Hey all, just got back from Paris! It was fantastic. More to come on that...once I get all my work done...I'm actually prioritizing for once!
Just wanted to thank all of you who've been praying for the safety of my friends and me.
I also implore you to keep the Pope in your prayers this week as he travels to Angola and Cameroon to pray with and encourage the ever-growing Church in Africa. Let us not only pray for his safety but also that those who are committing countless atrocities in the African continent will be touched by his visit and cease their evil ways.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Protectress of Africa - Pray for us!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Note
I was playing with the layout (obviously) the other day, and had to settle with what is there. I don't like it either haha. I'll change it or revert it soon enough, for now I want to go to sleep.
~ Javs
~ Javs
Satisfied by a Mere Experience
As unlikely as this sounds, our weekend trip to the Andalusian cities of Córdoba and Granada was start to finish a complete success. I think one person delayed our initial bus out of Toledo a handful of minutes, but that’s about the only slipup I remember. The several hour bus ride to Córdoba was fantastic. We had to board by 5:15 in the morning, but sin duda valió la pena (was certainly worth it). I slept a good bit, but was gladly awoken by an aesthetically minded angel who prompted me to remove the scarf which shielded my eyes from the quiet, yet intense beauty of the sunrise climbing its way over the plains to my left.
After satisfying my desire to behold and trying somewhat in vain to capture with a lens what was meant for an eye, I slipped back into dreams. We were awoken at roadside bed and breakfast for a buffet-style breakfast…my favorite kind. I ate with José Luis and Miguel, two of our three program coordinators. They are both really funny guys, and used this sense of humor to comment several times on my ability to consume food and our common upbringings in the Catholic Church. We are very lucky to have them (and Yuki, the hypotenuse c to their a and b) as our coordinators. I have had both amusing and serious conversations with them, and find myself each time happier or wiser.
After breakfast(/lunch/dinner if you consider how much I ate) we continued through an incredible landscape of undulating pine forest to get to Córdoba. Unfortunately it was a bit misty when we arrived, but not enough to mar the several hours we had to see the Mezquita and explore the Judería…and eat! The Mezquita is fantastic. It’s a sixth century Church turned eighth (?) century Mosque turned fifteenth century Cathedral. There is no trace of the original Church, but thanks be to God, the Christian armies of the reconquista didn’t destroy their Muslim enemy’s beautiful place of prayer, rather adapted it to their liturgical needs. I wish we could have spent more time there, but as that was the only major thing we had planned for Córdoba, they really wanted us to see the Judería, or Jewish quarter, then eat and peace out. The highlight of the Jewish quarter was definitely the Maimonides statue. Maimonides was a Medieval Jewish philosopher from Córdoba, whose influence extended beyond his own faith, as his work is cited by St. Thomas and some of the other famous scholastics. Córdoba is certainly a city of philosophers. They also boast of Seneca, the Roman stoic, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), the Muslim genius referred to by St. Thomas as “The Commentator.” Only one other person in Thomas holds such an epithet, Aristotle “The Philosopher,” on whose works Ibn Rushd was/is the authoritative commentator.
Lunch was fantastic.
We arrived in Granada in the early evening and got ourselves settled before a fun little night. Instead of spending too much money at restaurants and bars, we decided a grocery store run would be our most cost efficient venture. We were right. It was a cheap, fun night, capped off by free dancing at a club called Babylon.
I thought I would regret staying out late on Friday, because we had a somewhat early wake up Saturday to see the Alhambra, a medieval Muslim fortress. I was wrong. Long seeded excitement got me up and rearing to go in the morning…along with yet another buffet-style breakfast awaiting us in our hotel’s dining room. Two ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches; a handful of peach slices; and some tasty fruit juices later we were seated on our busses and en route to the Alhambra.
No day could have complemented the beauty of this building more. The sun was kind enough to share 65 to 75 of its several-billion-degree temperature with us, making our sweaters a clumsy item to carry, but a welcome reminder that no…we are not in South Bend! Unfortunately abused her Spanish penchant for long windedness, and made certain parts of the four-hour tour quite boring, so much so that we were not allowed to remain in some of the prettier areas to sit, relax, and admire, and in the very end she forgot to take us to one of the Alhambra’s cooler patios. I wasn’t too upset though. We did spend four hours in the Alhambra.
A testimony to the power of the Muslim rulers of times past, it is a vast collection of human dexterity and imagination. Just about every wall has an ornately hand-carved design, ranging from the cave-like ceilings of the bedrooms to the fabulous Arabic scripts which contar las historias de la Alhambra much akin to a Medieval tapestry. Unfortunately one its most famous pieces, La fuente de los leones, is being renovated. It is a fountain in one of the main patios encircled by 12 lions, one for each our. In the fountain’s day, on each hour the respective lion would begin to spray water. The Christian conquerors opened it to see how it worked. Neither did they figure it out, nor did it work when they put it back together…smooth.
Among the Alhambra’s other claims to fame is that it was the burial place of Los Reyes Católicos: Isabel of Castilla-León y Fernando de Aragon. They were buried there because La Alhambra was the final Muslim stronghold conquered in 1492, although now they reside in the Capilla Real, a chapel on the side of the Cathedral of Granada.
After La Alhambra, we had the whole day free. We certainly took advantage. After getting Tapas and one heck of a refreshing beer (and a Gaston picture!) at La Bella y La Bestia, we got our own lunches of choice and met back at Plaza de Colón for lunch. Plaza de Colón is an amazing little spot to sit and admire the monument Queen Isabel’s approval of Colón’s proposal to sail west. The guys had pizza and did not regret it, as is evidenced by the pictures on the website…Hank especially.
The next of the day’s highlights awaited us after lunch. We didn’t want to spend €3.50 to enter the Cathedral, so instead we decided to explore the streets and allies around it. Choice of the century. Behind the Cathedral resides the quintessential European setting: a sunlit plaza with steps, musicians, and joy. The sun continued its gift of Mediterranean spring weather as we plopped on the steps to take in the seeming perfection of the moment. To our left three incredible flamenco musicians provide the soundtrack to the movie being ingrained in our memories as numerous groups of costumed Granada youth made their way in and out of the Plaza. Apparently there was a city-wide scavenger hunt that day, so humorously dressed people were in no shortage this happy Saturday.
On the steps our group partook in gelato consumption, laughter, and the a capella folk choir stylings of Flannery and I. If I’m not mistaken we sat there for at least two hours before entering the Capilla Real, which was nice, but not quite worth the €3.50 entrance, maybe 2. The tabernacle wasn’t even active!
As was the custom, we exited the Capilla to the sound of more fantastic music in the streets. We then split our group. Some went back to the hotel, while some of us decided to make the trek to El mirador de San Nicolas, the lookout spot from Saint Nicholas Parish. This also falls in that category of fantastic decisions. It was a long uphill trek to this famed sunset point and hippie congregation hub. A hedonist’s paradise, this lookout appeals to all the senses. It buzzes with life and moves to the music of flamenco guitar, didgeridoos, homemade percussion, and hippie chant. Numerous cafés take advantage of numerous pilgrims who seek not only to gaze on beauty but also to do so on a full stomach and satisfied palette. Primarily famous for its vista, San Nicolas has perfect view of the North side of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains as the setting sun stains their brown stones and white caps red. Oh and smell, I forgot about the sense…well it’s the hippie center of Spain, so it smells like…incense…among other recognizable scents ;-)
Much like our Cathedral steps experience, we spent several hours there, profiting from the view during three different times day light, sunset, and nighttime. The Alhambra is very well lit at night, so that required our brains to make even more space to retain and impressive memory. If my brain works anything like my computer’s hard drive I’ll soon be sacrificing old memory in hopes of a newer—hopefully God designs better than Apple. However, our desire to explore was still piqued, so we took random streets in the hilltop neighborhood and stumbled upon a snazzy little plaza and friendly local grocer before making it back down to the main road which would lead us back to our hotel.
That night was Connor’s birthday, so we celebrated appropriately, laughing and dancing to our hearts’ content. My night was sadly cut short by a little taxi mix up, but that was alright, considering the much needed extra hour of sleep it afforded me. I got to go to Church twice, once at a local convent and later at the Cathedral. Both were beautiful liturgies, although lacking the vibrancy of a dorm or Basilica Mass I am so accustomed to (and eager to experience back in the States). The Cathedral is among the most beautiful in Spain, and probably in Europe. Structurally, it designed to encourage as much air flow and let in as much light as possible. It also does not fall prey to some of the excesses of Baroque Spain that other Cathedrals do, although it does utilize the Baroque mastery of gold very well. Sadly, I only took two pictures, but memory is always better, even if less accurate than a photograph.
That was probably the lesson of this trip. Although I am glad I (with Hank’s help) snapped 410 pictures in Córdoba and Granada alone, I do need to remember that the point of my travels is to behold and experience. I am living a story and learning lessons along the way. The photos will serve well in the future to stir a memory years removed from the experiences, but how sad would it be if to gaze upon the photos is all my mind is trained to do, if it does not have its own impression of the beautiful landscapes and architecture I’ve been setting eyes on for the past two months?
One of my favorite quotes encapsulates my situation well -- “No limit can be set to our progress toward God, first because no limits can be put upon the beautiful, and second, because as our desire increases it never finds satisfaction." - St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Every trace of beauty makes such an impression on my heart, I want to keep it forever, so I take a photograph, thinking that it is the pure aesthetic value which impresses me most. However, there is deeper magic at work, a beauty hidden deep within those mountains, a creativity housed somewhere in those walls, magnets which forcibly engage me in their mystery. However, they are paragons of humility, for in their attraction, they lead me past themselves to encounter a beauty truer, yet infinitely more paradoxical. Its enormity is ineffable, yet its simplicity comprehensible to the smallest child. I recall when I would be an Extraordinary Minister of Communion at the Children’s Masses at Little Flower Parish in South Bend. Holding the chalice I was stunned by the opportunity to hand Life itself to my brothers and sisters and would get locked in thought and fear. Then, when I needed it most, a parent would come up holding their infant child. Without fail these beautiful youths would fix their gaze on the chalice. Perhaps it is only because chalices are shiny, and little kids love shiny things, but I could never help but wonder that they knew what was really going on. They knew that Love was poured into that cup, and they couldn’t take their eyes off of Him. His beauty drew them into Himself, even though they did not receive Him sacramentally. Saved from the trap of intellectualism, these children helped me to better understand the mystery of my ministry: to keep my gaze fixed on the beauty swirling around below me, whether it impressed me or not.
This translates well into my travel life. The vibrant life about me asks me to perceive it better, to not divorce its aesthetic from its identity. No one wants to be reduced to an image, to a lifeless object, not even the most mundane pebble. That is why the photograph can never replace the impression of memory. Devoid of the reality of its object, it cannot draw me in such a way to the greatest Reality, it cannot remind me of my own reality, my own beauty, my own need to plunge deep into my own depths and discover a mystery and identity too immense for these pages, yet contained perfectly in a morsel of Bread and drop of Wine.
After satisfying my desire to behold and trying somewhat in vain to capture with a lens what was meant for an eye, I slipped back into dreams. We were awoken at roadside bed and breakfast for a buffet-style breakfast…my favorite kind. I ate with José Luis and Miguel, two of our three program coordinators. They are both really funny guys, and used this sense of humor to comment several times on my ability to consume food and our common upbringings in the Catholic Church. We are very lucky to have them (and Yuki, the hypotenuse c to their a and b) as our coordinators. I have had both amusing and serious conversations with them, and find myself each time happier or wiser.
After breakfast(/lunch/dinner if you consider how much I ate) we continued through an incredible landscape of undulating pine forest to get to Córdoba. Unfortunately it was a bit misty when we arrived, but not enough to mar the several hours we had to see the Mezquita and explore the Judería…and eat! The Mezquita is fantastic. It’s a sixth century Church turned eighth (?) century Mosque turned fifteenth century Cathedral. There is no trace of the original Church, but thanks be to God, the Christian armies of the reconquista didn’t destroy their Muslim enemy’s beautiful place of prayer, rather adapted it to their liturgical needs. I wish we could have spent more time there, but as that was the only major thing we had planned for Córdoba, they really wanted us to see the Judería, or Jewish quarter, then eat and peace out. The highlight of the Jewish quarter was definitely the Maimonides statue. Maimonides was a Medieval Jewish philosopher from Córdoba, whose influence extended beyond his own faith, as his work is cited by St. Thomas and some of the other famous scholastics. Córdoba is certainly a city of philosophers. They also boast of Seneca, the Roman stoic, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), the Muslim genius referred to by St. Thomas as “The Commentator.” Only one other person in Thomas holds such an epithet, Aristotle “The Philosopher,” on whose works Ibn Rushd was/is the authoritative commentator.
Lunch was fantastic.
We arrived in Granada in the early evening and got ourselves settled before a fun little night. Instead of spending too much money at restaurants and bars, we decided a grocery store run would be our most cost efficient venture. We were right. It was a cheap, fun night, capped off by free dancing at a club called Babylon.
I thought I would regret staying out late on Friday, because we had a somewhat early wake up Saturday to see the Alhambra, a medieval Muslim fortress. I was wrong. Long seeded excitement got me up and rearing to go in the morning…along with yet another buffet-style breakfast awaiting us in our hotel’s dining room. Two ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches; a handful of peach slices; and some tasty fruit juices later we were seated on our busses and en route to the Alhambra.
No day could have complemented the beauty of this building more. The sun was kind enough to share 65 to 75 of its several-billion-degree temperature with us, making our sweaters a clumsy item to carry, but a welcome reminder that no…we are not in South Bend! Unfortunately abused her Spanish penchant for long windedness, and made certain parts of the four-hour tour quite boring, so much so that we were not allowed to remain in some of the prettier areas to sit, relax, and admire, and in the very end she forgot to take us to one of the Alhambra’s cooler patios. I wasn’t too upset though. We did spend four hours in the Alhambra.
A testimony to the power of the Muslim rulers of times past, it is a vast collection of human dexterity and imagination. Just about every wall has an ornately hand-carved design, ranging from the cave-like ceilings of the bedrooms to the fabulous Arabic scripts which contar las historias de la Alhambra much akin to a Medieval tapestry. Unfortunately one its most famous pieces, La fuente de los leones, is being renovated. It is a fountain in one of the main patios encircled by 12 lions, one for each our. In the fountain’s day, on each hour the respective lion would begin to spray water. The Christian conquerors opened it to see how it worked. Neither did they figure it out, nor did it work when they put it back together…smooth.
Among the Alhambra’s other claims to fame is that it was the burial place of Los Reyes Católicos: Isabel of Castilla-León y Fernando de Aragon. They were buried there because La Alhambra was the final Muslim stronghold conquered in 1492, although now they reside in the Capilla Real, a chapel on the side of the Cathedral of Granada.
After La Alhambra, we had the whole day free. We certainly took advantage. After getting Tapas and one heck of a refreshing beer (and a Gaston picture!) at La Bella y La Bestia, we got our own lunches of choice and met back at Plaza de Colón for lunch. Plaza de Colón is an amazing little spot to sit and admire the monument Queen Isabel’s approval of Colón’s proposal to sail west. The guys had pizza and did not regret it, as is evidenced by the pictures on the website…Hank especially.
The next of the day’s highlights awaited us after lunch. We didn’t want to spend €3.50 to enter the Cathedral, so instead we decided to explore the streets and allies around it. Choice of the century. Behind the Cathedral resides the quintessential European setting: a sunlit plaza with steps, musicians, and joy. The sun continued its gift of Mediterranean spring weather as we plopped on the steps to take in the seeming perfection of the moment. To our left three incredible flamenco musicians provide the soundtrack to the movie being ingrained in our memories as numerous groups of costumed Granada youth made their way in and out of the Plaza. Apparently there was a city-wide scavenger hunt that day, so humorously dressed people were in no shortage this happy Saturday.
On the steps our group partook in gelato consumption, laughter, and the a capella folk choir stylings of Flannery and I. If I’m not mistaken we sat there for at least two hours before entering the Capilla Real, which was nice, but not quite worth the €3.50 entrance, maybe 2. The tabernacle wasn’t even active!
As was the custom, we exited the Capilla to the sound of more fantastic music in the streets. We then split our group. Some went back to the hotel, while some of us decided to make the trek to El mirador de San Nicolas, the lookout spot from Saint Nicholas Parish. This also falls in that category of fantastic decisions. It was a long uphill trek to this famed sunset point and hippie congregation hub. A hedonist’s paradise, this lookout appeals to all the senses. It buzzes with life and moves to the music of flamenco guitar, didgeridoos, homemade percussion, and hippie chant. Numerous cafés take advantage of numerous pilgrims who seek not only to gaze on beauty but also to do so on a full stomach and satisfied palette. Primarily famous for its vista, San Nicolas has perfect view of the North side of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains as the setting sun stains their brown stones and white caps red. Oh and smell, I forgot about the sense…well it’s the hippie center of Spain, so it smells like…incense…among other recognizable scents ;-)
Much like our Cathedral steps experience, we spent several hours there, profiting from the view during three different times day light, sunset, and nighttime. The Alhambra is very well lit at night, so that required our brains to make even more space to retain and impressive memory. If my brain works anything like my computer’s hard drive I’ll soon be sacrificing old memory in hopes of a newer—hopefully God designs better than Apple. However, our desire to explore was still piqued, so we took random streets in the hilltop neighborhood and stumbled upon a snazzy little plaza and friendly local grocer before making it back down to the main road which would lead us back to our hotel.
That night was Connor’s birthday, so we celebrated appropriately, laughing and dancing to our hearts’ content. My night was sadly cut short by a little taxi mix up, but that was alright, considering the much needed extra hour of sleep it afforded me. I got to go to Church twice, once at a local convent and later at the Cathedral. Both were beautiful liturgies, although lacking the vibrancy of a dorm or Basilica Mass I am so accustomed to (and eager to experience back in the States). The Cathedral is among the most beautiful in Spain, and probably in Europe. Structurally, it designed to encourage as much air flow and let in as much light as possible. It also does not fall prey to some of the excesses of Baroque Spain that other Cathedrals do, although it does utilize the Baroque mastery of gold very well. Sadly, I only took two pictures, but memory is always better, even if less accurate than a photograph.
That was probably the lesson of this trip. Although I am glad I (with Hank’s help) snapped 410 pictures in Córdoba and Granada alone, I do need to remember that the point of my travels is to behold and experience. I am living a story and learning lessons along the way. The photos will serve well in the future to stir a memory years removed from the experiences, but how sad would it be if to gaze upon the photos is all my mind is trained to do, if it does not have its own impression of the beautiful landscapes and architecture I’ve been setting eyes on for the past two months?
One of my favorite quotes encapsulates my situation well -- “No limit can be set to our progress toward God, first because no limits can be put upon the beautiful, and second, because as our desire increases it never finds satisfaction." - St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Every trace of beauty makes such an impression on my heart, I want to keep it forever, so I take a photograph, thinking that it is the pure aesthetic value which impresses me most. However, there is deeper magic at work, a beauty hidden deep within those mountains, a creativity housed somewhere in those walls, magnets which forcibly engage me in their mystery. However, they are paragons of humility, for in their attraction, they lead me past themselves to encounter a beauty truer, yet infinitely more paradoxical. Its enormity is ineffable, yet its simplicity comprehensible to the smallest child. I recall when I would be an Extraordinary Minister of Communion at the Children’s Masses at Little Flower Parish in South Bend. Holding the chalice I was stunned by the opportunity to hand Life itself to my brothers and sisters and would get locked in thought and fear. Then, when I needed it most, a parent would come up holding their infant child. Without fail these beautiful youths would fix their gaze on the chalice. Perhaps it is only because chalices are shiny, and little kids love shiny things, but I could never help but wonder that they knew what was really going on. They knew that Love was poured into that cup, and they couldn’t take their eyes off of Him. His beauty drew them into Himself, even though they did not receive Him sacramentally. Saved from the trap of intellectualism, these children helped me to better understand the mystery of my ministry: to keep my gaze fixed on the beauty swirling around below me, whether it impressed me or not.
This translates well into my travel life. The vibrant life about me asks me to perceive it better, to not divorce its aesthetic from its identity. No one wants to be reduced to an image, to a lifeless object, not even the most mundane pebble. That is why the photograph can never replace the impression of memory. Devoid of the reality of its object, it cannot draw me in such a way to the greatest Reality, it cannot remind me of my own reality, my own beauty, my own need to plunge deep into my own depths and discover a mystery and identity too immense for these pages, yet contained perfectly in a morsel of Bread and drop of Wine.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Guilty Pleasure
So in one of my numerous study breaks I found this: THE ONION YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Oy, talk about a guilty pleasure. These people are really quite bitter and sarcastic...but very, very funny. If you enjoy a good dead pan you will love this.
Oy, talk about a guilty pleasure. These people are really quite bitter and sarcastic...but very, very funny. If you enjoy a good dead pan you will love this.
Something New I Learned
There are 42 Catholic Churches within a 15 mile radius of my home...hiyo! Although at school there are 40+ chapels on two square miles, so I suppose I should be used to this kind of thing by now. (Somebody's keeping His eye on me!)
On a similar note, excluding preschool...I've only been to schools dedicated to the Blessed Mother...make that two people keeping their eyes on me!
On a similar note, excluding preschool...I've only been to schools dedicated to the Blessed Mother...make that two people keeping their eyes on me!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Morocco Fotos
Papa Benedetto sums up my Moroccan experience pretty well (Thanks to Emily for showing me the particular speech): I am "wounded by the desire for beauty, and not any kind of beauty, but...beauty itself, the infinite beauty that [I] found in Christ."
To access these and subsequent photos check out my Picasa site.
Picasa is decentish program, so needless to say I decided to have a lot of fun with and touched up some of the pictures. I only put in the ones (somewhat) worth looking at.
Enjoy (Mom and Dad)!
To access these and subsequent photos check out my Picasa site.
Picasa is decentish program, so needless to say I decided to have a lot of fun with and touched up some of the pictures. I only put in the ones (somewhat) worth looking at.
Enjoy (Mom and Dad)!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Somethings I Realized a Long Time Ago
1) I can't sing long e's. I'm not sure why, but I can never seem to get them right. This is ironic because back in Beauty and the Beast my big number "Me" ended with a powerful High-F Meeeeeeeeeeee! Yea, I don't think the audience ever enjoyed that one. Sorry.
2) I am bad at conjuring motivation to do school work, hence this blog post.
3) Jesus Christ is fantastic...although in the strictest sense of the word, I don't think anyone could have ever fantasized a God Incarnate who would die, rise, ascend, and leave Himself in the form of Bread and Wine...I couldn't. My God would be me...oh wait that sounds like secular humanism...not so creative, I guess ;-)
4) I don't know if I could be poor and happy...sounds awful I know, but it's the truth...at this point at least. Maybe I'll be a better person one day.
5) Tissues should be carried at all times.
6) Music should be played on streets and sidewalks enlarged so folk can dance more readily.
7) The greatest saints are the ones we don't know about...excluding Mama Mary of course.
8) I will see you in the Eucharist, whether you believe me or not :-)
2) I am bad at conjuring motivation to do school work, hence this blog post.
3) Jesus Christ is fantastic...although in the strictest sense of the word, I don't think anyone could have ever fantasized a God Incarnate who would die, rise, ascend, and leave Himself in the form of Bread and Wine...I couldn't. My God would be me...oh wait that sounds like secular humanism...not so creative, I guess ;-)
4) I don't know if I could be poor and happy...sounds awful I know, but it's the truth...at this point at least. Maybe I'll be a better person one day.
5) Tissues should be carried at all times.
6) Music should be played on streets and sidewalks enlarged so folk can dance more readily.
7) The greatest saints are the ones we don't know about...excluding Mama Mary of course.
8) I will see you in the Eucharist, whether you believe me or not :-)
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