I just stole this video from Alex over at Vitus Speaks. It's French, fabulously entertaining, and... stars a couple of love-struck octopuses! Is there anything better than that?!
And of course, I would be remiss to not to use this chance to encourage you all to support our team, The Octapeds for Langerhans. We'll be walking in support of our friend, Dr. Becky Houck on March 8th, in Santa Monica, CA, as we raise money for the Lustgarten Foundation, a non-profit that sponsors pancreatic cancer research and supports people suffering from pancreatic cancer. Of course, if you'll be in the area, we'd love for you to join our team!
And now, without further ado... Oktapodi!
24 February 2009
23 February 2009
One Month
Yesterday marked the one month anniversary of the day that Fr. Tom left this earth. On one hand, it's hard to believe that it's already been a month. On the other, it feels like it's been absolutely ages. Grief, it seems, has an odd sort of way of forming a deceptive time-space continuum.
Still, I can think of no better way to mark the passage of time than with this beautiful tribute slide show made by the Sundays at Seven Group at the UW Newman Center. (This original song was written specifically for Fr. Tom by the Sundays at Seven Group.)
Still, I can think of no better way to mark the passage of time than with this beautiful tribute slide show made by the Sundays at Seven Group at the UW Newman Center. (This original song was written specifically for Fr. Tom by the Sundays at Seven Group.)
07 February 2009
Making Sense
Friday evening was Holy Hour in our Young Adult Group. It's a once-monthly tradition started back in October by our dear priest and friend, Fr. Tom. It's a beautiful, contemplative evening that consists of Eucharistic Adoration, Benediction, rosary recitation, contemplative music, and a reading and reflection. Fr. Tom used to lead us in the entire Holy Hour. There was something so powerful seeing him kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, guitar in hand, leading us in a peaceful rendition of "Holy is His Name". As Fr. Tom became increasingly more ill, we the Young Adults in our parish community had to fill in the tasks. Last night was our first Holy Hour without Fr. Tom. Even though many of the Young Adults in our group stepped up and volunteered their talents, it was still difficult. The music was beautiful! My task, which I found to be rather daunting, was to write the reflection on the select reading. Fr. Tom always used the Gospel reading for the following Sunday. Check out that reading (and below it, my reflection). I couldn't believe it!
And truly, that gentle reminder to follow the “will of the Lord as we serve others” is the example incarnate in this evening’s reading, both in the action of Jesus, and in the action of Simon’s mother-in-law.
Tonight we are presented with Jesus’ first healing miracle that we read about in the Gospel of Mark. In this passage alone, we hear a reference to Jesus healing many others in Capernaum, and in the rest of the region around Galilee. Why did Jesus heal these people? Well, it was done out of deference to the will of the Father. He had, after all, just left the synagogue, which incidentally was right next door to Simon’s home, and surely he had spoken with the Father there. Jesus was, and is, in constant communion with the Father. The healing, too, was also done out of tenderness and love. Mark doesn’t tell us that Jesus ordered the fever to leave Simon’s mother-in-law. Rather, it says that Jesus took her by the hand and helped her up – a true act of mercy, one borne out of tenderness and love – a tenderness and love that can only come from the Father, through his will.
After Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, he healed more people in Capernaum. The next morning, he woke up early, “left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” This action further highlights how we too (as Fr. Tom said) must "focus our thoughts on the Lord and doing His will". It also offers a response, in some sense, to the question of not understanding Fr. Tom's death. Shortly after Christmas, Fr. Tom wrote, “My duty is to subject my life totally to the Lord in prayer and service and He will do the rest; Jesus is my only desire.” And so it should be for us as well. Fr. Tom asked that we turn to the Lord and offer our lives in the service of others, just as Jesus does in this evening’s reading through his own example of prayer and service. Only by answering that call to holiness will we be able to let go of the questions and anxieties that often plague us and keep us from living with peace and joy.
Let’s look now at Simon’s mother-in-law. The moment the “fever left her”, “she waited on them”. It is a beautiful action. Here is a gravely ill woman who was bestowed a beautiful gift – the gift of life. Her gratitude is simply stated in the words of Mark “she waited on them”. She served Her Lord and Saviour and his disciples too. We also are called to follow in the example of Simon’s mother-in-law. For, we too have been given the gift of new life though our baptism with the Lord. And every time we receive the Eucharist, we are also receiving Christ, (as He is before us now) – the gift of new life, Christ dwelling within us. Like Simon’s mother-in-law, we are called to give thanks to that gift of life, to honour our Christ by serving Him (through our service of others) in our thoughts, words, and actions in every facet of our lives.
And so, as we adore the Eucharist this evening, let us like Simon’s mother-in-law, and like Fr. Tom so often did, “focus our thoughts on the Lord and [on] doing His will as we serve others” so that we, too, may live our lives in the “simplicity and holiness” and peace of Christ.
Mk 1:29-39
On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
******************
Last November Fr. Daniel said in one of his homilies that, “everything, everything is open to the healing power of the Lord”. His statement gave me, and everyone who heard it, so much hope. Fr. Daniel is correct. Everything, especially as demonstrated in tonight’s reading, is open to the healing power of the Lord, but only if it is His will. Still, I must admit that this reading presented me with quite a challenge. My first thought, which took me quite a while to shake, was, “Well, Jesus, you went around curing people in the area of Galilee. You cured Simon’s mother-in-law. Why didn’t you cure Fr. Tom?” Admittedly, it’s a question we won’t be able to fully answer. And yet, we can look to Fr. Tom’s own words for guidance. On the feast of the Epiphany this year, Fr. Tom wrote to us, encouraging us to look to Jesus, our Christ “who shows us how to live life, in simplicity and holiness, always focusing our thoughts on the Lord and doing His will as we serve others.”And truly, that gentle reminder to follow the “will of the Lord as we serve others” is the example incarnate in this evening’s reading, both in the action of Jesus, and in the action of Simon’s mother-in-law.
Tonight we are presented with Jesus’ first healing miracle that we read about in the Gospel of Mark. In this passage alone, we hear a reference to Jesus healing many others in Capernaum, and in the rest of the region around Galilee. Why did Jesus heal these people? Well, it was done out of deference to the will of the Father. He had, after all, just left the synagogue, which incidentally was right next door to Simon’s home, and surely he had spoken with the Father there. Jesus was, and is, in constant communion with the Father. The healing, too, was also done out of tenderness and love. Mark doesn’t tell us that Jesus ordered the fever to leave Simon’s mother-in-law. Rather, it says that Jesus took her by the hand and helped her up – a true act of mercy, one borne out of tenderness and love – a tenderness and love that can only come from the Father, through his will.
After Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, he healed more people in Capernaum. The next morning, he woke up early, “left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” This action further highlights how we too (as Fr. Tom said) must "focus our thoughts on the Lord and doing His will". It also offers a response, in some sense, to the question of not understanding Fr. Tom's death. Shortly after Christmas, Fr. Tom wrote, “My duty is to subject my life totally to the Lord in prayer and service and He will do the rest; Jesus is my only desire.” And so it should be for us as well. Fr. Tom asked that we turn to the Lord and offer our lives in the service of others, just as Jesus does in this evening’s reading through his own example of prayer and service. Only by answering that call to holiness will we be able to let go of the questions and anxieties that often plague us and keep us from living with peace and joy.
Let’s look now at Simon’s mother-in-law. The moment the “fever left her”, “she waited on them”. It is a beautiful action. Here is a gravely ill woman who was bestowed a beautiful gift – the gift of life. Her gratitude is simply stated in the words of Mark “she waited on them”. She served Her Lord and Saviour and his disciples too. We also are called to follow in the example of Simon’s mother-in-law. For, we too have been given the gift of new life though our baptism with the Lord. And every time we receive the Eucharist, we are also receiving Christ, (as He is before us now) – the gift of new life, Christ dwelling within us. Like Simon’s mother-in-law, we are called to give thanks to that gift of life, to honour our Christ by serving Him (through our service of others) in our thoughts, words, and actions in every facet of our lives.
And so, as we adore the Eucharist this evening, let us like Simon’s mother-in-law, and like Fr. Tom so often did, “focus our thoughts on the Lord and [on] doing His will as we serve others” so that we, too, may live our lives in the “simplicity and holiness” and peace of Christ.
06 February 2009
Lost
My mind just hasn't been with me lately. I've been spacey and forgetful, much more so than usual. This is evidenced by the multitude of things I have lost - yes, truly lost - in the past week or so. The list is long, but here are two of the more entertaining (and frightening?) stories.
1) My credit card. I lost my credit card last Saturday evening. Last I remembered, I had paid with it at the yarn store earlier in the day. Then, the next thing I know, I'm at the grocery store trying to pay with (gasp!) no credit card! I tried calling the yarn store, but they were closed - and closed on Sunday, too - so I decided not to worry about it till Monday morning. Monday, I called the yarn store only to discover that they didn't have my card! Yes, this would be about the time that panic set in. I called Chase to cancel my card. They were very helpful, but also pointed out that I had a "pending" charge of $100 -- one that hadn't been made by me, or so I thought. (Lots of complicated details here.) Thanks to some fill-in-the-blank moments from Chase, I was able to sort out the whereabouts of my credit card, though it is still (as of yet) not in my possession.
So, here it is... apparently, I stopped by a cash machine, inserted my credit card instead of my debit card, and proceeded to withdraw $100 cash, which ultimately resulted in a cash advance, but that's okay. I then walked away from the ATM, leaving my card inside. Oops. The great irony is that this is exactly how I lost my debit card last October. Yep, I'm a smart one! ;)
2) My shoe. Yes, shoe, singular. I only lost one shoe. It was a nice shoe: right, grey and white, size 9 1/2. (Don't worry. This story has a happy ending; unlike me and my credit card, my shoe and I were eventually reunited.)
Oh, so this is great! Tuesday morning, I tied my Nike Free shoes to my backpack so I could go to the gym after work. This afternoon, I was getting ready to walk over to the gym, and I realized that I only had one shoe. I retraced my steps on campus -- no shoe at the bus stop, no shoe in the lab, and no shoe anywhere in between. I was hoping that my shoe had fallen off my backpack on the bus. BUT, I was also (slightly) worried that some crazy guy on the bus with some crazy shoe addiction would have found it and not turned it in! (If you ride the 44 you'd certainly understand.) Fortunately, when I arrived home Tuesday evening, I discovered that I had done a HORRIBLE job tying my shoe (back to kindergarten, I guess) and that my shoe had actually fallen off on my couch where I had been packing my backpack. Phew.... Happy to have my shoe back! ;)
It's like a Cinderella story, but with no prince at the end.
1) My credit card. I lost my credit card last Saturday evening. Last I remembered, I had paid with it at the yarn store earlier in the day. Then, the next thing I know, I'm at the grocery store trying to pay with (gasp!) no credit card! I tried calling the yarn store, but they were closed - and closed on Sunday, too - so I decided not to worry about it till Monday morning. Monday, I called the yarn store only to discover that they didn't have my card! Yes, this would be about the time that panic set in. I called Chase to cancel my card. They were very helpful, but also pointed out that I had a "pending" charge of $100 -- one that hadn't been made by me, or so I thought. (Lots of complicated details here.) Thanks to some fill-in-the-blank moments from Chase, I was able to sort out the whereabouts of my credit card, though it is still (as of yet) not in my possession.
So, here it is... apparently, I stopped by a cash machine, inserted my credit card instead of my debit card, and proceeded to withdraw $100 cash, which ultimately resulted in a cash advance, but that's okay. I then walked away from the ATM, leaving my card inside. Oops. The great irony is that this is exactly how I lost my debit card last October. Yep, I'm a smart one! ;)
2) My shoe. Yes, shoe, singular. I only lost one shoe. It was a nice shoe: right, grey and white, size 9 1/2. (Don't worry. This story has a happy ending; unlike me and my credit card, my shoe and I were eventually reunited.)
Oh, so this is great! Tuesday morning, I tied my Nike Free shoes to my backpack so I could go to the gym after work. This afternoon, I was getting ready to walk over to the gym, and I realized that I only had one shoe. I retraced my steps on campus -- no shoe at the bus stop, no shoe in the lab, and no shoe anywhere in between. I was hoping that my shoe had fallen off my backpack on the bus. BUT, I was also (slightly) worried that some crazy guy on the bus with some crazy shoe addiction would have found it and not turned it in! (If you ride the 44 you'd certainly understand.) Fortunately, when I arrived home Tuesday evening, I discovered that I had done a HORRIBLE job tying my shoe (back to kindergarten, I guess) and that my shoe had actually fallen off on my couch where I had been packing my backpack. Phew.... Happy to have my shoe back! ;)
It's like a Cinderella story, but with no prince at the end.
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