arm and smiles it means he's thinking about and hoping you're ok, you but he doesn't have time to talk.
4. When a girl punches a guy playfully, he might take it more seriously than she meant it to be.
5. When a girl punches a guy hard, he had better listen because she has something really serious to say and the friendship just might be over.
6. Funny accent aside, people from Wisconsin are awesome!
7. When you're sad and someone sits down and is willing to listen to you, then you know you have a friend.
8. People who always have the earbuds of their iPods in their ears tend to be odd.
9. Never over-plan your day because ridiculous things that you could never expect will always happen and throw you off schedule.
10. When a professor laughs at a student's silly remark in class, that means he has good ears and a sense of humor. It doesn't mean he'll be a easy person to please when it's time to write an essay for his class.

Hope you enjoy these. Got to go catch up on 5 bazillion pounds of homework. Bye.

Christ, Abraham, and Malchizedek: A Parallel

For Theology Class I have to read chapters 1-28 of Genesis by tomorrow (so I should be reading, not posting, actually, but anyway...). In chapter 14, verses 11-20 I found this very interesting parallel.

So basically there's all these kings (I skimmed that part with all their long unpronouncable names) and some sort of war, and kings charging through lands full of bituman pits (?). And these kings come charging through Sodom and Gomorah, plundering and looting as they go. Abraham finds out and gathers up his army of a big whopping 318 and goes and rescues the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorah since his relatives- Lot and his family- live there.

After the dust clears, the king of Sodom, Abraham, and the King of Salem meet in the Valley of Shaveh. And the King of Salem is Melchizedek, the priest who offers bread and wine.

The parallel I found was that Melchizedeck and Abraham are both Christ like figures. As you probably know, Sodom and Gomorah were not the most clean and righteous of cities. But Abraham goes and rescues all the inhabitants, not just his family. That's how Christ is. He spoke especially among the Jews, but salvation is not limited to them. No, it is extended to all people, even the most sinful and wretched.

And then we have the prefigurement of the Eucharist. Malchikedek offers the sacrafice of bread and wine even with the king of perverse Sodom right there. Judas was present at the last supper, and Jesus does not confine the sacrament of the Eucharist to only a select perfect few.

And just the other day I found out that there is significance in the number 72 when Jesus sends out 72 disciples to preach. At that time it was thought that there were 72 nations, indicating that Jesus is not confining His good news to just one nation, the Jews. No, Christs wants, through His disciples, all people to come to know Him. Christ came to save all mankind.

'Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshipd him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of hte Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."'

A FABULOUS 24 HOURS

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY OF LAST WEEK WERE SO FABULOUS! SO LAST NIGHT MANY TMC STUDENTS INCLUDING MYSELF WENT TO THE BOSTON AQUARIUM BECAUSE LAST NIGHT WAS THE ANNUAL FREE COLLEGE STUDENT NIGHT. I SAW ALL THESE REALLY COOL FISH! I WAS SAD ABOUT SOME SAD THINGS HAPPENING IN MY LIFE AT HTE MOMENT, AND LOOKING AT ALL THOSE AMAZING FISH I FELT LIKE JOB, WHO I JUST READ ABOUT FOR THEOLOGY CLASS. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A FISH; WHO AM I TO QUESTION THE WAYS OF GOD?

THEN WE DECIDED TO WALK TO THIS COFFEE PLACE SINCE IT WAS A COLD RAINING NIGHT. GREAT! EXCEPT THAT THE SHOP SUGGESTED TURNED OUT TO BE ALMOST ALL THE WAY ONT HE OTHER SIDE OF BOSTON, SO WE HAD QUITE A WALK THROUGH RAINY NIGHT STREETS. BUT IT WAS FUN IN THE TOTAL RANDOMNESS SPONTINAITY OF IT ALL. IT WAS ANNOYING, I GUESS, ALL THAT WALKING, BUT I WAS DETIRMINED TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT.

AFTER GOING TO THE CAFE, WHERE I ORDERED GELATO ICE CREAM, WE WERE STANDING OUTSIDE AND THIS STREET MUSCICIAN CAME UP AND ASKED IF HE COULD PLAY FOR US. WE ALL PITCHED IN SOME MONEY AND I DECIDED TO PIPE UP AND ASK FOR A REALLY PRETTY ROMANTIC PEICE OF MUSIC THAT WAS A LITTLE SAD. SO HE PLAYED SEVERAL TUNES, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THEM, SORRY. BUT THEY WERE LOVELY, AND THE WAY THE MUSIC ECHOED AGAINST THE BUILDING ON ON SIDE OF HIM AND WAS LOST INTO THE NIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HIM WAS QUITE FASCINATING.

THEN TODAY WAS THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY. I'M IN THE CHOIR AT TMC, AND FOR THE FEAST DAY THE CHOIR SANG THE AVE MARIS STELLA AND THE GREGORIAN CHANT AVE MARIA. IT WAS WONDERFULLY BEAUTIFUL BEINGA BLE TO SING. I PASSIONATELY LVOE MUSIC, AND IT'S ALL THE BETTER WHEN YOU CAN BE APRT OF IT, BECAUSE- HAVE YOU NITICED- MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED REALLY WELL IS ALIVE? HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT- THAT GOOD MUSIC IS ALIVE? AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY PART OF THE MUSIC, PART OF YOUR OWN SOUL IS GOING INTO MAKING THAT SOUND BEAUTIFUL, AND IN ITS BEAUTY IS GROWS AND IS ALIVE.

THEN AFTER MASS I HAD NATURAL HISTORY, IN WHICH WE ARE LEARNING DIFFERENT TYPES OF TREES AND BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND. TODAY OUR TEACHER TOOK US ON A FIELD TRIP TO THE 'GREAT MEADOW NATURAL RESCOURCE'. IT'S A LOVELY PLACE. HE SHOWED US DIFFERENT TREES AND PLANTS, AND THEN GAVE US AN ASSIGNMENT AND WE WERE FREE TO EXPLORE FOR AN HOUR. THIS PHOTO IS VERY LIKE WHAT WE FOUND:

WELL, IT'S BEEN FABULOUS, I MUST SAY. KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS, AND I AM PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU.

p.s. If you click on the pictures you can see them enitrely. None of the photoes except the religious painting were small enough to fit completely in the space Blogger gives, but if you click on them you can see the complete photo. Also click on the drawing below of Cardinal Newman that was drawn by my Dad!

Gallery II ~ My Dad

IN THIS SECOND GALLERY POST, I WOULD LIKE TO SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON MY DAD, IN HONOR OF HIS BIRTHDAY TO DAY (AND NAME SAINT FEAST DAY LAST THURSDAY, AS I RECALL)...

The drawing above is of Blessed Cardinal Newman, recently beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. It was done with charcoal from a photograph of Cardinal Newman.

Below is an oil painting of St. Bernadette. Dad worked on it for years. My mom and my brothers and I would come down to Dad's studio in the basement after he had spent all night awake painting and study the painting. Sometimes it was hard to tell what he had worked on all night, but other times it quite caught our breath away. my brothers and I refer to this painting as 'Dad's masterpeice'.




My dad has gone and still goes to several art clubs where artists will get together to paint a model. This is one his best from those sessions.

And here is the link to Dad's blog where you can find photoes of some more of his work: http://http://runartist.wordpress.com/

Feel free to comment on my Dad's blog!

Curious Observation

It has rained everyday this past week, almost non-stop. The only days it did not rain were Wednesday and Saturday. Wednesday was particularly sunny.
Wednesday was the feast of the Archangels, Sts. Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel. (St. Raphael is fantastic, by the way.)
Saturday was the feast of Guardian Angels.