Krispy Kreme Angels

The College council of the Knights of Columbus and the parish one teamed up last Sunday to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the classic fundraiser. However, one of the Knights from the parish had a brilliant and creative idea. [Note on pronunciation: when "Knight" is followed by "of Columbus," I say it "nite" in my head. When it is not, please read "kah-NIG-it." This will enhance your reading experience.] The brilliant and creative idea? As the pulpit announcement said, "You have two options for buying. Option one: Buy a box for yourself... Option two: Buy a box to donate to students studying for exams."

I laughed to myself when I read that announcement, thinking it was funny and maybe we'd end up with a handful of boxes for the "Krispy Kreme for Crammers." On Monday, I discovered the generosity of the parishioners. The Knights had 110 dozen doughnuts to give away. That is 1320 doughnuts.

I joined three of the College Knights to pass out doughnuts that night. We started outside the library, where we made two people's night by handing them entire boxes of doughnuts. Then we spread out in teams to two and covered the first floor of the library. I followed Asher around with paper towels. "Excuse me? Would you like a free doughnut? A local church donated them for studying students. God bless!" "Hi! We're giving away doughnuts. The old people at the Catholic church wanted to give them to students. Jesus loves you!" And so on.

Something as simple as a free doughnut can bring such a smile to someone's face. And there is no better way to end your day than by watching a hundred or two faces light up with joy.

Day-Maker #31

Eight green things growing in my flowerpot! I'll have to thin them later, but right now, I am enjoying their growth!

Day-Maker #30

Five cents off at Target for bringing a reusable bag.

A Thousand Words

I mentioned in my last post that Pope John Paul II was beatified on Sunday. I recently discovered an amazing tribute website to him, courtesy of the Vatican. I'm used to the Vatican's difficult to navigate website (yes, a 2000 year old Church is a little slow with technology), so I was surprised by this beautiful site. It contains thousands of photos of the late pontiff. For best viewing, I suggest switching your browser to full screen.

Perspective

Lots of excitement happened on the world scene yesterday. And by "lots," I mean two incredible events. First, Pope John Paul II was beatified. For those who aren't constantly surrounded by Catholic culture, that means he is almost a saint. The beatification was a joyous occasion to remember and celebrate his life as God's servant.

On the other end of the day, President Obama announced to the world the death of Osama bin Laden. I postponed my early bedtime to catch his (hour late) address. The news had made it across the internet well before the President spoke. I don't know who officially had the story first, but for me, as well as (I imagine) many people, the news broke over Facebook. As I refreshed my Facebook page, status after status changed to celebrate the news. Interestingly, this timing coincided with the greatest concentration of profanity my newsfeed has seen.

Across the board, the announcements ring with triumph. We are, as a culture, celebrating the death of a man. And then something happened in the world of the Catholic internet. People started attributing the death of bin Laden to John Paul II's intercession, suggesting that it might be a miracle due to his beatification.

Again : people are attributing the death of a man to the Pope who fought against the culture of death, who fought for the culture of life -- who worked tirelessly for the peaceful fall of Communism and forgave the man who tried to kill him.

To offer a different perspective, I give you an excerpt from the Vatican's statement regarding bin Laden's assassination:

"Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace."

Day-Maker #29

Walking into the sacristy before Mass. It smelled of incense and lilies -- the scent of Easter.