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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Bacon and eggs

I awoke early this morning to check to see how much snow we received overnight, but then when I realized I was in Amman, I headed for a cup of coffee. I'm glad everyone I know is safe from the blizzard. Unfortunately, a few deaths occurred. One boy was trying to stay warm. He sat in his car with the engine and heater turned on and he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast as it is a Sunday. It was delicious. Every strip of bacon was uniformly cooked - lightly crisp, but not overdone. Yum. I had some bread, cheese, olive salad, and a banana for dessert.

Last night at the parish was fun. Much was going on and it was difficult to catch a breath. We welcomed a young woman into the R.C.I.A. process. She's from a Protestant background and has been meeting with me for a while to learn about the faith. Her sister is also interested in understanding more about Catholicism.

I ran around. I heard confessions, organized the Rite of Welcome, rehearsed the choir, made sure the hall was open (which is always a major effort), set up the altar, met two visiting priests, made sure the second collection was going to happen, and gather my notes for announcements. When I started saying Mass, I found out I also had to cantor the psalm. I was introducing new music anyways. I just had to brush through Mass rather than think about anything.

I baked two cakes for the parish gathering after mass. I was very happy that 40-50 people came to meet one another, especially to meet the woman who is to be received into full communion this Easter. It was filled with good spirits - a very happy time. They loved that I baked a cake for them. Some suggested I ought to market it for commercial value, but it is really just out of a cookbook.

I'm beginning two classes this week on spirituality. I'm glad to be offering something like this to the parish. It is where I excel.

Spring is in the air! Shrubs are noticeably expanding and early spring flowers are dotted the few gardens. We have miniature jonquils, buttercups, and a daffodil-like flower in bloom. An apricot tree produced a bud and flowers are popping up because the amount of daylight is lengthening. I'm told that spring comes in early to mid-March. We are almost there.

But............ I don't like hot weather.

***

I learned why many people in Jordan still smoke a lot. Jordanian cigarettes cost 1 JD, which is equivalent to one U.S. dollar. The price was lowered in November from 1.5 JD because the government wanted to have lower prices for home-grown cigarettes rather than have people spend money on foreign brand cigarettes. People will never stop smoking as this is a disincentive.

Traffic is heavy again as the children have resumed classes this week.

We had a Jesuit visitor from the U.S.A. east coast this week. It was good to be with him. We went to a Jordanian Italian restaurant called La Calle and had a very tasty pizza and two pints of beer. The next day I ate at a Mexican restaurant and I enjoyed the food and the company a great deal.




8 comments:

  1. Spring? I do hear a bird outside, but it is 2 degrees Farhenheit. I am avoiding walking the dog right now!

    It is so sad about those who died as a result of the storm.

    Unrelated, I lost a friend on Friday. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Christine, and for consolation for her family. It was an unexpected passing, of someone who was a true light.

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    1. Spring is around the corner. This afternoon I sat on our roof deck for an afternoon meditation. It was lovely.

      I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Fran. I'll pray as your requested. Those unexpected losses derail us. Grieve well.

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  2. Father, Thank you very much for giving me an unforgettable moment, and your new music was WONDERFUL too! When your singing voice was spreading out and filling inside of the church, people might be deeply touched by your sincere voice although they couldn't express their feelings about the song because they were in the mass. I could feel. Also I could imagine a picture of God smiling down at us while we're singing with you.

    Father, I apologize to you for leaving so soon. I really wanted to talk with others and express my gratitude to them for being with me during the rite of acceptance. However, my friend was waiting for me for about an hour to congratulate the R.C.I.A. process. He was staying outside of the church because he was too shy to enter in the church and attend the mass. I think he might feel kind of awkward to go inside the church because he has lived unreligiously.

    By the way, we fully enjoyed eating cakes you made. It was really delicious, so we regretted that I couldn't bring more, and you know what? I left a piece of cake for my younger sister. When I arrived home, my younger sister You-bin asked me if she can eat the cake. Hahaha, she asked me "who made this cake?" after eating. When I replied, she stared at me with surprised eyes like a deer, hahaha!! What is the name of your magical cookbook? I totally agree with other's opinion about the commercial value.

    Father thank you so much and so sorry again for leaving early, and I'm happy to communicate with you here. Time passes quickly whenever I read your writings but weekdays is too long to wait for Friday.. and I sent you an email:) I envy you your time not being disturbed by other things but freely praising only for God and Jesus.

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    1. Thank you, Yu-jin. Thanks for your good words about the liturgy. Many were very happy to witness your next step coming into the Catholic church. No worries about not being able to stay. There are other weekends. We had a lovely gathering.

      Your friend would have been welcome. The homily was meant for someone like him. God makes us a new creation and calls us to a new way of being.

      I'm glad your sister liked the cake. I can see You-bin's eyes opening wide. You can tell her it was her birthday cake. See you on Friday.

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  3. Father, do you know how to upload my profile picture whenever I add comments? I already signed in your blog but I failed.. haha:)

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    1. I'm not sure I know. Your photo appears on the blog, but not on the comments. That happened with my photo in another area. I'll check to see if there is a setting we need to switch on.

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  4. What an uplifting post! I'm on the RCIA team and we celebrated the Rite of Sending for Election today. It is so exciting when people hear the call of Christ and respond. Thanks for sharing your day with us and God bless Yu-jin for responding to Christ's call.

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    1. I'm glad you are on the RCIA team. It is a happy day for those moving towards the Easter sacraments. For their sponsors and catechists, it is a tremendous process to behold.

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