Another color-trivia-test.... (argh- the exams are testing my concentration powers too much!):

The Storm
Blustering through the world with the finesse of a thunderstorm, this personality is a natural leader, a natural creator of consensus. The Storm personality will often plan out the future in deliberate and at times frustrating detail. This ability to create and to plan is sometimes expressed as a facility for the telling of tall tales….

The Storm is always concerned with both strategy and tactics. A trip to the store is met with as much deliberation as a military assault on a small Central American country. Because of this attitude, friends of the Storm personality often find themselves assigned tasks or roles within the group. This can be very useful when action is called for and equally annoying when the idea at hand is rest and relaxation.

(from http://www.colorgenics.com)

Prayer to Guardian Angel

Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.

Amen.

Student’s Prayer Before Study

by St. Thomas Aquinas

Ineffable Creator,
Who, from the treasures of Your wisdom
have established three hierarchies of angels,
have arrayed them in marvelous order
above the fiery heavens,
and have marshaled the regions
of the universe with such artful skill,

You are proclaimed
the true font of light and wisdom,
and the primal origin
raised high beyond all things.

Pour forth a ray of Your brightness
into the darkened places of my mind;
disperse from my soul
the twofold darkness
into which I was born:
sin and ignorance.

You make eloquent the tongue of infants.
Refine my speech
and pour forth upon my lips
the goodness of Your blessing.

Grant to me
keenness of mind,
capacity to remember
skill in learning,
subtlety to interpret,
and eloquence in speech.

May You
guide the beginning of my work,
direct its progress,
and bring it to completion.

You Who are true God and True Man.
Who live and reign, world without end

Amen

found this off catholicanalysis.blogspot.com:
this guy's sharp!

Of course, some are troubled by the good news of young, highly qualified, and orthodox seminarians enthusiastic about their vocations as future priests. As the article notes, liberals are worried:


[S]ome worry their moral certitude may create rifts with those who ignore Rome's teachings on church attendance, sex, birth control and divorce and who are increasingly vocal in their demand for a role in church governance.


This observation is quite revealing. Why would "some" be worried about the orthodoxy of future priests? Well, we all know the answer: because "some" reject orthodox Catholic belief and are intent on undermining orthodox belief. One sociologist--a specialty that I firmly believe no thinking person would miss if it disappeared entirely from the academic world--opines that there is a worrisome "generational divide in the U.S. priesthood." It is a blessing that such a generational divide exists precisely because the earlier generation of priests is riddled with so many false vocations. For it is indeed a false vocation when a priest does not pass on the moral teachings of the Church to his flock. Woe to such a priest or bishop or cardinal on the day of judgment because much will be demanded of him to whom much has been given. I, for one, welcome this generational divide in the priesthood and am happy that the mortality statistics favor the newer, orthodox generation of clergy.

(emphasis mine)

I'm personally quite worried about the Church's leadership after John Paul II passes on... Under his leadership the Church "settled down" and it took on a new vibrancy. Would his successor be similarly courageous to uphold the Church's teachings fully knowing that teachings may not be popular with the people?

I've been reading up on catholic teachings lately. there seem to be God's calling recently, for me to pick up where i shelved my faith. some people asked me what faith I practise. Although it's natural to say I'm Catholic, I often find myself at loss to defend my faith from the hatred of those who hate what they thought is the Catholic Church. Attended classes, started reading .. erhmm.. encyclicals :p *blush* It is quite embarrassing to say this as a Catholic...

Anyway, "Humanae Vitae" is one remarkable encyclical by Pope Paul VI, issued as the church's official response to abortion and contraception. Here's the link.

In the process of reading Veritatis Splendor. Insightful.