SoonerforChrist's Xanga

BABY IS HERE

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:44:28 GMT

Alessandra Veronica 6 lbs 8 oz. at 19 inches

A Visit to the Monastery

Wed, 09 May 2007 01:49:50 GMT

Hi all it has been a while since my last blog and I know a couple of my friend's wanted to see me back in action so here I am, back with what I have been up to. I know most of you know what I have been up to but some of you might not know exactly what I have been up to. The last big thing I have done was taking a trip to Hulbert, OK. Many of you may ask, "What brings you to Hulbert, OK?" Well, me and a good friend went to a monastery, called "Clear Creek". It is a Benedictine Monastery where they celebrate the Tridentine Mass.

We left on Friday after work and got there just in time for Compline. When you get closer to the Monastery the roads are obviously lest traveled.

Compline in a nutshell are prayers at the end of the day. (Completion of a work day) After Compline the monks and visitors observe silence until the next day. I must admit I didn't stay true in staying silent as JP and I had to communicate on where our sleeping arrangements were going to be.

Morning Prayer

Picture Below was not taken from our trip but a way to show the monks while praying

On Saturday morning we wake up around 4:30 to pray Matins 5:15 and Lauds 6:15 (In essence praying morning prayers before sunrise) Essentially what happens is you walk into the oratory (chapel) and once all the monks gather they begin and pray in Gregorian Chant which is all in latin. It is very peaceful, especially in morning when there was hardly any wind and the sky was full of stars and throughout the prayer you see a glass painted window start to illuminate as the sun starts to rise.

Here is a picture of where the monks currently pray until the Church is finished being built. Basically the converted a horse stable into a residence and added the chapel into it.

After Matins and Lauds the Low Mass starts at 6:50, which is basically silent as the priest whispers the prayers and you follow along with a missal or you can sit silently and pray. After the Low Mass it goes immediately into prime which is praying more Psalms. After Prime we would go and eat breakfast with the monks.

Breakfast

Basically the breakfast consisted of “fresh milk”. You think what you get at the store is whole milk? Wait till you have tried fresh cow milk with a little bit of the curd dropping into your cereal, then you have experienced whole milk. If you can't do the milk, you can eat your cereal dry or you can just not the cereal. They also have coffee for the guests and homemade bread in which you can spread peanut butter and/or jelly on it. It isn't all that bad.

After breakfast we got ready to work!

Work

JP and I decided that this weekend retreat would consist of prayer, work, relaxation, and meditation. So after breakfast we got our working clothes on and decided to head up this gentleman from Conway, Arkansas. This guy comes up once a month and helps out with whatever needs to be done around the Monastery. The guy asked us if we were welders... well most of you know that I have never done this type of work. Basically what JP and I were to do is to help them move that frame looking thing.... Well we had to place a beam at the bottom of it that way the fork lift could move it to another section, this took quite some time.

I also helped clean up a shelf that was in dire need of cleaning

BEFORE

AFTER

And JP was sweeping up the place.

We also helped did some work where they are going to feed lambs, enough about work. We were smoked after doing about 3 1/2 hours of manual labor.

Rest/Reading/Meditation

We got back and showered up and ate lunch and basically had the opportunity to rest/reading/meditation/prayer. I chose the reading and meditation and JP well he was wiped and took a nap (SMART GUY).

Visit to the Building Site

The rest of the day we went to go see the building site of where the Church and the monks new livings quarters are going to be. It is expected that the monks will be able to move into their new place sometime in 2009. Here are a few pictures of the current site.

We walked around the building site and as you can see from the picture and comparing to the semi, it is going to be huge! I am thinking the new site will probably have some young men thinking about a vocation to the monastic life.

We ended up going to Vespers that evening and Compline, and finished a great day of prayer, work, rest, reading, and meditation.

We woke up the next day and went to Mass and drove home. It was a great trip and I'm thinking about a yearly retreat to the monastery, if not 2 times a year. It's a great way to get away from everything and be able to spend some time with God in prayer, work, and rest.

All in all it was a good trip!

Since I been gone

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:44:21 GMT

I haven't posted up since December. I feel as if my fellow blogger deserve at least some updated blogs from me. This passed winter was probably the coldest winter I have experienced in a very long time. Last summer was probably one of the hottest summers I can remember. Then there is this new fade concept of global warming. I don't know how other parts of the world are doing, but if it is anything like we experienced, I would call it global neutralization.

I hope everybody had a great New Year's start and are keeping those resolutions or if you didn't have one to begin with, I hope you are doing something to make yourself feel accomplished.

Spring is almost here, and all I can say is THANK GOD!

Would anybody like to go here with me?

Merry Christmas

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 02:37:01 GMT

Hello family, friends, and all those you just decided to stop by this blog. What is Christmas to you? Better yet, what is Christmas? Why does Christmas land on the 25th of December? Where did the word Christmas come from (the etymology)?

Some people will live their entire life and not answer those questions. Is it important for those questions to be answered? I guess it depends.... It should be important, but what importance is it if we know it, but don't live it in our daily lifes. Something we all struggle with from time to time.

I hope everybody has a great Christmas and a great new year.

The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

An Update

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:26:51 GMT

Hey guys what is going on? I haven't had much to blog about in the past couple of weeks. It appears that I have been so busy that I haven't really had time to "BLOG". I spoke with "on a side note" about blogging and she gave me some pointers or at least some motivation to type something. So let me just give you a brief update about the highlights of my life in the last couple of weeks.

As many of you know, I'm fairly new at my new job, and I have been going nonstop for the last 2 1/2 months. Fortunatly, I had some time to take off a couple of Friday's ago. I took the opportunity to go out to eat with some of my co-workers from my previous job. They could very easily be called my friends, as a matter of fact I do consider them my friends, because they helped me so much with what I know today. Fact of the matter is they are just simply great people to be around. So I did had the infamous Chinese Buffet lunch downtown OKC!

That afternoon, I went on a road trip with 2 of my closests friends Matt and Brian. They have been there for me through thick and thin. We went down to College Station to watch OU play aTm. Great thing is, is that we won! GO SOONERS! That was a great trip and always good times with them 2!

Now, I am looking forward to the Holidays! Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year!

I hope all my fellow bloggers are doing well, and you have more interesting stories than I did!

Happy Hallows' Eve

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 14:31:18 GMT

Around this time of year, I start hearing some Christians calling Halloween a pagan Holiday full of evil and how it is very corrupt. With that being said, can a Christian celebrate Halloween with a good conscious? Well, only if you believe what those Christians believe about the holiday.

Here is an article from last year about Halloween. It is pretty descent. Halloween falls out of favor with Southern evangelicals

As St. Augustine said, in essential things there must be unity, in matters of opinion there may be diversity, but in all things there must be charity.

That being said Catholics and Evangelicals are forming some ecumenicism on this Holiday!

Our American Culture tries to take Christian Holidays and make them into something quite different. Our culture has hijacked Christian Holidays in order to make a sale. Meanwhile many Americans don't realize that these Holidays (Holy Days) are rooted in Christian History. The first one that comes to mind is Christmas which represents in our culture "Materialism". Then you have Easter, which now symbolizes the Easter Bunny and egg hunts (which I will get into at Easter time), St. Valentine's Day, and Halloween.

Are all the Holidays Evil?

Is Halloween a pagan holiday? Or does it have Christian overtones? How should it be properly celebrated? When did all the ghost, goblins, and scary images come in to place?

In my Catholic world view we celebrate Halloween on the evening before All Saints Day. Halloween is nothing more than "the eve of All Saints". Oct 31st is the Eve and November 1st is the day!

We remember the lives of all the saints (Christians) (not necessarily just canonized saints).

Now, the stuff that we see in our present American culture derives from diverse cultural practices from the immigrants who came in to this country.

I will admit we should be cautious in how we celebrate Halloween. Halloween does not represent a pagan or an occult Holiday. Christians whether you are Catholic or Protestant should take these accusations as pure ignorance of history. Many writers like Jack Chick twist the history of Halloween into being something evil and corrupt and not realizing the motive behind the early Christians in sharing the gospel with those who did not believe or live a life of Christ. People like Jack Chick pinpoint no other than the "EVIL and CORRUPT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH" They assume that Catholicism is pagan and demonic, especially regarding the veneration of God's saints.

For example Jack Chick points to the ancient druids as where the practice of Halloween came from. Fact of the matter is, the remembrance of Christian martyrs predates Christian contact with druids, and celebrating the vigil of all saints. All Saints Day and All Souls day is hardly pagan. It is anything but pagan. Personally Jack Chick has no credibility whatsoever, he is much like the Dan Brown's and Michael Moore's of the world.

Enough of Jack Chick.

Costumes: This derives from Danse Macabre which was a Christian allegorical theme. Dance of the Maccabees.

Trick or Treat: This derives from England. Look up Guy Fawkes Day, Powder Plot Day, and November 5th.

Is Halloween a pagan holiday?
No it is not. There is nothing evil in commemorating the lives of past saints, dressing up in costumes, playing games, having parties, carving pumpkins, or collecting candy from willing neighbors. If you do these things and there is no evil intent in these acts, you should be fine. (Mark 7:18-23). Halloween is nothing more than mixed European culture being part of our American Culture. If we want to accuse Halloween with being a pagan custom, then we should also point to wedding rings, bouquets, brides wearing white, Christmas Trees, and Easter Eggs. Point of this is, is that Christians used these interior meanings to point to Christ.

For those who believe it is an evil holiday, I do not want to cause scandal between you and me. St. Paul says that even though Christians may eat meat sacrificed to idols (a practice which wasn’t even Christianized) without sinning, they should choose for the sake of charity not to do so in front of those who do not understand this liberty (Rom. 14; 1 Cor. 10:23-31).

If you choose not to celebrate Halloween, I respect that. Halloween is a fun holiday, but I wouldn't want another to stumble because of me.

Bomb Threat by Dutch Priest

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 16:48:26 GMT

A priest calls in a bomb threat in an attempt to stop Madonna from a mock re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ. The Dutch priest really did not have to do this! Is it necessary to make a violent threat over this? Sure, I find this mock re-enactment of the crucifixion offensive, but you don't put fear into other people by calling in a bomb threat to get your point across.

Now, Madonna has actually defended her crucifixion stunt - saying Jesus wouldn't mind. According to The Sun she said: "I don't think Jesus would be mad at me and the message I'm trying to send. Jesus taught that we should love thy neighbour."

Basically what she does is wear a crown of thorns and sings her hit Live to Tell on a giant cross.

A spokesman for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, leader of Catholics in England and Wales, called the stunt "a banal perversion of that magnificent event."

The Catholic League said: "Poor Madonna keeps trying to shock, but all she succeeds in doing is coming across as a boring bigot."

Fine case of 2 wrongs don't make a right. Sure we have the freedom to do what we want, but I think we can send better messages with better taste Madonna. As for the priest, what are you thinking....

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:23:48 GMT

College Football Game Day

It's back! College Football Game days are officially here! It is that time of year, where you go to sleep Friday night, wake up in the morning to have a nice snack for breakfast, possibly a cup of coffee if you are a coffee drinker. Turn it to ESPN watching Sportscenter and then....... COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME DAY COMES ON!!!!!!!!!!

You see Kirk, Lee, and Chris talking about the games that are going to be played that day, meanwhile having the sports animal playing in the background. Between commercial breaks you possibly check the message boards to see who has to say what about particular games, then come back to the TV. Now if you have tickets to the game, you might miss all this and set up for tailgating at the Norman campus to enjoy the early dew on the grass with a nice bud light and a breakfast burrito to fullfill your morning appetite. You see crimson and cream everywhere when you get on campus, you know you are with some of your closest friends!

No matter what you do during that day, you know one thing is for sure, you will be rooting for your team and enjoying the day!

GO SOONERS!

Friday, August 25, 2006

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:20:53 GMT

Moving On

After you graduate college, we are told to make the best out of our life and try to pursue a career in what we major in. Well, I did just that, and even though I did not know a whole about developing applications prior to entering the work force, it has become something I really enjoy doing.

Today, I turned in my 2 weeks notice to my manager, and I can tell you it was not very easy. I consider myself a pretty loyal person, and to leave a work place after 4 1/2 years is very tough. The relationships I had with my fellow co-workers will always be remembered for the rest of my life, and deep down I wish to continue these relationships, but you know what they say about moving on in life. You lose connections and make new relationships with other people.

I accepted a postion with Lockheed Martin and plan to start this new journey on September 11th. Any words of advice of encouragement, advice, ect would be greatly appreciated.

So long Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation, I will always remember my first job in the real world!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:13:12 GMT

I Love this Bar

I love this bar, it's my kind of place....

This past weekend I went to the Elephant Bar, Toby Keith's Bar and Grill, Tapwerks, and the Cross Eyed Moose.

On Friday night my wife and I did some catching up with a long time friend of ours from our Catholic Youth Day's at St. Andrew's. We had a really good time. We were going to get some dinner and just have a few drinks and talk about life in general. So we decide to try something new, so we go to the Elephant Bar.

The Elephant Bar

It was a 45 min to an hour wait, so we decided to get a few drinks at the bar. I order a mojito.

This is a great refreshing drink that I would recommend. It has club soda, lime, mint leaf, sugar, and rum!

Anyways, we are at the Elephant Bar enjoying our drinks and the electricity goes out. So it started to get kind of warm... we waited for a while to see if it would come back on, but it never did... so we decided to go to Bricktown and get a bite to eat.

So while driving we decide to eat at Toby Keith's "I love this Bar and Grill" in bricktown.

Toby Keith's "I love this bar and grill"

So we go in and its a 45 minute wait, so we get a drink at the bar, this time I order water! This is a great refershing drink that I would recommend as well. So we finally get sitted and the menu is full of all these great southwest dinners. We decide to go for the Chicken Fried Steak. Dalia and I split this plate as the chicken fried steak there is a huge (16 oz.).

So we eat our dinner, finish up and walk down the canal to Tapwerks.

Tapwerks

So we go to Tapwerks to finish the night and talk about life. Good times! Oh I got the Spaten Oktoberfest. It was a great amber beer from Germany.

The next evening I went to the Cross Eyed Moose with Kenergy and JP. We talked about life, sports, politics, and religion. It was great.

It was a fast, yet eventfull weekend. Now I'm ready for College Football Season to start!