"rejoice"

everything happens for a reason.
i can't think of a more true statement. and i believe in it. over a year ago, i began a quest to find a new church. i'd gone to the cathedral in st. paul and while it was a beautiful building, i typically left mass feeling like i'd been flogged. i tried mass at the basillica in minneapolis and i walked out feeling the same way--only moreso. like i'd been flogged with wet noodles.

eventually i went to mass at st. mary of the lake in plymouth and i knew i'd found the place i'd been looking for. the priest was amazingly succinct and easy to listen to, and he cracked some very good jokes along the way. although i thought it may have been a fluke when that first mass let out after 45 minutes, upon return i realized that was the way Father Curtis ran things.

i've attended mass regularly in the last year, and i have to say, it feels really darn good. i've never once walked out of mass with Father Curtis without a smile on my face and a bit of education in my brain.

(stick with me here; i'm going to jump around)

i've begun watching the HBO series band of brothers which retells the stories of the 101st Airborne Easy Company and their trek across europe during WWII. since beginning to watch this series, i've been overcome with respect and insatiable curiosity to learn more about these men who sacrificed so much for our country. in reading things on the internet, i've discovered that men can be priests and men can be nazis. and sometimes, they can be both.

i found a website put together by a woman that went on a tour to poland and berlin that was guided by Father Curtis. one of the stops on the tour was auschwitz. as i looked at the photos this woman took i couldn't stop crying. i've never understood hatred and i'm certain i never will. even moreso, i cannot understand how a priest can side with the monsters that created and spread this evil.

at least now i know i can ask Father Curtis about it and hope that he can explain how a priest could be a part of this. although i can't imagine it makes any more sense to him than it does me. i guess it's just another untraversed path on this road of discovery i'm on.

Father Curtis said that in this Lenten season we should rejoice and reflect on everything we've been blessed with. i can think of a million things i am grateful for. i hope you can, too.