How is your prayer life?

David asked me the quintessential Fr. Charlie question tonight: "How is your prayer life?" What started out as a quick written response soon became a rather long reflection upon the trajectory of my spirituality this semester. I though I'd post my introspection here, as well.

My prayer life is pretty good. Something that I learned about myself this semester is that I cannot help but be involved in my parish community... I seriously cannot stop myself from doing stuff! I have some sort of compulsion for Catholic service. I moved into the dorms on a Saturday, went to church at the little on-campus chapel the following day, and immediately started helping out with the lector and Eucharistic ministries. Three weeks into school, I was a part of Catholic Forum, and had started a new Bible study. I was amused by several people telling me that they had assumed I was a second or third year, because I was already so involved with campus ministry. After 5 semesters on Seekers leadership and 3 on SMT, I had been looking forward to just being served by the Georgetown community for a while, but, when I got here, it was very evident to me that the community itself needed service. So, here I am.

But, that doesn't really answer the question, now, does it? I just described my communal interactions with the church, not my inner relationship with God. This is a chronic mistake for me, to equate church busyness with spirituality. While there is a spiritual element to the work, it alone a prayer life does not make. So, allow me to answer the real question.

September and October were a bit of a spiritual recession for me. I wasn't praying daily, and I interacted with Scripture only two or three times per week. I didn't realize what a negative effect this was having on me at first, but by October, I felt like something was off. Another perpetual struggle for me is trusting in God instead of relying upon myself for strength, and that started to show up more and more by the end of October. Thankfully, Campus Ministry had a retreat in the first week of November, which helped me a lot to think about prayer in daily life (the retreat's theme). It was very on-point.

So, November has been a good month, spiritually. I started to find more of a rhythm, doing something spiritual each morning and evening. I do different things depending on how I feel and how much time I have, but I make a point of doing something: the daily readings, the Rosary, journaling, reading a devotional book, the Liturgy of the Hours...

The past couple of weeks, I've had an inexplicable feeling of excitement and anticipation growing within me about Advent. I really do love the Christmas season. It's a chance to celebrate the coming of Christ, to spend time with family, and to express my gratitude for the blessings in my life. So, my prayer life is great right now. I don't know how I'd be doing if I didn't have God in my life as a law student. Some of the students around here are so stressed out. It makes me feel sad for them, and I try to reach out as I am able, but there aren't many opportunities. I really want to be an RA in the law school dorm next year--I think it would be a great way to bring a little more sanity and sanctity to this campus.

So, in this first week of Advent, which is all about hope, I am filled with hope. I hope that finals will go smoothly, and I trust that God will carry me through. I hope that God will use me to reach out to those hungering for His love here at Georgetown Law. I hope that I will continue to have the Holy Spirit fruitfully directing my passions. Amen.

So, how is your prayer life?

Peace

As a graduate of UC Berkeley, I am accustomed to unique personalities roaming onto campuses to proclaim their beliefs. I'm all for free speech. In the words of one of my favorite movie presidents, Andrew Shepherd, in his powerful speech at the end of The American President,

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.'"

Absolutely! However, at Berkeley, the speakers are on Sproul Plaza. You don't see them in the quads of the dorms, or on the lawn of a fraternity, or in front of apartment complexes. They are somewhat self-contained. Here in D.C., however, people seem to think that the expanse of scraggy grass that runs along the I-395 off-ramp next to my dormitory, is a great place to express themselves. And, you know, I'm even okay with that. Hand out pamphlets, give speeches, sell things to the cars stopped in traffic... go for it!

However, I think the man currently standing outside my window with a bullhorn is crossing the line. He is proclaiming the salvation of Jesus Christ, but he is not doing so in a productive manner. I doubt that law students studying for final exams will be receptive to his disruptively loud message. (We have double-paned windows that block out the sound of the interstate, and I can still hear him.) I've been told that he always comes by the law school during finals season to wreak havoc, including by directing his bullhorn at the library, which also borders the off-ramp. I just don't think that the Prince of Peace would try to reach out to people in this way.

I hope he finds peace, in more ways than one.

Putting the "bleh" in "blepharospasm"

My eyelid is twitching, which is really distracting. I decided to research it--because pretty much anything seems more enticing than outlining my Torts class right now--and, according to WebMD, it seems that I have created for myself a perfect storm for eyelid twitches, also known as a blepharospasm:

"Eyelid twitches may be aggravated by having dry eyes. They may also be worsened by stress, lack of sleep, caffeine, and harsh light conditions."

My eyes are dry from reading all day with my contacts in, I'm (just maybe) a little overworked due to finals, I haven't gotten enough sleep the past couple of nights, I had a tasty peppermint mocha earlier, and the fluorescent light above my desk is garish.

Go figure.

O Christmas Tree

I took a study break this evening and headed over to the West Lawn of the Capitol to see the Capitol Christmas Tree-Lighting Ceremony. The 78-foot tree, as we were reminded every sixty seconds throughout the ceremony, was provided by the great state of Montana. Seriously, I have never heard so much about Montana in my entire life as I did in the course of that 45-minute ceremony. The tree is estimated to be 140 years old, which is mind-boggling... It's as old as UC Berkeley!

The area around the tree was fenced off, and only important people (e.g., senators, the press, people from Montana) were allowed within the perimeter, but I found a pretty good spot behind the fence with an unobstructed view. An a cappella group from Montana sang Christmas carols before and after the ceremony, which was pleasant, as were the tunes by the Air Force Band. Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke, which made me happy, and proud for California. I thought it was cute that she invited all of the children from the audience to come forward and "help" her light the tree. The lights are LEDs, as a part of Pelosi's Green the Capitol campaign.

Behind the tree, I could see the half-constructed viewing area for the inauguration. It was pretty chilly--about 42-degrees with a slight breeze--which gave me a taste of what it will be like to stand out there on Jan. 20, though it'll probably be at least five degrees cooler, and precipitation is quite plausible. Brr. I'm asking for thermal underwear and hand warmers for Christmas.

Apex

New experiences during my Thanksgiving break in Apex, North Carolina:

• Spent 12 hours on Amtrak, round-trip
• Watched Mork & Mindy--Robin Williams hasn't changed much
  
• Saw a fish ice sculpture
  
• Ate German bologna--es ist gut!
• Went inside a Walmart for the first time ever (seriously, I had never been)
• Attended the symphony (Holiday Pops by the NC Symphony)
• Tasted hummingbird cake
• Attentively watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from start to finish
  
• Bought boots
  
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with my grandparents and aunt :-)
  
• Realized that D.C. is starting to feel like home
  

Train Post!

This post comes to you by iPhone, whilst I travel by Amtrak down to Raleigh for Thanksgiving with my grandparents. Oh, technology... So cool. According to my GPS, we're just outside of Fredericksburg, VA. It's already dark outside, but I don't have a window out of which to look anyhow. I'm at the front of the car, in a seat with an absurd amount of leg room, actually. The only problem is the lack of table... My Civil Procedure book is balance on my lap, but it means that I'm reading with poor posture. Oh, well.

My train was scheduled to leave Union Station in D.C. at 3 pm, but was delayed until 3:45, so I won't be arriving until 10 pm. I hope my grandpa doesn't mind picking me up so late!

Ha ha, I considered doing a live blog of the train ride, but based on the past few hours, I doubt there will be much to report. Back to collateral estoppel, I suppose... I hope everyone has safe travels and a lovely Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving will quickly be upon us, and I wanted to express the things for which I am most thankful. We usually talk about this at the dinner table on Thanksgiving, but since I won't be able to travel to California for the brief break this year, I thought I'd share my thanks by video: