To Love God and Neighbor

Let us remember Paul VI’s words: “For the Catholic Church, no one is a stranger, no one is excluded, no one is far away” (Homily for the closing of the Second Vatican Council, 8 December 1965). Indeed, we are a single human family that is journeying on toward unity, making the most of solidarity and dialogue among peoples in the multiplicity of differences.
- Pope Francis, Address of Holy Father Francis to Participants in the Plenary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

You tell us that to love God and neighbour is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely. And you are, dear brothers and sisters, the face of Jesus.
- Pope Francis, Visit at the Homeless Shelter "Dono di Maria": Meeting with the Missionaries of Charity

As most of my readers know, I was very active in two organizations at UC Berkeley: the Beta Chapter of Alpha Delta Chi Christian Sorority and the student ministry at Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish. I pledged ADX in Spring of 2005, and was an active member for seven of my eight semesters, serving as Secretary, Administrative Vice President, President, and Devotional Chair. At Newman, I served as a Seekers Bible Study leader for five semesters, and on the Student Ministry Team for three semesters. These two organizations were the most important parts of my college experience, teaching me how to own my faith, how to have a personal relationship with God, and what it means to be a member of a community.

I say all this to set the context for just how upset it made me to see two articles released this week, which I would characterize as the larger institutions to which these two organizations belong failing to show Christ's love towards the LGBTQ community.

The Land of Milk and (Sugar)

Joyeux Mardi Gras!

The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (or, as Busted Halo likes to say, Fast Pray Give). This year, I wanted to make sure I'm covering all three through my Lenten commitments.

Prayer: This Lent is a "back to basics" moment for me. I am recommitting to attending Mass on Sundays, which I confess I have not been doing on a regular basis for a while now. Part of it is that I'm not in love with any of the parishes at my disposal, but a larger part is sheer laziness. So what if it takes a half-hour to get to St. Dominic's by bus? God has blessed me in immeasurable ways, and the very least I can do is take two hours a week to thank him.

Fasting: Every morning, I have a cup of coffee at home while reading the news and catching up on blogs. Although some of the snobbier coffee connoisseurs in my life berate me *coughAlancough*, it's how I prefer to take my coffee. While trying to figure out what to give up for Lent, I ran across this great list. #38 on the list is to give up cream and sugar in your coffee. I like the idea, because it is a built-in daily reminder of the Lenten season. Each morning, as I drink my bitter coffee, I will reflect on Christ's sacrifices for us.

Almsgiving: Almsgiving is about more than donating money--it's about charitable acts as well. So, I am going to write letters of affirmation to some of the people in my life who inspire me (at least one a week), and donate some money in honor of each person to a charity that they like.

What are you doing (or not doing) for Lent?  What do you want to get out of this Lenten season?