All In God's Time

Last night we toasted to Ed's life, circled 'round the bed. His wife put a drop of his favorite single malt scotch (The Macallan) on his lips. At that, he raised the corner of his mouth in the way he always did when he grinned mischievously, then moved his tongue side-to-side to indicate he was there with us, enjoying the moment - and the whisky. That was a huge effort on his part, but there was no ambiguity. He was still there - a small, low pilot light.

Kobayashi Maru shares the three day vigil held with his brother, Ed, as he departed this world. It is a quietly powerful and moving story, one that I am not ashamed to say moved me to tears.

Ed was granted the gift of the "good death" that the old prayers to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ask for. Surrounded by his loving family, allowed to go in God's time, while his family was blessed with the knowledge of God's love. As KM says, "God's purpose. God's plan. Goodness through hardship. Purpose through broken things." We know he wanted to stay, oh so badly. But since he had to go, what a way to do it. May we all be as blessed as Ed when our time comes.

Eternal peace grant to Ed, O Lord, and peace to his family.

I Had No Idea

I have heard about the Middle Eastern Christian martyrs and the Chinese Catholic Underground, but I am one of those who Crisis publisher Brian Saint-Paul mentions ... I had no idea about this situation. With that in mind, I am reprinting his entire email letter below.

A Religious Upheaval In India... And What It Means For Catholicism

Crisis Magazine e-Letter
October 13, 2005

Dear Friend,
Devidas Sabane was a diligent farmer, working the land of a former member of the Indian parliament. When his son fell ill, the impoverished Sabane went to the landowner's brother to request money for his treatment. The brother wasn't in a giving mood. He beat Sabane viciously and forced poison down his throat. The farmer died later that day. When his bereaved wife reported the murder to the police and the State Human Rights Commission, they brushed her off. She later committed suicide.

This is India today. The account -- one among many -- comes from the testimony of Indira Athwale, given last week before the United States Committee on International Relations. You see, the Sabanes weren't just Indians, they were Untouchable.

India is made up of a caste system, a construct of its Hindu heritage. At the top are the Brahmins -- the priestly class. Below them are the Kshatriyas, then the Vaisyas, and finally the Sudras.

There's another group that hasn't even merited a place on the Indian social ladder: the Dalit, otherwise known as the Untouchables. Life as an Untouchable is devastating. They're held in contempt by other members of society, are relegated to the most menial of jobs, and even physical contact with them is thought to bring contamination (requiring special purification rituals to cleanse the higher caste member). Their women are raped without retribution, and their men beaten and killed without justice.

While discrimination against the 250 million Dalit is officially prohibited in the Indian constitution, it continues unabated. That they make up almost 1/3 of the country's population is irrelevant. They're Untouchable and have no voice.

But now, something is happening among the Dalit... and it may have effects on the religious future of the country.

You see, after centuries of shameful oppression by their fellow Hindus, the Untouchables are starting to move away from the religion. Initially, there were large Dalit conversions to Buddhism. But the attractions of that faith are proving limited.

And so now, two religions are receiving attention and a growing number of Dalit converts: Christianity and Islam. The possibilities here are striking.

I spoke Friday with Betsy Vigneri, a media consultant with the Dalit Freedom Network, and she told me the shift began in the late 1990s. "It was a culmination of things," she said. "The world moved toward globalization, technology, and communication. Suddenly, some of the educated Dalits were able to see what was happening in the outside world. They realized they could tell their story to a global audience. That's when they organized and began to look for ways to help themselves. They also realized that the best way to find relief from this victimization -- from this slavery -- is to quit Hinduism and embrace another religion."

The transition wasn't easy at first. "Originally, the Christian churches were also practicing the caste system. But now, they're working for freedom of conscience in religion. They're there to serve -- the same approach Mother Teresa took. In their service, they're trying to demonstrate the love of Christ."

While the Muslims are making every effort to convert the Untouchables, the Christian churches have an advantage: the person of Christ. "I've found that when Dalits hear about Jesus, they're deeply moved to learn that He loves them," Vigneri said. "All their lives, they've been told how horrible they are. But they hear that Jesus not only loves them but died for them. In their minds, He reached out to the Untouchables of His day. Touched them... talked to them... ate with them... These are all forbidden for a higher caste person to do with the Dalits."

But Islam itself is not without its own attractions. When an Untouchable becomes Muslim, the female converts are protected by the Muslim men from the harassment of the Hindus. This is no small thing, since Dalit women are in frequent danger of assault and rape.

On the other hand, there are aspects of Islam that some Untouchables find disconcerting. Vigneri noted that "there are Dalit men who have seen how some Muslim men treat their wives or view women. They don't want that for their wives and daughters."

While Muslim and Christian leaders in India have had fairly cordial relations thus far, there is real concern that if India turns Islamic, they could impose Sharia law on everyone. Given the experience of non-Muslims in other such states, that could mean an entirely new form of oppression.

Vigneri told me that there are a few things Christians in the West can do to help the Untouchables -- both in their fight against their horrific living conditions and in their spiritual journey:

1. Spread the word about what's going on in India. "So many Christians tell us, 'I had no idea this was happening.' The Dalits want us to tell the world what they're going through. This is very humbling. We tend to think people want creature comforts. But the Dalits want their stories told."


2. Pray. "The first thing Christian Dalits ask for is prayer. These people have nothing, but they know the power of prayer."


3. Stay informed. One of the best ways to keep yourself up-to-date on the struggles of the Untouchables is to visit the Dalit Freedom Network.

India is at a religious crossroads. Within one generation, we'll see some kind of radical shift in the spiritual makeup of that rising nation. Will it become the next bright light for Christianity, or might it join other jihadist states in violence and oppression? Time will tell.

We in the United States tend to live in a self-enclosed world. That's the stereotype of Americans, and that stereotype is too often true (and I'm as guilty as anyone). But as Catholics, we have a spiritual obligation to care for all the world's suffering. By adding the plight of the Dalits to your own prayer intentions and by telling their story, you'll help them in this world and the next.

All the best,

Brian

National Clandestine Service? "Jose"? Is This A Joke?

Because these names sound like something that they'd use for a Saturday Night Live skit.

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has announced the creation of a new service to oversee human intelligence, meaning information gathered through people rather than electronic sources, among all federal agencies working in that field.

Officials said Thursday that the director of the new National Clandestine Service will be an agent known only as "Jose" because he remains undercover. He is currently head of the CIA's clandestine unit.

Read the whole story here.

An Experience of Angels

Therese Z. shares an experience she had of "hearing" an angel. It is a simple and yet very powerful story.

She then asks if anybody else has had a similar experience. What sprang to mind does not have to do with angels or a direct communication. However, her reaction as "sort of serenely nonplussed" sparked a memory that I share with my dear friend Stevie.

I was in Adoration at the beginning of a CRHP retreat. A woman was there who was praying with others before going in to tell her story to the group. When it was time to go, she walked by me and I felt a "WHOOSH" hit me in the face. It left me disoriented for a few seconds. Oddly enough I simply thought, "That must be the Holy Spirit" and then returned to prayer. I didn't even think about it again until Stevie, who had been in Adoration at the same time, told me that she had "felt" the Holy Spirit go by when the woman left the room. Suddenly I remembered that "WHOOSH." Truly it must have been the Holy Spirit passing by.

Romantic Tip

Yet Two More

There are two kinds of people in the world:

Object People and Experience People

Object People see love symbolized in gifts, in things: Roses, jewelry, socket wrench sets. Experience people see love expressed in time spent together, in experiences: Dinner, movies, bowling. Neither is better than the other, they're just personal preferences. And, interestingly, neither preference is related to gender.

Why do you need to know this? Because if your partner is an Object Person, and you take her to the best restaurant in town and drop $200 on an elegant experience, she'll still be expecting a gift at the end of the evening. She's not being selfish, she's simply being herself.

Object People love items that have special meaning. Experience People love activities that create special memories.

1001 Ways to Be Romantic

I never really have thought about this one (perhaps one reason I need this book?) but believe that we are both experience people. Don't get me wrong, gifts are nice too, but not at all in the same way.

Something Beautiful is Happening

Be sure to read the 6:45 p.m. update at Kobayashi Maru's as they sit in vigil with his brother who is dying. It is very sad but very holy also. KM is sharing a treasure with us.

INTO Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit. Holy Mary, pray for me. O Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, ...protect me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death. St. Joseph, pray for me. St. Joseph, in company with the Blessed Virgin, Your spouse, open to me the [source] of divine mercy.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony [or in my last moment].

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I sleep and rest in peace in your holy company.

Lord hear our prayer.

Prayers Requested for This Family

At various points throughout the day, I've played DJ, putting on various CDs that my brother likes. If there's beauty to be found in dying, we've found enough today to go on one more step... one more hour... one more breath. We hold each other close in love.

Kobayashi Maru's brother is going home. Pray for him and his family, for their peace and strength in this hard time. Lord hear our prayer.

"Offer It Up." What the Heck Does That Mean?

Jennifer asks what the phrase, "offer it up" means (mentioned in this post). I can understand her question entirely because it certainly mystified me when I first heard it my mother-in-law say it many years ago. She was counseling one of our daughters to "offer up" her annoyance at something. I think that her explanation is the simplest, and therefore possibly the best, that I have ever heard.

It means to offer your suffering to God as a sacrifice.

You can do this with a specific intention. This can be done with small things annoyances (as I did with that woman behind me in line last night in the long, long pharmacy line who was talking so loudly on her cell phone that I couldn't hear the pharmacist when I finally had my turn with him) as well as large (my last root canal!). I often am reminded on a fast day that the hunger I am feeling is perhaps the same hunger that my parents' souls feel without any belief in God, so I will offer my hunger to God as a sacrifice for their conversion. You also can offer it up without any intention at all and give it to God to use as He will. Not only does this put our suffering to good use but, from my own point of view, it certainly gives one a better perspective on putting up with that particular suffering or annoyance.

As the excerpt in the previous post mentions, the point of this is not to be a "victim" but to make a joyful offering.

This post, Holy Mass and Personal Self Sacrifice, also sheds some light on the idea of offering suffering to God.

Romantic Tip 497

Two

There are two kinds of people in the world:

Detail People and Overview People

Detail People focus on the little things; they notice everything. Overview People focus on the big picture; they see general trends. Neither is right or wrong, these are simply character tendencies.

It will be much easier for you to pull romantic surprises if you're a Detail Person and your loved one is an Overview Person. Detail People are good at covering their trail, paying attention to the little things, and acting "normal." The overview partner won't even notice any little slips.

If you're the Overview Person, you'll need to be extra careful when planning surprises. Those detail-oriented partners will notice every unusual phone call, every little chance in your schedule, and that mischievous look on your face!

1001 Ways to Be Romantic

Me? Details, details, details. Tom won't even let me nudge a gift box to one side, having learned the hard way that I am a really good guesser.

The Eucharist as a Sacrifice

As we participate in the Eucharist, not only do we participate in Christ's sacrifice on Calvary but we are called to share in that sacrifice. Just knowing this should change how we view everything that irks us at Mass. Are you:

• Suffering mental anguish -- like a crown of thorns is weighted upon your head?
• Weighed down by worldly concerns -- like the weight of the cross is on you?
• Feeling powerless -- like you are nailed to a cross?

If we take away a sacrificial attitude toward the Eucharist, we are likely to fail to see the connection between our lives and what we do at Mass. We are apt to sit in judgment, waiting to be entertained (whether we are conservative or liberal, what we want to see differs but the attitude is the same). When we fail to bring a sacrificial attitude to the Eucharist, our participation seems at times to be modeled more after Herod's banquet, where Simone's dance cost the Baptist his head, than after the Last Supper of Our Lord, where there was every indication that partaking in this banquet was likely to cost the disciples their own lives. (Indeed, ten of the twelve were martyred, Judas took his own life, and John survived being boiled alive in a cauldron of oil.) ...

Participation in the Eucharist requires that we die to ourselves and live in Christ. If we want to get the most out of the Eucharist, then sacrifice is the key. This is what has been lost on many of us and if we want to reclaim all the spiritual riches that are available to us we must relearn what it means not only to "offer it up" but indeed to offer ourselves up.

Now I want to be clear that what I am proposing in this book is not the "victim-ism" that was sometimes prevalent in the older spirituality of "offering it up." In every situation we are free to choose how we will respond to an event: we can blame someone else for what is happening, or we can feel powerless and do nothing. It is my contention that neither of these responses is Christ-like. The experience of "offering up" our lives to God needs to be a positive and co-redemptive act. Thankfully, with God's help we are all capable of freely choosing to respond in this fashion.

How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist
by Michael Dubruiel

Resource Spotlight

CATHOLIC CULTURE: LITURGICAL YEAR
Catholic Culture has a lot of good resources but the one that I really use consistently is their daily liturgical page. Each one has the Church's saint of the day, along with the saint of the day according to the old calendar which is sometimes quite enlightening. Along with extra links for more information, each saint has a "Things to Do" list at the bottom which have all sorts of different applications to daily life: recipes, crafts, links to more reading, and really good suggestions for ways to relate to the virtues of each saint.

There also is always an overview page for the month as well as one for the liturgical season that the Church is in at that time.

Just Finished

DEJA DEAD by Kathy Reichs

I picked this up because this author's books are supposedly the ones that the new TV show "Bones" is based on. I can see the resemblance though the show is necessarily much tamer. The main character is a woman who is a forensic scientist and, of course, up pops a dismembered body that puts her in mind of one from several years ago. Set in Montreal, there are several policemen whose jurisdiction the various murders fall into and she manages to bully all of them into allowing her to help investigate. (Oh sure, have one best friend fall victim to the murderer and find your own photo in the main suspect's apartment marked with a big X and they're like putty in your hands.)

This was fairly good although I was somewhat hampered by my squeamishness in reading about dismembered body parts, heads, etc. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you then have at it because this was a good book with the main character's life providing lots of room for development in subsequent books.

This was book #97 of the year for me, which even I find rather surprising, especially when you consider how many books I have read anywhere from 50-100 pages of before deciding not to finish it.

Surprised, I Was

Via Idle Mendacity.

Welcome to Happy Catholic Country!

Like my new slogan? Courtesy of the Slogan Generator which I've seen all over the blogosphere lately.

Thar They Blow!

According to Rose, these are the best analogies for how Tom and I lose our tempers ...

"You're more like 'Old Faithful.' The signs are there and you can see it building up until ... it blows!" (Yes, you could say I'm a regular "venter" but at least I leave the landscape in one piece ... I'm taking solace where I can.)

"Dad is more like Mount Saint Helens. It's all quiet and nice and you barely get enough warning to start running for your life before a giant explosion and lots of lava everywhere." (That's the problem with those nice guys ... when they lose it, they don't mess around!)

Saints - Not Just for Catholics Anymore

My latest article for Spero News, a review of The Lure of Saints: A Protestant Experience Of Catholic Tradition.

Highly recommended for Protestants wishing to understand this Catholic devotion and for Catholics wishing more insight into the Protestant imagination. Read the review to find out a bit more.

UPDATE: Just to help us keep seeing things from each others' perspective, Rick Lugari has a Catholic version/Protestant version joke of the day. Hilarious!

Condolences to Lee Strong and Family

Lee's mother died today. Eternal rest grant her, O Lord, and peace and comfort to the family she has left behind. My prayers go with them in these days of mourning.

BlondeStar to the Rescue!

Find out about this valuable service at De Civitate Dei.

Things That Only Happen in Movies

The final ten ...

1. Plain or even ugly girls can become movie star pretty simply by removing their glasses and rearranging their hair.
2. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their enemies with complicated devices incorporating fuses, pulleys, deadly gases, lasers and man-eating sharks.
3. All beds have special L-shaped sheets that reach to armpit level on a woman but only up to the waist of the man lying beside her.
4. Anyone can land a 747 as long as there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
5. During all police investigations it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
6. You can always find a chainsaw when you need one.
7. Most musical instruments (especially wind instruments and accordions) can be played without moving your fingers.
8. In Middle America, all gas station attendants have red handkerchiefs hanging out of their back pockets.
9. All teen house parties have one of every stereotypical subculture present (even people who aren't liked and would never get invited to parties).
10. Trucks use their horns at random (no hang on, that happens in real life too!).

Source

Via Looking Closer Journal

Coolest Photo of the Week

Sept. 28 - Oct. 5: Supreme Court, Sun and Sculpture
A U.S. Navy F-18 breaks the sound barrier
at the California International Airshow on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2005, in Salinas, Calif.
The cloud built up around the jet as it reached the speed of sound.
(Orville Myers, Monterey County Herald /AP Photo)
From the ABC News Photo Gallery

I Can Dig It

Your Hair Should Be Purple

Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Via that feisty redhead, The Anchoress.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and I was surprised to see only Steven Riddle mentioning it ... and mostly to say why he still respects the rosary even though he doesn't particularly like it.

I am not a devoted rosary sayer, though, ironically enough, I started up again this morning on the way to work, contemplating the Sorrowful Mysteries. Steven wrote a lovely piece (as always) and I will direct anyone who wants more info to Catholic Culture's Liturgical Calendar for today.

UPDATE: The Lady in the Pew has a lovely post about this feast.

Mensa Answer

The answer to yesterday's brain teaser was gotten by 75% of Mensa test takers: "parting" and "prating".

See the First 9 Minutes of Serenity

It’s all free and legal. Universal Pictures wants you to watch this one.

Via Ain't It Cool.

Things That Only Happen in Movies

The third ten ...

1. Cars will explode instantly when struck by a single bullet.
2. No matter how savagely a spaceship is attacked, its internal gravity system is never damaged.
3. If being chased through a city you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.
4. The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. Nobody will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building undetected.
5. You will survive any battle in any war UNLESS you show someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
6. Prostitutes always look like Julia Roberts or Jamie Lee Curtis. They have expensive clothes and nice apartments but no pimps. They are friendly with the shopkeepers in their neighbourhood who don't mind at all what the girl does for a living.
7. A single match is usually sufficient to light up a room the size of a football stadium.
8. It is not necessary to say "Hello" or "Goodbye" when beginning a telephone conversation. A disconnected call can always be restored by frantically beating the cradle and saying "Hello? Hello?" repeatedly.
9. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at once (it's called Stallone's Law).
10. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in you room will still be visible, just slightly bluish.

Source

Via Looking Closer Journal

Loving the Will of God

Father, thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven ... We should be disposed to do the Will of God and to love what God does or permits. When we find ourselves in circumstances that are outside of our control, we should look for God's loving presence. If our situation is difficult, humanly speaking, we should pray in a spirit of abandonment: Is that what you want, Lord? ... Then it's what I want also! (J. Escriva, The Way).

These are wonderful opportunities for us to trust more and more in God. The divine Will may present itself to us in the form of suffering, of sickness or the death of a loved one. It may appear to us in the simplest of daily circumstances such as the gradual weakening and aging of the body, an insufficient salary or a professional commitment we cannot get out of. It could appear as some failure due to a simple mistake or misunderstanding. It might manifest itself in the grating personality of a co-worker, the frustration of unrealized ambitions and noble dreams, the acceptance of one's limitations or simply the lifelong struggle to grow in virtue. We may want to say with St. Teresa of Avila:

Give me wealth or poverty,
give me comfort or discomfort,
give me joy or sorrow ...
What do you want to make of me?

What do you want from me, Lord, in this present, actual, concrete situation?

If we accept the divine Will, God will give peace to our soul. We will also avoid useless human suffering, though we will still experience pain. Christ himself wept like one of us...Our cries do not offend God, but move him to compassion...

The Lord wants us to accept his Will in everything. He also wants us to do whatever we can to improve a bad situation, if that is possible. If this is not to be or if we have to be more patient, let us hold onto our Father God's hand with renewed trust. As St. Paul said in the midst of a great trial: With all our affliction, I am overjoyed. (2 Cor 7:4). Nothing can take away our joy.

In Conversation With God: Ordinary Time: Weeks 24-34

The Best Airplane Ever, Don't Cha Think?

The Salmon Thirty Salmon

Mysteries of the Kitchen

Mama T points out that she can never buy the right number of bananas (a problem which I share with her). Also she buys bags of lettuce just so she can throw them away later after they have spoiled.

Pffft! Doesn't she know that the proper thing to buy so it can spoil and then be thrown away is cauliflower?

Ten Rules About the Devil

Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, 66, the archbishop of Genoa, dedicated his Lenten letter [2001] to combating the fascination of a devil who is charming, shrewd and very real. Those who follow his 10-step program are promised the ability to rebuff offers of forbidden fruit, unlike Adam and Eve or dissenters.

Ten Practical Rules to Resist Satan

Rule one: "Do not forget that the devil exists."

Rule two: "Do not forget that the devil is a tempter."

Rule three: "Do not forget that the devil is very intelligent and astute."

Rule four: "Be (always) vigilant in the eyes and the heart."

Rule five: "Be strong in spirit and virtue."

Rule six: "Tireless prayer."

Rule seven: "Adoring God."

Rule eight: "Listening to God's Words."

Rule nine: "Remembering Christ's victory over temptation. Remembering man's sharing in that victory."

Rule ten: "Be humble and love mortification."

Source

The "King Ranch" Version Ten Commandments

People here in Texas have trouble with all those "shalls" and "shall nots" in the Ten Commandments.

Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch" language:

The Cowboy's Ten Commandments
(posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas)

1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No tellin' tales or gossipin'.
4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin'.
5. Put nothin' before God.
6. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
7. No killin.'
8. Watch yer mouth.
9. Don't take what ain't yers.
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Now that's kinda plain an' simple, don't ya think?

Y'all have a good day.

From my inbox. Thanks Deb!

Things That Only Happen in Movies

The second ten ...

1. Any police officer about to retire from the force will more often than not die on their last day (especially if their family have planned a party). (Caveat: Detectives can only solve a case after they have been suspended from duty).
2. Getaway cars never start first go. But all cop cars do. (They will also slide to a dramatic stop in the midst of a crime scene).
3. If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises wearing their most revealing underwear.
4. On a police stake-out, the action will only ever take place when food is being consumed and scalding hot coffees are perched precariously on the dashboard . . .
5. All grocery shopping involves the purchase of French loaves which will be placed in open brown paper bags (Caveat: when said bags break, only fruit will spill out).
6. Cars never need fuel (unless they're involved in a pursuit).
7. If you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts, your opponents will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around you in a threatening manner until you have defeated their predecessor.
8. If a microphone is turned on it will immediately feedback.
9. Guns are like disposable razors. If you run out of bullets, just throw the gun away. you will always find another one.
10. All single women have a cat.

Source

Via Looking Closer Journal

Musing 'Bout Miers

I didn't have much of an opinion about John Roberts. And it didn't matter if I did. Nothing I thought was going to get him into the Supreme Court (or visa versa).

I just don't pay much attention to that sort of thing. I do know that all the conservatives were all atwitter about how much they didn't really trust him because you couldn't tell about his record. Now he's in and its a lovefest as they compare him to Harriet Miers.

So, suddenly there's Harriet Miers. I'd never even heard of her. Except maybe the name sounded a bit familiar (Tom thought so too ... school board? ... city council? ... anyway, one of those kinds of jobs...).

Then I'm reading all about her in story after story in the Dallas Morning News. And what I'm reading doesn't seem to match up with all these upset liberals and conservatives.

Everybody who has ever worked with her seems to like and respect this lady. The conservatives like her. The liberals like her. (When I say Diane Ragsdale likes her ... well, you've got to be from Dallas to understand what an amazing thing that is. She doesn't like anybody who looks like Harriet Miers and lives where she does.) She was the first woman lawyer hired by a big Dallas firm, the first woman partner, the first woman head of the TX Bar Association and on and on.

She seems to do her homework and work with both sides. For heavens' sake, she even brings donuts to church. I bet she'd stay behind to sweep up if they needed a volunteer.

Again, I don't pay much attention to that sort of thing, but if President Bush has known her personally for a long time, he probably knows her character much better than everyone who took one quick look and started screaming. I never completely trust any politician. However, there are a lot of people out there who spend a lot of time talking about how much they trust George Bush. And now most of them are screaming bloody murder. So much for trust, huh?

If you look at the qualifications for the Supreme Court a law degree isn't even required. So it could be much worse. Bush actually could have put in one of his daughters (unless there's an age requirement?).

In the meantime, this looks an awful lot to us like it did when there was all that twittering over Judge Roberts' nomination. Much ado about nothing.

Laugh-Out-Loud Funny

Destined to become a classic.

Via Quiet Life.

You Don't Have to Just Take My Word For It

So here's what I have to say about Serenity:

This is the kind of movie that I have always intended Ender's Game to be (though the plots are not at all similar).

And this is as good a movie as I always hoped Ender's Game would be.

And I'll tell you this right now: If Ender's Game can't be this kind of movie, and this good a movie, then I want it never to be made.

I'd rather just watch Serenity again.

Orson Scott Card weighs in on Serenity.

Things That Only Happen in Movies

The first ten ...

1. It is always possible to find a parking spot directly outside or opposite the building you are visiting.
2. When paying for a taxi, don't look at your wallet as you take out a note. Just grab one out at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.
3. Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at the precise moment it's aired.
4. Creepy music (or satanic chanting) coming from a graveyard should always be closely investigated.
5. Any lock can be picked with a credit card or paperclip in seconds. UNLESS it's the door to a burning building with a child inside.
6. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.
7. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red digital displays so you know exactly when they are going to explode.
8. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to learn to speak German. Simply speaking English with a German accent will do. Similarly, when they are alone, all German soldiers prefer to speak English to each other.
9. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off. Even while scuba diving.
10. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.

Source

Via Looking Closer Journal

"This is the sweetest, most justified kidnapping I've ever seen."

Randy: How many kidnappings have you seen?
Catalina: Five or six.

If you've been missing My Name is Earl then you're missing one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. I can't do it justice by trying to summarize the plot but I hafta say that the whole thing about smoking the carrot sticks and also the poisoned cookies had us rolling on the floor.

The first three episodes will be rerun on Saturday night if you want to catch up. Give it a try.

Examining Evil

The world we live in is surrounded by and filled with a deeper reality.

Our faith illuminates this reality as one that exists in superabundance on the spiritual level; it is filled with a myriad of angels and the surging rivers of God’s grace.

It is a reality that is not dulled by the void of space and expanse of the cosmos, but rather is brimming to its very boundaries by the brilliance of the Son of God.

It is a reality where the saints dwell around us, ever waiting to assist the pilgrim Church on her journey, and where the poorest and most despised in our world often radiate glory and praise to God, as Jesus taught.

Still, there is a dark serpent that winds his way through every part of this reality, stinging it with the pain of the absence of God and marring our world with sadness.

This excellent five-part series from The Criterion ranges from the fall of the angels to the fall of man and winds up, of course, with the divine antidote ... the light of the world. Illuminating reading for October what with Halloween and All Saints Day coming.

Oh. My. Gosh. SERENITY ROCKS SO HARD!

What if Han Solo's roguish edge hadn't been dulled halfway through the original Star Wars trilogy? What if he had walked the line between smuggler and hero instead of just crossing it at some point?

What if Star Trek's "Wagon Train" to the stars had been less of a secular utopian fantasy of human progress and more like the real old West in the wake of the Civil War? What if the story were told, not from the point of view of the triumphant Federation, or Union, or Alliance, but the disgruntled eyes of the defeated Confederacy, or Independents?

What if, instead of a who's who of alien civilizations variously representing particular aspects of human nature, a sci-fi adventure merely allowed the personalities and behavior of its human characters to be as complicated and varied as that of real people in the real world, from preachers to prostitutes?

Read Decent Films full review here.

Serenity tells the story that Joss Whedon originally was going to take two years to tell in the television show Firefly, which was cancelled in 2002 (was it really that long ago?).

Set 500 years in the future, society is a mixture of "core" planets with all the luxuries and those on "the rim" where life is more like living in a old time Western. The Alliance, the totalitarian government, controls everything in the core and would like to exert the same control over all the planets.

River Tam has been rescued by her brother, Simon, from an Alliance facility where extensive brain tampering has been done on her. They take refuge on a spaceship whose crew will do anything, legal or illegal, to keep fed and in the air. As a survivor from the losing side in the recent civil war, the ship's captain, Mal Reynolds, doesn't mind going against the authorities but has to rethink his decision when the Alliance sends an assassin to track River down. What follows is a fantastic, fast moving adventure crackling with wit. As many movie critics have observed, it is the perfect popcorn movie.

Joss Whedon is a superb storyteller. Just when you start thinking that the movie is winding down to the ending, he cranks it up another notch and careens on to a more intense ride. This is accented with hilarious, throw away lines just when you least expect it (again, think Han Solo).

The other thing to know about Whedon is that he is no respecter of characters. In his TV series (Buffy, Angel, and Firefly) he has proven time and again that just because someone is a major character doesn't mean he won't kill them off at the drop of a hat if it moves the story along ... and sometimes even if it doesn't. That adds a certain amount of tension to any story he is telling and certainly was forcibly brought to mind more than once during this movie. Unpredictability is the watchword.

As in Star Wars, which in my mind is the most comparable model for comparison, there is a major conflict between good and evil. However, where Star Wars painted those themes very broadly (Darth Vader BAD, Luke Skywalker GOOD), Serenity deals with what different men choose to put their faith in and how strong that belief is. Early on, River says that the reason the outlying planets don't like the Alliance, despite the many obvious benefits of to belonging to civilization, is that " We meddle... People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads, and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome."

Just how "meddlesome" is shown over and over again while, in counterpoint, Mal Reynolds repeatedly says that he doesn't believe in anything except survival of "me and mine" meaning his crew. Shepherd Book tells him that he must believe in something, that it doesn't matter what but that he must believe. We know this isn't true because it becomes clear that the Reavers believe, and fervently, but in nothing with which any sane person would agree. Watching Mal it is clear also that his actions speak louder than words, although by the end of the movie he does articulate his belief also.

For Firefly fans, Serenity is a must see. It tells us the big secret of why River is being pursued by Alliance agents and why they were poking around in her brain in the first place. Possibly more importantly, it gives us the closure left when the show was so abruptly canceled.

I am such a fan that I honestly couldn't tell if non-fans would like it but my husband thought it was great. He's been forced to sit through a few of the Firefly episodes but is not what you would call a fan at all ... and, as anyone who has ever watched Lost with him can attest, he is not shy about saying if something isn't measuring up.

Scott and I reviewed Serenity as episode 2 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

No power in the 'verse can keep me from talking about this movie a little more indepth so ...

SPOILERS


SPOILERS


SPOILERS

I expected Shepherd to die (having seen trailers of smoking devastation and The Operative saying, "I do [kill children]." But Wash? There is no mercy ... though I did really like the exchange of lines between Zoe and Mal at the end about the ship's readiness to fly because it so obviously was also about Zoe herself:

Mal: Do you think she'll hold together?
Zoe: She's pretty torn up, but she'll fly true.

Also the doubletalk was at the end when River says the storm is really bad and Mal agrees but says they'll get through it to clear sky (or something like that ... as far as I can remember) ... which is about their future.

I expected River to go settle the Reavers' hash and then be the only one there when the blast doors opened again. How about that scene where she was fighting the Reavers? It equaled the end of the Matrix to me. Pure poetry in fighting.

I also expected Mal to come to Mr. Universe with the Reavers' behind him like the mines in Galaxy Quest. That was fun to watch, huh?

Loved Mr. Universe glorying in his geekiness to the point of being so proud of his robot wife ... ultimate geek was his motto (if he ever had one), "Can't stop the signal."

It was interesting that the Reavers all had an uneasy cease fire with each other. I didn't expect to find them hanging thick together in space but that they'd be in hiding from each other. It was as if they had agreed that as long as one didn't turn on the other then they'd hang together.

I guess we're never gonna find out about who Book really was! Darn it! Unless there's a sequel and someone else reveals it.

I was honestly wondering if River wasn't going to be able to turn on that assassin-mode and everyone was going to die in the end ... while nobly sending out the message. Whew!

And I liked that Mal's' mercy in not killing The Operative (although he didn't intend it to be mercy really) was what saved them from being killed when the government broke through.

Nice touch also that when The Operative finally got mad it was because, "innocent people are dying in the air right now!" It was ok when it was him doing the killing because it was for The Cause.

Blogger Spotlight

SIGMUND, CARL AND ALFRED
"This blog is dedicated to the world of bloggers, many of whom exhibit more than mild symptoms of various personality disorders."

This blog has two description lines actually. The first says, "A tribute to Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler by an admiring psycho-therapist." It is a tribute to the mind behind this blog that I actually was interested enough to look up Alfred Adler and find out who the heck he was (turns out he's my favorite of the three but I'd never have known otherwise).

SC&A offers thought provoking opinions about news and current events, laced with the occasional post that examines faith as part of the human condition. Such topics as Islam, abortion, and journalism thus are interspersed with parenting gifted children, Krispy Kremes, and shining shoes for a funeral. All this is delivered with a piercing wit and thorough common sense. Highly recommended daily reading.

Mortification, Part III

Continued from Part I and Part II.

Another area of daily mortification lies in the conscientious carrying out of our duties, the basic material in our struggle for sanctity. Here we find God's Will for us each day. We need to fulfill our duties with hard work, high standards and much love. The mortification which is most pleasing to God is to be found in order, in punctuality, in care for the small details in whatever we do. It has to do with the faithful performance of the most insignificant aspects of our vocation -- even when it hurts. We need to struggle against the temptation to prefer comfort. We persevere in our wok not because we feel like it but because we know it has to be done. When we work in that frame of mind we will work with enthusiasm and joy (J. Escriva). The mother of a family will find a thousand reasons to give her home a warm and cheerful atmosphere. The student will offer up his efforts to study well. In this way, tiredness will become one more offering to the Lord. Let us examine our conduct to see whether we complain about our work, grumbling about something that should be leading us to God.

The third area of our mortifications consists in those sacrifices that we make voluntarily in order to please Our Lord, to make ourselves better souls of prayer, in order to overcome temptation, in order to help our friends come closer to God. We should be looking for ways to help others seek sanctity. Bring out your spirit of mortification in those nice touches of charity, eager to make the way of sanctity in the midst of the world attractive for everyone. Sometimes a smile can be the best proof of a spirit of penance (J. Escriva). Let us resolve to overcome our moods and our weariness with the help of our guardian Angel. A spirit of penance is to be found first of all in taking advantage of many little things -- deeds, renunciations, sacrifices, services rendered and so on -- which we find daily along our way and we then convert into acts of love and contrition, into mortifications. In this way we shall be able to gather a bouquet at the end of each day -- a fine display which we can offer to God (J. Escriva).

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time: Weeks 24-34

I love the idea of gathering a bouquet at the end of each day to give to God. Certainly I have plenty of opportunities along the way. It is just keeping it in mind as I go and fighting the heroic fight to offer that smile when I feel like it least. Funny how such a seemingly small thing can be so very hard isn't it? Sometimes that is the most difficult thing I have done all day though, and sometimes it has taken a great deal of prayer to be able to do it. And that is what makes it the brightest flower in my bouquet for God on those days. Now I just have to remember to do it!

St. Therese's Miracle for a Father

I do not have a particular attachment to St. Therese but have been reading many tributes to her today. There is none better than the absolute miracle that she performed for Hector's father. Get the story at Beacon for Life.

The Most Peaceful and Satisfying Hour of My Day

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is the adoration of Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. In the many Churches that have this adoration, the Eucharist is displayed in a special holder called a monstrance, and people come to pray and worship Jesus continually throughout the day and often the night.

Source

This morning I'll be in of adoration of Our Lord in the Eucharist for the CRHP retreat (CRHP is described in my sidebar ... scroll down). During the retreat Adoration is held for the entire two days. Jesus is never left alone during that time. It is a privilege to sign up for a holy hour to sit at His feet in reflection, prayer, and adoration. It is doubly a privilege because, other than First Friday, this retreat is the only time that our parish has regular adoration.

Certainly it is the only time that it is held in such intimate surroundings. A special room is turned into a chapel, lit only by candlelight and with Gregorian chants playing. A kneeler is in front of the monstrance although there are also chairs ... along with plenty of kleenex (good thing because it's rare that I spend that hour without tears, whether or joy or contrition).

I have been craving this time with Him. It is a refreshment to my soul. I can't explain it except to say that Jesus is really there in the Eucharist. There is nothing like it on earth. Only when I get to Heaven will I find a closeness to Jesus that surpasses this for me, this time at the feet of my Master.

The Eucharist is the sacrament which really, truly and substantially contains the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of Bread and wine. It is the great sacrament of God's love in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace and a pledge is given to us of future glory...

No doubt, Christ is present in other ways besides the Real Presence.

• He is present when the Church prays;
• He is present when the Church performs her works of mercy;
• He is present in the Church as she governs the people of God;
• He is present in the pastors who exercise their priestly and Episcopal power;
• He is specially present in the Church when she offers in His Name the Sacrifice of the Mass;
• He is present when the Church administers the sacraments.

But the Real Presence is absolutely unique. It is the physical presence of Christ in our midst, no less truly present than He is now present at the right hand of the Father of Heaven. It is called the "Real Presence" because it is presence in the fullest sense possible. It is a substantial presence by which Christ, the God-man, is now on earth, no less truly that He was during His visible presence in history in the first century in Palestine.

Father John A. Hardon

Feast of the Guardian Angels

This Feast Day is properly celebrated on October 2 which falls on a Sunday this year so it is trumped by Mass (and quite rightly). However, I have quite an attachment to my Guardian Angel and so thought I'd put this up today.

Devotion to the Guardian Angels goes back to the beginnings of Christianity. Pope Clement X proclaimed the feast a universal celebration in the seventeenth century. The Guardian Angels serve as the messengers of God. The Almighty has allocated a Guardian Angel to each one of us for our protection and for the good of our apostolate...

We have to deal with our Guardian Angels in a familiar way, while at the same time recognizing their superior nature and grace. Though less palpable in their presence than human friends are, their efficacy for our benefit is far greater. Their counsel and suggestions come from God, and penetrate more deeply than any human voice. To reiterate, their capacity for hearing and understanding us is much superior even to that of our most faithful human friend, since their attendance at our side is continuous; they can enter more deeply into our intentions, desires and petitions than can any human being, since angels can reach our imagination directly without recourse to the comprehension of words. They are able to incite images, provoke memories, and make impressions in order to give us direction.

In Conversation With God : Feast Days July - December

As devoted as I am to the Archangels, I am especially fond of my Guardian Angel. He is always there when I need him and has a wicked sense of humor. Perhaps wicked is not the right word. He must, therefore, have an angelic sense of humor! This is one of my favorite feast days.

For my personal angel stories, as well as some general information, you can read more here, here, and here.

Prayer to One's Guardian Angel

Dear Angel,
in his goodness God gave you to me to
guide, protect and enlighten me,
and to being me back to the right way when I go astray.
Encourage me when I am disheartened,
and instruct me when I err in my judgment.
Help me to become more Christlike,
and so some day to be accepted into
the company of Angels and Saints in heaven.
Amen.

Mortification, Part II

Continued from Part I.

There are three main areas for daily mortification in our ordinary lives. First of all, there is the heartfelt and serene acceptance of the contradictions every day brings. In most cases this refers to the very small things that crop up unexpectedly, and that force us to change our plans or adjust our expectations. One example might be a minor illness that interferes with our performance at work or affects family life. Other examples would include having to put up with inclement weather, heavy traffic, the difficult personality of a colleague at work ... These circumstances are beyond our personal control. We have got to see them as providing opportunities to love God even more. None of these problems should take away our peace and joy.

If these small contradictions are not accepted for the sake of Love, they will only succeed in making people become frustrated and irritable. The great majority of our frustrations come from small contradictions which we have not accepted rather than from major disasters. The person who lies awake at night, who is gloomy, who is in a bad humor, has usually not suffered some great blow. He has simply been unable to turn small setbacks into encounters with God (A. G. Dorronsoro). Such a one loses many chances to grow in virtue. In addition, when the soul gets into the habit of accepting small reverses as divine favors it becomes better prepared to face more serious trials in union with the Lord.

God came into the world to provide a healing remedy for the root of all our rebellion and misery He destroyed many things as useless obstacles but chose to leave pain intact. He did not take away pain, but gave it a new meaning. He could have chosen a thousand different ways to accomplish the Redemption of the human race, but he chose the Cross. It was by this path that He has led his Mother Mary, Joseph, the Apostles and all the sons of God. The Lord allows evil to exist and he draws out good for our souls from it (J. Urteaga). Let us be sure to convert setbacks into occasions of interior growth.

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time: Weeks 24-34

I have to say that when I remember to do this, offer up my annoyances, pray for those who are driving me crazy, to pray and for myself (for more patience, a better grip on my temper, etc.) not only does my day turn around but I really feel God's presence much more throughout the day. And why not? I am then focusing on pleasing Him rather than on making myself the center of the universe.

Coming Monday: the last two of three main areas for daily mortification.

The Shining Redux

The Shining the way you never imagined it. Pure genius. Don't miss it!

Great Google Links, Batman!

It seems that Spero News is coming right along as a content provider. And more people are figuring that out all the time. Pretty good considering they just got started in April or May!

Mortification, Part I

Just the word, "mortification," sounds terrible doesn't it? However, it is not such a bad thing at all and nothing "extra" for the practicing Christian who wants to draw closer to Jesus. I am going to put this reading up in three parts to make it easy to digest.

Mortification prepares the soul to listen to the Lord and to follow his Will: If we want to reach God we will have to mortify the soul and all its powers (St. Jean Vianney). Mortification can convert our souls into the good soil that will bring the divine seed to fruition. We have to weed out and burn those thorns that tend to flourish in the soul -- laziness, egoism, envy, curiosity ... This is why the church recommends that we review our spirit of penance and mortification on Fridays. This spirit will lead us to be more generous in our invitation of Christ on the Cross. Closely related to mortification is that happiness which we all find so necessary.

Anyone who intends to live his Christian faith seriously needs to put off the old nature with its practices (Col 3:9). This old nature consists in the variety of bad inclinations we have inherited from Adam. It is the triple concupiscence which we need to control through the exercise of mortification (A. Tanquerey). Mortification is not recommended as a negative action. On the contrary, it is meant to rejuvenate the soul. Mortification makes the soul better disposed to receive supernatural gifts. It also helps us to make reparation for our past sins. This is why we frequently pray to the Lord to grant us emendationem vitae, spatium verae paenitentiae, a time of true penance and reformation of life (Roman Missal). By means of the Communion of Saints we give help and strength to other members of the mystical body which is the Church.

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time: Weeks 24-34

Coming tomorrow: the first of three main areas for daily mortification.

The First Cool Weather is Here

the breeze is cooler
and the sun sets early
now it's cocoa weather!

Monkey

I Concur.

Your Blog Should Be Yellow

You're a cheerful, upbeat blogger who tends to make everyone laugh. You are a great storyteller, and the first to post the latest funny link. You're also friendly and welcoming to everyone who comments on your blog.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Via Culture Shock and the blondelibrarian.

Do Y'all Think So?

Your Blogging Type is Social and Responsible

You enjoy blogging and do all you can to advance the blogging community. From helping friends set up blogs to getting rid of spam - you take a leadership role. A super blogger, you tend to blog regularly. You'd hate to disappoint your audience. And always appropriate, there's no way you'd blog something too personal!

What's Your Blogging Personality?

There were only four questions so it is short and sweet ... but I don't know if it is right or not. (I'm finding it difficult to evaluate my own style in this for some reason.) Via Fructis Ventris.

I Actually Stuck It Out to the Bitter End

... and there is an end. Enjoy!

Via ukok.

My Latest Spero News Article

Quick! What's For Dinner? ... a couple of cookbook recommendations for getting dinner on the table with a minimum of effort ... and recipe samples.

Leave Her at the Altar

CORPSE BRIDE
Tim Burton is one of our favorite directors. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of our favorite movies. However, Corpse Bride left us cold.

The animation was good. The voice talent was great. However, the story was extremely simple. Also, the look of the entire movie, both in the land of the living and the land of the dead was so dreary and sepia-toned that I almost fell asleep a few times. Tom said he had the same problem. As an additional irritation, the intended comic relief of a maggot (that lives inside the corpse bride's head) sounded a strident and obnoxious note that belonged in a different movie altogether.

It was not a bad movie and not a bad way to pass the afternoon. However with matinee tickets for four costing $22 my advice is to rent it later. Save your money for Serenity next weekend ... or for Wallace and Grommit the weekend after that (for more first rate animation).

HC rating: *** Good despite lack of flubber

Question The Second

As a follow-up, is there an Old Testament person who you particularly identify with? We're not picky about this ... "person" is either a character or an author. just any old person that resonates with you...

My answer is in the comments box.

Mass Thought - The Funny One

Phil 2:1-11

Brothers and sisters:

If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Kneeling at the altar rail, waiting for the priest to move down the line to me, I was looking at Jesus on the crucifix, pondering the second Mass reading. I thought of all the ways that Jesus showed us how to live in humility and, once again, was struck by the fact that he had covered every circumstance I'd find myself in.

"Wow, you were so perfect at being humble," I thought.

"Well, I am God," flashed the thought into my head.

Touche! Which pretty much explains why I was kind of giggling when the priest moved over and stood in front of me.

Update: Sharon's Baby

Y'all may remember this couple's choice of life for their unborn baby, despite the fact that she may only live an hour or two. I found out today that the situation has changed. The baby actually has a different genetic problem than the one originally diagnosed. She will live but will be severely retarded, maybe being able to progress only as much as being able to feed herself.

That doesn't change a thing for this couple's decision. They are firmly on the side of life. In fact, when I asked how Sharon was feeling right now, Joanette told me that one of Sharon's gifts is to have a hugely positive outlook no matter what the circumstances. And that is just what she and her husband need right now.

So let's continue to storm heaven for God to give this couple the graces they will need with their baby. And, I'm not at all shy about asking also for the miracle of perfect physical and mental health for this baby either. Let's go for the whole enchilada!

Further reading on the subject:
Power of the Powerless by Christopher De Vinck is the book that made me really, truly understand the sanctity of life even when it is under circumstances that common sense might dictate as providing no "qualify of life."

Also, ukok has a very powerful post prompted by the situation with Sharon's baby.

How to Unite a Divided Country

The Anchoress has the answer and I think it just might work. Go check it out. This is too, too funny.

Except that I demand bipartisan sexiness. The Dems are gonna have all the fun. Come to think of it, the Republican guys are gonna have the best time of all. And what are we conservative women left with? John Kerry? I think not!

Resource Spotlight

MYCATHOLIC.COM

Check it out. This is a page that would be very cool to have as your home page. It is already set up with daily Mass readings, a saint of the day complete with quote, headlines from both Yahoo and Catholic news sources, weather, a Catechism reading and more. It even has a link to a podcast so you can listen to the Mass readings.

You also can personalize it with sites that you like to check a lot. Some blogs are already listed to make it easy to add their headlines to your home page (such as The Curt Jester, Kathy Shaidle, Bettnet, and more) but it is easy to add whatever links you please.

I definitely am going to be playing around with this in the days to come to get it just right.

Messing Around With God's Word

25 The Sermon on the Mount

Much of Jesus’ teaching was brought together when, seated on a hillside, he spoke to his disciples about life in the kingdom of God. He taught that true happiness comes from having the right attitudes. Those who are humble, concerned about the world’s sinfulness, gentle, devoted to goodness, merciful, single-minded in God’s service, and peace-lovers will be blessed by God. Those of his followers who are persecuted in this world should rejoice, because they will have a rich reward in the next.

Jesus emphasised that he had not come to destroy the moral demands of the Jewish Law but to fulfil them. He taught that it is not enough not to commit murder; the anger which can lead to murder must be set aside too. It is not enough not to commit adultery; lustful thoughts must be set aside too. It is not enough to keep only our solemn promises; we should always mean what we say.

The Jewish Law taught that retaliation should be proportionate to the harm done - an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth - but Jesus taught that we should love our enemies and that we should return good for evil, turning the other cheek when others attack us.

He went on to say that ostentatious piety and charitable giving are wrong; both piety and giving should be between ourselves and God. No-one can serve two masters; it is impossible to serve both God and money. God knows what people’s needs are and will supply them, in the same way as he provides food for birds and glorious clothing for flowers; we should not be anxious but should trust him. We should not judge others; for we shall be judged to the degree we judge. It is difficult to find the way to the kingdom of heaven and there will be those who will try to mislead us. We should assess others by the moral and spiritual quality of their lives.

He summarised the whole moral teaching of the Old Testament in the command to treat others as you would like them to treat you.

Jesus said that anyone who acts on his words is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. When storms came the house stood firm. But anyone who does not act on his words is like a man who built his house on sand. When storms came the house fell, and the ensuing devastation was great.

Matthew 5 - 7

That's a sample of the new 100 Minute Bible. UK publishers have managed to get the entire Bible down to 57 pages and say it can be read in 100 minutes.

They admit that they have sacrificed poetry for clarity. Well, isn't that so very modern of them. Who needs all those extra words and verbal images that the Holy Spirit inspired men to write over thousands of years? Pffft. We don't have time for that stuff any more.

Personally, I notice that this sample serves to remove me from Jesus' presence. No more is he speaking directly to me as he has done throughout the Gospels ("but I say to you..."). I have enough trouble getting the path clear to be in Jesus' presence already. I don't need this stripped-down, economy version of the Bible to get in my way too. No thanks.

Via LAMland and People of the Book.

Hurricane Rita Blogging

My prime two sources are:

• Minivan Mom: also has a list of other Houston area bloggers who are on-line for the storm.


• What Is and Never Should Be (aka Minivan Dad) who has been taking photos to record the desertion of Houston.

Gen X Revert also has a list of Texas bloggers up.

To My Fellow Dallasites ... GET A GRIP!

Reminder to all those living in our fair city: the hurricane is not coming here. There is no need to run to the gas station, wait in line for an hour to fill your tank, and then go on to strip the local grocery stores clean of water, batteries, and bread. (Did y'all hear the news anchors laughing at you? And deservedly so I might add...I saw those interviews where you were musing about laying in "emergency supplies.")

The most it is going to do is rain (and rain and rain) ... well, maybe some wind also.

So the next time you want to panic, resist. Then I will not have to go to three fuel-less gas stations in order to fill my tank with super premium at the fourth one (which is all that you greedy-guts left them).

Because, I actually was out of gas and envisioning being stranded by the side of the road because y'all are such idiots! (Lord have mercy on me and bless them...)

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.

St. Pio

Today is St. Pio's feast day. I just love this guy, an Italian priest who knew how to throw his head back and laugh, who would scold a famous actress for being shallow, who suffered the stigmata for over 50 years, who knew (and could see) his guardian angel from the time he was a tiny child, who could bilocate and read souls, who was one of the greatest saints in living memory ... and who I share a birthday with (although his was 70 years earlier - May 25).

I haven't had time to prepare a post about him but luckily TSO and Jean have done a splendid job, complete with links for further information. Be sure to drop by their blogs and see the take that each of them has on this great saint.

Houston Is Proving Why the New Orleans Levees Were So Important

You just can't evacuate a huge city in a short time. Tom's mother and his brother were in the car for 6 hours. They left at 4:00 a.m. to try to avoid any traffic possible. They finally gave up as traffic was at a dead stop.

It took them 10 minutes to drive home.

10 minutes.

Granted there was no traffic on the way back but still ... that is ridiculous.

Her house is not in a bad spot and hopefully it won't flood. We are more worried about an 80 year old lady with a history of heart problems possibly being without electricity for an extended period of time. (On the other hand, she might finally get warm enough as no one can sneak behind her back to turn the air conditioner down to ... oh ... 85).

UPDATE: Tom found traffic camera sites for Houston and also the state highway conditions. It isn't as if the state of Texas isn't trying to help people get out.

• Interstate 45 has all lanes going north (maybe one frontage on one side is going south) from Houston almost to Corsicana (one hour south of Dallas). It is still packed.
• Interstate 10 has all lanes going one way from Houston towards San Antonio until just outside of SA.
  

This kind of evacuation just isn't feasible in a short time. Period.

Here are the links he used:

• Houston TranStar Freeway Cameras.
• Texas Dept. of Transportation (note the press release for the largest reversal of traffic in Texas history.)

Hurricane Rita Tracker

The WSJ Storm Tracker is being updated continually. Via The Anchoress.

Big Bang or Big Bloom?

The Meaning-Full Universe by Benjamin Wiker is one of the best articles I've ever read arguing that the universe is not meaningless as many scientists claim. Don't miss it if you are at all interested in this subject (just to give you an idea ... Tom is not at all interested in this whole idea but when I told him some of Wiker's analogies he asked me to print it out for him to read). Via Antioch Abouna, which is a pretty interesting place to look around also.

Finding the Sacred in the Secular

Just can't get enough of the wood song by Indigo Girls. Playing it over and over and over ... except occasionally alternating with Jeremiah (lyrics for that will be coming later). (heads up to Dan M., I think you'd like this one)

the wood song Lyrics

the thin horizon of a plan is almost clear
my friends and i have had a tough time
bruising our brains hard up against change
all the old dogs and the magician

now i see we're in the boat in two by twos
only the heart that we have for a tool we could use
and the very close quarters are hard to get used to
love weighs the hull down with its weight

Chorus:
but the wood is tired and the wood is old
and we'll make it fine if the weather holds
but if the weather holds we'll have missed the point
that's where i need to go

no way construction of this tricky plan
was built by other than a greater hand
with a love that passes all out understanding
watching closely over the journey

yeah but what it takes to cross the great divide
seems more than all the courage i can muster up inside
although we get to have some answers when we reach the other side
the prize is always worth the rocky ride

Chorus:
but the wood is tired and the wood is old
and we'll make it fine if the weather holds
but if the weather holds we'll have missed the point
that's where i need to go

sometimes i ask to sneak a closer look
skip to the final chapter of the book
and then maybe steer us clear from some of the pain it took
to get us where we are this far yeah

but the question drowns in its futility
and even i have got to laugh at me
no one gets to miss the storm of what will be
just holding on for the ride

Chorus:
the wood is tired and the wood is old
we'll make it fine if the weather holds
but if the weather holds we'll have missed the point
that's where i need to go

Light Blogging Forecast

For the immediate future anyway. I'm way behind schedule because on the way to school the car started overheating so we pulled up with windows open and the heater on full blast. Called the tow truck. Waited for Tom. Got to gab for half an hour while waiting with a friend I've been neglecting ... so YAY, it is an ill wind that blows no good.

Currently: MOANING (big time) over messing up the lesser used second VCR and not getting "My Name is Earl" on tape. Thank goodness that Chris (works with us) got it on tape and will let us borrow it). Whew! I have always depended on the kindness of other VCR users!

Later ...

• Some book reviews
• Mrs. Darwin's FABULOUS Sausage Jambalaya (I'll steal hers and post on GG for my own reference)

Question, The First

Is there a New Testament person who you particularly identify with? I think about this a lot ... maybe because there are a couple of folks who I just "feel" when I am reading about them. My answer is in the comments box.

CLARIFICATION ... "person" is either a character or an author. just any old person that resonates with you...

Meanwhile in the Kitchen

A fantastic recipe for Classic Lasagna and some hot links to stories about things like UK doctors calling for a ban on kitchen knives. All over at Glad Gastronome.

Going Nowhere ... Very ... Very ... Slowly ...

THE STATION AGENT

These are my "My Dinner with Andre" action figures and what you can do is re-enact that whole scene with the two guys having dinner. I've been waiting for-they're really rare- for the set from Das Boot.

Corky St. Claire (Waiting for Guffman)

I know what Corky really needs to round out his collection ... The Station Agent action figures. They can sit in chairs and on benches, occasionally take a stroll on train tracks, and, even better than My Dinner With Andre ... they'll hardly talk at all.

This movie was such a wasted opportunity. Stand out acting, fabulous location, great premise ... it even had trainspotting which Tom has been a fan of since spending time in England. The only thing missing was much of a story. We didn't need a lot. After all, we loved Lost in Translation and, heaven only knows, you aren't given much to go on there. Sometimes these very slow movies all come together at the end so we waited and waited and ... fizzle.

HC rating: ** More boring than church.

Oh, the Movies We've Seen

BIGGER THAN THE SKY
This is definitely a little movie but quite an enjoyable bit of fluff for all that. After his girl friend breaks up with him, an ad man decides that he needs to break out of his mold. He tries out for the local community theater production of Cyrano de Bergerac and winds up getting cast as the lead. He becomes more and more absorbed by acting while simultaneously being attracted to the actress playing Roxanne. At times this is determinedly quirky but as this is a love letter to acting and the theater that is forgivable. Look for Patty Duke playing twins. (This will only make sense to anyone who ever saw The Patty Duke Show). We didn't discover it until the credits were running and it doubled our fun.

HC Rating: *** Good despite lack of flubber

EQUILIBRIUM
Hannah came home from a "shindig" raving about this movie, "It's so much better than The Matrix!" No one in our household is a huge fan of that movie so the bar for our expectations was not set all that high. This movie paid off in spades for style and, in our opinions, bettered The Matrix for plot.

Combining elements of Fahrenheit 451, THX-1138, 1984, and Brave New World, it is set in a post-WWIII world where humans dose themselves at regular intervals with drugs that repress emotions so no one will hate and, therefore, hurt others with war. However, naturally, the down side to this is that there are no positive emotions either. Christian Bale portrays Preston, a top-level "cleric" (a.k.a. fabulously trained killing machine) who finds and destroys "sense offenders" who have stopped taking their drugs and are indulging in books, art, music and the like. Preston accidentally misses a dose one day and finds out what he's been missing. His partner, Taye Diggs (yes, ladies, now the truth about why I raced to rent this movie is out!), is ambitious and on his trail as he tries to conceal his burgeoning emotions while still indulging in them. There is more to the plot (albeit not a lot more) but the overall message and ending was much more positive than in The Matrix and ... stylish fighting out the wazoo! 'Nuff said. Mind candy but quite a treat anyway.

HC Rating: **** Nine thumbs up!