My First Dance

My First Dance by William Wyllie

We listen to the oldies as we sit. A song by the Flamingos comes on, that was a hit.
You ask me to dance as you hear this play. "I can't dance, never could" is what I say.
You answer "If I knew that I would have asked you a long time ago."
I get up and try it, not knowing where to go.
I put my head on your shoulder and my arms around your wait.  I do it without haste.
You let me take the lead, I move my feet around.
Who knows where this is going or where we are bound.
Too soon the music ends, this feels so good.  If she asks me again, you know I would.
Another Flamingos song come on not long after the last.  Again we dance, it ends too fast.
Happy I feel, our first dance has come.  Memories are made, with my very special one.
A very special lady, this you sure are.  With you by my side, I know we'll go far.

Catechesis Lesson

Ok! Ok!  I guess I am a religious nut.  Hubby and I were walking and this blue spruce caught my eye. Note that it is one tree—see one trunk. But look at the top — three tops.

One God yet three persons!!!!!     Catechesis in nature. 

 He is everywhere.   

Cabbage or Church

What do you think?  I'm teaching Lectio Divina and I'm trying to have my students remember the steps.  I'm using the Dominican steps: lectio, studium, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio. 

I'm trying to think of an acrostic arrangement to help learn the steps.  I have

L  --  Lets

S  --  Study

M  --  More

O --  Of

C --  Cabbage or Church  ??????????????

The funny word cabbage might help the students to remember better.  I'm leaning more towards that.

Lamenting a Loss

I can see my Magnificat lying on the seat in the first pew.

No use praying to St. Anthony for my lost Magnificat.  Magnificat is a monthly magazine that has the readings for the daily masses for the month--plus much more of interest to the devout and pious person. I know where I lost it and I am never going back to that place again.  Besides, I'll get a new Magnificat, for next month.

So it's not the magazine, itself, that I'm lamenting.  It's the pictures and holy cards that I use as bookmarks.  There's a postcard of a Lithuanian shrine that I will never see again.  I know because I asked the clerk in the Lithuanian bookstore and he said he didn't have anymore and couldn't get anymore. 

I lost it at Holy Apostle Seminary's Chapel in Cromwell, Connecticut.  I was there Saturday for a Lay Dominican regional meeting.

I guess I'll have to start marking the November Magnificat with brand new holy cards and pictures.  

The First Catechism

One of the candidates in RCIA inadvertently told a joke.  Well, not so inadvertently, but it will make you think.  We were discussing how the catechism came about.  Someone noticed that in the book of Sirach, in the Bible, the introduction states that the

                       book was used to teach moral teachings to catechumens and the faithful.

So should Sirach be considered the first catechism?

When you think of it, most people couldn't read so there was no written catechism.  People taught orally.  Hence, statues, stained glass windows, and paintings.

But the educated must have written for instructions for others.  St. Augustin wrote the Enchiriodon. 
Should that be considered the first catechism?

One of the first things Martin Luther did was write a catechism--but that was the sixteenth century!  Luther prompted the Council of Trent to write a Catholic catechism.  Still, sixteenth century.

Mmmm.

That's when the class' smart aleck suggested, "Mary."
 Mary?
Yes!
Why do you say, Mary?
Because she said, "Do as he tells you."   
                                          John 2:5

Led by the Spirit

An acquaintance of mine wrote a book.  His mention of his book has come up an uncomfortable mention of times.  (You know what I mean?)  So I looked it up.  It is published by Westbow Press: https://westbowpress.com  They publish religious-themed books.  I ordered the cheapest, an ebook.  I'm used to kindle so I expected it to appear there.  It didn't.  Looking back to see what I did wrong I saw it wasn't for kindle but you download it on your computer.  I did.

The book is entitled Where Will You Plant Your Seed and it's by Robert LeBlanc.  It really is his biography, spiritually.  Rob's life has been spirit led since he was a teen.  The title asks each of us where we will follow the Holy Spirit.

It's not a large book.  I read it in one sitting.  Rob's early years sound idyllic but I can't identify.  I have been to California enough to recognize what Rob's talking about. I've even stood under the same California Red Pepper tree, he mentions.  And of course, I live where he lives and can identify with charismatic Catholics.

Wisdom

Lectio:

WIS 7:7-11

I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,                                                                                   
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.

Studium:

The "I" is King Solomon.  He prayed for wisdom in his inaugural prayers as sovereign.  Solomon recognized wisdom as evidence of God's personal involvement.

Meditatio:

It's the first sentence that I'm interested in, because I'm trying to teach my RCIA candidates how to pray.  It's funny.  The first thing one needs to learn when learning to pray is to ask God to teach you to pray, just as Solomon asked God for wisdom.  Of course, the Lord's Prayer is the answer, but I'm interested in the asking.  Wisdom is wisdom but Solomon had to ask.

Oratio:

Lord, Solomon didn't receive wisdom as a birthright.  He asked and You gave.  May Your generosity be granted to Your people's prayers.

Contemplatio:

Lord, grant us the gift of wisdom.