Our Lady's Lamp

You know what is almost worse than knowing what you want to do with your life? Waiting for God to open that door. I used to think not knowing was worse; I was wrong. When you don't know, you spend your time in discernment, looking deep into yourself, asking God to reveal your heart to yourself. When you know, first, there is the thrill of an answer, of a sense of purpose, of calling. But that soon gives way to the continual craning of your neck to see where the door is, and you start fidgeting in the here and now. And it is not helped by people continually asking where you are going with your life. For example: "Yes, I am working. No, it is not what I want to do long term."  "Oh? What do you want to do?" "Be a wife and mother."  "Oh! You would be great at that, do you have a guy yet?"  "No...." "Oh.... well, good things come to those who wait. Why don't you go do something while you wait. After all, you are never you...

Thanksgiving is past, and now, even the most conservative of vendors have decked their halls, doors, and bags with red, green, holly, snowmen, and Jolly Santas. Christmas songs will fill the air on radios, in stores, and in homes. We look forward now to Christmas. But before we get to Christmas, we must journey through Advent, that time of preparation, that time of anticipation. This is the pregnancy before the birth, the quiet before the storm, the shy courtship before the wedding. It is a time of self reflection, of introspection, of getting house, home, and soul ready for the coming of a Glorious Guest. In most households, this change in seasons means people will begin shopping in earnest (or begin shopping period), tickets will be booked, plans will be solidified, fudge will be made, advent wreaths, candles, Christmas lights, and toy soldiers will be laid out. And so, we will whittle away this beautiful season, replacing the peace it is meant to bring with the chaos of preparat...

Saturday of Holy Week is probably one of the most often looked over. We have the tragedy and mercy poured out on Good Friday, and we have the glory and power of Easter. But what about that day in between? What about that Saturday? I admit, the only reason I ever cared about Holy Saturday before was because it was the day my favorite mass of the year was on - the Easter Vigil, but even that is for Easter, not for Saturday. Saturday was a day of mourning, of waiting, of uncertainty. Jesus was God, right? Then why was He able to die? He said something about 3 days, but what did that mean? This was a time of shock and sorrow, pure and simple. God. Died. Yup. Shock and sorrow. But, there is another aspect that I think is important. And that is the understanding that while we have died to our old selves, we still wait for our resurrection. Our souls are made new, but we still have our earthly bodies, and, if we are honest, we will admit that we have a hard time keeping the old self i...