A Better Deal For Pumpkin Spice Coffee

As I recall, about a month or so ago, people were posting about their excitement or resentment that Starbucks would soon put the much acclaimed pumpkin spice latte back on the menu. Really, that was simply a sign...

Personally, I like pumpkin pie, tarts, and other pumpkin-flavored baked paraphernalia. But I have reservations about buying pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Simply put, it's not cheap or it's not the most economical solution for me. I noticed the other day that a tall pumpkin spice latte at the Starbucks at my work is $4.50! Ok, maybe it's slightly cheaper out in the wild...

$3.95. Plus tax. Delicious choices make for smaller wallets.

Let's do some math. And math is hard, so I kindly ask you to suffer with me as I do math.

If JD (that's me) drinks one cup of coffee a day during the work week...

That's $21.40.  A week. A week. $21.40 a week. For a pumpkin spice latte. I like pumpkin flavored things and as far as coffee goes...what if I don't even want the whipped cream, milk and extra spice because I drink my coffee black?

Ok. So. I need a more economical solution that simply fulfills my requirements of enjoying pumpkin spiced flavored coffee drink without having to spend that much money, and without having to spend money on the extra stuff.

That's when I had a stroke!

...of inspiration!

To brew my own pumpkin spiced coffee!

Luckily, I live in a Catholic world. And living in a Catholic world, there exists the awesomeness that are religious communities of friars, monks, brothers, sisters, nuns, etc.  And sometimes they actually sell stuff they make/grow.

That's where Mystic Monk comes in.

In Wyoming, there's a community of Carmelite monks who have a routine of prayer and manual labor. Part of their manual labor is growing coffee beans, which they sell through Mystic Monk. I've heard lots of good things from Catholic friends and acquaintances about how great their coffee is, so I decided to try them for the first time.

Because...

They have...

THIS

Pumpkin spice coffee beans! From Mystic Monk! (No, they don't sell college mugs or knife sets or paper towel holders with paper towels included...)

ZOMG

I immediately had to bust out my coffee making skills... (in caption narrative)

I'm too lazy to boil water over the stove so....electric kettle...

Just opening the bag and scooping the beans unleashes a tsunami of pumpkin spice aroma that drowns my nostrils!
Wasn't sure if tasting through mouth or through nose

Go go grinder gadget!

Dang, looks so fine

My preferred coffee brewing method--the Aeropress

Funnel it in

Just add the electric kettle'd water and stir the water and grounds...then press...then add more hot water...then boom. A pumpkin spice coffee! (Of course, you could always use other coffee machines and Keurigs, etc)

Best enjoyed while sitting at the table reading Lord of the Rings, I'd say

I'm not high enough of a Coffee Barista level to create lattés, but even then I drink my coffee black.

So how is this a more economical solution than what Starbucks has to offer? If you check out the page for Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee beans at Mystic Monk, you'll see they sell individual 12 ounce bags for $11.95. Plus shipping and handling, that comes to about $18.10 (or at least that's what I paid).

I've had about 5 cups of pumpkin spice coffee and I've used half the bag of beans. Some more hard math:

As you can see, I save about $12 a week by making my own rather than paying for the Starbucks version. Sure, I know it's not a 1-to-1 comparison because Starbucks uses espresso, pumpkin sauce/syrup, spice, whipped cream and steamed milk. Oh and apparently these ingredients contain a ton of sugar, not necessarily organic stuff, and a Class IV Carcinogen?!

Maybe that's why it tastesssss soooo goooodsss

But even if I were to suddenly start making actual lattés, adding milk and whipped cream wouldn't increase my per drink cost that much.

So then, thanks to math, I was able to remind myself why I don't like going to and paying for Starbucks, and I was able to find a better deal. Praise God for coffee-making Carmelite monks in Wyoming!

Now, they do sell a wide array of other things besides pumpkin spice coffee.  Things like normal coffee in the usual roasts, other flavors of coffee, specialty coffees, teas, MONK SHOTS (for the K-cup lovers), coffee storage and making devices, shirts, Catholic religious gifts, and Gregorian chant CDs. AND you can even sign up for coffee subscriptions. Whoa.

If it suits your fancy... head on over to MysticMonkCoffee.com! Banner on the right sidebar or links on this blog post. By going to them via my blog, you'll basically be saying "JD sent me here" and any purchases you make will help the "JD is going to Poland in 2016 for World Youth Day" fund. And I'll be using the extra cash I'm not spending at Starbucks and save it for Poland!

Much appreciation if you do make a purchase through my blog! And either way, you primarily help the monks out so they can continue making great coffee as they pray for us as well as helping out their local community.

Math is hard. But tastes so good.
- JD

Brace Yourself, Pumpkin Spice Everything is Coming // The Sprouting Seed
Jimmy Fallon Ew meme // Reddit-Tumblr

The Reason Why Our Country Hasn't Fallen Apart

When I was on pilgrimage for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, I had the opportunity to go to the Holocaust Museum. I mean, how fitting since my group had just prayed in front of one of the most active abortion clinics in the country earlier in the morning. Since it was a holiday, they weren’t performing abortions and thus were closed for the day. Whew. But! What better way to continue reflecting on the injustice of the vulnerable and innocent than by refreshing on or learning more about the Nazi’s Holocaust of the Jewish people, others they deemed unfit, and others who stood in their way.

While standing in line waiting to go into the Museum, I noticed a religious brother had gotten in line just behind me. Talking to him was simply irresistible because religious brothers are just awesome! After talking to him for a little while, I learned the basics: the name he goes by is Ignacio, he’s from Texas, he is of the Benedictine order hence he is a Benedictine monk (but not a priest), and he’s been assigned to their monastery in Washington, D.C.

As we were talking to him, I was surprised to learn about his monastery because I didn’t know there was a Benedictine monastery nearby. I mean, I knew of the Franciscan monastery because that is normally part of our itinerary for this pilgrimage for the March for Life. Not only was it nearby, but the Benedictine monastery is also near the Franciscan one. Huh, I would have never guessed…but…cool!

During the course of our conversation, my buddy asked him how he liked being here in D.C. He said he loves it and that it’s an exciting place to be. I’m a Texas boy too and big city life like Washington, D.C. would surely be full of not dull moments.

He said one thing that sticks to my mind more than anything. Brother Ignacio said that it is really important to have a Catholic presence in our nation’s capital because of all the power and influence that reside along the Potomac River. Just by my knowing of Br. Ignacio’s existence pointed to the reality that there must be a greater Catholic presence in D.C. then I had previously thought about up until that point. And what he said made sense regarding such density of authority in the capital. Of course! It is very important to have a Catholic presence there because of all the crazy things we have to deal with as a nation, and a certain handful of people in our capital can make decisions that affect each and every single American's life.

He jokingly said that the reason why our country hasn’t completely fallen apart is because of the Catholic presence of religious brothers and sisters constantly praying for our country and our country’s leaders at the heart of all the political action. We all laughed, and it’s funny because there’s truth to that. I couldn’t help but wonder what other Catholic friaries, monasteries, convents, etc. exist in and around Washington, D.C. Like I said, I knew of the Franciscan Monastery, and also the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration just down the street from them. Also, there’s Catholic University of America with the behemoth of a Catholic church that is the Basilica, which I know many priests and seminarians pass through those halls. And to think…all of them (plus all the others I have yet to find out about) praying for us and for our country...

Sure, the best ways to help our country would definitely come through physical, tangible means. You know, making laws, decisions, etc. meant for the betterment of this country that we love so dear, from sea to shining sea. And then actually following through with those. But as a practicing Catholic, I’ve come to learn and appreciate that just as much as there is a physical reality to things, there is also a spiritual reality. That’s where prayer really helps. Through prayer, we approach God in humility asking for His help because without His help, we wouldn’t get very far. If we carry this interior disposition to truly love and serve others in a genuine way by seeking their ultimate good, that will carry through in our actions and manifest in physical reality.

I'm glad that we've got presence in the capital, and that joining them in prayers for our country is myself and the gray-haired ones who warm the pews on a daily basis when no one else is around during the week. Our prayers will be unceasing. How can I truly help my fellow Americans and serve them?

At the very least, I think it's cool that I randomly had this opportunity to speak to a Benedictine brother for a little bit. Haha! He ended up meeting the rest of my group and pretty much abandoned whatever group he was chaperoning. He hung out with us for a long while after we were done.

Story time with Br. Ignacio.
- JD

Regarding the Need for Healing

At the beginning of Lent, I attended our parish mission. A parish mission can be thought of as a time for the parish to rekindle zeal and grow in faith, especially during special liturgical seasons (like Lent!). We usually bring in Franciscan Friars of the Renewal to lead our parish mission, which for us occurs over the course of three consecutive evenings (not every parish mission is done the same). This year we had Fr. Juan Diego--Canadian by birth, beard by choice. And then there was Fr. John Anthony, who is still a toddler priest since he was ordained sometime after Rio last summer (because I met him in Rio since he was with that other Texas group we happened to share the hostel with, and he was only a deacon then).

They covered three different topics each of the night. The first one was on the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. The second night was on Confession. The third night was on healing.

Of all the three days, the third one stood out to me the most. 

Fr. Juan Diego gave the talk, and he began by reading from the Gospel about the hemorrhaging woman. She suffered some sort of blood flow illness for twelve years, but had heard that Jesus was nearby. Knowing that He could heal and perform miracles, she made the effort, in faith, to get near Him. While He was teaching, she touched His garment or a part of His garment, and upon doing so, His power flowed and healed the woman. Jesus, noticing that power had gone forth from Him, asks the crowd, "Who touched me?" and the woman tells Him the truth. He says to her, "Daughter, your faith has made  you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

After reading this account from the Gospel, Fr. Juan Diego carried on with his talk. He recounted various stories in his life as a friar where people recognized their need for healing. One particular experience he had was rather gut wrenching. When he was newly ordained as a priest, he was assigned to go to Central America. Upon arrival, he got to know a beautiful family with many kids. One tragic day, one of the youngest, Francisco, was run over by a bus. The family was utterly devastated, and Fr. Juan Diego was called upon by the family to pray, to counsel, and to help with the burial process. Not only that, but he had to deal with the families on both sides of the tragic accident including the bus driver and his family. In telling us this, Fr. Juan Diego made the point that God allows bad things to happen so that a greater good can come out of it. Inevitably, the question, "Why, God, why?!" comes up. While I won't discuss the problem of evil, the point is that even though bad things happen, it ultimately points back towards God. We can respond in despair or seek healing. The reality is that we're going to suffer at some point. The question is...how do I deal with it? Do I let God help me through it? Or do I cast Him aside?

I wish I can convey the cohesiveness and fullness of Fr. Juan Diego's explanation of these stories that he told to illustrate the need for healing, but it's one of those, "you had to be there!" sort of things.

The last part was the procession. Before explaining that, I've mentioned in other blog posts how Catholics believe that the Eucharist, under the appearance bread, is really, truly Jesus Christ present: body, blood, soul, and divinity. Each of the nights, during the friars' talks, we had Jesus exposed in the monstrance (the gold thing, Spanish "mostrar" means "to show"...see the etymology, kind of?). This last night of the mission, we had a special kind of Eucharistic procession that really brings to life the account in the Gospel with the hemorrhaging woman. We become the woman in all our brokeness, our sickness, and our need for healing. In this kind of procession, the priest walks from person to person while holding the monstrance containing Eucharist. He is cloaked in a humeral veil to cover his hands, and this physically signifies (which points to the spiritual reality) that it isn't the priest who is walking around from person to person, but rather Jesus Himself. As He goes from person to person, we have the opportunity to "touch His cloak" like the bleeding woman in the Gospel.

I was one in of the first few groups of people-in-the-pews to approach the altar rail of our sanctuary where Fr. Juan Diego was processing with Jesus. But of course I was moved because I really prayed about something where I needed healing (future blog post(s), maybe). When I returned to my pew, I reflected on how much I need the healing love of Christ, and in a very tangible way, I experienced this opportunity to allow Him to heal me.

Apart from the very real, truly personal effect of this Eucharistic procession for me, I was probably more intrigued at seeing everyone else have this opportunity to touch His cloak. Like I said, I was one of the first few groups of people to do so, therefore I got to glance up every now and then and see others experience Jesus as healer. I could tell by the look on many of their faces that they really needed this. Some were in tears...many had solemn faces (not in a sad, depressing way)...and some had a look of joy! Now, I don't know each person's story, but over and over again, seeing everyone's response after they touched His cloak really drove home that we all have this very real need for healing for our sufferings.

Obviously, when I've got bronchitis or some other sickness, I'll go to the doctor (maybe that happened once...or thrice...). When I have chipped my tooth, busted up my face, and potentially suffered a concussion, I'll go to the ER and dentist (maybe that happened once...). When I'm suffering in these physical ways, I obviously don't want to let it keep bothering me or causing me to suffer. I will go seek help to get healed. I mean, that's not an unreasonable response, right? Not only that, but I obviously wouldn't go to my podiatrist to give me a root canal. My doctor probably wouldn't be able to give me a prescription for my contacts. In other words, when I'm dealing with certain ailments and problems, I'll go to the correct person to help heal that problem.

So what about when I'm sick on the inside? This totally happens from time to time where I suffer in a way that isn't physical yet my mind is clear but heart is troubled. Who can help heal me when the problem isn't necessarily something tangible that a normal doctor can heal? How can I have a restored sense that I'm genuinely loved? How do I break away from despair, from sadness, from hopelessness? How can I endure all my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual sufferings? To whom shall I go?

The hemorrhaging woman knew.
- JD

Picture of bleeding woman from Wikipedia
Picture of Pope Francis with monstrance from Catholic Sun

Hope: 10 Minutes With A Homeless Woman

Another year, and another Christmas Eve morning spent at Beautiful Feet! I blogged about my experience last year, and how that made an impact on me.

This year was pretty much a repeat, and while I don't want to rehash all that, I do want to blog about a particular moment during that Christmas Eve morning that stood out to me.

We had already sorted clothes and everyone was downstairs helping serve that "Thanksgiving-esque" meal graciously cooked by my brother Knights of Columbus. Space was tight with all the tables filled. Some of the homeless decided to eat at the tables outside, which was totally fine because the weather and sun outside late in the morning were quite beautiful!

I decided to walk outside too just to see who all was hanging around outside. I stumbled upon some of my parish peers engaged in conversation with this elderly woman. I didn't catch some of the beginning parts of that conversation, but I caught on and started paying attention when she started talking about the Virgin Mary.

And. How. Much. She. Loved. The. Virgin. Mary.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

So I guess she started giving a sort of life story and how Mary has given her strength and hope through her difficult times. Listening to her, we found out that she was in an abusive relationship, her now ex-husband molested their granddaughters, she used to be a cocaine addict, she's been assaulted physically, she currently lives in a homeless shelter, her teeth were knocked out by one of her relatives, many other homeless people don't like her and will throw things at her, and I'm sure she covered other sad events.

But what really threw me off and intrigued me was how she endured all these traumatizing things by keeping close to our Blessed Mother. She had learned how to pray the Rosary way back when, and she had a sort of conversion moment upon praying it. And since then, she's been devoted to the Virgin Mary! She said something about how praying the Rosary keeps her sane while dealing with the craziness of her homeless life.

What throws me off the most is how freakin' excited and joyful she was in expressing this love for the Virgin Mary. I didn't really sense sadness from her even as she explained her dark past. Haha she was even showing off her Rosaries and Mary medals and all this other Mary-related stuff she had on her! And I really liked how she told us that she knows the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal who live down the road.  Not only that, but how she utterly begs them for their ginormous Rosaries that they carry around with them! Haha, made me llol (literally laugh out loud).

Even more surprising to me was how she understood mostly what Catholics teach about Mary. She understood that we do not worship her, but rather honor her greatly because her Son honors her. And she totally understood that without her and her saying "yes!" out of love and obedience to God, we wouldn't have Jesus. She understood that Mary helps lead us to Jesus as He leads us to God, the Father. She also understood that she's surrounded by demons and how Mary protects her. (Side note: I forget which Catholic saint said this, but when he was interacting with demons, he asked them, "What are you most afraid of?" and the demons answered, "Mary." I mean, it's not like...Mary crushes the head of serpents or anything...)

Anyway...You see, I don't think most Catholics even understand some of these concepts of what the Church teaches about Mary. And she was here...telling us all this...and how her life relates to it all...with such joy and hope! So, I was definitely amazed and impressed.

Green Scapular

Because of her past and need for physical and spiritual healing, I felt called to give her the green scapular I had in my wallet (lately, I try to keep scapulars and Miraculous Medals with me to hand out). The green scapular is a devotion Our Lady revealed to a French religious sister named Sr. Justine Bisqueyboro in the mid 1800's. It centers on Mary's Immaculate Heart, and the prayer that should be prayed daily is, "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us, now and at the hour of our death." The fruits of this devotion can be help in the areas of physical health, peace of mind, and spiritual conversion. After I gave her my green scapular, my youth minister friend gave her a brown scapular which is a totally different devotion with different fruits.

She so was grateful that we gave her these scapulars, and she pretty much took it as a sign. She said that these were amazing gifts for Christmas.

Then she went on her merry, joyful way. Towards the end, I got pulled away to help bring in more donated food into the building. But I couldn't help but be amazed at her joyful hope. She was so incredibly happy when she left, and that was really awesome to see! Geez, she seemed so happy even as a homeless person. I find difficulty in finding us who live in suburbia oozing with the kind of joy and hope she had.

Hanging out with her got me thinking about the theological virtue of hope the rest of the day, and I later looked up what our Catechism says about it:

1818     The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity.

And how Mary plays in the role of hope for us all:

64     Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts. The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations. Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith, and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.

Awesome.

So in that short 10-minute conversation with the elderly homeless woman, I gained a better appreciation for the power of hope and how Mary can strengthen that hope. Without a doubt, the hope of heaven through Mary (through Jesus) is sufficient enough to sustain her, and it is definitely a blessing to have witnessed someone en fuego for the faith like her.

Please pray for her, that she may receive healing from her physical and spiritual sufferings and for her to find not just a house, but a home. And also pray for people of good will, who find it in their hearts to help our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

If I remember correctly, her real name is Tammy, but her street name that she goes by is Maria Cristo.

Faith. Hope. Love.
- JD

Picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from Wikipedia
Picture of the Green Scapular from Our Lady of the Rosary Library

Associate's Day

I'm a big fan of the Franciscan Friars (and sisters, but this is about the friars) of the Renewal. Always have been. They're an awesome group of friars and it's cool that my parish has a close relationship with them (maybe in recent history, two of our own are or have been Franciscans of the Renewal), and it's nice that they have a local friary!

Once a month, usually at the beginning, they host an "associate's day" for us lay people. I've been hearing my some of parish friends talk about attending and how great it is. A lay associate is simply a lay person who desires to share in the spirituality and work of a particular religious community.

Looking at my really busy calendar, I saw that yesterday was a free-enough of a day for me to attend!

Under ordinary circumstances, an associate's day consists of several things. It starts out with Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, a few hours spent with the homeless at a local park, lunch, catechesis, and a Holy Hour.

I arrived at the friary a few minutes past 8AM. I thought I would be late because my dog escaped my residential premises this morning, and it took a little while to coax her back close enough for me to catch her... >_>

No one was really there when I arrived. A few other guys and I walked into the friary and got to chit-chat with the friars while we waited for everyone to show up. I met Br. Isaiah, who I have never met or seen before. I also met Fr. Leo, who apparently is just visiting since he's assigned to some town in England (I forget the name). He apparently is a home grown local and a Tech Red Raider. He is visiting because he needs to receive some surgery.

This was my second time inside their humble abode. After a while, I want to say like 40 people showed up? A good chunk were familiar faces from my parish! 

Because yesterday was the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the friars did a renewal of lay associate promises. Lay associates can commit themselves for a full year of dedication to the spirituality and mission of the Friars of Renewal. I got to partially take part in that even though this was my first time. By partially, I mean that everyone present participated in reciting the prayer, but only the candidates who wanted to be official lay associates stated their name during the prayer. The friars keep a list ;-). Haha I didn't put myself on that list...this time.

After that brief ceremony, if you will, we went into catchesis to learn more about an aspect of the faith. In the past few associate's days, Fr. Pio had been explaining the Mass and its different parts. Apparently last month, he had wrapped up talking about Eucharistic Prayer I, and yesterday he explained Eucharistic Prayers II through IV and the end of the Mass.

Wow! I learned a lot! I didn't realize there was a lot of theological, Scriptural, symbolic richness to the Mass! I mean...I knew, but not the details! And even then, I only got part of the Mass since I wasn't there when Fr. Pio explained the beginning parts of the Mass!

Fr. Pio finished his talk, took some questions, then jetted out of there to catch a flight to Chicago to talk more about his experiences in a visit to China where it's really tough to be Catholic. While trying to digest all he had said and all that I learned, we all went into brunch mode.

As I found out at some point, the friars weren't going to take us to the park where, under ordinary circumstances, we we would hang out and help the homeless. And then I also found out that they wouldn't be doing a Holy Hour of Adoration. Instead, there would be brunch and then we would be joining our diocese's Respect Life committee for a Mass in memorial of babies lost before baptism celebrated by our diocesan administrator (since we don't have a bishop...yet).

So, brunch mode. That explained why I saw many other associates bring food through the friary door earlier in the morning. It was a scrumptious spread of dessert and breakfast-type foods! Speaking of food coming through the friary door, one of my parish friends works at Panera Bread, and on Friday night he was able to obtain the leftover breads. He sincerely wanted to donate the bread to the poor and homeless somewhere, and knowing that some of us from my parish were going to the friary, he decided to join along but arriving later. I saw him walk through the door with his bags and bags of breads. What a good way to make use of that bread since I know the friars will definitely distribute it amongst the poor and homeless that they work with!

After much mingling with others, we all left the friary to go to the Mass at another nearby Catholic church.

Haha, it was funny on our way out. I carpooled with two of my parish buddies, and as we pulled out of the parking lot of the friary, Fr. Leo flags us down. Apparently he needed to catch a ride to the church because he was going to concelebrate the Mass.

We arrived at the church and walked in. I had never been in this particular church before, but I could have had an opportunity for Wedding #3B but it conflicted with Wedding #3A. Oh if only I had the gift of bi-location to be at both weddings at the same time!

Beautiful church though! The stain glass windows were recently cleaned and fixed up and you can tell! They had an adult My Size Mary Statue outside that was pretty cool. Oh if only I took a picture ....

Like I said, the Mass was for unborn babies lost before baptism. This includes those babies lost due to abortion, also miscarriages and illnesses as well. And while I could go into writing about why Catholics baptize babies and how important that is, that would make this post too lengthy.

It was cool because I saw some of my brother Knights of Columbus, of the 4th degree, were dressed in their full ceremonial regalia (feathered hat, cape, saber, sash, etc). If I ever see them, that means its a special occasion for sure! There was a part during the Mass (between Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist) where people processed down the aisle to place a rose at the feet of Mary (ie. place the roses at the feet of a Mary statue at the side of the sanctuary). I don't quite know the significance of this other than A) it was Saturday AKA Mary's day B) the Mass was dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and C) each rose placed is in memoriam of a baby lost before baptism. Solemn stuff.

After Mass, there was a reception. I made the comment to my parish friends that you could never go hungry at Catholic events because you'll always be fed--spiritually and physically. I mean, we just had brunch not too long ago... Haha. At the reception, I got to do more mingling. Then...went home.

So there you have it! While I fully intended to experience a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal lay associate's day, it didn't end up being that way. But that's okay! I still had a very good experience praying with, hanging out with, and Mass-ing with my fellow brothers and sisters! While I think next month might be a challenge for me to go to associate's day, I'm for sure wanting to come back for December!

Beards.
- JD

The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal // CFRtexas.com

One of the realities of being Catholic...

...is having really Catholic friends. But not just Catholic friends...rather, Catholic friends who end up being totally radical.

Multiple Math puns

And when I say "radical," I mean that in the "rooted" AND "departing from social norms" sense of the word.

Truly, a small handful of my Catholic friends have decided to live radical Catholic lives in pursuing a religious life of some sort. It's radical because your average person (and average Catholic...average Christian) doesn't consider dropping his or her current lifestyles in order to pursue a life lacking material, wealth, and seeking self. It's also radical because they can now live a really rooted Catholic life living an expression of the Catholic faith in community with others in the service of others.

When I graduated from college, some good acquaintances and friends from my college parish....

...joined the Apostles of the Interior Life.

...became a Jesuit to further pursue becoming an ordained Jesuit priest.

...entered seminaries in various dioceses.

(but that is just a mere taste of Aggie Catholics pursuing radical Catholic lives)

And just in the past few years that I've gotten really involved with my parish and getting to know some individuals...

...one of my young adult friends joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.

...two of my young adult friends will be joining the Franciscans of the Immaculate...the friars and sisters, respectively.

...three young men from my brother's high school class (different high schools) are going to the local seminary to further discern their call to the Catholic priesthood...though all three start(ed) at different times.

...I reconnected with a high school band alum who is several years older than me, and he was up in New York as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. Now he is discerning to be a diocesan priest and will be entering seminary sometime.

And these decisions to pursue such religious vocations, as we call it, do not come easily.  They all took time discerning what is God calling them to do with their lives, and they have freely and willingly answered this call after much prayer and guidance.

As Catholics, we celebrate joyfully the answering of this call to the religious life or priesthood primarily because it would be serving God in the way He intends; in the way He has called each of these individuals to live.  We share our joy in their joy.

So, why do I even care that I face the reality that my some of my Catholic friends are all like..."yo, I'mma be a brutha/sista!" or all like... "Dominus vobiscum!"? Simply because of their joy and youthful fervor in the Catholic faith. I also highly respect them for making such a life-altering decision to follow God's call in their respective ways, which go against the social norms.

And focusing on that youthful part...sometimes it is tempting to think of the Catholic Church as a bunch of old priests and greyhairs who sit in the front pew at Mass (and Daily Mass) or the angry nun with the witch-like voice and armed with a ruler, but that is simply not what I see and observe in real life.  All those individuals I mentioned above range from ages 18 to early 30's and are far from those stereotypes.  Hmm...the young Church...praise God that our 2000-year old faith comes alive through the youth of today because she is alive in Christ!

In an effort to humbly brag about some of these individuals and to convey a sense of their stories and personalities, I may highlight them further in my blog. Hopefully I can catch them before they move on towards their friaries, seminaries, and convents!

I ask for your prayers for vocations, especially for those I have mentioned above.  Thanks and God bless!

*90's voice* ...Radical!
- JD

Monastery & Mass

Day 2 - Thursday January 24, 2013

Click here for Day 1.

1:16AM (Fri)

Somewhere In Virginia at Host Family Home

I didn’t really expect to wake up last night at 4AM in the morning to the feeling of sheer cold.  I was sleeping in a room in the basement of our host family's home.  Apparently the heater got turned off at some point and t-shirt and shorts were a terrible idea, even with my supposedly "cold weather" sleeping bag.  I toughed it out though, and even went ahead and put on my Under Armour thermals because…well…I have them.  Builds character and preparation.

6:30AM rolls around, and being up and about was refreshing because it got my body moving to warm up a little.  The cool thing about waking up this morning despite overcoming the lack of heat was to see the aftermath of the previous nights’ snow fall.  I looked out the window, and it was beautiful to see a healthy blanket of snow cover the ground.

Our host family's backyard!

After a quick breakfast, my group at that particular host family's home headed out to the Metro station.  I spent nearly an hour and a half outside of the Metro station because we waited for the rest of our group to arrive from their respective host families’ houses. I definitely appreciated the functioning use of the main zipper on my jacket.  And gloves.  And scarf.  And UA thermals. And beanie. And second jacket. And hoodie.  It was cold.

40 Days for Life: Kickoff

Hypothetical Outsider: Psh, those Catholics (and friends) and their mass gatherings! They think they can end abortion through praying?! Riiiiiighhhhhttttt. I'll just sit here and make fun of them for a hopeless cause because they're wasting their time. What a waste of 40 days.

Yes. Wasting our time. Because...ya know...peaceful gatherings of constant prayer for 40 days doesn't cause:

• Abortion clinic workers to eventually quit their jobs.  Oh wait, what about this former Planned Parenthood director or this former Planned Parenthood manager?
• The closing of 24 abortion facilities after a 40 day prayer campaign.  Wait, that happened over the course of time [1].
• Unity between 15,000+ church congregations.  Oops, that happened [1].
• ~6000 known lives saved through 40 days of prayer and fasting.  Yikes, that happened too [1].

Today begins another campaign for the 40 Days For Life--forty days of constant prayer, fasting, and community in the stand for life.  This is my 3rd year participating in it.  

What's crazy is that this started when I was still in college at the very place where it originated in Bryan/College Station.  But, due to my schedule and lack of a vehicular device, I wasn't able to participate.  I suppose due to my lack of participation and ability to participate yet willful desire to join in college led to my fiery motivation to ensure that I participated after graduating.  And here I am.  

It's affirming to hear the fruits of this campaign and it's spreading like wildfire across the globe, year after year.  Check out the website for more info: www.40daysforlife.com   

Anyway, I'm blogging live from the 40 Days for Life kickoff in Ft. Worth.  Starting...now!

6:42PM
Now I'm live blogging from the 40 Days for Life Kickoff rally in Ft. Worth. I see a few familiar faces from my parish, but I'm rather impressed by the attendance right now because I'm not used to seeing this many people in front of Planned Parenthood. Rumor has it that Bishop won't be here but he seems to be busy with things as of late.




6:54PM
I see a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal!!! Or three! Br. Shamus, Br. Stephen, and Fr. Pio! Wait, lies!  Make that all four of them! Yay Fr. Juan Diego! #CFR








7:04PM
JK. Bishop arrived!  He should have brought back a palm tree with him >_>



7:05PM
Let's get this party started!

Friars are good at baby-holding

Bishop Vann gave an opening prayer. Now for a reading of guidelines for this campaign.  Because what makes 40 Days for Life also cool is that all participants must adhere to specific guidelines to maintain charitable peace and prayer.  We ain't like them crazy pro-lifers who take things to the extreme.




7:11PM
David Bereit, the creator of the very first 40 Days for Life was the speaker at this kickoff!  WHOOP! (that's Texas Aggie for affirmation of awesomeness)




He's bringing up how Texas paved the way for legalizing abortion, yet here we stand years later in the biggest 40 Days for Life campaign yet.  He gave us some stats from Planned Parenthood on abortion, then provided a motivational speech on why we're doing this.  He also recounted stories about his journey in doing the 40 Days for Life.  Pretty cool.  Again, it boggles my mind that this all started while I was at college, just a mile or two from where I lived/schooled.  The kickoff rally ended with a Presbyterian minister doing the closing prayer.  Which, to me, is cool because...the pro-life effort is a universal one.

//endliveblogging

Anyway, I'm pretty excited about this campaign.  I'm still trying to decide how I want to spend my time in prayer during my committed hour of prayer once a week.  Last year, I blogged on my iPhone reflecting on abortion and Planned Parenthood, which I'll "reblog" on this blog since those posts reside on my older blog.

40 days.  Challenge accepted.
- JD

[1] 40 Days for Life, Sept 2012

Bearded Morning

Today I'm on my way to College Station to celebrate a school tradition, which I've described in my other blog here. I'm traveling with my high school Confirmation teachers, 'Sam' and 'Becky,' who had a lot to do with my becoming an Aggie.

Anyway, 'Sam' had taken a lot (say 400+) from last weekend's Youth 2000 retreat, and someone had pointed out to 'Sam' that one of his pictures of Fr. Juan Diego, CFR happened to also include St. Juan Diego in the background from one of the Youth 2000 banners. Not only that, it was a good picture of Fr. Juan Diego on the altar. So, we decided to visit Fr. Juan Diego at the friary near downtown on our way down to College Station.

I've been a big fan of the friars since learning about them as a high schooler, and I had always heard about their friary in Ft. Worth without really knowing where it was. It's located in a poorer part of town, right next to a really small Catholic church. We got there, knocked on the door, and no one answered. 'Sam' and I looked around the parish grounds wondering if the friars were elsewhere on the grounds. After some awkward knocking and answering of other doors, I lost 'Sam,' but found him at the friary again talking to Fr. Pio.

After some hellos and salutations, Fr. Pio invited us in to the friary. No other friars were home because they are visiting a hermitage. A simple, two-story house is the friary. What I found to be really cool was their chapel. I think just the fact that they have a tabernacle in a room in their house is pretty legit, but expected.

'Sam' and Fr. Pio talked in the sacristy while 'Becky' took me on a brief tour of the kitchen and dining room. When we joined 'Sam' and Fr. Pio, he was showing 'Sam' a monstrance that had been donated by someone. Apparent there is a store in New York that is like a one-stop shop for all things Catholic, and that's where the monstrance came from. It's a typical golden monstrance I've typically seen but this one had had other jewels inlaid in it. $4000, apparently. And I got to hold it (it was empty). #unworthy, because I know Who it holds.

Then we chatted about our day trip to Texas A&M today, but Fr. Pio didn't really understand because he's not from Texas.

And here we are, still on our way to College Station. Hopefully Fr. Juan Diego will get a kick out of his picture. :-)

Faith. Hope. Charity. Ecce beard.
- JR