YA Service Project

Come join other Seattle-area Catholic young adults as we help elderly, disabled, and homebound residents at the Bow Lake Motor Home Park. It'll be a great day of service, reflection, and community!

When: Feb. 12th, 10 A.M. - 3 P.M.
Where: Bow Lake Motor Park, SeaTac, WA
*Please RSVP by Feb. 5th*

Please see the flyer for more information.

The House of the Lord

“How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty, for my soul longs and even faints for You.”

This song, based on Psalm 84, strikes a chord in the deepest part of my soul, where I desire to know God and to experience his presence. For the psalmist, the Lord’s “courts” were those of Jerusalem’s temple; perhaps we imagine Heaven when we hear of the Lord’s dwelling place. However, our faith tells us that God is closer than our next breath and that his kingdom is at hand. What if God is most present to us, not in a particular place or time, but in the depths of our souls where we most long for him? In short, what if we are God’s dwelling place?

Teresa of Avila writes in Interior Castle, “The soul of a righteous man is nothing but a paradise, in which, as God tells us, he takes his delight. For what do you think a room will be like which is the delight of a King so mighty, so wise, so pure and so full of all that is good? I can think of nothing with which to compare the great beauty of a soul and its great capacity.”

Perhaps we’ve heard the phrase “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” so often that it’s become a cliché or an injunction to act morally. Yet truly God is present within us in a most profound way: he dwells in our souls through the Holy Spirit and in our bodies through the Eucharist. Aside from God himself, what could be more beautiful?

I invite you to spend time today praying about this. Ask the Lord to reveal his presence in you and in others, so that we may see the beauty and holiness of each person and glorify God because of it. Amen?

Reminder: Winter Marriage Preparation Retreat

OYYAM invites all engaged young-adult couples to deepen their relationship, spend time in prayer, and gain practical resources at our winter marriage preparation retreat, held at Camp Don Bosco from Feb. 18-20, 2011. For more information, download a brochure at http://seattleoyyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/YA_Marriage_Prep_Brochure.pdf or email oyyamretreats@seattlearch.org.

Wine and Wisdom Feb. 7

Come join Fr. Raphael Mary, O.P., a Dominican friar at the University of Washington Newman Center, and other young adults as we discuss "Does God Exist?" and how to address modern atheism.

This event will be held at 7:30 p.m. on February 7th at deVine Wines in the Mill Creek Town Center. Discounted wine pours and appetizers will be available, but there is no charge for entry.

Wine and Wisdom Tonight!

Please join us tonight at 7 in Mill Creek for discounted wine pours, appetizers, and wisdom from Rich Shively! We'll be discussing spirituality v. religion and whether church is still relevant.

Reminder: Wine and Wisdom Jan. 10th

Please join Rich Shively, Associate Director for Vocations and Seminarians, and other young adults as we discuss "Religious v. Spiritual: Does Church Still Matter?" The event will be held at 7 p.m. on January 10th at deVine Wines in Mill Creek.

Marriage Prep Early Registration Deadline Jan. 7

This Friday, Jan. 7th, is the early registration deadline for OYYAM's Winter Marriage Preparation Retreat! This retreat, for engaged young-adult couples, is Feb. 18-20 at Camp Don Bosco; for more information, contact Bridget Harris at 206-382-4562. To register, download a form at http://seattleoyyam.org/programs/retreat-ministry/young-adult-retreats.

Happy New Year!

"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." - Lk. 2:19
Wishing you a happy New Year and a blessed feast day.