Halloween has taken on a whole different meaning for me now that I've gotten older and have continued to dive into my faith. It is the eve of All Saints Day in the Church, when we celebrate the souls whom we believe have made it into Heaven and behold the face of God. The saints are the members of the Church Triumphant, the ones who succeeded in overcoming the temptations of the flesh and who remained in Purgatory for little or no time because they spent most of their lives making reparation and doing penance for their sins. These saints have become our examples on how to live our lives in facing temptation, serving one another, and loving God.
Because these men and women are in Heaven, they are close to God and seek to intercede for us to help us with our spiritual battles here on earth. They are constantly praying for us, and they want us to succeed so that we can share the Beatific Vision with them. In no way were these saints "super human"; we may see them as that because they exuded so much holiness, but they were just like you and I; they became a reflection of how open they were to the grace of God and how it was working in them and through them. Like us, they suffered the same temptations and dealt with the same faults that most of us face today. We should be comforted by the fact that they are praying for us because they have been where we are, and they already know that we can overcome our humanly obstacles with the grace of God, just as they did.
After celebrating the Church Triumphant, we celebrate a special Holy Mass for the souls in Christ that are still being cleansed in Purgatory of the residual effects of sin. These souls are a part of the Church Suffering, and they are the ones who are on their way to Heaven, but need to continue to be purified of blemishes they collected in their mortal lives. We, who are still fighting for our souls, have a special job to pray for these souls and seek to "speed up" their time in Purgatory. We can offer our own penances, Holy Communions, prayers, Rosaries, and a multitude of other mortifications and graces for the holy souls in Purgatory because their time has already been spent on earth in order to do these things for themselves.
As the Church Militant, we must continue our battle against the devil and his lies and temptations, seek help from our brothers and sisters of the Church Triumphant, and aid the holy souls in the Church Suffering so they may come into the full vision of God. We should take time during these two feast days this week to meditate on the finiteness of our lives and to realize that God is always present in all that we do. I ask you, go to Mass on both of these feast days and offer up any of the graces you receive from Holy Communion for the holy souls in Purgatory, or in particular for any of your loved ones who have passed away. You will not realize until you passed from this life how exponential this grace aids them in reaching the fullness of joy in Heaven.
*****
Things are finally starting to slow down a little bit in life. It took me a week, but I finally came off the celebrity high I experienced in meeting RED. I'm down to two catechist classes now on Tuesday and Wednesday nights after the two weeks of having three per week. This past weekend, we had an extremely early Nor'easter that hit the area and caused a lot of damage, mostly by tree limbs falling on power lines because they couldn't sustain the weight of the snow. Luckily, it didn't affect my apartment. It was also homecoming for my alma mater, Millersville University, and the town of Millersville was celebrating its 250th birthday. Despite being snowy and cold, the annual parade was enjoyable and it was fun talking with some of the current students at MU. It was a great weekend!
As for the feast days this week, I'll be going to St. Mary's for All Saints Day, and then I'll be going to St. Anthony's for All Souls Day. The Mass at St. Anthony's is special because it is a Requiem Mass celebrated in the extraordinary form, or the Latin Mass, which is the form that was celebrated in the Church before Vatican II. This will be the third year I've gone to this particular Mass for All Souls Day, and it amazes me every time with the Gregorian Chant sung by the Schola, the chanted Mass parts, and the reminders of our mortality (there's a casket that sits in the center aisle of the church during the entire Mass!).
Laus Deo!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
An awesome experience - Part 2
In part one of "An awesome experience", I described the meeting I had with my favorite band, RED, this past Saturday in Lancaster before their show at the Chameleon Club. It's Thursday now, and I'm still riding the excitement back down to earth. Many times already this week I've asked myself, why am I still so amped up over meeting RED, or when is this going to end?! Well, in this post, I will try to describe why this meeting has meant so much to me and how it is motivating me to act to spread my faith by using my own gifts.
Christian rock and contemporary Christian music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; yet most of the time I was listening to whatever was on the radio. I listened to a mixture of pop, rap, hip hop, and very little rock (I'll admit it - I was an obsessed Backstreet Boys fangirl). My first taste of modern Christian music was at a concert at the Crawford County Fair. For quite a few years, the fair brought in well known contemporary Christian groups and singers, such as Michael W. Smith, Third Day, and Jars of Clay, to name a few, and my family and I went to two or three of these concerts. The concerts were influential to me (since I was only in middle school at the time), because I got to witness just how many Christians there were who came to sing praise to God with these artists. In my own young life, sometimes it was hard to come by a good, solid group of Christians to be friends with, and I didn't find those until my senior year in high school, and even then I was heading off to college. Catholics were also a minority religious group in my town, and in most cases, I was a loner in my faith walk.
Sadly, the fair discontinued the Christian concerts on the main stage (because they weren't bringing in a enough money), and I went a few years without those concert and fellowship experiences. Between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I went on my first big retreat, which I wasn't too thrilled about until I got there, and then I didn't want it to end. Again, I was with teens who, for the most part, were crazy about God and their faith, and we had awesome mini concerts throughout the retreat weekend with various bands. It was at this time too that I started listening to Switchfoot when I heard their first song on the radio, and I discovered Relient K, who was my favorite band up until I started college. I loved both these bands, and would listen to their music every chance I got; they were my first step into rock and out of mainstream music.
Heavier Christian rock finally entered my life during my junior year of high school. A friend introduced me to 12 Stones and Skillet, with their albums "Potter's Field" and "Collide", respectively, and another band called Big Dismal. I was immediately hooked. I listened to those albums over and over again, with it blaring in my headphones and eventually in my car. I couldn't get enough of their music. Yet, I kind of relapsed into other rock and mainstream music, like Hoobastank and 3 Doors Down, who were pretty good too, but didn't have the best lyrics compared to 12 Stones and Skillet.
Finally, during my freshman year of college, the doors of the Christian contemporary and rock music world blew wide open. I was introduced to Newsboys, Kutless, Casting Crowns, Thousand Foot Krutch, Stellar Kart, and Hawk Nelson, to name a few. Again, I was drawn in by the rock music and loved blasting it. My music scene pretty much stayed the same until my junior year, and that is when I found RED, along with more Christian rock bands.
I used AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) all through college, and they had an app on the chat list that streamed music stations listed by genre or decade. Of course, I saw they had a Christian Rock station, and I started listening to it. This radio station was where I heard RED for the first time. Their song, "Breathe Into Me" was the first one I heard, and I was immediately taken by the raw emotion, meaningful lyrics, crazy guitars, and incorporation of violins and other strings into the song. I think I may have even bought their album that same day. I also stumbled across bands like Decyfer Down, Disciple, Anberlin, and Demon Hunter, but I was solely focused on RED. Probably for a few weeks, their album was all I listened to; I couldn't get enough of the lyrics and emotion.
There was definitely something inside me that kept connecting with their lyrics and directing the brokenness I felt back to God. I was still getting over a really bad and emotional year I had during my sophomore year of college, and while I was on the upswing, their music was helping me to express a lot of that emotion, which became for me a big release. I'd rock out in my dorm room when my roommate wasn't there, and when I drove places my car speakers were always blaring. Not all of RED's songs are hardcore and fast, though. My favorite song is probably "Pieces", which is one of their slower (yet epic) songs off of their first album. This song described just how I felt inside at the time I heard it, and it expressed the cry my heart was making to God.
RED probably gave me the final push away from mainstream music (rap, hip hop, pop, etc) and completely into rock. Their second album was even more epic than their first, and again I couldn't stop listening to it for weeks during my senior year of college. This finally led me to see them in the spring of 2010, and I came away from that show even more of a fan than I was before.
Little did I know I would get the chance to meet them in person.
I think what affected me so much in meeting them was that they were so down to earth and friendly. And, it's amazing to think that they invite a small group of their fans to come onto their tour bus, which is their very home, and let us share it with them for a half an hour. You see in the media how celebrity status gets to people's heads, and for Mike, Anthony, Randy, and Joe, they did not act this way at all. They broke the ice by being a little sarcastic with us and encouraging us to ask them questions and actually talk. It was also hilarious to watch them poke fun at each other, which showed the genuine friendship they shared. When one of us asked a question, they would talk to us almost like it was one-on-one. I noticed this when I asked about the "Feed the Machine" video, and as Randy and Anthony recounted the story of how it was shot, they would look at me and talk to me. And, when we spoke, they would listen. Personally, it was also awesome to be able to share with them where I grew up, because Randy, Anthony, and Mike had grown up only 30 to 40 minutes away from me in little ol' Cochranton.
The whole Acoustic Experience made the actual concert more meaningful, especially when Mike and Randy expressed their testimony about having God in their lives. As far as I can remember, I don't recall them doing anything like this at the shows in 2010, and it made songs like "Not Alone" and "Best Is Yet to Come" (which is when their testimonies were shared) even more powerful. All in all, the entire night expressed to me just how much they enjoy what they do; you can see it in all of them.
This experience with them, and seeing how they are using their status to spread the love of God has encouraged me to not be afraid to express my love for God to others as well. I knew before the brevity of how it important is to accept God's gift of faith in our lives, but RED's example has opened the world of evangelization to me even more than before and to not be afraid, despite any persecution. I want to spread the Good News about God and my faith as a Catholic, because it has certainly changed my life and I've seen how He has worked to change the lives of others, too. This world will pass away, and all we'll have is life eternal as long as we accept the faith God has so lovingly given us, and to love Him in return. I want to get out there and spread the Word, light the fire in people's hearts, and let the love of God reflect off of me!
So RED, thank you. I will always be a fan, and I hope to get to meet you again someday!
Laus Deo!
Christian rock and contemporary Christian music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; yet most of the time I was listening to whatever was on the radio. I listened to a mixture of pop, rap, hip hop, and very little rock (I'll admit it - I was an obsessed Backstreet Boys fangirl). My first taste of modern Christian music was at a concert at the Crawford County Fair. For quite a few years, the fair brought in well known contemporary Christian groups and singers, such as Michael W. Smith, Third Day, and Jars of Clay, to name a few, and my family and I went to two or three of these concerts. The concerts were influential to me (since I was only in middle school at the time), because I got to witness just how many Christians there were who came to sing praise to God with these artists. In my own young life, sometimes it was hard to come by a good, solid group of Christians to be friends with, and I didn't find those until my senior year in high school, and even then I was heading off to college. Catholics were also a minority religious group in my town, and in most cases, I was a loner in my faith walk.
Sadly, the fair discontinued the Christian concerts on the main stage (because they weren't bringing in a enough money), and I went a few years without those concert and fellowship experiences. Between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I went on my first big retreat, which I wasn't too thrilled about until I got there, and then I didn't want it to end. Again, I was with teens who, for the most part, were crazy about God and their faith, and we had awesome mini concerts throughout the retreat weekend with various bands. It was at this time too that I started listening to Switchfoot when I heard their first song on the radio, and I discovered Relient K, who was my favorite band up until I started college. I loved both these bands, and would listen to their music every chance I got; they were my first step into rock and out of mainstream music.
Heavier Christian rock finally entered my life during my junior year of high school. A friend introduced me to 12 Stones and Skillet, with their albums "Potter's Field" and "Collide", respectively, and another band called Big Dismal. I was immediately hooked. I listened to those albums over and over again, with it blaring in my headphones and eventually in my car. I couldn't get enough of their music. Yet, I kind of relapsed into other rock and mainstream music, like Hoobastank and 3 Doors Down, who were pretty good too, but didn't have the best lyrics compared to 12 Stones and Skillet.
Finally, during my freshman year of college, the doors of the Christian contemporary and rock music world blew wide open. I was introduced to Newsboys, Kutless, Casting Crowns, Thousand Foot Krutch, Stellar Kart, and Hawk Nelson, to name a few. Again, I was drawn in by the rock music and loved blasting it. My music scene pretty much stayed the same until my junior year, and that is when I found RED, along with more Christian rock bands.
I used AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) all through college, and they had an app on the chat list that streamed music stations listed by genre or decade. Of course, I saw they had a Christian Rock station, and I started listening to it. This radio station was where I heard RED for the first time. Their song, "Breathe Into Me" was the first one I heard, and I was immediately taken by the raw emotion, meaningful lyrics, crazy guitars, and incorporation of violins and other strings into the song. I think I may have even bought their album that same day. I also stumbled across bands like Decyfer Down, Disciple, Anberlin, and Demon Hunter, but I was solely focused on RED. Probably for a few weeks, their album was all I listened to; I couldn't get enough of the lyrics and emotion.
There was definitely something inside me that kept connecting with their lyrics and directing the brokenness I felt back to God. I was still getting over a really bad and emotional year I had during my sophomore year of college, and while I was on the upswing, their music was helping me to express a lot of that emotion, which became for me a big release. I'd rock out in my dorm room when my roommate wasn't there, and when I drove places my car speakers were always blaring. Not all of RED's songs are hardcore and fast, though. My favorite song is probably "Pieces", which is one of their slower (yet epic) songs off of their first album. This song described just how I felt inside at the time I heard it, and it expressed the cry my heart was making to God.
RED probably gave me the final push away from mainstream music (rap, hip hop, pop, etc) and completely into rock. Their second album was even more epic than their first, and again I couldn't stop listening to it for weeks during my senior year of college. This finally led me to see them in the spring of 2010, and I came away from that show even more of a fan than I was before.
Little did I know I would get the chance to meet them in person.
I think what affected me so much in meeting them was that they were so down to earth and friendly. And, it's amazing to think that they invite a small group of their fans to come onto their tour bus, which is their very home, and let us share it with them for a half an hour. You see in the media how celebrity status gets to people's heads, and for Mike, Anthony, Randy, and Joe, they did not act this way at all. They broke the ice by being a little sarcastic with us and encouraging us to ask them questions and actually talk. It was also hilarious to watch them poke fun at each other, which showed the genuine friendship they shared. When one of us asked a question, they would talk to us almost like it was one-on-one. I noticed this when I asked about the "Feed the Machine" video, and as Randy and Anthony recounted the story of how it was shot, they would look at me and talk to me. And, when we spoke, they would listen. Personally, it was also awesome to be able to share with them where I grew up, because Randy, Anthony, and Mike had grown up only 30 to 40 minutes away from me in little ol' Cochranton.
The whole Acoustic Experience made the actual concert more meaningful, especially when Mike and Randy expressed their testimony about having God in their lives. As far as I can remember, I don't recall them doing anything like this at the shows in 2010, and it made songs like "Not Alone" and "Best Is Yet to Come" (which is when their testimonies were shared) even more powerful. All in all, the entire night expressed to me just how much they enjoy what they do; you can see it in all of them.
This experience with them, and seeing how they are using their status to spread the love of God has encouraged me to not be afraid to express my love for God to others as well. I knew before the brevity of how it important is to accept God's gift of faith in our lives, but RED's example has opened the world of evangelization to me even more than before and to not be afraid, despite any persecution. I want to spread the Good News about God and my faith as a Catholic, because it has certainly changed my life and I've seen how He has worked to change the lives of others, too. This world will pass away, and all we'll have is life eternal as long as we accept the faith God has so lovingly given us, and to love Him in return. I want to get out there and spread the Word, light the fire in people's hearts, and let the love of God reflect off of me!
So RED, thank you. I will always be a fan, and I hope to get to meet you again someday!
Laus Deo!
Monday, October 24, 2011
An awesome experience - Part 1
This weekend has gone down as one the greatest weekends I've ever had. It seemed like it kept going on and on, because since Saturday night, I've been star-struck by an experience I had and will never forget. That night, I got to meet in person my all time favorite band RED, a Christian rock band based out of Nashville, TN. I discovered their music my junior year of college, and their music had only been out for about two years at that time. It wasn't until the spring of my senior year in 2010 that I finally got to see them in concert at the Chameleon Club in downtown Lancaster, and I was very impressed by the showmanship and the genuine joy, excitement, and intensity they portrayed in their performance. It would only be a week later that I would see them again as an opening act at a Breaking Benjamin concert in Wilkes-Barre, PA. What an awesome week that was!
But, let me tell you the amazing story leading up to this unforgettable Saturday night.
Around the time RED came out with their third album, "Until We Have Faces" (which is probably the best of the three they've released) in February of this year, I began anticipating and hoping they would return to the Chameleon Club soon; after listening to this album, I really wanted to hear these songs live. Spring and summer came and went with no hint of a show coming to town, and I kept checking the Chameleon Club web site for new shows and looked for emails with the newest acts. Then, in September, I saw an email from the Club that listed RED as an upcoming headliner on their "Kill th3 Machin3" tour. I was pumped! Finally, they would be coming back to Lancaster!
Now, a little back story. While they were on the Winter Jam tour last winter, they started doing this special event called the Acoustic Experience. There are only eight tickets available per show, and for $40 a pop, you are invited on to the tour bus to meet the band, hang out and ask questions, get autographs and take pictures, and hear them play an acoustic version of one of their songs. When I saw this, I thought to myself, how cool would that be? Yet, I was a little discouraged because so many of those private shows sold out extremely fast. They had a Reading show, which was one of the ones I considered going to for the general admission, but the private show tickets were long gone. I still had hope though that I would snatch one of those Acoustic Experience tickets, and I kept looking for any close shows that would have the tickets available.
Fast forward to about a month and a half ago. I got on Facebook, and saw RED was announcing that Acoustic Experience tickets were available for shows on the "Kill th3 Machin3" tour. I quickly went on to the ticket page, but didn't see Lancaster listed. I thought, oh well, maybe it's a small enough venue that they weren't going to do it. About a week later, I was at work and hopped on Facebook real quick to look at my News Feed. Again, RED was advertising Acoustic Experience tickets, and they listed the locations in the post. To my surprise, Lancaster was listed! I rushed onto the ticket page again, but still didn't see Lancaster there. I thought to myself, it has to be on here somewhere. It was then that I saw a Location dropdown list on the left side of the page. I expanded it, and Lancaster was listed! Quickly, I navigated to the page, and there were tickets available. I thought, NO WAY! I immediately reserved two tickets, and then texted my friend Kyle and asked him if he wanted to go with me, and he promptly replied that he would. I was ecstatic and purchased the tickets. Needless to say, I was giddy for the rest of the day.
Here's what topped it all off. That night, RED posted a blog video on Facebook that they did while on the Rock Allegiance tour. They made a side trip back their hometown, because they were invited to be the grand marshals of the the town's annual parade. As I watched this video, I discovered that Randy, Anthony, and Mike grew up in the town where my grandparents lived and where my mom grew up, which was Linesville, a town only 30 to 40 minutes away from where I grew up in Cochranton. I just sat there in stunned disbelief and thought, what a small world. It just made me even more excited to meet them!
The countdown to the concert night ensued. Saturday finally came, and the fact that I would be meeting my favorite band didn't sink in until Kyle and I were standing outside the entrance of the Chameleon Club at 7:15 PM with six other people waiting for the tour director to come get us. Finally, he came and checked our tickets, and then led us down Water Street and up Chestnut Street to where the tour bus was parked. When we got to the bus, he told us to wait outside for a few more minutes while he went in to let the band know we had arrived. He disappeared into the bus, and I stood there with Kyle and the others, trying to keep my composure and contain my excitement. I was debating whether or not to tell them where I was originally from and how I had family that lived in their home town. I told Kyle this, and he threatened to mention it to them if I didn't bring it up. I was like, no, don't do it! I will try!
After about five minutes, the director came back out of the bus and told us we could come in. We all hesitantly walked over (nobody wanted to be too eager) and climbed into the bus, up the steps, and through a curtain. We entered into a lounge area with two couches along the sides and a kitchen area in the back, and sitting on the counters of the kitchen were the band members: Anthony, Mike, Joe, and Randy, who greeted us with warm smiles. I could not stop smiling myself; I just couldn't believe that I was on my favorite band's tour bus, getting ready to chat and hang out with them before the show.
They were very welcoming and happy to have us there. We traded a few questions, but I think all us fans were struck dumb for a little bit because at one point, Randy was like, stop smiling and ask some questions! We loosened up after that, and I found myself doing a lot of talking, joking around, and asking questions more than the other fans. Randy had asked us where we were from, and we went around the bus and mentioned where we lived. Shortly after that, I said I wasn't originally from Lancaster, and Randy asked where I grew up, and I said Cochranton. Randy, Anthony, and Mike all knew where that was, and Anthony said, ah yes, good ol' Cochranton. They ask me a few more questions, like if I graduated from the high school there and when. After that, I mentioned about my grandparents living in Linesville, and Randy asked me who they were, and told them. They didn't know who they were and apologized, but that was okay; I was just pleased to have mentioned anything about my home town and theirs!
We talked about song recordings and video shoots, and I asked about the filming of the "Feed the Machine" music video, which turned out to be a rather extensive story told in tandem by Randy and Anthony. At one point, I made a poor attempt at sarcasm when Randy mentioned that Joe doesn't talk much during the acoustic experiences and one time, a guy asked one of them how long Joe had been with the band. They were like, he's sitting right here; why don't you just ask him. So then, I sarcastically asked, so Joe, how long have you been with the band? He was like, is that a serious question? I was like, sure, why not? I thought, good job, Channing....
Near the end of the half hour on the bus, Anthony asked us what song we wanted to hear, and I instantly said "Pieces", one of my favorite songs from their first album. Randy said that was probably the most requested song they have on stage. I then said, I was going to suggest "Let It Burn", which was on their third album, but Anthony said they wouldn't be playing that one live until the following year. So, they asked us if we liked "Hymn for the Missing", which is an emotional song at the end of their third album, and we all agreed that we liked it, so they played it for us (Randy said they made a "dude version" since a chick was singing with Mike on the album version). Anthony played the acoustic (which was black and had "End of Silence" printed in white across the front of the guitar) and Mike sang lead while Randy added some harmony.
When the song was finished, the tour manager came back on the bus and told us we had to start wrapping things up. At this point, we could get anything we brought with us signed. As we had walked into the bus, there was a stack of one foot by one foot posters sitting near the driver's seat, and we all took one and got them signed. I brought the "Until We Have Faces" album with me and got the inside slip cover signed by the all the members. Then, once autographs were finished, we came outside and took pictures in front of the tour bus. Kyle and I stood in the middle, with Anthony and Joe on my side and Randy and Mike on Kyle's side. My only regret was that I wish I had brought my camera with me, but we got a picture with Kyle's phone.
When all the pictures were taken, they came around to each of us and shook hands, and we thanked them for an amazing time, and then we went on our way back to the Club for the show. The group of us had almost instantly bonded through the experience, and we all agreed it was so worth the money to meet them.
Since the show had already started at 8, I was afraid we wouldn't get a good spot to stand on the floor or in the balcony. I thought the 21 and older section was upstairs like it had been before (with the bar), but they had switched it to the downstairs, and the floor was actually not that crowded. The first act was finishing up when we got inside, and while they were changing equipment, Kyle and I weaseled our way through the crowd until we were three rows deep at the left center part of the stage. There were two more acts to follow before RED: Icon for Hire and Brian "Head" Welch (formally the lead singer of Korn), and then they came on around 11.
The show was incredible, as usual. You could tell they were excited to be there and the crowd was amped. They opened with "Feed the Machine" and "Watch You Crawl" and then took a small break to speak with the crowd. One of the funniest moments of the show occurred during this time. Mike got the crowd going, and once we calmed down a bit, Randy said, the last time we were here, I was rocking out so hard that I ripped my pants. At this point, I turned to Kyle and started laughing really hard because I mentioned this to Randy on the tour bus earlier when we were talking about the show in 2010. Then he said, and you know what, I did it again, right down the back. My underwear are red, so at least I'm wearing the right color, right? The whole club burst into laughter, and the music started up again.
They played "Confessions", "Not Alone", "Best Is Yet to Come", and "Death of Me", to name a few. In the middle of the set, Randy, Anthony, and Mike went off stage while Joe did a drum solo to a medley of different popular songs ("Hey Yeah" by the Black-Eyed Peas was one of them), which was phenomenal. Then, the rest of the band came back on and kept going. Before "Not Alone" and "Best Is Yet to Come", Randy and Mike gave awesome witness stories to how they've come to discover God in their lives and that life is nothing without Him. I was at first surprised by their stories, but it was totally appropriate and very inspiring! In the set, before they sang the song "Shadows", Mike came down from the stage and into the crowd, which he told to form a circle. He said he wanted the whole floor to turn into a big washing machine, and that he would run around the circle with them while he sang "Shadows". He moshed with them and would stop at certain people and encourage them to sing the song with him. Part of the way through the song, he came over to where Kyle and I were standing to get back on the stage. As he walked by us, I patted him the back as he went around the barrier and got back up on stage. The show continued to be amazing after that all the way until the end.
Near the end, the band ran off stage again, which prompted us to continue to cheer and shout for an encore. The lights were out, and eventually I could see Randy messing with a keyboard off to the right on stage, and Anthony brought up a stool and sat there with his acoustic, waiting to play a song. They were having technical difficulties with the keyboard, and there was a lot of down time. The crowd could see Anthony sitting there even though it was dark. While he was waiting, he grabbed a bottle of water and started drinking it. Someone in the crowd started yelling, "Water, water!" and all of a sudden, I saw Anthony hold the almost full bottle out in front of him and squeeze as hard as he could, spraying the front and center part of the crowd with water. They were shocked and started laughing, and you could see the grin on Anthony's face.
The technical issues weren't resolved, and they decided to skip the song. The whole band came back on stage and they ended with a combination of three songs strung together at certain parts, which was really awesome. And then, sadly, the show had to end.
I walked out of the club elated and excited, and I've slowly been riding the star-struck high back down to reality. That was my first celebrity experience, and it couldn't have been with better people. They were genuine, funny, and everything I thought they would be. After Saturday night, I am definitely a fan for life.
Meeting them, in a way, completed the circle of experiences I've had through their music ever since I started listening to them back in 2008. And, in the next blog post, I will share my thoughts on how their music has helped me through some tough times and has led me to discover other bands who sing (and rock out!) for God.
(By the way, if you made it through this ridiculously long post, THANK YOU for reading and sharing in my experience!)
Laus Deo!
RED's links:
http://www.redmusiconline.com
https://www.facebook.com/redmusiconline
But, let me tell you the amazing story leading up to this unforgettable Saturday night.
Around the time RED came out with their third album, "Until We Have Faces" (which is probably the best of the three they've released) in February of this year, I began anticipating and hoping they would return to the Chameleon Club soon; after listening to this album, I really wanted to hear these songs live. Spring and summer came and went with no hint of a show coming to town, and I kept checking the Chameleon Club web site for new shows and looked for emails with the newest acts. Then, in September, I saw an email from the Club that listed RED as an upcoming headliner on their "Kill th3 Machin3" tour. I was pumped! Finally, they would be coming back to Lancaster!
Now, a little back story. While they were on the Winter Jam tour last winter, they started doing this special event called the Acoustic Experience. There are only eight tickets available per show, and for $40 a pop, you are invited on to the tour bus to meet the band, hang out and ask questions, get autographs and take pictures, and hear them play an acoustic version of one of their songs. When I saw this, I thought to myself, how cool would that be? Yet, I was a little discouraged because so many of those private shows sold out extremely fast. They had a Reading show, which was one of the ones I considered going to for the general admission, but the private show tickets were long gone. I still had hope though that I would snatch one of those Acoustic Experience tickets, and I kept looking for any close shows that would have the tickets available.
Fast forward to about a month and a half ago. I got on Facebook, and saw RED was announcing that Acoustic Experience tickets were available for shows on the "Kill th3 Machin3" tour. I quickly went on to the ticket page, but didn't see Lancaster listed. I thought, oh well, maybe it's a small enough venue that they weren't going to do it. About a week later, I was at work and hopped on Facebook real quick to look at my News Feed. Again, RED was advertising Acoustic Experience tickets, and they listed the locations in the post. To my surprise, Lancaster was listed! I rushed onto the ticket page again, but still didn't see Lancaster there. I thought to myself, it has to be on here somewhere. It was then that I saw a Location dropdown list on the left side of the page. I expanded it, and Lancaster was listed! Quickly, I navigated to the page, and there were tickets available. I thought, NO WAY! I immediately reserved two tickets, and then texted my friend Kyle and asked him if he wanted to go with me, and he promptly replied that he would. I was ecstatic and purchased the tickets. Needless to say, I was giddy for the rest of the day.
Here's what topped it all off. That night, RED posted a blog video on Facebook that they did while on the Rock Allegiance tour. They made a side trip back their hometown, because they were invited to be the grand marshals of the the town's annual parade. As I watched this video, I discovered that Randy, Anthony, and Mike grew up in the town where my grandparents lived and where my mom grew up, which was Linesville, a town only 30 to 40 minutes away from where I grew up in Cochranton. I just sat there in stunned disbelief and thought, what a small world. It just made me even more excited to meet them!
The countdown to the concert night ensued. Saturday finally came, and the fact that I would be meeting my favorite band didn't sink in until Kyle and I were standing outside the entrance of the Chameleon Club at 7:15 PM with six other people waiting for the tour director to come get us. Finally, he came and checked our tickets, and then led us down Water Street and up Chestnut Street to where the tour bus was parked. When we got to the bus, he told us to wait outside for a few more minutes while he went in to let the band know we had arrived. He disappeared into the bus, and I stood there with Kyle and the others, trying to keep my composure and contain my excitement. I was debating whether or not to tell them where I was originally from and how I had family that lived in their home town. I told Kyle this, and he threatened to mention it to them if I didn't bring it up. I was like, no, don't do it! I will try!
After about five minutes, the director came back out of the bus and told us we could come in. We all hesitantly walked over (nobody wanted to be too eager) and climbed into the bus, up the steps, and through a curtain. We entered into a lounge area with two couches along the sides and a kitchen area in the back, and sitting on the counters of the kitchen were the band members: Anthony, Mike, Joe, and Randy, who greeted us with warm smiles. I could not stop smiling myself; I just couldn't believe that I was on my favorite band's tour bus, getting ready to chat and hang out with them before the show.
They were very welcoming and happy to have us there. We traded a few questions, but I think all us fans were struck dumb for a little bit because at one point, Randy was like, stop smiling and ask some questions! We loosened up after that, and I found myself doing a lot of talking, joking around, and asking questions more than the other fans. Randy had asked us where we were from, and we went around the bus and mentioned where we lived. Shortly after that, I said I wasn't originally from Lancaster, and Randy asked where I grew up, and I said Cochranton. Randy, Anthony, and Mike all knew where that was, and Anthony said, ah yes, good ol' Cochranton. They ask me a few more questions, like if I graduated from the high school there and when. After that, I mentioned about my grandparents living in Linesville, and Randy asked me who they were, and told them. They didn't know who they were and apologized, but that was okay; I was just pleased to have mentioned anything about my home town and theirs!
We talked about song recordings and video shoots, and I asked about the filming of the "Feed the Machine" music video, which turned out to be a rather extensive story told in tandem by Randy and Anthony. At one point, I made a poor attempt at sarcasm when Randy mentioned that Joe doesn't talk much during the acoustic experiences and one time, a guy asked one of them how long Joe had been with the band. They were like, he's sitting right here; why don't you just ask him. So then, I sarcastically asked, so Joe, how long have you been with the band? He was like, is that a serious question? I was like, sure, why not? I thought, good job, Channing....
Near the end of the half hour on the bus, Anthony asked us what song we wanted to hear, and I instantly said "Pieces", one of my favorite songs from their first album. Randy said that was probably the most requested song they have on stage. I then said, I was going to suggest "Let It Burn", which was on their third album, but Anthony said they wouldn't be playing that one live until the following year. So, they asked us if we liked "Hymn for the Missing", which is an emotional song at the end of their third album, and we all agreed that we liked it, so they played it for us (Randy said they made a "dude version" since a chick was singing with Mike on the album version). Anthony played the acoustic (which was black and had "End of Silence" printed in white across the front of the guitar) and Mike sang lead while Randy added some harmony.
When the song was finished, the tour manager came back on the bus and told us we had to start wrapping things up. At this point, we could get anything we brought with us signed. As we had walked into the bus, there was a stack of one foot by one foot posters sitting near the driver's seat, and we all took one and got them signed. I brought the "Until We Have Faces" album with me and got the inside slip cover signed by the all the members. Then, once autographs were finished, we came outside and took pictures in front of the tour bus. Kyle and I stood in the middle, with Anthony and Joe on my side and Randy and Mike on Kyle's side. My only regret was that I wish I had brought my camera with me, but we got a picture with Kyle's phone.
When all the pictures were taken, they came around to each of us and shook hands, and we thanked them for an amazing time, and then we went on our way back to the Club for the show. The group of us had almost instantly bonded through the experience, and we all agreed it was so worth the money to meet them.
Since the show had already started at 8, I was afraid we wouldn't get a good spot to stand on the floor or in the balcony. I thought the 21 and older section was upstairs like it had been before (with the bar), but they had switched it to the downstairs, and the floor was actually not that crowded. The first act was finishing up when we got inside, and while they were changing equipment, Kyle and I weaseled our way through the crowd until we were three rows deep at the left center part of the stage. There were two more acts to follow before RED: Icon for Hire and Brian "Head" Welch (formally the lead singer of Korn), and then they came on around 11.
The show was incredible, as usual. You could tell they were excited to be there and the crowd was amped. They opened with "Feed the Machine" and "Watch You Crawl" and then took a small break to speak with the crowd. One of the funniest moments of the show occurred during this time. Mike got the crowd going, and once we calmed down a bit, Randy said, the last time we were here, I was rocking out so hard that I ripped my pants. At this point, I turned to Kyle and started laughing really hard because I mentioned this to Randy on the tour bus earlier when we were talking about the show in 2010. Then he said, and you know what, I did it again, right down the back. My underwear are red, so at least I'm wearing the right color, right? The whole club burst into laughter, and the music started up again.
They played "Confessions", "Not Alone", "Best Is Yet to Come", and "Death of Me", to name a few. In the middle of the set, Randy, Anthony, and Mike went off stage while Joe did a drum solo to a medley of different popular songs ("Hey Yeah" by the Black-Eyed Peas was one of them), which was phenomenal. Then, the rest of the band came back on and kept going. Before "Not Alone" and "Best Is Yet to Come", Randy and Mike gave awesome witness stories to how they've come to discover God in their lives and that life is nothing without Him. I was at first surprised by their stories, but it was totally appropriate and very inspiring! In the set, before they sang the song "Shadows", Mike came down from the stage and into the crowd, which he told to form a circle. He said he wanted the whole floor to turn into a big washing machine, and that he would run around the circle with them while he sang "Shadows". He moshed with them and would stop at certain people and encourage them to sing the song with him. Part of the way through the song, he came over to where Kyle and I were standing to get back on the stage. As he walked by us, I patted him the back as he went around the barrier and got back up on stage. The show continued to be amazing after that all the way until the end.
Near the end, the band ran off stage again, which prompted us to continue to cheer and shout for an encore. The lights were out, and eventually I could see Randy messing with a keyboard off to the right on stage, and Anthony brought up a stool and sat there with his acoustic, waiting to play a song. They were having technical difficulties with the keyboard, and there was a lot of down time. The crowd could see Anthony sitting there even though it was dark. While he was waiting, he grabbed a bottle of water and started drinking it. Someone in the crowd started yelling, "Water, water!" and all of a sudden, I saw Anthony hold the almost full bottle out in front of him and squeeze as hard as he could, spraying the front and center part of the crowd with water. They were shocked and started laughing, and you could see the grin on Anthony's face.
The technical issues weren't resolved, and they decided to skip the song. The whole band came back on stage and they ended with a combination of three songs strung together at certain parts, which was really awesome. And then, sadly, the show had to end.
I walked out of the club elated and excited, and I've slowly been riding the star-struck high back down to reality. That was my first celebrity experience, and it couldn't have been with better people. They were genuine, funny, and everything I thought they would be. After Saturday night, I am definitely a fan for life.
Meeting them, in a way, completed the circle of experiences I've had through their music ever since I started listening to them back in 2008. And, in the next blog post, I will share my thoughts on how their music has helped me through some tough times and has led me to discover other bands who sing (and rock out!) for God.
(By the way, if you made it through this ridiculously long post, THANK YOU for reading and sharing in my experience!)
Laus Deo!
RED's links:
http://www.redmusiconline.com
https://www.facebook.com/redmusiconline
Monday, October 17, 2011
Why did you doubt?
In the past few weeks, I've been trying to find peace of heart, which I realized has escaped me for many months. The search has made me recall the time when my faith began to take off at the end of my junior year of college. Of course, my faith was always present through my elementary and high school years, but it truly blossomed when my eyes were opened to the lives of the saints and Church history. To top it all off, I fell in love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and pursued the devotion which I maintain today (The First Friday of November will mark two years!).
Yet, out of all the discovery, I remember this deep sense of peace that flowed from my heart and enveloped my soul in a quiet joy. The grace God granted to me was overwhelming, and I felt His presence shaping and molding my mind and my heart to recognize my salvation through the Church. I felt as nothing could disturb me then... and I've been praying to God to have just a small portion of that peace back.
Through my prayer, meditation, and reading, I have seen some of the impediments that keep me from peace and hinder me from keeping in tune with God's voice. One, if you read my previous post about being serious all the time, this is the first and foremost obstacle I've put in my way. I become too concerned with walking that fine tight rope, and I think falling will be the end of me, when I'm really only six feet off the ground and Jesus is walking under me waiting to catch me if I fall.
Two, I'm lacking in trust. I start to drown in all the cares I have with work, money, my vocation, and just my overall future. I'm constantly asking myself, where am I going and what I'm doing with my life? How am I going to take care of all these responsibilities I've been given? The simple answer to all of those is trust in God. I'm constantly running ahead when all that God wants me to do is slow down, take His hand, and walk with Him. Sometimes I feel like Peter when Jesus, standing on the water, allowed for him to step out of the boat and walk toward Him on the water. His trust starts out strong, but then he begins to fear the wind and the waves and begins to sink. He cries out to Jesus for help, and He instantly grabs his hand and pulls him up. And the question that He asks Peter is something I ask myself all the time: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Mt 14:22-33) I sink into the ocean of my doubts and cry out to the Lord, who rescues me, but then, ashamed, I wonder why I was ever sinking in the first place.
Finally, the third major obstacle is my judgment and lack of love and acceptance that sometime evades my life. Loving as God does helps everything in life fall into place, and doing "whatever He tells you" (as the Blessed Mother instructs us at the wedding in Cana) means, in a nutshell, loving yourself and loving your neighbor. This love ties into my first and second obstacles, and I know that as I continue to work on just loving, those other obstacles will break down, and my peace and freedom will return. Even now, I taste a little sweetness of that peace!
*******
As for what's been going on in my life: I've been a busy, busy lady. I've started a new catechist class, "Overview of Catholic Doctrine: The Creed", and have finished my "Introduction to the Church" class, which was phenomenal. This week and next week are super busy with some class overlap, since I start another class, "Introduction to Prayer", while continuing with "Introduction to Scripture" and "The Creed" class (lots of trips to Harrisburg!).
On the 15th, I celebrated my patron's feast day, St. Teresa of Avila, and what a beautiful day it was! My friend Brian and I took an early morning trip to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Elysburg, PA to attend a Solemn High Mass at 9:00 AM. It was an absolutely stunning liturgy, and we were pleasantly surprised to have students from St. Gregory's all boys Catholic school who sang Gregorian Chant in tandem with the sisters in the cloister. The boys also chanted various other songs, including a beautiful version of the Ave Maria. I also got to witness my first Entrance; a young woman from Australia, now Sister Elizabeth Lucy, attended Mass with her mother and some other relatives and friends, and then, at the end of Mass, went to the cloister door, knocked, and was brought inside. She then went to the chapel and recited a prayer from within the cloister at the communion window, and then the grille window was closed. I also got to talk to Mother Stella Marie, the Mother Prioress of the Carmel, for a little while to update her on how I was doing and to see how things were at the Carmel. All in all, it was a beautiful celebration of the feast day!
May God keep you! Laus Deo!
Yet, out of all the discovery, I remember this deep sense of peace that flowed from my heart and enveloped my soul in a quiet joy. The grace God granted to me was overwhelming, and I felt His presence shaping and molding my mind and my heart to recognize my salvation through the Church. I felt as nothing could disturb me then... and I've been praying to God to have just a small portion of that peace back.
Through my prayer, meditation, and reading, I have seen some of the impediments that keep me from peace and hinder me from keeping in tune with God's voice. One, if you read my previous post about being serious all the time, this is the first and foremost obstacle I've put in my way. I become too concerned with walking that fine tight rope, and I think falling will be the end of me, when I'm really only six feet off the ground and Jesus is walking under me waiting to catch me if I fall.
Two, I'm lacking in trust. I start to drown in all the cares I have with work, money, my vocation, and just my overall future. I'm constantly asking myself, where am I going and what I'm doing with my life? How am I going to take care of all these responsibilities I've been given? The simple answer to all of those is trust in God. I'm constantly running ahead when all that God wants me to do is slow down, take His hand, and walk with Him. Sometimes I feel like Peter when Jesus, standing on the water, allowed for him to step out of the boat and walk toward Him on the water. His trust starts out strong, but then he begins to fear the wind and the waves and begins to sink. He cries out to Jesus for help, and He instantly grabs his hand and pulls him up. And the question that He asks Peter is something I ask myself all the time: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Mt 14:22-33) I sink into the ocean of my doubts and cry out to the Lord, who rescues me, but then, ashamed, I wonder why I was ever sinking in the first place.
Finally, the third major obstacle is my judgment and lack of love and acceptance that sometime evades my life. Loving as God does helps everything in life fall into place, and doing "whatever He tells you" (as the Blessed Mother instructs us at the wedding in Cana) means, in a nutshell, loving yourself and loving your neighbor. This love ties into my first and second obstacles, and I know that as I continue to work on just loving, those other obstacles will break down, and my peace and freedom will return. Even now, I taste a little sweetness of that peace!
*******
As for what's been going on in my life: I've been a busy, busy lady. I've started a new catechist class, "Overview of Catholic Doctrine: The Creed", and have finished my "Introduction to the Church" class, which was phenomenal. This week and next week are super busy with some class overlap, since I start another class, "Introduction to Prayer", while continuing with "Introduction to Scripture" and "The Creed" class (lots of trips to Harrisburg!).
On the 15th, I celebrated my patron's feast day, St. Teresa of Avila, and what a beautiful day it was! My friend Brian and I took an early morning trip to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Elysburg, PA to attend a Solemn High Mass at 9:00 AM. It was an absolutely stunning liturgy, and we were pleasantly surprised to have students from St. Gregory's all boys Catholic school who sang Gregorian Chant in tandem with the sisters in the cloister. The boys also chanted various other songs, including a beautiful version of the Ave Maria. I also got to witness my first Entrance; a young woman from Australia, now Sister Elizabeth Lucy, attended Mass with her mother and some other relatives and friends, and then, at the end of Mass, went to the cloister door, knocked, and was brought inside. She then went to the chapel and recited a prayer from within the cloister at the communion window, and then the grille window was closed. I also got to talk to Mother Stella Marie, the Mother Prioress of the Carmel, for a little while to update her on how I was doing and to see how things were at the Carmel. All in all, it was a beautiful celebration of the feast day!
May God keep you! Laus Deo!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Rosary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus
On Friday, we celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. It was also a First Friday, which means, in the Sacred Heart devotion, the devotees spend the day making reparation to the Sacred Heart for their sins and the sins of the whole world, go to confession (if possible) and to Mass, and focus on making acts of charity throughout the day. It is also suggested we make five visits to the Blessed Sacrament, each for a different intention stated in the devotion, but these intentions can be offered up in one visit if your state of life limits you from coming to the church that frequently throughout the day. In the spirit of prayer, we are to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, say the rosary, renew our consecration, and spend half an hour to an hour in meditation on the Sacred Heart. Seems like an awful lot, doesn't it? It really isn't if you make the time to do it, and the benefits of honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus are overwhelming! (See this link for the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: http://www.sacredheart.com/PromisesOfTheSacredHeart.htm)
There is another fortunate and fitting reason why this feast day of Our Lady falls on a Friday this year. Traditionally, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary are prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Passion of Christ is closely tied to the Sacred Heart devotion. We meditate on the wound the Heart received when it was pierced by the lance on Calvary. Commonly, you will see images of the Sacred Heart with the Cross mounted on the top, the Crown of Thorns encircling the heart, and on the one side an open wound dripping blood.
I went to Mass that morning at 6:30 at St. Joseph's Church in Lancaster. The chapel there also has Perpetual Adoration, so I spent some time with the Lord before and after Mass. When I'm before the Blessed Sacrament, there's a common meditation I do that's written in my Sacred Heart devotional book that I would like to share here. You don't have to be a devotee to use it!
Thirty-five Salutations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Hail, Heart of Jesus! Save me.
Hail, Heart of my Creator! Perfect me.
Hail, Heart of my Saviour! Deliver me.
Hail, Heart of my Judge! Pardon me.
Hail, Heart of my Father! Govern me.
Hail, Heart of my Spouse! Love me.
Hail, Heart of my Master! Teach me.
Hail, Heart of my King! Crown me.
Hail, Heart of my Benefactor! Enrich me.
Hail, Heart of my Pastor! Guard me.
Hail, Heart of my Friend! Caress me.
Hail, Heart of my Infant Jesus! Draw me to Thee.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, dying on the Cross! Ransom me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus! in all Thy States! Give Thyself to me.
Hail, Heart of my Brother! Dwell with me.
Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness! Pardon me.
Hail, Magnificent Heart! Shine forth in me.
Hail, Most amiable Heart! Embrace me.
Hail, Charitable Heart! Operate in me.
Hail, Merciful Heart! Answer for me.
Hail, Most Humble Heart! Repose in me.
Hail, Most Patient Heart! Bear with me.
Hail, Most Faithful Heart! Atone for me.
Hail, Most Admirable and Most Worth Heart! Bless me.
Hail, Peaceful Heart! Calm me.
Hail, Most Desirable and Excellent Heart! Enrapture me.
Hail, Illustrious and Perfect Heart! Ennoble me.
Hail, Sacred Heart, Precious Balm! Preserve me.
Hail, Most Holy and Profitable Heart! Make me better.
Hail, Blessed Heart, Medicine and Remedy of our evils! Cure me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, Solace of the afflicted! Console me.
Hail, Most loving Heart, burning Furnace! Consume me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, Model of perfection! Enlighten me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, Origin of all happiness! Fortify me.
Hail, Heart of eternal blessings! Call me to Thee.
I usually say each line and then spend some time meditating on what I'm asking the Heart of my Lord to do for me, and how He has been able to do these for me. The Lord's mercy abounds for us, and He is waiting to pour forth this mercy upon all those who ask for it. All we have to do is simply pray for His mercy and trust in it. His love is an undying, fiery furnace in which all of us should be consume, for it is not a fire that destroys, but a fire that purifies and unites us to Christ. So, may we burn for love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and be immersed in His mercy!
Laus Deo!
There is another fortunate and fitting reason why this feast day of Our Lady falls on a Friday this year. Traditionally, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary are prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Passion of Christ is closely tied to the Sacred Heart devotion. We meditate on the wound the Heart received when it was pierced by the lance on Calvary. Commonly, you will see images of the Sacred Heart with the Cross mounted on the top, the Crown of Thorns encircling the heart, and on the one side an open wound dripping blood.
I went to Mass that morning at 6:30 at St. Joseph's Church in Lancaster. The chapel there also has Perpetual Adoration, so I spent some time with the Lord before and after Mass. When I'm before the Blessed Sacrament, there's a common meditation I do that's written in my Sacred Heart devotional book that I would like to share here. You don't have to be a devotee to use it!
Thirty-five Salutations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Hail, Heart of Jesus! Save me.
Hail, Heart of my Creator! Perfect me.
Hail, Heart of my Saviour! Deliver me.
Hail, Heart of my Judge! Pardon me.
Hail, Heart of my Father! Govern me.
Hail, Heart of my Spouse! Love me.
Hail, Heart of my Master! Teach me.
Hail, Heart of my King! Crown me.
Hail, Heart of my Benefactor! Enrich me.
Hail, Heart of my Pastor! Guard me.
Hail, Heart of my Friend! Caress me.
Hail, Heart of my Infant Jesus! Draw me to Thee.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, dying on the Cross! Ransom me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus! in all Thy States! Give Thyself to me.
Hail, Heart of my Brother! Dwell with me.
Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness! Pardon me.
Hail, Magnificent Heart! Shine forth in me.
Hail, Most amiable Heart! Embrace me.
Hail, Charitable Heart! Operate in me.
Hail, Merciful Heart! Answer for me.
Hail, Most Humble Heart! Repose in me.
Hail, Most Patient Heart! Bear with me.
Hail, Most Faithful Heart! Atone for me.
Hail, Most Admirable and Most Worth Heart! Bless me.
Hail, Peaceful Heart! Calm me.
Hail, Most Desirable and Excellent Heart! Enrapture me.
Hail, Illustrious and Perfect Heart! Ennoble me.
Hail, Sacred Heart, Precious Balm! Preserve me.
Hail, Most Holy and Profitable Heart! Make me better.
Hail, Blessed Heart, Medicine and Remedy of our evils! Cure me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, Solace of the afflicted! Console me.
Hail, Most loving Heart, burning Furnace! Consume me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, Model of perfection! Enlighten me.
Hail, Heart of Jesus, Origin of all happiness! Fortify me.
Hail, Heart of eternal blessings! Call me to Thee.
I usually say each line and then spend some time meditating on what I'm asking the Heart of my Lord to do for me, and how He has been able to do these for me. The Lord's mercy abounds for us, and He is waiting to pour forth this mercy upon all those who ask for it. All we have to do is simply pray for His mercy and trust in it. His love is an undying, fiery furnace in which all of us should be consume, for it is not a fire that destroys, but a fire that purifies and unites us to Christ. So, may we burn for love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and be immersed in His mercy!
Laus Deo!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Finding God in Nature
This past Saturday, I went on a walk on one of the trails in Lancaster County Central Park. It was a cold, overcast day, but I didn't mind. I hadn't done anything like this in a while, and the sound of water running in the Conestoga River and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees was much better than the chaotic noises of the traffic and city life. I grew up in the country and had every opportunity in my own backyard to escape into the quiet and solitude of woods and listen to gurgling streams and the songs of birds. It's something I miss doing, because most of the time now I have to drive to find that natural solitude of the forest and open countryside.
Once I started my walk, I took up my rosary and began praying the Joyful Mysteries. There was barely anyone around, and even if I came across people on the trail, I wasn't distracted by them passing through. The trail led along the Conestoga, so the running water was my companion for most of the way. The water flowing gently over stones in the river and the whispering of the leaves disturbed by light breezes helped to calm my mind and focus on the mysteries I prayed. It was amazing how my thoughts went deeper and deeper into the mysteries as I walked the trail and gazed at my surroundings. At one point, I stopped at a foot bridge to listen to a small waterfall rush down a narrow tributary into the river; at another, I sat down on a large stone along the river's bank and continued to pray, watching the water eddy and swirl as it steadily make its way downstream.
Eventually, the path led me away from the river and up along a hillside, where the trail wound and snaked through trees already losing their leaves. The sound of the river started to fade, leaving me with the wind's whispers and sighs. Near the end of my rosary, I stopped and turned around to backtrack to the bottom of the hill and to the river bank, where I made my way back to where I started.
I was amazed once again at the amount of grace that flowed from just being in nature. The beauty of my surroundings contained in the sights and sounds of creation directed my soul to God and to praise Him. There were many moments in my life when this happened, even as a teenager when I went into the woods and the gully in my backyard and found myself thinking of God while consumed in my surroundings. On this hike, it reminded me of a more recent memory when I took a mission trip with my parish this past summer to the Lakota Indian Reservation at Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
On the first full day, we took a tour of the reservation, and part of the tour consisted of a scenic drive through the Badlands. At an unplanned stop on a rough gravel and dirt road, we got out of our vans and ran out into a section of the Badlands that contained towering buttes covered in fine dirt, boulders, and stubby grass, shrubs, and wild flowers. The teens that were with us (and some of the adults, too) proceeded to climb up the side of the closest butte. I got part of the way up, and then came back down (I guess you could say I chickened out), but then I went around the other side and decided to try my luck at climbing up there. I picked my way around the rough grass and loose dirt as the incline gradually got steeper. I didn't chicken out this time, and I successfully made it to the top.
Suddenly my breath was stolen from me as my eyes beheld the magnificent vista spanning for tens of miles in all directions.
I was speechless, both verbally and mentally. No words could describe the elation I felt at standing on top of this butte that was probably one hundred or more feet high. After a few moments, I came to my senses, and finally, all I could say out loud was "Wow" and "This is incredible" and "I can't believe this", and when these pitiful few words and phrases were exhausted, I found myself lifting up prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God for allowing me to see such splendor. My soul was carried away, and I could no longer here the laughter and voices of the handful of teens and adults that were there with me. My senses were consumed by my surroundings, with the hot sun shining high in the clear blue sky, the wind swirling around me and whistling by my ears, and my eyes drinking in the slow, 360-degree panorama I took with the camera of my mind. I could not stop thanking God for the beautiful moment, and it continued to be that way for the rest of the trip. Of course, I couldn't stay on that "mountain top" all trip, and we all had to climb, slide, and sprint down the side of the butte to the bottom.
God's creation is good; He proclaimed all that He created as good. We should not love these created things for what they are in and of themselves, because we would be putting them before God. Instead, we should allow them to guide our thoughts, minds, hearts, and souls to the One who created them. St. John of the Cross would spend countless hours contemplating nature outside of his window at the monastery he stayed in, because his soul became enraptured by God and the power and beauty displayed in the creation around him. The same could also be said of St. Francis of Assisi. The saints can be our examples, but we do not have to be saints to appreciate the world we live in and be amazed by it. We can find God in all things, and let us do so for His glory! So, next time you go for hike, just think of the love God gave in creating all those wonderful things!
Once I started my walk, I took up my rosary and began praying the Joyful Mysteries. There was barely anyone around, and even if I came across people on the trail, I wasn't distracted by them passing through. The trail led along the Conestoga, so the running water was my companion for most of the way. The water flowing gently over stones in the river and the whispering of the leaves disturbed by light breezes helped to calm my mind and focus on the mysteries I prayed. It was amazing how my thoughts went deeper and deeper into the mysteries as I walked the trail and gazed at my surroundings. At one point, I stopped at a foot bridge to listen to a small waterfall rush down a narrow tributary into the river; at another, I sat down on a large stone along the river's bank and continued to pray, watching the water eddy and swirl as it steadily make its way downstream.
Eventually, the path led me away from the river and up along a hillside, where the trail wound and snaked through trees already losing their leaves. The sound of the river started to fade, leaving me with the wind's whispers and sighs. Near the end of my rosary, I stopped and turned around to backtrack to the bottom of the hill and to the river bank, where I made my way back to where I started.
I was amazed once again at the amount of grace that flowed from just being in nature. The beauty of my surroundings contained in the sights and sounds of creation directed my soul to God and to praise Him. There were many moments in my life when this happened, even as a teenager when I went into the woods and the gully in my backyard and found myself thinking of God while consumed in my surroundings. On this hike, it reminded me of a more recent memory when I took a mission trip with my parish this past summer to the Lakota Indian Reservation at Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
On the first full day, we took a tour of the reservation, and part of the tour consisted of a scenic drive through the Badlands. At an unplanned stop on a rough gravel and dirt road, we got out of our vans and ran out into a section of the Badlands that contained towering buttes covered in fine dirt, boulders, and stubby grass, shrubs, and wild flowers. The teens that were with us (and some of the adults, too) proceeded to climb up the side of the closest butte. I got part of the way up, and then came back down (I guess you could say I chickened out), but then I went around the other side and decided to try my luck at climbing up there. I picked my way around the rough grass and loose dirt as the incline gradually got steeper. I didn't chicken out this time, and I successfully made it to the top.
Suddenly my breath was stolen from me as my eyes beheld the magnificent vista spanning for tens of miles in all directions.
I was speechless, both verbally and mentally. No words could describe the elation I felt at standing on top of this butte that was probably one hundred or more feet high. After a few moments, I came to my senses, and finally, all I could say out loud was "Wow" and "This is incredible" and "I can't believe this", and when these pitiful few words and phrases were exhausted, I found myself lifting up prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God for allowing me to see such splendor. My soul was carried away, and I could no longer here the laughter and voices of the handful of teens and adults that were there with me. My senses were consumed by my surroundings, with the hot sun shining high in the clear blue sky, the wind swirling around me and whistling by my ears, and my eyes drinking in the slow, 360-degree panorama I took with the camera of my mind. I could not stop thanking God for the beautiful moment, and it continued to be that way for the rest of the trip. Of course, I couldn't stay on that "mountain top" all trip, and we all had to climb, slide, and sprint down the side of the butte to the bottom.
God's creation is good; He proclaimed all that He created as good. We should not love these created things for what they are in and of themselves, because we would be putting them before God. Instead, we should allow them to guide our thoughts, minds, hearts, and souls to the One who created them. St. John of the Cross would spend countless hours contemplating nature outside of his window at the monastery he stayed in, because his soul became enraptured by God and the power and beauty displayed in the creation around him. The same could also be said of St. Francis of Assisi. The saints can be our examples, but we do not have to be saints to appreciate the world we live in and be amazed by it. We can find God in all things, and let us do so for His glory! So, next time you go for hike, just think of the love God gave in creating all those wonderful things!
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