A few days ago, I read a blog entry, or a comment about somebody sending a friend oreo cookies and a prayer book of some sort because their friend was becoming a dominican nun. The most memorable sentence was "good things come in black and white". I wish I had saved it. Oh well...
Speaking of quotations, I got quoted in Times Against Humanity's "Point Blank" segment! I'm very pleased. Thank you to the author of that blog.
I don't know how to say this, other than to say that I am truly worried.
I live with my parents because it's close to my college campus. Recently, the house bill went from $1200 to $1600 dollars a month. Things were tight, but we thought we'd get through them...and we thought we had. We sent in a check for the money they asked.
Unfortunately, mom and dad's bank sucks. They had the money to back the check, but the bank did not pay up. The check bounced. It boggles me as to why they stay with this bank as this same bank did something similar with paying off my college debts, and kept me out of college for an entire year while we tried to make reparation on an increasing debt.
So, the check bounced. Now, they want $3,200 dollars instead of $1,600. We're really not sure how we can possibly pay it, and as I'm typing this, I'm hearing the word 'loan' passed around, but I don't think we'll get one. In other words, unless a miracle happens, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be homeless.
I'm not asking anybody for anything except prayers. I believe so much in prayer, and I just have to trust in God to get us through this. Whatever He wills for us is good. I don't want to be homeless. So, pray.
St. Michael, Archangel
Defend us in the battle
protect us from Satan
Have you ever noticed that Catholics who have issues with confession are usually the ones who need it the most? There's this girl in my computer science class who apparently has fallen away from the Church. God has decided it was a good idea for me to meet her for whatever reason. She's a nice girl, but I get the feeling like she's doing things which cause her to need the sacrament of confession. I asked her why she had left, and that it wasn't too late to come back, but said she had some 'issues' with the Catholic Church, The sacrament of reconciliation being one of them. She said we'd talk about it later. So, I guess I should prepare to answer her questions on it. Please, keep this girl and her boyfriend, who is apparently also a fallen away Catholic in your prayers. Also, any help you can give me to research on the sacrament would be greatly appreciated.
I found and wrote down this recipe awhile back. I only remember that the flank steak was to be grilled. This is the marinade recipe for it. I guess you're supposed to marinate it overnight and turn it over once during the process.
It looks pretty spicy.
2½ lb flank steak
2 red onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red-pepper flakes
Alright, maybe Erik could help me out. How hot do you think the grill should be? I think medium low sounds about right. Take the marinated steaks out and put them on the grill. Cook to your preference. I always like my beef medium rare, so, maybe 3 minutes on each side? I dunno. Somebody experiment with this and tell me what you come up with.
Fr. Rex Arnold wants some colorful linens for the altar, and a backdrop to cover the door. Both of them are to match the liturgical seasons. So, purple, red, white, green, pink, and black. Just kidding. No black or pink. We're usually not around during those times, I don't think. And I don't think Fr. Rex will wear black any time soon.
So, we're discussing how to get this done. I personally would like something that isn't a felt iron on of weat and grapes. We need people who can sew. I found THIS at Domestic-Church.com. It sounds like a fairly good idea, but I don't think we'll use those patterns, especially the "Trinity Triangle". What's up with that? That looks masonic.
Anyway, I'd like something that's going to last us, and looks like it belongs on an altar where the greatest of sacrifices is offered. We're going to get a new center someday that is going to look really nice. We should have altar settings which look good and that will last.
So, if any of you have suggestions, pass them on to me, and I'll pass them on to Carl or Fr. Rex.
Last night was the UCO Catholic Student Center's Mass and dinner with the archbishop. Overall, things went well. I wish I had taken one last look around the altar before starting mass, because Carl forgot to put the lavabo where it belonged. That was a small mess. My friend Graham looked excellent in his cassock and surplice. He borrowed it from his parish. I hope we get some vestments for the altar boys in the future. I do miss serving, but Carl hardly lets me do anything anymore, and puts in people who really can't do what they're assigned, and in most cases only do it because they're pushed into it.
This is especially true when it comes to the readings. I know we're supposed to involve people in the mass, but I wonder why we can have an assigned altar boy, and not an assigned lector. I won't mention any names, but one lector totally mispronounced "Ecclesiastes". I think it was something like "Ex-clee-ates" and then at the bishop's mass, well...I'll just try to be charitable and say the lector for the night gave a good effort. When I was 8, I had a 12th grade reading level. When I read, people always comment on how I have a gift for narration. Yet, apparently, we have to have college students read who can't even read at the level they're supposed to.
I know I'm going to get it from Carl about this post if he finds it. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike him. He gives a good effort and tries his best to bring the gospel to the Catholic students on campus, but I seriously feel like he's trying to cut me out of things that involve the Center more and more. I have done nothing but try and give everything I have to the success of the center.
I think a lot of it has to do with last year and my being the cantor. I tried to lean more traditional with the music, and complained every time he picked a marty Haugen tune. He NEVER let me pick the music. I'm sorry, I'm not a tape player. If I'm going to be the cantor, I should be allowed to pick the music for the mass. I understand the duties of being cantor. I know that I need to pick music that applies to the readings as best as possible. He only picked it twice, but seriously, the man picks crap for music. and we had to use Haugen's mass of creation too. I wanted to do the chant, but no, latin's a disease and it must be excised from the mass at all costs. Oh, and he never let me chant the psalm in a cappella, even though I could, and it sounded fantastic. But we can't have anything without the FREAKING GUITAR! I don't know what he's trying to do. If he's trying to bring Steubenville to UCO, it's just not going to work. The church isn't supposed to try and be 'hip', it's supposed to be timeless. And frankly, not all of us are charismatics.
Honestly, in almost all cases, I'd defend Carl to the death. I think what he's doing for the students at UCO is God's work. I just wish he'd at least let me be an altar server again.
Alright, I'm being selfish. The mass isn't about me. I just have to keep telling myself that. This post wasn't even supposed to be about all this at all. But, I need to put my feelings somewhere, and my blog is the place to do it.
Pray for the UCO Catholic Student Center. Pray for Carl. Pray for Fr. Rex Arnold. Pray for the Students. Pray for me.
