One Who Patiently Endures

Some time ago one of our favorite priests gave a sermon about "patiently enduring" the trials and tribulations of life. This priest is one of our favorite priests because he is a self-admitted geek and thus he uses references from the Lord of the Rings to Star Trek to Star Wars and everything in between. He really connects with us as we are also self-admitted geeks and we love it when he is running the Mass.

During this sermon, he mentioned that the true meaning of the word "ninja" can be translated as "one who patiently endures". I thought this was kind of neat; a priest who is fascinated by and has studied ninja, being just as geeky over them as I could be. I'm definitely not a Ninja vs. Pirate person...I'm more of a Why not both Ninja and Pirates? Together? Battling enemies while sailing aboard a steam-driven airship over a post-apocalyptic zombie-ridden alter-earth?

Okay my inner geek got away from me there, but you have to admit (if you're a geek too) that it's a cool scenario.

We quite recently found out this priest is leaving us, and going to a church in an adjacent town where his ability to connect so well will definitely be huge asset. The congregation will be college students and young families, and they I'm sure will quickly see his merits and come to love him as we have. It still sucks though. Every time we get a cool priest he's moved somewhere else on us, or at least it feels that way to me.

A vague idea I had after listening to his ninja sermon solidified when my husband leaned over and told me I had to complete the idea before he left in June. And so I did. He was surprisingly easy. The difficult bit was the throwing star made of embroidery floss. That gave me fits until I just set my teeth and did it come hell or high water. A small hook and extremely thin threads do not a happy person make me. ("Ninja" from Christen Haden's Creepy Cute Crochet)

I am a crochet ninja. Fear my steel hook.