Tuesday, 10-16-12

I am thrilled to end today on a much more positive note than yesterday. I did experience struggles and disappointments today, but by the evening, none of those difficulties mattered to me any longer.

This morning I enjoyed the luxury of sleeping-in, and then I ate cinnamon pancakes with my mother and younger brother. At noon, I went to the first read-through for a production that I look forward to participating in, "A Tribute to Shakespeare." The production will be a sort of anthology, with various actors performing scenes with Shakespeare's sonnets for lines.

The show will be divided into three parts, comedy, tragedy, and romance, with an introduction for each. I will participate in three scenes. In the first scene of the comedy section, I play a minor role with no lines. Then, I will recite the introduction for the tragedy section. Finally, my largest role is the main (and only) character in one of the romantic scenes. In this scene, I will play a type of Marianne Dashwood, from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Clearly, I love all of Austen's works, so I am very excited for this particular role. I may still be given one other role; the director hasn't yet completed the final script.

This afternoon was frustrating, as I worked on homework and tried to study. Later, my brothers and I ate dinner together, while my parents went to a meeting. However, the loveliest part of the today was yet to come.

At 9:00 p.m., both of my brothers and I attended a Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hour at the UPJ campus chapel. In the beginning of the Holy Hour, I was very upset. I have been struggling  deeply with my Faith, and the last few weeks have been especially difficult. They had a different vocalist leading the praise music tonight; usually a good friend of mine, David, leads it. This girl had a good voice; her music and hymn selections, however, were not to my liking. Hence, The music did not comfort me tonight the way it usually does.

After the priest, Fr. Reese, gave a short Gospel reading and homily, I pulled out my prayer journal, and asked Christ for something, anything, to get me through this spiritual emptiness  that I have been experiencing. Then I opened my copy of I Believe in Love, by Fr. Jean D'Elbee. This book is written based on the teachings of Saint Therese of Lisieux. I began to read from where I had left it a few months ago. The words that greeted my eyes were an exact answer to the pleas I had just written to our Lord. I nearly wept. 

Adoration is so incredibly beautiful.