A Few Random Thoughts and Some News

Things are going to be very busy this week and next as I labor through the stuff I have to do for my Old Testament class...the reading alone is very laborious and as of right now, I haven't a CLUE as to how to approach my 4 page paper. I'm hoping that by the time I finally get through chapter 36 of Isaiah, which is being read along with extensive commentary and the footnotes of the New Jerusalem Bible, well...that I'll have SOMETHING to put down on paper.

In other words...I likely won't have much to say otherwise, or if I do, I won't have time to say it. I think I might have some stuff in "draft" status that may appear randomly if I get around to it or feel like posting it.

On The Blessed Mother

We recently celebrated the birthday of our dear Blessed Mother, which had me musing a bit about the gospel of John. It is so striking that Jesus look down from the cross, and said to John, "There is your Mother", and to his mother, "Woman, there is your son." The use of the word "woman" as applied to Mary is extremely significant in the paschal mystery, however, at this point I am not going to go into that particular exegesis. Rather, I'd like to direct your attention to the common understanding of this; how John stood in for us all, and we, like him, are to take Mary as our own Mother as well.

But I'd like to say that there's another way to look at this. Certainly, in history, Mary needed someone to take her in; she was a widow, she was alone, and her only Son was leaving this world behind. And so it made sens that the beloved Apostle would take her in. May I suggest, though, that just as she needed a roof over her head and a family, the Apostles ALL needed someone to care for them. For, as God knows, men are completely helpless and without a woman to help them, they'd be completely lost.

(Guys, I love ya, but I don't know a single good man who fails to appreciate the women in his life!)

So...I'm just sayin'...

On to the news...

As you know, I fairly recently returned from a trip to Ohio. And....now I'm going back!

Through an unexpected twist of events, in October I'm heading out to Cincinnati and then on to Columbus to attend the annual Coming Home Network's Conference. Much of the time will be spent having fun, seeing old friends and meeting new ones (because it seems everywhere I go I meet new friends...!). But I'll also be gathering info to be used at work and such, so this trip actually has a professional dimension to it...which I don't think will decrease the fun one bit!

I do hope to write about this conference when I return.

But of course, until then there will be work, work, work, studying, studying, studying....

So it goes.