Clean Cut {Zac}

District swim meet tomorrow; body shave tonight.

Countdown to Shave {Scruffy}

The baptismal candle is lit from the pascal candle and passed to the parents and Godparents of the newly baptized with the words, "Receive the light of Christ."

Our acolyte, in desperate need of a shave and a haircut

Tomorrow's the day I've been waiting for... the day Zachary's hair comes off.

The scraggly swimmer 'do' will soon be replaced by the clean cut look.

Peter will soon look like a hippie compared to his big brother!

Zac is threatening to shave off his eyebrows, too...

That would be a new look, wouldn't it?

Stay tuned!

Confirmation {By Choice}

Last week we welcomed Bishop Tyson to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for 24 local teens.

The Sacrament of Confirmation ushered these teens into full maturity as baptized Christians.  They are now considered adults in the Church and each is encouraged to take on active ministries, deepen his/her prayer life, and fully live out his/her faith in all areas of life.

Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are the three sacraments of initiation.

For most, Baptism is received before we have reached the age of reason; our parents together with our Godparents solemnly promise God to raise us and train us as faithful Christians and to support us in a lifelong journey toward heaven and make our baptismal vows in our stead.  We are set free from original sin and born again in the waters of our baptism.

Twin sisters receive the living water as they are baptized by Father Qui Thac.

When we reach the age of reason, or the age at which we can start to understand morality and form our conscience, we prepare for our first Confession (a sacrament of healing), and begin making regular use of the Sacrament of Confession to seek God's forgiveness (through the ministry of the priest).

After we have confessed our sins, we are further prepared to receive Jesus in the 

Holy Eucharist at our First Holy Communion.

Receiving first Holy Communion, the third Sacrament of Initiation

To complete our initiation as Christians, we seek the Sacrament of Confirmation sometime after our First Holy Communion.  In our diocese, most are confirmed during their high school years. {The universal norm prescribed by Holy Mother Church is to receive the Sacraments of Initiation in the order of Baptism-Confirmation-Communion, but She permits Confirmation and Communion to be reversed at the discretion of the local Ordinary (diocesan Bishop). In some Eastern Churches, Baptism, Confirmation (sometimes called Chrismation) and Communion (usually just called by the Greek "Eucharist") are all received soon after birth.}

We are instructed and formed in our faith during the time of preparation for Confirmation.  We are encouraged to continue to make frequent confessions to help us grow in holiness. We publicly declare our wish to be Confirmed (fully initiated) in the Catholic Church and renew our baptismal promises at Confirmation. The bishop lays his hands upon our heads and anoints us with the sacred chrism, the "form" of the Sacrament.

Joseph (as thurifer) assists Bishop Tyson with the incense, in preparation for the entrance procession at Confirmation Mass.

The Alleluia is sung in preparation for the reading of the holy Gospel.

Joseph (thurifer) with Bishop Tyson and Deacon Larry, at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist (the Offertory).

“No soul whatever is able to obtain salvation unless it has believed while it was in the flesh. Indeed, the flesh is the hinge of salvation. . . . The flesh, then, is washed [baptism] so that the soul may be made clean. The flesh is anointed so that the soul may be dedicated to holiness. The flesh is signed so that the soul may be fortified. The flesh is shaded by the imposition of hands [confirmation] so that the soul may be illuminated by the Spirit. The flesh feeds on the body and blood of Christ [the Eucharist] so that the soul too may feed on God. They cannot, then, be separated in their reward, when they are united in their works.” 

~Tertullian, The Resurrection of the Dead 8:2–3 [A.D. 210]

Bishop Tyson anoints with the sacred chrism, marking a soul for Christ in confirmation.

“Are you unwilling to be anointed with the oil of God? It is on this account that we are called Christians: because we are anointed with the oil of God.” ~Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus 1:12 [A.D. 181]

Choose confirmation!

Confirmation imparts:

• an increase of sanctifying grace;
• a special sacramental grace consisting in the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost and notably in the strength and courage to confess boldly the name of Christ;
• an indelible character by reason of which the sacrament cannot be received again by the same person.

What a gift!  

My son, Zachary (16), helped edit this post for clarity and accuracy.
I am grateful for Zac's desire and willingness to be a soldier for Christ; living his faith; teaching both by his example and by his words.  His knowledge of our Catholic faith never ceases to amaze me.  I have posted a new page (on our side bar) with Zachary's insights on Baptism and salvation, which may be of interest to some.

Early Christians' Quotes on confirmation from ChurchFathers.org

OOPS {Buzz Cut Gone Wild}

 Did I ever mention that I'm the barber in our house?

In almost 20 years of cutting (buzzing) hair in my house, I've never forgotten to put a guard on the clipper... until yesterday.  Poor Peter.

True, I was rushed...
True, there was a bit of sass coming from down the hall...

I was totally shocked to see the skin after the first pass with the clipper right along the crown of his head.
It was too late for any creative, corrective measures... the damage was done.
All that could be done was to complete the look.

Oh well, it will grow back!

Fine print:
Joseph has indefinitely postponed his haircut.

Saved by the Light {Fire}

frayed wire on space heater; burnt hole in brand new carpet

Zac's midnight studying adventure:

Zac's new carpet took a hit last night, around 12:30AM, while the rest of us sleeping soundly, and Zac was up late working on his lab report for biology. He heard crackling, buzzing...saw bright orange sparks, like a welding torch...smelled the toxic smoke...

FIRE!

Zac jumped up and yanked the cord out of the wall. He checked the hole in his carpet with his finger to be sure it wasn't still burning. (The logic!) Then he debated whether or not to wake us up with the bad news, and opted to do so:

"I woke mom and dad up and told them that my carpet was on fire. They were both half asleep and wanted to know if it was still burning."

Oddly reminiscent of another time when Zachary alerted me of a fire in the house in a similarly low-key manner; this kid just didn't come installed with an urgent button.

Zac's 'moral of the story':

"If you heat your room, it will end up at 25 degrees."

Zac slept with his window wide open to air out the toxic fumes.  

Not a very good night's sleep needless to say, for any of us!

Fine print:

We never get new carpet.

This is the one new carpet we have purchased since the playroom carpet was burned when a neighbor boy (snake-sitting while we were away) left the reptile's heating light on the carpet which caught fire.  

Luckily his sister came a few hours later to let the dog out and the billowing smoke alerted her to the danger, which she RAN to report to her mother across the street!

It's OK to run for help when there's a fire.

If you don't run, at least walk quickly!

Ezra's Flying {Diving}

Ezra completes an inward dive at a recent home meet.

Ezra flies off the diving board.

Ezra's 2010-2011 varsity diving season highlight:  Hanging out in the hot tub with the other divers.

The hardest dive he's learned so far:  The back one and a half.

Ezra's favorite memory from diving:  When he scored 127 points in a meet and took first place.

Ezra's least favorite diving moment:  Smacking his back (or his belly)!

Why should someone take up diving?  "It's good getting to know all the dives."

Ezra's goal for this varsity diving season: Go to state, and do the front two and a half.

Heading to State {Swimming Update}

Zac takes his mark at the start of the 100 butterfly at a recent dual meet.

Zac approaches his second turn in the 100 butterfly.

Zac's teammate, Tristan, competes in his second 500 freestyle race of the season, rather miraculous considering the initial diagnosis after his terrible car accident in September.  More about his recovery, his determination to help other teens, and details about his plans for the future here.

Going to State!

Zachary's been named to the traveling swim team, heading to the state meet; a goal he set for himself at the beginning of this varsity swim season.  He's an alternate at the moment, with hopes of earning a state qualifying time at the district meet in about two weeks.  In the hopes of shaving seconds off his time(s) at districts, he'll shave his head, face, arms, legs... In the meantime, he's letting his hair go rather wild... not the clean cut young man we're familiar with around here!  Perhaps a good case for St. John Bosco?

Today the Church  for St. John Bosco, patron saint of boys, youth, and Catholic publishers and editors.  Called to the priesthood from a very young age, Saint John Bosco spent his life ministering to children on the streets.  

"My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them. . .

See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or willfulness. It is difficult to keep calm when administering punishment, but this must be done if we are to keep ourselves from showing off our authority or spilling out our anger. . .

They are our sons, and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished entirely.

There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for the future, as is fitting for real fathers who are eager for real correction and improvement.

In serious matters it is better to beg God humbly than to send forth a flood of words that will only offend the listeners and have no effect on those who are guilty."  ~Reading from Divine Office, Jan. 31, from a letter by St. John Bosco, priest

Saint John Bosco, you reached out to children whom no one cared for despite ridicule and insults. Help us to care less about the laughter of the world and care more about the joy of the Lord.  Amen.




Coming tomorrow: an update on Ezra's diving season...