Behind Enemy Lines

Wow! I've been in NJ for a whole week and haven't posted. Every time I have sat down to write, I become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information I have gained over the past week that I want to impart to my family and friends. Therefore, I sit and stare at a blank screen, sigh, and close my computer before I even BEGIN blogging. My sincerest apologies. I have promised one or two updates a week and I intend to keep that promise.

So instead of trying to cram all of the things I have learned and experienced while here in NJ, I have come up with a list of 5 Things You Should Know:
1. There is traffic. All the time. Everywhere. Moving quickly. Proceed with caution! I think every time I start my car, my heart starts beating faster and my knuckles turn white on the steering wheel.
2. Seton Hall has one of the most beautiful chapels I have ever seen. Seriously. I get to pray here EVERY DAY. And there's a side chapel dedicated to St. Elizabeth. I am so blessed!

3. NJ beaches have pebbles, not tiny shards of various shells everywhere. And giant clam shells. It was so bizarre to dig my toes into the sand and find pebbles rather than thousands of pieces of different shells. The only shells they had were along the water line were these giant clam shells. It's amazing that beaches can be so different.
4. You know you live in an apartment with Catholics when you have over 10 crosses in your apartment (we have 12). We have completely scoured our apartment and redecorated. My parents are the BEST and drove most of my stuff up to me this past weekend, so finally my room feels like I live there (it's pink and has pictures of Pope Benedict XVI...and books. Lots of books.)
5. Anticipation can drive you crazy! All week the missionaries have been looking forward to meeting the students and diving into our lives as missionaries at Seton Hall....well, after what seems like an endless weekend, they have arrived!

Our student leaders got here this afternoon. We have 25(ish) student leaders and are praying that we will end the year with over 60. We had them over for a meal at the women's apartment (fajitas and red velvet cake) followed by a game of Apples to Apples. Over the next two days we will get to spend more time with the 15 leaders who were able to come early. We'll talk about what it means to be a student leader and pray that their hearts are just set on fire by the Holy Spirit for the work He has for us this coming year. The women student leaders still haven't been split up between me and the other missionary, so we will get to know all the women and then invite them into discipleship with us. I get so nervous that they won't like me or wish they had been asked into leadership by the other woman missionary, but then I realize that is the Devil whispering prideful insecurities in my ear. I am here to do God's work. I know He has already chosen the women who I will work with this year, and each is for a reason. And I can't wait.

There are six schools in the NJ/NY area that are within an hour of each other. This past Sunday we were all able to gather at Montclair State University's Newman Center for Mass, dinner, and games. There were almost 30 missionaries there plus a few regional directors and 4 chaplains there. One of the chaplains, a Dominican (I LOVE Dominicans) serving at NYU, and I were talking about our jobs. He proudly told me that he was excited about his new assignment "behind enemy lines". He couldn't wait to begin his work at NYU and really gut the Devil from inside the Belly of the Beast. His enthusiasm, and really the excitement of all the missionaries and priests there, lifted my spirits and rekindled the passion I have for this ministry.

In the Magnificat this month, one of the meditations for the month revolved around Matthew 16:18 "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it". The author remarks that he had never considered the obvious: that the gates need to be battered down. Battered down by an offensive Christian army. So often Christians get in the mindset of defense: defending the Church against the foe, etc., but Jesus told us to "Go forth unto all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This Great Commissioning (Matthew 28:19-20), one of the central pillars of FOCUS, calls us to be soldiers for Christ. He is asking us to go behind enemy lines and win these battles for Him. With him as our battle shield, our sword, we cannot lose. (My FAVORITE hymn...third verse is the best)

But, some may ask "Can we decline to go to war?" I'm pretty comfortable in the life I have chosen. I am mildly successful and well liked. I make a pretty nice salary and my family is doing pretty well. Do I really have to do this thing that God is asking of me? Do I really have to fundraise my entire salary and move 20 hours from home where I know no one? Do I really have to join the fight? Can't I simply opt out? The chilling reply is "the war is here already." We cannot remain indifferent. We must choose a side. Every day I must wake up and choose to be an instrument in my God's hands, ready for the crosses He will give me that day. Ready to endure for the sake of the battle being waged at Seton Hall. I pray every day for the strength to be completely His, and I pray for all of you. I pray for the struggles you endure for love of Jesus Christ. United in Christ, we are a mighty army. And standing behind the Pope, the Rock, the gates of hell surely will not prevail.

For All The Saints

So it's been more than 'a day or two', but I still wanted to put these saints out there for those of you who may want to know. I also wanted to provide a little insight into the saints listed in the First Eucharistic Prayer. Many will be familiar apostles, but some will be slightly more obscure:

Peter the Apostle: First Pope and companion of Christ. Martyred in 64AD in Rome, Italy.
Paul the Apostle: Pharisee who experienced a dramatic conversion and became the apostle to the Gentiles. Martyred in 65AD in Rome, Italy.
Andrew the Apostle: First disciple, brother of Peter. Missionary in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly parts of Poland and Russia. Martyred in Greece.
James the Greater: Called the 'greater' because he became an apostle before James the Lesser. Preached in Samaria, Judea, and Spain. Brother of John and first apostle to be martyred. Martyred in 44AD in Jerusalem.
John the Apostle: The beloved apostle, Our Lady was placed in his care at the foot of the cross by Jesus. Found churches in Asia Minor and baptized converts in Samaria. Died in 101AD in Ephesus.
Thomas the Apostle: Known for doubting Jesus' appearance to the apostles after the Resurrection. Preached in Parthia, Persia, and India. Martyred in 72AD in Mylapur, India.
James the Lesser: First bishop of Jerusalem. Brother of Jude, worked with Paul. Martyred in 62AD in Jerusalem.
Philip the Apostle: Preached in Greece and Asia Minor. Shy and practical, one of the twelve. Martyred in 80AD in Hierapolis, Phrygia.
Bartholomew the Apostle: Preached in Asia Minor, Ethiopia, India, and Armenia. Close friend of Philip. Writer. Martyred in Albanopolis, Armenia.
Matthew the Apostle: Former tax collector. Preached to the Jewish enclave in Ethiopia and other places in the east. Death unknown.
Simon the Apostle: Often called Zealot because of his zeal for the Jewish law. Evangelized in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Martyred in unknown location.
Jude Thaddeus: Cousin of Jesus. Preached in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia with St. Simon. Could exorcise pagan idols. Martyred in the first century in Persia.
Linus: Second pope. Mentioned in Paul's second letter to Timothy. Martyred in 76AD in Rome.
Cletus: Convert of St. Peter. Third pope. Martyred in 89AD.
Clement I: Fourth pope and apostolic father. One of the 70 apostles. Martyred in 101AD.
Sixtus I: Seventh pope. Concerned with the liturgy and procedures for priests and bishops. Martyred in 125AD in Rome, Italy. (Could possibly be Sixtus II)
Cornelius: 21st pope. Worked to maintain unity in the face of schism and apostasy. Martyred in 253AD.(I made an executive decision here: there is another Cornelius, the centurion who was converted by Jesus and had his whole family baptized and became a bishop; however, going with the theme of the past few being popes, I figured this is the guy they are talking about)
Cyprian of Carthage: Bishop of Carthage and Father of the Church. Martyred in 258AD in Carthage, North Africa. (again, another tricky one, but because of his dedication to preserving the faith, I believe this is the Cyprian the prayer refers to. The other Cyprian was a pagan magician that St. Justina converted then was martyred.)
Lawrence: Distributor of alms and "keeper of the treasures of the church". Martyred in 258AD in Rome, Italy.
Chrysogonus: Teacher of St. Anastasia. Arrested during the persecution of Diocletian. Comforted Anastasia with his letters. Martyred in 304AD in Aquileia, Italy.
John: Servant of the daughter of Constantine and refused to give up his faith. Secretly martyred in Rome, Italy.
Paul: Also a servant of the daughter of Constantine who refused to give up his faith. Secretly martyred in Rome, Italy.
Cosmas: Twin of St. Damian. Physician who didn't charge his patients. Martyred in 303AD.
Damian: Twin of St. Cosmas. Reported to have miraculously replaced a man's ulcered leg with a corpse's. Martyred in 303AD.
John the Baptist: Prophet who preceded Jesus. Martyred in 30AD in Machaerus.
Stephen the Martyr: Deacon and preacher. First martyr of the Church. Martyred in 33AD.
Matthias the Apostle: Replaced Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles.
Barnabas the Apostle: Not one of the Twelve, but mentioned frequently in Acts with St. Paul. Founded the church in Antioch. Martyred in 61AD in Salamis.
Ignatius of Antioch: Succeeded St. Peter as bishop of Antioch. First writer to use the term The Catholic Church. Martyred in 107AD in Rome, Italy.
Alexander: My sources have failed me. There are numerous Alexander's but from the second article cited below, the scholar says that it's an Alexander who was martyred and buried in the cemetery of the Jordani.
Marcellinus: Priest known for his piety. Martyred with St. Peter in 304AD in Rome, Italy.
Peter the Exorcist: Exorcist credited with the conversion of several saints. Martyred with St. Marcellinus in 304AD in Rome, Italy.
Felicity: Convert and friend of St. Perpetua. Martyred in 203AD in Carthage, North Africa.
Perpetua: Convert, wife and mother. Martyred in 203AD in Carthage, North Africa.
Agatha of Sicily: Protected her virginity from the magistrate who tried to exploit her for it. Martyred in 250AD in Catania, Sicily.
Lucy of Syracuse: Prayed to St. Agatha that her mother would be healed and would not force her to marry. Both happened, but her fiancé sold her out to the governor who then ordered her to be killed. Martyred in 304AD in Syracuse, Sicily.
Agnes of Rome: Consecrated herself to God. Others attempted to force her to denounce her faith and her vow of virginity through pagan rituals and marriage, but she refused. Martyred in Rome, Italy.
Cecilia: Vowed her virginity to Christ, but was forced to marry. Converted her husband who then became a martyr. Martyred in 117AD in Rome, Italy.
Anastasia of Sirmium: Married a pagan. Spiritual student of St. Chrysogonus. Martyred in 304AD in Sirmium, Dalmatia.

I know that was a lot, but it truly was a labor of love. I learned so much! I also stumbled upon these two blog entries, which explain the why of the Eucharistic prayer a little better than I did, so here is part one and here is part two. I hope you all have enjoyed exploring the saints and have a new appreciation for the lengthy Eucharistic prayer.

In other news, I have arrived at Seton Hall and will dedicate time this weekend to filling you all in on how the transition and the first week went! I am so excited to be here!

The Seed of the Church

Ah, back in the world of blogging.

Since I have been back in Tampa, most of my time has been split between visiting mission partners and having quality time with my immediate family. My younger sister is about to enter her first year of college and my parents will officially be empty-nesters, so quality time is a must in my house for these few weeks.

I officially head to Seton Hall in one week! (Check out the counter that I wasted spent an hour trying to figure out) Stay tuned for more frequent updates of my life as a missionary.

In one of the many amazing conversations that I had with my mission partners these past few weeks, we were discussing the Eucharistic prayers used at Mass. Many times priests prefer using the shortest one (Eucharistic Prayer II or, as I have dubbed it, the "dewfall" prayer), but the new priest at this MP's parish had taken to saying the loooongest version (Eucharistic prayer I or, as I like to call it, the "all the saints" prayer). The priests at training liked to use this version as well. As the celebrant breezes through the close to 40 saints that are included in the prayer I always wonder who these people were. In fact, this MP remarked that she wished the priest would take the time in a homily to mention one of these saints a week so that the congregation could follow what was happening in the Eucharistic prayer. (Here is a link to the text of all 4 regularly used Eucharistic prayers, if you have no idea what I am talking about, or if you just want a refresher)

It just so happens that today, the feast of St. Sixtus II and his companions, that the priest centered his homily around Eucharistic Prayer I! I knew that I had to share the information with all of you! I know I will not do it justice, so if you are looking for a better explanation to the Eucharistic Prayers, I will point you in the direction of this book that seems to be a better source. Basically the priest said that the first Eucharistic Prayer commemorates the martyrs of Rome, the martyrs whose sacrifice made Christianity possible. Tertullian is famously quoted as saying that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church". Without these amazing witnesses to budding Christianity, the Church would not be what she is today. So we celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice not only with the Church on earth, but we get to join those in heaven as well.

In the next day or two, my ambition is to post the list of the 40ish saints listed in Eucharistic Prayer I with a little description and a link to a more detailed page for each. I hope someone finds it useful! I know I will have tons of fun looking up these saints and I look forward to the next time our priest uses the "all the saints" prayer.