The Best Gift You Can Give

The other day, I found this beautiful drawing on the Twittersphere, titled "The Pyramid of Intimacy." Behold, in all of its beauty:

Follow @jackiefrancois on Twitter (she's a great Catholic musician)

There's lots to love about it, from JP II looking awesome in the bottom right speaking truth (I love how the drawing captures his humility), to the scripture references in the top left. But what caught my eye was the phrase "love begins here" scribbled in red, with an arrow pointing to the bottom of the pyramid - to Friendship. Love between two people shouldn't begin when they get engaged, or when they start dating. It should begin in friendship - in their initial relationality with each other. This pyramid should exist only as something that two married people can look back on and say "hey, that's neat," and never as something looked at merely from the outset of meeting someone. As Cartoon Pope says, "let every man look first upon woman as "sister" then as possible bride." But why?

Woke Up in America: A Mini Exegesis

It's a little known fact (ie. a hugely known fact) that I am a big fan of Matt Maher. I love what the guy does - his Catholicity really shines through a lot of his music; it's beautiful. But it's also a little known fact (ie. a hugely known fact) that there's actually one Matt Maher song I don't like: Woke Up in America. I even tweeted about it as part of my friends' posting lyrics for a "Matt-Maher-is-performing-in-Vancouver" countdown.

Why I Cry

***I recently realized that comments have been disabled in this blog since I started it. I've enabled them now.***

As I've grown in my Catholic faith over the years, I've discovered that I cry more. One of the youth leaders at my parish pokes fun at me for it, especially when I tear up while listening to "In Christ Alone," and I always have to frantically explain the whole thing. So first of all, let's be clear: I'm not saying that crying is one of those prerequisite results of growing in faith, and no, I'm definitely not saying that being a Catholic makes you a pansy (on the contrary, being a Catholic makes you a badass).

Case in point.

What I am trying to say is that as I've grown as a Catholic, I've learned more about what I truly yearn for, and what I am ultimately made for.

Why do we cry, emotionally? I find it to be a peculiar reaction to certain situations. When most people think of crying, they think of it as the response to something sad - the death of a loved one, a missed opportunity, the break-up of a long-term relationship. But what's interesting is that we not only cry when we are extremely sad, but also when we are extremely happy. Yes, on one level, we say that we cry because we are overtaken by our emotions and we just have to "let it out." But to what are these emotions pointing us? I think it is in those extremely sad and happy times that we realize and remember that we were made for Something More. We were made for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. We were made for God.

Some Darn Good Love Poetry

The latin word "Fiat" translates to "let it be done," and it is most commonly referred to (in Catholic circles) Mother Mary's whole-hearted acceptance when the angel Gabriel told her she was going to give birth to Christ. Mary gave her whole life to God. She knew that something so momentous - being the first tabernacle - was going to require her to completely submit to the Will of God. Do we do the same?

Most people want to find "the one" and get married. Most people go through ups and downs in the dating process until they find their beloved. But when things don't go right, I wonder how many of us tell God that whatever He wants is what we want. I wonder how often we tell God that even though unrequited love is breaking our heart, He can - in a sense - break our heart too. That if heartache is His will, then we want it as well.

My friend Joseph, who also blogs, wrote this amazing poem about how essential God is in our romantic relationships. Here's an excerpt:

"To Him, and you, I earnestly pray
'I want what He wants, for your joy complete,
With His plan for you, I will not compete.

He has spoken to my heart in His Holy Word,
He is first, you are second, and I am third."

Seriously, it's beautiful stuff (as is all of Joseph's poetry). It speaks Truth. Go read - nay, go pray - the rest of the poem, and follow his blog.

http://diligere.tumblr.com/post/29113189879/fiat

My Thoughts On 'The New Normal'

Have you seen the trailer for one of NBC's upcoming shows? Voila (and take care not to facepalm too much. You have a nice face):

Obviously, I am a practicing Roman Catholic. I'm assuming that most of the readers of this blog are also practicing their faith and don't mind reading my thoughts on the faith. As a Catholic (and I'm hoping I speak for all practicing Catholics), I believe that there are sacrifices we make for our love for God, and that we need to live a Christ-like life above and beyond what society thinks is "good" or "cool", or - my personal favourite - "tolerant." Let me tell you, one of those tiny sacrifices should be to not watch this show.

Too Much Batman

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 7 years, you undoubtedly know that Christopher Nolan has been busy making one of the great trilogies of this generation, the last film of which was released last week. Together, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and now The Dark Knight Rises tells the amazing story of Bruce Wayne. And while the latest flick definitely doesn't live up to its predecessor in terms of story and character, it still delivers a really entertaining three hours (I refer to it as 'The Return of the Jedi' of the Dark Knight Trilogy).

Searching in the Spirit 2012: Pentecost Revisited

From July 3rd to 7th, I was one of the chaperones at an archdiocesan camp called Searching in the Spirit. Created for Gr. 7 students who had just been confirmed, the five day camp looked at the themes of Sacredness, Witness, Forgiveness, Servitude, and One Body in order that the 65 Gr. 7s could more

readily invite the Holy Spirit into their lives. For the past five years that I have been involved in the program, it has been - without a doubt - the best week of my summer. It is a perfect example of how vibrant and alive the Church is. From the Gr. 7 students, to the 14 person youth/young adult leadership team (who organizes and runs the entire program!), to adult chaperones, and to priests, Searching in the Spirit demonstrates that the Church truly is one Body in Christ. Prayer, fellowship, laughs, meals, mass, confession, adoration...all mixed in with the typical summer camp activities like archery and kayaking.