God, Sex, and the Meaning of Life.

Well those are 3 words I didn't think I'd ever be saying together. But I've learned that God, Sex, and the Meaning of Life have everything to do with one another.

I grew up through 12 years of Catholic School, and sex was barely talked about in any of our Religion classes...that was mostly left for the Science room. However, what my understanding from talking about morality in Religion was simply...don't 'do it' til you're married cause it's wrong!

Nothing against any of the wonderful teachers that I had back then, but I wasn't exactly instilled with a sense of wonder and awe about how amazingly beautiful the Church's understanding of marriage and sex actually is - or that they had anything to do with God, and the Church.

I was a kid who was pretty fine with waiting til I was married, so when I was 22, I wasn't exactly that interested in a book my roomate encouraged me to read called "The Good News about Sex and Marriage;" I thought I knew what the Church taught, and was fine with it...I didn't want to read anything that told me to "stay chaste."

However, after reading the 1st chapter just to appease my roomate, I was amazed at what I hadn't ever learned about Sex and Marriage. Christopher West, the author of that book, introduced readers to what is called "Theology of the Body:" teachings based on a series of talks given by Pope John Paul the II.

Theology of the Body is amazing...it's not simply a "do this, don't do this" approach to talking about sex, but instead it talks about our bodies, sex, marriage, children, in a way that not only makes you EXCITED about living a chaste life, but also helps you understand how our bodies, marriage, sex, and children can teach us about God, the Trinity, the Church, and the Sacraments.

I finished the book and really did say, "Oh...so THAT'S the meaning of life...I get it!"

So, I am soooo excited that this year at St. Mary's, we're going to be offering a 12-week session for High School Youth: "Theology of the Body for Teens." Monday evenings, starting in December, from 6-8pm, we'll tackle this hot topic!

Parents (of any age youth) are invited to take part in a Session designed to help you undertand a little bit more about Theology of the Body, and about the Teen sessions that we'll be doing. Join us on Sunday, Nov. 14, 11:30am, OR on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 6pm. RSVP to Candice so that we can provide the correct amount of materials and refreshments.

Trunk or Treat, Smell my Feet!

It's that time of year again! Trunk or Treat at Saint Mary's! It's a fun time to gather the Parish, show off our Costumes and enjoy an evening of safe Trick or Treating from our Parishioners who have brought their front porches to us! There will be vehicles parked all over the West Lot decorated for Halloween, with Parishioners passing our goodies, games to play, and lots of friendly faces.

Wednesday, October 27, from 6:30-8pm

Donations accepted at the gate benefit the ROCKsolid ministries!

All individuals, families, or Parish/School groups are invited to help make Trunk or Treat amazing by decorating a vehicle and passing out candy. Be in the West Lot no later than 6:15pm on Wednesday, ready to pass out candy! Remember, there are prizes for the best trunks, so feel free to get creative!

If you're a ROCKsolid youth, we would love for you and your family to decorate a vehicle and pass out candy. If your family can't do it*, join us from 6-8pm and help set-up, work the gate, manage the voting, or run some games for the little ones. We'll even give you pizza, like a regular ROCKsolid Wednesday night!

*If you come without your family to help as a ROCKsolid volunteer, you are expected to help where you are assigned throughout the evening. Don't worry, you'll have time to see all the trunks and will get plenty of candy, but it is not simply free time!

Rootbeer Float, anyone?

Stay for just 10 minutes after any Mass this weekend to sip on a Rootbeer Float, meet ROCKsolid volunteers and other families that will be involved this year, play a quick, goofy game, and have a chance to register for ROCKsolid or sign up to Volunteer with the program.

Hope to see you there!

Free Riverwalk Concert by Matt Maher

I LOVE Matt Maher's music! He is an awesome Catholic who is an amazing and inspiring musician. He's bigger than ever in the Christian music scene, and he He's playing a concert at the Riverwalk in Jenks this Monday. You shouldn't miss it! 8pm, Monday evening! Round up your family and friends to enjoy an amazing concert!

Check out Matt and his music here:

http://www.mattmahermusic.com

Incredible Pizza!

Join us on Wednesday evening, August 11th for a "ROCKout" night with all 6th-12th grade youth. Mass will be celebrated in the chapel at St. Mary's with Fr. Kastl at 6pm, and then for those that want to join us - meet us at Incredible Pizza to eat and play from 7pm - 8:30pm! $10.00 gets you dinner and a game card. RSVP to Candice if you'll be coming!

Rock Paper Scissors

In case you missed it - we had an awesome end of the year ROCKsolid party in May...that not only had a birthday-cake eating contest, but a "bungee run," ice cream sundaes, grilled burgers and dogs, and an impromptu talent show! But that's not all - it also was when we held our 4th annual ROCK PAPER SCISSORS Tournament...which ends with 1 RPS champion each year. This year our champion of battle was Mason Rauner...who got his name added to the official Tournament Champions Plaque and wins a cash prize as well. Cool, huh?

The plaque reads:

"Be it known throughout all of Christendom that through bravery in the face of all odds, perseverance in the face of extreme adveristy, skill unknown to mortal man and sheer dumb luck, the following people have attained the coveted status of exalted Rock Paper Scissors Champion. ...May God have mercy on our souls."

Don't miss it...

What do goats, squeezy cheese, the Food Bank of Oklahoma, and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha have in common? Come find out at our ROCKsolid week of Vacation Bible School!

We'll be doing service and fun activities all week as we visit a small Dairy Farm, see Therapy Dogs in action, volunteer at the Food Bank, check out our St. Mary's Community Garden - and have a blast doing crazy games and learning about some cool Saints. We'll end it all with Friday's Mass, picnic, and Field Day!

Don't miss out - you can still sign up!

High School - feel left out? You shouldn't! We need you as well! Volunteer to be a Team Captain with the Middle School Youth and you'll have just as much fun!

Hope to see you in a couple of weeks!

Aren't I too old for VBS?

So - why should you, as a Middle School youth, sign up for VBS? Because it's designed to be fun just for you!

You'll experience hang out time in the Loft, off-campus service projects, ridiculous and funny games for prizes, and we'll even have a field day that includes a foam pit. Yes, that's right, you heard me...er...read me...a foam pit.

Be sure to sign up for this really fun week soon - the more the merrier!

Confirmed!

Congratulations to those that were Anointed and Sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit last night. Please continue to pray for the following that received the Sacrament of Confirmation at our Parish on Sunday April 25th:

Mary Allen
Daniel Bisett, III
Faith Cook
Michael Daubney
Briann DeMarco
Elizabeth Douglas
Sarah Duffy
Taylor Duke
Erin Edmiston
Samuel Gawey
Casey Griffin
Alexandra Griffin
Thomas Hart
Veronica Hassink
Nathan Irvin
William LaFortune, Jr.
Evan Little
Joshua Loustaunau
Grant Marcoux
Phillip Moran
Paul Roberts
Christina Senger
Parker Sinko
Katherine Skonezny
Payton Stockstill
Madison Susmilch
Abigail Theban
Briggs Westby
Allison Woodworth

Good Friday Stations of the Cross

All of our youth did a fantastic job with presenting the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday!

• Thanks to Patty O'Meilia for helping to organize and direct this year's Stations.
• Thanks to Esther Loustaunau for helping during practices and to her husband, Francisco, for making such a cool crown of thorns.
• Thanks to Eric Sack for taking such wonderful pictures! (See all of the photos he took)
• Thanks to Parishioner Joe Curry for letting our guard "press him into service" as Simon of Cyrene.
• Thanks to Mark Steichen for leading the music.
• Thanks to all of our Actors, Readers, Singers, Servers, and our leader, Dcn. Bender!

Summer Camp!

Looking for a great Camp Experience this Summer? Have you heard about The Pines Catholic Camp in Big Sandy, TX? It looks like a blast! In fact, Fr. Kastl and I were so jealous of those ages 7-17 that can go as campers, that we've asked for a chance to go check it out for ourselves for a few days in July. Maybe we'll see you there?

And now for Chris...

So...hopefully you've heard about this YouthStock thing already. But here is one more plug for this awesome event:

I wanted to give you a taste of Chris Padgett...the keynote speaker/musician for YouthStock 2010. He is an amazing speaker and musician, and along with causing you to crack up laughing, he has the ability to talk about faith in a way that is awesome, personal, and meaningful to those who listen.

Check out Chris's latest Music Video, "I'm in Love," and then watch his video reflection on what the song and video are all about.

See more about Chris here: http://www.chris-padgett.com/

Below is one of my favorite videos that shows the funny side of Chris. He and fellow Catholic speaker/musician, Bob Rice, perform their song (a story of conversion from "hand motion sickness") for a room full of Youth Directors.

Filioque

"Filioque" is a Latin word meaning, "and (from) the Son," and is part of our Nicene Creed. It refers to the part where we say the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son - emphasizing the equal divinity of all 3 persons of the Trinity. This word is somewhat famous as a contributing factor to the Schism between Eastern and Western Christianity.

Right here in Tulsa, there is a band that has named themselves after this famous word, and this band is who will be providing some of the music, along with Keynote speaker Chris Padgett (http://www.chris-padgett.com/), at YouthStock 2010, coming up on April 9th.

Here is a short video of them having fun playing an acoustic version of one of their new songs, "Victorious."

"I don't have any food."

These were the words I heard today, said in a voice slightly shaky from trying to hold back tears.

They were said by a man coming into the Office Annex to ask for help today, but this was no unique situation. Every single day, at least a few, if not many, women, men, and children come here to St. Mary's to ask for help...whether it's for food, or bus tokens so that they can get to a doctor's appointment, or help with paying a few bills so that they can continue to live in their apartment.

And these people ARE helped. Hilary Elias, our Justice and Peace coordinator, meets and talks with them, and if we have the resources to help them, we do. Some receive assistance to pay an overdue bill, or receive bus tokens to get where they need to go, or some go home with a bag full of groceries to get them by for just a little bit.

The groceries come from donations of our parish community. Have you noticed the barrels in the Vestibule of the Church? They are an opportunity for you to respond to our brothers and sisters in Christ that come to our door at St. Mary's and say simply..."I don't have any food."

Great Scot!

Alex and Carl take their heritage seriously. They came to ROCKsolid on Wednesday in Kilts of their official clan Tartans. Lookin' good guys. It's too bad Mazzio's doesn't make Haggis pizza.

I think their appreciation for their cultural heritage is beautiful. And for me, the kilts called to mind a quote (attributed to Scotsman William Wallace) that I think is a great one for Lent:

"Every man dies, but not every man really lives."

Let us ask Christ to live within us today, so that we might REALLY live in him.

The Pizza Tax

So I heard on the radio this morning that researchers suggested that a tax on foods like pizza and soda could help cut down obesity in the US. The research shows that when people have to pay more, they eat less, and therefore, will gain less weight.

"What?!, everyone yells....tax our pizza! How dare you! We should be able to eat whatever we want without anyone telling us otherwise!"

While I don't know how I really feel about a "pizza tax," I think that this can help us think about our faith. No seriously, stick with me...

The researchers aren't saying that pizza and soda are inherently BAD. If you eat a piece of pizza for lunch, you're probably not going to keel over right then. But unhealthy foods eaten in excess can lead to obesity - which causes a whole host of problems that are REALLY bad for our bodies...and can even kill us.

In order to keep people from going down this road, we try to teach about the food pyramid, and healthy eating, and have nutrition facts on our labels...but when we're really hungry, the average joe still might have trouble reaching for what is actually healthy.

So, since we pizza-lovers out there have such a hard time making that decision for ourselves, the researchers are suggesting that maybe having rules that make us pay more for the junky foods could help us make healthier decisions.

This is where I see our faith! It goes right along with the whole idea of CONVERSION. The fact is...a higher tax MIGHT help some people eat less of the bad foods...but if the tax were ever lifted, a lot of those folks might go right back to eating too much of the junk. Until we really decide for ourselves that we DESIRE to be healthy...we will go right on eating pizza and soda unless something stops us...like a tax, or rules, or even laws.

In the Old Testament, you can read about a lot of Rules and Laws set down for the Jewish People. The laws were for how to live, how to worship, how to marry, how to eat! Why were these laws there? To help keep the Jewish People from sinning, so that they could live out their calling as the People of God. I mean....Moses goes up the mountain for like 5 minutes and they are already constucting an idol of gold! Obviously...they had a hard time always making the decisions that kept them spiritually healthy. So in order to help them be God's Chosen People, they were given the law. If they just followed the laws, then they would be much less likely to sin.

Jesus, though, calls us to something even more. He calls us not just to follow the rules because they are rules...but he calls us to true CONVERSION. He challenges us to change our very hearts, and to make them hearts that belong to God. In doing this...Christ's own desires become OUR desires. We become "spiritually healthy" people...who no longer need to be told to love others, love God, be faithful, and not to sin, as we will desire to do so!

When we lack those desires, we need rules to help us make the right decisions...but we will be at our best, whether it's our physical body, or spiritual life, when our hearts are converted to desire a healthy existence...more than that 2nd slice of pizza.

YouthStock...Pass it On

We have an awesome Youth Rally planned for the Diocese this April, and we want you to come and invite your friends as well! YouthStock is on April 9th, 6pm, at Bishop Kelley, and it includes free food, games, fun, live music with Filioque, praise & worship, keynote speaker: Chris Padgett (hilarious), and Mass!




A few St. Mary's youth helped with this little promo video shot entirely with an iPhone. See others that are being made, or make and post your own here:

Go for the Gold!

I don't know if you watched on Friday night, but I did, and I really liked the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics this year. And maybe it was just because it was on the eve of our Confirmation Retreat - but when I started thinking about what all was going on during the Ceremonies, it made me think of Church, and Liturgy, and the Mass!

Could the Olympics start without a ceremony? Yes. We don't need all the singing, or the drama, the costumes, or even the torch in order to end up with champions in the various sports. In fact...there's really not a need for all the athletes to compete in one place, or at one time. Why not have the figure skating Olympic competition in January in Russia, while the snowboarders might compete in Utah in March? They could simply list the winners on a website somewhere.

In fact - why stop there? Why have graduations, or Weddings celebrations, or even birthday parties? We all KNOW you're done with school, we'll know you're married when you show up to everything together and start a family, and who wants to celebrate getting older anyway?

We do. We...the humans. There certainly seems to me to something in our very nature that cries out for celebration, and ceremony - a way to put our ideas about what something means to us into images and words that we can all understand together. Therefore - the big moments...the moments we want to celebrate, to be inspired by - become beautiful Ceremonies. A way for people to connect what's going on inside us and unseen, with something that we can see, something in which we can participate with one another to share the experience.

Hence - the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. A ceremony that is supposed to instill in us a sense of pride for our country, a recognition of the various talents the athletes have, and a celebration of what is to come! I can't help it - this makes me think of Church...what the Mass is all about!

At the Opening Ceremonies this year, it was beautiful. I tuned in to see that all the Athletes from varying countries, cultures, and backgrounds, were wearing the same thing...a light colored garment that reflected the lights in the stadium beautifully. When the images were projected into the stands, those there became more than observers...they became the image themselves.

What an awesome image of Baptism. Our White garments: our purity, innocence, make us ready to be part of the the telling of God's story to the world. We are not simply observers...through our Baptism, we become partipants! Our reflection of Christ's light tells God's story to the world.

The Opening Ceremonies feature drama, speaking, song, dance, poetry, the Olympic "hymn," and the participation of the Athletes themselves. There's even an Olympic Creed! The Ceremony tells a story, and means to unite, inspire, and prepare for the competition to follow.

In Christian churches around the world - you'll find the stories of our Lord being told through reading of Scripture (often poetic), in song, in the words, garments, and actions of the Priest, in what is happening on the altar, and in the actions in which we ourselves do. The "bells and whistles" of the Mass are there to speak to our human senses...to help us understand an invisible reality, and participate in it in a way that makes sense to us through our human senses: hearing the words and songs, smelling the incense, seeing the candles, colors, each others' faces, feeling our bodies move as we kneel to worship, stand to be active, and sit to listen and reflect, tasting the Eucharist.

And what does all this lead up to? The end, the highlight of the Opening Ceremonies? The torch. Fire. A flame that has been passed on from person to person to ultimately light the Olympic Cauldron. This large flame burns throughout the Olympics...and the lighting of it signifies not an ending, but a beginning, a constant reminder and inspiration for all to see as they do their best and give their all in what they are there to do.

Fire to us, as Catholics? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who came as tongues of flame to the Apostles, and since has been passed on, person to person, through our priests, and comes to us at the highlight of the Mass to change the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit that we receive in Baptism, who seals us with gifts in Confirmation, and shines forth throughout our Church as a reminder and inspiration to do what we are called to do.

Every Mass we attend is an Opening Ceremonies for Christians - one that sends us forth to use our own gifts and talents to do the best that we can to speak God's message of love to the world. Go for the Gold!

"Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete excercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one."
- 1 Corinthians: 24-25

What the World Eats...

My sister sent me an email this morning that contained the pictures and captions found in the following link. I thought it was interesting to look at the varied families and see the types of foods they ate during an average week.

What I began to notice, though, was the weekly budget for the families, and, of course, the amount of food. In the end, I found the images a simple and powerful reminder that all is NOT equal in the world. I felt called to look inward and thank God for what I do have, and to also ask myself...what do I do with what I am given for those around me that have less? What are your own reactions? One Week of Food

Join us at ROCKsolid Discipleship Night tomorrow evening from 6-8pm for dinner (we are blessed!). Following dinner we'll be packing lunches for those that have less than us, playing games and having fun in the Gym and Loft, and we'll end with a closing prayer in the chapel led by Dcn. Bender.

XLT: Worship...Unplugged

Tomorrow evening (Wednesday, Feb. 3), there is a really really cool thing happening. It's called XLT, and it stands for "exalt." It's an event geared towards teens that is a very cool, Catholic worship experience.

Many folks have participated in Praise and Worship services before, and love it. But whether you yourself like to sing or not matters not. When the band starts playing and those around you start singing their hearts out...it's easy to get pumped up by the energy.

XLT also includes a speaker - tomorrow it will be Russell Nance, the youth director at St. Pius X. He is really fun, very down to earth, and is one of the funniest people I know. He's talking about "Surrender!"

The last part of XLT includes a few minutes of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. That sounds very technical, but what it really means, is that we'll have time to just....BE. To just be ourselves, to just breathe, to simply look at Christ, face to face.

During Adoration - The Eucharist (a host that was consecrated at Mass...and ceased to be bread and wine, and actually became the body and blood of Jesus), is placed into something called a "Monstrance." This isn't something that hides under your bed! It's something created to hold the Eucharist and display it for all to see and adore.

When the Eucharist is placed on the altar in this way...we can simply look upon Jesus. We can gaze at the Eucharist, and think, and pray, and hope to be changed to be more like Christ!

For those that have a hard time understanding the Eucharist...how we can believe that it's REALLY Jesus...I personally think that Adoration can help! Just praying and gazing and asking God to help you understand this mystery, this miracle...can do wonders to increase our faith.

I encourage all who are interested in the event to come check it out. XLT itself goes on at St. Pius X from 7-8:30pm. It's geared towards teens, but all are welcome! For those that normally come to ROCKsolid/Confirmation, this is what we are doing tomorrow evening! We'll still begin with pizza at St. Mary's, but then will take a bus to St. Pius X for XLT, and will return to St. Mary's by 9pm. Please fill out and bring this form with you if you're joining the ROCKsolid crowd on the bus: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/1/129/XLTfeb3.pdf

To end this post - I leave you with a few quotes about Adoration:

"In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host." - Pope Benedict XVI

“The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this Sacrament of Love." - Pope John Paul II

"The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven, and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

This just in: March for Life Pilgrimage Photos

Our iphone correspondant, Candice Steichen, reports in with photos from their first stop on the March for Life pilgrimage: Mass and breakfast at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, KY.

Keep them in your prayers!

Incredible Collection!

John O'Neill, Volunteer Coordinator at Catholic Charities, challenges our ROCKsolid youth to collect items for Madonna House and Holy Child Assistance Shop. We've started a competition between Middle School youth and High School youth for who can bring the most items by February 3rd. Those with the most items will win an "all-expenses paid" trip to Incredible Pizza for your age group. Bring items each ROCKsolid Wednesday, or drop them off in Candice's office in the Annex. Put faith into action...starting...NOW!

Free Will

"I don't understand how we can really have free will if God already knows what we are going to do."

If we look at the creation story in the book of Genesis (GN 1-2:3) God created all things and put them in motion... In other words, he set them in motion to be as they were created to be... Cows to be cow, creeping things to be creeping things, wild animals to be just that, wild animals. When it came to the creation of the human race he gave them a command... "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all the living things that move upon the earth etc."

If we look at the second story of creation (GN 2:15) we hear the following... "The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. The Lord gave man this order: "you are free to eat any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that free you shall not eat, the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die." Just look at how God created...water, light, land, oceans, vegetation, day and night, fish, animals, human beings, placing humans over his creation as their steward. God not only set the humans over his creation, he gave them responsibility. Care for the garden and my creation doing as you see fit in all things except one thing... Do not eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. One can see from this story line the development of "Free Will"

Although God is all knowing he let human beings participate in his knowledge to a point. He tried to prevent our first parents from choosing something he already knew would bring them death and devastation, not only their relationship with himself, but ultimately with one another. However, even in the midst of knowing what they would choose, He let them choose, for their ability to reason and make decisions was the very thing that made them different from the animals.

Yes, God knows at the moment of our creation what will happen in our life, but he does not treat us like pawns on a chess board. This is why a life of faith, rooted in prayer is essential! Through living a life rooted in prayer, grounded in a Christian community, nourished and strengthened by the sacraments, we strengthen our communion with God and become more aware of what is of God and what is not of God.

This holy rhythm of life then forms and shapes our consciences to the point where we consistently choose those things which are of God and not of this world. God desires nothing more than to draw all creation back unto himself, but yet in an act of Love, God wants his children to freely and lovingly choose to come back to their source and creator. God himself!

There's an App for that.

Have an iPhone? Did you ever think that it could actually help you participate in the Catholic Faith? I've listed a few of my favorite Catholic apps below, but there are many more!

3 Minute Retreat (.99): This app by Loyola Press plays music, gives you a daily theme, related Scripture on which to reflect, and prayer. You can go through the retreat at your own pace, and it's a great way to take just a couple of minutes of your day to devote to being with God!

Catholic Calendar (Free): This app by Universalis Publishing gives you access to Liturgy of the hours, as well as listing solemnities, Holy Days, information about the Saint of the Day.

Catholic Cheat Sheet (.99): This is a great way to carry the essential reminders of our Catholic faith with you. Click on "beliefs" to find the Creeds, the commandments, the Sacraments, the Beatitudes, etc. Under "prayers" you'll find tons of the prayers common to many Catholics all over the world, and click "The Mass," for great quotes on why we should go, learn more about its structure, and see prayers related to Mass.

Catholic Mass Times Church Directory (Free): An app to help you find the nearest churches, Mass times, Websites, directions, and more. It has bonus features that include, Saint of the Day, Daily Readings, and even Daily Mass Videos. It's a great one to have when you're traveling!

You can also find Bibles, the compendium to the Catechism, Rosary apps, a Breviary that allows you to pray Liturgy of the Hours...and much, much more!