The Baby, the Nun, and the Weird Noise During the Canon of the Mass

I've been wanting to write about my experience at Mass last Saturday night since Saturday night but since I've been busy, I'm writing it now. I don't think I've ever experienced so much joy and so much... weirdness... during one Mass. I guess I'll start with the good, go to the weird, and go back to some goodness.

The Baby
There is a little 3 month old baby girl whose family usually sits in the front pew or in a pew close to us. She's a gorgeous little sweetheart who loves to smile whenever I wave at her... which is often at least twice during Mass because she likes to look around. She just started smiling at strangers (though I've gotten her to smile for me every time I've seen her) so it's the sweetest thing to see during Mass. I don't think she's a distraction as some may think. While I wait to be blessed with children of my own, I am able to look at her and thank God for the gift of life and the blessing her family has received by her birth. She also reminds me of how important it is to teach children to love and venerate the Church from a young age. I sometimes look at her and my heart says "this is what your vocation will be one day", which brings great joy and peace.

The Nun
This past Saturday, we had nuns in the front pews which made this fangirl squee since we've only seen them during the 6:45 a.m. Sunday Mass. I still have trouble distinguishing orders by their habits so I cannot tell you which order they were. They were in their habits, though, and it made me happy. Anyway, while we were in line to receive communion, one of the older nuns saw the baby girl in her mother's arms and she couldn't stop smiling. When the mother noticed, she turned the baby in order for the nun to say "hello" to her... and the reactions were priceless. The baby girl lit up like I'd never seen her before. She was smiling and laughing and was just radiating joy at seeing the nun. Likewise, the nun had a great smile on her face and was herself radiating happiness. It was the most beautiful sight I've seen in a long time.

The Weird Noise During the Canon of the Mass
The weird part came during the Canon of the Mass. My Spiritual Director (who was celebrating the Mass) was reciting the Eucharistic Prayer when, all of a sudden, I heard a woman sort of humming in an almost taunting tone. It sounded like it came from somewhere near the front of the church but I am not sure. Anyway, it was so weird and so inappropriate that Fr. G looked up and around trying to figure out what it came from. If you know my SD, you know how difficult it is to distract him during the Mass so you know it was odd. After Mass I asked mom if she had heard the noise and she said she had but she heard it as if Fr. G had dropped the paten (which he hadn't), not a humming/taunting sound. Either way, it was a weird noise that had at least three of us heard. *shrugs*

Bonus: The Gift of Tears
As most of you know, I had not been able to receive the Eucharist since the first weekend in June because of stomach issues/restricted diet. Since the doctor told me that I do not have a gluten intolerance, I've been counting down the days until I could receive the Eucharist... which finally happened this weekend. I teared up as soon as Mass started... while I was walking down the aisle to receive communion... while I received it (cue: flood of tears of joy)... and while I was kneeling and praying after receiving it. Words cannot express how ecstatic I was. I just cried and I thanked God for everything He'd done for me up to that point. I felt as if my heart could burst from how happy I was in that moment. When I was finally ready to dry my tears, I looked up and saw that the baby girl was looking at me very closely. It was as if in that moment three things became clear. First, that I became aware of just how much I loved God (even more so than I had previously thought). Second, how much I wanted to receive the Eucharist daily. Third, how much I truly believe, in my heart, that my vocation is of wife and mother... and how much I look forward to teaching my future children about the beauty and love of God and the Church.

So, there you have it. It was quite an interesting Mass and I really wanted to share my experience with y'all. :D

And now I need to go to do some research about Catholicism in England for... something. No spoilers just yet. lol.

I hope y'all are having a great week thus far. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

What I Learned Wednesday #15: Gluten Free Catholic Edition

I didn't plan to have the last two WILW posts to be themed but that is life for you. ;)

Since yesterday's doctor appointment ended with my doctor telling me that I should avoid eating wheat, I thought about what this meant to me since I love to receive the Eucharist as frequently as possible. I love daily Mass and receiving the Eucharist is the cherry on top of that dairy-free sundae. Because we don't know whether it's a wheat allergy or if I have Celiac Disease (yes, there's a difference between the two), we don't know whether I can receive the low-gluten hosts and/or just the altar wine.

Oh, side note, a little background on my situation: I've been eating foods made out of mostly brown rice flour and cereal that's gluten free for the past couple of months because I wanted to see if it was the reason why my stomach problems going haywire. The only wheat I allowed in my system was in the Eucharist. I had no problem with the hosts and I was (have been) on the mend. A week before my doctor appointment, I reintroduced wheat into my system in the form of Bisquick pancake mix. Stomach problems started the first day. Anxiety, headaches, "brain fog", and extreme fatigue shortly followed (all of these, btw, point to Celiac disease). Anxiety also has the same symptoms so I don't know if it's one or the other. I haven't had wheat since Monday morning (last trip to Disneyland) and I haven't felt as exhausted as I did last week. So it may be or may not. My county health insurance doesn't cover the blood tests to determine anything, nor can I afford to pay for it out of pocket, so we're just winging it at the moment.

Since I forgot to ask my doctor whether I could try the low-gluten hosts at yesterday's appointment (remember, I had no reaction with the host on its own) and have to wait until tomorrow to call and ask, here are some of the options I have found for fellow gluten-free Catholics.

1. Gluten free hosts are invalid but low-gluten hosts are allowed. I'm very much a "by the rules" kind of gal. If it's illegal, I don't do it. No, not even jaywalking. If something's against Church teachings or against what the Vatican (i.e. CDF) says, I avoid it. So, of course, when this issue came up, I looked into it. The USCCB clearly states that the hosts must have some wheat in order for it to be valid. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (back when he was Prefect of the CDF) said it himself. Low-gluten alternatives are available (and they thankfully also list places you can order them from) and I could easily pay for those out of my own pocket as they are inexpensive (and worth it even if they were costly).

2. If you can't have any gluten at all, you can still receive the graces by taking the Precious Blood only. As I inquired (via Twitter this morning) what some Celiac Catholics did, I learnt that some drink the wine from a separate chalice. I've personally had the wine only a handful of times since my first communion because the doctor has me avoiding alcohol due to my anxiety. However, if I have to be 100% gluten-free, I am going to have make special arrangements. I don't know if they have any Celiac Catholics at my parish so I don't know if there is already a separate chalice for them or if one will have to be purchased... which I will, again, do out of my own pocket. I don't believe in burdening the parish with additional costs because of something that is my own problem so I'm going to have to save up or even take donations if it takes too long (which, if you know me, you know will be hard for me as I was brought up to earn things by my own hard work and not to take advantage of anyone's generosity). I already looked at the prices at Cotters (local supplier to parishes; I could live in this store) and it's going to be a dent in my wallet.

3. If for some reason you can't have low gluten hosts OR even the smallest amount of the wine, the only option left is to receive spiritual communion. This is the option that I am dreading the most because it won't be the same. I actually feel like tearing up thinking that this may be my only option. I will not get ahead of myself though. And, if it is the only option, I pray to God that I will grow more in my spirituality and grow closer to Him despite my not being able to physically receive Him. If this is what I must do, I must learn to change how I do things while still strengthening my own faith.

Like I said, I am not going to get ahead of myself but I am looking at my options. I pray that the Holy Spirit helps my doctor come up with the best decision for me and my health. I think I'm going to do the 9-Hour Novena to the Infant of Prague as well. We'll see how it all goes.

If you know anyone who has a wheat allergy or cannot have gluten (or, at least, think that it may be the cause of their health problems), please pass this along. I am sure I will write more about the topic later on.

Anyway, I have to go pick up my mom from work (please pray for her - she's been having problems with her right foot for months now and she's on her feet all 8 hours).

I hope you're all having a great week thus far. If you have any prayer requests, please send them by way. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :D

Come at Me, (Negativity) Bro: Anger, Forgiveness, and Silver Linings

As you might've noticed, I did not post every single day last week as planned. Guest posts fell through and I found myself having a horrible weekend (Friday through yesterday) so I didn't have anything good to post. However, I do feel like sharing what happened because it's a part of who I am and has contributed to my own growth as both a person and a Catholic.

I won't go into detail about what happened on Friday through Saturday. Let's just say that my faith and my beliefs were seriously challenged in a way that I never thought. I was placed in a situation in which I had to ask St. Benedict's intercession (as well as St. Michael Archangel's over the weekend) and only fueled the fire to get officially enrolled in the brown scapular (more on this in a bit.) It wasn't until I talked to my confessor that I felt better. I hope and pray that I am never put into that situation again (and, for the record, I did not seek it). The good thing that I got out of it is another reaffirmation that I love God above everything and that I would never do anything intentional to hurt Him. This brings me to what happened yesterday in which I had another one of these affirmations.

I will start off by saying that I've been using my iPod touch for confessions (I have the iConfess app) as well as for Mass (I have the iMissal as the first app on the screen). I've been using both for years now. Only once had I had an usher tell me to put it away only to let me keep using it after he saw that I had the iMissal app open and that I was using it to follow along during Mass. After that one time, he would even tell others about how I used the app, impressed that I would have it. Yesterday was a whole different story.

Like I said, I've been using these apps for years. I don't have it on the entire Mass; mostly just for readings (for better concentration) and for the Nicene Creed so that I don't mess it up. As soon as the Creed is recited, it goes back in my bag. It doesn't disturb anyone. I don't make noise. It stays as low as I can have it to make sure it doesn't distract anyone. The usher yesterday, who I've seen in Mass more than once, decided that yesterday it was going to be good to publicly tell me to put it away (as I was putting away)... right as soon as the Creed was recited... in front of everyone... and everyone in the general area heard it quite well. I tried to explain, and show him, that I was using it for the Nicene Creed but he kept being super rude about it and, well, to not slip and badmouth him let's just say that my response was to cry at the end of the exchange. So I cried for the next 20 minutes of the Mass... and the next half an hour after that. I have never felt so insulted and humiliated in church before.

My initial response was to leave because I was so angry that he would do that in front of everyone. My response when angry is usually silence and/or tears... and removing myself from the place or person who caused the response. I was angry at the usher for how he handled the situation and angry that I was angry at him right before communion. Since I knew that I did not want to receive Christ while angry, I did my best to talk myself out of the negative feelings. I am sure the Holy Spirit helped me in this situation because, even though I was still crying when I received communion, I was not angry doing it. What I did instead was not think about it and have an inner dialogue with God. I thought (since I know He knows my heart and mind) "I'm here for you, God. Nothing anyone will do or say will keep me away from You. I did not come to please others but you. If this is just another stumbling block the Evil one has for keeping me away, it's not going to work. I'm here for YOU because I love YOU." In that instant, I got the sudden inspiration to go up to the usher after Mass to tell him that I forgave him... and I did.

After Mass (and after the priest nearly denied me communion -- I'll get to this in a second), I walked up to the usher and said "I forgive you." He walked to the side and we talked. The anger and bad look he had given me seemed to have melted from his face. He explained that he couldn't let me use the app, even though he figured out (after I tried explaining what I was doing), because then he would have to let others do it too. I couldn't understand (and still don't) the logic behind that but I saw where he was coming from. I told him that I felt like he humiliated me when all I was doing was trying to stay focused and concentrated during Mass. I didn't mention that I also do it when I am terribly anxious to stay focused because I don't want to use anxiety as a crutch or an excuse. Either way, I once again reiterated that I forgave him and he apologized for his actions. That was the end of that.

And, now, you're probably asking: "so why did the priest nearly deny you communion?" Well, I think it was because I didn't stick my tongue out enough. Like I said, I was still crying at that point but I still tried to make myself strong and receive communion. The priest was going to place the host on my tongue but took one look at me, pulled it back, and said "stick out your tongue" in a manner that hurt. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong even though I've received the Eucharist in that way before. Tongue was out but apparently not good enough for him. I was already hurt and then having the priest give me that look and say "stick out your tongue" in a tone that was, well, hurtful to me (I don't know how else to describe it).

So, to sum up my day: 1) the alarm didn't go off (which was weird in itself) and we rushed to Mass, 2) the usher did what he did, and 3) then I felt like a priest nearly denied me communion. All in the span of 2 hours. That, after the Friday and Saturday I had, made me feel like they were huge stumbling blocks placed before me to make me lose it, to make it seem like God did not want to close to me (and I did have a split second thought that maybe I had done something wrong and that I did not deserve to be close to Him), and basically keep me away from Him. But, like I said in my inner dialogue to God, nothing will keep me away from Him. I won't give up attending Mass or going to church. I would ten thousand times get my feelings hurt by others during Mass as long as I know that God loves me and that I'm doing things right. That is the silver lining I found in all of these situations. My faith is stronger, my love for Him has grown exponentially (I never thought it was possible to have my heart grow that much and filled with more love than I thought I was capable of).

Of course, I will try to buy a missalette to use to avoid the usher situation again (I can see how it could be distracting to others though I was doing nothing wrong). I will keep attending Mass. So, negativity... you can come at me (bro) but I won't give up on my faith or God for anything or anyone. I know I already said it but I also wanted to repeat it. :D

So, that's it. That was my interesting (and horrible) weekend. It stunk but, in the crud I dealt with, I still found some beauty which is all I could ask for. :D

I may continue the positivity posts for at least this next week since I didn't get to finish it last week. We shall see. :D

Anyway, I am going to go figure out what to do with my Thesis (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, as of today, it is officially released and I can share it.) :D

I hope you all had a better weekend than I did and that you have a great week. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless!

Let's Hear it for Daily Mass, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I love LOL Saints pictures. :)

Seriously though, let's have a round of applause for having the option to attend daily Mass. *claps* I cannot begin to describe how happy I am to go on an (almost) daily basis. I don't take it for granted because I know that some people live in rural areas where Mass isn't celebrated often. Also, I know most of us have crazy hectic lives and we can't always attend daily Mass. I myself can't go on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I have classes but I try to go on all other days. Even if, for some reason, I can't receive communion, I don't feel right if I don't go.

I was reflecting on this prior to Mass yesterday. I feel almost empty and incomplete when I don't attend Mass. It's like I miss out on something amazing (which I think I do). I didn't go today because I was so physically exhausted that I simply couldn't get out of bed because I felt a bit shaky. I do vaguely remember saying (out loud) "I do love you, God, but I am not feeling that great right now" before falling back asleep this morning. And now my day feels a bit off. (side note: I also didn't go to confession today but I wasn't in need of it (thank God) so I'm okay there.) I don't know why but this desire to attend daily Mass only increases as the weeks pass. I'm very grateful for the feeling though. It's already helped me out a lot.

As I said in a previous blog post, one of the things that I've noticed about attending daily Mass is that I am more conscience of my actions. I am able to be more charitable towards people who treat me poorly for whatever reason. I am more aware of when I could potentially do something wrong and/or sinful and I realize things early enough to be able to correct my actions. After receiving the Eucharist each morning, I feel complete. I feel so much more relaxed and calm throughout the day. My anxiety and stress levels due to school related things may be up but I still somehow feel better in general.

I know my vocation is sadly not a religious one (as much as I would've loved it to be; I grew up wanting to be a Carmelite nun) so I've been contemplating potentially becoming a Tertiary (Third Order) Carmelite or Dominican. I have such an intense desire to be a part of the Church and since I am not called to be a nun then I feel like maybe this is the right step for me. Both Orders really appeal to me so I will have to pray about this and see which one I would most benefit from as well as be able to contribute to. I've considered this step for a long time but it's only intensified with my daily trips to the nearby parish. :)

Another thing that has come up with my trips to daily Mass: I am not entirely sure I want to teach after I graduate. I mean, I do want to spread the Word and teach younger generations the Truth but I am not sure I would last very long in a classroom. My heart and head are both telling me that I would be happy working with children as well as with older adults so I don't know. I know in my heart that I really want to help others and that I want to share the love I have for God with as many people as I possibly can but I'm very confused as to where I will go after graduation. I am taking a year off to work before I pursue my Master's degree but I think it would be a little less stressful if I had a game plan for the Fall. If y'all can please pray for this, I would greatly appreciate it. Right now all I can do is pray and keep myself open to whatever God has in store for me.

Anyway, I just felt like sharing these random thoughts. I have noticed that my readership in both this blog and my tweets has gone down considerably (and I am not complaining at all!) so I feel less pressured to write something amazing. Back to the "writing how I feel... even if it's incredibly sappy and emotional" plan. ;)

I have the rest of the evening and tomorrow off (I am mentally drained after reading close to 400 pages for classes this week) so I am going to enjoy it with a little movie marathon.

I hope y'all had a great week and will have a great weekend.

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Daily Mass Addictions and School Afflictions

Hello. My name is Emmy and I am a Daily Mass addict. No, seriously. Just ask Joe who made me realize it yesterday. One day, last week, I woke up with an overwhelming urge to attend daily Mass and I've gone every day since. The only days I've missed have been days which I attend classes and am thus unable to attend Mass. (side note: my school is roughly 15 miles from where I live but we have notoriously horrible traffic -- 45 mins to 3 HOURS one way, depending on how bad it is -- so I can't get to/from Mass on time.) I don't know how/why it started but I am not complaining. It all started with a spontaneous idea to go into the chapel on campus to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy before class and it's now Daily Mass followed by the Chaplet. I don't feel right not going to Mass. I've never adapted to a change in my schedule/daily routine to quickly before. Is it weird to say that I feel empty not attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist every day? I honestly can't imagine myself not attending Mass on a daily basis anymore. Everything's changed... and I love this change.

Instead of sleeping until 9-10 a.m. like I would on days I didn't have to go to campus, I get up at 7:30 (or as close to it as I can) in order to eat something light, an hour before communion, since I know I can't fast without feeling faint. I tried that (fasting) last week and I nearly fainted while praying the Rosary. (second side note: Oh yes, I have also joined a group of parishioners that pray the Rosary, novenas, and chaplets after morning Mass. :D) I don't get enough sleep anymore but I am not as tired as I thought I would be. The insomnia I experienced the last couple of week has gotten better, I'm a lot more calm (though anxiety's been worse... more on that later), the sun is brighter, etc. I'm also more aware of my actions and of thinking before speaking which helps me not be in need of confession as frequently. That is terribly important to me. Whenever I go to Mass in the morning I am reminded of two Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati quotes:

"I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharist Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles."

AND

(in a letter to his friend, "Tonino", dated 8/13/1923): "... when one goes into the mountains one should sort out one's conscience first, because one never knows if one will return."

That last quote is on page 134 of the book Pier Giorgio Frassati: Letters to His Friends and Family. In that letter to his friend, Bl. Pier Giorgio, an avid mountain climber and sportsman, talks about the importance of going to confession after the death of a fellow mountain climber. In previous letters he also wrote about how important it was for him to receive the Eucharist before he climbed mountains. Of course, I'm not a mountain climber (I'm, at best, a lover of hikes) but I can relate to it in more ways than one. I'm always either driving or being driven. A day on which I don't drive is rare. Not only that, I attend a school which has a campus up on a mountain. The view is spectacular when you're outside but as soon as I go inside, it's a fight against the liberal, dare I say heretical, teachings I encounter inside. Just like Bl. Pier Giorgio, I think I need to receive the Eucharist daily to remind me of who I am, who am I not nor will I be in order to fit in, and that I have my Heavenly Father looking out for me. I am not in physical danger (at least not like Bl. Pier Giorgio was when he climbed) but I do feel my soul is in danger (though one I am aware of as to not fall) each time I step foot on that campus.

And that leads me to the reason why I think my anxiety's been worse lately. Well, partly. I've noticed that my anxiety gets worse on the days before I have to go class as well as the first part of the day. And it goes back to one thing... or, I should say, one person: my music professor. As I've mentioned before, she does not like me... or so it seems. I thought we'd had a breakthrough last week when she tried to understand what it's like to be a student with anxiety but this week it's gone sour again. I haven't felt so personally attacked by a professor in quite a while. She skips over me when my hand is raised for a question, she tells me to be quiet when I volunteer to answer (when no one else wants to), she finds the littlest things to reprimand me on even though I am not doing anything bad, and I am never write. Saint and religion question: I am NEVER right. Of course, I get online after class (I don't do it during out of respect for my professors) and I check to see if I was right... and I am. Yesterday I had my hand raised for the longest time and a classmate even motioned to her that I had the answer but she skipped me. She didn't come back to me until several minutes after I put down my hand and then my answer was "wrong." I don't talk back to her or anything, mostly because my parents taught me to respect my elders and partly because I'm too busy trying to catch my breathing in her class (trying not to hyperventilate due to anxiety).

I will also admit that all of this has gotten me down the past couple of weeks... but it's been most obvious the last week. Yesterday I was one big weepy/mopey mess. She really made me feel like I was a speck of dirt that was bothering her and it really messed up my day. Though I can normally just forget about people not liking me, the fact that she's been this way since day one (yes, since the first day of classes) and that she finds new ways of making me feel like crumbs has gotten to me. She's going to cancel classes a couple of times next month and in April and I am sorry to say that I very much look forward to those days. I offer up every little thing she says to make me feel horrible and keep track of it on my St. Therese Sacrifice Beads. If you guys can please say a pray that I can make it through the next 2 months and 4 weeks (the countdown is on your left hand side) and that I actually pass my classes so that I can graduate, I would be so grateful.

Okay, I think I've unintentionally procrastinated longer than I anticipated. lol. I have to do coursework for a presentation tomorrow as well as a fellow up meeting with my Thesis adviser so I really need to get to work.

I hope y'all are having a great week thus far and if any of you need me to offer up one of my bad days for a special intention you may have, let me know. I'd gladly do it. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

More Traditional Than Expected?

Every time I go to Mass at the parish where I've gone since I was in my mama's womb, I become just a little more disillusioned with them. The fact that they pretty much skip over the Penitential Rites really bugs me. The clapping, and (sometimes) dancing along, I see during the Alleluia/Gospel Acclamation always makes me cringe. I've had priests (one in particular) look at me when they see I'm not partaking in the clapping most of the parishioners are more than happy to do. I refuse to clap along, sorry. I feel like it's disrespectful to the sacredness of the Mass. More things I don't like: not wearing a skirt or dress to Mass... not wearing a mantilla/chapel veil... not receiving communion... not attending Mass, period. I have been known to cry when I am unable to attend Mass. The more I learn and read about the Church pre-Vatican II, the more I feel like the "outdated rituals" would suit me the best. That doesn't mean that I am against the Second Vatican Council... I just prefer the way things used to be way before my time. Am I more traditional than anyone, including myself, expected?

I have never been to a Latin Mass before but, after learning more about it and watching videos on youtube, I feel like it is the perfect Mass for me. Sadly, they're not really offered within the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Not even Pope Benedict XVI's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum has helped that issue here. The nearest parish where they offer Latin Masses is almost an hour away from where I live (for those who aren't familiar with L.A., the county is large and sprawled out). They don't even offer it at the San Fernando Mission anymore! I could go into the whole issue many of us have with Cardinal Mahony, but I won't. All I will say is that I think it's sad that the archdiocese seems to have something against the TLM. If you want to hear more about what's wrong with this archdiocese, go to Joe's blog, Verbum Veritatis in Mahonyland. He expresses himself better than I do on this subject. (P.S. He can attest that I actually wear a mantilla to Mass; he's seen it for himself.)

I have embraced the fact that I have become a traditional Catholic (and I fall in the first group of traditional Catholics according to Fish Eaters). When I started this blog, on Christmas night 2007, I had NO CLUE that my journey returning to the Church would lead me here. For those very few that have read this blog since the beginning, I ask you: did y'all see it coming? I am actually very proud that! While I no longer wear the mantilla my father brought me from Mexico earlier this year (I have decided to not use it until my wedding day), I still wear one. I am proud to wear my mantilla to Mass... even if I'm the only woman under 50 that wears one. I REFUSE to receive communion by the hand. I'm usually one of the very few people in my parish who receives the Eucharist directly in the mouth. I wouldn't mind seeing altar rails brought back to the parish, though I won't hold my breath on that one. I'm not even going into the music played during Mass because I will never stop writing (St. Cecilia would be proud. :D)

I've read recent articles (which I cannot find at the moment, I need to organize my bookmarks) that say that statistics and surveys have shown that my generation (those in their late 20s and younger) seem to be more traditional than previous generations. Yes! Most, if not all, my Catholic friends are traditional, so I believe the articles. So will I be one of several that, with the help of Pope Benedict XVI, get their wish fulfilled and see parishes allow more Latin Masses to be said? Will we slowly see beautiful mantillas return? Only time will tell... but I am certainly hoping it happens.

Though I want to write more, I will stop for now and pick it up sometime in the future. Maybe next time I'll have the links ready. lol. ;) I am off to prepare myself for tomorrow's Philosophy course. Another round of "Oh no you di'nt" discussions with my professor? We'll see. :D I hope y'all are having a great start of week. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless!