About Me

My photo
Life is tough. Nuns are tougher.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Obligation

What are you doing here? You should be at Mass! Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation. Also, you can't double up and go to Saturday Mass for your Sunday Mass and also call it your Holy Day of Obligation Mass.

Maybe you can. But you shouldn't.

I think I have been tagged before and never dealt with it. But since today is a Holy Day of Obligation and a wonderful feast day I decided to try it. I've been tagged by Sr. Betsy over at the Daily Thoughts of Mother Seton. I have to tell eight things about myself. I imagine the idea is to mine some things you might not suspect, so here we go:


1. I take shorthand. I always become the secretary of everything. I wasn't taking shorthand when I was the secretary of the Boy Saviour Club in when I was in the second grade, though.

It is also why I remember so much stuff. I find I remember things that I write down, and since I can write everything down verbatim, very quickly, it all sticks in my brain.

2. I have a secret desire to be a court reporter. Is that what they are called? The ones that sit through every trial with that machine that takes everything down verbatim in some sort of code? I'm not interested in sitting around in court everyday listening to all the sad news about crimes and criminals and victims. I just want to learn to work one of those machines.

3. I can ride a horse. I actually had a horse of my own when I was young. She was a palomino quarter horse. I never owned a saddle for the horse, which made me a better rider, I think.

4. I can tap dance. Yes. My mother gave me dance lessons until I was 12. Recently, a young woman showed me a new time step--new to me, that is--and I have mastered it. Sister St. Aloysius can't stop laughing. The debut of the new time step was one of the St. Nicholas day surprises.

5. I don't believe I've ever mentioned it before, but I also play the piano. I also don't think I've mentioned that my main job at school is to be the 'music nun'. I have a knack for getting very young children singing in harmony. Would that they would do everything else in harmony.

6. I can't draw anything. I have a theory that the Impressionist painters weren't all that innovative. They just couldn't draw any better. I think I insulted a painter who works in watercolors once when I told her my theory.

7. My father, who is the sweetest most likable man on earth, became a fiend behind the wheel of a car. I have inherited that gene. Luckily, I have Our Lady of LaSalette to curtail road rage. You may recall that Our Lady of LaSalette was weeping because the cab drivers in France were swearing too much.

8. I have no idea who to tag or how to tag them. Consider yourselves tagged if you are reading this.

And get to Mass!

20 comments:

Heather said...

We went to Mass this morning. I even made sure another mom I was out late with last night knew the bishops hadn't moved the Feast. She and her family were at Mass, too.

And I'm with you on the impressionists. I've said more than once I don't think Monet was all that great; he was just nearsighted. If he'd had glasses, the world could be a different place.

Anonymous said...

We went to the vigil Mass. And since the whole congregation made a Marian consecration we also got a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions)! Doesn't get much better than that!

Anonymous said...

Riding bareback does make one a better rider.

Laura The Crazy Mama said...

Thank you.

beez said...

Sr:

As a seminarian, I can tell you that you are correct in the USA, at least, about doubling up. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day that does not transfer to Sunday when it occurs on Saturday and Monday. That means that NEXT year, people will have to go to Mass on Sunday the 7th AND Monday the 8th.

Another interesting note: Since Mary, under the title Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of the USA, in years when December 8 is a Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent is actually bumped for the feast day. Pretty cool for a poor girl from Nazareth!

Jane said...

Great post.I don't always comment but I read them all. I have a question:
I hear in mass every week how we must be reconciled to each other. I believe this but without sharing any details, how far can this be realistically be taken? Since it is Christmastime, the pressure to do so has again reared its ugly head and truthfully, I really, really don't want to have anything to do with the people in question. Is that a sin? Am I lying when I pray that I forgive those who trespass against me? I feel I do forgive, but I still want them to stay away. Sound advice is needed.

PraiseDivineMercy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PraiseDivineMercy said...

Sister, what are your thoughts on the renewal of the Latin mass?

Anonymous said...

If Christmas is December 25th, how could Mary have conceived (immaculately or otherwise) in early December? Shouldn't this day be in March?

Kristin said...

I second ^praisedivinemercy^....I just went to my first Latin Mass last week and I'd love to know what you think of it being brought back.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, the Immaculate Conception is the conception of Mary, not Jesus. Jesus' conception is the feast of the Annunciation.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sister -
I was recently tagged as well. I don't know if anybody cares about the thoughts of a Presbyterian who does the best she can, but if they are, my "list" is here:

http://olearfamilyblog.blogspot.com

Tonda said...

Someone above mentioned "we also got a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions."
Since the topic came up I thought I would take this chance to ask you if you could explain indugences to me. I have read what I can on the topic, but I still don't understand exactly what it means to recieve an indulgence.

Anonymous said...

sister, can you talk about what we celebrate on the feast of the Immaculate Conception?

Catherine said...

Just in case no one's told you yet, those machines are called Stenography machines. My aunt went through the whole shebang to become a court reporter. Right as she graduated, she was hit with Carpal Tunnel or something that kept her from steno-ing fast enough to be employable at it. Thank God she's debt-averse, or life could have been really hard for her.

Any way, the Steno machines use a language like shorthand, but a bit more complicated. Also, you hit a bunch of keys at one time to make a word. Since you can do that several hundred times a minute if you're good, even excited people's statements can be captured. She found the work really interesting, and was quite sad when she could no longer do it. However, she worked as a secretary during and after her schooling, and brought her machine with her to record meetings often, and the executives were quite impressed.

Just FYI on something I actually know a little about.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous, the Immaculate Conception is the conception of Mary, not Jesus. Jesus' conception is the feast of the Annunciation."

Wow, thanks for pointing this out. But then why was the Gospel reading the section in Luke where Mary is told she will bear God's son? No wonder I was confused!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,
I'm no theologian but I'm pretty sure it's the "Hail, full of grace" that we understand to refer to Mary's sinless (Immaculate) nature. "Hail" is a greeting for royalty and "full of grace"-we lost grace through Adam and Eve-Mary is exempt from that original sin and is "full of grace". And the only reason for Her sinless nature is the purpose of being Jesus' Mother-hence the Luke reading.
It does seem a bit confusing. I really didn't know this until a few years ago either. I was one of those poor pubic school Catholic kids! So much left out!

christine M said...

Sister - I love reading your blog - and I've awarded you a Blogger Reflection Award!

PraiseDivineMercy said...

Kristin- I also went to my first Latin mass Last Sunday! It was awesome. That's why I asked just now.
It was a sung mass at St. Mary's by the Sea.

Anonymous said...

Boy is my face red! I am a cradle Catholic, Catholic school through high school, and when I heard Dec 8, what I thought of was the anniversary of John Lennon's death. Immaculate Conception? Sorry. Thirteen years (including kindergarten) down the drain....