Ok so aside from proving myself to be ancient with this Red Hot Chilli Peppers quote - the title of this note is about this blog ( http://www.40daygiveaway.com/) and what this cool guy from this band (http://www.point5covenant.com/)is doing for lent. Would you be strong enough?
By the way, how are the lenten promises coming?
hat tip to marcel for posting this coolness http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/
http://ragincajuncatholics.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Can we give ourselves up for Lent?
As someone who works for the Church I gave an extra flinch as this blog post by the recently widowed Amy Wellborn kicked me in the gut this morning. Do you work for the Church? Are you exceptionally active in ministry? In the Student Center? Do you consider yourself a Churchy person? Do you feel entitled because you have recently experienced pain or grief, worked too much and gotten paid too little, been cut down or brought down by your community? This Lent has been especially painful for many in our community in many many ways. No doubt in this 3rd week of Lent we have all fallen with the weight of our cross on our backs. How do we proceed, picking up our cross once again and carrying it with courage and surrender to the hill of death? With humility. With prayer. With Christ.
Read the article and let me know what you think.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Jesus Week- What did you think? and Are Catholics Born Again?
Well 'Jesus Week', the time when we unite with our other Christian friends on campus to pray and praise our common Lord, is over. I'd like to know what you think.
All week we've heard Mr. Curt Harlow speak, answer questions and inspire us to ask the deeper questions in life and I found personally that I was pretty impressed with his speaking, his humor and his heart. I do hope with my whole heart that many who go about their daily lives avoiding the 'big questions' took a minute to stop and ask them this week.
Tonight we joined together in common at the Bayou Bijou to sing and listen to Curt one more time before we closed out the week. His stories were funny and his message was inspiring. At the end he spoke about the necessity of being 'born again' and then called all those who had never accepted Jesus into their hearts to do so if they felt compelled and to come up to the front and pray with their respective ministries.
I stood alone and was not surprised or upset because of that. I was pleasantly surprised that none of you came to pray with me for two reasons. First because I know all of you and I know you have as young adults all personally made that decision to follow Christ with your whole lives. I was also happy because it showed me that you are all well formed.
It may have been an awkward moment for you if you were were there and I am sorry if you felt out of place. Hopefully you were still able to appreciate the community with our brothers and sisters in Christ and get something positive from Curt's message.
That being said I feel like this is a good moment for some Catechesis and discussion about the subject. What do we believe about this Altar Call? Do Catholics believe we need to be 'born again?'
You may be surprised that the answer is yes, but not in the same way that our protestant friends believe. We believe that we are born again, of water and the spirit in the moment of our Baptism, whenever that may have taken place. Another aspect of this call to accept Jesus in this moment stems from a belief that once you are 'saved' you are always saved. If you were at Newman Night this week you know that we also believe that we need to be saved but considering all the ways that Jesus speaks of salvation in Scripture we can say with certainty that we 'have been saved', we are being saved, and we have great hope and even certainty that we will be saved.
(If you want to read the reasons in greater length this is a great source.)
Now, THAT being said, we certainly believe that accepting Christ into our lives is a great thing and a lifelong duty of the Christian. We believe that we have to confess our sins and we do in a powerful and sacramental way and we believe that praying with friends and our Priests and Campus Ministers (only the cool ones) is a wonderful thing.
What I'm saying is, the reason we don't do that is not because at face value we disagree with committing our lives to Jesus, or confessing our sins, or praying but that the practice, history and theology behind the act is one of the things that we don't see eye to eye on.
I noticed that Curt spoke alot about 'really' being fed, about the power of serving, about the power of a meal that really satisfies (in bread no less) and about really touching Jesus. I also noticed many of you smiling when he mentioned all of those things.
What a gift we have in the Eucharist! Thank Jesus tomorrow in Mass when you DO approach the altar and literally receive him into your life and body.
http://ragincajuncatholics.blogspot.org
All week we've heard Mr. Curt Harlow speak, answer questions and inspire us to ask the deeper questions in life and I found personally that I was pretty impressed with his speaking, his humor and his heart. I do hope with my whole heart that many who go about their daily lives avoiding the 'big questions' took a minute to stop and ask them this week.
Tonight we joined together in common at the Bayou Bijou to sing and listen to Curt one more time before we closed out the week. His stories were funny and his message was inspiring. At the end he spoke about the necessity of being 'born again' and then called all those who had never accepted Jesus into their hearts to do so if they felt compelled and to come up to the front and pray with their respective ministries.
I stood alone and was not surprised or upset because of that. I was pleasantly surprised that none of you came to pray with me for two reasons. First because I know all of you and I know you have as young adults all personally made that decision to follow Christ with your whole lives. I was also happy because it showed me that you are all well formed.
It may have been an awkward moment for you if you were were there and I am sorry if you felt out of place. Hopefully you were still able to appreciate the community with our brothers and sisters in Christ and get something positive from Curt's message.
That being said I feel like this is a good moment for some Catechesis and discussion about the subject. What do we believe about this Altar Call? Do Catholics believe we need to be 'born again?'
You may be surprised that the answer is yes, but not in the same way that our protestant friends believe. We believe that we are born again, of water and the spirit in the moment of our Baptism, whenever that may have taken place. Another aspect of this call to accept Jesus in this moment stems from a belief that once you are 'saved' you are always saved. If you were at Newman Night this week you know that we also believe that we need to be saved but considering all the ways that Jesus speaks of salvation in Scripture we can say with certainty that we 'have been saved', we are being saved, and we have great hope and even certainty that we will be saved.
(If you want to read the reasons in greater length this is a great source.)
Now, THAT being said, we certainly believe that accepting Christ into our lives is a great thing and a lifelong duty of the Christian. We believe that we have to confess our sins and we do in a powerful and sacramental way and we believe that praying with friends and our Priests and Campus Ministers (only the cool ones) is a wonderful thing.
What I'm saying is, the reason we don't do that is not because at face value we disagree with committing our lives to Jesus, or confessing our sins, or praying but that the practice, history and theology behind the act is one of the things that we don't see eye to eye on.
I noticed that Curt spoke alot about 'really' being fed, about the power of serving, about the power of a meal that really satisfies (in bread no less) and about really touching Jesus. I also noticed many of you smiling when he mentioned all of those things.
What a gift we have in the Eucharist! Thank Jesus tomorrow in Mass when you DO approach the altar and literally receive him into your life and body.
http://ragincajuncatholics.blogspot.org
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A different approach to evangelization? Do we dare?
My thoughts on Saint Paul vs. Michael Venyah and the refreshing presence of Curt Harlow- speaker for Jesus Week have got me thinking of new ways for us to share the Catholic faith with our campus. Although we might have to put a slightly different spin on things perhaps we can take a cue from our new Aggie Catholic friends. What thinks ye?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Hellfire Preacher on UL's Campus. What do you think?
This man was out on our campus 'preaching' this week and he definitely got some interesting responses. People came out in droves to protest and to listen to him. He made many students very upset and nearly got his face punched in more than once. His presence has definitely sparked alot of conversation and reflection on spreading the gospel to our fellow Ragin Cajuns.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says:
Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
So what is the difference between St. Paul and Michael Venyah?
I have some thoughts on the matter but I'm interested to know what the rest of you thought....please share.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
To the Seniors at Wisdom...
When I was a Senior at UL (a million moons ago) I remember going through something very distinct- something I would learn a little about as I then left Louisiana for 'higher' goals.......the feeling of detachment. It's hard you know, to come to a University, to get comfortable, to make friends and to find that home away from home - and then it seems in such a short time..you've got 21, 18, 12 hours left and Graduation is around the corner. What do you do with that home you've made and the new family you've found?
I found that emotionally I started to detach long before graduation. Luckily physically I stayed put for the most part and tried to savor every last minute of certain community that I could. I'm saying all this because lately I've been praying for and reflecting alot on you-the Seniors (and some Juniors) at Wisdom. I've been watching closely and noticed something a little troubling to me- you've all been vanishing. Oh, I know graduation and even upper level classes require alot of time and attention. Maybe you've just got the 'socializing' out of your system. Maybe not.
I've heard some say that they feel Wisdom doesnt feed them anymore. They want something deeper, something to challenge them. I've read survey responses, clearly from older students saying these things and more-some nice, some hard to hear and I've prayed with them and I've wracked my brain and I've asked some of you individually and I've ended up here.
It's not about numbers for me, though I know sometimes ministry and evangelization can become that. I really could care less if we have 'the most popular thing on campus' or not. True Christianity won't ever be the most popular thing on campus. As C.S. Lewis once said "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." And it's true, if we arent wildly unpopular in some sense then we're doing something wrong. We all know that those seeking faith are the most authentically human...unfortunately the rest of the campus hasn't figured that out yet. I'm praying that they do and I'll pass out flyers and chalk sidewalks and plan conferences until they all come home, if thats what it takes.
No, I don't have a naturally 'evangelistic' spirit in me. What I have is a strong, driven (call it motherly) need to care for those that have been entrusted to me...I.E. You. You especially, as older students are of concern to me because you are about to get spit into the 'real world' and that is a memory that is still somewhat fresh in my mind.
I've watched a good majority of my friends (love you if you're reading this) lose their faith and their moral compass in that 'real world' and I've done the same myself on more than one occasion. The only reason I'm 'still standing' is solely by the grace of God and by clinging to every 'Church' job, community, opportunity that I've found since I said goodbye to Wisdom in 2002.
It is a reality and if it's not my job to ensure that you have ALL of the tools you need to be able to stay in, form and find good Catholic communities to grow in faith with- then I don't know what is.
I'll be honest with you, you need formation in the faith, you need friends to pray with, you need to give your time to those younger and less formed than yourself and you need the grace of God.
So, now that I've told you what you need...why don't you do the same.
What do you need? What is it that you need from Wisdom? How can I get you involved again? What can I do better?
Feel free to be honest. I can take it :) I love all of you and I'm looking forward to your responses.
http://ragincajuncatholics.blogspot.com
I found that emotionally I started to detach long before graduation. Luckily physically I stayed put for the most part and tried to savor every last minute of certain community that I could. I'm saying all this because lately I've been praying for and reflecting alot on you-the Seniors (and some Juniors) at Wisdom. I've been watching closely and noticed something a little troubling to me- you've all been vanishing. Oh, I know graduation and even upper level classes require alot of time and attention. Maybe you've just got the 'socializing' out of your system. Maybe not.
I've heard some say that they feel Wisdom doesnt feed them anymore. They want something deeper, something to challenge them. I've read survey responses, clearly from older students saying these things and more-some nice, some hard to hear and I've prayed with them and I've wracked my brain and I've asked some of you individually and I've ended up here.
It's not about numbers for me, though I know sometimes ministry and evangelization can become that. I really could care less if we have 'the most popular thing on campus' or not. True Christianity won't ever be the most popular thing on campus. As C.S. Lewis once said "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." And it's true, if we arent wildly unpopular in some sense then we're doing something wrong. We all know that those seeking faith are the most authentically human...unfortunately the rest of the campus hasn't figured that out yet. I'm praying that they do and I'll pass out flyers and chalk sidewalks and plan conferences until they all come home, if thats what it takes.
No, I don't have a naturally 'evangelistic' spirit in me. What I have is a strong, driven (call it motherly) need to care for those that have been entrusted to me...I.E. You. You especially, as older students are of concern to me because you are about to get spit into the 'real world' and that is a memory that is still somewhat fresh in my mind.
I've watched a good majority of my friends (love you if you're reading this) lose their faith and their moral compass in that 'real world' and I've done the same myself on more than one occasion. The only reason I'm 'still standing' is solely by the grace of God and by clinging to every 'Church' job, community, opportunity that I've found since I said goodbye to Wisdom in 2002.
It is a reality and if it's not my job to ensure that you have ALL of the tools you need to be able to stay in, form and find good Catholic communities to grow in faith with- then I don't know what is.
I'll be honest with you, you need formation in the faith, you need friends to pray with, you need to give your time to those younger and less formed than yourself and you need the grace of God.
So, now that I've told you what you need...why don't you do the same.
What do you need? What is it that you need from Wisdom? How can I get you involved again? What can I do better?
Feel free to be honest. I can take it :) I love all of you and I'm looking forward to your responses.
http://ragincajuncatholics.blogspot.com
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Uprising against the CONDOMnation
This Friday on Campus an organization called Women Organizing Women will be hosting there annual Valentine Condom Event. Yes, the day before Valentines day, known as a day of excessive passion and love (and perhaps careless love-making) 'goodie' bags will be handed out by this group containing chocolates, valentine cards and among other things- Condoms. This organization has been fighting for 5 or so years now to have permission to hand out condoms on campus and they are slowly getting their way. This year they will have some opposition.
The Catholic Student Organization will also be out on campus this Friday handing out Abstinence information, flowers, and among other things- the Truth. I have asked (and am asking) any and everyone who feels compelled to help us with this effort to contact me. I want everyones help of course but I have a special job for the guys. I'm asking all of our men to dress in their best suit, or shirt and tie and to simply go out on campus giving out our information, a flower, a sticker with the message "I'm worth waiting for" and an invitation to a community where the truth of 'saving sex' is upheld and strived for. As a woman, I can't think of a better witness to a life of Abstinence than a nice, intelligent, clean cut man who wants nothing more than a woman of God who's willing to wait.
We wont be out there to start a fight, which is why I didnt reserve a table next to W.O.W. on Rex Street. I did however get permission for us to be everywhere (and I do mean everywhere) on campus- handing out flyers and flowers and an invitation to our next Bible Study- All day.
Our Bible Study on February 18th will be about the dignity of Sexuality...a look through the Scriptures at the Theology of the Body.
Why are we doing this you might ask? You might have heard the 'statistics' about condoms so many times that you are starting to buy into the lie. Any sincere study of the facts however shows that Condoms are not 100% effective in 'preventing' pregnancy and therefore lead to MORE unwanted pregnancies and more abortions. Condoms are not effective in protecting from the vast majority of STD's that we know exist, certainly not HPV which can cause cervical cancer and infertility (why do you think the push for this horrible vaccine has been so popular?- because the rubbers aint doin the trick thats why). They are 'effective' alot of the time WHEN they are used correctly - which as you can imagine in a nervous moment isn't -most- of the time.
But here is the final and overwhelming truth of why we want to stand up against this front and something you can share with those who will no doubt begin to toss pamphlets of numbers about 'safe sex' at you:
Even if Condoms were 100% effective 100% of the time - The Church would still not condone their use. Why? because the truth is the meaning of your body is greater than that. You are 'Wonderfully Made' as the Psalmist tell us- and that means the marital act which is a beautiful and fruitful image of communion and an earthly reflection of the trinitarian God is not meant to be treated like a disposable event. You are worth more than a night of frivolous activity and a false promise. You are not an animal and we do not believe we have to give you contraception because "you will do it anyway". You are a child of God standing on 2000 years of tradition and truth with a 'great cloud of winesses' cheering you on.
So stand up for what you know is true- even if you've faltered in the past- and help us to share the dignity of their bodies with the rest of the campus.
aelemoine@gmail.com - contact me if you want to help in any way.
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