In God we Trust

You've heard the phrase, "Never say never". In my graduation post I said, "Well that's it! Our last class was two weeks ago, only this time it really is our very last class." You've probably also heard the phrase, to "turn up like a bad penny". The general sense of the phrase, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it, is “the predictable, and often unwanted return of a disreputable or prodigal person after some absence.”

 

In this sense a “bad penny” is a person whose presence is unwelcome on any occasion, but whom fate perversely employs to torment you by making said person appear (“turn up”) repeatedly, often at the worst possible times. Ok, so thankfully I'm not a "bad penny" in the sense of a "disreputable or prodigal person", but my original plan was to end this blog after graduating from the ILM program: I guess that's still the plan but for now, like a bad penny, I'm back.

 

Today, pennies are viewed as nearly worthless by most of us, but when the term “bad penny” first appeared in the 18th century pennies were serious money. This made them ripe targets for counterfeiters, and to reach into your pocket or purse and discover that you had ended up with a “bad penny" was a depressing and annoying experience.

 

The only recourse available if you were stuck with a “bad penny” was to try to spend it as quickly as possible and hope that an inattentive shopkeeper would take it. But because everyone was trying to unload their “bad pennies” this way, your odds of encountering one or even the very same one you had gotten rid of a week earlier, were quite high. Thus “bad penny” became an idiom meaning “an unwanted thing that keeps showing up.”

 

According to an old wives tale finding a penny is supposed to be good luck, and if I have to identify with something that is nearly worthless I'd rather think of myself as a "good luck penny". Still, because pennies tend to be unwanted we find them abandoned everywhere, and I recently heard a story about stopping to thank God for your blessings when you find one.

 

The idea is that "In God We Trust" is printed on the penny, so when you find one you should trust that God has placed it in your way for a reason. Now, whenever I see a penny I think to myself "In God I trust” and I thank God for my many blessings. It's just another opportunity to "pray often" and I appreciate the reminder.

 

What I wanted to say in this post is that I started another class at ILM, titled Liturgy, which is one of the second semester electives for this year's third year students. As a graduate I can audit these classes, as long as I pay my tuition and purchase the required books. I was surprised that I didn't have to agree to the Learning Covenant, so I'm not sure if I get credit for the class or not.

 

As a third year student I elected to take other classes, but I heard from friends that this was an exceptional class which is why I'm here this semester. The good news is that it's interesting, taught well, and doesn't require a final paper to pass the class. The bad news is that it requires the usual amount of reading and it involves plenty of participation (experiential learning).

 

If you recall, immediately after last year’s graduation I was asked to take over the RCIA program at our Parish, and so far feedback from our Pastor and others suggests that the process seems to be working well; our Catechumens and Candidates are engaged and our team members and sponsors are involved. It's a team effort of course; so far so good. I was also asked to join the Finance committee which I am less qualified for, but I'm trying to contribute.

 

This year after my Pastor signed my ILM student form for the liturgy class; he looked at me with a smile and hinted that I would probably be asked to join the Liturgy Committee once I finished this class. As I mentioned in another recent post, 2013 turned out to be an exceptional year and 2014 is looking good as well. Pray for me as I watch for those lost pennies and remind myself, "In God I Trust"!