That Sound You Heard?

It was my mind blowing ... I'm tellin' ya'll, the Catechism is mind altering material. Handle with care.

What Is It About May?

Maybe May is Mary's month because mothers need a little help with sanity.

Our kids are past the age where they both have a play, musical program, awards ceremony and sports playoff in which to participate ... however ... just when I thought it was safe to not cringe when turning my calendar to May ...

First, May is our family festival month. Kicked off with Tom's birthday on April 30, we have also Rose's birthday, our wedding anniversary, and my birthday. See why I don't care about Mother's Day? I've had enough celebrating this month ...

Second, this year Hannah is graduating from high school. A joyous occasion to be sure and we are so proud of how well she has done with handling pressure and bringing home fantastic grades ... not to mention snagging a spot at A&M when it is apparently impossible (we didn't have any idea until hearing wave after wave of parents be incredulous that Hannah wasn't in the top 10% of her grade, didn't have an impressive resume of time-filling extra activities, etc.). So that means a senior class dinner, mother-daughter senior tea, graduation practice, Baccalaureate Mass, oh ... and the graduation itself. Probably with relatives in town, depending on various schedules. So there is that.

Then, we must not forget other obligations.

Such as Rose's Julius Caesar video project for English. Which requires five people spending the night for at least one weekend (probably two) for practice, on-location filming (at our office, which will involve Tom as camera man) and post-video production. Luckily Rose is a genius video editor but there is always something that seems to go wrong with transfers or some such thing, so that is where Tom steps in.

And, lest we forget, it has been quite some time since Hannah has had a shindig with her friends here ... and we hear through the grapevine that this is a popular location ... "so relaxed." That is the value of preparing mounds and mounds of food to have available at all times and then getting out of the way. Except for discreet supervision, of course, which hardly is needed with these kids. They are all good 'uns. Hannah and Rose have been negotiating times and dates to avoid Mother's Day. Hardly a problem around here (where I scorn it), but it does put a cramp in all the other kids' schedules for overnights. So far, I think we have it down to one weekend with overlapping gangs spending the night.

Good thing that we like having all these kids around! And I enjoy feeding them. It takes very little effort and they are always gratifyingly ravenous ... and appreciative.

May is Mary's Month

William Bouguereau (1825-1905)
L'innocence [Innocence]

The May Magnificat

May is Mary's month, and I
Muse at that and wonder why:

Her feasts follow reason,
Dated due to season --

Candlemas, Lady Day;
But the Lady Month, May,

Why fasten that upon her,
With a feasting in her honour

Is it only its being brighter
Than the most are must delight her?

Is it opportunest
And flowers finds soonest?

Ask of her, the mighty mother;
Her reply puts this other

Question: What is Spring? --
Growth in everything --

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather
Grass and green world all together;

Star-eyed strawberry breasted
Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin
Forms and warms the life within;

And bird and blossom swell
In sod or sheath or shell.

All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathising

With that world of good
Nature's motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind

How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord

Well but there was more than this:
Spring's universal bliss

Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.

When drop-of-blood-and-foam-dapple
Bloom lights the orchard-apple

And thicket and thorp are merry
With silver-surféd cherry

And azuring-over greybell makes
Wood banks and brakes wash wet like lakes

And magic cuckoo call
Caps, clears, and clinches all --

This ecstasy all through mothering earth
Tells Mary her mirth till Christ's birth

To remember and exultation
In God who was her salvation.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Homily

I can't match everything that Cathy Ward manages to communicate in exquisite brevity ... but will try. You will just have to imagine Fr. L's wonderful oratory style that leaves most people wanting to shout, "Amen" when he is done. Here goes nothing...

"It is not enough to know Jesus if we don't show it in our actions, words, and lives. Go show it."

Flight 93 Review

From Madeleine comes this review. I have pulled it out of the comments box because she did such a good job of describing the essence of the film and why she liked it ... and she may have convinced me to go see this movie.

I wanted to wait until I saw Flight 93 to weigh in on this discussion. I have just seen it, and it is one of the finest efforts I have seen in years of moviegoing. I am ready to say that this one will be a classic, along with Tora Tora Tora and films of that general type.

I want to say that the key to this film is the unquenchable courage of the human spirit. This is about a battle in the sky - a truly significant battle fought by ordinary American citizens. And of all the documentaries, re-enactments, narrations, etc., that I have seen dealing with that day, this is superior to and unlike any of them. It is gripping and spellbinding, and you will be proud of these people, and also get a good look at "the fog of war" and what the people in the FAA and military were dealing with.

The movie starts so very slowly, capturing the ordinary, familiar, even boring atmosphere perfectly. What we then are treated to is the story of how the ordinary people (just like me, just like you, just like our friends and neighbors) came to grips with a situation that became clearer and more perilous with each bit of gleaned information. I am so proud of those people words can't express it.

Please don't dismiss this movie expecting blood (very little), scenes of slaughter, etc. You won't find them. What you will find is an exceptional group of heroes. And if heroism makes you cry, then yes, you might want to tuck a Kleenex in your pocket. Sorry for the long comment and "mini-review", but as you can tell, I was very impressed. And I still haven't seen Saving Private Ryan, because I can't take violent movies.

Mini-Lit For the Weekend

This is all shamelessly stolen from Cathy Ward who you should all be reading anyway. She has taken the Books-in-a-Minute idea and run with it. She's got a gift for sure.

Mere Christianity
by C.S. Lewis

You can believe Jesus is the Savior of the world or not.
But if you don't, you're dumb.

THE END

===============

The Great Divorce
by C. S. Lewis

"Is this Purgatory, or is this Hell?"
Only you can decide.

THE END

=================

The Old Testament
by Various

God made it.
Man fouled it up.
God was mad.
And He certainly had a right to be mad.
Lots of turtledoves died.

THE END

===============

The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio
By Dante Alighieri

Dante: "You know what, Virgil? You're my best friend.
No - I mean it. I can't imagine being here without you.
I really love you, man. I just - - - - - Woah! Virgil, look over there!
Is that - Beatrice?! Man, she's hot."


Dante: (Turns to Virgil)
"Gotta go, V. Take it easy."

FIN

"Jesus is not a zombie!"

BONES

I don't know if anyone else out there is watching Bones but we just watched last week's show which took place in New Orleans and was heavily into voodoo.

This show is a good example of what happens if a network leaves a newbie on for more than three episodes so that character development can happen and plotlines can acquire depth (in this case, so that mysteries can actually mislead us, unlike the plots in the beginning of the series).

I find it especially interesting in the contrast between the forensic anthropologist, Dr. Brennan, and her FBI partner, Booth. She looks at practically all human interaction, and practices through an impassionate anthropological lens. Booth is a Christian and occasionally will contradict her to put forward his faith (or that of others) as motivation or cause for events. In this episode we discovered that he is Catholic.

Now none of this has a huge bearing on the overall show. However, in terms of being the direct opposite of the impartial view that Dr. Brennan consistently posits, it is an interesting emphasis to see brought up time and again. I can't remember which episode but it even was the subject of conversation for all the characters at one point: faith versus no faith. This is not the sort of thing that is usually seen on TV and I enjoy it because I think it mirrors real life more than most television shows acknowledge. At least, that is the sort of thing that seems to come up in my daily life more often than not.

(Just FYI, the headline quote was Booth's response to Dr. Brennan making a direct comparison between voodoo and Christianity based on Jesus' resurrection.)

Back to Basics: Transubstantiation

Catholicism professes that during the Consecration, a miracle occurs — the priest consecrates the bread and wine: Just as Jesus did at the Last Supper, the priest takes the bread in the form of a Host and says, "This is My body." Then he elevates the Host for the congregation to see, bells are rung, and he genuflects. Then he takes the chalice (cup) of wine, saying "This is the cup of My blood," elevates the chalice, and genuflects. Now it's the body and blood of Christ — it still looks, feels and tastes like bread and wine, but it's not. This change of bread and wine into the real Body and Blood of Christ is called transubstantiation.

The Bible says that God created merely by speaking: "God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). Likewise, by merely speaking the words of Christ over the bread and wine during Holy Communion, the priest changes them into the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ through the authority given to him by the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Only an ordained priest has the authority to say Mass and consecrate the bread and wine.

Catholics kneel before the consecrated Host — the Eucharist — because it's not a piece of bread anymore — it truly is Christ. If the Holy Eucharist were just a symbol — such as bread and wine — then kneeling down and adoring it would be considered idolatry, but the Catholic Church has staunchly asserted for 2,000 years that the Holy Eucharist isn't a symbol. The Holy Eucharist is his body and blood. Therefore, the Holy Eucharist is Christ himself present in the consecrated Host...

Catholicism for Dummies by John Trigilio

Literary Post of the Week

The Confessions of St. Augustine
By St. Augustine

St. Augustine

I was a bad boy. Damn, was I a bad boy. Not anymore, though.

THE END

Book-a-Minute Classics

Back to Basics: Prayer and the Mass

Traditionally, Catholicism has four kinds of prayer.

• Adoration: Praising God.
  
• Contrition: Asking for God's forgiveness.
  
• Petition: Asking God for a favor.
• Thanksgiving: Showing God gratitude.
  

The Church believes that the Mass is the highest and supreme form of prayer, so it has all four elements in it. The Gloria is the adoration part of prayer, whereas the Confiteor and Penitential Rite are the contrition part. Later in the Mass, after the homily (sermon) and the Nicene Creed, comes the Prayer of the Faithful, also known as the General intercessions, which is a prayer of petition. The thanksgiving part comes after Holy Communion, when gratitude is shown for all the graces given at Mass.

Catholicism for Dummies by John Trigilio

4th Book Dropped

The Cell by Stephen King

Ok, I can hear it now. Yes, I should have known better. However, I was intrigued by the idea of a cell phone pulse that turns everyone into zombies.

Unfortunately it seemed that King has picked up his sense of timing from Jon Bon Jovi ("don't bore us, get to the chorus"). No character development, just blast us right into the gross horror and never quit. I got as far as the characters noticing a "hive mind" sort of development as well as "flocking behavior" ... got bored and quit.

Guess I'll go back to my usual Stephen King tactics ... keep rereading The Stand and The Shining and ignore his new books.

Love is More Than Feelings

Love for God does not consist in sensible feelings, although these too may be given to us by Our Lord so as to help us to be more generous. It consists essentially in the full identification of our will with that of God ...

Love is repaid with love, but it must be genuine love, which is seen in specific ways in the fulfillment of our duties toward God and towards others, even when our feelings do not incline us in this direction, and it may be for us an uphill struggle. The highest perfection consists not in interior favors or in great raptures, wrote St. Teresa, but in the Will of God that, as soon as we realize that he wills anything, we desire it ourselves with all our might.

In the service of God, a Christian should be guided by faith an in this way overcome the ups and downs of moods. To guide myself by mere sentiment would be like putting a servant in charge of the household and causing the master to relinquish his position. Sentiment is not what is bad, but the importance that is given to it ... In certain souls the emotions constitute all their piety, to such an extent that they are convinced that they have lost it whenever the feeling goes away ... If only these souls could understand that this is precisely the moment in which to begin to have it (J. Tissot, The Interior Life).

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

Laura H's Blog

For those of us, and we know who we are, who know Laura H. personally ... here is her blog. It has much to recommend it whether you know Laura or not. I especially was taken by her post today about confession.

Mozart Remix

Papa and his iPod. Via WardWideWeb.

No Man is an Island

ABOUT A BOY

It is rare that a movie has the plot synopsis as the very first lines, but the theme is aptly posed by the British "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" game show host, "Who said 'no man is an island?" Fliply answered by Hugh Grant's character, Will, "Jon Bon Jovi," we see another main aspect to the movie. He's shallow, admits it right up front and uses his money and charm to get him what he wants. He maintains that he is an island and that it is the best way to live, unencumbered by problems.

When Will decides that single mums are the best women to date and goes seeking the best venue to meet them, he encounters Marcus, a misfit school boy. Marcus, in turn, tries to recruit Will to date his suicidal mother in an attempt to get "back up" for when things go bad. Ostensibly about Will's attempts to find suitable girl friends, and ultimately love, the story actually is about how both "boys" influence each other to find happiness.

I've seen this movie many times and am struck by how consistently enjoyable it is. Toni Collette is a delight as the suicidal, hippie mom who dresses outlandishly and, in a sudden paroxym of need, shouts across the schoolyard to Marcus, "I love you." Nicholas Hoult is perfect as Marcus who loves his mother and will call, "I love you too, Mum" back across the schoolyard even though he knows exactly the beating this will earn him from all the bullies. Hugh Grant hits the exact right notes as the selfish but charming bachelor who has just enough empathy for an unhappy boy to make a mimimum of effort to help him out.

HC Rating: **** Nine thumbs up.

Sent to Preach

This excerpt is talking about when the twelve disciples were sent out to proclaim "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 10). It never occurred to me to wonder how the apostles felt about it. Jesus spoke and so they did it. But thinking of how reluctant I feel to put myself out there sometimes ... they must have felt much the same, at least at the beginning.

Matthew and John and Peter (whose Gospel Mark wrote) were among the six pairs of apostles sent out on that first mission (Mt 10). No one of them gives us a single detail. Yet it may well have been the most nerve-racking experience any of them had yet had. To begin with, they had been ordered to take the road with no money and no food, wearing nothing but what they stood up in — they went out as mendicant friars would later go. They were to live on what they were given, and for men not rich indeed but respectably brought up, this could have been trying.

Yet it was as nothing to what they had been told they must do. We can imagine the cold pain in the back and the gulp as they steeled themselves to their first miracle — would the disease obey them? Would the devils? Their first sermon might have meant a chiller pain, a more sickening gulp — anyone who remembers his own first speech will know about that. And preaching was such a long way away from fishing, or even tax collecting. Fishermen had no training as prophets, tax collectors still less.

Their instructions were so very exacting (some indeed envisioned a wider apostolate than this first one). They were to be wise as serpents — considering the part that the serpent's cunning had played in the Fall of man, it is interesting that our Lord mentions its wisdom. It is faintly surprising that he offers is apostles the serpent for their imitation at all.

The dove also is held up for their imitation. Yet there is nothing dovelike in what they must do is any house or city will not receive them or hear their words: "Going forth out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet" (Mt 10:14). This shaking the dust from the feet was an exclusively Jewish gesture — Jews used it, for instance, when returning to the Holy Land from the lands of the Gentiles. The apostles must have been startled to be instructed to use it against their fellow Jews.

To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed

Back to Basics: Uniting Past, Present, and Future

The Catholic Church professes that the Mass isn't just a reenactment of the Last Supper, when Jesus took bread and wine and said the words, "This is My body," and "This is My blood," (Matthew 26:26-29). More than a ceremonial reenactment of an ancient ritual, the Mass combines past, present, and future at the same time.

• Past: The exact words and elements that Jesus used at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday are used faithfully and precisely.
• Present: The Mass brings grace, nourishment, and instruction for the people who are present.
• Future: It foreshadows the sacred banquet in heaven. Jesus often spoke of a heavenly banquet or wedding feast where guests would be well fed, lasting for eternity and surviving well after the world ends.

The Mass is pivotal, because it transports the participants back in time to Christ's Last Supper with his apostles, Christ's Passion and death on the cross, and his Resurrection and the empty tomb on the first Easter Sunday. The same words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper are used to consecrate the same things that Jesus used back then — bread and wine — during the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. The same sacrifice is offered — namely, the Son is sacrificed to the Father on behalf of all humankind. The same risen Christ comes to enter the souls of each person at Holy Communion when the congregation eat and drink his living (risen, not dead) flesh and blood.

Catholicism for Dummies by John Trigilio

He Wants to Spend More Time With His Family ...

Dallas' cathedral's pastor has gone and no one's talking. In the diocese of Dallas that usually means only one thing. The law's on the way and the bishop's employing duck and cover tactics.

The pastor of Dallas' Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe suddenly left his high-profile post this week, stunning staff members and leaving fellow clergymen in the dark.

Catholic Bishop Charles Grahmann has tightly guarded news about the Rev. Ramon Alvarez's departure, which the priest disclosed to some co-workers Monday. By late this week, many other local clerics didn't know that it had happened, much less why.

Father Alvarez – who is a potential witness in two upcoming child-sex cases and has previously admitted misconduct with an adult – drove away from his mother's home without commenting Friday when reporters asked to speak with him.

Bronson Havard, the bishop's spokesman, wouldn't answer when a reporter asked whether the priest was in trouble. He later released a statement saying that the departure was "not related in any way to inappropriate conduct with a minor."

Full story at Dallas Morning News
(free registration required)

Of course, it is my cynical and suspicious mind that recalls Fr. Alvarez admitting to inappropriate sexual contact with a fully grown man who was not a minor.

I hope this all turns out to be a tempest in a teapot. If so the diocese is choosing an awfully strange way of putting rumors to rest ...

Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!

You mean to tell me that I had to find out it's San Jacinto Day from an emailing pal? (Thanks Don!) It wasn't even in the newspaper (well, ok, the front page of a section of the newspaper which is the stuff I read ... except for the comics ... but now I'm off track...).

Let's all go get a few margaritas and lift them high to the Texian heroes of the decisive battle of the Texas revolution!

Catholic Question of the Day

Here's a good question from a pal...

What the heck is a solemnity?

How handy that I remembered having posted about this ... and found it way back at the beginning of 2005. How time flies!

I'll put it all below as I found it interesting to read through again. NOTE: Fr. Stephanos made some good comments that I am using to amend the excerpt below. His comments are italicized.

We got our new Church calendar a week or so ago. Tom immediately started comparing it to the one he has set up for our church's web site (he's the web servant). Then the question arose as to what all those saint day celebrations actually meant ... solemnity, memorial, optional memorial ... what's the difference?

Here is a great source that answers all those questions. From most important to least here is what all those celebrations are:

SOLEMNITY
A Solemnity of the Roman Catholic Church observes an event in the life of Jesus, Mary, and the saints, beginning on the evening prior to actual date. Solemnity is made up of Latin words solet and annus, meaning a yearly (annual) celebration. They are observed throughout the entire Church.

A solemnity can be observed like a Sunday: it has vigil Mass the evening before. Also, any solemnity that coincides with a Sunday can take the place of the Sunday (but not during Advent and Lent).

Solemnities observed by the Roman Church

• January 1: Mary, Mother of God (formerly known as the Feast of the Circumcision)
• Sunday between Jan 2 & 8: Epiphany, in United States only; elsewhere January 6
• March 19: Joseph, Husband of Mary
• March 25: Annunciation
• March/April (varies): Easter Triduum
• 40 days after Easter: Ascension of the Lord
• 50 days after Easter: Pentecost
• Sunday after Pentecost: Holy Trinity
• Sunday after Holy Trinity: Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
• Friday after Body & Blood: Sacred Heart
• June 24: Birth of John the Baptist
• June 29: Peter and Paul, Apostles
• August 15: Assumption of Mary
• November 1: All Saints
• November (varies, always Sunday): Christ the King
• December 8: Immaculate Conception
• December 25: Christmas

FEAST
Religious feasts celebrate or commemorate certain concepts or events in the history of their respective religion with particular traditions and rituals.

A feast can take the place of a Sunday only if the feast is a feast of the Lord himself. For example, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6) or the Triumph of the Cross (September 14).

MEMORIAL
In the Roman Catholic Church, a Memorial is a feast day of relatively low importance. However, all priests must recall the saint commemorated in their Masses and the Liturgy of the Hours.

OPTIONAL MEMORIAL
In the Roman Catholic Church, an optional memorial is the lowest class of the feast day. The priest is permitted to celebrate the feast day or not as he chooses. (See Memorial.) The saints or events celebrated in these feast days are considered to be of less universal importance to the Church. In addition, as long as no feast day of higher rank is foreseen for a particular day, a priest is permitted to celebrate a feast day that does not appear in his local calendar as an optional memorial, normally out of personal devotion to the saint.

Something that I thought was very interesting was that our calendar has on every month in capital red letters FRIDAY REMAINS A SPECIAL DAY OF PENITENTIAL OBSERVANCE. I have read in several places that although there is no stricture specifically against meat on Friday anymore this is merely so that people can put their own memorial penitence into place. As one source said (wish I could remember which), most people will find that the easiest one to implement is abstinence from meat ... and this is true in our household. After Rose suddenly held my feet to the fire about Friday penitence about two months ago we have done our best to just keep meat out of the diet on that day. It's amazing how difficult that can be and also amazing how it does a good job of reminding you why you are observing that penance.