Happy Thanksgiving!

On this day, which was first celebrated almost 400 years ago very near to where I am now, those who discovered that by God's providence they could survive in a land so far from their home, enduring great trials and hardship, gave thanks for all they had received. Their sojourn in this strange land was brought on by the closed-mindedness of the political states from whence they came. By establishing themselves here anew, they were able to exercise their assent to truth they held dear, and so found great peace in their new life.

Today, the political state that grew out of that first delegation once again stands firm against the assent to the truth we hold dear, and is a source of great strife in our day. Let us give thanks for the grace of God, by which we are sustained and strengthened to be His voice of Truth. Let us give thanks for His goodness, which has not allowed the state to degrade to that point at which those who speak the truth are mercilessly slaughtered for their profession. And let us give thanks for those glimmers of hope as are found "on the mouths of children and of babes" that are visible signs of His goodness and impel us to rise to fight another day, to "run the race" and "finish the course."

In a world marked by disunity among Christians, who have such direct access to the Truth Who made us and Who sustains us, let us stand together to give thanks for our Savior, and to enter into the season of commemoration and preparation. As he came humbly so many centuries ago, let us manifest His Word and grace in our daily actions, showing forth charity in humility to a world that desperately needs such an example. And let all who follow Christ stand united in the fullness of His revelation, bringing new life to the world by our conversion to Him and drawing those who do not yet know of His Love to the fullness of grace.

Finally, let us offer our thanks to our Mother, by whose consent and submission to the Divine Will brought into the world the Word made Flesh, so that by His Cross and Resurrection, we might be set free. Let us aspire to her fidelity and beg of her the outpouring of grace she may obtain for us from Her Son. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the Promises of Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca

Busy, busy!

Happy Solemnity of Christ the King! The past two weeks have been busy, yet again, with lots of school work and meetings.

Yesterday was a day of recollection for us, though only two of us postulants were here for it; one went home to visit family and attend a wedding. Fr. Sean Morris, OMV came to give us a couple good conferences. He spoke about how to make a good day of recollection by maintaining a good schedule and anticipating distractions. The day was also centered around the theme of "Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ", which is very appropriate at this time of the liturgical year.

We had some good rain last week and it has also been fairly windy most days. Daytime temperatures stay in the 40s most days, with low 30s overnight. Most of the deciduous trees are now bare and lots of shrubs are clearly ready for the winter. The locals have told me that the abundance of acorns and the condition of the squirrels show us that this will be a long and cold winter. As for me, I am here to experience something new, an environment I have not experienced before, so I am not here to judge that it is impossible or difficult to adjust; after all, millions of people live in this climate, so it cannot be all that bad, right?

Confirmation classes continue to go better and better; our little kids need all the prayers they can get, and we can only imagine that many other places have a similar situation with children who have not been adequately instructed in their faith and have not had a transforming experience of God's love. These are the civil leaders of tomorrow, and the young people who will compose the living Body of Christ for the rest of their lives - pray that they are strong!

Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca

Security Bulletin: Holiday Season Phishing

The following is a message from the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team regarding online safety and information privacy over the holidays.

Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns

Original release date: November 18, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Last revised: November 18, 2010 at 2:17 pm

In the past, US-CERT has received reports of an increased number of phishing scams and malware campaigns that take advantage of the winter holiday and holiday shopping season. US-CERT reminds users to remain cautious when receiving unsolicited email messages that could be part of a potential phishing scam or malware campaign.

These phishing scams and malware campaigns may include but are not limited to the following:

• electronic greeting cards that may contain malware
• requests for charitable contributions that may be phishing scams and may originate from illegitimate sources claiming to be charities
• screensavers or other forms of media that may contain malware
• credit card applications that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts
• online shopping advertisements that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts from bogus retailers

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to use caution when encountering these types of email messages and take the following preventative measures to protect themselves from phishing scams and malware campaigns:

• Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
• Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the Using Caution with Email Attachments Cyber Security Tip for more information on safely handling email attachments.
• Maintain up-to-date antivirus software.
• Review the Federal Trade Commission's Charity Checklist.
• Verify charity authenticity through a trusted contact number. Trusted contact information can be found on the Better Business Bureau National Charity Report Index.
• Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document for more information on avoiding email scams.
• Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks Cyber Security Tip for more information on social engineering attacks.
• Refer to the Shopping Safely Online Cyber Security Tip for more information on online shopping safety.

Relevant Url(s):

• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html
• http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf
• http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel01.shtm
• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST07-001.html
• http://charityreports.bbb.org/public/All.aspx?bureauID=9999
• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-010.html

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This entry is available at
http://www.us-cert.gov/current/index.html#holiday_season_phising_scams_and

Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca

Exciting!

Boy, if religious life was not exciting before, it is now!

This week was full of tests, writing, studying, sports, and a day of outreach! I had a Metaphysics test, studied Catechism, Latin, and Literature, and assembled a paper summarizing our readings in Ancient Philosophy. I got to cantor the antiphon and verses for a hymn at Mass on All Souls' Day. Friday night, four of us played tennis for two hours at Boston College (I am verily sore).

Today, we spent the morning and afternoon at St. Monica Parish in Methuen, MA, where the Family Vocation Ministries had organized a day of talks, activities, and prayer to unite religious and families and to help parents encourage their children to consider their vocation, aware of the possibility of religious life and the priesthood. I had attended one of their events in June out near Rancho Cucamonga, CA, which was awesome. Today's event was attended by only a few families, but we religious were very encouraged by the presence of other communities there, and the families in attendance were grateful that we could be there praying with them. I met two seminarians who knew me from St. Peter Chanel (unfortunately we did not know each other back home, though I had seen one of them at various events); they are studying with the Fathers of Mercy (CPM) and the Franciscans Friars of the Primitive Observance. As we were leaving for home, our route took us to the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border: looking to our left, we saw "Welcome to Salem, NH" and to our right, "Welcome to Methuen, MA!"

God is good!

Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca

Cooling off

Getting ready for class and taking a quick walk across the street to the mailbox... I noticed it was pretty cold outside. I would estimate no more than 40 ºF. Got back to my room, and the weather online says it's 35 out! Now we're talking!

Happy Feast of All Saints Day!

Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca