Do you know how to pick a confirmation name? Seriously, I need some help.
This July, I'm going to get confirmed in my church. Confirmation is a rite of passage that shows that a person has decided to be fully Catholic. It is a huge deal. I have to take classes until July and the bishop, a man named Anthony Taylor, is coming to Batesville to confirm us. One part of the process is choosing a name. A candidate for confirmation gets to pick a saint's name to take as part of their name. No, this will not be part of my legal name, but in the church records, I will have an extra name. This is all very exciting, but I am finding choosing a name to be extremely difficult. I have gone through numerous books and I have been reading tons of articles on websites such as this site and this site. If you decide to look at these websites, you can see that there are thousands of saints for me to choose. This is narrowed down a little because I do not really want to take a male name. Even after eliminating the male names, there are still tons of choices. How am I supposed to choose?
This has been on my mind since they told us to start looking at names. I cannot chose a saint that is boring or that does not "speak to me." I have a few that I am leaning towards, but I just cannot choose!
I have been thinking that maybe I should be glad that I did not have to choose my own legal name. Maybe I should thank my parents for that. Having a pretty awesome name, I have reason to thank them. If I would have had to choose my own name, I am sure that I would still be picking. For now, I only have to worry about my confirmation name. At least I have a deadline.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Taking a Stand by Others
(Please note that this post is about taking a stand against abortion. I am only providing an example of a group taking a stand. I do not want to start any ethical discussions.)
Many groups are formed just for the purpose of taking a stand. Take, for instance, PETA. PETA just stands up for the ethical treatment of animals as the name suggests. Other groups will take a stand for something they believe in, even if people do not expect anything. This happened about a year ago in my church.
I go to St. Mary's, a Catholic church. As a fundamental Catholic teaching, we believe that abortion is wrong. Anyway, last year, Congress was debating on some Pro-Choice legislation. Honestly, I do not remember exactly what it was, but I am pretty sure it was mainly about whether or not health care programs should cover abortion costs. My church, and many other Catholic churches in our diocese, decided to take a stand. Leaders in my church such as council members, our deacon, and our priest urged us to write letters to our representatives in Congress. They said that if we did so, they would mail all of the letters to Congress. After about two weeks, almost every family had a letter to send in. I was very proud of our congregation when the stamps went on the envelopes and the letters went on their way.
Our letters probably did not do much. I do not really know the outcome of that particular debate. However, I still felt accomplished. At least our view was made known. We stood up for what we believed in. Sometimes, taking a stand does not do much good. We keep taking a stand simply because we are waiting for that chance that it will make a difference for someone.
Many groups are formed just for the purpose of taking a stand. Take, for instance, PETA. PETA just stands up for the ethical treatment of animals as the name suggests. Other groups will take a stand for something they believe in, even if people do not expect anything. This happened about a year ago in my church.
I go to St. Mary's, a Catholic church. As a fundamental Catholic teaching, we believe that abortion is wrong. Anyway, last year, Congress was debating on some Pro-Choice legislation. Honestly, I do not remember exactly what it was, but I am pretty sure it was mainly about whether or not health care programs should cover abortion costs. My church, and many other Catholic churches in our diocese, decided to take a stand. Leaders in my church such as council members, our deacon, and our priest urged us to write letters to our representatives in Congress. They said that if we did so, they would mail all of the letters to Congress. After about two weeks, almost every family had a letter to send in. I was very proud of our congregation when the stamps went on the envelopes and the letters went on their way.
Our letters probably did not do much. I do not really know the outcome of that particular debate. However, I still felt accomplished. At least our view was made known. We stood up for what we believed in. Sometimes, taking a stand does not do much good. We keep taking a stand simply because we are waiting for that chance that it will make a difference for someone.
When I Took a Stand
On most days, I have to ride a bus home. Until this year, my brother Anthony and his friend Jimmy rode the bus too. For some reason, they decided this year that they should start walking home from school even though the bus passes right by them. Unfortunately for them, we can see them walking down the sidewalk on many occasions from the bus. Again, for some reason, they decided that they should start to break out into a run every time we pass. From the point of view of the sister, they do look a little silly running down the street with all of their bags in tow. But, if they want to walk home everyday, that's their prerogative.
One day, I forgot to bring my mp3 player onto the bus. I was already pretty steamed because without my music, it is impossible for me to just close my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere else. Anyway, we were going home, and the bus passed Jimmy and Anthony. They started running. The guys who sit behind me started to laugh and prodeded to call Jimmy and Anthony names. They made fun of them, and I just did not think it was appropriate. I turned around and said
"That's my brother and his friend, and you need to just stop."
Lucky for me, those guys did not get violent. They simply sat down, and turned their attention elsewhere. I did not do much, but I still felt accomplished.
Sure, standing up for Anthony and Jimmy was not really nesseccary. After all, they could not hear the things being said about them. All that taking a stand did was make those guys behind me think that I was a crazy, annoying girl. Still, I feel like I did something that day for those who could not help themselves. Let's just overlook the fact that they did not know help was needed.
One day, I forgot to bring my mp3 player onto the bus. I was already pretty steamed because without my music, it is impossible for me to just close my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere else. Anyway, we were going home, and the bus passed Jimmy and Anthony. They started running. The guys who sit behind me started to laugh and prodeded to call Jimmy and Anthony names. They made fun of them, and I just did not think it was appropriate. I turned around and said
"That's my brother and his friend, and you need to just stop."
Lucky for me, those guys did not get violent. They simply sat down, and turned their attention elsewhere. I did not do much, but I still felt accomplished.
Sure, standing up for Anthony and Jimmy was not really nesseccary. After all, they could not hear the things being said about them. All that taking a stand did was make those guys behind me think that I was a crazy, annoying girl. Still, I feel like I did something that day for those who could not help themselves. Let's just overlook the fact that they did not know help was needed.
The Count of Monte Cristo Review
Historical fiction novels can reside on opposite ends of the spectrum of good books. They can either be exciting and possibly even educational, or they can be terribly boring. At a staggering 591 pages, Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo took determination and time for me to get through.
This book was published sometime between 1844-1846, so the language used in it was hard for me to follow. Along with that, Alexandre Dumas applied a style in which the story was told by a different character in each chapter. Generally, this style adds to the story because the reader can understand what each character is feeling. In this book, however, there are many, many characters, so switching around is just confusing.
The Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of Edmond Dantes. Edmond gets wrongly arrested on the eve of his wedding. Once in jail, he meets a man who is willing to help Edmond escape. Escape may not be the best plan for Edmond since he has been in jail for fourteen years. How does one piece his life back together after so long?
This book is set in France around the early 1800s. In my opinion, the author did not do a good job of describing the setting. I have no idea what France looked like during that time, so there is no background information to help me. Plus, the setting is constantly changing with the change of characters.
The theme "Taking a Stand" fits nicely into this novel. The Count of Monte Cristo is very rich, but he does not only use those riches to help himself. He also helps those in need of money, such as the young girl who has no money for her dowry. All through the book, the Count makes many friends with those that he helps. He takes a stand against their poverty.
Truthfully, I did not like this book at all. I was not interested in the subject, and there was hardly any action. It was also very difficult to read and hard to get through. I would not recommend it to anyone.
591 Pages
This book was published sometime between 1844-1846, so the language used in it was hard for me to follow. Along with that, Alexandre Dumas applied a style in which the story was told by a different character in each chapter. Generally, this style adds to the story because the reader can understand what each character is feeling. In this book, however, there are many, many characters, so switching around is just confusing.
The Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of Edmond Dantes. Edmond gets wrongly arrested on the eve of his wedding. Once in jail, he meets a man who is willing to help Edmond escape. Escape may not be the best plan for Edmond since he has been in jail for fourteen years. How does one piece his life back together after so long?
This book is set in France around the early 1800s. In my opinion, the author did not do a good job of describing the setting. I have no idea what France looked like during that time, so there is no background information to help me. Plus, the setting is constantly changing with the change of characters.
The theme "Taking a Stand" fits nicely into this novel. The Count of Monte Cristo is very rich, but he does not only use those riches to help himself. He also helps those in need of money, such as the young girl who has no money for her dowry. All through the book, the Count makes many friends with those that he helps. He takes a stand against their poverty.
Truthfully, I did not like this book at all. I was not interested in the subject, and there was hardly any action. It was also very difficult to read and hard to get through. I would not recommend it to anyone.
591 Pages
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