groovy kind of love

"when i'm feeling blue

all i have to do
is take a look at You
then i'm not so blue" (Phil Collins - Groovy Kind of Love, 1988)

Christ is Risen, truly He is Risen, Alleluia! my to-do list today, and this week:

clean:

• desk
• email
• heart (check, and done, through the wonderful Sacrament of Joy)

enjoy the Easter Octave! i'm going to rest up from the one of the busiest weeks of my life! good times, indeed! peace.

party rock anthem

"party rock is in the house tonight

everybody just have a good time
and we're gonna make you lose your mind
everybody just have a good time" (LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem, 2011)

happy Easter! every day we will be shuffling, at least for the next 50 days! party hard, Our Lord Jesus Christ is Risen - truly He is Risen! Alleluia! peace.

light show

"it's a new day!

are you ready to handle this, ...

.. most cannot.

you ready for the light show?" (Pigeon Hole feat. d-sisive - Light Show, 2011)

good times! enjoy! peace.

"O truly blessed Night, sings the Exsultet of the Easter Vigil, which alone deserved to know the time and the hour when Christ rose from the realm of the dead! But no one was an eyewitness to Christ's Resurrection and no evangelist describes it. No one can say how it came about physically. Still less was its innermost essence, his passing over to another life, perceptible to the senses. Although the Resurrection was an historical event that could be verified by the sign of the empty tomb and by the reality of the apostles' encounters with the risen Christ, still it remains at the very heart of the mystery of faith as something that transcends and surpasses history. This is why the risen Christ does not reveal himself to the world, but to his disciples, 'to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #647)

losing my religion

"that's me
in the corner
on the cross

that's me in the spotlight,
I'm losing my religion" (R.E.M. - Losing My Religion, 1991)

my God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 22) today, Good Friday, we celebrate the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. the liturgies were powerful, and i have just returned from our Stations of the Cross à la JPII. there were songs, praise, testimonies - oh my, indeed, these are some of my favourite things. however, i really do enjoy the traditional Stations. i have always loved praying the Way of the Cross - since kindergarten, when i had a class project to do. it has remained my favourite devotion, and every year during Lent, i pray for the grace and courage to follow Our Lord daily through the Stations. here's a quick version using my own thoughts, coupled with prayers from the 2006 Way of the Cross led by Our Holy Father:

Station I: Jesus is condemned to death.

(Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way, 1993)

Station II: Jesus is given his cross.

(The Band - The Weight, 1968)

Station III: Jesus falls the first time.

(GNR - Patience, 1989)

Station IV: Jesus meets His Mother.

(Billy Joel - Tell Her About It, 1983)

Station V: Simon of Cyrene carries the cross.

(Beatles - With a little Help from My Friends, 1967)

Station VI: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.

(Elvis Costello - Veronica, 1989)

Station VII: Jesus falls the second time.

(Red Hot Chili Peppers - Love Rollercoaster, 1996)

Station VIII: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

(Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U, 1990)

Station IX: Jesus falls the third time.

(Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire, 1963)

Station X: Jesus is stripped of His garments.

(Elvis Presley - Can't help falling in Love, 1961)

Station XI: Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross.

(Natalie Imbruglia - Torn, 1997)

Station XII: Jesus dies on the cross

(Frank Sinatra - My Way, 1969)

Station XIII: Jesus' body is removed from the cross.

(Fleetwood Mac - Landslide, 1975)

Station XIV: Jesus is laid in the tomb.

(Mumford & Sons - The Cave, 2010)

please let me know if you think other songs could fit in this praying with the Stations through music. see y'all soon, ya hear! peace.

grenade

"gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash

you tossed it in the trash, you did
to give me all your love is all I ever asked
'cause what you don't understand is ...

I would go through all this pain
yes, I would die for you, ...
but you won't do the same." (Bruno Mars - Grenade, 2010)

the hour has begun, and tonight, at The Mass of the Lord's Supper, Lent is officially over and the Easter Triduum has begun. we continue to walk the Way of the Cross, praying to know and love Him more, seeking the courage and grace to following Jesus to the end.

everybody

"
backstreet's back
Palm Sunday's back, alright!

now throw your hands [+ palm branches] up in the air

and wave 'em around like you just don't care

if you wanna party let me hear you yell

'cause we've got it goin' on again"

(Backstreet Boys - Everybody, 1997)

in the opening Gospel today, the crowds ask, "Who is this?" many people continue to question the identity of Jesus Christ. however, this week, the most important week of the Christian year, we will walk the Way of the Cross, invited to know, love and follow God in Our Lord Jesus Christ. it'll be a busy week indeed. hopefully i will see you, but if not, have a great holy week, and Easter! here's my schedule for the next week:

• Palm Sunday masses, at Annunciation and St. Pat's
• Holy Chrism Mass, at the Cathedral
• Wednesday's Tenebrae Liturgy, at the Cathedral
• Holy Thursday, at the Cathedral
• Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday, at Annunciation

have a blessed Holy Week. peace.

the music of the night

"let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world!

leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!

let your soul take you where you long to be!

only then can you belong to Me ..." (Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Music of the Night, 1988)

turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel! how's your Lent going? i'm a few weeks late posting on this, however, it was excellent, so i must comment! i finally saw the Phantom of the Opera! it was performed by St. Peter's Catholic High School, the first in Canada to get rights to do this, and i loved every second, and every note! i've always loved the music, and it also set the tone for me to enter in Lent.

"in the musical, this song is sung after the Phantom lures Christine (main character) down to his lair beneath the Opera House. he seduces Christine with 'his music' of the night, his voice putting her into a type of trance. he sings of his unspoken love for her and urges her to forget the world and life she knew before." (see Wikipedia.org)

turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel! could this be a reminder of the love poem that is the Song of Songs? Lent, and the refrain turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel, is a reminder that we belong not to the Phantom but to God, and this great + Holy season of Lent allows us time to know Him better, love Him more, and to follow Him more closely.

Lent has two major themes: recalling/preparing for Baptism + spirit of penance. and, the three pillars of Lent continue to be (see these videos, these guys are geniuses!):

• prayer
• fasting
• almsgiving

however, no matter what we do, it should always helps grow in our love of God, and our love of neighbour! as we enter into Holy Week, i try again to be faithful to my own Lenten Observances - to fast from activism, and to walk daily the Stations of the Cross, to name only a couple. enjoy Holy Week! peace.

"Night-time sharpens, heightens each sensation, … Darkness stirs and wakes imagination, Silently the senses abandon their defenses."

safety dance

"we can dance if we want to

we can leave your friends behind
'cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
well they're no friends of mine"
(Men Without Hats - Safety Dance, 1982)

so you think you can dance Canada, is on again tonight - the English debate showdown will be taking place. of course, i have better things to do - tonight we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confession in our parish. i would vote, if there were any leaders to vote for! indeed, why will no one discuss the issues of life? why does everything seem to revolve around the budget? everyone is talking, but nothing is being said. hmm, ... maybe i'm being a little harsh. i have to be careful, since clergy - and i - sometimes do the same thing. we preach, but there's no message. i'm working on it, really i am. our leaders help me realize the promises i did upon ordination:

"believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practise what you teach." (example)

of course, i will vote, and encourage all to do so, but please vote wisely (1, 2). so, don't forget to dance, and go vote May 2, 2011. peace.

update: psst, juste pour rire is on tonight (April 13, 2011) too - the French debate showdown.

we belong together

"i didn't mean it

when i said i didn't love you, so
i should have held on tight
i never shoulda let you go
i didn't know nothing
i was stupid, i was foolish
i was lying to myself
i could not fathom that i would ever
be without your love
never imagined i'd be
sitting here beside myself
cause i didn't know you
cause i didn't know me
but i thought i knew everything" (We Belong Together - Mariah Carey, 2005)

there's no place like Home, in the love and mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of Joy, in the Sacrament of Confession. struggling with sin is difficult, but we don't have to do it alone. God offers us His grace to persevere, to struggle with the bad in order to do the good! go to confession this Easter, and if you like, come to our Penitential Celebration this coming Tuesday night, @ 7pm. peace.