February Ask

I may do one of these once a month, depending on if I keep finding them. This one must have been made by someone involved in FOCUS:

1. What was the last novena you prayed?

I think it was a novena to the Holy Spirit for Pentecost. I guess I haven't been much of a novena guy.

2. Favorite parable?

Parable of the sower.

3. Have you discerned the Lord's vocation for you?

No comment.

4. If it is the religious life, what order is the best fit for you?

I think Carmelite or Benedictine. Possibly Franciscan.

5. Favorite saint growing up?

Saint Augustine of Hippo (my confirmation saint)

6. Favorite saint now?

St. Joseph, probably, if counting whom I ask the intercession of the most.

7. Favorite Old Testament story?

The Creation narrative(s)

8. Tell us your best Confession story.

I don't really like discussing what goes on in confession, since any priests involved cannot confirm or deny anything about it.

9. Have you discerned serving as a FOCUS missionary?

You say so.

10. If yes, why?

Because FOCUS played a large role in deepening my faith, especially in opening my mind to our mandate to evangelize.

11. If no, why not?

N/A.

12. Where were you when Pope John Paul II passed away?

I don't remember. I was a sophomore in college I think.

13. Have you been on any pilgrimages? (Israel, Medugorje, Lourdes, etc)

World Youth Day, small trips to special liturgies or to the Shrine in Hanceville, Alabama.

14. Last Church where you attended Mass?

St. Michael's in Auburn this morning.

15. Last time you went to Confession?

Saturday.

16. Favorite religious order?

This is like asking which is my favorite plant. Each has its place.

17. Favorite Apostle?

St. John

18. Which saint shares your conversion story?

Honestly, I don't know. Are there any saints that were converts from Protestantism? Bl. John Henry Newman, but I dare not say I share a path with that most formidable man.

19. Last spiritual reading you did? (Diary of St. Maria Faustina, Padre Pio's Secrets of a Soul, etc)

The Bible.

20. Last time you went to Adoration?

Last night.

21. Last time you prayed the Rosary?

It has been a while...maybe a month.

22. Favorite Mystery of the Rosary?

The Sorrowful Mysteries

23. Favorite Our Lady apparition?

Our Lady of Guadalupe

24. Have you been keeping up with the Imagine Sisters' YouTube and Facebook?

Never heard of them.

25. Favorite novena to pray?

I'm not much of a novena guy, as I said. I guess I'm like the Jesuit in the joke about novenas and luxury cars.

26. How old were you when you truly encountered the Lord for the first time?

Probably around 11.

27. What were you doing when the white smoke appeared for Pope Francis?

I was at work at the landscape business. I heard it on the news during one of our breaks.

28. Are you going to give your children saint names?

If I ever have children, most definitely yes.

29. Do you have any saints' medals around your neck?

I've never seen a medal that would fit around my neck. I do have a scapular on, though, with a medal of St. Benedict attached.

30. Do you wear a brown or green Scapular?

See above. Brown. Are green scapulars meant to be worn? I have one in my room. I believe it's under my mattress.

31. If you were going to die next week, what three things would you want to tell a fallen away Catholic?

Why do I have to be dying to say it? God loves you. He willed you specifically into existence as a creature of unspeakable goodness and beauty. Only by loving and serving Him can you reach the end for which you were created. The Church was founded by Christ to bring you and all humanity to this end.

32. Do you attend Daily Mass?

Only on Wednesdays.

33. If not, do you want to? What are some practical steps you can take to ensure this?

Yes, of course. I'd have to quit my job to go to daily Mass in Auburn, unless Mass times were changed, or I got permission to come into work two hours later every day.

34. When you go to Heaven which five saints would you hug and thank first?

Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John the Apostle.

35. What was the most intense prayer experience you've ever had?

I suppose I don't measure my prayer by intensity. I measure it by the intimacy, the peace/consolation, or the conversion/repentance of heart. When I decided in prayer that God was calling me to convert to Catholicism, it was an experience of all three.

36. Favorite Old Testament character?

Abraham.

37. Favorite book of the Gospels?

St. Matthew's.

38. Any friends you give credit to for truly leading you to Christ?

I have two in mind specifically, but I won't mention names.

39. If you allowed the Holy Spirit to take over you for one week, what do you think would happen?

Take over me? Like obliterate my free will? Just kidding. I suppose this means a radical docility to the movements of the Holy Spirit. I'm pretty sure I'd be an instant Saint.

40. If the Lord called you to be a martyr for Him, how would you feel?

The Lord calls all of us to lay down our lives for Him every day, in even the smallest of things. Faithfulness in small matters is probably the hardest, but I'm sure being murdered for the faith is terrifying, although the Saints who endured it seemed to have such Peace.

41. Have you been to any FOCUS conferences?

I've been to two.

42. Best FOCUS conference experience?

Listening to the testimonies of students after they returned.