50 Day Countdown

"Go forth to all the nations," he told us, and that's what we've been doing!

John Paul II took up Jesus' words again and spoke of the New Evangelization, recognizing that the 1 billion Catholics around the world were bringing the face of Christ to the new generations born in the 3rd Millennium.

The largest gatherings of young people in history have been the World Youth Days, outstripping all other events as hundreds of thousands--millions--of youth come together on pilgrimage from all over the globe to join with the Holy Father in prayer and celebration.

Now only 50 days away is the next World Youth Day, to be held in Sydney, Australia. Here's a glimpse of the gathering soon to be taking place:

Month to Make Merry

May is Mary's month, and the youth of Shasta County have shown up to represent. Our diocesan paper, the Catholic Herald, published this article about the recent Rosary Bowl, where all four parishes of our region came together as the youth groups held a living rosary and Marian procession. In the Herald photo, you can see the statue of Rosa Mystica being carried, the image of Our Lady as patroness of priests. If Mary's looking out for you, you're in good shape--look where her son ended up!

Third Time's the Charm

Or more technically, the Third Person's the Mystery. Or another theologically profound statement. With today's celebration of the Most Holy Trinity, we're highlighting one of the most distinctive elements of Christianity. The idea of communion of persons, that we're meant to be people in relation with each other, is grounded in our source in the communion between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Our ultimate goal isn't to melt into un-distinction, where we can't tell each other apart any more. Likewise, it isn't primarily to have earned an identity by doing: our identity comes from being in relation to others.

I took this photo today from one of the windows here in the house. The weather's getting warmer, though nothing like the 100 degree weather California is getting right now. Drop whatever you're doing and head to the water. That sort of May weather brings up quotes like, "You think it's hot here!? Wait till the next life!"

Mac vs PC

You might enjoy this series--coming out of Omaha, this takeoff of the well-known Mac commercials contrasts Natural Family Planning vs. contraception--catch all 6 in the sequence!

Homeward Bound

A friend sent me this link to a new site--with over 100,000 visitors a month, Catholics Come Home is a beautiful doorway back into the Faith. Be sure to check out their three video clips at the bottom of their homepage: I especially enjoyed Epic, because it included lots of clips from Rome--beautiful footage!

Concerto dalla China Philharmonic Orchestra

History was made tonight as the Shanghai Opera House Chorus joined the China Philharmonic Orchestra to present Mozart's Requiem in the Paul VI Hall for Pope Benedict XVI. The China Philharmonic is overseen by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, which is under the direct supervision of the Chinese State Council--making tonight's event perhaps the closest encounter the Holy Father and the Chinese Government have had since the Chinese Revolution.

Long Yu, conductor for the orchestra, before conducting the Requiem introduced it as a gesture of peace and love, and following the symphony, Pope Benedict spoke of the ability of music to reach across cultures. The orchestra played in honor of the Holy Father 'Jasmine Flower' in closing, one of the best known Chinese folk songs--also used by Puccini in his opera Turandot.

Afterwards the six of us who joined the audience ate at a Chinese restaurant, just to stay consistent.

Dot Cool

Have you been here yet? Catholic.net is one of the exciting portals online that has a wide versatility and a great selection of resources. Now competing to become your homepage . . .

Seasonal Decisions

The options being spring or summer--Rome seems indecisive on which season it is. At left you can see the abundant wisteria blooming over one of our walkways--fragrance filling the whole area.

Coupled with an occasional rain, the fresh blossoms and leaves give the feeling of springtime.






But then you take the full sunlit warmth of this last week and you feel it must be summer: days that call one out of doors and don't quite understand the concept of studying.








The courtyard of our residence: no longer winter.





Jumbled the exuberance may be, it's all welcome as the air feels full of new life.








Even the rooftops are sprouting, as you can see here between the tiles--

This was sent by a friend

Appropriate for a page entitled Peregrinus:

Here in this body pent,

absent from Him I roam.

Nightly pitch my moving tent,

a days march nearer home.

--Anonymous