Wedding at Cana

Today's Gospel reading:

"There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him."
—John 2:1-11

Nine Days of Prayer: Pray Without Ceasing

Do you know about the Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage? It is a Catholic-led movement to pray from today, 19 January, to 27 January to end abortion. I subscribed to daily emails from the USCCB for these nine days to remember to pray for this issue. When I received the first email this morning, I was groggy from little sleep and my mind was more focused on the errands I had to run during the day. I skipped reading the entire email, thinking I would get to it and pray later.

About an hour ago, I came across this post from a blog I've been recently following while on Twitter. It completely stopped me in my tracks. It is graphic, especially for any post-abortive. But if you are willing, I encourage you to read it. I could focus on the way the "nurse" and abortionists are described as impatient and barking, cold and seemingly sterile as the room. I could point out the fact that the horrific result of abortions is collected and covered up by a sheet; even the operators are aware of the gruesome indecency performed in those rooms. I could talk about how people, when faced with uncomfortable and convicting truth, try to squash down that reality, whether by dismissing it as unimportant, making excuses for their neglect, or ignoring it by covering it with a sheet. And I do want to talk about these things and probably will in a later post.

In Which Haley Gets Serious

Father Z does it again: straightforward, unapologetic truth in one of his numerous posts for this weekend. The title, "Abortion/Right-to-Life: NOT a women’s rights issue," is spot-on, but the validity of which is so unnoticed by the general population. Two issues are of importance here: the true right in question and the significance of that right.

That one's right to life is confused as another's right to choice is, at the very least, unfortunate, and at most, inconceivable.

Name that film!

Top 5 Favorite Blogs of 2012

Two posts in one day? Going for a record, I am. Just wanted to continue the New Year spirit and chime in with some of my favorite blogs that I have discovered or been inspired by in the year 2012. Some of them are faith-related, others are more artistic. Maybe one (or a few or all) of these blogs can teach and inspire you in the year 2013. The winners are:

A Beautiful Mess. If you're looking for cool photography, fancy DIYs, fashion, home decor or organization inspiration, this is a helpful website by Elsie and Emma. They have clever ideas and small tips that will make your life more fun.

Carrots for Michaelmas. A wonderful blog by Haley about being a Catholic, literature-loving, homesteading mother. Her point of view has been particularly helpful to me as I'm converting to Catholicism and considering what life after graduation holds. She is kind and sweet and the photos of her son Benjamin and daughter Lucy melt my heart.

Pope Benedict XVI on Twitter

Hello all!

This is probably old news by now to any Catholic on Twitter, but for anyone who doesn't know, Pope Benedict XVI joined Twitter last month and first began tweeting on 12 December (12/12/12. I see what you did there, Your Holiness). He had a huge burst of followers before he had even tweeted anything and now has over 1.3 million followers. He usually tweets once a week with a question or sentence summarizing a recent message he has given. I think it is fantastic that the Pope is utilizing this social media platform to reach people (particularly young people) in a new, relevant way. Imagine, people drawing closer to the Catholic faith because of Twitter!