Sacred Temptation – Impromptu Musings and Meditations on Faith and Life

An Enchiridion of Syllabic Erudition

I’m currently working through my first semester of the online Master’s Program in Catholic School Leadership at St. Joseph’s College of Maine. The class that I’m about to finish is on Curriculum Design, Development & Assessment, with my current assignment set to to illustrate the major points of developing a Curriculum Map. To quote Chaucer from A Knight’s Tale (2001): “And so, without further gilding of the lily, and with no more ado, I give to you …” A Curriculum Map’s Tale.

Act I: Prolegomenon

“Rather than starting a mapping initiative by abruptly declaring that ‘We are going to start curriculum mapping, folks,’ the leadership teams and district personnel [begin] by looking at the needs of their specific student population (Jacobs, 2004, pg. 1).”

The initial phase in curriculum mapping for any nation, district, school or classroom is taking stock of the current curriculum and the needs of the students who will be subjected to the new curriculum standards. This can include

researching what other schools in the area are doing
deciding what specific, measurable outcomes in student performance to strive for
deciding who will work on curriculum mapping [begun here, but focused on during Act II]
drafting an action plan
analyzing the educational background and general readiness of all staff members
deciding on the format for meetings and technology use to facilitate the planning process
setting a timeline for research, feedback, training, and implementation

Act II: A Sodality of Luminosity

Once a framework has been set for curriculum mapping, the next major step is deciding who will put in the necessary time to craft, revise and help implement the new curriculum plan that comes from the curriculum mapping process. This involves

assessing the educational background, training, formation, current work assignment and interest in curricular mapping of all personnel
assessing the available time commitment of interested and qualified personnel
researching and/or creating training, formation and professional development opportunities for assigned perssonel
assigning leadership roles from assigned personnel
formulating, with help of assigned personnel, possible objections to the curriculum mapping process
formulating, with help of assigned personnel, possible solutions to the objections

Act III: Asperous Interregnum

Once the leadership teams have been set, the time for the meat of the work is nigh – each group sifts through the current curriculum, looking at the essential questions for each subject and for each unit within that subject, working on crafting drafts of the curriculum, then getting those drafts sent out for massive amounts of peer review and editing. During this review/editing process, the teams are looking for

repetition of material from grade level to grade level
gaps in essential information (content, thinking processes, skills, and assessments) from grade level to grade level (Jacobs, 2004, pg. 155)
places where no change is needed
places where material is good, but can use updating
inclusion of local, state and/or federal standards
any changes needed to the document itself (vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, formatting, etc.)

Act IV: Consummate Execution

Once the new curricular map has been edited, revised, and generally run through the educational gauntlet, the time is ripe for the implementation of the new material. Once implemented, however, there should be a process in place for continual review and revision – resting on our laurels, even after years of work, is a recipe for eventual disaster, while putting in the effort to do periodic evaluations, even of starting the process over again, will ensure that the curricular mapping work already done is as relevant and up to date as possible.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo De La Rosa III

References

Erickson, H. L. (2008). Stirring the head, heart, and soul: redefining curriculum, instruction, and concept-based learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Helgeland, B. (Writer), Helgeland, B. (Director), & Helgeland, B. (Producer). (n.d.). A knights tale [Video file].

Jacobs, H. H. (2004). Getting results with curriculum mapping. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J, (2004). Understanding by design: professional development workbook. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Another Moment

There’s a moment . . . a single solitary second . . . when the full weight of the casket hits your hand . . . your arm . . . your shoulder. It settles on and around you like a weight – an insubstantial shroud that feels heavier than the weight of a thousand worlds. Every step feels leaden . . . and laden with memories and unsaid truths that brush up against the spoken banalities of everyday existence.

I don’t wish it on anyone.

Yet hearing the ghost of the whisper of the trajectory of our existence . . . nudging ever closer to the limits of our personal event horizon . . . starting to walk in tune with the melody of our own mortality . . . becoming cognizant of the gossamer and ethereal strands that bind us to our world, our communities, ourselves . . .

That . . .that I wish on everyone.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

An Octet of Baleful Reveries – Avaritia, Gula & Superbia

The California based band Thrice came onto my musical radar after hearing, and falling in love with, their song Black Honey. My wife got tired of hearing this on my personal heavy rotation, and finally asked me one day why I liked it so much. The descending guitar/vocal bit was what first caught my attention, but as I listened to it more I found that the references to several of the Seven Deadly Sins kept me coming back to the song.

[As an aside, I just found out that the lead singer for Thrice, Dustin Kensrue, was actually a pastor and worship leader at Mars Hill (until he resigned in 2014). Makes me want to listen to the rest of their songs to see if I can discern other Christian messages in there :)]

The seven capital (“head,” most deadly, most important) sins are derived from an earlier list of eight evil thoughts that were codified by Pope Gregory I around the year 600. The standard list is:

Pride
Greed
Gluttony
Lust
Sloth
Envy
Anger

This particular song, in my not so humble estimation, exemplifies gluttony, pride and greed.

Gluttony technically refers to eating and drinking to excess, but can be expanded to over-indulgence in anything. Greed (avarice) also has to do with excess – the desire for power, material things, or an attitude of stinginess. Pride (usually seen as the worst sin, or the root sin) is inordinate love of self, the ultimate expression of selfishness that elevates personal whims and desires above all else.

The song lyrics hit all of these; to begin:

I keep swinging my hand through a swarm of bees
I can’t understand why they’re stinging me
But I’ll do what I want
I’ll do what I please
I’ll do it again till I’ve got what I need

The song begins with the singer swinging his hand through a swarm of bees because he wants honey. He continues to do so, even when they sting him, but then says that no matter what he’s going to keep doing it until he gets what he wants.

It goes on to say:

I’ll rip and smash through the hornet’s nest
Don’t you understand I deserve the best?

That attitude of “I’ll do whatever I want because I deserve the best” perfectly exemplifies the trio of deadly sins – a disregard for what others may want or need due to an excessive focus on personal needs, even if those needs are unimportant.

The song finishes up with this:

Then I
See them coming after me
And they’re following me across the sea
And now they’re stinging my friends and my family
And I
Don’t know why this is happening
But I’ll do what I want
I’ll do what I please
I’ll do it again till I’ve got what I need

In the song, even though the bees are hurting both the singer and his loved ones, he continues with his self-destructive behavior because he still wants to fulfill his selfish desires. With no time for reflection, he’ll never understand why bad things keep happening to him – but it doesn’t matter, as long as he gets what he needs.

This Lent, whether you’re Catholic or not, Christian or not, a believer or not – we can try to root out these attitudes / affectations in order to help ourselves, our families and our communities become havens (I’m binge watching at the moment – had to sneak it in there!) of peace and loving service.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

An Exegetical Journey into the Symbolism of Vehicular Tuning

An appropriate song for coming in from the winter of my discontent 🙂

The more I listen to this song (and this band) (and watch the video) the more I like it (them) and the more symbolic and theological the lyrics get (in many of their songs). This song in particular was the musical gateway drug that prostrated me at their lyrical altar. (Which is technically not true – the first song that registered in my consciousness was Stressed Out, but that was brief and I didn’t really explore their work until after becoming addicted to this song.)

It begins simply enough – sparse snippets of music as a young man (in a bit of distress) sits on the floor of his restroom. But once the lyrical sniping begins, the theological erudition that comes through is stunning.

The first line that resonates deeply with me is “Sometimes quiet is violent.” Think about your home, your office, your school, your neighborhood – wherever you spend your time. Think about the people that are around you, the electronic gadgets that inundate you, the noise and activity that constantly distracts you. I think many (if not most) people are suffering from information and sensory overload. We take in so much (reading, listening, socializing, watching, having fun, etc.) that there’s precious little time left for actually thinking about and reflecting on what you’ve done, or where you want to go (in life – not your next fun destination). Silence is a rare commodity, and when we encounter it, it seems . . . weird. Unsettling. Boring. There’s no stimulation, we’re alone with our thoughts, our history, our sins, our fears, our worries, our anxieties, our hopes, our dreams, ourselves . . . and we don’t know how to handle it.

But silence is necessary. Silence is important. Silence is part and parcel of growing in wisdom and grace. Silence allows us to listen to the still, small voice of our Creator. Silence allows our soul and spirit to expand, to encompass more than just the sum total of our bodies and minds. Silence lets us touch the Divine within and without, around and between.

But when we aren’t comfortable with silence, it can become torturous . . . violent. Thoughts and emotions and memories that we keep at bay with the busyness of life come bubbling to the surface. Half buried treasure troves of ourselves that we don’t want to focus on come into the forefront of our mind. (Or, as the song so eloquently says: There’s no hiding for me, I’m forced to deal with what I feel, There is no distraction to mask what is real)

But when we can embrace silence . . . we come to know ourselves, and we can begin to wrestle with those parts of us that we try to hide. We start the rewarding journey into our own psyche, delving into the eddies and whirlpools of our dreams and desires. We start to find a calmness and peace whether alone or with others, and we begin to carve out time to focus on the great works of love and learning and service. (Again to the muses: Peace will win and fear will lose) (and a bit more: Faith is to be awake, And to be awake is for us to think, And for us to think is to be alive, And I will try with every rhyme, To come across like I am dying, To let you know you need to try to think)

Or, as one of the walls in our home says: Make time for the quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud.

As this new year begins, may we do our best to be filled with fire as we sit in silence.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

An Interlude

“How do you feel,” the instructor asked.

It was a dangerous question. They weren’t supposed to have feelings. Not here, not now.

“It feels . . . like I want to let them use my things. Like I want to share with them,” he answered hesitantly.

“No. No, you should not feel that way. You should want to protect your things. No one should be able to take your things from you. You must be strong to hold on to them, to protect them. You are not to feel that way again.”

“Yes, master.”

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Photo by azmichelle

Jesus Saves . . . and Takes 1/2 Damage

I was introduced to tabletop role-playing games through Dungeons & Dragons in sixth grade (thanks neighbors!). As a not-very-well-coordinated kid who was not sporty and loved to read fantasy and science fiction, the game opened up a whole new world for me. My imagination got to soar, I met new people, and some of my best friends to this day are ones who I share this hobby with. I still remember my very first wizard (Basic D&D – Red Box – old school!) named Arion (yes, stolen from the DC comic character – my character’s symbol was the double Star of David as well). Heading out with 4 hit points and one magic missile spell made for a very squishy character, but I loved playing the game, which was an almost weekly occurrence at that point. After finding out that some of my friends at school played as well, D&D became a weekly (or more than weekly) ritual that I looked forward to. I read as many books as I could get my hands on, and soon moved on to Advanced D&D. I played all through my high school life, adding other games along the way: Call of Cthulu, the Marvel RPG, the DC RPG, the Middle Earth/Rolemaster RPG, and probably a few others I’ve forgotten about.

I stopped playing in college (no ready made group of friends to play with + lots of reading & course work + ministry involvement + more freedom = no time for RPG’s), but started up after getting married and finding out that my wife used to play as well. Since them I’ve gone through AD&D, Player’s Options: Skills & Powers, 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, a bit of Pathfinder, and have been playing 4th Edition for a while now (while I’ve bought the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook, my heart still belongs to 4E) 🙂

A few years ago at school a parent asked me if there was any group or extra curricular activity at school that their child could join. Said child was not sporty, loved to read, was interested in board and card games, and had a really good imagination. Hmm . . . lightbulb moment! I told the parent about the game that I played, said parent liked what they heard, and I accepted the quest to tackle the solo boss encounter Principal: Starting a Gaming Club. 🙂

Our principal at the time was hesitant, but after thinking about it I was given approval to go ahead and start the game. And the rest, as they say, is history. This is my fourth year running a gaming club – students play 4th Edition D&D (with me as the DM [Dungeon Master – the person that crafts the story the player’s are experiencing – I control the game world and all of the reactions of the game world to the actions the player’s take] most of the time), with some students playing collectible card games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, or Magic: The Gathering, and a few students playing the Star Wars miniatures game.

I’ve had memorable moments and lots of fun playing with my students these last few years. And I’m proud to have introduced them to another outlet for their creative imagination, as well as helping them to practice strategy and good sportsmanship. For the D&D game specifically I handle character creation (through the online Character Builder), but I have a worksheet (homework!) that they fill out to help me create their character. I’ve made unicorns (a re-fluffed Minotaur sorcerer), anime characters I’d never heard of (hybrid characters are your friend!), stealthy ranger/rogues, Shadow Hunters, superhero clones, and fighters who deal massive damage (one of my favorite quotes from the uber-damage dealing fighter after he was hit by a monster: “Thanks for the massage”). I’ve had groups run away from giant trolls, blast evil spellcasters off of rope bridges, track down supernatural infections, destroy evil crystal creatures, and travel to small pocket dimensions to rescue trapped goddesses. I’ve seen groups laugh together, argue over what to do, plan cohesive strategies that worked (and some that didn’t), hide during PvP battle, and generally enjoy getting to collectively tell stories as we played. It’s been a constant source of joy for the last four years, and I’m grateful for my past and current principal that they continue to encourage our kids to creatively use their imaginations by playing these games. I’m also proud that our local Catholic High School started a small RPG club last year, as some of my kids graduated and moved over there for their high school education.

If you’re interested in gaming with first time RPG’ers (4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons), whether at school or at home, you can download the worksheet I use here (in PDF format). Enjoy, have fun, and let me know if you start playing and how it goes!

And lest I forget, the title is an allusion to an older game mechanic – sometimes, when enemies were targeting the characters with different powers, the player would roll a dice (a key component of most role playing games), and if they met or exceeded a certain number the character would take half or no damage from the attack. Christian gamers created bumper stickers, t-shirts, etc. with the logo as a way to express their faith and their enjoyment of role playing games. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. G.I. Joe!

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Photo by Jennie Ivins

The Ways of Prayer

He worships while he grooves,
she prays and barely moves,
but they’re both reflecting pure devotion.
– Strong Love by the Newsboys

I was a sophomore in college in 1992, the year the Newsboys released their Not Ashamed album. I loved the techno-pop, Jesus Jones feel of their music, and the lyrics of many of the songs resonated deeply with me as I was deepening and broadening my faith. This particular stanza sent shivers down my spine when I heard it then, and now, twenty-four years later, it still evokes a smile from me, as it speaks to me of one of the great mysteries of life – the many and varied ways that we respond to the Creator’s presence.

In Catholicism, for example, you can find people praying in all sorts of ways: we can celebrate Mass in our native language or in Latin; we can celebrate Mass with chanting and organ, with choir and piano, or with drums and guitar (and trumpet!); we can pray in the style of the Taize Community or in the style of the Charismatic renewal; we can pray through building a home for Habitat for Humanity or by feeding the hungry in our community; we can pray through a rosary or through lectio divina; we can pray in the style of different Religious communities or with the words and prayers of the saints; we can pray in the timeless words of our Traditional Catholic prayers (Our Father, Hail, Mary, Glory Be, etc.) or in our own heartfelt words; we can pray together or alone; we can pray through the wonder of creation or through the intellectual stimulation of reading a good book; we can pray through the sacraments we celebrate or through the loving embrace of a spouse. And every single one of those prayer forms is a part of the grand universal faith we call the Catholic Church.

Apart from Catholicism, once we start looking at the way our religious impulse manifests itself in all of the world’s religions, we start to see the many and varied ways that our body, mind, soul and spirit call out to the One that created us. And we find that God delights in the variety of ways we use to reach out and listen to the still, small voice of the Divine within and around and above us.

May our devotion to our God deepen this Lenten with whatever ways of prayer we choose to practice.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Photo by dtcchc

A Battle

Pain blossomed across her torso as her opponent’s dagger sliced through her robe and bit deep into her skin. She gasped as she felt blood well up from the wound.

She managed to stammer out: “You . . . you used a real weapon . . . protocol demands that only . . .”

“Protocol?,” he sneered. “Protocol for my faith demands that we win at any cost.”

“Your ‘faith’ is a perversion of the Truth!” she shot back, as she eyed her opponent warily.

Holding a dagger in his left hand and his Consecrated Blade in his right, he paused in his assault as he continued lecturing: “Truth is a matter of perspective. Even good and evil are such . . . limiting concepts. Power, on the other hand – power is pure, and holy. Power is right. Power is adulation. And in the right hands, power is . . . victory.”

She raised her shield just in time, as his Blade snaked out at the word “victory”. But she was nearing exhaustion from the battle, and bleeding badly. Her Blade and Shield were wavering, while his burned brightly in the morning mist. She continued to block his attacks, but with each blow her arms felt more and more like lead. Any second now, and she would move too slowly to parry or block.

At least, she though, he stopped lecturing her as if she was a novice, and not an ordained Priestess of the Way.

And then it happened. His Blade pierced her Shield and hit her soul, causing her to black out and fall. He stood a moment, savoring the impending victory. As he lifted his arm for the killing blow, however, an bolt of emerald energy hit him from behind, sending sparks of pain shooting through his body. Her companion had awoken at last from his magically induced slumber. He grinned, silently saluted his opponent, and reached for his Temple, pulling himself back to the place of his Power. He knew they would meet again.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Photo by magia3e

Salmon Pattie Recipie

Cooking / Prep Time: 30 mins – 1 hour (depends how many you make at once)
Servings: About 5-8 for each can, depending on the size and thickness of the pattie

Must Have Ingredients

1 Can of Canned Salmon
½ a pack (not box!) of crackers (multigrain, plain, your choice of brand – we use gluten free crackers now)
You can also use other crunchy items – potato chips, Cheetos, croutons – experiment for different flavors and textures!
1 Egg (premixed in a separate bowl for better results) (2 eggs if you like the taste and want a creamier finish)
Salt/pepper/lemon & herb seasoning
2 lemons
Large Mixing Bowl

At your discretion ingredients

Chopped / minced garlic
Chopped / minced onions
Chopped / minced mushrooms
Anything else you feel like throwing in

Directions

Preheat a large skillet on medium-high heat
Drain the salmon can, keeping about 1-2 teaspoonfuls of liquid in the bowl where we will mix everything.
Empty the salmon into the aforementioned bowl
Using a fork, flake the salmon into small pieces
Take your crackers and crush them in any way you like (I prefer just using my hands, but you can put them in a bowl and crush them with a blunt object of some sort)
Add oil and/or butter to the skillet (I prefer a mix of olive oil with dairy free butter)
Add the crackers to the salmon and mix lightly
Pour the egg into the same bowl and mix all ingredients together well (I use my hands – you can use whatever favorite mixing implement you have)
Add a bit of salt, pepper or whatever other seasonings and optional ingredients you want to use – mix well one more time
The oil should be nice and hot by now
Shape the salmon into small balls, then smoosh (yes, that’s a technical cooking term) them into flat patties (size is up to you)
Lovingly put them into the oil (it’s hot – be careful!), and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown (I like adding a bit more seasoning to each side as it cooks)
Take out of oil and let rest for a few minutes (they’re tired!) inside of some paper towels (to soak up excess oil)
Spritz with some freshly cut lemons wedges and enjoy!
They make great salmon burgers, or you can pair them with some Jasmine or Basmati rice, or any other side dish you like 🙂

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Photo by jeffreyw

Weapons of Mass Damnation

Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. – Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition

Listen, and take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up. – The Message

In Jesus’ time there were very strict rules concerning what could and could not be eaten: certain foods could not be eaten at all, others could only be eaten if prepared for cooking a certain way, some foods couldn’t be prepared/eaten if they were paired with other food, some food could only be prepared in certain containers, etc. [Editor’s Note: Kosher is the word we’re looking for here :)] [Editor’s Additional Note: This still applies today for observant Jews]

If dietary laws weren’t followed, consuming offenders had both religious and sometimes corporal punishments to contend with (currently there are no religious or corporal sanctions I’m aware of, except for maybe feeling a bit guilty). Jesus was trying to get the point across that pin point accuracy in following external requirements in no way indicated a heart full of mercy, service and compassion; judging others according to their slavish and razor sharp adherence to dietary laws was not the best way to judge how accurately or faithfully a person was trying to follow the will of G-d. (There were also economic factors at play – if you were wealthy it was much, much easier to follow all of the dietary laws, both because you could read (or knew others who could read) the Torah & Talmud and because having wealth meant you could afford to buy the utensils needed to cook and eat Kosher)

So Jesus was saying that looking at a person’s (this is one of those times where I’m pretty sure I’m using actions towards other people was the best metric to use to judge their religious life.

(We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Cue the Nugget of Uncleanliness! You might want to binge read that before moving on)

So our middle school protagonist was not doing well. Adults and kids had let them know, with both words and actions, that the NoU (Nuggets of Uncleanliness) were anathema and not to be tolerated. Tears were shed. Battle lines were drawn. Alliances were made and broken. Armchair theologians (heh – that’s me!) were quoting esoteric texts. Angels and saints waited with baited breath to see what would happen.

It should be noted that all of the kids involved were under fourteen years of age (why is this important? shame on you! Read here first, then come back) except for one (and that one wasn’t a huge eater of NoU’s). Even if this was a Friday during Lent on the campus of a parochial school, they were well within their rights to eat NoU to their hearts content. But they were confused. Perplexed that one platter of NoU (Weapons of Mass Damnation!) (WoMD) could cause such panic.

What to do?

I ate a NoU (WoMD) dipped in Chick-fil-A sauce 🙂 (I’m not the biggest consumer of Chick-fil-A food – I much prefer anything made of cow – but that Chick-fil-A sauce has got to be what angels dine on in heaven)

And we talked about it. About how hospitality and compassion were kind of important. About how treasuring another person’s feelings was important. About how knowing their faith, and the rules that went along with their faith, were important, too (because then they could have proudly proclaimed that they were OK eating NoU. [Is the plural of that NoUs? NoUses?]) About how Jesus would never belittle a child over something so trivial (didn’t he get in trouble for something similar?) (Yes, yes – I know the context of the story is a bit different – just go with it for now). And about how our love for people must be greater then our love for rules.

And then we all feasted together on Nouses. And went about our meeting. And went about our day and ensuing weekend.

And I think heaven rejoiced that the heart of a little one which was crushed like dry bones came back to life that day.

I’m Catholic, and I do my best to follow the rules. In my role as teacher and minister I do my best to teach others the rules, and explain why it’s important to follow them. But if I’m trying to focus on the more important stuff, especially with the kids I work with, then I need to temper my own legalistic tendencies and work with them to see that there will be times when people (created in the image and likeness of God sound familiar? temples of the Holy Spirit? earthen vessels filled to overflowing with God’s presence? one of a kind collectible entities fashioned by the hand of their loving Father?) must come first.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

PS: I spoke with the parent of the child in question that same day. Said parent thanked me for championing their child. It’s a good memory for me 🙂

Photo by my_amii