Mass-Luncheon with Sr. Helen Prejean
Topic: Theology III '05-'06
I finally get back on to update this with an event I went to today; however, there are many things I want to share to catch you up on what's happening lately, but you will have to settle for the events of today. I do however, plan on doing a catch-up entry soon, with pictures. But getting on with this entry...

Today, I had the oportunity to attend a Mass and luncheon honoring Sr. Helen Prejean. "Who is she?" you may be asking. Well, she is the religious sister who wrote the book that became a motion picture with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, "Dead Man Walking." The Jesuit Volunteer Corps was honoring her with an award for her minsitry to the death row inmates.

She spoke at the dinner about her views on the death penalty, the dignity of the inmates, as well as the dignity of the victoms and their families. This was all done in light of her two books on stories of three convicted killers who were put to death. She hit on many truths regarding the country's and the Church's conflicting views of the death penalty. One of John Paul II's enciclicals deals with the death penalty directly in a section (the title escapes my mind right now). In in he argues for the dignity of the human person, even the person who has commited such a heinous crime as to make a nation think he/she deserves to die. Sr. Helen commented on this document and share some stories of men she has accompanied to the death chamber. One such story struck a cord deep within my heart and I offer it to you for your reflection:

Someone (prosecutor, prison guard, I can't remember) asked an inmate on death row who would soon be put to death, "Why should we not do this? Give me one good reason why you should be allowed to live in light of the crime you commited."

He respond, "I have only one reason. Becuase, you are better than me."

What a profoundly packed statement. This brings to question the dignity we offer men like this and if we put him to death, are we really better than he is?

I will leave you with this: A sticker that I had to have as soon as I read it and now can be seen displayed on my guitar case that is riddle with stickers says:

"Why do we kill people to show that killing people is wrong?"

For those with teens with braces
Topic: Funny/Cool
If you have a teenager with braces who is absolutely mortified with them, i.e. always complains about them or never smiles because of them, there is a solution.

Move to Thailand...evidently they are a fashion statement.

http://davesdaily.com/out.php?id=13127

Time for more fun and games!
Topic: Funny/Cool
I found another fun game to play...it is a logic puzzle to solve, or merely a random-click-on-the-square game.

http://www.funny-games.biz/splash-back.html


Oh, by the way, we started last week and now I have two weeks of this semester under my belt...it seems like it will be an enjoyable semester.

Stick a fork in me
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Theology III '05-'06
I'm done!

I finished my last final yesterday at 3:15 and began the soggy celebration. I had planned on celebrating by, doing what all guy like to do, lighting a fire. God would have different plans, which he let me know early on...it poured from 7:00am until 11:00am and then rained from 11:00am until 2:00pm. If I was going to celebrate it was going to have to be on an arc. Anyway, just the feeling of being done with one more semester will suffice for now.

A Turkey Day to Remember
Topic: Theology III '05-'06

HAPPY

THANKSGIVING!

As I sit here enjoying my Thanksgiving Dinner in my office at the Seminary watching Real Genius (an 80's "cult movie") I contemplate what I have to be thankful for. Family, friends, doing God's will...the list is endless...I am even thankful for this meal I am enjoying, if for no other reason than I don't have to pay for a meal.

FYI: For those who want to know what delicacies I enjoyed for this meal, I offer the menu. I started with a baked salami sandwich with Mexican Velvita and a bag of Hot and Spicey Doritos. The second course consisted of a peparoni personal pizza that I spruced up with some more salami. It was all washed down with a good beverage.

Before you start feeling sorry for me, know that the above, though true, is me using tongue and cheek humor. This weekend I will be celebrating the holidays with my family (the Cajun/Italian side) and getting my allotment of turkey. However, for now I am working getting things done for school.

May your thanksgiving be as blessed, if not more, so than mine. :-)

Our Intramural Reign has Ended
Mood:  sad
Topic: Theology III '05-'06
Well, the UST Intramural Champs have been dethroned. Tonight was the intramural basketball playoffs for the championship to be played on Dec. 3rd. We knew we had our work cut out for us, becuase we were starting with a team that beat us miserably during the regular season, and in the event we were victorious, we probably would face another team that beat us just as bad. As time expired we looked at the score and noticed that neither team had made it to the 30 points required for the early win and that neither team was up...the score was tied at 26. Overtime baby! The two minute clock started with us with the ball. We scored a three pretty early and only needed one more point to put the game away or to stall until time ran out. We got the ball back off of a missed shot by the other team and then ran the rest of the 40 seconds off the clock playing keep away...not the most graceful of wins, but still a win and advancment to the semi-finals.

Here we met "The Brown Squad," and in the "comissioners" grand wisdom, we (the older team of seminarians) had only six minutes of rest before having to start the game that would decide who went to the final game on the court and who went in the stands. This was another hard faught battle, and surprisingly we were up for about half of the game of multiple lead changes. As game time winded down to a close we found ourselves up by a basket. Then out of nowhere the Brown Squad made a three to go up one. We quickly responded with a two taking the lead back. After a few hard faught shots and rebounds, the Brown Squad went up by one with about one minute left. Now was their turn to play waste time off the clock, which they did by fouling everytime we went up to take a shot. The clock never stops when you check the ball so they continued to foul and we continued taking the ball up top and the feeding down low to Berger who would juke and take it to the hole getting fouled. In one last shot of desperatoin with three seconds left, our shooting guard put up a three and then the slow motion started...as the ball went spinning in the air where no one could touch it and all depended on this one shot. As the ball unserimoniously clanged off the rim and fell to the floor, the victors began celebrating becuase they knew what this win meant.

It meant more than just playing in the final game. You see I left out an important piece of information as to the prize we were playing for. The final game is to be played on Tuesday night, December 3, in front of ten's of twenty's of thousands of fans and fellow student on the floor of the Toyota Center during half time of the Rockets Game. This game is designated as UST night at the Toyota Center. Earlier in the afternoon they have activities for students and faculty culminating in watching the UST Intramural Basketball championship...oh and the Rocket also.

I did not realize how much I wanted this until we lost. I was absolutly crushed, though proud of the way we played. I still wanted that last basket to fall. Well, as they say: "You win some and you lose some."

Three Decades of Life
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Theology III '05-'06
I have now reached a mile stone year. I am no longer in my 20's. Today marks 3 decades that the world has been blessed with the life of Michael John Rother. Just thought you would like to know.

New Deacons
Topic: Theology III '05-'06
We now have 7 newly ordained deacons running around the seminary. The whole 4th year class has now been ordained along with one Redemptorist. Six were done last Saturday, Nov. 5, and one today. They now look toward priesthood in June as a deer does headlights...I am starting to get similar looks as I come to terms with my own demise...ordination next November 4.

Once, Twice, Three Times a Champion!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Theology III '05-'06
It was an 8 inning nail-bighting wiffleball game. After a regular season (three games) of basically easy wins, yet in the championship game we could not get our act together. Our pitching, batting, and fielding were off. For 4 innings the game was scoreless, until on a dropped fly ball I scored from second with two outs. As I sat on second base, knowing that I had to go "on contact," I knew I was not stopping at third base...I was going all the way home. The opposing team was not expecting this which is why I crossed homeplate for the score. At the bottom of the inning and the next, the other team got a two run home run in each inning making the score 4-1. The last two innings saw the lead change hand three times. We would pull ahead and then they would at the bottom of the inning. Our last at bat, with one out and two men on base our second hitter smacked a homerun to put us up by two (8-6). We took the field for the final inning, with only three outs standing in the way of yet another champion's t-shirt. One run, one out into the inning with runners on first and second our win was not yet clinched. The next batter came up to the plate, and I thought only if he would pop up and we catch it for two outs, with only one more to go. No sooner did I think this than did the batter pop up to our shortstop who was quick to react to the runner who had jumped off of second and was able to tag the runner out for the third out and the game. So yet again, the seminarians stole a championship from the UST undergrad students. (Let the record show that the seminarian team did consist of two girls and a lay grad student.)

Intramurals Walleyball
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: "We are the Champions"...again
Yet another championship effort by the "Bump, Set, Pray" team of the seminary. We took the championship for this volleyball off shoot (volleyball in a racketball court) in two straight games, though the second one was a come from well behind victory. At one time..for about 20 minutes...the score was 7-11 against us. To quote the Rockets of the mid-90's, "Never underestimate a champion. When our back were up against the wall we came out fighting."--Ruty T.; "We are unbeatable."--Hakeem Olajuwon
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Electricity suposedly has been restored to the Port Arthor/Groves area, but I haven't talked to anyone to know the extent of the Rita damages. Please continue to pray as these Texans and Louisinans look to repair any damages.