3 random thoughts: on baptism, being a 100, and tree-climbing oysters

3 RANDOM THOUGHTS:

#1 - From [Sunday 13th's] Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: 

"We proclaim this gospel to acknowledge and remember that we are claimed by God as His own no less than God claimed Jesus Christ. For having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we have been, as it were, grafted into Christ and in communion with Him we are God’s own. Because of that, every time we acknowledge the presence of God and pray, we begin In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. When we do that in public, we are signaling to everyone who sees us that we are Baptized. We are God’s own children. We make that sign to draw brothers and sisters who are baptized into prayer with us as God’s claimed and chosen ones." ~Fr. Thomas Boyer, St. Mark the Evangelist, Norman, OK

"Today we celebrate the most important day in each of our lives, our baptism day... today we are reminded that God looks at each of us and says: 'you are my Beloved daughter/son, in whom I am well pleased'." [my own paraphrase] ~Fr. Brian McMaster at St. Thomas More, Austin, TX

#2  -  Although I still consider myself a newby Blogger, this is my 100th DAY BY DAY blog post. I've learned a lot about the Bloggesphere these past few months, but above all, I've learned just how much I enjoy blogging! Here are FIVE of my favorite posts:

+ Hope Begins in the Dark
+ Following the Shepherd
+ When Pain is Prayer
+ Not Yet
+ God and details

How about you? Do you have a favorite DAY BY DAY post so far?

#3  -  Did you know that in the Caribbean there are oysters that can climb trees?

Well, not exactly. Many Caribbean islands are lined with mangrove, shrub-like trees to which the local oysters cling during high tide. But when the ocean recedes the oysters are left high and dry, clinging for their lives. True story.

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Okay, one more random comment, for lagniappe:

You can still win a copy of Cravings by leaving a comment on this post http://goo.gl/nSbqQ You have until Sunday the 20th!

God be in my head

At the Red Mass this weekend at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Oklahoma City, the guest homilist—Bishop James S. Wall from Gallup, New Mexico, gave a stirring homily as he “opened the Word” with us, reflecting on Sunday’s readings [25^th Sunday of Ordinary Time]. Bishop Wall, by the way, has a great blog titled "Be Doers of the Word" (named after his episcopal motto), which I've linked to his name above.

The Red Mass is a tradition dating back to the 13^th Century in Europe when both the bench and bar attended a Mass together at the beginning of each judicial session.

At the Cathedral this weekend, government officials, judges and law professors processed in wearing their robes or academic hoods, and celebrants wore red, signifying the fire of the Holy Spirit's guidance to all who pursue justice in their daily lives.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley prays over

lawyers, government officials, judges, law students

The phrase that I kept hearing, both directly from and implied in Bishop’s Wall’s words is this: be imitators of Christ.

Even with regard to the saints, such as St. Thomas More, patron of all in the law profession, the Bishop emphasized, we follow them inasmuch as they were imitators of Christ and applied that in their lives.

This understanding is for me, ultimately, a prayer of desire—and it was best brought into my heart at the Red Mass with the offertory song, “God Be in My Head,” a short piece by one of my favorite contemporary composers, John Rutter:

God be in my head and in my understanding.

God be in mine eyes and in my looking.

God be in my mouth and in my speaking.

God be in mine heart and in my thinking.

God be at my end and in my departing.

Youtube video of "God Be in My Head"