Recently in Personal Category

Today over at Catholic Thinker, I'm blogging as part of Blog Action Day 2008. Why?

I was asked this question by a reporter for the Daily Texan newspaper, the daily student-run newspaper for The University of Texas at Austin.

I must admit, I was taken back by the question. Why wouldn't I do it? Blogging isn't my day job. I was blogging before it was known as blogging (I had a personal website long before folks called them "weblogs", much less "blogs"). If a group that has sizable traction wants everyone to try to write about one topic, in their own way, on a given day, let's do it.

The Internet allows for personal expression in personal ways. If you like to speak aloud, podcasting is for you. Love to see yourself talk, use YouTube. Want to just write, there are plenty of text-based blogging tools. Want to say it in under 140 characters, head over to Twitter.

My point is that the Internet allows you to say whatever you want in whatever medium you wish without having an editor to approve the topic, the length, the style or anything (although, the Internet would be a better place if every person had their own personal copy-editor, but I digress). If I can rant, as a "Catholic Thinker" about how the feast day of a 3rd-century pope is connected to the 2008 poverty topic, then that's exactly why. For me, the connection is obvious, but for others, not so much.

If you have a blog, take a few minutes and say a litle something about poverty.

It has been tough not writing on here over the past week. At first, I was thinking too much about proposing to write and then, I didn't want to write a public article until a few people were notified.

Personally, I'm really excited to begin this next phase of life with a person that I love completely.

The notion of an engagement period, as best as I know, originated in 1215 during the Fourth Lateran Council by Pope Innocent III. Canon 51 of the Council says

Since the prohibition of the conjugal union in the three last degrees has been revoked, we wish that it be strictly observed in the other degrees. Whence, following in the footsteps of our predecessors, we absolutely forbid clandestine marriages; and we forbid also that a priest presume to witness such. Wherefore, extending to other localities generally the particular custom that prevails in some, we decree that when marriages are to be contracted they must be announced publicly in the churches by the priests during a suitable and fixed time, so that if legitimate impediments exist, they may be made known. Let the priests nevertheless investigate whether any impediments exist.

Traditionally, banns would be published (or proclaimed) by the parish priest in all impacted parishes (the one of the groom, the bride, and the one in which the marriage would take place) for the three holy days proceeding the rite. This was a further way to help ensure the legitimate status of the wedding, plus a nice way to foster community by helping everyone know of these events in the life of the parish. On the universal level, I know the Council of Trent promoted the use of the banns and in the United States, local councils promoted their use as late as the 1890s. They are now, as we know, not commonly done, but I'm not aware of if this was by decree or general disuse.

So, if anyone has any reason that we cannot be wed, speak up!

At 7:15 am, I will be running 15km as part of the marathon training program that I'm in. In February, I will be running in the AT&T Austin Marathon and since I've had never ran more than three miles in my life, I started training.

As I type, the last thing I want to do is wake up and be running at 7:15 am. I'm going to do it, because I know that if I don't, I am only hurting myself in light of my long term goal—running a marathon. Prayer, in many cases, is the same way. When I wake in the morning, many days I simply do not want to take the time to pray. During the day, I often avoid daily Mass because I just don't want to. At night, I think about Evening or Night Prayer but more often than not it seems, I opt to go to sleep instead.

Aren't we just hurting ourselves, in light of our long term goal of eternal salvation, when we fail to pray? Whether it be in times of good health and happiness or when we're sure that everyone and everything is out to get us, shouldn't we pray? Prayer is training for the marathon of heaven. How can we be prepared to be in the total presence of God if we can't spend a few moments alone with Him?

And so, we should pray. Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, a simple Our Father, silence, free-flowing thoughts. Whatever the form, whatever the time, the important part is to actually do it.