Why I Pray for the Souls of Our Bishops

Dom at Bettnet reported a few days ago about the mass expulsion of Catholics from their parish in California.

Their crime? Wanting to kneel at the Agnus Dei. This is actually what the Vatican wants everyone to do but Bishop Tod Brown has decided to be disobedient to Rome in this matter and to punish those who will not obey him. Dom also has a follow up post here.

Just as Dom says in the article, the Vatican says that kneeling is the preferred posture. However, when it comes to some of these bishops ... well ... I tell you I pray for their souls because some of them are so very proud and cause so many to turn away from their faith. Sadly, I learned that the hard way a few years ago during a confrontation between our own bishop and our parish.

I often remember that I read somewhere, maybe in Triumph by H.W. Crocker III, that disliking bishops is a time honored tradition in France because they abused their positions so much throughout history. It surprised me at the time but I see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

It makes me think of the story, which I can't find right now and so will retell badly, about the man who visited Rome and came back a Catholic convert. This astonished his friend who asked the man if he didn't see all the corruption there? "Yes," the man replied, "and I knew if the Church was still going strong after all that those men were doing, then God Himself must be keeping it going."

I remember all that, pray for the bishops and for those who they are hurting, and keep on going.

UPDATE
Secret Agent Man covers this much more thoroughly than I could ever hope to. Essentially, it turns out that the "allowed" kneeling I was thinking of is right before and after Communion, not during the Agnus Dei. However, he also makes an excellent point that if the bishop can't handle this properly in about a minute, then there's a problem there also. All in all, this probably sums it up best, "The only thing that's clear to me is that tempers and vanity are running so high that nobody's yet interested in authentic dialogue about what's happening."

Some good links on kneeling in general that I am moving here from the com box:

Knees to Love Christ by Bishop Olmsted

Liturgical Norms and Liturgical Piety by Cardinal Arinze

Cardinal Responds to Questions on Liturgy: a Q&A with Cardinal Arinze

The Theology of Kneeling from Cardinal Ratzinger's Spirit of the Liturgy

Abortion Providers Aren't Feelin' the Love

Unbelievably, they evidently feel it necessary to have a national appreciation day.

National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers
Monday March 10, 2003

On this day -
Stand up with your abortion services providers and say:
Thank you for your heroism, perserverance, courage, and commitment to women.

* Step up to the front lines and be a volunteer clinic escort.
* Ask your local provider how you can help.
* Praise clinic staff and doctors with postcards of appreciation.
* Write your local newspaper, call talk shows to express support.
* Take out ads in your newsletters and local newspapers.
* Organize local appreciation day events.
* Use your imagination, creativity and dedication to help create a climate at clinics where women, doctors and staff can hold their heads high without feeling shamed or fearing assault.
Source

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. A more repugnant "appreciation day" I can't imagine.

I honestly was stunned at the attitude that these people are oppressed. They feel they are victims? Go figure. I guess I've been in the habit of thinking of those murdered babies and deceived parents as the victims.

I saw this at Ramblings of a GOP Soccer Mom who had an excellent countersuggestion:

Why not write your local crisis pregnancy center and thank them for the opposite? Tell them how much you appreciate them helping women avoid abortion and choose life for their children.

Go here for information about CPC's in your area. If you start now, they'll get the letter in time for Friday.

Even if they don't receive the letter by Friday, I'm sure they'll appreciate the letter no matter when it arrives.

UPDATE
Jean at Catholic Fire has the answer ... we're probably too late for that march but surely can pray for the conversion of these abortion providers' souls.

Some Good Guidelines for Confession

... The use of too many words frequently denotes a desire, whether conscious or not, to flee from direct and full sincerity. So as not to fall into this we need to make a good examination of conscience.

Concise: Confession with few words, just the words that are needed to say humbly what we have done or have failed to do, without any unnecessary elaboration or adornment.

Concrete: Confession without digression, without generalities. The penitent will suitably indicate his situation, and also the time that has elapsed since his last Confession and the difficulties he finds in leading a Christian life (Paul VI). He declares his sins and the surrounding circumstances that have a bearing on his faults so that the confessor can judge, absolve and heal.

Clear: A Confession where we make ourselves understood, declaring the precise nature of the fault, manifesting our wretchedness with the necessary modesty and delicacy.

Complete: Integral Confession, without leaving anything out through a false sense of shame so as not to appear bad in the confessor's eyes.

Lent and Eastertide (In Conversation with God, Vol. 2)

I realized a confession or two ago that I have a big problem with the "concise" category and not just because I like to go on and on and on. It was because I was putting in all the reasons excuses for my sins. It is a big struggle to go in there, confess my sins fairly baldly and just let it lie. If the priest has any questions, he'll ask them. Otherwise, God (and all the angels and saints, as someone once reminded me) already has watched me "in the act" so I just have to let it go. In writing this I just realized that once I started doing that I quit getting so many little lectures and the penances went down too ... interesting.

Again, I will mention that I always pray for my confessor while I am waiting; that he is open to the Holy Spirit, that God will use him to speak to me in the way I need (and I've had a few distinct surprises that way), and I have rarely been disappointed. It is truly a wonderful Sacrament.

Bloggers Just Wanna Have Fun

If you haven't dropped by Amateur Catholic you are missing a real treat.

There is a lot of creativity and ... surprisingly ... passion in these "application" posts. Also I am astonished at how many blogs there are that I have never heard of although I suppose I shouldn't be since there are 700 or 800 Catholic blogs out there from what I have heard. So there is also a lot of good reading to be had from checking out all the different blogs. Check it out.

Bleg

I was asked by a friend to look into video presentations on sexuality appropriate to show to Catholic teens for a youth retreat. I'm going to have a section in my sidebar for these but thought I would share what I found ... and ask for any other suggestions, which don't have to have videos but could just be good spots for teens on the subject.

Pure Love Club

Phil Chalmers

Real Love - Mary Beth Bonacci

Catholic Trivia: Spilling Salt

This was held to be unlucky (it was thought that the person had been jogged by the Devil), hence salt was thrown over the left shoulder with the right hand (to put salt on the tail of the Devil). In Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper Judas is shown spilling the salt. Salt was used in Baptism to symbolically cast out evil. It is an emblem of purity, and hence it has been put in coffins to ward off the Devil.

Catholic Trivia

About That Infallible Decision That Women Can't Become Priests

When Jay from Living Catholicism laid this out for us before I heard from a few people about it not being an ex cathedra pronouncement. Therefore, they said it would not be considered infallible. You know, I didn't have a clue about that one way or the other though Jay's info seemed authoritative to me.

So it was with great interest that I came across this when reading Catholicism for Dummies.

Since Vatican II, however, the content and context of the document determines the degree of authority and not just the type of papal document. If the pope intents to definitely teach the universal Church on a matter of faith or morals, then that is his supreme authority as head of the Church being expressed. When John Paul II issued his Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in 1994, he officially declared that the Catholic Church has no power to ordain women. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was not an ex cathedra papal statement, but it's part of the Ordinary Magisterium, and thus, according to the Prefect for the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the teaching is infallible.

Kind of ironic that it was Vatican II that made that possible, isn't it?

I also liked that the book goes on to point out that encyclicals are equally infallible.

Encyclicals are the routine, day-to-day, consistent teaching of the Ordinary Magisterium, which is equally infallible when it concerns faith and morals and reiterates the constant, consistent and universal teaching of the popes and bishops. Their content requires religious submission of mind and will of faithful Catholics around the world. So-called dissent from papal teaching in encyclicals isn't a part of Catholic belief. The Catholic faithful willfully conform to papal teaching and don't dispute it.

Which links quite nicely with this article from the Boston Globe. It asks the question, "Should liberals leave the Church?" I have seen various positions around St. Blog's parish, the most popular being that the liberals should change their positions to agree with Church teachings. I agree and that is my prayer for them.

However, if they really, truly believe that the Church is wrong on these fundamental issues then they are being untrue to their consciences to stay in the Church, as St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out. In many cases, they do not want to fully consider the Church's position, history, and teachings on these issues. In which case, they are in the wrong place purely from the point of view of furthering their own relationship with God, to say nothing of the discord they are bringing to everyone else ... and they should go.

Part of the B Team ...

... and proud of it!

Der Tomissar has the B-Team's proud history. And a nice photo of me ... so I've been outed.

HC Film Festival: the Good, the Bad, and the Intense

I'll look at these in the order we watched them:

THE AGE OF AQUARIUS MEETS BIG BUSINESS
Network
A television network coldheartedly exploits a crazed news anchor to drive up the ratings and make profits. This movie is all about dehumanization by big business and the fact that everybody has their price ... even (most amusingly) the "Angela Davis" character who rants about the Communist party not seeing a dime until her series goes into syndication.

Tom was fascinated to see how much of a time capsule the views of this movie represented (his summing up is the title for this section). He views this as an indictment of big business by a hippie who was enraged and betrayed that their movement didn't actually change anything. Tom also was interested to see that Chayefsky's view of media was so unreal based on the changes of the last 30 years. Network's bleak view was that companies get bigger and bigger and dehumanize everyone, while in reality what happens is unpredictable because as people get squeezed out they go and start new ventures which often upsets the apple cart.

My own view was amazement at the stiltedness of the dialogue. It was like a Woody Allen movie without any of the self-deprecation or acknowledgement that people really don't talk like that. It was painful to listen to at times. I also realized that when I viewed this in college I was not hit by the wholesale rage that was seething throughout. I viewed it as clever and powerful but didn't really feel Chayefsky's fury the way I did watching it this time through.

I felt as if I'd been to film school when it was done. We were both worn out by the intensity when it finished. Recommended to those who haven't seen it or who study classic films.

HC Rating: *** (Liked it despite the absence of flubber...)


WANDERING WITHOUT A MORAL COMPASS
Sideways
Well, there are another two hours of my life I'll never get back. It is difficult to express just how much we both hated this movie.

Weak, whiny, and neurotic Miles takes his licentious friend, Jack, on a week-long tour of the wine country as a wedding gift. Jack constantly thinks of nothing but how much sex he can get (or encourage Miles to get) ... face it, he's a pig. Miles evidently knows right from wrong but lacks any moral fiber and so just stands back and watches Jack's escapades. The lessons that either man learns are extremely limited and of little long term value either to the viewer or to the characters.

The only good thing about this movie is that, as far as I could tell, the wine information was correct, which is no reason to watch the movie. If you are that hard up to learn about wine, go to iTunes and subscribe to Wine for Newbies. Or get a good, basic book.

HC Rating: * (worse than Godfather III)


TRUE TO LIFE
The Paper
An ensemble cast headed by Michael Keaton and directed by Ron Howard examine 24 hours in the life of a tabloid newspaper. The overall plot turns on beating rival newspapers to the story proving the innocence of two teenage boys who have been arrested for killing two out-of-town businessmen. However, it is the subplots about the various characters' lives that makes us care about the movie. Specifically the story focuses on Michael Keaton as the hard-bitten editor who doesn't want his paper to get beat to the big story and Marisa Tomei as his hugely pregnant wife who is a former reporter and is terrified that she will lose her personality when she becomes a mother. Robert Duvall's attempt to reach out to the daughter he neglected because of his newspaper job and Glenn Close's cold-fish money oriented manager both sound a contrasting cautionary note about perspective.

The characters were strong and knew what mattered in life, the plot was engrossing, and it worked because it didn't ignore the human element that messes up life just when we least expect it. Highly recommended.

HC Rating: **** (Nine thumbs up)

Coming Highlights

The girls are still working late hours on the musical crew so Tom and I are having a mini-movie marathon. Coming on Monday ... the reviews of:

• Network: does it still hold up as the hard hitting movie we both remember loving when it was first released?
• Sideways: everyone loved it and many have recommended it to us. Is it more than just two slackers drinking their way through the wine country (which is what it always looked like to me)
  
• The Paper: another blast from the past. We remember really liking the performances and engrossing plot. Will it hold up years later? And why the "R" rating? Because I think the girls would like this movie if it is only for language (a la This Is Spinal Tap).
  

At least that's why we rented these ... results on Monday.

I have a crush on Cardinal Arinze. Am I going to Hell?

I've seen the logo around for this podcast but just didn't have time to check it out. And, frankly, the idea of listening to what I could only figure must be old recordings of Cardinal Arinze ... well, that just didn't sound like fun. Soporific ... yes. Fun ... no.

Do I have what it takes to listen to a cardinal, no matter how respected, droning on about the Faith? Oh, let's face it. I have no tolerance for that sort of thing at all.

Talk about a pleasant surprise.

Let's start with Rob, the actual podcaster, who hosts the show. He is energetic and in love with being a Catholic. It is refreshing to hear someone enthusiastically and vigorously say, "There isn't a better time to be a Catholic than 2006."

Also he has a wonderful Australian (?) accent. Excellent.

Rob is just the warm up for the main attraction, Cardinal Arinze. The episode I listened to was an interview with someone going through a bit of the Catechism and the Cardinal explaining the basics. The very basic basics ... such as why the Catholic Church is "one," "holy," and "apostolic." And, y'all, it wasn't boring.

First, he's got that fantastic African accent ... combined with a command of the English language and vocabulary that is nothing short of astounding.

Second, in all those articles about his orthodoxy and fabulousness, why didn't anyone mention that he is funny? Listening to him talk about cafeteria Catholics going down the line picking this belief, but not that one ... well, I was laughing out loud.

Third, he has an passionate love for our Catholic faith. Even in simple explanations, Cardinal Arinze communicated so well the joy and love that God extends to us through the Church.

Finally, he has a gift for explaining very simply but clearly how the faith is grounded in the truth that is Jesus Christ. Which is quite inspiring.

I think I'm in love.

UPDATE
No podcast in the works yet for Pope Benedict XVI but he now has a Nano. Can't wait for a photo of him with that!

This One's for Tom

The perfect game for someone who loves sets and matching ... Set Game. Enjoy!

Me? Oh, I do it because I love torturing myself.

Anguished English: Headline Howlers

XRAYS OF DEAN'S HEAD REVEAL NOTHING

MAN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING FACES BATTERY CHARGE

NEW STUDY OF OBESITY LOOKS FOR LARGER TEST GROUP

ASTRONAUT TAKES BLAME FOR GAS IN SPACECRAFT

KIDS MAKE NUTRITIOUS SNACKS

ARSON SUSPECT IS HELD IN MASSACHUSETTS FIRE

BRITISH UNION FINDS DWARFS IN SHORT SUPPLY

KIDNEY PATIENTS TO GO ON THEIR OWN

More Anguished English

You Are Embarrassing the Angels

"You are embarrassing the angels." This is what I intend to say for the next 40 days whenever I see someone who is hurting the culture, hurting human dignity, denying the stature of a human being. I mean to say it with belief, with an eye to instruction, but also pointedly, uncompromisingly. As a lady would. All invited to join in.

Read Peggy Noonan's article

I will be joining in. Pass it on.

The Anchoress ably expands on this theme. Amen, sistah! Preach it.

UPDATE
Laura H. has some actual info about angels (as opposed to that "in the news" stuff featured in this post). Check it out.

A Tale of Two Priests

-from In Conversation with God

The person who abandons mortification is inevitably ensnared by his sense and becomes incapable of any supernatural thought.

Those are some really tough words--but they aren't so difficult as you might imagine if you really understand what mortification is. Mortification is the abanonment of self in the spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice in the service of another and in the love of God. When you put up with Ms. Whiny-voice and even welcome her into your home or office, you are excerising the spirit of mortification. When you eat less of what you would like, or allow your children to have the last piece of whatever, you are in the spirit of mortification. The possibility of mortification is pervasive, we need merely reach out to touch it and take advantage of it. We mature in our faith through self-denial and little sacrifices.

Steven Riddle

Our parish priest talked about the public nature of wearing ashes and how it reflects what is in our hearts. He talked about sin. Talked about how it became unfashionable in religion a few years ago to talk about sin, to talk about responsibility, to talk about the state of our souls. He pointed out that each one of us is partially responsible for the sin in the world; partially responsible for the arrogance, the hate, the ugliness that is in the world because of our own sin and our own actions. This is a time to look that personal sin in the face and see where God wants to take us.

It made me think of earlier in the week at a prayer group when he talked about Jesus being driven into the desert by the Spirit. He said that the desert is a hard place, a scary place. We don't want to go, we have to be driven, but it is where we need to be ... and when we are there we can know God.

“You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.”

“Trying is the first step to failure”

“If at first you don't succeed, give up.”

Homer Simpson

By contrast, Rose was totally disgusted with the high school's priest who talked about how he would fast on Fridays. Then one Friday, after being in a bad mood because of fasting, he got into an argument with someone who had cut in the gas line in front of him. He said that was when he realized that the very thing that was supposed to bring him closer to God ... the fasting ... was not doing any such thing. So he quit fasting ever.

Quit. fasting. ever.

Nice lesson to tell 1,200 high school kids isn't it? Too hard? Give up.

Rose said, "He didn't say anything about being sorry and trying harder. Or even realizing that fasting wasn't the right way for him and looking for another way to get closer to God. He basically just gave every person there permission to never try."

Hannah said, "Well, he did say that if they were smoking then they should think about quitting. Or using alcohol or abusing drugs then they should really think about quitting."

I said, "Think about quitting."

She smiled wryly, "Well, that's because he started that part by saying, 'I can't tell you what to do.' So, yeah, he basically gave every single person there permission to never try anything if it was too hard and that they should think about stopping bad behavior."

Way to go, Father. Homer Simpson would be proud.

What Do We Know About the Bayeux Tapestry?

Evidently not very much.

It isn't from Bayeux (that's the French side of the story we've been given all this time ... it was made in England)

It isn't a tapestry (I've seen it. It's embroidery, y'all.)

It isn't celebrating King William's glorious victory over the English (evidently there are layers upon layers of secret info that actually are dissing King William!)

This and more mind-bending, history-changing info was given to me by Tom last weekend during our lunch date (do we know how to get romantic or what?).

He's reading 1066: The Hidden History In The Bayeux Tapestry and actually this is all a theory, but what an interesting one! I gave him the book for Christmas because when we first went to France, many years ago, he insisted on going to see the Bayeux Tapestry. I'd never heard of it but was fascinated when we finally were at the exhibit.

Among the other fascinating details was that William the Conqueror was the kinda guy who would have made Hitler proud. No one rose against him after he beat King Harold not because they were lackadaisical about who ruled them (which was how I'd always thought of it) but because he had this habit of obliterating little towns who stood against him. It was also the last time that Britain was conquered, which I'd never really thought of (despite William's title which I know he liked better than his previous one, "William the Bastard") because I always knew that William had some claim, however tenuous, to the British throne. However Wiliam's behavior definitely was that of a conqueror.

The English language went underground at that point, which I had heard before, as Norman French became the standard at court and speaking English was forbidden. As English servants waited on Norman courtiers more and more French became incorporated into the English language.

However, what I hadn't really ever thought about were the examples that the author gives to show how the language separation worked, and also how rich English became in synonyms. Animals "on the hoof" (so to speak) were known by their English words while the food when it got to the table was known under the French name. This really struck me when Tom said, "So cow became beef." I suddenly thought, "Boeuf ... which is French for beef."

Cow .... beef (French - boeuf)
Chicken ... poultry (French - poulet)
Sheep ... mutton (French - mouton)
Swine or pig ... pork (French - porc)

If you want to tour the tapestry this site will take you through bit by bit with the story translated.

Want to Know More About Scientology?

Rolling Stone has the scoop from a 9-month investigation. Astounding. I must have read about a third of this very long, but very informative article aloud to Tom.

Question, The Second

Secret Agent Man asks, "A true fast (water only), or the so-called squishy fast that they have these days where you're allowed one big huge meal and a couple of smaller ones??"

My answer is in the comments box. And remember, y'all, we're not here to judge each other ... God is judging our hearts and that is it.

UPDATE
As always, Steven Riddle has good advice for us.

Question, The First

Stella asks, "What's the best Stations of the Cross method/book?"

One person recommended The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

Any other recommendations?

Lent

This season was introduced by Pope Felix III in the fourth century. Originally it lasted for thirty-six days, but four days were added in 487 to make up the forty days Our Lord spent in the wilderness. The word "Lent" is taken from "Lenctenid," which is Old English for spring-tide and the Saxon name for March because of the lengthening of the days. As Lent falls in March, it is fittingly named.

Catholic Trivia

I Think They've Worked With Microsoft Before...

Check out this fantastic parody of what would happen if Microsoft packaged the iPod. Maybe you have to be in advertising (or computers) to appreciate it but it's perfect.

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

You Are Blonde Highlights

Men see you as flexible and versatile - you fit in to every situation You've got the inner glow of a blonde, the intensity of a redhead... And the wisdom of a brunette.

How Blonde Are You?

Via Miss Cellania.

A Little Fun for a Sunday Afternoon

Go to The Doctor is In and read his praise of standard poodles. If you aren't interested in reading much, be sure to scroll down and check out the photographic proof of poodle superiority.

Goodbye Sophie Grace

I just found out that little Sophie who was born to a family that embraced life despite doctors' urgings to do otherwise, died on February 2.

What a sorrow that must be for this family. What a blessing Sophie had in them, who loved her and cherished her while she was here for that short time.

Please pray for little Sophie's soul and for the peace and grace of God to be with her grieving family.

Lent-ish Links

An examination of conscience from Zenit. Via Holy Fool.

A history lesson on what Lent used to be like. Via Mrs. Darwin.

Doing Nothing or Nothing Doing? from Confessions of a Hot Carmel Sundae isn't precisely Lent oriented I suppose except that as I have exactly the opposite nature it made me begin thinking about what God wanted me to do ... which translated into Lenten thinking.

How the Seven Deadly Sins All Start From Good Things by TO. Another that isn't specifically for Lent but I found quite it made a good contribution toward pondering what to keep an eye on in my life and, specifically, in terms of Lenten practices. You might like it that way too.

What Would We Do Without Dick Cheney to Laugh At?

Some hilarious stuff is popping up.

Quail Hunting School: the game that trains you for quail hunting. Thanks to Alex for this one.

White House Had Prior Knowledge Of Cheney Threat: the Onion is working their usual irreverent magic.

In a Presidential Daily Briefing given to Bush in August 2005, the CIA warned that the vice president was a potent threat to the senior population at large, and in particular "possessed the capabilities and intentions to spray a senior citizen with projectiles fired from a shotgun or other weapon." A second brief identified the population at risk as those "between 70 and 80 years of age," and warned that the vice president posed the greatest threat to "seniors in close proximity to the vice president when he is armed."

And this cartoon: Day by Day.

Back to Basics: Getting to Heaven

The only thing that really matters in life is getting to Heaven.

Among all the achievements of our life only one thing is really crucial. It is attaining the goal — Heaven — set for us by God. We must be ready to give up everything, if necessary, to achieve this goal. We must also be ready to set aside anything that even gets in the way of our achieving it, no matter how valuable or appealing it may seem. Everything else has to be subjected to that one supreme objective in our life — possessing God. If anything becomes an obstacle rather than an aid to this end, then we must be prepared either to set things straight or to put the obstacle aside completely. Eternal salvation — our own or our neighbor's — comes first. Our Lord tells us so in the Gospel of the Mass (Mark 9:40-49): If thy hand is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off! ... And if thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off! ... And if thine eye is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off! ... It is better to enter into the kingdom of Heaven maimed, lame or lacking an eye, than being physically sound to be cast into hellfire, where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. It is better to lose something as necessary as one's hand, one's foot or one's eye than to lose Heaven, which is our supreme good, implying as it does the beatific vision of God for all eternity. How much truer this is, if, as is usually the case, what we need to put aside with no more than a bit of determination on our part is something that would otherwise not result in any significant harm to us....

Often the obstacles we have to set aside will not be tremendously significant ones. In the life of a Christian who is striving to please God in all things, this will usually be the case. What will have to be set aside and cut out are our minor whims and preferences. We shall take prudent steps to correct small breaches of temperance where Our Lord asks us to mortify our temper or our moods, to overcome any excessive concern we may have about our health or comfort ... All of these more or less habitual failings need very much to be taken into account, even though they may not be ore than venial sins. They slow our pace and can trip us up — or worse: they can gradually lead to or bring about more serious falls.

If our struggle is generous, if our goal in life is clear in our sight, we will be decisive not to say ruthless, in striving to correct these situations so that they cease to be obstacles and are turned into advantages. This is what Our Lord often did with his Apostles. From Peter's hot-headed impetuosity He formed solid rock on which He would build his Church. From the vehement impatience of John and James (who He dubbed sons of thunder) He fashioned the apostolic zeal of untiring preachers. From Thomas' skepticism he molded a strikingly articulate testimony to his divinity. What has been previously a crippling liability becomes a powerful asset.

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time, Weeks 13-23)

Can you tell I've been thinking about Lent? Actually Lent really began coming to mind a couple of days ago, so that's a week ahead. Just about the right timing for me to mentally prepare for the blessings that God will bring from this time. Despite my preference for Ordinary Time I treasure all the seasons that God gives us and Lent is no different.

First is this period of self-examination, where we contemplate the time to come, remember our ultimate goal (as stated above), and then ask where God wants us to go in order that we may meet Him more fully.

In my case, I have a pretty good feeling that it calls for some giving up and adding on.

Giving up: mortification of the flesh (which would be giving up dessert).

Adding on: focusing on "back to the basics" in my life (which means sticking to my daily schedule properly). A daily schedule may not sound like much but it can mean the difference between laziness and prayer time, between selfishness and serving my family through a clean house and nice meal on the table.

I'll also be contributing to a Lenten prayer blog which is an amazing ecumenical project begun by a couple of bloggers who want to truly celebrate Lent fully. There are around twenty people who will be sharing their prayers throughout Lent and I fully expect that I will be blessed by their prayers much more than I will be contributing any of my own. However, be that as it may, please drop by often as no one seems to be waiting for Ash Wednesday and are popping in to introduce themselves and often say a prayer or two.

More later about the books I'll be reading.

Litany of Blog Humility

I see that last year, after the Catholic Blog Awards ended, I also posted The Curt Jester's brilliant Litany of Blog Humility. Not only does it make you laugh but any bloggers reading it know how very true and necessary it is ... so it is a true Litany of Humility after all.

St. Jerome's image also thanks to The Curt Jester. What would St. Blog's do without The Curt Jester? I don't even want to think about it. Thanks Jeff!

The Litany of Blog Humility

From the desire of my blog being read
Deliver me dear Jesus

From the desire of my blog being praised
Deliver me dear Jesus

From the fear of my blog being despised
Deliver me dear Jesus

From the fear of my blog being forgotten
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

From the fear of no page views
Deliver me dear Jesus

That other blogs may be loved more than mine
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

That Nihil Obstat may find all my grammatical and spelling errors
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

That Google may never list my blog
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

That comments always be negative and abusive
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

That my commenting system always say "commenting temporarily unavailable"
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

That Mark Shea may notice every blog but mine
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it

That others may be pithier than I, provided that I may become as pithy as I should
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it




St. Jerome, pray for us.

Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind

Also inadvertently overlooked in updating my blogroll and presently to be found in the "New to Happy Catholic" section. Not that I've been a little scattered lately or anything. Sorry Jay!

Pro Ecclesia*Pro Familia*Pro Civitate

It's Official! And I'd Like to Thank the Academy ...

I had so much fun with those blog awards and I hope that y'all did too! Certainly everybody was quite gracious in letting me talk about that darned egg so much. Thanks y'all!

Amy Welborn showed what a lady she is by not flogging the vote at all. We all know that if she was even half as shameless as I was in getting the vote out ... well, the term "crushing victory" would have a new definition. As Der Tommissar said, "Someone in Vegas just made a ton of money on that one." The sheer excitement I felt in seeing our blog votes come even to each other couldn't have been matched. (Yes, that's how very sad and void of real forms of entertainment my life can be ... and still I'm happy! I'm not going to dwell on that right now.)

Josh LeBlanc deserves a huge thanks from everyone ... and if that was expressed by helping with bandwidth costs via PayPal (check at the bottom of the votes page) I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

For those who wanted things changed with the awards please do go to the forums that Joshua set up. There are some very good suggestions being made and that's the perfect place to have ideas mulled over for practicality and fairness.

Seeing some of the response around St. Blogs makes me more convinced than ever that the Catholic Blog Awards are not just fun, they also are a valuable litmus test for humility and sense of proportion. I continue to think that Owen nailed it with this:

If Catholic bloggers complain about their awards now, one can only imagine what it's gonna be like at the General Judgment. Sheesh, hope St. Peter's got big ear plugs. And, one is afraid to imagine what kind of witness they are providing in the mean time; mean being the byword.

luminous miseries

Speaking of new categories ... this has convinced me that there really needs to be a category for best acceptance of an award. (And while you're at it, don't miss this candidate for best awards wrap-up post.)

UPDATE
The Curt Jester has a nice summary of winners. I agree with his analogy that voting this year was like Sophie's Choice ... it's practically impossible to choose one over the other from among so many great blogs.

Catholic Trivia

This is a charming British book which traces the often forgotten Catholic origins of common sayings, customs, and traditions. I believe I saw it recommended by Ten Reasons. I'll be sharing some of the trivia on the way. Just keep in mind that the British origin makes some of the references a little puzzling every so often.

The holy number thirteen

An interesting survival of Catholic days is the religious significance attached to the number thirteen, in spite of the efforts of the Reformers to stamp out the tradition by calling the number unlucky. The model in men's minds from quite early times seems to have been our Divine Lord and the twelve Apostles, and this number of thirteen was copied in all kinds of ways. For example, if a benefactor wanted to found some almshouses (or a hospital, as almshouses were often called), as a rule, thirteen of them would be built. Thus Hugh II, Abbot of Reading, founded a hospital for thirteen poor men and thirteen poor women, about the year 1190. The Herald's College in London which was founded by Richard III had (and still has) thirteen members. Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, brought a body of Portuguese Franciscans to London in 1662, the community consisting of a Father Guardian and twelve friars. A "baker's dozen" consisted of thirteen loaves or cakes, and there was legislation connected with this custom.

But an interesting survival of thirteen being regarded as a lucky number is to be found in the common custom of putting a hen to sit on thirteen eggs. When a sitting of eggs is advertised for sale, the number is always understood to be thirteen. If this number is really unlucky, as has been made out in modern times, are the thirteen eggs put under the hen a bad omen? Surely this is for good luck. The interesting thing about this old custom, with its religious tinge, is that it should have come down to us intact all the way from our Catholic past. And it shows also how deeply matters connected with religion, in however small a way, entered into the daily life of our forefathers.

UPDATE
Louise adds to our thirteen knowledge with this info. How cool is this? Very.

In the making of icons, 13 thins layers of plaster are painted on the wooden board, and this is what the image is painted on.

Also, every colour you mix when painting an icon, must have a minimum of three clours in it - for the Trinity.

Wow.

I ... uh ...

Well, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred has done it.

I was so pleased to be asked interview questions and was knew that was coming. However, reading the extremely generous and kind introduction (are you sure you had the right blog in mind?) has humbled me extremely ...

... and even left me (relatively) speechless.

Go see.

Wow.

I owe you, Siggy. Three batches of Cinnamon Buns from Heaven comin' up.

If I Were a Haiku Writer...

... like Holy Fool or Idle Mendacity or others I know then I'd have a lovely little three line way to say ...

Woke up this morning
Head pounding
Sinus headache BAM!

But instead I'll just say that the mega-dose of aspirin has kicked in and I now am running to catch up to my regular day.

(Too little of that banned substance Drixoral plus staying up to watch Ladies' Figure Skating makes a bad mixture.)

In the meantime, everybody has the story about the Pope naming the new cardinals. Here are a coupla good spots for a quick read:

• Catholic Outsider has the list with some commentary.
• American Papist, one of my favorite new discoveries of the blog awards, is making sure we can recognize them on the street with links and photos in First Reactions, Faces to Names, Part 1 and Faces to Names, Part II.

More later, y'all!

Did Anyone Else Think of Disputations ...

... when they saw the Google doodle this morning? I know that Disputations did!

Celebratory Gratuitous Funny List

From my in-box. Thanks, Alex!

Things to do at Wal-Mart while
your friend or parent is taking their sweet time

1. Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
2. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares and see what happens.
3. Go the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on lay away.
4. Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers you'll invite them in if they'll bring in pillows from the bedding department.
5. When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
6. While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the anti- depressants are.
7. Dart around the store suspiciously loudly humming the Mission Impossible theme.
8. Hide in a clothing rack; when people browse through, say PICK ME!
9. When an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!
10. Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait a while; and then yell, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Whew!

I don't know about y'all, but I was laughing my head off for most of the morning over the Catholic Blog awards voting posts ... yes, I'm easily amused and crack myself up (how's that for open admission?), though my loyal boosters in the comments boxes contributed a lot too. It was sooo muuuuch fuuuunnnn!

Official results will be up tomorrow and thanks for kissing da egg wit' me, mon!

ALSO
I'll put "official" congrats up tomorrow but did want to mention that I was pleased to be so conflicted over who to vote for in so many categories ... what a lot of quality blogs are out there. Lucky us to get to read them.

If you haven't checked out all the nominated blogs be sure to work your way through them. I have discovered several excellent ones I never heard of before this awards contest.

According to My Campaign Manager ...

... if you don't kiss da egg now, mon, you're kissing my chances goodbye!

Just a half hour left and then I'll quit flogging the vote. Now that's something to be grateful for, right? In your joy and gratitude, go vote, and then I'll shaddup!

We Have a Prime Opportunity Here

Look what Rick Lugari's been driven to.

Can we afford to let this blogging genius waste away for lack of attention?

I say to you all, "NO!" We cannot.

Here I have been flogging the vote for my own selfish purposes when there are those far more worthy and who I would like to see blog far more (yes, Rick, that's a plea for continued blogging). I hang my head in shame and point you to one whose need cries out to us.

The hour is late and the need is dire. Go vote for Rick in Best Presentation and Best Design. I pass the egg to him in his hour of need. Go kiss the egg. Do it for Rick!

(Oh and all the others worthy bloggers he mentions at the bottom of his post. Voting ends at noon. Aren't y'all glad?)

UPDATE: EASY COME, EASY GO
Yikes ... Amy mentioned the awards and so the Best Blog by a Woman levels are beginning to achieve their normal state as her percentage points rise. C'est la vie!

Unless, of course, y'all go vote your little hearts out. :-D

You Know It's One Thing to Flog Books on Your Blog...

... but it really must be sweet to have the Dallas Morning News editorial section do it for you.

You have to have opened the actual newspaper to get the true effect. One page of the editorial section, entirely filled with voting recommendations for upcoming primaries. The opposite side with the top two-thirds filled with Rod Dreher's article musing about that crazy, in-your-face, unpredictable lifestyle of being a conservative who buys organic and wears Birkenstocks ... in his new book, Crunchy Cons. Woah, dude! For real?

If only I didn't know a lot of people like him already (or wasn't one myself ... minus the Birkenstocks) I'd rush right out and buy that book.

The bottom third of the page? Reactions to the book by another (conservative) of the editorial staff who struggled mightily to find anything bad to say. (I mighta been interested in what a liberal had to say about the book but too bad.)

Most people have to pay for that sort of prime newspaper advertising coverage.

Like I said. Sweet.

UPDATE
This is not to say that I don't think the book will be good or that I won't read it (when it gets to our public library) ... it is really to protest giving an entire page of the two available in the newspaper's editorial section to promote his book.

For commentary not done by Dreher himself or co-workers:

• Here is the WSJ's review. They liked it. They really liked it.
• Rachel at Testosterhome also really liked it.

I'm still dying to see a review from someone who is liberal about this. If y'all see one, let me know. Because all the friendly stuff is fine but not telling me anything I don't already know. I wanna see what someone else has to say as well.

Why I Am Going to Read Uncle Tom's Cabin

Because Rose keeps reading me excerpts ... and they all seem so very familiar, so modern, and can be applied far beyond Stowe's concern with slavery. Certainly, they go far beyond my previous exposure to the book which was the play that is put on in The King and I.

"I'm not going to have any of your horrid New England directness, cousin," said St. Claire, gayly. "If I answer that question, I know you'll be at me with half a dozen others, each one harder than the last; and I'm not a going to define my position. I am one of the sort that lives by throwing stones at other people's glass houses, but I never mean to put up one for them to stone."

"That's just the way he's always talking," said Marie; "you can't get any satisfaction out of him. I believe it's just because he don't like religion, that he's always running out in this way he's been doing."

"Religion!" said St. Clare, in a tone that made both ladies look at him. "Religion! Is what you hear at church religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, and not something beneath."

-----------------

Who does not know how our great men are outdoing themselves, in declaiming against the foreign slave-trade? There are a perfect host of Clarksons and Wilberforces risen up among us on that subject, most edifying to hear and behold. Trading Negroes from Africa, dear reader, is so horrid. It is not to be though of! But trading them from Kentucky — that's quite another thing!

-----------------

"... It's pretty generally understood that men don't aspire after the absolute right, but only to do about as well as the rest of the world. Now, when any one speaks up, like a man, and says slavery is necessary to us, we can't get along without it, we should be beggared if we give it up, and, of course, we mean to hold on to it — this is strong, clear, well-defined language; it has the respectability of truth to it; and if we may judge by their practice, the majority of the world will bear us out in it. But when he begins to put on a long face, and snuffle, and quote Scripture, I incline to think he isn't much better than he should be."

"You are very uncharitable," said Marie.

"Well," said St. Clare, "suppose that something should bring down the price of cotton once and forever, and make the whole slave property a drug in the market, don't you think we should soon have another version of the Scripture doctrine? What a flood of light would pour into the church, all at once, and how immediately it would be discovered that everything in the Bible and reason went the other way!"

The Baltimore Catechism

Love is purified, increased and perfected by suffering. This means not only bodily pain, but crosses of all kinds. God sends everyone all the sufferings they need on earth to cleanse, strengthen, and perfect their love. But most people waste their sufferings. They do not want them, complain about them and try to escape them in every manner possible, even by committing sin. (Baltimore Catechism No. 2 p. 90)

Our priest quotes the Baltimore Catechism quite often, always saying that there "is a lot of good stuff in there." I have begun thinking that I need to lay my hands on a copy and start reading. Then, after seeing the above quote, in a very good post by mum2twelve (yes, go read it!) my desire was solidified into decision. This sort of thing is too good to miss or just have doled out by others. I must obtain a copy and mine these treasures for myself.

I didn't expect to see so many versions though. Any advice? This is the version that looks most likely to me: Baltimore Catechism and Mass No. 3: The Text of the Official Revised Edition 1949 with Summarizations of Doctrine and Study Helps.

Get Your Mensa Hats On

Here's one for the numbers people ...

Our corner grocery prices its food according to the owner's whim. An apple costs 41¢, squash costs 48¢, and a zucchini costs 65¢. According to this system, how much will a tomato cost?

INVISI-SCRIPT ANSWER

51¢ (consonants are worth 7¢; vowels are worth 10¢)

Are They Just Toying With Me?

Moseying back over to the Catholic Blog Awards to see how everyone was doing, I was astounded to see that the Best Blog by a Woman voting was back up ...

... and Y'ALL!

Amy Welborn ... 33.1%
Happy Catholic ... 30.3%

I'm pretty sure this is a dream and when I wake up it will all be back to corrupted data again. But what a nice dream.

Just in case I'm actually awake ... GO VOTE!

An Honor to be Nominated ...

... never had as much meaning as it does now that the Best Blog by a Woman category is closed because the data was corrupted.

I was already over the moon because of the nomination.

And flying even higher because I was within 10 percentage points of Amy Welborn on Saturday. Now that is a real miracle and a real testimony to y'all as dedicated voters which I appreciate so much you don't know.

Now, let me exhort all to vote in Most Informative Blog ... which I must admit I think is an odd category for me to be in but ... what the heck. Who am I to question the nomination? I'm just gonna kiss the egg and go vote!

UPDATE
For all those who had ideas about how to improve the blog awards, and I saw some good ones out there (yes, Elena, I'm talking to you!), Josh has opened a forum for ideas which I think is an excellent idea.

In other news, a forum for the Catholic blog awards has been opened so that we can figure out a way to make them better for next year. One of the rules, however, will be that all suggestions be given in a spirit of charity and good will.

Knit But Not Wit!

I go in and out of knitting frenzies and can tell that I just now am getting ready to launch another. Mostly because I am done knitting that darned poncho (after knitting it once at about triple the size needed!). It was pretty short when I got done but after a good dunking and wet blocking when I PULLED it into shape ... it now looks as if it is drying in an acceptable length. Because this one is GONNA WORK! Or else!

I have never knit socks and for some reason am just dying to knit a pair ... double pointed needles and all! Preferably a striped pair (but I am thinking that would make it way too difficult so will stick to just getting through a pair of them). I have to swing by the yarn store for the double pointed needles and to get advice on the best sort of yarn and then can embark on this new adventure.

Also, I just LOVE knitting cables and want something that won't blow my brain (as I am afraid that the socks will do) so am going to begin knitting a cable sampler scarf.

It is very exciting to be picking out new yarn and looking at patterns.

The problem is that I have knit for years but never anything that was too difficult. So I am starting to ramp up and find challenges which is easy because knitting is so popular now. Before you'd have to struggle just to find patterns sometimes. It's crazy to see how many publications, fun yarns, etc. are out now.

I remember the teacher of a knitting class that I took long, long ago, said that there are two sorts of knitters. Those who give it all away and those who keep it. I give it all away. Not sure why. I just do.

I picked up a copy of Knit.1 which the girls just love. Rose is getting ready to embark on a new knitting adventure because a black sweater with a skull and crossbones on it caught her eye ... and tickled her funny bone. It would be her first venture into knitting something other than scarves or hats so would be challenging. She also was tickled by the interview with a screamo musician who crochets all his own beanie hats. Once on tour it was very cold and when wandering through the nearby Walmart looking for blankets one of the band's guitarists saw yarn and said that they should just make stuff to keep them warm. The guitarist bought a how-to knitting book, needles, and yarn while the subject of the interview bought the same for crochet. And he still crochets to this day. A great story.

I also picked up a copy of Cast On magazine which is the publication of The Knitting Guild Association. The publication had some very good basic articles about several subjects and I liked more of the patterns than I usually would from a knitting magazine. Also the organization sounded interesting with correspondence courses available. Has anyone got any experience with this group?

Greatness of Soul

Greatness of soul proves itself also in a willingness to forgive, in matters large and small, whether it be people close to us in our lives or far from us. It is not Christian to go about the world with a list of grievances in one's heart, cherishing rancorous thoughts and memories that shrink the spirit and make us incapable of the human and divine ideals to which our Lord is calling us. In the same way that God is always ready to forgive everyone everything, our capacity to forgive must have no limits. The number of times does not matter. The seriousness of the wrongs done is irrelevant, as is the status of the persons who were supposedly guilty of the offences. Nothing makes us like unto God so much as being always ready to forgive (St. John Chrysostom). On the Cross, Jesus did what he had taught: Father, forgive them, he prayed. And immediately he added the mitigating reason: for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). those words show the greatness of soul of Christ's sacred Humanity.

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time, Weeks 13-23)

I inadvertently kept reading yesterday and wound up on the commentary for Year C which gave me a wonderful reminder of how I am to be.

And why is it that we must so constantly be reminded of this? Why is it so easy to forget? It occurs to me that this is one of those times when it is better to be like a little child, as Jesus told us. Little children forgive readily and then forget all. It is only later that they learn to remember, hold grudges, and count the number of offenses.

That must be why the saints are ... well ... saints. We have example after example of times when they do not even take offense in the first place. They have achieved that desired state of being like a little child. God grant that I may be able to do the same someday.

We Are Now a Four Cell Phone Family

And this is kinda freakin' out Tom and me.

We always looked at those television ads for family calling plans and scoffed at the people who had all those cell phones. One more time, "never say never."

I have a cell phone which I rarely turn on but we've had it for years since the days when Hannah and Rose were altar servers. We wouldn't know exactly when to pick them up from serving weddings or funerals and ... what the heck, we traveled enough to think it was a good idea to have a cell phone for emergencies. Right? So that was the family cell phone with minutes bought only as we needed them.

Then Tom got one because he was out of the office enough traveling with his father's illness, visiting his mother often after his dad's death, press checks, meetings, etc. Face it, when you're a three-person office, you have to be able to get in touch with the main guy sometimes. So there you go.

Hannah began driving about month and a half ago. 'Nuff said there. Now if we could only get her to remember to always leave it on and turn the ringer back on. But that is par for the course.

And Rose? Why does she have a cell phone?

We bought a phone for Hannah but for some reason the system kept saying that they didn't have any phone numbers to give out. After two days of that Tom got exasperated and went out and got a different phone that had proprietary phone numbers and was able to start right away.

So then we had that extra phone but it had only been about $20. We meant to return it but kept forgetting. And then this weekend, Rose spent most of the day with friends at the movies and the mall. She refused my phone saying that friends would have cell phones. Except that she wrote the number down illegibly. And a different friend's father called who needed to get in touch with his child whose phone battery had run down. And Hannah had dropped them off but we had never been to this mall ... and got lost on the way there. And so on and so forth.

Rose, who was the only person in the entire family who really cared if she had a cell phone ... is now thrilled. Enough time had gone by that phone numbers were plentiful and Tom gave her that little phone. Now all we have to do is call her on it to make her happiness complete.

And we are one of those families where everyone is connected ... as long as Hannah and I each remember to turn ours on.

The only consolation is that we still only have one television. Using the roof antenna for reception. In the back room of the house. Which is only on when someone is watching something.

We're not going to talk about the two VCRs and DVD player. The three computers. The three iPods and a Shuffle. The scanner. The wireless connection. Or the four cell phones.

4th Sunday of Saint Joseph

Presentation in the Temple

JOYS AND SORROWS - I

To think about the life of Saint Joseph is to discover a life full of joys and sorrows. the Lord teaches us through the life of the Holy Patriarch that true happiness is never far from the Cross. If we bear that suffering and trial with supernatural spirit, we will soon be rewarded with clarity and peace. With Christ at our side, sorrows turn into joys.

[First Sorrow and Joy]

When Mary his mother had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. (Matt 1:18) Joseph ... loved Mary with a pure and deep human love. Yet he felt obliged by his upright conscience to follow the Mosaic law in this regrettable situation. In order to protect Mary from public shame, Joseph decided to put her aside privately. This was a most painful test for both Joseph and Mary.

Just as his sorrow was great, so was Joseph's joy immeasurable when at last he was shown the ways of God's Providence ...

We can learn from Joseph's first sorrow and joy that the Lord will always enlighten those who seek him with a clean heart. God's light can shine through the most perplexing situations imaginable.

[Second Sorrow and Joy]

And it came to pass while they were there, that the days for her to be delivered were fulfilled. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger... (Luke 2:6-7)

We can imagine Joseph going from door to door in search of shelter and hospitality for his pregnant wife ... What must this terrible experience have been like for Saint Joseph? What were his feelings at the sight of his weary wife, her clothing travel-stained and every feature proclaiming her utter exhaustion? ...

All of this anxiety and suffering was quickly forgotten from the moment Mary held the Son of God in her arms. Saint Joseph realized that the Son of God was now his son as well. He kissed and worshipped him...

This alternating sorrow and joy should teach us that serving God is worth the effort, even though we will encounter difficulties, and perhaps poverty and pain.

[Third Sorrow and Joy]

And when eight days were fulfilled for his circumcision, his name was called Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21) ... The actual ceremony was sometimes performed by the father.

... The name Jesus means Savior; it had been chosen by God himself and communicated through the message of the angel ... It was the desire of the Holy Trinity that the Son should commence his salvific mission on earth in suffering. It would seem fitting that Joseph was the one to inaugurate the mystery of the Redemption by shedding the first drops of his Son's holy blood. This blood would yield its full effect in the awful context of the Passion. The Child who cried upon the receipt of his name had thereupon begun his work of salvation.

Saint Joseph ... was well versed in the Scriptures and he knew, if only in an imperfect way, that there would come a day when his Son would have to shed his blood even to the last drop. Joseph was filled with joy to carry the child in his arms and call him Jesus ...

[Fourth Sorrow and Joy]

And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (Luke 2:22) ... When Joseph heard the prophecy of Simeon, surely a sword must have pierced his heart as well.

On that day in the Temple Joseph and Mary were given a more profound insight into the mystery of the Redemption which their Son would bring to completion. Saint Joseph was now able to understand a little better. He made this suffering his own...

Alongside this pain there was, of course, the joy of the impending universal redemption.

In Conversation with God, Vol. 6: Special Feasts: January to June

Are We There Yet?

No, mon, not yet.

You still got to kiss the egg ...
vote for this little Jamaican bobsled in
Best Blog by a Woman and
Most Informative Blog categories.

You can vote once every 24 hours.

Let's show those Swiss what we're made of!

My All Time Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

Still as funny as when I first saw it. Via The View from the Foothills.

On the Flip Side: Another Top 5 List

Switching around from yesterday, this was a tougher category somehow.

Top 5 Movies with Dramatic Actors in Comedic Roles

1. Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie
2. Tommy Lee Jones - Men in Black
3. Sigorney Weaver - Galaxy Quest
4. Jack Nicholson - Mars Attack
5. Mel Gibson - What Women Want

So c'mon. Drop those lists in the comments box.

A Day (or Two) Late ...

... and probably more than a dollar short. But I couldn't get Blogger to work yesterday afternoon when I came into possession of these graphics. And I hate to see them go to waste.

The story is practically dead but these make me laugh anyway so here they are. (Click on photos for larger view.)

Seen all over the blogosphere.

Thanks to Bill for sending me this one!

Damn Straight!

If Catholic bloggers complain about their awards now, one can only imagine what it's gonna be like at the General Judgement. Sheesh, hope St. Peter's got big ear plugs. And, one is afraid to imagine what kind of witness they are providing in the mean time; mean being the byword.

luminous miseries

I see some people who are having fun with the Catholic Blog Awards ... and some who aren't, which is a crying shame considering that we are all Catholic. Perhaps these awards are good on a second level as a annual litmus test for our own humility.

Anyway, enough heavy thoughts about all that.

Der Tomissar is totally hilarious with this whole thing.

College Catholic weighs in on the whole Catholic blog awards subject with great wit.

And Rick Lugari came back from his blogging hiatus to make me laugh out loud with his endorsements. I was especially touched by our Holy Father's endorsement of Happy Catholic. Go check it out, y'all!

Let's not forget that this is taking up precious bandwidth for cybercatholics.com. If you feel so moved, please note the Paypal link at the top of the awards page where you can help with the costs.

Now, don't go have so much fun that everyone forgets to kiss the egg! C'mon. You can vote once every 24 hours ... so what are you waiting for? Help this little Jamaican bobsled make a decent showing in the Best Blog by a Woman and Most Informative Blog categories. Go vote!

Are We Brave Enough to Ask for Humility?

If we want to build up our Christian life we must have a great desire of developing in ourselves the virtue of humility, pleading with Our Lord for it and facing up to our subterfuges and failings in this area while trying by our actions to root our self-love. Humility produces countless fruits and is linked with all the other virtues. It is associated in a special way with cheerfulness, fortitude, chastity, sincerity, simplicity, affability, and magnamity. A humble person has a special gift for friendship and, because of this, for being apostolic. Without humility there is no chance of living a life full of charity, the theological virtue prerequisite for being an apostle and a friend.

To become more humble, we have to be ready to accept the humiliation of finding victory elusive in our struggle to conquer our defects, and of being reminded of our weaknesses day by day. Often when we examine our conscience, especially on those occasions when we can do it more thoroughly, we can ask questions like these: have I managed to offer Our Lord in expiation the very sorrow I feel for having offended him so many times? Have I offered him the shame of all my inner embarrassment and humiliation at seeing how little progress I make along the path of virtue? (J. Escriva, The Forge) Then there are the humiliations inflicted on us by others — the ones we were not expecting or the ones that seem unfair or downright unjust. Do we bear these well for Our Lord's sake?

If we are searching for the firm rock of Our Lord's own humility in order to build on it, we are bound to find countless opportunities every day. We can try talking about ourselves only when it is really necessary — and not so much even then. We can be grateful for the little good turns people do for us. Keeping in mind that we deserve nothing, we can thank God for the countless benefits we receive. We can decide to make the world a more pleasant place for those who come in contact with us throughout the day. And what about those useless thoughts that revolve around ourselves? They can be cut off at the start. We should not miss any chance of lending a hand at home with the family, or at work, or anywhere else we may be. Instead of trying to be too independent we can allow ourselves to be helped, or we can ask for advice. If we are very sincere with ourselves we shall ask Our Lord to stop us finding excuses to explain away our sins and failings, those things that humiliate us and for which we sometimes have to ask other people's forgiveness. All of this is done with God's help and with the help of spiritual direction, which is only another way of coming into contact with him.

Fixing our gaze on Christ, we can have enough humility to admit our mistakes and set about putting them right...

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time, Weeks 13-23)

Guilty as charged.

Part of my problem is that when I ask for humility, knowing that it is so very good for me, the Lord answers practically instantly. And humility is not easy to bear. It hurts. It stings. It cuts deep and can be hard to forget.

Of course, the goal is to get to where we can offer it to God and not mind at all. I am quite a long way away from achieving that goal which means that I have to ask for humility all the more. But because it hurts, that calls for courage ... or, as I often must do, for asking God to forgive my fear of the very thing I am asking for. The only thing that makes it possible for me to want such a thing is that I have been there before and seen the fruit it bears and the good it does me. Which helps make me brave.

Lord, keep us close to you. Make us humble. Amen.

Comic Actors in Dramatic Roles

Listening to the most recent installment of a favorite movie review podcast (occasional bad language warning for those who care ), I loved their Top 5 list idea this week. So I'm stealing it.

Top 5 Movies with Comedic Actors in Dramatic Roles

1. Bill Murray - Lost In Translation
2. Tom Hanks - Apollo 13
   
3. Jim Carrey - The Truman Show
4. Adam Sandler - Spanglish
5. Robin Williams - Good Morning, Vietnam

Honorable Mentions

1. Steve Martin - The Spanish Prisoner
2. Michael Keaton - Batman

A Couple of Good Causes

FUNDRAISING FOR POOR CLARES
Get the scoop at To Jesus Through Mary. Via Moneybags.

BRING CATHOLIC RADIO TO NORTH TEXAS
Answer the poll in the top right hand corner at Guadalupe Radio Network.

Are We Smart Yet?

More Mensa ... and I will just admit up front that this one flummoxed me (that's right, I said flummoxed!).

Jake walks into a store, picks up an object and says, "How much is 1?" The clerk says $1.00. Jakes says, "Okay, here's $3.00. I'll take 111."

What is he buying?

Cool Runnings

Tom said it best (he always does).
When it comes to the Catholic Blog Awards,
Happy Catholic is the Jamaican bobsled team.
The mere fact that somehow I slipped in is a miracle.

But that doesn't mean we can't give the Swiss a run for their money.
So, c'mon ... kiss the egg!

(And if you don't know what that means
then hie thee to a rental store and catch up on Cool Runnings)

Catholic Blog Awards Voting

Ok, y'all shouldn't have but I'm awfully happy that you did ... Happy Catholic is nominated for both Best Informative Blog and for Best Blog by a Woman.

Now, Open Book is also in both of those and is usually a runaway winner but just to be nominated is so fantastic! *kissing hands to everybody*

And we certainly can give Amy a run for the money, right? Voting is allowed once every 24 hours so I feel no compunction this year in urging everybody to vote early and vote often.

As for the other categories, many of them have more than one of my favorite blogs nominated so I am going to have to give this some deep thought. However, I will urge all at this point to vote also for The Anchoress in Best Political Blog.

Remember, it's all for fun ...

A Few Details About the Catholic Blog Awards

For those who have questions about how the nominations work or if the award voting will be actually happening, Dom has the scoop. The best part of his post? His advice to lighten up. After all, if these aren't fun then there's no point.

Divisions in Christianity

I have a real weakness for the most basic of books sometimes. Even when you think you know it all (and I definitely don't but anyway) you can always learn a bit of something new. Now I already knew this but as I recently was quite shocked (really, really stunned actually) to see on two different blogs there were commenters questioning the historical accuracy of the fact that the Catholic Church was the original Christian church. I mean, even when I didn't believe in God at all, I knew that much.

So when I saw this I thought I'd pop it in here because it is a very good and succinct explanation, even though it is highly unlikely that either of those two commenters read this blog.

There were no major divisions among Christianity until AD 1054, when the Orthodox and Catholic Churches parted company. Until then, for a thousand years there had been one Christian church, with the bishop of Rome (also known as the pope) as patriarch of the West and the other bishops of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and finally Constantinople as fellow partiarchs of the East. The schism between the (Greek) Orthodox and the (Roman) Catholics later subdivided into the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches in the East (AD 1448) and the Catholic and the Protestant churches in the West (since the Reformation in AD 1517). Before the schism of the eleventh century, the terms "Catholic" and "Christian" were often used synonymously by believers in both the East and the West because "catholic" merely meant "universal" (from the Greek word katholikos).

Women in the Bible For Dummies

Whew!

More Mensa

Find the word that fits the definitions below when it's: (1) a whole word and (2) divided into two words.

1. Whole word: pained expression
2. Two words: (a) severe (b) star performer
   

Fellini Would Have Been Proud

We caught the end of the opening ceremonies in Turin ... our minds were boggled. I guess that opening ceremonies are the Olympic funnybone. Although they sure know how to light a torch with style ... once the poor thing finally gets there.

Without a Doubt

If there is someone on your blogroll who makes your world a better place just because that person exists and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence on your blog.

Not just someone but many, many "ones" who have enriched my life both through their blog and through coming to visit mine. Via TO who is one of them.

A Little Poem for Advertising Agencies

When a client proves refractory,
Show a picture of his factory.
If the boss still moans and sighs,
Make his logo twice the size.
But only in the direst cases
Ever show the clients' faces.

Attributed to David Ogilvy

Brought to mind by a client who wanted his bio on his website because "his customers" were complaining. Right. His customers ... what an ego.

Podcast Spotlight

CATHOLIC MORMON PODCAST
I ignored this podcast at first, thinking that anyone who thought there was such a thing as a Catholic Mormon was very, very confused. Luckily, I later saw a description and gave it a try. Rob was a cradle Catholic who had fallen away from the Church. Sarah was a devout Mormon. They met, fell in love and knew they needed to resolve their religious differences. Searching for the truth they spent alternate weekends at RCIA and with Mormon missionaries for a year. At the end of it all, Rob was back in the Church and Sarah was undecided. It took another year of RCIA for her to feel that Catholic was the way to go.

This podcast is done for those who may be on a similar path, no matter what the religions at odds among mixed religion couples. Rob and Sarah take turns talking about different aspects of the world's largest Christian religion (Catholicism) and the world's fastest growing religion (Mormonism). They have an easy going and personable style.

I have found it very informative about the Mormon faith. They have been generally accurate about Catholicism (just off on a few details that have been relatively minor so far) so I think they probably are at least that accurate about the Mormon faith as well.

If you have questions about either faith, or how they relate to each other, this is a great place to start getting some answers.