My parents were both Third Order Carmelites, my life has been filled with Carmelites and I feel drawn to them as the Order is very beautiful, but have never joined myself. I don't know if this is possible with the kids being so young, but I think I might go and see if I'm moved in this direction. Check them out if you have an interest.
Nativity Third Order Carmelite Open House
The Lay Carmelite Order at the Church of the Nativity in St. Paul will be hosting an Open House on Sunday, September 2 at 1:00 p.m. You are invited to attend and learn more about the Third Order Carmelite Community. Come see if you might be called to this way of life. Monthly conferences are usually held on the first Sunday of the month, from 1:00—3:45 p.m. If you have questions please call Dan or Mary Jo Rossini at 651-454-6123, Patricia DeMont at 952-941-6896 or Michael Elien at 651-645-7362.
01 August 2007
Atheism - it's a good thing?
The National Catholic Register has a curious editorial, putting forth the idea that the resurgence in atheism is good because it's an argumentative form of atheism, compared to the oppressive (militant) form we saw and currently see in Communist countries where religion is outlawed; and, the apathetic-agnostic form, which just doesn't really care that God exists.
I don't think the editors have either spoken to a current atheist, looked at the writings of some serious modern atheists or read any of their blogs. Atheism is rotten in any form because it is Godless. That's its definition. To call any form of atheism better or worse than another is to miss the point. Atheism is still atheism despite whatever adjective you want to throw in front of it.
The editors cite the currently popular atheistic works of Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great) as evidence of this "intellectually honest" argumentative atheism. I don't buy it for a minute. Atheism has been around, undoubtedly, for as long as the Catholic Church has. For 2000 years, the Church has stood as a complete refutation of this unbelief system. God moves in every soul. Atheists consciously choose to ignore this.
This quote from C.S. Lewis in "Surprised by Joy," that I recently used on another post, hints at this:
In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. . . . God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.
The editorial uses my favorite quote from Chesterton:
Chesterton once said that “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” We should welcome the resurgence of argumentative atheism. It’s a good chance to remind the world that we can now say atheism has been tried — and found to be wanting, difficult and destructive.
Yes, a healthy dose of Chesterton and Lewis, and other great Catholic apologists, is a good place to start. But, I think you'll find these argumentative atheists are no different than their militant and apathetic-agnostic brethren.
I don't think the editors have either spoken to a current atheist, looked at the writings of some serious modern atheists or read any of their blogs. Atheism is rotten in any form because it is Godless. That's its definition. To call any form of atheism better or worse than another is to miss the point. Atheism is still atheism despite whatever adjective you want to throw in front of it.
The editors cite the currently popular atheistic works of Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great) as evidence of this "intellectually honest" argumentative atheism. I don't buy it for a minute. Atheism has been around, undoubtedly, for as long as the Catholic Church has. For 2000 years, the Church has stood as a complete refutation of this unbelief system. God moves in every soul. Atheists consciously choose to ignore this.
This quote from C.S. Lewis in "Surprised by Joy," that I recently used on another post, hints at this:
In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. . . . God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.
The editorial uses my favorite quote from Chesterton:
Chesterton once said that “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” We should welcome the resurgence of argumentative atheism. It’s a good chance to remind the world that we can now say atheism has been tried — and found to be wanting, difficult and destructive.
Yes, a healthy dose of Chesterton and Lewis, and other great Catholic apologists, is a good place to start. But, I think you'll find these argumentative atheists are no different than their militant and apathetic-agnostic brethren.
31 July 2007
Swiss Fest
If you are looking for something to do this weekend near the Twin Cities, head to the Berne Swissfest. (Below clipped from their webpage)
Berne Swissfest, Minnesota, USA (54th annual)
The Charm of an Old World Festival, Family Entertainment at its best!
Saturday and Sunday August, 4th/5th 2007
Once a year the descendants of the Swiss settlers bring Berne back to life. More than a thousand visitors come to see the festival each August, conceived as a means of keeping the Swiss heritage alive and vital. Visitors come from many states and even some foreign countries to see this Swiss Festival.
Family features:
Historical Village
Fahnenschwingen (Flag Throwing)
Steinstossen (Stone Throwing)
Bauernmalerei (Box Painting)
Kinder Corner
- William Tell
- Swiss Story Telling
- Sackgumpen (Sack Races)
Bobbin Lace Making
Bratzel Making
Entertainment:
Swiss Alphorn (104 kB)
Swiss Dancing
Handbell Concerts
Style Show
Swiss Yodeler
Stage Programs
Swiss Band
There are continuous activities throughout the day before and after each program.
Special Guest Entertainer from Switzerland:
Astrid Schuler - a very popular Jodlerin - Schwyz, Switzerland
Pius Egli - accordionist, accompanist - Horw, Switzerland
Guest Woodcarver from Switzerland
Mario Fuchs - Hofstetten, Switzerland. A very gifted woodcarver.
There will be many other craft people demonstrating Bauernmalerei painting, bobbin lace making, using a spinning wheel, scissor cutting and other special craft.
Food fair - Traditional Swiss Entrees:
Hot Meals
Raclette
Fancy Desserts
Swiss Pastries
Breads
Swiss Cheese
Berner Platte, famous Bern platter will be served in the food tent on Saturday from 5:00 until 7:30 p.m.
American Entrees:
Bratwurst
Toasted Raviolis
Beverages
Cheese Curds
Hot Potato Salad
Soft Serve
Opening hours:
Saturday August, 4th 2007 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday August, 5th 2007 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday Special Special Swiss-American Sunday Worship Service 10:00 a.m.
Admission:
Adults $ 4.00
Children - 12 and under $ 2.00
Families $ 10.00
Pre-school free
Parking free
Contact:
by mail: Berne Swissfest, 23148 County Highway 24, West Concord, Minnesota 55985
by phone: 1-800-322-2478 (toll free)
by e-mail: bernechurch @ pitel . net
Simple faith
A priest at our parish used to talk about having a simple faith, to be childlike in our relationship to God. To be trusting and patient, even when our human selves tell us to take action. St. Therese was like this. From Story of a Soul, italics are those of St. Therese:
"See, then, all that Jesus lays claim to from us; He has no need of our works but only of our love, for the same God who declares He has no need to tell us when He is hungry did not fear to beg for a little water from the Samaritan woman. He was thirsty. But when He said; "Give me to drink," it was the love of His poor creature the Creator of the universe was seeking. He was thirsty for love. Ah! I feel it more than ever before, Jesus is parched, for He meets only the ungrateful and indifferent among His disciples in the world, and among His own disciples, alas, He finds few hearts who surrender to Him without reservations, who understand the real tenderness of His infinite Love."
And, another:
"O my Jesus! what is your answer to all my follies? Is there a soul more little, more powerless than mine? Nevertheless even because of my weakness, it has pleased You, O Lord, to grant my little childish desires and You desire, today, to grant other desires that are greater than the universe."
With the popularity of EWTN and Relevant Radio, many Catholic converts and apologists are being heard. This is a wonderful thing. It has helped me learn about the incredible gift of faith that has been handed down to me, providing a more solid foundation than I had. I could listen to many of the programs all day long, but feel I'm being called to grow in my faith without having all the answers, not being able to quote scripture or council documents, not knowing all there is about the early Church. This is a challenge for me. All my life, school and work have ingrained in me the need to have a solid and broad base well prepared before you take the next step, because everything builds upon it.
The more I reflect on St. Therese, one of my patron saints, the more I can identify with her, as I've seen examples of trusting God right in my own family. My brother, a fallen away Catholic, criticized my 82 year-old aunt for saying she had a simple faith in response to one of my brother's very high-brow questions. She didn't have all the answers herself, but the Church did. Within her bible and Catechism, she had nearly all the bases covered. Why should it bother her that she doesn't retain everything about the Church in her head? No one has all the answers.
I never knew my dad's father. He died before my parents married. An older cousin who lived with my grandparents has told me stories about my grandfather that pretty much sum up my idea of him; glues together the pieces told to me about him. By all accounts, he always had a rosary in his hand. He was a big, powerful man, but also gentle and kind. His physical presence afforded him respect, but his personality is what retained it. Years of struggle to feed his family and financial insecurity during the depression taught him to rely on Our Lady. He had a great sense of humor, loved to read the paper and loved sports. The story I love about him is where he was watching a football game. He was also, as always, saying the rosary (not the preferred or recommended way to say the rosary). As my cousin walked by the room she heard him yell to the TV, "Run, dammit. RUN!!" Followed softly, without missing a beat by, "Hail Mary, full of grace..." I think he must've been meditating on the Pigskin Mysteries.
My maternal grandfather was very similar. I cherish the example he provided of having a simple faith. He was beloved by his family, friends and the entire community. He lived his faith by being humble, generous, kind and effervescent with his joy. If a neighbor needed anything, be it help or food, it was generously and kindly given from his own meager means. He was a farmer that trusted in God completely. No work was done on Sunday, even if it meant that crops might be ruined if left in the field. God would provide. Many times, his last dollar went in the collection, never reluctantly and never begrudgingly, but with gratitude. After chores were done, often late at night, he would gather his children into his bed and read them stories. Before going to bed himself, he got down on a small kneeler and prayed.
When I started reading, Story of a Soul, I didn't appreciate it for all the lessons it contained. Despite the fact that many things St. Therese wrote about are evident in my own family, I didn't think it applied to my life. My grandfathers, I'm certain, didn't read about St. Therese, but they stumbled onto some of the same ideas themselves through their faithfulness. I think there is much to learn from St. Therese's life and the lives of other saints. It seems there is no cookie-cutter mold that makes a saint. They all had their own strengths and weaknesses. I may want to be a better apologist or be able to quote scripture, but it might not be what God is calling me toward. After reading, Story of a Soul, I have learned that if I have a simple faith and trust in God, He will gradually show me what His plan is for me. I just wish I was a better student.
"O Mother, how different are the ways through which the Lord leads souls! In the life of the saints, we find many of them who didn't want to leave anything of themselves behind after their death, not the smallest souvenir, not the least bit of writing. On the contrary, there are others, like our holy Mother St. Teresa, who have enriched the Church with their lofty revelations, having no fears of revealing the secrets of the King in order that they may make Him more loved and known by souls. Which of these two types of saints is more pleasing to God? It seems to me, Mother, they are equally pleasing to Him, since all of them followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and since the Lord has said: "Tell the just man ALL is well." Yes, all is well when one seeks only the will of Jesus, and it is because of this that I, a poor little flower, obey Jesus when trying to please my beloved Mother."
Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux
"See, then, all that Jesus lays claim to from us; He has no need of our works but only of our love, for the same God who declares He has no need to tell us when He is hungry did not fear to beg for a little water from the Samaritan woman. He was thirsty. But when He said; "Give me to drink," it was the love of His poor creature the Creator of the universe was seeking. He was thirsty for love. Ah! I feel it more than ever before, Jesus is parched, for He meets only the ungrateful and indifferent among His disciples in the world, and among His own disciples, alas, He finds few hearts who surrender to Him without reservations, who understand the real tenderness of His infinite Love."
And, another:
"O my Jesus! what is your answer to all my follies? Is there a soul more little, more powerless than mine? Nevertheless even because of my weakness, it has pleased You, O Lord, to grant my little childish desires and You desire, today, to grant other desires that are greater than the universe."
With the popularity of EWTN and Relevant Radio, many Catholic converts and apologists are being heard. This is a wonderful thing. It has helped me learn about the incredible gift of faith that has been handed down to me, providing a more solid foundation than I had. I could listen to many of the programs all day long, but feel I'm being called to grow in my faith without having all the answers, not being able to quote scripture or council documents, not knowing all there is about the early Church. This is a challenge for me. All my life, school and work have ingrained in me the need to have a solid and broad base well prepared before you take the next step, because everything builds upon it.
The more I reflect on St. Therese, one of my patron saints, the more I can identify with her, as I've seen examples of trusting God right in my own family. My brother, a fallen away Catholic, criticized my 82 year-old aunt for saying she had a simple faith in response to one of my brother's very high-brow questions. She didn't have all the answers herself, but the Church did. Within her bible and Catechism, she had nearly all the bases covered. Why should it bother her that she doesn't retain everything about the Church in her head? No one has all the answers.
I never knew my dad's father. He died before my parents married. An older cousin who lived with my grandparents has told me stories about my grandfather that pretty much sum up my idea of him; glues together the pieces told to me about him. By all accounts, he always had a rosary in his hand. He was a big, powerful man, but also gentle and kind. His physical presence afforded him respect, but his personality is what retained it. Years of struggle to feed his family and financial insecurity during the depression taught him to rely on Our Lady. He had a great sense of humor, loved to read the paper and loved sports. The story I love about him is where he was watching a football game. He was also, as always, saying the rosary (not the preferred or recommended way to say the rosary). As my cousin walked by the room she heard him yell to the TV, "Run, dammit. RUN!!" Followed softly, without missing a beat by, "Hail Mary, full of grace..." I think he must've been meditating on the Pigskin Mysteries.
My maternal grandfather was very similar. I cherish the example he provided of having a simple faith. He was beloved by his family, friends and the entire community. He lived his faith by being humble, generous, kind and effervescent with his joy. If a neighbor needed anything, be it help or food, it was generously and kindly given from his own meager means. He was a farmer that trusted in God completely. No work was done on Sunday, even if it meant that crops might be ruined if left in the field. God would provide. Many times, his last dollar went in the collection, never reluctantly and never begrudgingly, but with gratitude. After chores were done, often late at night, he would gather his children into his bed and read them stories. Before going to bed himself, he got down on a small kneeler and prayed.
When I started reading, Story of a Soul, I didn't appreciate it for all the lessons it contained. Despite the fact that many things St. Therese wrote about are evident in my own family, I didn't think it applied to my life. My grandfathers, I'm certain, didn't read about St. Therese, but they stumbled onto some of the same ideas themselves through their faithfulness. I think there is much to learn from St. Therese's life and the lives of other saints. It seems there is no cookie-cutter mold that makes a saint. They all had their own strengths and weaknesses. I may want to be a better apologist or be able to quote scripture, but it might not be what God is calling me toward. After reading, Story of a Soul, I have learned that if I have a simple faith and trust in God, He will gradually show me what His plan is for me. I just wish I was a better student.
"O Mother, how different are the ways through which the Lord leads souls! In the life of the saints, we find many of them who didn't want to leave anything of themselves behind after their death, not the smallest souvenir, not the least bit of writing. On the contrary, there are others, like our holy Mother St. Teresa, who have enriched the Church with their lofty revelations, having no fears of revealing the secrets of the King in order that they may make Him more loved and known by souls. Which of these two types of saints is more pleasing to God? It seems to me, Mother, they are equally pleasing to Him, since all of them followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and since the Lord has said: "Tell the just man ALL is well." Yes, all is well when one seeks only the will of Jesus, and it is because of this that I, a poor little flower, obey Jesus when trying to please my beloved Mother."
Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux
30 July 2007
Lough Tay - Guinness Lake
Over the weekend, for some strange reason, I was thinking of Lough Tay in County Wicklow, Ireland. Then I visited a blog by someone who had happened upon my blog and saw a post about Loch Tay (not the same lake, Loch Tay is in the Scottish Highlands in Perthshire) and thought it was serendipity.
Lough Tay is also called Guinness Lake, because part of the lake borders the Guinness family estate. The Guinness family brings in creamy sand to create the thick foamy head that every on-tap glass of Guinness is topped with, making the lake look like a pint of Guinness.
If you're in Ireland and driving south out of Dublin towards Powerscourt Gardens or Glendalough, you might want to swing by and take a look.
Lough Tay is also called Guinness Lake, because part of the lake borders the Guinness family estate. The Guinness family brings in creamy sand to create the thick foamy head that every on-tap glass of Guinness is topped with, making the lake look like a pint of Guinness.
If you're in Ireland and driving south out of Dublin towards Powerscourt Gardens or Glendalough, you might want to swing by and take a look.
Door-to-door evangelization
Pope John Paul II called for a New Evangelization. I think some avenues of evangelization have been chartered, but why is it that Catholics don't go door-to-door? Not that I think it's a great idea because I find the people who do this to be intrusive and presumptuous. They may be very sincere in trying to save my soul, but I don't like having to elude these folks and their questions while I'm standing at the door holding a child or a dust rag.
Maybe door-to-door evangelization should be my response to these people. Evangelize them when they come to my home. My father used to do that, but he was a great debater and could articulate his beliefs very eloquently. He was very unselfconscious and charming. He frequently turned the discussion back on the person(s) going door-to-door. I know this isn't my strong suit, at least not yet. It might not ever be.
Stuck in the door
When we got to our cabin, there was a pamphlet from the "Watchtower" folks. Seems they have been doing a full-court-press on getting out the word, or their version of it. A large number of my husband's family is in the area. His parents retired to their cabin on a nearby lake. Shortly after that, my sister-in-law and her husband bought a few wooded lots close to them. My husband's divorced grandparents, then in declining health, were moved into a home together in the very small town close to my PIL. My husband's uncle also moved in with them. Not too long after all this happened, my husband's aunt and her husband bought a lot on another lake in the area (there is a chain of lakes all within a few miles of each other). It seems all of us have been visited by the Watchtower/Jehovah's Witness crew.
My husband's aunt and uncle have a lot that is what they call "high bank." It's almost alpine in its height and steepness. In order to get to the lake, they had to cut a zig-zag path into the side of the hill. It's still incredibly hard to get down to the lake. It's even harder to get back up the hill. A mountain climber would be winded after walking up the path. But, twice the Jehovah's Witness gang navigated the path and knocked on their tiny cabin door at the bottom of the hill. All this despite the place being well off a road that sports "Private Drive" and "No Trespassing" signs. Obviously, they are a determined bunch.
But, where are the Catholics?
Personal experience
Even growing up we would get knocks on the door from people of various religions/denominations. I was in college and a group of ladies from Jehovah's Witness came to the door. No one else was home and, in the heat of the morning, the house was wide open. They saw me before I was able to hide. They gave me their spiel about things, then asked me what religion I was. I answered "Orthodox Catholic," which I erroneously thought they would understand as a secret code to leave me alone. Nope. They obviously hadn't heard that term before and asked me about it. Considering it ruse to engage me in conversation, I simply told them I was in full communion with the beliefs of the Church and the Pope, merely trying to distinguish myself from a non-practicing Catholic to let them know to leave me alone. They kept trying to sell me their books, which I thought was idiotic seeing as I was a very poor college student (I was living at home!) and I had just told them the Catholic password for, "I'm solid in my beliefs."
They persisted while I stood there and gave them an attitude and look that only a 20-something can pull off. It was well past the point of trying to be charitable and kind, they were not letting me go gently or gracefully. It was almost to the point that I had to either physically remove these women from my doorstep or close the door in their face. Fortunately, I had just gotten out of the shower and my hair was all wet. I told them I didn't have time to talk since I had to get to work. One of the ladies reached into her bag and pulled out a small pamphlet that she wanted me to have, actually, she wanted a donation for it. I told her to keep her pamphlet because I wouldn't read it and there was no way I was paying for something I wouldn't read. She then told me she still wanted me to have it even if I wouldn't read it or pay for it. I reiterated to her I would simply throw it away. We bantered back and forth about it, but she insisted I take the now contentious pamphlet. Right inside the kitchen door was an open garbage bag ready to be set out. It was garbage day. As the lady handed me the pamphlet, I moved my hand over the garage bag and dropped it in. I looked up at her and said, "I TOLD you I would just throw it away." Then I closed the door. Yes, it was mean and uncharitable, but I was 20 and felt like I was being ignored and manipulated, that they were forcefully trying to indoctrinate me.
What I didn't tell them was that my cousin had married a Jehovah's Witness and all the money in the world wouldn't make me sign up for their ranks, even if I had been "church shopping."
While I lived in Seattle, I had several friends who were Mormons. Not to bash my poor LDS friends, but their religion is like Voodoo or Santaria, taking parts of Catholicism/Christianity and mixing it with something very alien. Mormons, compared to their Voodoo cousins, are more mainstream because they have adopted a clean outward appearance; they are better packaged. Their belief system is still as extreme as Voodoo, but more palatable to people in the suburbs. Mormons will cut you from their ranks as quickly as the Jehovahs if you don't tow the line, then you are anathema. Not very forgiving.
New Evangelization
So, where is the Catholic Church in all this. Lately, people are up in arms because the return to the Latin Mass will remind Catholics to pray for their Jewish brethren. That's "anti-semitic." There are deep and painful scandals the Church is still recovering from. Possibly, the suffering of the Church will get worse before it gets better.
We need to evangelize by example. Clean up our own house. We need to embody our beliefs, not just espouse them. Show and share the joy we have. This should go a long way to help with public relations. Catholicism is such a rich religion that if we are just able to utilize the tools and gifts we are given, with God's grace, evangelization would be a by-product of our example of faithfully living the commandments.
I might not be able to evangelize door-to-door, but I can work on the example I provide. This needs to start with my children. The bible study I just completed really emphasized this and showed what happened to the Israelites who failed to instruct their children. I can see this happening in my own extended family. My great, big, Catholic family is not so great or Catholic anymore. It seems that evangelization needs to start on this side of the door, within our own families, nurturing a good example that can be shared with the world.
Maybe door-to-door evangelization should be my response to these people. Evangelize them when they come to my home. My father used to do that, but he was a great debater and could articulate his beliefs very eloquently. He was very unselfconscious and charming. He frequently turned the discussion back on the person(s) going door-to-door. I know this isn't my strong suit, at least not yet. It might not ever be.
Stuck in the door
When we got to our cabin, there was a pamphlet from the "Watchtower" folks. Seems they have been doing a full-court-press on getting out the word, or their version of it. A large number of my husband's family is in the area. His parents retired to their cabin on a nearby lake. Shortly after that, my sister-in-law and her husband bought a few wooded lots close to them. My husband's divorced grandparents, then in declining health, were moved into a home together in the very small town close to my PIL. My husband's uncle also moved in with them. Not too long after all this happened, my husband's aunt and her husband bought a lot on another lake in the area (there is a chain of lakes all within a few miles of each other). It seems all of us have been visited by the Watchtower/Jehovah's Witness crew.
My husband's aunt and uncle have a lot that is what they call "high bank." It's almost alpine in its height and steepness. In order to get to the lake, they had to cut a zig-zag path into the side of the hill. It's still incredibly hard to get down to the lake. It's even harder to get back up the hill. A mountain climber would be winded after walking up the path. But, twice the Jehovah's Witness gang navigated the path and knocked on their tiny cabin door at the bottom of the hill. All this despite the place being well off a road that sports "Private Drive" and "No Trespassing" signs. Obviously, they are a determined bunch.
But, where are the Catholics?
Personal experience
Even growing up we would get knocks on the door from people of various religions/denominations. I was in college and a group of ladies from Jehovah's Witness came to the door. No one else was home and, in the heat of the morning, the house was wide open. They saw me before I was able to hide. They gave me their spiel about things, then asked me what religion I was. I answered "Orthodox Catholic," which I erroneously thought they would understand as a secret code to leave me alone. Nope. They obviously hadn't heard that term before and asked me about it. Considering it ruse to engage me in conversation, I simply told them I was in full communion with the beliefs of the Church and the Pope, merely trying to distinguish myself from a non-practicing Catholic to let them know to leave me alone. They kept trying to sell me their books, which I thought was idiotic seeing as I was a very poor college student (I was living at home!) and I had just told them the Catholic password for, "I'm solid in my beliefs."
They persisted while I stood there and gave them an attitude and look that only a 20-something can pull off. It was well past the point of trying to be charitable and kind, they were not letting me go gently or gracefully. It was almost to the point that I had to either physically remove these women from my doorstep or close the door in their face. Fortunately, I had just gotten out of the shower and my hair was all wet. I told them I didn't have time to talk since I had to get to work. One of the ladies reached into her bag and pulled out a small pamphlet that she wanted me to have, actually, she wanted a donation for it. I told her to keep her pamphlet because I wouldn't read it and there was no way I was paying for something I wouldn't read. She then told me she still wanted me to have it even if I wouldn't read it or pay for it. I reiterated to her I would simply throw it away. We bantered back and forth about it, but she insisted I take the now contentious pamphlet. Right inside the kitchen door was an open garbage bag ready to be set out. It was garbage day. As the lady handed me the pamphlet, I moved my hand over the garage bag and dropped it in. I looked up at her and said, "I TOLD you I would just throw it away." Then I closed the door. Yes, it was mean and uncharitable, but I was 20 and felt like I was being ignored and manipulated, that they were forcefully trying to indoctrinate me.
What I didn't tell them was that my cousin had married a Jehovah's Witness and all the money in the world wouldn't make me sign up for their ranks, even if I had been "church shopping."
While I lived in Seattle, I had several friends who were Mormons. Not to bash my poor LDS friends, but their religion is like Voodoo or Santaria, taking parts of Catholicism/Christianity and mixing it with something very alien. Mormons, compared to their Voodoo cousins, are more mainstream because they have adopted a clean outward appearance; they are better packaged. Their belief system is still as extreme as Voodoo, but more palatable to people in the suburbs. Mormons will cut you from their ranks as quickly as the Jehovahs if you don't tow the line, then you are anathema. Not very forgiving.
New Evangelization
So, where is the Catholic Church in all this. Lately, people are up in arms because the return to the Latin Mass will remind Catholics to pray for their Jewish brethren. That's "anti-semitic." There are deep and painful scandals the Church is still recovering from. Possibly, the suffering of the Church will get worse before it gets better.
We need to evangelize by example. Clean up our own house. We need to embody our beliefs, not just espouse them. Show and share the joy we have. This should go a long way to help with public relations. Catholicism is such a rich religion that if we are just able to utilize the tools and gifts we are given, with God's grace, evangelization would be a by-product of our example of faithfully living the commandments.
I might not be able to evangelize door-to-door, but I can work on the example I provide. This needs to start with my children. The bible study I just completed really emphasized this and showed what happened to the Israelites who failed to instruct their children. I can see this happening in my own extended family. My great, big, Catholic family is not so great or Catholic anymore. It seems that evangelization needs to start on this side of the door, within our own families, nurturing a good example that can be shared with the world.
26 July 2007
Retreat from the heat
Going to be at the cabin for the weekend.
Have a good weekend everyone. Stay cool.
Have a good weekend everyone. Stay cool.
Humility
For several years, I have been trying to grow in my Catholicism. I've been like a rudderless ship for awhile, in need of a good spiritual director. Like St. Teresa describes, my fervor kind of waxes and wanes. Two steps forward and one back. Maybe I'm making progress but it is slow, hindered by my own weaknesses.
One of the weaknesses is lack of humility. In recently reading, The Story of a Soul, by St. Therese, I didn't understand why she talked about her self love when she was merely a child. At the time, I didn't see that she was far more astute than I am, recognizing at an early, early age how pride (lack of humility) clouds the relationship with God.
I've been praying for humility for many years. I only ask God for humility on my terms, because the first time I asked for a lesson in humility, it was incredibly painful. I took to asking Him to teach me humility, but gently, don't hit me over the head with it. No growth in humility really came about. God doesn't like to be dictate to, he wants us to come to him meekly. It was a incredible act of pride on my part to tell God how to teach me to be humble. I doubt the irony was lost on Him.
I'm not even done reading, The Story of a Soul, but have asked for humility again, more on God's terms. Before I even was able to read another chapter of the book, a very painful, and humbling, experience happened. This is a lesson I will have deep in my heart for the rest of my life. Painful, but necessary. Nothing I would've chosen as a "teaching tool," but clearly, God's ways are not my ways. Thanks be to God.
Humility, from the Pocket Catholic Dictionary, is defined as:
The moral virtue that keeps a person from reaching beyond himself. It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation of their position with respect to God and their neighbors. Religious humility recognizes one's total dependence on God; moral humility recognizes one's creaturely equality with others. Yet humility is not only opposed to pride; it is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which would fail to recognize God's gifts and use them according to his will. (Etym, Latin humilitas, abasement, humility, from humus, ground).
Our Lady was perfectly humble. From "The Glories of Mary,":
...Our Lord showed St. Bridget two ladies. One was all pomp and vanity. "She," he said, "is pride; but the other one whom thou seest with her head bent down, courteous towards all, having God alone in her mind, and considering herself as no one, is Humility, her name is Mary."
Again, another passage:
"O how dear are humble souls to Mary!" says St. Bernard; "this Blessed Virgin recognizes and loves those who love her, and is near to all who call upon her; and especially to those whom she sees like unto herself in chastity and humility." Hence the saint exhorts all who love Mary to be humble.[snip]
Then, O my queen, I can never be really thy child unless I am humble; but dost thou not see that my sins, after having rendered me ungrateful to my Lord, have also made me proud? O my Mother, do thou supply a remedy. By the merit of thy humility obtain that I may be truly humble, and thus become thy child. Amen
And, Father Corapi has something to say about humility. He said that humility is the recognition of Truth.
The truth I am finally starting to see glimpses of is that everything I have is a grace and a blessing. I have done nothing on my own. Nothing. The cloak on my shoulders is God's; I have not put it there.
Finally, from "The Glories of Mary,":
Whosoever loves, resembles the person loved, or endeavors to become like that person; according to the well-known proverb, "Love either finds or makes its like." Hence, St. Sophronius exhorts us to endeavor to imitate Mary, if we love her, because this is the greatest act of homage that we can offer her; "My beloved children," the saint says, "serve Mary, whom you love; for you then truly love her, if you endeavor to imitate her whom you love."
May Our Lady, full of grace, teach me to imitate her in everything I do.
25 July 2007
Science fish
I'm not sure what to think of this fish. Does it mean that science and religion can co-exist? Not in this sense...
or, am I being naive? Then what is the following saying? You can still be a Christian even if you like Bristish food? No, wait, that's unheard of.
Does the following mean you are Christian on the outside and Buddhist on the inside? Maybe Richard Gere would know.
I don't know what to think any more.
Heart talks with Mary
One of the books on my bookshelf that was my father's, given to him by Father Jakobek, is Heart Talks with Mary, Second Series, 1938, by Rosalie Marie Levy. Here's one of the entries:
Have you tried them?
A little more Patience, to bear up with this person with whom I am compelled to live, and who is not at all congenial to me.
A little more Firmness, to continue this work which duty demands and which is so repellent to me.
A little more Humility, to remain at the post to which God has led me and which does not fit in at all with my dreams and plans.
A little more Common Sense, to take people as they are, and not as I should like them to be.
A little more Prudence, to bother as little as possible about others and their affairs.
A little more Strength, to endure an event which so suddenly and profoundly disturbs my peace of soul.
A little more Cheerfulness, so as not to show I have been hurt.
A little more Unselfishness, in trying to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.
Above all, a little more Prayer, to draw God to my heart and to take counsel with Him.
Have you tried them?
A little more Patience, to bear up with this person with whom I am compelled to live, and who is not at all congenial to me.
A little more Firmness, to continue this work which duty demands and which is so repellent to me.
A little more Humility, to remain at the post to which God has led me and which does not fit in at all with my dreams and plans.
A little more Common Sense, to take people as they are, and not as I should like them to be.
A little more Prudence, to bother as little as possible about others and their affairs.
A little more Strength, to endure an event which so suddenly and profoundly disturbs my peace of soul.
A little more Cheerfulness, so as not to show I have been hurt.
A little more Unselfishness, in trying to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.
Above all, a little more Prayer, to draw God to my heart and to take counsel with Him.
24 July 2007
Gargoyles - Not just drain pipes any more
A professor and gas mask dude at my alma mater, U of Washington
A shell face from Prague
A more traditional gargoyle from Liverpool, UK
One from TuscanyNot again
It seems that Christmas just gets in the way of everything. From OneNewsNow.com:
Unless history repeats itself, Christmas may be canceled at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as holiday decorations are once again the subject of a proposed ban. The Port of Seattle's Holiday Decorations Advisory Committee says the airport should be decorated for Christmas this year, but without any religious symbols. Last December, nine trees decorated with red ribbons and bows were removed after a rabbi threatened to sue unless a menorah was added. However, the trees were put back on display after the rabbi said he never wanted them removed. Mat Staver is founder of Liberty Counsel, which intervened in the dispute last year. He says legal action may be necessary again. "Obviously, Liberty Counsel will get involved as we did last year with this airport," the attorney explains. "We sent a letter [last year] demanding that they return the Christmas decorations to the airport -- and with the public outcry, the airport did. This year, obviously, we're back to the battleground again, and we're certainly going to go to bat for protecting Christmas." Staver says it is absurd that government officials in Seattle are once again trying to censor Christmas in public. "I think it's ridiculous in a country where we have December 25 as a state and federal holiday to celebrate and honor Christmas -- something that's rooted in the history of America -- that governmental entities would come to censor it out," he says. Staver predicts that legal action is likely if the panel does not revamp its proposal to accommodate religious symbols.
Unless history repeats itself, Christmas may be canceled at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as holiday decorations are once again the subject of a proposed ban. The Port of Seattle's Holiday Decorations Advisory Committee says the airport should be decorated for Christmas this year, but without any religious symbols. Last December, nine trees decorated with red ribbons and bows were removed after a rabbi threatened to sue unless a menorah was added. However, the trees were put back on display after the rabbi said he never wanted them removed. Mat Staver is founder of Liberty Counsel, which intervened in the dispute last year. He says legal action may be necessary again. "Obviously, Liberty Counsel will get involved as we did last year with this airport," the attorney explains. "We sent a letter [last year] demanding that they return the Christmas decorations to the airport -- and with the public outcry, the airport did. This year, obviously, we're back to the battleground again, and we're certainly going to go to bat for protecting Christmas." Staver says it is absurd that government officials in Seattle are once again trying to censor Christmas in public. "I think it's ridiculous in a country where we have December 25 as a state and federal holiday to celebrate and honor Christmas -- something that's rooted in the history of America -- that governmental entities would come to censor it out," he says. Staver predicts that legal action is likely if the panel does not revamp its proposal to accommodate religious symbols.
Prayers please
Please pray for a friend who is nine weeks pregnant. She has a long history of miscarriages.
Please pray for my brother who is in a lengthy training course for the Army. He will be separated from his family for four months, then probably sent to Iraq for 18 months. He's already been there once.
May Our Lady look out for all of them.
Please pray for my brother who is in a lengthy training course for the Army. He will be separated from his family for four months, then probably sent to Iraq for 18 months. He's already been there once.
May Our Lady look out for all of them.
Mid-summer's night reflection
This summer has been a busy one. Despite the fast pace, I need to pull myself away from all of the chaos and appreciate the people in my life.
During my childhood, my mother had cancer come and go for over a decade. She endured every imaginable surgery and treatment. The experience had a profound affect on my life, probably the most profound. Initially, when I learned my mother had cancer, I was in denial. I prayed with everything I had that she wouldn't have cancer. From my grade school perspective, I never believed God would allow it. When He did, I wasn't angry at Him, I just pulled myself up by the boot straps and tried to face the crisis as best I could at such a young age.
My mother's suffering taught me to appreciate those dear to me. Never to let things go unsaid, actions to go undone. It made me both strong and sentimental. I learned that regret is a horrible thing that can't be undone. The people that are in my life now might not be there tomorrow.
Fortunately, I don't have too many regrets about my relationships with people. I did and said the things I always wanted to do for or say to my mom. I regret she wasn't around to be at my wedding and see my children, but those are things that were beyond my control. I have no regrets that I didn't do something I wished I would've or could've. I might not have done things perfectly, but I did them as best I could at the time. Knowing I did my best, that I didn't allow my own selfishness or reluctance to get the better of me and that any oversights weren't intentional, is comforting.
I also grew to appreciate just how comforting Catholicism is.
Now, my family is getting older. This may be the last summer for some of my aunts and uncles. There are a handful of them that are in their 80s. Up to this point, they all had been incredibly healthy, vibrant, exactly as I remembered them in my childhood. But, one aunt is now nearly 90 and in failing health. Another just had a stroke, one just had cancer surgery. An uncle had bypass surgery and now needs to have a knee replaced.
Even my husband's family has its share of suffering. My husband's grandmother, who is almost 90, has Alzheimers. She no longer recognizes anyone. Very sad situation. Two summers ago, she was still living on her own. We would visit her nearly every weekend. None of my husband's cousins ever did, despite only being a mile or two away from her. I only wish they would've had the knowledge I did, because now it's too late. You can visit grandma, but now she just thinks you're a kind stranger. It's not the same.
In the next few weeks, I will be making a conscious effort to get off the busy treadmill and visit my aunts and uncles. I know how I felt about the kind souls who visited my mother. I want to keep that going in a world that is becoming more self-absorbed every day. Not that long ago, people looked in on the elderly and visited the sick. We have truly lost something when we are too busy to take an hour to check in on someone or pick up the phone.
During my childhood, my mother had cancer come and go for over a decade. She endured every imaginable surgery and treatment. The experience had a profound affect on my life, probably the most profound. Initially, when I learned my mother had cancer, I was in denial. I prayed with everything I had that she wouldn't have cancer. From my grade school perspective, I never believed God would allow it. When He did, I wasn't angry at Him, I just pulled myself up by the boot straps and tried to face the crisis as best I could at such a young age.
My mother's suffering taught me to appreciate those dear to me. Never to let things go unsaid, actions to go undone. It made me both strong and sentimental. I learned that regret is a horrible thing that can't be undone. The people that are in my life now might not be there tomorrow.
Fortunately, I don't have too many regrets about my relationships with people. I did and said the things I always wanted to do for or say to my mom. I regret she wasn't around to be at my wedding and see my children, but those are things that were beyond my control. I have no regrets that I didn't do something I wished I would've or could've. I might not have done things perfectly, but I did them as best I could at the time. Knowing I did my best, that I didn't allow my own selfishness or reluctance to get the better of me and that any oversights weren't intentional, is comforting.
I also grew to appreciate just how comforting Catholicism is.
Now, my family is getting older. This may be the last summer for some of my aunts and uncles. There are a handful of them that are in their 80s. Up to this point, they all had been incredibly healthy, vibrant, exactly as I remembered them in my childhood. But, one aunt is now nearly 90 and in failing health. Another just had a stroke, one just had cancer surgery. An uncle had bypass surgery and now needs to have a knee replaced.
Even my husband's family has its share of suffering. My husband's grandmother, who is almost 90, has Alzheimers. She no longer recognizes anyone. Very sad situation. Two summers ago, she was still living on her own. We would visit her nearly every weekend. None of my husband's cousins ever did, despite only being a mile or two away from her. I only wish they would've had the knowledge I did, because now it's too late. You can visit grandma, but now she just thinks you're a kind stranger. It's not the same.
In the next few weeks, I will be making a conscious effort to get off the busy treadmill and visit my aunts and uncles. I know how I felt about the kind souls who visited my mother. I want to keep that going in a world that is becoming more self-absorbed every day. Not that long ago, people looked in on the elderly and visited the sick. We have truly lost something when we are too busy to take an hour to check in on someone or pick up the phone.
23 July 2007
Silly Swiss
Just read an article about some problems in Switzerland at Rütli Meadow, which is where Switzerland began, kind of like our Philadelphia or Boston. From the article:Known as the Rütli Meadow, it was there, according to legend, that in 1291 representatives of the three original Swiss cantons, Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden, took an oath to protect one another from the great threat of the era, the Austrians. So each year on Aug. 1, the purported date of the Rütli oath, the Swiss celebrate their independence and courageous beginnings.
"It's a bit of Bastille Day and the Fourth of July rolled into one," said Urs Studer, Lucerne's mayor, seated in his spacious office in a gingerbread kind of town hall just a short stroll from the lake shore.
Seems the annual celebration in this beautiful part of Switzerland is being disturbed by some skin head and Neo-nazis.
Then, two years ago, the tradition seemed to shatter. The committee invited the incumbent president, Samuel Schmid, who decided to speak about the delicate topic of immigration. But the event was crashed by dozens of skinheads and neo-Nazis, who whistled and hooted and saluted Schmid with extended arms, Nazi-style, making it impossible for him to be heard. Television cameras magnified the event for the Swiss at home.
Samual Schmid is a member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP). In Switzerland's round-robin way of "electing" a president, I guess it was SVP's turn at the helm. From Wikipedia:
The SVP is the right-most of the four co-governing political parties in Switzerland. It is best known for opposing Swiss membership in international organisations such as the EU and UN, and for its campaigning for tougher immigration, asylum and penal laws. The party is socially and fiscally conservative, but secular in outlook. It is in favour of traditional family values, deregulation and reduced government spending (except for the areas of domestic security, the military and agricultural support). The SVP supports the Swiss traditions of private gun ownership, armed neutrality and the national militia army and opposes most forms of international security cooperation.
The party is often considered divided into a centrist-agrarian wing and an activist-nationalist wing. The latter, based in Zurich, is clearly predominant on the national level and, under the leadership of the popular and controversial businessman Christoph Blocher, functioned as a de facto opposition party from circa 1980 to 2003. The former, to which Samuel Schmid belongs, is more of a traditional mainstream party rooted in the Cantons of Bern and Graubünden, where it holds many seats in communal executives. It stresses the party's responsibilities as a member of the governing coalition and is more oriented towards seeking a consensus with the other parties. It is also more open to Swiss membership in international organisations.
My family is from Graubünden, although they left there generations ago. Currently, however, my brother lives outside of Geneva, which is one of the most liberal areas in Switzerland. It is interesting to note that this neutral country was slow to give women the right to vote. That happened in 1971, however women were only given the vote in various cantons gradually and the in the last remaining canton (Appenzell Innerrhoden) only in 1992, and then by a judicial decision against the will of the resisting canton.
As Orson Welles said in the movie "The Third Man," in centuries of brotherly love, democracy and peace, the Swiss produced only the cuckoo clock.
Curious country.
On the nightstand
Currently, I am reading, "The Story of a Soul," the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, and "Surprised by Joy," the autobiographical conversion story of C. S. Lewis.
Since I haven't been too much of a reader, I hadn't read them, although they have been on my bookshelf for years. My parents were voracious readers, but I hadn't picked up the fascination of reading until lately. I have an entire bookcase of my father's religious books and have only begun to read them. The two books I mentioned are some of the first I've opened. Maybe you've read them.
It is odd that I picked the two that I did, simultaneously. I'm only half way through both and almost abandoned Lewis' book since it is, in my opinion, very dry. But, thinking about it, that's probably the point he's trying to make. His life was dry, it had little joy. His mother had passed away when he was young and his father was a remote figure who sent his sons to boarding schools despite their lack of quality. Lewis had few friends and didn't mix well with other children. From a review of the book:
The subtitle of the book, "The Shape of my Early Life," succinctly captures the scope of Lewis's autobiography; it deals almost exclusively with his adolescent search for "joy" and those events leading up to and just subsequent to his conversion at age thirty-one. It comprises what Lewis himself would refer to as "spiritual autobiography," but not in the genre of "Confessions" like those of St. Augustine or Rousseau. Lewis views himself in Surprised by Joy as no more or less a sinner than anyone else, but it is chiefly his intellectual journey that needs charting; his is not a grand repentance from fleshly indulgence but a recovery of a child-like wonderment at the world and its mysteries.
On the other hand, St. Therese is filled with joy at every little thing, the common things. Like Lewis, her mother dies when she is a child, but her sisters and her father display so much love, affection and guidance, that her life is the complete opposite of Lewis'. Unlike Lewis, however, Therese was obviously in God's hand at an early age. Reading her autobiography is humbling and inspiring, while at the same time, quite a challenge for the reader. How anyone could be so Christ-centered at such a young age provides such a contrast to Lewis AND to one's own life. Although I can't identify completely with either, they both provide insight on how one finds God. For Therese, it was an all-consuming thought; for Lewis, the path went from atheism and, catching him off-guard, veered off into Christianity.
No wonder my father had a bookcase full of these types of books. In reading one, it presents so many ideas to explore, so many tangents that intrigue. I already have a list of books I want to read after these.
In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. . . . God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.
From Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis
Since I haven't been too much of a reader, I hadn't read them, although they have been on my bookshelf for years. My parents were voracious readers, but I hadn't picked up the fascination of reading until lately. I have an entire bookcase of my father's religious books and have only begun to read them. The two books I mentioned are some of the first I've opened. Maybe you've read them.
It is odd that I picked the two that I did, simultaneously. I'm only half way through both and almost abandoned Lewis' book since it is, in my opinion, very dry. But, thinking about it, that's probably the point he's trying to make. His life was dry, it had little joy. His mother had passed away when he was young and his father was a remote figure who sent his sons to boarding schools despite their lack of quality. Lewis had few friends and didn't mix well with other children. From a review of the book:
The subtitle of the book, "The Shape of my Early Life," succinctly captures the scope of Lewis's autobiography; it deals almost exclusively with his adolescent search for "joy" and those events leading up to and just subsequent to his conversion at age thirty-one. It comprises what Lewis himself would refer to as "spiritual autobiography," but not in the genre of "Confessions" like those of St. Augustine or Rousseau. Lewis views himself in Surprised by Joy as no more or less a sinner than anyone else, but it is chiefly his intellectual journey that needs charting; his is not a grand repentance from fleshly indulgence but a recovery of a child-like wonderment at the world and its mysteries.
On the other hand, St. Therese is filled with joy at every little thing, the common things. Like Lewis, her mother dies when she is a child, but her sisters and her father display so much love, affection and guidance, that her life is the complete opposite of Lewis'. Unlike Lewis, however, Therese was obviously in God's hand at an early age. Reading her autobiography is humbling and inspiring, while at the same time, quite a challenge for the reader. How anyone could be so Christ-centered at such a young age provides such a contrast to Lewis AND to one's own life. Although I can't identify completely with either, they both provide insight on how one finds God. For Therese, it was an all-consuming thought; for Lewis, the path went from atheism and, catching him off-guard, veered off into Christianity.No wonder my father had a bookcase full of these types of books. In reading one, it presents so many ideas to explore, so many tangents that intrigue. I already have a list of books I want to read after these.
In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. . . . God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.
From Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis
20 July 2007
Gone for the weekend
Yes, we are heading to the cabin again for the weekend. Trying to finish the deck. Might be a tough one in the heat. We will try to prime it this weekend. Paint it next weekend.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Have a great weekend everyone.
When does my subscription run out?
I've been getting St. Anthony Messenger magazine for a few years now, off and on. I got tired of their watered-down, touchy-feely articles, so I cancelled. Two years went by and they kept calling with sales pitches to tug at your heart strings. Their magazine helps to put men through the seminary. Hard to argue with that. I renewed again this year because I wanted to support Catholic causes/charities. I was also tired of the windy and rambling articles in the Wanderer and New Oxford Review. My father had given me subscriptions many years ago to the latter two as as gifts. Sweet hubby really liked NOR, so kept renewing, until recently. We can get the Wanderer at Mass. Now I'm going to tell St. Anthony Messenger to not renew my subscription again. I think there are better places to spend my money.
A few issues ago, SAM had that saint of virtue, George Clooney, on the cover. Granted, his humanitarian efforts are commendable, but there are a lot of other people that they could've had on the cover without being controversial. Some people might like the warm and fuzzy articles in SAM, but like I told the people when I cancelled the first time, I get nothing out of the magazine.
I'm considering a few magazines, but would like to hear any suggestions. I'm looking for something that is way more hard-hitting than SAM, less wordy and more edited than the Wanderer, and less slash and burn than the NOR (I'm still pondering this one). Any body get First Things? NCR? Other?
A few issues ago, SAM had that saint of virtue, George Clooney, on the cover. Granted, his humanitarian efforts are commendable, but there are a lot of other people that they could've had on the cover without being controversial. Some people might like the warm and fuzzy articles in SAM, but like I told the people when I cancelled the first time, I get nothing out of the magazine.
I'm considering a few magazines, but would like to hear any suggestions. I'm looking for something that is way more hard-hitting than SAM, less wordy and more edited than the Wanderer, and less slash and burn than the NOR (I'm still pondering this one). Any body get First Things? NCR? Other?
19 July 2007
Sherlock in MN
If you are looking for something to do, someplace to take the kids that is family friendly, check out the Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the University of Minnesota's Elmer L. Anderson Library. "Victorian Secrets and Edwardian Enigmas: The Riddles of the Rooms of 221B Baker Street" will be on display until August 20. Supposedly, the U of M has one of the largest Sherlock Holmes collections in the world.
Or, Lumberjack Days are going on in Stillwater and Highland Fest starts tomorrow in St. Paul.
Stupid utterances
Yes, it was late and I was tired
Last night, my husband and I were talking...can't even remember what about. He said something to which I said:
"Yeah, back when we were married."
I meant to say, "Yeah, back when we lived in Seattle."
Needless to say, hubby looked at me weird and I was on the floor laughing.
It does harken back to when we did get married. Father Ince and my husband said the vows, I didn't. I was too busy trying to put the ring on hubby's finger to notice I was supposed to be saying something. We have always joked that my husband and Father Ince are married, I was just their witness.
Then Father Ince came to our reception wearing a button that said, "Stay Single." What a card ;} During our rehearsals, he kept telling us to make things look "schmaltzy." Sorry, Father, we kind of missed on that note too.
"Yeah, back when we were married."
I meant to say, "Yeah, back when we lived in Seattle."
Needless to say, hubby looked at me weird and I was on the floor laughing.
It does harken back to when we did get married. Father Ince and my husband said the vows, I didn't. I was too busy trying to put the ring on hubby's finger to notice I was supposed to be saying something. We have always joked that my husband and Father Ince are married, I was just their witness.
Then Father Ince came to our reception wearing a button that said, "Stay Single." What a card ;} During our rehearsals, he kept telling us to make things look "schmaltzy." Sorry, Father, we kind of missed on that note too.
Brazilian guilty of nun's murder
This is kind of old news, but something I hadn't heard. Just awful. She was probably killed more for being an environmental activist than a nun, but this is completely callous. This is from May 15, 2007. From the BBC:
A Brazilian rancher has been found guilty of killing US-born nun and environmental activist Dorothy Stang.
A court in the city of Belem sentenced Vitalmiro Bastos Moura, 36, to 30 years for paying gunmen to shoot the 73-year-old missionary dead in 2005. Sister Dorothy campaigned for poor farmers' rights and to preserve the rainforest from loggers and developers. Her murder followed a dispute with ranchers over land they wanted to clear for pasture and she wanted to protect.
'Justice done'
Judge Raymond Moises Alves Flexa imposed the maximum sentence. He said Moura had showed "a violent personality unsuited to living in society" and that the killing had been carried out in a "cowardly manner". Activists saw the trial as a test of whether the government could act to curb lawlessness in the Amazon.
Dorothy Stang's brother David, who was at the trial, said "justice was done".
Prosecutors said Mr. Moura had ordered Sister Dorothy's killing because she had sent letters to the local authorities accusing him of setting illegal fires to clear land, which led to him receiving a substantial fine.
The Ohio-born nun had lived in the remote town of Anapu for more than 20 years, helping peasant farmers defend their land. She was found dead on a muddy track in February 2005, shot six times at close range. Three men - two gunmen and an intermediary - have already been convicted for the killing, but this was the first trial of someone who ordered it. Another rancher charged with ordering the killing goes on trial later in the year.
In the past 30 years, more than 1,000 people have been killed in land disputes in Brazil, the BBC's Brazil correspondent Gary Duffy says - more than 770 of those in the state of Para.
A Brazilian rancher has been found guilty of killing US-born nun and environmental activist Dorothy Stang.
A court in the city of Belem sentenced Vitalmiro Bastos Moura, 36, to 30 years for paying gunmen to shoot the 73-year-old missionary dead in 2005. Sister Dorothy campaigned for poor farmers' rights and to preserve the rainforest from loggers and developers. Her murder followed a dispute with ranchers over land they wanted to clear for pasture and she wanted to protect.
'Justice done'
Judge Raymond Moises Alves Flexa imposed the maximum sentence. He said Moura had showed "a violent personality unsuited to living in society" and that the killing had been carried out in a "cowardly manner". Activists saw the trial as a test of whether the government could act to curb lawlessness in the Amazon.
Dorothy Stang's brother David, who was at the trial, said "justice was done".
Prosecutors said Mr. Moura had ordered Sister Dorothy's killing because she had sent letters to the local authorities accusing him of setting illegal fires to clear land, which led to him receiving a substantial fine.
The Ohio-born nun had lived in the remote town of Anapu for more than 20 years, helping peasant farmers defend their land. She was found dead on a muddy track in February 2005, shot six times at close range. Three men - two gunmen and an intermediary - have already been convicted for the killing, but this was the first trial of someone who ordered it. Another rancher charged with ordering the killing goes on trial later in the year.
In the past 30 years, more than 1,000 people have been killed in land disputes in Brazil, the BBC's Brazil correspondent Gary Duffy says - more than 770 of those in the state of Para.
Heard today
Man is deformed and in need of reform,
The doctrine of the Church is NOT deformed, and NOT in need of reform.
Father Corapi
The doctrine of the Church is NOT deformed, and NOT in need of reform.
Father Corapi
Motu mania
In his 5 Rules of Engagement about the Motu Proprio, Father Zuhlsdorf gently admonished conservative-minded Catholics about getting too uppity about the potential return of Masses said in Latin coming to a parish near you. The reaction of these conservatives, IMHO, was measured and polite. Above the background noise all that was heard was, "Ah, finally."
What I didn't understand was the reaction of some Catholics and others outside of the Church.
Those within the church, including priests and bishops, criticized this move by Pope Benedict as taking us back to the dark ages and undoing all the good that Vatican II had brought about. They whined that they didn't know Latin, didn't like that the priest said Mass with his back to the congregation, along with a bunch of other nonsense that didn't always have anything to do with the Tridentine or "Latin" Mass. It is an ignorant position, probably a result of poor catechesis. You can still say your prayers in English. No one is going to come to your house and force you to attend Mass in Latin. There won't be a quiz.
Outside of the Church, an entire spectrum of people criticized the Motu. It was, heaven forbid, an old Mass, a Latin Mass. It was anti-semitic. According to them, it would make the Catholic Church even more archaic, more out of touch with the rest of civilization. These same people who don't believe a great deal that the Catholic Church teaches and daily ignore its message, were the ones up-in-arms and quick to criticize the Church, not for reiterating that abortion is wrong or that homosexuality is wrong, but for wanting to internally make some changes...or more correctly re-establish something it had pushed to the side. The same people who get all hot and bothered about the Church coming into their homes, didn't see the hypocracy of coming into the kitchen of the Catholic Church and criticising how it wanted to go about its business.
Some within the Church even said there was no desire on the part of Catholics for this Mass, despite a growing voice of faithful pleading for it. According to Pat Buchanan:
"Ever since Pope John Paul II issued his 1988 indult, which authorized, but did not require, bishops to allow the Latin Mass, the number of Catholics requesting the Tridentine rite -- and the number attending -- has steadily grown. Indeed, it was the stubborn resistance of some bishops to allow the Latin Mass to be said that brought a rising chorus of pleas to Rome from the faithful for the pope to overrule a recalcitrant hierarchy and order them to permit the old mass."
And, Mr. Buchanan's response to the claims of anti-semitism:
"Liberal European bishops were said to have fought restoration of the Latin Mass. And, according to The New York Times, Abe Foxman, resident theologian at the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is about to anathematize the whole lot of us. Declared Abe, speaking ex cathedra for ADL:
"We are extremely disappointed and deeply offended that nearly 40 years after the Vatican rightly removed insulting anti-Jewish language from the Good Friday Mass, that it would now permit Catholics to utter such hurtful and insulting words by praying for Jews to be converted."
What is Abe talking about?
Does he not know that Catholics are required to pray for the conversion of all peoples to Catholicism and Christ? Who duped Abe into thinking this requirement was suspended by Vatican II?
Indeed, if one believes, as devout Catholics do, that Christ and his Church hold the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, it would be anti-Semitic not to pray for the conversation of the Jews. Even Abe."
Like so many, I'm glad the Motu Proprio was released. There is a longing for accessibility to Mass in Latin. Deo Gratias. Dominus vobiscum. Amen.
What I didn't understand was the reaction of some Catholics and others outside of the Church.
Those within the church, including priests and bishops, criticized this move by Pope Benedict as taking us back to the dark ages and undoing all the good that Vatican II had brought about. They whined that they didn't know Latin, didn't like that the priest said Mass with his back to the congregation, along with a bunch of other nonsense that didn't always have anything to do with the Tridentine or "Latin" Mass. It is an ignorant position, probably a result of poor catechesis. You can still say your prayers in English. No one is going to come to your house and force you to attend Mass in Latin. There won't be a quiz.
Outside of the Church, an entire spectrum of people criticized the Motu. It was, heaven forbid, an old Mass, a Latin Mass. It was anti-semitic. According to them, it would make the Catholic Church even more archaic, more out of touch with the rest of civilization. These same people who don't believe a great deal that the Catholic Church teaches and daily ignore its message, were the ones up-in-arms and quick to criticize the Church, not for reiterating that abortion is wrong or that homosexuality is wrong, but for wanting to internally make some changes...or more correctly re-establish something it had pushed to the side. The same people who get all hot and bothered about the Church coming into their homes, didn't see the hypocracy of coming into the kitchen of the Catholic Church and criticising how it wanted to go about its business.
Some within the Church even said there was no desire on the part of Catholics for this Mass, despite a growing voice of faithful pleading for it. According to Pat Buchanan:
"Ever since Pope John Paul II issued his 1988 indult, which authorized, but did not require, bishops to allow the Latin Mass, the number of Catholics requesting the Tridentine rite -- and the number attending -- has steadily grown. Indeed, it was the stubborn resistance of some bishops to allow the Latin Mass to be said that brought a rising chorus of pleas to Rome from the faithful for the pope to overrule a recalcitrant hierarchy and order them to permit the old mass."
And, Mr. Buchanan's response to the claims of anti-semitism:
"Liberal European bishops were said to have fought restoration of the Latin Mass. And, according to The New York Times, Abe Foxman, resident theologian at the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is about to anathematize the whole lot of us. Declared Abe, speaking ex cathedra for ADL:
"We are extremely disappointed and deeply offended that nearly 40 years after the Vatican rightly removed insulting anti-Jewish language from the Good Friday Mass, that it would now permit Catholics to utter such hurtful and insulting words by praying for Jews to be converted."
What is Abe talking about?
Does he not know that Catholics are required to pray for the conversion of all peoples to Catholicism and Christ? Who duped Abe into thinking this requirement was suspended by Vatican II?
Indeed, if one believes, as devout Catholics do, that Christ and his Church hold the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, it would be anti-Semitic not to pray for the conversation of the Jews. Even Abe."
Like so many, I'm glad the Motu Proprio was released. There is a longing for accessibility to Mass in Latin. Deo Gratias. Dominus vobiscum. Amen.
18 July 2007
Sense of entitlement
About six years ago, a gentleman I worked with asked me if I would talk to his son who was choosing a college and a college major. Dad was a Johnnie; Grandpa a Tommie. For me, the answer to the "what college" question was a given: Tommie. As far as college major went, dad wanted his son to go into engineering, but didn't know which type his son would be interested in, if any. Dad arranged for his son to meet with a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer that I worked with, and with me, a chemical engineer.
I spent some time to gather information on the coursework that the son would need to take, types of jobs he could do once he graduated, some information on good engineering schools, and starting salary data. Dad arranged for his son to come in to where we worked and talk to us.
"Michael" was a good kid. Never gave his parents any big problems, did well in school (Benilde-St. Margaret), active in a variety of extracurricular activities, etc. He was as clean cut as they come. I presented my material to him and he listened intently and asked questions.
As I neared the end of my little pitch, I pulled out the starting salary data. I began with some caveats about how salary is important, but you should choose a major you like over what you could potentially earn in a profession you disliked. Liking your job was important, a higher priority, at least to me, than salary. Reluctantly, I handed him the salary data for a fresh-out-of-college, no-experience chemical engineer. I had a strong sense that the numbers would unduly influence his decision.
He looked at the number and his demeanor instantly changed. "That's it?" he indignantly said in an elevated voice. At that time, years ago, a new chemical engineer fresh out of college was making around $60K. I figured the salary data would be a reason to seriously consider studying engineering and his reaction was 180 degrees from what I thought it would be.
I knew immediately that he would NEVER study engineering.
Actually, my first thought was, "You little ingrate. Go to college, go find a job and let's see what you make when you graduate. If $60K isn't good enough for you, there is something wrong."
What's going on?
That narcissistic attitude is understandable in my kids, but it is very unbecoming in an adult. Today, there are those that believe that the world "owes" them and they want to everything immediately. They are never satisfied; they always want more. Nothing is never good enough for them and they frequently show no gratitude or express any thanks.
Sometime parents are to blame for giving their children everything they want and not providing an accurate view of the world, a world that isn't fair and isn't going to hand you everything right now, if ever.
Michael's reaction surprised me, but then I remembered the culture we live in. The culture Michael was raised in. The immediate gratification, the false notion that bigger is better, the more you have the happier you will be -- compromising their future to live for today.
In the book, Thirty and Broke, it discusses the mentality of this generation. The comment in red is mine:
“the first generation that came of age with the Internet, grew up marketed to at every turn… and they could be the most indebted generation in modern history.”
“When these students start out in the working world, many use their credit cards to fund a richer lifestyle (that they have grown accustomed to) than they can afford, get by between jobs, or cover emergency expenses. The average credit-card debt among 25-34-year-olds was $5,200 in 2004, 98% higher than in 1992.”
They exemplify “a generation with an unusual sense of entitlement. They were brought up as consumers, comfortable with prosperity, certain of their eventual success. For many 30-year-olds, establishing themselves takes longer and is more complicated than they thought it would be.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch
I was raised with different axioms: The world owes you nothing. Life is tough and unfair. There is always some poor SOB that has it worse than you do. Thank God for the gifts He has given you. Be thankful. Appreciate what you have and take care of it. Finally, stop your bitching (what can I say, my dad was a Navy man).
I'm trying to teach my kids to appreciate what they have. To not have a sense of entitlement. However, it seems everything is against me. Go to a grocery store or many other businesses and your kids get candy or suckers. Take your kids out to dinner and they get crayons and coloring books, balloons, toys.
Resistance is futile. We took the kids to McDonald's one morning after Mass. Didn't buy them Happy Meals, just a burger. Guess that's against the rules. The manager of the store came out with Happy Meal toys and gave them to our children. He probably thought we were mean parents and he was a generous soul to do this. What he didn't get is that we didn't buy them Happy Meals for the very fact we didn't want them to have the stupid toy! The world won't end if they don't get a toy every time they go somewhere.
My kids are not deprived. They have far more than I ever did as a child and I had a good childhood. We weren't wealthy, but we weren't poor either. My parents could've afforded to give us more "junk" than they did, but consciously chose not to.
Now that I'm a parent, I appreciate my parents' prudence and sense of what is proper. It's not easy to put your foot down because you so often want to give in, to give your child something that will put a smile on their face. However, that smile on their face will turn into a surly attitude if fed with all this consumerism and sense of entitlement.
I don't want my kid to grow up and balk at the idea of making $60K a year right out of the shoot.
Michael ended up studying accounting...at St. John's.
I spent some time to gather information on the coursework that the son would need to take, types of jobs he could do once he graduated, some information on good engineering schools, and starting salary data. Dad arranged for his son to come in to where we worked and talk to us.
"Michael" was a good kid. Never gave his parents any big problems, did well in school (Benilde-St. Margaret), active in a variety of extracurricular activities, etc. He was as clean cut as they come. I presented my material to him and he listened intently and asked questions.
As I neared the end of my little pitch, I pulled out the starting salary data. I began with some caveats about how salary is important, but you should choose a major you like over what you could potentially earn in a profession you disliked. Liking your job was important, a higher priority, at least to me, than salary. Reluctantly, I handed him the salary data for a fresh-out-of-college, no-experience chemical engineer. I had a strong sense that the numbers would unduly influence his decision.
He looked at the number and his demeanor instantly changed. "That's it?" he indignantly said in an elevated voice. At that time, years ago, a new chemical engineer fresh out of college was making around $60K. I figured the salary data would be a reason to seriously consider studying engineering and his reaction was 180 degrees from what I thought it would be.
I knew immediately that he would NEVER study engineering.
Actually, my first thought was, "You little ingrate. Go to college, go find a job and let's see what you make when you graduate. If $60K isn't good enough for you, there is something wrong."
What's going on?
That narcissistic attitude is understandable in my kids, but it is very unbecoming in an adult. Today, there are those that believe that the world "owes" them and they want to everything immediately. They are never satisfied; they always want more. Nothing is never good enough for them and they frequently show no gratitude or express any thanks.
Sometime parents are to blame for giving their children everything they want and not providing an accurate view of the world, a world that isn't fair and isn't going to hand you everything right now, if ever.
Michael's reaction surprised me, but then I remembered the culture we live in. The culture Michael was raised in. The immediate gratification, the false notion that bigger is better, the more you have the happier you will be -- compromising their future to live for today.
In the book, Thirty and Broke, it discusses the mentality of this generation. The comment in red is mine:
“the first generation that came of age with the Internet, grew up marketed to at every turn… and they could be the most indebted generation in modern history.”
“When these students start out in the working world, many use their credit cards to fund a richer lifestyle (that they have grown accustomed to) than they can afford, get by between jobs, or cover emergency expenses. The average credit-card debt among 25-34-year-olds was $5,200 in 2004, 98% higher than in 1992.”
They exemplify “a generation with an unusual sense of entitlement. They were brought up as consumers, comfortable with prosperity, certain of their eventual success. For many 30-year-olds, establishing themselves takes longer and is more complicated than they thought it would be.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch
I was raised with different axioms: The world owes you nothing. Life is tough and unfair. There is always some poor SOB that has it worse than you do. Thank God for the gifts He has given you. Be thankful. Appreciate what you have and take care of it. Finally, stop your bitching (what can I say, my dad was a Navy man).
I'm trying to teach my kids to appreciate what they have. To not have a sense of entitlement. However, it seems everything is against me. Go to a grocery store or many other businesses and your kids get candy or suckers. Take your kids out to dinner and they get crayons and coloring books, balloons, toys.
Resistance is futile. We took the kids to McDonald's one morning after Mass. Didn't buy them Happy Meals, just a burger. Guess that's against the rules. The manager of the store came out with Happy Meal toys and gave them to our children. He probably thought we were mean parents and he was a generous soul to do this. What he didn't get is that we didn't buy them Happy Meals for the very fact we didn't want them to have the stupid toy! The world won't end if they don't get a toy every time they go somewhere.
My kids are not deprived. They have far more than I ever did as a child and I had a good childhood. We weren't wealthy, but we weren't poor either. My parents could've afforded to give us more "junk" than they did, but consciously chose not to.
Now that I'm a parent, I appreciate my parents' prudence and sense of what is proper. It's not easy to put your foot down because you so often want to give in, to give your child something that will put a smile on their face. However, that smile on their face will turn into a surly attitude if fed with all this consumerism and sense of entitlement.
I don't want my kid to grow up and balk at the idea of making $60K a year right out of the shoot.
Michael ended up studying accounting...at St. John's.
17 July 2007
Don't mess with Grandma
Ok, I think this is a joke. I couldn't find any mention of it in the NY Times, but maybe it is for real. Regardless, it is funny. H/T to sweet hubby.
Bounced Check
Shown below, is a letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity,and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters -- when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, over-charging, prerecorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
#1. To make an appointment to see me
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client ....
Bounced Check
Shown below, is a letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity,and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters -- when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, over-charging, prerecorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
#1. To make an appointment to see me
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client ....
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