Candlemas and Nerdiness

Ha! In my apartment, you'd never know that today was Super Bowl Sunday. You WOULD know that we're a little nerdy around here...

Did I mention that I live with my brother? And did I mention that we're both engineers?

While I took ornaments and lights off the Christmas tree, my brother was engrossed in a task too nerdy/fun not to share. But first - Candlemas and the tree.

Candlemas/Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

I went to mass yesterday evening and loved all the extra candles lighting the church! I'm excited that I got to take home a blessed candle that I can use to help my devotion and concentration in prayer and meditation (I'm still doing 20 minutes a day!). Even though the Christmas season officially ended a few weeks ago with the Baptism of Jesus (which actually didn't take place until he was 30 years old), today is really the day we finish talking about Jesus as an infant. Candlemas celebrates the presentation of Jesus in the temple, where two more people recognize that this baby is the one long-awaited.

I was relieved to find out that the Vatican doesn't take down Christmas decorations or their Nativity until today...which lets me rationalize that I haven't procrastinated for TOO long. I'm just following the Pope's lead, right?? Anyway, taking down the tree turns out to be kind of therapeutic, especially when you're spending time with a family member. Once my brother's "project" was complete, he helped out, too.

Ultimate Nerdiness

Have you heard of Buckyballs? They are so much fun!! I'm not talking about the geodesic dome made up of 60 Carbon atoms (although that's pretty cool too...). I'm talking about the little magnetic toys - the ultimate desk toy - that the US government forced into non-existence a year ago. These tiny, very strong magnets were banned due to severe digestive issues if you swallow them - definitely a valid concern when children are around. My engineer mother was quick to buy quite a few sets before the company shut down, which made for fun afternoons at Christmas last year! (My brother and I never have children in the apartment, and we know how dangerous Buckyballs can be, so we'd absolutely get them out of reach before little ones came over.)

Ok...back to today.

Since we were taking down all the Christmas stuff, I thought it would be good to have more St. Valentine's Day decorations to replace them. I saw our colorful assortment of Buckyballs on the counter and asked my brother to make a heart.

He wasn't so thrilled with the idea (you know - boys and hearts and stuff), but he decided to create a companion cube since it has hearts on it and was more-or-less the colors we had. (If your nerdiness, or lack thereof, doesn't cover knowledge of Portal and companion cubes, take a look here for some background.)

And so it began...

Magnets are difficult to work with, and it takes quite a series of steps to get them into the formation you want. On top of that, trying to get the colors in the right place requires lots of visualization and advanced planning. Here was the process:

1. Decide the arrangement of colors for each side of the cube.
2. Determine how to "deconstruct" that final image into lines of Buckyballs all connected together.
3. Put the magnets into a long line.
4. Fold the line back and forth against itself to form a sheet of magnets.
5. Fold the sheet back and forth on top of itself to build up the 3D cube shape.

Here's how it went (excuse the Christmas tablecloth - he started before I had a chance to put it away):

Got the line of Buckyballs...

Folded the line into a sheet...

Folded the sheet into a cube. Ta da!


But we weren't done.

A 5x5x5 cube was great and all, but we actually had 125 of each color to play with, meaning we could make a 7x7x7 cube! This took a lot more planning.

Outlined each row...

Strung the rows together...

Folded the line...

Had a nice sheet!

Folded the sheet. Here the magnets were getting difficult - you can see the bottom row didn't line up correctly. He had to use a card to pry the bottom off without disturbing the rest, then he carefully reattached it and kept going. He had to find something that wasn't a credit card, as the magnets are strong enough to destroy anything magnetically coded!

Finished! And that's the type of projects we engineers do in our spare time. It was fun to work through a complex problem with my like-minded brother. This isn't coming apart for a long time.

A Christmas Prayer

Happy birthday, Jesus!

Dear God,

Thank you for the many blessings you've given me, both those I recognize and those I take for granted.

1. I'm especially grateful in this holiday season for family. My parents drove 16 hours to make it here to celebrate with my brother and me - that's a long drive! I was so excited that they watched me in the Nutcracker yesterday. I danced my best and was radiating joy, knowing they were in the audience.Their love and support through the years hasn't changed, and their dedication to us is humbling.
   

   

   French Twist for the Nutcracker!

2. Thank you for the weather! Although it has been really cold, the timing of snow couldn't have been better. First, the roads were clear Monday for  my parents' drive, despite the big snow storm over the weekend (and the ice last Friday - eek!). It made for an easier trip for them, and also a beautiful, sunny day when they arrived. They were able to see the prettiest part of winter - fresh snow glistening in the sunshine! Second, coming out of mass last night, filled with Christmas joy from the beautiful music and decorations, I was touched that it was snowing again! This is the first White Christmas that I remember, and it's beautiful. Growing up in the South, I would always hope for snow on Christmas, but the closest we ever got was ice. And third, we can enjoy the weather from inside today! We don't have to be anywhere, so we'll settle in to share each others' company, take in the pretty view through the windows, and stay warm!
   

   

   Our winter wonderland

3. Lastly, a wish for all, in honor of Jesus' birth - that the world may know Your love, if not through prayer and personal relationship with you, then through the actions of those around them. May we recognize Your movement through our world and display the joy of Your love to all people, no matter their stage of life, personal beliefs, or life choices. Let us remember the true reason we celebrate today - not the hustle and bustle of buying gifts and preparing for meals and parties, but the silent night that brought our Savior from on high into our world. How wonderful is the love God has poured out upon us! Fill our hearts that we may extend that same love to everyone we meet!

   

   Merry Christmas!

Mary and the Eucharist

When are we closer to Mary than at the Eucharist?

Mary's whole reason for being (besides, you know, saying yes to God and birthing the savior) is to bring us closer to her son, so the fact that people around the world gather to encounter the physical presence of Jesus provides some fulfillment to her mission. We also know that, like the rest of the saints, Mary is present with us in the mass:

And so we join the angels and the saints in proclaiming your glory as we sing

(I love the Latin! ...and the fact that I have a fair understanding of a language I've never been taught. I can't imagine how much more I would know if I grew up attending mass completely in Latin as in pre-Vatican II!)

What makes Mary unique in the context of the Eucharist is that she was the original tabernacle. We make our receptacles out of precious metal today to show respect for the contents, following God's example: He chose Mary, a woman without sin, to be the perfect vessel that would carry so sacred a body.

In the mass and in the Eucharist, we become like Mary. We are forgiven our venial sins at the beginning of mass and present ourselves as-perfect-as-possible to receive Jesus, body and soul, into our own bodies. Our "amen" echos Mary's "yes" and her total surrender to God's will. If we approach to receive Communion without truly repenting of our sins or without upholding the tenants of the Church God has given us, we disrespect Christ by putting Him in a tainted vessel. No one (save Mary) is spotless, but it is through adherence to Truth and confession of wrong that we become worthy enough to enjoy a physical intimacy with Jesus. Mary carried Jesus inside her for nine months - what joy that must have been. The Eucharist is the closest we can get to her experience.

After receiving the Eucharist and returning to my pew to give thanks for this "communion" with Jesus (because that's what it's called!), I think of Mary. I imagine a veil over my head and bask in the same peace she carried throughout her life. Just for a moment, I feel a deep connection to Mary, as I've become like her - a vessel for Christ.

Give it a try.