Formation Retreat

Our annual formation retreat was last weekend.  It was, without a doubt, one of the best retreats I have ever experienced.  The retreat leader was Fr. Kenan Peters, C.P.
I took more notes than usual and would like to give you some highlights.  This was the first talk on Saturday morning.  It was very Ignatian, though he did not identify it as such.

• God is "I AM"; not I was, not I will be.  He is a God of the present and is outside of time as we understand time.
• God is in each moments of our lives, good and bad; therefore no event is all bad as this would imply that God is not present and he is - always.
• Prayer cancels out worry and worry cancels out prayer.
• Fr. Kenan said if God came to him and asked him what gift he would like from God, it would be the gift of absolute trust.  
• If we had that trust, we would not worry.
• Be present in each moment and then let it go, moving on to the next.

Saturday afternoon Fr. Kenan spoke about the Beatitudes, specifically "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."  It is the only one which speaks of what you will have now, not is the future.  So what does it mean to be poor in spirit?

• poverty of spirit means we are totally dependent on God
• we have no identity outside of Christ
• we have an authentic Christian attitude toward life
• this poverty of spirit draws us to Christ
• Gods needs our humility and helplessness

Father also pointed out all gifts and powers given to us by God are to be put in service to others.

Saturday evening he spoke about the ongoing passion of Jesus Christ which takes place in the Body of Christ, using Colossians 1:24 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking* in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church."

• The Body of Christ is each one of us
• Christ's passion is the passion of all humanity
• we all wind up on the cross with Jesus, taking our place there with total helplessness
• in life, Jesus' passion is lived out with each of us taking turns with the lead role
• hope is rooted in the cross

There is much to think and pray about and I continue to ponder what was said and how relevant it felt to my life right now.  It was also refreshing to hear a speaker so full of the Spirit.  Father was pretty amazing in that most of the talks were given almost totally from memory, including long quotes from others.  He had some notes, but hardly used them yet his talks were clear, concise, and insightful.  It also very nice to hear him speak of his own life and spiritual journey without it being all about him.  

If you ever have a chance to participate in a mission or retreat given by Fr. Kenan Peters you will be nourished in your spiritual life.

7 Quick Takes

More Quick Takes, go read them after you read mine!

This week I have been praying a novena, asking for the intercession of St. Ignatius.  His feast day is July 31 and I will end on that day.  To that end, I have been, as Ignatius tells us, trying to find God in all things.
1.  A gift from Loyola Press, this free eBbook:  Just call me Lopez, Getting to the Heart of Ignatius Loyola by Margaret Silf.

2.  Yesterday I was thinking about getting back to a group I meet with on a regular basis but was feeling sorry for myself and hoping someone would reach out to me instead of me reaching out.  I had an email waiting for me.

3.  We went to Atlanta to visit our son.  He actually had time off in the middle of the week we spent the day together.  He had heard of this place that made great pizza so we went there for lunch.  The pizza was delicious, made in a wood burning oven with fresh toppings.  The place itself was nothing too exciting, we ate at picnic tables, using paper napkins for plates with Italian music in the background, smelling the pizzas in the oven.  The best part of course - we were all together!  The name of the place is Antico, but don't go on a Sunday, e chiuso (closed).

4.  Beautiful song by Mercy Me, very profound.  (Thanks Ron)
















5.  We have had a challenging few months since my husband had a car accident.  He is getting better but still not able to do everything he normally takes care, especially yard work.  We are blessed to have friends who are willing to help us.

6.  I had an appointment with a retina specialist last week.  I am still searching for God in this as he told me I have the beginnings of a hole in my macula.  It has to be watched very carefully and I need to look at the Amsler grid every day to make sure there are no changes in my vision.  I go back in a month for another round of dilation, pictures, and flashing lights.  There isn't anything to do about it according to traditional medicine, but I am  praying and working on natural alternatives. We'll see what happens or not see, depending.  Okay, bad joke, but if I get a hole I will lose all but my peripheral vision in my left eye

7.  This picture makes me happy and reminds me God is in my marriage.

St. Ignatius Novena

July 31 is the feast day of St. Ignatius Loyola, one of my favorite saints.  I am planning ahead and have a novena picked out to pray beginning on July 23 to end on his feast day.  I have found two different prayers.


1.  (to be said both morning and night for nine days)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father (three times).

(The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus or the Litany of the Blessed Virgin may be added.)

V. Pray for us, O Holy Father, Saint Ignatius.
R. That we may be made worthy of the Promises of Christ.
Let us pray:O God, who, for the increase of the greater glory of Thy Holy Name, hast been pleased by Blessed Ignatius to strengthen the Church militant with new help, grant that, aided by his prayers during our warfare on earth, we may so imitate his virtues as to be happily crowned with him in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Let us pray:  O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, who, imparting to the bodies of the sick Thy gracious blessing, dost guard Thy creature by Thy manifold tenderness, graciously assist us to invoke Thy Holy Name, that, by the intercession of Thy Confessor, Saint Ignatius, Thy servants, freed from sickness and blessed with health, may be raised up by Thy right hand, strengthened by Thy help, guarded by Thy protection, and restored to Thy Holy Church with every blessing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This is from Saint Robert Bellarmine blog.

2.  

Holy Father Ignatius,  through the centuries millions must have known the influence of your inspiration. Our world today needs to find your secret of finding God everywhere, of putting Him first in our intention and endeavor, of desiring nothing but what He wants, of yearning for nothing but His love and grace. Teach us the freedom that comes from committing ourselves to God’s designs for a world laden with creative beauty yet marred by our violent ways. You knew that Christ was your companion at every step of life. You joined him in his ongoing work for the salvation of us all. Help us to find courage in his presence, to feel that he works with and in us. May God, through the power of your prayer give us peace and joy and grant us our most intimate requests in this Novena if they be for His greater glory and our greater good. Amen.


I prefer the second, so that's what I will do.  My intentions will be for my family and for clear direction in my life.

7 Quick Takes

1.  We are having our office painted and new carpets put in as well.  It is needed.  So, we have to pack up our offices.  I am embarrassed that I have the most boxes and am the newest person in the office.  In my defense,  have heaps (lots) of books, many inherited, some quite large, all  most necessary, and multiples of some.  There were no memos though from 1986 in my office as I found in another office I packed.  Actually I tossed/recycled most of the stuff from the other office.

2.  Cleaning out the unoccupied office has made me stop and think about what I buy and save.  I suppose now it really is easier to keep things electronically so there is less paper accumulation.  In my line of work though, it is the endless prayer cards, bookmarks, rosaries, medals, and pictures that people give you so they don't have to throw them away.  "Give it the children" they say.  How many times can you give a rosary as a prize?

 3.  I saw the most wonderful pink car on the way to work Wednesday.  If I were to ever to come into some extra money, I'd consider a pink car.  I really would. Dreams!


4.  A bird died in our driveway last night.  According to my husband it had been there for day or so looking pathetic.  Last night he gave it some water, a few hours later it was dead.  It is behind the back tire of our daughter's car and she believes it is her father's responsibility to remove it; he's not convinced.  I am hoping nature takes over and it's gone when we get home later today.


5.  A few new (to me websites)  Busted Halo; Waking up Catholic; At Home with our Faith

6.  A project for the New Evangelization is going on at New Evangelizers-Know you Faith, Live your Faith, Share your Faith.  Yours truly will be writing posts twice a month of a catechetical nature.  My first post will be up  on Monday about The Year of Faith.

7.  Off for some fun now with my daughter.

For more Quick Takes, go visit Conversion Diary!

Culture Adjustment

Our daughter has returned from a year in Australia.  She has picked up some new vocabulary and speech patterns.  A brief dictionary: (American - Australian)
bathroom-toilet
university-uni
lots-heaps
bench-counter
excuse me-pardon
sweatshirt-jumper
Her accent is still the same, but sometimes she sounds different, putting inflections where we don't.

The other odd thing is she doesn't say "God bless you" when a person sneezes anymore.  We have to remind her.  Apparently they say nothing in Australia when you sneeze.
She'd rather have prawns than shrimp, but still not a fan of fish.  Her vegetable consumption now includes pumpkin, occasionally.  I suppose we can try it when it's in season.
Driving is still a bit awkward, since in Australia they drive on the left.

Not to mention the adjustment to living with us again after five years of not living with us.

Change, the only constant in life.

Book Review: Staying Faithful Today-To God, Ourselves, One Another

In seven brief, easy to read chapters, Fr. Alfred McBride, tells us how and why to be faithful in a culture that values fulfillment far more than faithfulness.  First and foremost, we must love as Jesus, as he is the "absolute icon of what :staying faithful" really means."  We are reminded that God is always faithful to us and we must be faithful to ourselves, friends, communities, and our marriages.  The last chapter discusses priests and faithfulness to the vocation they have chosen.
 This is the first book of Fr. McBride's that I have read and his catechetical experience comes through with this clearly and concisely written book.  He weaves in scriptures, personal stories, and saints to make his points and then ties each chapter up with a conclusion, personal application and group discussion questions. 
This book would be great for a book group.  College students to senior citizens would enjoy it.  This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Staying Faithful Today - To God, Ourselves, One Another. This is also a great Catholic gift store for all your seasonal shopping needs, such as Christian wedding gifts and Catholic Garden Gifts.

Style, Sex and Substance Book Review

Many of the women who contributed to this book edited by Hallie  Lord are bloggers I follow on a regular basis.  I looked forward to reading more of what they had to say about each topic, knowing that a chapter would be much longer than a blog post and so provide for information. 

Each chapter’s author spoke to a specific topic of interest to women, even if not Catholic.  Style, God, sex, friendship, marriage, motherhood and more are all covered with wit interspersed with advice and faith.  As I read it, I felt like I was having coffee at the mall with a friend. 

The overriding sense was one of ten women with the similar struggles as the rest of us and while they may have found some answers at this time, the expectation is that they will continuing to search and grow as life went on and provided new challenges. 

Karen Edmisten in the chapter titled God and Godiva quotes St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, “I even believe that the deeper one in drawn into God, the more one must go out of oneself; that is, one must go to the world in order to carry the divine life into it.” And then reminds us that the ways to conquer the temptations of the world are “grace and prayer, the sacraments, accountability, spiritual support from others, and an ongoing discernment to keep our relationship with God flourishing.”  Throughout the book, we are reminded to turn to him and  his Church, no matter what.

The last chapter, Plugging In and Embracing Discipleship in the Twenty-First Century by Barbara R. Nicolosi reminded me that we have much work to do in our culture.  We cannot simply remove ourselves from the world and expect to know what people respond to and need.  We must engage the culture,

All women, Catholic or not, can learn from this book.  

I wrote this review of Style, Sex and Substance for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods

Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Eggplant Tomato Bake

I failed to take a picture, but stay with me for this taste sensation.

1 eggplant, peeled, sliced and lightly pan fried
2 or 3 tomatoes, depending on the size, sliced
4 thin slices red onion, separated into rings
pesto
Parmesan cheese, grated

8" square baking dish

Layer as follows:  eggplant, red onion, tomatoes, pesto, cheese; repeat.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly and serve. serves 2 with enough left for lunch for 1.

Understanding, Surrender

Each time I attend Mass I pray the "Dedication to Jesus" prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola.  It is just to the left of this post.
Last week on July 4 I prayed it again as usual at communion time.  All of a sudden I was knocked over with the realization that what I have been asking God to do, he has done.  At least part of it has happened.  I no longer have any understanding.  I actually say "I don't understand" that so frequently in regard to life right now that I have begun to annoy myself.   I have running list of things I do not understand, many of them in regard to life situations that are difficult right now.  These situations involve both my own family and people I love.  I often feel so powerless to help, only able to say, "I will pray for you" because often there is nothing I can do change the problem or even make it easier.
The other part of the prayer which struck me is "I surrender it all to be guided by your will."  I have yet to surrender.  I do not know if I am able to surrender.  If I am not in control, that world may stop spinning correctly.  How does one surrender?  In my soul, I know I must surrender it all so that I can move forward. But still I sit, waiting to surrender.
Part of it is the realization that surrendering is a choice and to say yes to surrender I must say no to other things.  Those other things give me immediate comfort and so it is hard to say no.  My logical brain knows that over time it will get easier and become natural but the first step is always the hardest.  And frankly, I feel stuck in cement.

7 Quick Takes

So, I am all jumbled in my head this week with many thoughts, worries, prayers, and plans.  So instead of my brain meanderings, inspired by song link ups, here and some new music I downloaded, I present you 7 of my favorite songs.

1.  Just You and I , Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gayle.  Our wedding song for our first dance; and last dance while waiters with sparklers moved around us in a circle.  Oh yes, mortifying, totally.  It was the 80's, what can I say?

2.  The Wedding Song, Peter, Paul and Mary.  This was sung at our Nuptial Mass.  Don't judge, again, it was the 80's.

3. Sometimes by Step, Rich Mullins.  Just listen, he is awesome.

4.  Holiness, Sonicflood.  A prayer for sure, set to music.

5.  I just added this to my iPod.  So powerful.  I am thinking of using this as our theme song for the Year of Faith.

6.  For Diane.

7.  America, Neil Diamond.  From the Jazz Singer, one of my favorite movies.  Appropriate for the week of July 4th.

Happy Friday!  Have a great weekend!  Read more quick takes at Conversion Diary.

Let faith arise Chris Tomlin Live

Zucchini Pancakes

If you have an overabundance of zucchini from your garden or a neighbor's, make these.  If you have to buy the zucchini from the store, make these.

4 zucchini, shredded (I use a food processor)

a small onion, shredded

2 - 3 cloves garlic, into the food processor

grated Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup

4 eggs, beaten

1/4 or more flour

pepper

Mix together all ingredients except flour in a large bowl

Add flour, which helps soak up some of the liquid made by the zucchini.  (you may need to add more as the batter sits, but it should be fairly loose, not the sort of batter you need to scrape off the spoon, but it just drops off.

Heat a large nonstick pan, use Pam or a tiny bit of olive oil in the pan to coat.

When hot, drop batter by large spoonfuls into the pan.  Cook until brown and then flip, cook again.  Try not to eat them as you remove them from the pan.  Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen.  If you want less, use less zucchini and eggs.  I find 1 egg per1 zucchini usually works.