Time to Get Serious

I vowed to Stacey, my wife, that this time I was serious about losing weight. (Oh, by the way, we are doing this together)  I'm tired of my knees hurting and I don't like the way I feel or look.  There I said it.  If this doesn't work, I will have to have the surgery and I don't want to be put under.  There is my motivation - FEAR.

I am not sure, but I think I will make this my post's theme for Mondays even though I am starting this on Tuesday due to the inconvenience of the world news.  I have been battling (can you really call it a battle when there has been no real concerted effort?) my weight gain for over fifteen years now.  I have gained an average of ten pounds a year since I started teaching at the Law Magnet and I was already overweight when I began.  I remember Dr. Allread's first words when she greeted me at the interview, "you sure have put on some weight."  My only reply, "you sure have gotten grayer."  

When I was in high school and even college, I was skinny.  So skinny, my own mother called me Flaco Feo, which loosely translated into English means Ugly Skinny One.  Hispanic moms sure have a way with their loving nicknames.

I have to say I am not off to a great start with the ladies at the WW center. One of the receptionists interrupted me while I was trying to ask if one the handbooks I was receiving was available in a PDF format so I could read it on my iPad.  I think she anticipated that I was going to ask if I could buy it somewhere else.  The only person I let anticipate what I am going to say without getting irritated is Stacey.  I then sat through a decent talk about tips for eating out.  Unfortunately, I could not get past the fact the trainer was chewing gum the entire time.  Did no one ever tell her YOU DON'T CHEW GUM WHILE PUBLIC SPEAKING!

Ok, enough with the irritations.  I decided to be weighed fully clothed (shorts, t-shirt, hoody and running shoes) rather than strip down like many of the people did before me.  Although the weigh in takes place as you walk in, the tally is private.  Not that I care; I would prefer to be shamed into weight loss.  At the end of the night, I receive my newbie packet.  This morning I registered all my e-tools and began keeping tabs of what I eat.

Day One seems to be going ok.

Oh, and for that rude receptionist, you can buy the book elsewhere!

Is It Right To Rejoice At The Death Of An Evil Man?

Picture I took at "ground zero" May 2004

I thought I was going to write about my first night at Weight Watchers, but I think that'll have to wait until tomorrow. In light of last night's news that Bin Laden had been killed, I feel compelled to write about the reaction to his death. 

I was getting ready for bed when the NY Times alert on my iPad went off. The pop up on the screen said that White House was about to announce that Bin Laden had been killed. When I told my wife, she thought I was lying. I guess she felt like many of us have in the 9 1/2 years since 9-11 - that he would never be caught.

I will admit that upon first hearing the news, I felt that justice had been served. That soon passed, replaced with disbelief at how jubilant people were about Bin Laden's death.  At some core level I feel those reactions are incongruent with my Catholic faith.  In fact, the Vatican today issued a statement: “Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event is an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace.”

Not only am I troubled that these demonstrations some how undermine our faith, but I am also concerned that these images broadcast throughout the world put Christians in harm's way.  I believe it will be a matter of time - sooner than later - that there is retaliation.  It makes me ponder Gandhi's words: "Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary."

Holy Trifecta

I cannot think of a time in which the Catholic Church had three major celebrations take place on the same day.  May 1, 2011 marked the feast day of St.. Joseph the Worker, Divine Mercy Sunday and the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

The feast day of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted by Pope  Pius XII apparently in response to the Communist May Day.  The feast was intended to focus attention on the dignity of all work and workers.  Now workers around the world turn to St. Joseph for intercession for help with their work and when searching for work. This is fitting since Joseph drop everything to flee to Egypt where he would have to find new work to support the Holy Family.

Pope John Paul II instituted the feast of Divine Mercy Sunday on April 30, 2000. The Pope made the surprise announcement during his homily at the canonization mass for St. Faustina.  Divine Mercy is celebrated the first Sunday following Easter. The feast was requested by our Lord in a vision to young Faustina.  The Lord promised Faustina that "the soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."  

Pope John Paul II is now remembered  Blessed John Paul II, while to others he is already John Paul the Great.  WIth his beatification today, the universal church may publicly ask for his intercession.  John Paul is responsible for leading in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a collection of the Church's magesterium.  Additionally, he was known as the most travelled pope, he canonized hundreds of saints and he is the mercy pope.  As a Polish bishop he led the cause for the canonization of Faustina.  Years later as Pope, he oversaw her canonization and the institution of Divine Mercy as a universal feast day.  John Paul actually died after attending the Vigil mass of Divine Mercy.