The Lord of the Rings Mythology Explained In Four Minutes

I just recently finished reading Lord of the Rings! AND mostly read and skimmed through the appendices on Middle-earth history! It only took me a year of mostly reading during lunch breaks at work!

To celebrate, I'd like to share this YouTube video that explains the mythology of the Lord of the Rings ... in four minutes.

- JD

First saw video on Mark Shea's blog.

A Harvard Valedictory Speech...In Latin!

First of all, props to Mary Anne Marks for making it into Harvard. Not just that, but she made valedictorian! Not just that, but she delivered her valedictory speech in Latin!

See for yourself:

I don't even know what she said, but I'm impressed that it's memorized and not in her native language. Latin isn't exactly easy, and I struggle with just singing/chanting it.

ALSO!!!!!

More props, because not only did she graduate as valedictorian at Harvard, but she's also becoming a religious sister with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, MI. 

CRAZY. AWESOME.  ...CRAZY AWESOME!

Kathryn Jean Lopez from the National Review Online interviews her about her background and motivations as to why she decided to enter into religious life.  Interesting!

LOPEZ: I don’t know about you, but I read the New York Times. A number of the op-ed columnists there, and a number of the news stories, tell me that the Catholic Church is anti-woman. And from other stories, about the various scandals, the Catholic Church also sounds like a dying, loser organization of sinners. Why would you choose to represent it in such a public, hard-to-miss way — in a religious habit?

MARKS: I feel privileged to represent the Catholic Church in a visible way, because it is an organization of sinners and sinners-turned-saints, emphatically alive, expanding, and responsive to the needs of the time, an organization that has been enormously effective in promoting the spiritual and material well-being of women and men throughout the 2,000 years of its existence.

Read the rest here.

Pretty cool stuff. She is definitely en fuego.

- JD

I first read about this through Fr. Z's blog.

Speech // YouTube

A Brewed Response

Apparently my last major post actually received more than 30 hits, which 30 is usually my average. I guess what bumped it up to 100 or so was the fact that people shared it on social media, and that's what I want to talk about in this blog post. Because! Elsewhere on Facebook, some people had some comments for me. I know this because I was able to see the comments because someone shared my link to my blog post that I posted on my own wall.

It's just kind of funny what people will say when they don't assume that I will read or see their comments. And instead of just replying on a Facebook wall, I decided to blog my responses.

Here are their comments:

Pixelated censorship ftw!

I've been brewing up a response in my head for the past two weeks. Why do I have to be so brewed?

Here are my responses:

R. - "Is it just me or does she talk about drinking her Latte's black about halfway through the article?"

No. I don't know who "she" is. But if by "she" you mean "me" whereby "me" as the author of the blog post, I am very much not a female, and I can say that with supreme confidence.  I know, I know...my talking about pumpkin spice paraphernalia and the use of a Jimmy Fallon-dressed-up-as-a-preteen-girl-going-"EW!" in a GIF for that blog post is probably misleading.

For proof, here's a dashingly handsome picture of me with my overly adorable chihuahua who is a she, but not the author of any blog posts unless she's some super secret spy dog when I'm not looking:

Lastly, I'll admit that I did not make a clear distinction that I was comparing a latte to a brewed coffee of pumpkin spice nature. "Black latte" sounds like such an impossible feat that only snobby, pinky up, get-what-I-want-all-the-time types would request. 

A. - "yeahhh, i noticed that too..hahah i think it was twice"

Even more admittedly, I did Google how to make a latte prior to taking pictures for that blog post. I even attempted to froth milk: 

But never have I ever steamed or frothed milk in my life. And I failed. It never frothed so I gave up and proceeded to make my intended Catholic monk pumpkin spice latte as a non-latte, which is fine because I drink my coffee black, and I normally don't go for variations on a coffee theme like lattes, espressos, macchiatos, Americanos, Cheetos, etc. 

Oh and does almond milk make a difference? Maybe, because I switched from soy. And I only like cow's milk raw because I'm not a 2%er. And I no longer work 10 minutes away from a raw dairy farm. So there's that. #MildlyLactoseIntolerant

D. - "Um...this seems like a really long winded commercial for coffee made by monks. And some tool bag who thinks he can make lattes black. Lol"

This is by far the most offensive comment because I'm seriously offended that you equate me with a tool bag. A tool bag doesn't have rational thought or feelings or chihuahuas (though they have the capacity to carry them) or the ability to attempt making failed lattes! >_<  

Of course, we live in a world where it's okay to call things what they're not because we feel like doing so.  But even then...

A tool bag doesn't equal a human being. But this one has lifetime warranty. #Craftsman

Thanks for denying my humanity, but I forgive you. :-)

But if you are suggesting that I am a "tool bag" because I possess tools, then I'll take that as a compliment. In my blog post, I utilized my mathematical skills as a tool for analysis to objectively prove that I save money not buying Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes and buying/brewing my own black version.

Or if you are suggesting that I am idiomatically a "tool bag" or as Urban Dictionary defines: 

 ...then you're somewhat right. I'd like to think that I'm not a loser so I do try too hard to be cooler, but perhaps the difference is that I'm actually kind of cool as I'm not running a fever. I'm not better than a Starbucks barista because I clearly fail at making lattes (see above). Hey, while I do blog, I don't expect a lot of people to read any particular blog post (see top) so I'm automatically not the focus of many peoples' attention. Even still, to keep my ego in check, I've totally gotten into this Litany of Humility. It'll be useful when I actually get good at making actual lattes and start making Facebook comments about said latte skills.

Oh and I don't get smuts... much less smuts with diseases because that's

There I go again... I'll probably get mistaken as a girl elsewhere on Facebook...again. smh 

Lastly, #nonsacramentalConfession -- it was indeed a long-winded commercial for monktastic coffee. Have you ever met a monk or friar? They're pretty cool. They live purposefully and intentionally poor lives so they can dedicate any work they do for the greater glory of God and to better serve the rest of us. Sometimes that involves making great coffee. Sometimes they skateboard. And they're not typically allowed to have Facebook so they can't comment on things on social media. Must be nice to have that sense of peace.

D. - "He can also change his oil cheaper himself"

I know, right?! I don't even need to do mathematical computations to prove that! But in all my humanity and laziness, I'd rather pay someone else to change my oil. See, I can afford to do so because I'm not spending $12 a week on a daily pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, Monday thru Friday. $12 x 4 = $48 (AKA, what I save in a month) which is more than enough to cover for a quarterly oil change.

Besides, waiting at the mechanic is where I get some epic reading and blogging done. :-)

A. - "Might as well go live off the grid"

Interesting that you should say that because I've recently been inspired to live off the grid by people I met while visiting a Benedictine monastery (more monks!). The monastery is in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma, and there's a community of like 100 people who live near the monastery. I met a family that literally built an off-the-grid house/shack thing or two, and I admired the design and engineering. They also have the luxury of defaulting to brewing their own coffee and never face the daily dilemma of buying Starbucks coffee because the closest Starbucks is 48 miles away:

D. - "If he did that, he'd have to give up his tablet that he does all his math on. That would be unacceptable. Lol"

And that's why I can't live off the grid! I'm too much of a gadget nerd thanks to my engineering background! I was sad because I ran out of engineering paper so I had to use my iPad as scratch paper to carry out difficult math. I guess I could have used my TI-89 graphing calculator but the screen is relatively tiny and too LCDish.

Just you wait! One day my iPad will control my coffee brewing.

R. - "I feel like he could have just said, "I like brewed coffee, but I like pumpkin spice flavor as well. Here's what I found that lets me have both." I'm not even sure why he's calculating the cost of lattes when that's not what he drinks. I'm also not sure why he's making a side-by-side comparison of brewed coffee and a latte. Try selling brewed coffee to a latte person. Go ahead. Try."

I agree! I totally should have just said "I like brewed coffee, but I like pumpkin spice flavor as well. Here's what I found that lets me have both."  However, that would have been a really short blog post sorely lacking the use of memes and the square camera on my iPhone/iPad. Not only that, because I am a non-literal-tool bag-who-possesses-analytical-tools-and-not-smuts, I wanted to use real math on my iPad because I don't have engineering paper anymore. 

As explained above, I did attempt to make my own latte, but that didn't work out. So then I had to do a total jerk move and make normal, black coffee using pumpkin spiced-flavored monk beans, which is fine because I normally don't drink lattes because A) I don't know how to make them and B) I like my coffee black because it teaches me life lessons.

And as I recall, in my blog post, I do acknowledge that it isn't a one-to-one comparison:

I think I'll just not even try to sell brewed coffee to a latte person or a latte to a brewed coffee person. A coffee barista would be much better at that than me as an aspiring barista with failed latte skills who can do math on iPads.

A. -  "He obviously ran out of worthy things to write about. D is right, this is just a super long commercial for Catholics and coffee growing Monks."

Uhh, I suppose you don't read my blog much at all. It's not like I've been consistently blogging for about two years now with some breaks here and there. #FunFact My list of potential blog posts numbers somewhere near 100.

Conveniently, I've had blogger's block for the past two weeks. It's not like I've been busy at home packing and cleaning or preparing for lessons, but even then, I totally appreciate the convenience of these comments and how they totally gave me something worthy to write about even at the postponing of My Next Greatest Blog Post That Only 30 People Will Read.

No, seriously, thank you. :-) 

Yes, it's a commercial for Catholics and monks that grow coffee. Sorry to advertise the fact that there's better and cheaper coffee out there. And like certain math problems, there are multiple solutions to a "I need coffee" problem.

S. - "I love Starbucks and all my favorite baristas!!! You guys rock :-D"

I guess I don't share the same love for Starbucks. It's like...too mainstream for me. I guess I'm hipster because I like drinking hot, black coffee before it gets cool (#pun). And Starbucks is too expensive knowing that I can, in fact, cut my coffee costs down. Yes, it's a cool place to hang out, and the baristas are always cool to talk to. But nah, Starbucks is never my first choice. No offense. But 'tis true. -sips Tim Horton's coffee literally imported from Canada-

A. - "Miss you S!!!"

Dude, S. A misses you! Aw. Quute.

---

In conclusion, I appreciate their feedback. Perhaps in these past two weeks since the original blog post I cried maybe ten times, but only once because of what they said. Did I really just admit that? Nuuuu! I'll get mistaken as a girl even more! >_< But dealing with a friend's death is real stuff in addition to all my interior conflicts. Those are potentially future blog posts, for sure.

Thanks for the criticisms. Really, the most offensive thing was equating me with a tool bag because that denies my humanity in totality. And that ain't cool. Sometimes when I wear cargo shorts I can put lots of things in my pockets like things that would normally go into a tool bag. But that doesn't mean that I, myself, am a tool bag. Rude.

But as the prophetess Taylor Swift muses and motivates... I gotta shake it off.

Or maybe I am just a fan of this group that does jazzy covers of famous songs.

Haterz gonna hate.
- JD

Jimmy Fallon ew // Reddit-Tumblr

The Most Epic Safety Video

Not all airline safety videos are created equal. As a decently traveled traveler, most that I've seen have been pretty standard, mundane and not exactly exciting to watch.

But! I suppose it only makes sense that Air New Zealand gets Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings-style treatment.

I'm for serious. PETER JACKSON AND ELIJAH WOOD ARE IN IT. THERE ARE ORCS AND A GATHERING OF ARMIES. WATCH NOW:

So there's that.

As I'm currently reading The Lord of the Rings, I can definitely appreciate this safety video.

And as a bonus, maybe I have engineering experience in airline seats, perhaps the very ones seen throughout the video. No big deal.

One safety video to epic them all.

-JD

ANZ 747 // Wikipedia

St. Patrick's Bad Analogies

Happy "Heresy" Sunday!

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Most Holy Trinity!

Understanding God as Trinitarian is so central to Christian dogma but explaining and understanding it can be difficult. It's one of those "mysteries" of our faith that we cannot fully comprehend in this life. And it's actually pretty easy to get it wrong, and that's why today is sometimes jokingly called "Heresy Sunday" when priests and deacons do their homilies.

But, I just really wanted to share this video that a friend of mine shared over a year ago because it's funny, at least to me.

St. Patrick has a reputation for helping spread Christianity to Ireland and is often credited with using the three-leaf clover to help explain the Trinity.

So here's that funny video of St. Patrick attempting to explain the Trinity in various ways, but as these fine Irishmen keep pointing out, St. Patrick's bad analogies keep falling into various heresies, haha.

- JD

A Religious Sister Rockin' Out On THE VOICE (IT)

I saw this floating around in the Catholic blogosphere and other Cath social medias (be sure to turn on the captions, which you might need to click the YouTube button in the corner below to actually go to YouTube to do so):



Incredible! I just loved the judges' reactions when they hit the buzzer to turn their chairs around to see who was singing. They totally didn't expect it to be a religious sister. I also really loved just her absolute joy in having this opportunity to share her God-given gift of singing so well!

Looking at the judges' comments and the crowd's reaction, you can tell that they were touched and amazed by this performance. Psh, even blog site Jezebel, which isn't necessarily a friend of the Catholic Church (both authors and commenters) agreed!

There's something about Beauty that resonates within us as human beings. When we encounter something objectively beautiful,  we are moved. That beauty points to something greater (as beauty is meant to), and Sr. Cristina is a beautiful witness to that. Seeing her and her fellow sisters rootin' for her really gives me a sense of what real Catholic joy is.

So, the title of my blog is "En Fuego". Sr. Cristina is being who God created her to be...she's being herself as God created her...and this is audio/visual proof of her setting the world on fire.

18+ million hits.
- JD

Picture of Raffaella Carra surprised from Melty.it
Picture of joyful nuns from Jezebel

What Does The Monk Say?

WAIT!

Before continuing, if you do not know what does the fox say, then watch this first:

And then...now we can begin discerning what does the monk say.

Kyrie eleison.

- JD

I Shouldn't Assume Things About Pope Francis...

...like assuming that he doesn't speak English. See, when he was chosen in the conclave earlier this year, I heard that he spoke a small handful of languages that didn't include English. I mean, whatever! It doesn't matter to me because I know that there are many, many competent translators out there.

And when I was in Rio De Janeiro over the summer for World Youth Day, he spoke not a single word of English. Every time I heard him speak, it was either Spanish or Italian. Maybe even Portuguese.

But...just the other day...Pope Francis sends a video message in English (supposedly, for the first time during his pontificate) to the Philippines on their first Conference on the New Evangelization! Sure, he's reading from paper, but ...cool!

What a great, simple, heartfelt, and encouraging message he has for the Philippine Church. :-)

To make this short video even cooler...that's my dad's classmate being all cardinal-y at the beginning...and even more impressive is Pope Francis speaking in Tagalog at the end.

"Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Mabuhay ang Asia! Pagpalain kayo ng Diyos!"
"Long live the Philippines! Long live Asia! May God bless you!"

And like any Filipino, I'm always impressed when non-Filipinos speak Tagalog. :-D

Post by News.va English.

Amen, Papa Francesco. Amen.
- JD

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 14)

--- 1 ---

Being one who appreciates some change from time to time, I'm thinking about changing my blog's layout/theme/colors.  Again. Typically whenever this happens, I experiment with a few and end up returning back to this layout as you see it now...

We'll see what happens.  I just want something simplistic yet conveys what I'm going for. Who knows! Maybe this blog will look entirely or subtlety different for Quick Takes Vol. 15!

--- 2 ---

When I read the word, "flugtag", I don't usually think of energy drinks and aerospace. I see that word, and it carries a sort of German connotation that I'm totally unsure of its meaning.  But! Apparently flugtag is an event organized by Red Bull where competitors fly home-built, human-powered machines that have size and weight restrictions, usually from 30 feet up in the air into a lake.

Crazy!

And apparently there's a local one of these coming up this weekend. And now I finally understand what some of my coworkers were talking about when they decided to organize a flugtag team earlier in the year.  I just might go because I find it intriguing and the aerospace nerd in me delights in this idea of aerospace/aeronautical achievement...or failure.

Red Bull gives you wiings!...which also hopefully float. :-x

--- 3 ---

So maybe I taught a class briefly on leadership over the weekend that involved the Harlem Shake. Like, seriously. My main topic for leadership was "nurture your first followers" where I used the Harlem Shake as an example of what's missing from crazy leader to crazy crowd.  Because as you see below, solo to crowd happens instantaneously and that's not really how it works in real life.

Yes, we can learn from the Internets.

--- 4 ---
The iPhone 5S comes out today! I'm still rockin' the iPhone 4, and it's been a loyal piece of gadgetry over the past 3 years, but I think the time has come for an upgrade.  But! I just upgraded to iOS 7, which pretty much breathes fresh air into my iPhone 4. Like, with iOS 7, it feels like a totally new phone.

So why the 5S? Because I'm a tech geek and it's got good enough of guts to make it last a long while. I'm not looking to upgrade again until the 7S anyway =P

Regarding iOS 7...and my life is Catholic for this...but...I'm actually most excited about how you can stuff unlimited apps into folders now. Now I can store all my Catholic apps in one folder!

Very. Big. Deal. Because you know you're Catholic when your shelves don't have room for all your Catholic books and when your iOS folders don't have enough room for all the apps...

--- 5 ---

My dad's birthday was this past Thursday! I bought dinner at an Asian place that my brother suggested, and it was fairly good.

I didn't realize he's closely approaching 60 and that kind of made me do a double-take. Dang, we're gettin' older.

--- 6 ---

Tangent-ing towards talking about time, Fall is usually when I get super busy. There are two times a year that I tend to get super busy: around this time and around April-May. It's been that way since college...and even now post-college.  I kind of feel like everyone decides to do everything around this time. Ok, and maybe around this time football season starts...

But seriously! I have to check my calendar closely just to make sure I'm not triple-booking myself on weekends and even during the week.

However, I've made it easier on myself by removing myself from some things I've been involved with the past few years. I'm wanting to focus on other things at the moment...but...more on that later.

--- 7 ---

And because my World Youth Day and Brazilian experience still lingers, I made sure to take the opportunity to make rice and beans. So for lunch nearly every day that we were there, we hit up one of those pay-by-all-you-can-eat-per-lb sort of places. And that's where I got to taste Brazilian-style rice and beans. I've been meaning to make it since I've been back from Rio De Janeiro, but my schedule has been super unstable and crazy since then. However, I had the opportunity to squeeze in some cooking time this past Sunday and...

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Tasty, tasty.

- JD

Red Bull Flugtag Returns To The Delaware River This Saturday, September 15 As 35 Teams Look To Defy Gravity With Their Human-Powered Flying Machines // Uwishunu

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 13)

--- 1 ---

I had the fortunate opportunity of going to see Audrey Assad in concert at a local Catholic university last weekend. She recently released her newest album, Fortunate Fall, and is touring around the country to promote her new album.

I have to say...I'm a fan! She's got such a pure voice and to hear her sing is always pretty awesome.  She performed her whole album plus a few crowd favorites from previous albums, and she ended the night with Matt Maher's, "Lord I Need You."

Uhhhh. Can't get better than that!

Oh yeah, this isn't my first time seeing her in concert. There was that one time that I got to see her in a private concert in a house, got to meet her, buy her previous two albums, and get them signed.

--- 2 ---

On Monday I took a "So you've never shot a handgun before" class. Groupon can be a dangerous thing, and it has led me down this path of firearms that I've previously ignored, but am now getting into it.  I think my previous skills and appreciation for archery, combined with my aerospace engineering skills, has increased my love of projectiles. And apparently handguns are the next step after Nerf guns. Oh and after airsoft guns too.

Don't worry. I've taken the time to educate myself on safety, Texas' gun laws, and all that jazz. And I have extreme malice towards paper...like so:

Not bad! ...at 3 yards

--- 3 ---

Napping in my car is now a bad habit. 60-mile commute to work, one-way...and carpooling has been a difficult thing as of late.  Therefore, I have mastered the art of the 10-minute nap so that I'm not falling asleep at the wheel...

Travel-sized pillows are a blessing. And once again...Groupon strikes again! ...because a memory foam travel pillow is that much nicer, especially at discounted price. ;-)

--- 4 ---

But all that napping is due to all that overtime-ing. Things have been hectic at work since I've gotten back from Brazil.  Like, mandatory 10 hours of overtime per week for nearly all of August! Pulling a near 12-hour day plus the commute for several weeks has burnt me out, and the only consolation is that glorious 10-minute nap before work in random parking lots.

Though...all that overtime has been nice. But then I severely lack...time. >_>

--- 5 ---

A good way to de-stress from overtime-ing is to laugh. And I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD for several minutes like a crazy psycho maniac at this video:

So simple! So hilarious-for-some-irrational-reason!

...and I haven't even delved into the variations on this theme of a waffle falling over!

...I could easily overtime on YouTube for the sake of falling waffles...

--- 6 ---

It's always awkward to have a conversation with a dental hygienist. Well, clarification. It's always awkward to have a conversation with a dental hygienist while they are currently cleaning your teeth. But luckily this past week, I didn't really have to maintain any sort of conversation while I felt the picks and pokes and gentle turns of the brush-drill with the instant flow of water out one nozzle and into the other.

Actually, the most intriguing conversation I had with my dental hygienist was just before she lowered the chair.

Chocolate covered bacon...served with cheese.

-Spanish accent- Repite.

Chocolate covered bacon...served with cheese.

But it was a conversation on the start of football season which ultimately led to the greater conversation of football food traditions.

Though the conversation was short. I ...don't have any football food traditions...unless it's me serving concession stand food along with my fellow Filipinos at a Texas A&M home football game. A bucket of popcorn is exciting stuff. But I didn't get a chance to talk about that with my hygienist because I was already under the lamp.

And the whole time...I was very much intrigued at the idea of ruining my cleanly fresh teeth to have but a taste of chocolate covered bacon...served with cheese.

I must save this idea for future reference.

--- 7 ---
Speaking of football, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Cowboys play last Sunday. Sundays are always busy for me in that I'm usually running around doing stuff for my ministries.  But it was nice to chill after all that was over by going to a fellow volunteer's house to watch the Cowboys play the Giants.

Nevermind that he had a 115" (projector) screen, his couch was comfy, an oversized ottoman was conveniently located near my feet, and a cold adult beverage was served.

And it was glorious!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

- JD

Chocolate covered bacon // Samantha Food Culture, Blogspot

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 12)

--- Preface ---

I must first begin these 7 Quick Takes with a preface.  First of all, I have been away from doing 7 Quick Takes for two months now. I got really busy in July and then World Youth Day happened... 

...August was spent focusing on other things and random blog posts that felt right to do at the moment. But alas, two months later, I realized that "wow! I haven't done 7 Quick Takes in two months!"  So now here we are!

As a fun way to get back into it and to share the awesome moments of my having gone to World Youth Day, I'd like to share my top 7 moments of World Youth Day 2013 in Rio De Janeiro.  

--- 1 ---

Adoration at Copacabana Beach.  This was probably by far the coolest part! I have never seen such dense concentration of human beings occupying the same space, and not only that...but for a Catholic purpose and reason!

It was a challenge to stake out a spot on the beach, but luckily my group go there early enough to enjoy some sandy space.  We were, what I would estimate to be, like 5 or 6 football fields away from the stage or the 2nd to last big screen out of the 25 lined up for the prayer vigil.

I actually didn't catch the start of Adoration because I was caught up in other distractions (and I don't think the big TV screens even showed it starting). But I figured it out once I started seeing people kneeling.

The two things that really stick out to me regarding Adoration with Pope Francis on that beach with 3 million others was the profound silence after Pope Francis asked for some moments of sacred silence. Like, seriously. Mountains bowed down and the seas roared, a helicopter buzzed around, but the beach full of pilgrims was silent. And that really was something.  I talk about it here in my blog post, The Silence of Millions.  The other thing that stood out to me was Matt Maher leading praise and worship during Adoration when he sang, "Lord I Need You."  It was incredibly fitting for the moment since he was singing that song on his knees, and the lyrics expressed everyone's sentiment before the Blessed Sacrament. How often do Christian singers get to sing to Jesus, literally?

--- 2 ---

Close papal encounters of the extra-ordinary kind. Our first day in Rio was the Monday before all the events for World Youth Day happened. Apparently Pope Francis decided to arrive early to speak with political dignitaries and stuff like that. I don't think most people knew he was in town. We didn't know he was in town.

But then...as we were walking back to our hostel that first night...we saw the beginnings of a motorcade pass by. And then lo and behold! IT WAS POPE FRANCIS IN A NON-POPEMOBILE VEHICLE WAVING AT US AS HE PASSED BY!
...and I totally missed it because I didn't make it to the street on time to record it with my camera. But I caught some reaction as well as the World Youth Day Cross and Image of Our Lady pass by.

The next time we encountered Pope Francis was later in the week when he led an Angelus at the cardinal palace.  My group caught wind that he would be there and basically camped out all morning in order to get some pretty awesome front row standing room.

And the last extra-ordinary encounter with Pope Francis was when he was on his way to the prayer vigil. A trip to the porta-potty involved lots of waiting in line. But the fruits of our waiting was not only met with relief but Pope Francis passing by in a motorcade! And YES! I did record it this time!

I would say all these moments were extra-ordinary because they really weren't like...the ordinary ways for everyone to see him. It was all about being in the right place at the right time. ;-)

--- 3 ---

Matt Maher, in concert. Him coming to World Youth Day was a rather last-minute decision/invitation. Even Matt himself posted about him coming like...back in June. Our group leaders purposely tried to figure out when and where he would be for these concerts.

I'm a fan of his music and his hits are a crowd favorite at my parish!

And so, on a dark and rainy Wednesday night after enduring a long bus trip to the venue and enduring a game of "Where's Matt Maher?!" at the venue, we were finally able to enjoy his musical stylings. Up. Close. And. Nearly. Personal. :-O

What was really cool was pretty much being the only English speakers present when he gave that concert that night along with our hostel-mates and neighboring diocese friends.


Yes, I recorded that too.

--- 4 ---

Party in the streets! I can't even begin to tell you how awesome Brazilian people are and much less...how awesome Brazilian Catholics are! They are just so full of joy and fervor! And they were so welcoming to us all!

Our first night (before seeing Pope Francis but after going up to Christ the Redeemer), we found ourselves in a dance party in the streets with a bunch of Brazilians. It involved pretty much any groups of pilgrims that passed by!

Yes, that was recorded as well...

This really helped set the tone of the joy that we would experience throughout the rest of the week in encountering our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ for World Youth Day!

--- 5 ---

Praying and singing with England. There were three groups staying the hostel that we stayed in for World Youth Day: us, our friends from a neighboring diocese from back home, and a group from England.  Our paths would cross every now and then, but I think one of the best highlight moments with them was being able to pray with them, go to Mass with them, and we totally had one night where we just did nothing but praise and worship.

Why yes, I recorded some of that, too!

--- 6 ---

Seeing my people! I don't mean to be stereotypical, but I think it's not too far fetched to think that most Filipinos are Catholic. And so, during my whole time in Rio, I expected to run into a lot of Filipinos. But, that didn't really happen.

And that's why I got really, really, really irrationally excited when I found groups of Filipinos randomly throughout Rio.  There was that one time I saw a small group of Filipinos, but they were from Libya...which that still counted.

But the coolest encounter I had in seeing my fellow Filipinos was that one time we tried to go to Mass, but ended up going to Adoration with a basilica full of Filipinos! YES!!!

I had to take a picture.

--- 7 ---

On top of the mountains! Our first day in Rio (gosh, that was a really epic day...), we went up to see Cristo Redentor, or the Christ the Redeemer statue that overlooks the city of Rio De Janeiro on Corcovado mountain.

It was kind of cloudy up there so you couldn't really fully appreciate the fullness of the statue because of the clouds.  A cool experience we had up there was having the random opportunity to go to Mass in the tiny chapel beneath Jesus' feet.  Our friends from the neighboring diocese conveniently had a priest with them who was willing to celebrate Mass. :-)

A picture because that really did happen.

And on our last full day of being in Rio, our group had the option to go up the Sugar Loaf Mountains or back to Copacabana Beach for some ocean time. I decided to go to Sugar Loaf to get some good pictures. Or something.

Such great views! And we had gotten in line in the middle of the afternoon, but it worked out that we were heading up the mountain right at sunset and dusk so we were able to see some breathtaking views of Rio De Janeiro at night.

Some videos here.

You can check out my #Rio2013 posts by clicking on the label: Rio 2013.  And I kept a blog for my group, and you can find that here: SEAS & St. Thomas Aquinas at WYD '13.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Did any of you go to World Youth Day 2013 and blog about it? I'd love to read/hear about it!

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

- JD

Adoration // Youcat.org

Beauty in America's Got Talent

I've been reflecting on beauty moreso than usual lately. I won't get into why...but...just know that I am.

And...it's always interesting to see how we react and respond to beauty. Truly, if man and woman encounter objective beauty, there's a certain stirring from within that tends towards something infinite. Perhaps a sense of wonder and awe and the desire to be consumed by that beauty.

So, to help illustrate that, I found an example from a popular TV show, America's Got Talent.

This unassuming group pretty much surprised everyone with their singing. Notice that their skillful melodic harmonies evokes a sense of awe, wonder, and surprise from the judges and the audience to the point that the audience even gives a standing ovation even though they aren't even done with their audition! And wow, even Howard Stern looks on and listens with a smile!

We respond in a good way whenever we have a true encounter with beauty. Sure, the song they performed is in Latin, but they do it so. freakin'. well! And that, in and of itself, is beautiful.

And you know what? This is totally Catholic. Anything that is Good, True, and Beautiful? That becomes inherently Catholic even though it might not be explicitly Catholic.

But the song they sang is totally a Catholic hymn. 

Here's the YouTube video I saw that inspired me to write this post:

Beauty with a beat.

- JD

Forte - Pie Jesu // Rickey

Singing to Jesus...Literally

I think every Christian can understand the idea of singing to and for Jesus.  Through song we praise and worship our Lord and Savior. Walk into any Christian church on a Sunday and you'll find the congregation (and choirs, if applicable...though usual) singing hymns and songs praising the glory of God.

And praise God that we're able to hear such songs outside the walls of our churches. One of the ways we can do that is through the radio. I know of several Christian/family radio stations here in north Texas. Obviously, in order to fill the air waves with Christian music...you need Christian music artists.  And I'm sure we can list all our favorites!

From what it seems like to me (and I could be wrong), a lot of Christian music artists also double as worship leaders.  And by "worship leader" I mean they lead congregations/groups of people in worship of our Lord through song whether they're singing/playing solo or with a band.

Thank goodness we have such people who help us focus our minds and hearts towards the Lord through praising and worshipping in song! And oftentimes, we, the congregation, really feel the power of praise in song. Like, it gives more sense of legitimacy and intention in our prayer through song. St. Augustine is often quoted in saying:

He who sings well, prays twice.

(though apparently he didn't really say that exactly, but...that's a famous mis-quote).

So if Christian music artists and worship leaders help bring our focus and attention towards God through song, and then there's that whole Gospel-according-to-Matthew idea about Jesus being present whenever two or more are gathered in His name...then yes, combining these two help bridge our prayers to Jesus, Who is present because two or more are gathered (unless our churches consist of only 1, =P).

Now, I have to ask the awkward question...

What would it look like if I were to take a famous Christian artist/worship leader leading a large congregation, and place that artist/worship leader, hypothetically, in front of Jesus Himself? Like, Himself in the flesh. Like, able to reach out and touch. Would the focus of the Christian music artist/worship leader be different? Would we, the congregation, have a different, perhaps more profound, sense of our praise and worship knowing that Jesus is truly there in front us?

(you can fast forward to ~4:20 for the song to start...the first 4 minutes are exactly what the big screens of Copacabana Beach were showing so you'll see what I could only see during Saturday night's vigil of World Youth Day...Pope Francis had asked for silence...after that, some brief reflections in different languages...then Matt Maher sings)

I think that YouTube video helps answer that awkward question.

So yeah, I was there on the beach! So was Jesus. So was Pope Francis. So was Matt Maher. So were 3+ million of my fellow Catholic brothers and sisters. I think the lyrics of Matt Maher's "Lord I Need You" really resonated with a lot of us that night since Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist, and we all recognized the necessity of God in our lives. And looking at various comments on YouTube videos after the fact...it seems as though this was many people's favorite moment/song through all of World Youth Day. And I agree!

This scene is especially striking to me because here we have a famous Christian music artist and worship leader on his knees facing Jesus literally and singing to Him literally...and focusing on Him literally...yet at the same time leading the 3+ million of us to do the same. At slightly higher elevation is Pope Francis, the successor of St. Peter, sitting and adoring in reverence with his helpers kneeling...all of them before Jesus elevated above everyone else.  Without a doubt, with everyone facing towards the Eucharist, the focus was definitely on Jesus. It makes it easier to worship and focus on our Lord when you can see Him. Even if I didn't know what was going on...to see Matt Maher kneeling as if facing something (not the crowd)...I would begin to ask what it is exactly (or rather, who) he is facing and why?

Maybe the YouTube video doesn't convey the profoundness of singing this song to Jesus while kneeling...maybe this blog post doesn't even convey that...but, I assure you, as a first-hand eyewitness to these moments...this experience was profound but ... normal to me.

This was profound to me because I was sharing this moment with surrounded by, truly, the universal Church from all over the world. And to kneel there together adoring Christ, recognizing my need for Him...I couldn't help but be grateful for the gift of spending that hour adoring Him with humility. But this experience at World Youth Day was also normal for me because I'm a fan of Matt Maher, and I listen to his music often (maybe just a few days earlier I saw him live in concert in Rio de Janeiro). And I often go to adore Christ in the Eucharist on my own, usually after work or before/after Mass. And sometimes I go to Adoration where there is some sort of music leader leading adoration, praise, and worship.

But...as cool as it is do have Adoration done this way with song, with the Pope, with other people, etc... my favorite way to adore Christ is in silence, usually in an empty-but-open Catholic church.  There's a greater profoundness spending that time with Jesus truly present in the Eucharist when it is just Him and me in silence, free from the distractions of other noises and other people. And I mention this because I'm at a point in my journey of faith that I don't require music to be playing in order to praise and worship our Lord. And though Adoration is a form of worship of Jesus for us Catholics...I think it's important for us Catholics to know that Adoration is possible without all the bells and smells of a setting like this experience at World Youth Day or at retreats.

Anyway, don't get me wrong... it is still very much a good thing that our worship leaders and favorite Christian music artists, and choir ministers lead us in praise and worship of Jesus in our churches. But I think to do that before our Lord, truly present, brings about a deeper and more profound sense of focus and really helps us call to mind a deeper sense of why we even sing to Jesus in first place.

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defense, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need You.
- JD

Praise band from Hearts On Fire Rally 2009 // xuthiensun, Flickr

7 Quick Takes (Vol.9)

--- 1 ---

Something practical I learned from the YouTube is the Japanese art of efficient t-shirt folding.  I somehow came across it the summer before my first semester of college, and it definitely helped in folding my laundry.  I thought this was common knowledge since the video has millions and millions of views, but apparently I was wrong.

Here's the video:

And I say that because volunteering in ministry inevitably results in a myriad of t-shirts.  And perhaps this one time I obtained a t-shirt but couldn't wear it at the time so I folded it.  That inevitably resulted in others noticing how quickly the t-shirt ended up being folded.

Well then, I put my t-shirt folding sensei hat on...and passed on this wisdom.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.  Because volunteering in ministry, I should reiterate, inevitably results in a lot of t-shirts.  And the crowd is never the same.

It inspired this time attack run on folding a t-shirt (from Facebook):

Grasshoppers learn well.

--- 2 ---

I mentioned in my last Quick Takes about running a retreat.  Again, this retreat was focused on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.  These are the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration, and the Institution of the Eucharist.  We went through each of the Mysteries from Scripture using Lectio Divina to prayerfully reflect and contemplate what God wants us to know regarding each passage.  What's great about Lectio Divina is being able to really chew on the Word and let it marinate through reflection, response, and rest.  This spiritual exercise is also a good medium for journaling, and I issued our retreaters notebooks to respond to Scripture.

All in all...I'm quite pleased with the retreat.  Actually, I was kind of freaking out because I didn't give myself adequate preparation time and hammering down of concrete details.  Basically, the entire retreat was planned in like...a week's worth of time.  Sure, I had a template to follow from last time I ran one of these, and it was just a matter of plugging in the new elements.

But! Every time I make plans, God laughs.  The retreat didn't really go according to my outlined plan...so I just gave up using my schedule.  Haha.

Although I must say...it was a great retreat.  I think the retreaters definitely got something good out of it.  Surprisingly, two of my young adult chaperones really got something out of it.  But, hey! I'm all for second-hand benefits/fruits when chaperoning a retreat.

Oh, and one thing I love about Catholic retreats?  You will never go hungry! We feed physically...and spiritually!  Friday night was pizza.  Breakfast Saturday morning was an array of regular, strawberry, blueberry, strawberry/blueberry pancakes with sausage. Lunch was make-your-own sandwich with legit deli meat.  Dinner was food from a local Italian restaurant. Mmm.

And oh, Mass had the Eucharist ;-)

--- 3 ---

Because I'm a busy Catholic, my next focus will be for an event next month.  My diocese holds an annual conference for youth in the summer, and last year I had the privilege of helping run a workshop on masculinity and authentic manhood.

I think I'm slated to help out with that same workshop again for this year, but I want to change it up.  I have an idea already...I just need to hash it out (with...#hashtags?!).

Even if I don't end up doing it...at the very least, it'll make for a good blog post. :-)

MAN UP!

--- 4 ---

This week's theme regarding work is: "Don't touch the restroom door handles."  On Wednesday, I happened to notice (more than usual) of other guys NOT washing their hands after using the facilities. Like, straight up from porcelain to door with no lay over at the sink.

Perhaps I'm a little more attentive now who does or does not wash their hands because of Kidd Kraddick's latest cause in promoting hand washing awareness. 

Gross to think about the lacking of washing...but my only consolation is a buildup of immunity. -___-

--- 5 ---

I thought that devoting some time for Total Consecration preparation would be more burdensome than I thought, but it really hasn't. I guess I've somewhat learned to cut out some unnecessary time spent on things, and this leaves enough room to sit down and reflect each night. 

It's going well.  So far I'm in the first twelve days, where the goal is to detoxify oneself from the ways of the world. I'm starting to be more attentive about the things that hold me back.

If you follow my blog directly or me on Twitter, you can immediately see when I post a daily reflection for each day of the Total Consecration preparation.

--- 6 ---

Google Reader is about to die in a few days. When I first heard about this months ago, I'm not gonna lie, I did in fact freak out.

Simply because Google Reader was my primary aggregation method of my growing list of Catholic blogs to follow. So I did spend some time seeking an alternative.  I think the read-a-holics of the Internet also freaked out and I found some useful lists of alternatives.

I tried one and liked it. It's called Feedly. What's nice is...they've made it easy for users to migrate their feeds from Google Reader to Feedly. For a long while, they were just echoing the content found on Google Reader's servers, but in the past week, they've actually migrated over to their own servers.

Annnndddd, now Feedly is web-accessible! No longer just an extension in browser and app!

I like it because it presents feeds in a nice manner and the app is pretty slick.  OH! And my favorite part, now that it has been implemented--it integrates with If This Then That!

Now, I am unstoppable. MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA.

Not really.

--- 7 ---
And for this weekend, I'm also busy.  Not a retreat this time.  I've been asked to lector at a friend's wedding at my parish.  I am honored! I guess my reading of the Word at Mass is good enough to do so at weddings!

But this wedding is kind of a big deal.  Simply because I know like...a big chunk of the family.  No there will not be 6 concelebrants this time...but the biggest deal of all....is that I'll feel old.  Really old.  I taught the bride how to march with her clarinet like 10 years ago. And here we are. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

- JD

Stuff Catholic Guys Say

I find that I'm at a point where I have leveled up enough in Catholic nerdiness to appreciate these videos.  Yes, sometimes I do find myself saying Catholic things.

The second one features one of my friends with scapular problems!

Back to discerning because Audrey Assad is married...
- JD

Competitive, Joyful Nunnery

I just recently found out that Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are competing in this round (season?) of The American Bible Challenge on Game Show Network.

A few things:

1. I didn't know there was such a show on TV!
2. Even moreso, it's hosted by Jeff Foxworthy!
3. I just really like nuns

Haha, I think this is really cool because sometimes we Catholics are stereotypically not well versed in book-chapter-verse Biblical knowledge and here we have nuns on a game show that tests Biblical knowledge with occasional quasi-Minute To Win It challenges. 

...and so far, they're doing pretty well!

This past Thursday was the semi-finals.  A sneak peak:

lol the Christian Wrestlers, Righteous Rubies, and the Sisters of Mary...and I don't know about you, but that seems rather intense stacking books alternating horizontal and vertical and having to worry about what order they're supposed to be in.  It's intense for me because I would miserably fail. -__-  I need to work on that...I mean, my OT skillz.  Not so much on book stacking. ;-)

You know what's cool about seeing them compete like this?  Their joy shines through.  Sister Maria Suso was interviewed by Brandon Vogt, Catholic writer and speaker, and she talks more about their community, her experience on the show as well as what joy is:

I wish I had known about this sooner...and I wish I had caught the semi-finals episode...but alas, this past Thursday I was in the middle of a meeting with a Knight of Columbus regarding insurance.

Anyway...maybe I can catch the next episode because THEY WON THE SEMI-FINALS!  They posted on their Facebook page... (yes, they have a Facebook page)

Awesome.  I do have a DVR...

Hey, joyful sista.
- JD

3 Happenings Regarding Abortion

Apparently this past week has been pretty active in terms of important things going on pertaining to abortion. Or maybe it just comes up a lot on Catholic radio...and blogs...which I listen to and follow...

First, the horrific.

Kermit The Abortionist
"Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder as well as multiple counts of conspiracy, criminal solicitation and violation of a state law that forbids abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy." (NY Times).  He recently came under fire because a pregnant woman died from a medicinal drug overdose administered by him.  Worst of all, these seven counts of first-degree murder is for allegedly "snipping" the necks and spinal cords of viable fetuses (ie. babies).

It doesn't take much Googling or Binging to come up with news coverage...but...it's not getting much mass media coverage, if at all.  I find this interesting because we're American--we immediately react and passionately spread word about the injustices happening in our country, especially if it's about rape and/or marriage.

Unless of course...it has anything to do with abortion.

Let's pray for the conversion of his soul and for all involved.

Here are some articles:
Abortion Doctor's Murder Trial Opens - NY Times
Abortion doctor on trial, but media not interested; pro-lifers see bias in Philadelphia case - WA Times

'Fetuses and blood all over the place': Medic's graphic account of 'be-heading live babies' at abortion 'House of Horrors' in Philadelphia - Daily Mail (UK)

Gosnell employee recants ‘guilty’ plea during tearful, gruesome testimony - LifeSite News

Planned Parenthood Lobbyist

There's a video floating around (viral, maybe?) of Florida legislators asking questions of a Planned Parenthood lobbyist.  Essentially, she speaks on behalf of Planned Parenthood stating that a baby born alive from a botched abortion ...well, it's still the mother's choice whether that baby gets medical attention or not.

See for yourself:

She seemed to be thrown off guard...lacking full confidence...

But still...are you kidding me? It's cool to just leave that baby there on the table left to die? :-(

Ms. Alisa Lapolt Snow apparently served on a board for Catholic Charities before Planned Parenthood.  Umm...clearly she is out of communion with the Catholic Church if she is publicly not-really-defending life and advocating for abortion through her actions.

I think she needs a green scapular.  And let us offer our prayers for her conversion as well.

Lastly...

And Then There Were None

Abby Johnson, author of Unplanned and fellow Aggie, started a ministry last year to help abortion clinic workers get out of the abortion industry.  In the past year, her ministry has helped 45 workers leave.

This past Monday was their Day of Exodus for 2013, a designated day whereby abortion clinic workers desiring to leave were encouraged to do so.  In the weeks prior, ATTWN hit up a bunch of abortion clinics in the country to spread word about Day of Exodus.

This is an intriguing concept to me...helping abortion clinic workers get out of the industry by providing the spiritual and material help and support they need to get out.  It is no surprise, because that is exactly how the Coalition of Life helped out Abby.

Let us also pray for Abby and her ministry...especially for abortion clinic workers and their conversion of heart towards a culture of life. 

- JD

Palm Sunday

I was at a retreat this past weekend (future blog post), and the priest leading the retreat mentioned how one of his old students texted the link to the YouTube video below.

First, some background.  For most Christians, the Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday.  On this day, we commemorate Jesus' triumphant arrival entering into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19: 28-40, John 12:12-19).  This was a big deal because the people of Jerusalem had heard about the works of mercy and miracles Jesus performed in neighboring cities.  And they welcomed him by laying palm branches and their cloaks on the ground as he rode in on his donkey with his disciples following him.

For Catholics, Mass always begins with a procession.  And for Palm Sunday, usually the priest invites the congregation to meet outside of the church for a blessing of the palm branches.  Then he reads a Gospel account of Jesus entering into Jerusalem.  After this, the priest and his helpers (deacons, acolytes, altar servers) process in with the congregation carrying palm branches to signify this triumphant arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem.

And every Catholic Mass has a reading of the Gospel, and every Palm Sunday, an account of the Passion is read from Jesus' betrayal to his burial in the tomb because it prepares us for Holy Week and to reflect on the Passion before we celebrate His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  I'm not sure how other parts of the Catholic world read it, but at least here in the United States, the Passion is read in parts.  Usually the priest reads what Jesus said, another speaker reads stuff like what Pilate, Herod, and other individuals said.  Another person narrates.  But the whole congregation participates too at certain points.

For example, you can read Luke 22: 14-23 and kind of see how you could split the dialogues into different parts.  Now, this is not a performance even though everyone has a speaking part.  It is an active participation of the Gospel, moreso than usual, for everyone.  Yes, in words, but with the intent of really placing ourselves in that setting of Jerusalem 2000 years ago.  Or at least, everyone needs to be fully engaged and actively participate.  But why? Why do it this way?  Do we get anything out of it by doing it this way?

With all that in mind, that provides the context for this video and perhaps it illustrates the answer to why it is done this way:

Crucify him! Crucify him!
- JD

:-/