We Are the Times!
Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:
share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.
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My word for the week is “mighty deeds,” from Acts 2:22. My sister proclaimed the reading to the rest of the family during “home church.” The highlight for me was when we all sang a reflection song in 3-part harmony! Plus, only one of the children needed to leave to take a timeout, so it felt pretty successful, all told.
As I’ve asked the Lord what He wants me to do about "mighty deeds," I’ve felt convicted about having fun this week. And that having fun even when things go unexpectedly can be considered a mighty deed. This quote from St. Augustine has also helped me to embrace my word for the week: “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.”
In the spirit of living well, I decided to include a list I’ve been compiling called “40 Questions for Quarantine.” My friend Fr. Matt originated a high percentage of these. It brings me a lot of joy and mirth to discuss the answers to these questions with friends and family. Feel free to try out some of these for yourself. Perhaps they can prompt conversations, and hopefully laughter, during video chats, at the dinner table, on social media, etc. Hope you enjoy!
Oh! Also, please add “and why” after each question below!
If your childhood was captured in 3 scents, what would those scents be?
If your feelings about 2020 so far were a color, what color would they be?
If your quarantine was a sound, what sound would it be?
If your personality was a candy bar, what kind of candy bar would your personality be?
If you could eat at only one specific time of the day for the rest of your life (this one meal would sustain you so you wouldn’t be hungry the rest of the time), at what time of day would you choose to eat?
If you had to live in one of these forms of transportation for the rest of your life, in which would you choose to live: train, plane, bus, or boat?
If your laugh was the sound of a musical instrument, what musical instrument’s sound would you like to emit from your voice every time that you laugh?
For the rest of your life, if you had to choose between traveling to one destination repeatedly or only visiting new destinations, which would you choose?
If you were actually an animal, what animal would you be?
For the rest of your life, would you rather look good or smell good?
Would you rather be famous for painting or for acting?
The town needs your help! Would you rather tear down dilapidated old buildings to make space for new infrastructure or build something new in a blank space?
Would you rather spend time only in the country or only in the city, for the rest of your life?
Would you rather: cause everyone you meet to laugh BUT they will forget about you as soon as you leave the room, OR cause everyone you meet to feel confused but they’ll remember you for the rest of their lives?
If you had to wear items of only one color for the rest of your life, what color would you choose?
If your vision suddenly became permanently filtered, which filter would you select out of the following: black & white, pastel, or neon?
If you could communicate with any animal other than dogs or cats, with which species would you communicate?
If your personality was a smell, what smell would it be?
If you could only keep 3 of the 5 senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing), which 3 would you keep?
If your personality was a piece of furniture in your house, which piece of furniture would it be?
If you were an item found in a bathroom, what item would you be?
If you were an item of makeup, what makeup item would you be?
If you were a type of tree, what type of tree would you be?
If your best friend had to describe your personality using one emoji, which emoji do you think your friend would select?
If you had to introduce yourself to a stranger using only 5 emojis, which 5 emojis would you choose?
If you could wear unlimited clothing items for the rest of your life but only from ONE era, which era would it be?
Would you prefer to have beautiful but non functional items or functional but ugly items?
If you had to choose, would you rather never be able to sit down or never be able to lie down?
If your quarantine was a type of house, what type of house would it be?
What 5 YouTube videos would you use to explain who you are to a stranger? (No using videos in which you actually appear.)
Peanut butter? (The question is just those two words.)
If you were a type of hat, what type of hat would you be?
If your life had a soundtrack of one genre of music, what genre would it be?
Out of all of the holidays, you get to keep only two. Which two will they be?
If you had to choose between mountains but no oceans* or oceans but no mountains, which option would you choose? *Provided that the world still had sufficient hydration in either scenario.
If you could be exceptionally knowledgeable in one useless topic, which useless topic would it be?
Invisibility or super speed?
Super strength or the ability to fly?
Day or night?
Which are more important: questions or answers?
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