Monica did a great post on why last night's episdoe of LOST was so disappointing. Well, the episode wasn't disappointing, it was just one scene...but we both sat there with jaws wide open and hearts bursting with frustration. The thing that was the most annoying to me, was that I felt they did a good job of representing authentic Catholic faith in some of the earlier seasons.
It's the perfect example of why there are so many misconceptions about Christianity and, specifically, about Catholicism. It happens all the time in the secular media. No need to list examples, I'm sure you can think of plenty on your own.
When I joined the Catholic Church (7 years ago this Easter!!), it wasn't necessarily a popular choice. There were people in my life who did not agree with my decision, there were people who believed I was doing it "for Joe". We weren't married, or even engaged at the time, so I never really understood that argument.
I still have close or even great relationships with all of the people who expressed some type of concern, so this isn't to point fingers or express any bitterness. The truth is that, for the most part, I understood why they said the things they did.
Maybe that sounds like a contradiction, but I understand why some people felt I was making a bad choice. Honestly, if you had asked me about Catholicism anytime before 2002, I would have said (and in fact, DID say) that I would never become Catholic. God had other things in mind (as he usually does!).
I was under a lot of assumptions about the Catholic Church based on hearsay...on what I thought I knew, based on what other people had said to me. I thought I knew some things about the Catholicism because I knew some people who were "Catholic", and I had seen plenty of things on movies or TV shows that reaffirmed all the things I "knew". The secular media is good at that game. And to be honest, people are good at buying into it. I would just like to encourage you...if you are not Catholic, or if you are Catholic and you are looking for an answer to some question, please go to a reliable source that will give tell you what the Church actually teaches. Here are a few of my favorites:
Catechism of the Catholic Church - search any topic
Catholic Answers - ask a question and get an answer or browse topics
Scott Hahn - Protestant minister who converted to Catholicism
Christopher West - Writes books about JPII's Theology of the Body. Good News about Sex and Marriage explains a lot of the Church's teachings on sexuality.
Maybe at some point I will share more of my faith journey here. It's a story that is very dear to my heart. I am still in awe at the way that God has pursued me through all my life. He has captivated me and challenged me in ways I never thought possible. He has sometimes shocked me with the things he has asked of me. I never pictured that I would be where I am today, but I wouldn't have it any other way, because I know that I have been obedient to His call on my life and he is ever drawing me nearer. What more could I ask for?
In closing I would just like to say one more thing.
There is not a Catholic Body of Christ and a Protestant Body of Christ. Though we have doctrinal differences, we (sadly) have division, we have different styles of worship, we have different liturgical practices...
It all comes down to one thing. One man.
God made flesh.
Freedom for the Captives.
Because if He sets you free, you are free indeed.
3.24.2010
3.17.2010
A Day in the Life
Even though we have all been a little under the weather (we have all had a bit of a cold...and poor Judah has an ear infection), we had so much fun today!
For starters, Joe went out and got us donuts before he went to work today. He got some coffee for us, too, and decided he would give Roman a sample of his iced chai latte. Roman took a sip, grinned ear to ear, and enthusiastically asked "What is that called?" We all cracked up because his reaction was just so over the top and hilarious.
As I have mentioned, the boys love to have dance parties, so that was next on the agenda. Roman's newest fave is Nichole C. Mullen's "Freedom". This one is old school. She was one of my favorites in high school...we listened to this song a lot on our mission trip to the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota...I know some of my girls reading this are dancing just thinking about those good times!! :) When I saw Nicole sing at the Women of Faith conference I went to last weekend (that's another post coming soon!), I had to bring her back. Needless to say, she's a big hit with my little ones.
When the boys nap at the same time, I get to have some "me" time, which is great...and some days necessary. :) But, when they stagger their naps, like they did today, I get to have more one-on-one time with each of them...which I love! So, today I got to thoroughly enjoy each of my sweet boys.
Judah is loving music more and more everyday. He recognizes "Move it, Move it!" and gets so excited to dance to it. He also tries to beat box with Joe when Joe sings it to him. Hilarious! He is so sad after he coughs hard...which breaks my heart! Thank God it's finally starting to go away! He laughed SO hard at me gargling salt water the other day. Judah is a CLIMBER. He always sits on the bottom of the TV stand and then stares at me with defiance in his eyes when I tell him "no". When Judah has something he knows he is not supposed to have (i.e. remote controls), he grabs it and runs (ok, it's not quite a run...but it's a really fast walk) down the hall toward his room.
Roman is learning Genesis 1:1. I am trying to get him to learn how to compose notes for friends and family members, so that he can start sending mail. He is starting to get it, and it's really cute. He really loves putting coins in our Rice Bowl for Lent. He is really good at drawing triangles. He says the same sentences over and over again...i.e. "I'm all clean and fresh" after a diaper change or "Mommy, please can I get you some cold milk, can I get you some red milk?" when he wants a drink. I don't know why, but it seems like once he likes the sound of sentence he sticks to it. No variation. (And, as you can tell, we're still working on the pronouns. We're getting better...but it's going to take a while!)
After their naps, it was nice enough to go for a walk. We went yesterday, too, but it was pretty chilly later in the afternoon, and Judah wasn't really feeling it. But, today, it was BEAUTIFUL outside! We walked for about 45 minutes and enjoyed talking about everything we got to see along the way. Naturally, Roman's favorite thing was seeing all the dogs out walking. Joe has told him that we can get a dog as soon as Roman is potty trained...which doesn't really seem to be working, but we'll be excited to get a dog sometime...you know, hopefully before he's 12.
For starters, Joe went out and got us donuts before he went to work today. He got some coffee for us, too, and decided he would give Roman a sample of his iced chai latte. Roman took a sip, grinned ear to ear, and enthusiastically asked "What is that called?" We all cracked up because his reaction was just so over the top and hilarious.
As I have mentioned, the boys love to have dance parties, so that was next on the agenda. Roman's newest fave is Nichole C. Mullen's "Freedom". This one is old school. She was one of my favorites in high school...we listened to this song a lot on our mission trip to the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota...I know some of my girls reading this are dancing just thinking about those good times!! :) When I saw Nicole sing at the Women of Faith conference I went to last weekend (that's another post coming soon!), I had to bring her back. Needless to say, she's a big hit with my little ones.
When the boys nap at the same time, I get to have some "me" time, which is great...and some days necessary. :) But, when they stagger their naps, like they did today, I get to have more one-on-one time with each of them...which I love! So, today I got to thoroughly enjoy each of my sweet boys.
Judah is loving music more and more everyday. He recognizes "Move it, Move it!" and gets so excited to dance to it. He also tries to beat box with Joe when Joe sings it to him. Hilarious! He is so sad after he coughs hard...which breaks my heart! Thank God it's finally starting to go away! He laughed SO hard at me gargling salt water the other day. Judah is a CLIMBER. He always sits on the bottom of the TV stand and then stares at me with defiance in his eyes when I tell him "no". When Judah has something he knows he is not supposed to have (i.e. remote controls), he grabs it and runs (ok, it's not quite a run...but it's a really fast walk) down the hall toward his room.
Roman is learning Genesis 1:1. I am trying to get him to learn how to compose notes for friends and family members, so that he can start sending mail. He is starting to get it, and it's really cute. He really loves putting coins in our Rice Bowl for Lent. He is really good at drawing triangles. He says the same sentences over and over again...i.e. "I'm all clean and fresh" after a diaper change or "Mommy, please can I get you some cold milk, can I get you some red milk?" when he wants a drink. I don't know why, but it seems like once he likes the sound of sentence he sticks to it. No variation. (And, as you can tell, we're still working on the pronouns. We're getting better...but it's going to take a while!)
After their naps, it was nice enough to go for a walk. We went yesterday, too, but it was pretty chilly later in the afternoon, and Judah wasn't really feeling it. But, today, it was BEAUTIFUL outside! We walked for about 45 minutes and enjoyed talking about everything we got to see along the way. Naturally, Roman's favorite thing was seeing all the dogs out walking. Joe has told him that we can get a dog as soon as Roman is potty trained...which doesn't really seem to be working, but we'll be excited to get a dog sometime...you know, hopefully before he's 12.
3.01.2010
My Recent Favorites
Judah:
- will be 9 months old tomorrow!! Wasn't he just born?
- is walking! (As of about a week ago, I would say that he is a really proficient walker) He is even starting to be able to turn around. He's good.
- such a good eater! I know I say it every time, but seriously, it brings me so much joy. Today at lunch I literally had to bribe Roman to eat pizza. Pizza. Judah, on the other hand, laughs when the spoon is coming towards his face and yells when I am taking more than about 3 seconds in between bites....which brings me to...
- he doesn't cry, he yells. It's not a half-cry. It's not a high pitched scream. It's a from-the-gut intensely angry yell. This is Joe's newest biggest pet peeve.
- he says "ba-ba" when you ask him what a sheep says and sniffs when you ask him what a bunny says.
- Raises his hands above his head when you ask him how big he is...and smiles ear to ear when you say "so big!"
- he LOVES to play with Roman. They laugh at each other so much. They especially like to wrestle around on the floor in blankets.
- loves playing "peek-a-boo" and now puts the blanket over his head by himself.
- is obsessed with drinking out of sippy cups...and chases after Roman's as if he has found the Holy Grail.
Roman:
- "reads" books all the time (from memory)...which I find to be the most charming thing ever.
- memorized Hebrews 11:1 this week
- so good with letters! today he put his drum sticks perpendicular to each other on the floor and then announced "That's a 'T', Mommy! T says /t/ like Tony".
- still not able to count objects...just can't get the one-to-one correspondence. Ideas?
- is currently obsessed with the movie "Homeward Bound".
- LOVES making Judah laugh and chasing him around
- Yesterday I asked him "Roman, what color is grass?" After some deep thought he responded "green?"...yeah, I can't really remember either.
- loves dogs...especially Sedona, Chrissy and Jon's new dog. He told us on Sunday that Sedona is his best friend.
- is more affectionate now than he ever has been. No complaints here. :)
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