The Trinity and the Family (A Testimony)

I'm baaaaack. It's been a while since I've blogged about anything - studying at the JP II Institute has filled up a lot of my time. And there's something about reading a bazillion pages of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and John Paul II that makes you not want to read or write anything else once you're done. I've been le tired. I blame the Fall.

But I've finished the semester and I'm back in Vancouver, resting up until August. Hopefully the blogging will pick up. As part of the Year of Faith, my pastor (of Christ the Redeemer parish in West Vancouver) has asked people to share short testimonies during Mass every so often. I lucked out and got Trinity Sunday. Here goes:

Pope Benedict XVI: We'll Miss You

He's announced that he's going to abdicate on Feb. 28th, at 8pm Rome time. Well, won't that be a birthday to remember (I'll try not to take it personally, Holy Father). I woke up today, my alarm ringing, and I was tempted to hit snooze. But the text from my friend saying that Pope Benedict XVI had decided to abdicate woke me up. Questions flooded my mind. When was the last time a pope abdicated? Was there any lead up to this announcement? How bizarre is it going to be for Conclave to be held while the previous pope is still alive? How bad is his health - what's going to happen to him once he ceases to be Pope Benedict XVI? Who could possibly succeed him? Initially, I was just stunned. Then, actually a bit upset. Then came a bit of a "well, it happened" attitude. And then sadness.

Baby Don't Hurt Me

A few weeks ago, in the midst of a little chit-chat with a friend, self-deprecating humour (I'm pretty sure this is one of the reasons we're friends, for I do the same) reared its head.

Friend: "It's a good thing nobody ends up liking me - except for my boyfriend!"
Me: "You've never been in a situation where a guy liked you but you didn't like him back?"
Friend: "Well, no, I have. But I've just been too mean to lead them on."
Me: "Wait...what? Not leading them on?...that's not being mean. That's being loving."

An Unexpected Kindness (*Minor Spoilers*)

Two weekends ago, I watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for a second time. After my second go-round, I give it *drumroll*...3.75 out of 5. I had a lot of fun, at times it was epic, but tone and pacing were just shy of greatness. Also, try as I might, that rock 'em sock 'em rock giant scene still just seems completely superfluous, redundant, and adds nothing to the characters or the story of The Hobbit qua film. It was just big and bombastic for no reason.

But that rock giant scene proceeds a scene with some of my favourite lines in the movie: Gandalf telling Galadriel why he chose Bilbo Baggins to round out Thorin's Company:

"Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is in the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage."

A Free Christmas Album For You!

Happy Advent!

A few years ago, a couple of friends and I recorded a Christmas album. Diet Tonix released their first album full of Christmas joy, entitled Figgy Pudding. We've uploaded the album to bandcamp and I've embedded it below, available for free download. There's another track that isn't included in the fancy album download immediately below, because it's a cover of a newer song that can't be uploaded to that site. So I've embedded the cover at the bottom, and you can download it separately :)

(UPDATE: The additional, embedded track below can't be downloaded anymore unless you sign up for the website. It's free, but if you don't feel like signing up and would still like the track, let me know and I'll email it your way).

Diet Tonix are:
Byron Cline: Vocals
Dylan Drego: Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano
Jeremy Keong (me): Vocals and piano

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.