Pep-Rallies

So the other day I was in mass and as usual I got distracted. I found my mind wandering. What was I thinking about? Pep-rallies. When I was in junior high I remember hating pep-rallies. The entire school was forced to attend and the popular kids only drew more attention to themselves. When I got to high school the pep-rallies were no longer required, though I went to a few. During the average pep-rally some kids would get really into it though most students sat there enjoying it but never fully getting excited. At other times we would have pep-rallies for a big championship game at which almost everyone would get excited. It was at these pep-rallies that everyone could feel the students come together as one student body to be an encouragement for each other.

Eventually I realized I was getting distracted and I began to pay attention in mass. However, I couldn't help but think about what God intended to do for us through the mass. I began to think about all the times my parents forced me to go to mass against my will. I thought of how as I got older I grew tolerance for mass. Then I thought of my first mass after my conversion and how I felt when I finally began to participate in mass. It was there in my distractions that I began to see why God created such a thing as mass. Life is hard and it is full of struggles. God doesn't expect us to do it alone so he sent us His son Jesus to fight the battle for us. God gives us the mass as an opportunity to be with Jesus to remind us of the struggles ahead and prepare us for the fight ahead.

Now during my freshman year at Blinn College I had the opportunity to join a friend one night for what Aggies call, Midnight Yell. Midnight Yell is essentially a pep-rally but much more intense because you have all of the student body coming out to Kyle Field the night before any home game. Standing in that crowded stadium that night, feeling totally clueless as to what was going on, I experienced something amazing. Jocks were no longer jocks, freshman were no longer freshman, and every other title a person had disappeared. If you were there, you were an Aggie and that was all that mattered. It was that night that I first knew that I wanted to be an Aggie. I saw a spirit there that was like no other and I wanted it...bad.

Mass, in many ways, is like a pep-rally and Midnight Yell. What makes mass better is that the spirit of God is so much more powerful than any school spirit. I think at times we all forget how connected we all are with the rest of the Catholic church during each and every mass. Without the Holy Spirit to bind us with each other at mass, we having nothing. It is the mass that allows us to be one with the saints, the martyrs, family, and strangers alike. It is this spirit that we take with us on the journey to a high school pep-rally, to Midnight Yell, or wherever it may be that we come together in order to support and encourage of one another.

Phantom of The Opera: The Phantom

I love The Phantom Of The Opera. It is by far one of my favorite musicals. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius and the entire idea of it is amazing. There are many people find the plot of it somewhat disturbing. I, on the other hand, could not be more intrigued by the plot.

When Christine's father is dying, her father tells her about how his angel will teach her how to sing. This angel, who turns out to be the phantom, comes to her in her dreams throughout her childhood to be her teacher. Eventually Christine reaches a point where she is the most talented but due to various reasons she is not given the role that she deserves. The Phantom has one goal though and that is to make Christine a star so he steps in and comes to her rescue and even threatens those who try to get in the way of his plans. Christine trusted in the Phantom and he always rewarded her by making her a star in his dwelling place, the opera house.

When Raul, another man, falls in love with Christine the Phantom becomes jealous. This pushes the phantom to reveal his true feelings for Christine by expressing his desire to her his bride. Even though the Phantom has made his existence known Raul still tries to deny the Phantom's existence or power.The Phantom goes as far as to threaten to kill Raul. However, the Phantom can see that Christine loves Raul and she would be devastated if the Phantom were to kill Raul and the Phantom lets Raul go so that Christine may make her own decision. When Christine first falls in love with Raul she maintains her teacher-student relationship with the Phantom. As Christine grows closer to Raul she falls further away from the Phantom. In the last scene the audience sees Raul many years later at Christine's grave. When Raul gets there he notices a rose placed on the grave by the Phantom. In this scene we see that, even though Christine ultimately chose Raul, the Phantom's love for her never died.

So what's the point to all of this? When I look past the sadistic nature of the Phantom I see many similarities between the Phantom and God. I see how my father has sent down his spirit in order that we may be taught. I see how my God rewards those who trust in him. I see how the further away I am from God, the harder it is to continue to accept him as my teacher. I have a God who wants to make me his bride out of his strong love for me. I also know that my God never gives up on me. I know that no matter how many times I deny him, he will always be there loving me and waiting for the day I return to him.

The power of the Phantom is in the choice that he gave to Christine. This is only one point of view but from this point of view Christine chose the wrong guy. The Phantom loved her so much that he did not force Christine to be with him, the good. God loves us so much that he allows us to love him on our own. What good is goodness if someone had forced it upon us without allowing us to discover it on our own? God in many ways is a mystery just as the Phantom is and so much of his beauty comes from the experience of unveiling that mystery.