Some Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton

Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. - G.K. Chesterton

G.K. Chesterton
1874-1936

With Thanksgiving Break over, the semester is winding down. Our team is preparing for the end-of-semester evaluations, both of our personal work and of our overall effectiveness on campus as a team. It has meant a lot of introspection and analysis, and for some reason, this quote by G.K. Chesterton came to mind. I had read it a while ago online somewhere, and it's stuck with me.

It's easy to get caught up in the numbers: 17 women in small groups, over 100 holy hours and Masses, 2 women in one-on-one mentorship. But these numbers don't even begin to tell the story of what this semester as a missionary has taught me. More often than not, these numbers make me feel like a failure. On a campus of 4,000+ students, I only have 17 of them in small group Bible studies.

These words came to mind on a morning when I seemed to get stuck in the "failure" of it all. They gave me such a beautiful reminder of the hope that is inherent in all that we do. If I would have waited until things were "perfect," I would never have made it out here, and 17 women wouldn't have gotten to know Christ in a deeper way through Bible study. 2 women wouldn't have been taught how to share their joy and enthusiasm to help others come to know Christ.

The timing will never be perfect. Perfection is Heaven, and outside of it, things can always be better. The important thing is to not let the circumstances stop you. Just get started, knowing that we will never get things just exactly right. But if the work is worth doing, it's worth doing it poorly.

The Top Five Things of Being a FOCUS Missionary!

I wrote a guest post for my friend Molly's blog! You can read it here: Tuesday Five: Being a FOCUS Missionary. Enjoy!

Washington, D.C.!

This past Sunday, my roommate Susie and I went to Washington, D.C. to do the "touristy" things! My friend Patrick, who graduated with me from UW-Madison, works for one of the courts in DC. I was happy to see a familiar face, and see DC with people who knew their way around! I visited most of the monuments and the American History Museum. I had so much fun, but there's still so much to see!

Here I am at the Lincoln Memorial!

The Washington Monument. We had a perfect day--sunny  and clear!

Patrick and I at the Wisconsin pillar of the World War II Memorial, commemorating the deaths of soldiers from WI. 

A quote by FDR, from the FDR Memorial, that I really liked!

Year of Faith Companion

Magnificat's "Year of Faith Companion"

The UMW Campus Chaplain, Fr. Edlefsen, ordered The Magnificat "Year of Faith Companion" for all of the FOCUS Missionaries on campus. The booklet contains a short reading for everyday of the Year of faith, usually only a few paragraphs long. The short readings are either a prayer, or a poem, or a meditation, or an explanation of a section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or a profile of a Biblical figure.

My favorite readings so far have been the profiles of Biblical women. The Companion started with Adam and Eve and seems to be working its way through the Bible. The profiles are interesting on a number of different levels. I have found I don't actually know much about some of the women profiled, or when I do know who they are, I've never bothered to reflect on them as human beings.

My favorite profile so far has been on Sarah, the wife of Abraham. The author of the passage reflected on Sarah's role in dealing with the aftermath of Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22). The Bible doesn't mention Sarah in the story, but she was there to care for Isaac after he was almost killed by his father. She was there to comfort Abraham as he struggled to carry out the Lord's commandment.

As I was reflecting on Sarah, I imagined that Abraham probably didn't tell her what he was up to that morning, when he took Isaac up to the mountain on God's orders. And when she found out what happened, I feel like she might not have been particularly pleased with Abraham's actions. After all, Isaac was her son, too. Her only son, in very male-dominated culture.

Flipping through the pages of the booklet, I'm excited to learn more about different Biblical figures, some of whom I have never heard of. And some of the meditations come from Hans Urs von Balthasar, my favorite Catholic theologian!

Some Wisdom from Von Balthasar

"When you say Yes to God unconditionally, you have no idea how far this Yes is going to take you.  Certainly farther than you can guess and calculate beforehand… but just how far and in what form? At the same time, this Yes is the sole, non-negotiable prerequisite of all Christian understanding, of all theology and ecclesial wisdom."   ~ Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Hans Urs von Balthasar
1905-1988

Last year at this time, I was knee deep in dense, heavy theological works by and about Hans Urs von Balthasar. Although I definitely don't miss the long reading schedule, I do sometimes miss von Balthasar. Call me crazy, but spending a year and a half intensively reading the works of one man (and barely making a dent in his over 100 published works) made me a little attached to him. An embarrassing anecdote to illustrate this point: I had finally finished the last formal biography of von Balthasar, which ended on his funeral, and I started crying! In my defense, the author painted a very moving portrait of the event and listed all the ways in which von Balthasar would be missed, but I had gotten a little bit emotionally attached to this little Swiss priest who seemed to embody childlike humility and humor in his writings.

My favorite work to read of his was Unless You Become Like this Child. Written in 1988, it was one of his last published works, meant specifically for John Paul II, who was a close personal friend of von Balthasar's. It was such a beautiful reflection on spiritual childhood, that it almost seemed irreverent to have to breeze through it to maintain my reading schedule. I do hope to read it again in the near future, and take the time to reflect on the words of von Balthasar.

Pork Chops with Mustard-Caper Sauce

After Fall Break, Susie and I were getting low on food, and hadn't had time to go grocery shopping yet. We did, however, have all the ingredients for pork chops with mustard and capers, sauteed spinach, and rice. I love this dish, and it's really easy to make!

For the pork chops & sauce:

• 3 pork chops
• 2 T olive oil
• pepper

Heat the olive oil in a pan until it shimmers. Season the pork chops with pepper, and cook until the pork is cooked through, about 5-10 min on each side. Rest pork on a plate while sauce is cooking

• 1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/4 c dijon mustard
• 2 T capers, drained and rinsed
• 1 T rosemary
• 2 T unsalted butter

In the same pan used to cook the pork chops, slowly add the chicken broth. Add in mustard, capers, rosemary, and butter. Bring to a boil. Let the sauce reduce to about half, add the pork back to the pan. Keep at a boil while the sauce continues to reduce.

For the spinach:

• fresh or frozen spinach
• 1 T butter
• 1/2 t garlic
• pepper
• 1 T lemon juice

While the pork is in the pan and the sauce is reducing, melt the butter in another pan. Add in the garlic and spinach. Stir the spinach so that it has all wilted. Let it cook until the sauce finishes reducing. Stir in pepper and lemon juice. 

Serve over rice, and enjoy!

The finished product!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 7

--- 1 ---

I was able to spend five days in Wisconsin this past weekend! It was wonderful to see friends and family again, for the first time in months. I was sent home by my FOCUS Regional Director in order to fundraise more. I’m just short of the minimum amount FOCUS would like all their missionaries to raise, but I jumped at the chance to spend a few days at home. It was difficult to focus on work, when I was surrounded by friends and family all weekend. I did get a little bit of work in, but I think I spent most of my time socializing!

--- 2 ---

One week ago, on Friday, I spent the day in Madison. My sister made me breakfast—homemade cinnamon rolls! We ate together and then went to daily Mass. It was absolutely wonderful to be back at the UW, hearing Fr. Eric give a homily. I have a wonderful priest in Virginia, but it was a nice change to hear Fr. Eric telling jokes on the altar during his homily!

--- 3 ---

I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with old friends—classmates, roommates, women who were in my Bible study. Although I try to stay in touch with everyone back home, there’s something different about talking to people in person. I definitely enjoyed hearing about how medical school was going for my friend Betsy, how St. Vincent de Paul Society was taking off for Mykenzie, or how Krista was adjusting to life as an intern. I loved being back, but it also made leaving more difficult than I thought it would be, knowing that I wouldn’t be back in Madison for another two months at the earliest.

--- 4 ---

I stayed the weekend in Kenosha, WI at the Holy Rosary Rectory. I had never stayed in a rectory (the building where a parish priest lives), and it was incredibly generous for the priests to allow me to stay there! I had a whole suite of rooms to myself—a bedroom, sitting room, and bathroom! It was so much more than I was expecting. It was a little disconcerting when I would hear creaks in the night. The rectory is a huge old building, so it wasn’t unexpected, but I still jumped a little bit.

--- 5 ---

On Saturday, I got to visit my friend Ellen, who was my roommate last summer, in Milwaukee. We ate lunch in the Milwaukee Public Market, which was really cool! The Milwaukee Public Market has a bunch of food stands—bakeries, a candy stand, a coffee shop, and a lot of ethnic foods. I got chicken curry, which was delicious! We also went to the Milwaukee Art Museum, which was really cool! There were some really beautiful pieces, but also some that were a little strange. The building itself is a work of art—it’s built to look like a ship, and is located right on the shores of Lake Michigan. You can see the shoreline with trees, which were all in color for fall. The man-made art was great, but nothing can beat the beauty of nature! We would have walked along the shore a little, but it rained the whole time we were there.

--- 6 ---

I came home to Green Bay on Monday, and spent the afternoon with my Mom. It was so nice to see her, and spend time with her. Talking on the phone is great, but, again, there’s nothing like a face-to-face conversation. We made my favorite foods for dinner during the week—taco salad and white chicken chili! I love being home, where I can eat good food without having to put in the work! Although, I don’t really mind cooking when I have to!

--- 7 ---

I left Wednesday morning, but on Tuesday, I was able to see my friend Rachel who works in Appleton. Rachel and I were both religious studies majors at Wisconsin, and are now both doing work for the Catholic Church. Rachel is working for Spiritus, and organization that puts on retreats for confirmations and other students in Green Bay and the Fox Valley. It was wonderful to see her, and hear how her work is doing. We found that are jobs are really similar in some ways, but very different in others.


I’m back in Virginia now, unpacked, and ready to get back to my normal schedule next week!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!