Updates on my travels

Hello everyone.

OK, so its been a while since I posted a full entry. I'm developing a few ideas here so this one will be full yet strangely unsatisfying as just an update on a few things I'd like to mention.

Travel to Cleveland, Ohio

Last week I travelled to Cleveland, Ohio for the 2006 Sinfonia National Convention. It was a great time filled with music. Almost everything we did had music in it including the legislation sessions. Fr. Don celebrated Mass for us Sunday morning which was also nice.

I want to make a few comments though about the Cathedral in Cleveland, which was just a block away from the hotel where we stayed. I was able to attend mass there last tuesday afternoon. Nobody had really arrived yet for Convention so I made my way over to attend the afternoon daily mass. The Cathedral is extremely beautiful. The high altar is probably one of the biggest I've seen to date - and I've seen a ton of high altars.

Mass was tiny - maybe 35 people in this huge space. I was prepared for the liturgy of the area though. I knew going in that in the Diocese of Cleveland they do not kneel except during the words of consecration. They do make apologies to those who feel differently, and ask you to comply for the good of everyone. I started off by complying but then noticed that a few of the other people knelt anyway. I felt the standing abhorent myself, so I eventually knelt. I don't understand the standing thing. If we believe that is really Christ in the Eucharist, how can anyone stand? Would the Bishop's have asked our Lady to stand at the foot of the cross?

I don't want to sound like I'm critisizing necessarily those faithful in the diocese (especially the Bishop) who promote the practice of standing. As an outsider I understand they try and adapt to whatever situation they have in their area. I just happen to feel very strongly that they are wrong. :-) If you are ever in the area though, visit the cathedral - even during the week - and just sit and admire the spectacle or meditate in prayer. Its really a nice place to spend some quiet time away from a busy city.

Links:
Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland's Liturgy Practice Letter



The Heat

Man it is hot here. But here's the thing - we should expect it to be! It is the summer afterall. In the past few days I've seen all these places having reported "record temperatures". Yeah? So? I'm not concerned one bit. We're going to have "record temperatures" one way or another every year from now until the end of time. In fact, the year we stop having them is the year I start worrying about the Earth being destroyed. But honestly, I haven't noticed it being any hotter this summer than last. Btw - new data out is suggesting the hurricane thing probably isn't linked to global warming. At best, its inconclusive.

Global Warmer + Hurricane = Inconclusive


A Comment about Israel At War

Tonight I heard an interesting comment I just wanted to share with everyone quickly about the war between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations was on Bill O'Reilly's show commenting on the recent airstrikes against the terrorist group Hezbollah. Israel hit a builing that had civilians in it and had apologized earlier. However (and I quote loosely) he did say one thing that stood out.


He said, "Remember, that for Israel, every dead Lebanese child is a tragedy. But for Hezbollah, every dead Israeli child is cause for celebration."


That should put things in perspective - and he's 100% correct.

-Tomorrow I'll review the movie Patton.-

More Stuff

Ok, I'm almost done recovering what was lost in the Google debacle. I promise a full post tomorrow. Until then, go ahead over to St. Blog's parish and read around - find a blog you've never read before and give it a shot. Support the little bloggers!

-Matt

I Like this painting

Stupid Freaking Google

Ack! Ok so I did something stupid. I tried to make a google sitemap of my site. I added in the code one line off from where I was supposed to and POOF, my blog went nuts. I've lost all my extras like links and blogrolls, my st. blog's parish thing, everything. I'm going to have to rebuild it when I get a chance. Please be patient!

-Matt

Random EWTN Call

Today, EWTN called my cell phone, randomly. It was a wrong number, they were asking for someone named Phillip. Not me. But even still, it was a fun wrong number to get.

Just thought I'd add something quick to the blog.

Actual Grace

Its been a little while since I've posted, and I guess I've just been a bit worn out lately. I attended the wedding mass of two of my close friends (which was beautiful), and last night I met with the priest for catechism. It was really great. But a new concept for me has emerged. One that, growing up as a protestant I never learned.

We've all heard the song "Amazing Grace" right? You've probably got it singing in your head right now, as I do too. Until recently I never considered what it was actually talking about, or realized the song was speaking of this concept of Actual Grace. That is, an actual feelable grace we receive from God to do something, or make something happen. This is the kind of Grace I learned about growing up. Truly, that is how I would have defined the grace of God had you asked me until now. We receive actual grace in feeling compelled to go to Mass, give a one legged woman a quarter, hold a door for an old man, go to Confession, in being nice to someone we find annoying, and even entering the Church altogether. This is actual grace, almost measurable helps we receive from God and his agents to which we can choose to accept or not.

Actual grace also comes to us in other ways, such as receiving things we did not expect. For instance, if you are offered a new job making substantially more money, that could be an actual grace. Like any other actual grace though, it presents us with the opportunity to either ascend or descend to the truth. Do we use the extra money we'll get with the new job to further ourselves in a positive way, in a morally upright or Godly way? Or, in pride, do we take advantage of the grace and use it to our own wordly desires?

Each actual grace we receive presents us with a choice. Either ascend or descend. They are only the helpers from God which we need to keep us on the right path. We have free will to step off that path at any moment.

So I started this saying I now understand the distinctiveness of Actual Grace, so where does it lead? The point of Actual Grace is for us to receive Sanctifying Grace. Sanctifying Grace, a concept unheard of in all my bible studies, youth groups, and sunday schooling is that Grace which is permanent. Sanctifying Grace aligns gives us the right to heaven and cleanses our soul. We need Actual Grace in order to receive Sanctifying Grace - because we are human. Also because we are human, we can descend from the state of Sanctifying Grace. So, God in his mercy gives us more Actual Graces as helpers to give us the opportunity to return once again. We don't always feel Sanctifying Grace, as it is on our soul, but it is there.

God whispers to us in our pleasures,

speaks in our conscience,

but shouts in our pains;

it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

~ C S Lewis