A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." (Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II) I must respectfully disagree with Juliet about names. I've always been fascinated by the etymology of names and people's motivations for choosing the names they do. That's why it's curious that I chose the name Teresa as my confirmation name because I could never quite understand why I did. My only clue was that, at the age of three, I met Malcolm Muggeridge, the journalist who made Mother Teresa internationally famous. From this impressionable age, I always paid attention to Mother Teresa, eventually choosing her name at my confirmation at St. Peter's Basilica in 2003. And so, today, for my only solitary outing during our whirlwind tour of Ave Maria University, I chose to go to the Mother Teresa Museum here on campus. Needless to say, it is a treasure trove of inspiring information on the life of the saint, but, for me, it also provided a Carpe Diem moment when I began chatting with the museum's director, James Stella, and discovered that we both worked at the same place in Rome (Caritas Internationalis) a few years apart, and had several friends in common. We took a selfie with our mutual friend, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and reflected on the circles upon circles of connections with the Catholic world.
Liturgical: Readings for the Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
"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 exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified."
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.
Sanctoral: The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. John Chrysostom (347-407). St. John was born in Antioch. His powerful eloquence earned him the surname of Chrysostom, or golden mouthed. With St. Athanasius, St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Basil, he forms the group of the four great doctors of the Eastern Church. As Archbishop of Constantinople, his courageous stance against the vices of even the wealthy caused him to be exiled several times. As a result he died in 407, still in exile. In 1204 his relics were brought to St. Peter's in Rome. Some of the relics were returned to the Orthodox on November 27, 2004 by Pope Saint John Paul II. His silver and jewel-encrusted skull is now kept in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos in northern Greece, and is credited by Christians with miraculous healings. His right hand is also preserved on Mount Athos, and numerous smaller relics are scattered throughout the world.
Human: Friday the 13th
There is no year without one Friday the 13th, and no year with more than three. This day is considered the unluckiest of days in many superstitions, unless you were born on Friday the 13th, in which case it is your lucky day. “Friggatriskaidekaphobia” is the fear of Friday the 13th. Some people don’t like the number 13, whether it’s a Friday or not. The fear of the number 13 is called “triskaidekaphobia.” Quite a few skyscrapers and hotels do not have a 13th floor (or a room 13, for that matter), and many buildings substitute 12 1/2 for 13 in their addresses. Winston Churchill wouldn’t travel on Friday the 13th, considering it too unlucky.” Discover more fun and freaky facts about Friday the 13th!
The Writer's Almanac edition today-- history of the Star-Spangled Banner (1814), birthday of Clara Schumann (1819).
Natural: The Everglades is a subtropical wetland ecosystem spanning two million acres across central and south Florida. During the wet season, Lake Okeechobee overflows, releasing water into a very slow moving, shallow river dominated by sawgrass marsh—dubbed the "river of grass." The water flows southward, passing through diverse habitats, including cypress swamps, wet prairie, and mangroves, until it reaches Everglades National Park and eventually Florida Bay.
Italian: Brontolare (to grumble)
--Saint John Chrysostom
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