Stream of iPod-ishness ... Boggling My Mind

"We forget how much Elvis wanted to be Dean ..."

Bob Dylan, Weather" show of the Theme Time Radio Hour

Dean Martin, that is. Most of us never knew that but I must say, "what good taste Elvis had!" Dylan then went on to play Dino singing "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine" which Elvis also recorded.

Behind Blue Eyes ...

Tom loves music and passionate discussions happen around our house on the subject (with examples played for emphasis and instruction).

For at least a year he's been talking about having a music blog ... and now it is reality.

Behind Blue Eyes is up and running with:

• An article about The Who
• How Ella Fitzgerald's Cole Porter Songbook opened Tom's eyes to great, old music (with a sidebar about Frank Sinatra's class when it came out)
• A discussion of digital music sales versus hard copy (CD) sales and deep catalog ... this one has a nifty chart which Disputations ought to groove on. This is the subject that got him going enough to make the blog reality.

Stop by and say hello!

Giving and Receiving

I have come across three things that have stuck with me on this subject and am sharing them in the order related ... excerpts only, do go read all at the source.

Many women have told me that my husband’s advice, which I once quoted in a book, has been an eye-opener to them. He said that a wife, if she is very generous, may allow that her husband lives up to perhaps eighty percent of her expectations. There is always the other twenty percent that she would like to change, and she may chip away at it for the whole of their married life without reducing it by very much. She may, on the other hand, simply decide to enjoy the eighty percent, and both of them will be happy. It’s a down-to-earth illustration of a principle: Accept, positively and actively, what is given. Let thanksgiving be the habit of your life.

Elisabeth Elliott, via Quiet Life

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If we are so contemptibly selfish that we can't radiate a little happiness and pass on a bit of honest appreciation without trying to screw something out of the other person in return—if our souls are no bigger than sour crab apples, we shall meet with the failure we so richly deserve.

Oh yes, I did want something out of that chap. I wanted something priceless. And I got it. I got the feeling that I had done something for him without his being able to do anything whatever in return for me. That is a feeling that glows and sings in your memory long after the incident has passed.

Dale Carnegie, via Eternity Road where he has much more to say about Christianity and salesmanship

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How do you choose to receive what is around you? Do you make yourself a little vulnerable by taking a thing for what it appears to be, or do you immediately start to deconstruct a gift, or a compliment, or a speech, wondering about meanings, motives and manipulations?

We live in a mean, cynical age, and it is so easy to fall into the habit of suspicion and sneers. We don’t even realize, sometimes, that we are stuck there.

The Anchoress

Good Vibrations

A few podcasts you might enjoy ...

• History According to Bob: after a series about the papal Babylonian captivity (all that time in Avignon instead of Rome), Bob now has an episode about the Real Babylonian Captivity. That's right ... the Hebrews. Here's the iTunes link for his podcast. He doesn't leave these up for long and then they get put onto CDs which must be purchased so if you think you might want to listen, don't wait around too long.
• Premiere Opera Podcast: For everyone who loved Paul Potts, here is a spot with selections from classic operatic performances and stars.
• NPR's Jazz Profiles: Hosted by Nancy Wilson, this new series only has two episodes so far but both have been very good. The first featurd my favorite Ella Fitzgerald and the second profiled Art Tatum, who I had never heard of but really loved when I heard the songs.
• Pandora Podcast: Yep, this is by the Pandora who brought us our own personal radio stations with the Music Genome Project (and if you don't know what I mean, just go to their site). This is the nuts and bolts of the elements they used to match various songs and artists as part of the "genome." This is especially fascinating to me as I know so very little about music technique. Episode 1 won't download via iTunes because it is a zip file for some reason so you have to go to the site and download it there. However, you don't have to begin at the beginning. Try episodes 2 and 2 which are about drumming and electric guitars. You'll see what I mean. This is good stuff.
  

Do You Know a Priest Who is a Great Confessor?

I mean that in the current sense, of course, not in the old sense (as Tom would remind me) of Edward the Confessor, who these days would have been known as Edward the Testifier.

Upper Canada Catholic wants to "publish a list of the best confessors in our own dioceses. Please submit in the comments section the name, parish and (arch)diocese of any priest you feel possesses extraordinary pastoral capacity in the administration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance/Confession)."

Good idea! He has a list of criteria to consider so go and check it out. I have a couple that I'll be putting in there myself.

More Reaction to Bishop Trautman's Translation Complaints

George Wiegel weighs in with the aptly named article, We are not morons.

Are there clunkers in the new translations? Undoubtedly. But will ICEL’s attempt to restore the sacral vocabulary and linguistic rhythms of the Roman Rite to Catholic worship within the Anglosphere destroy our ability to pray as a community? Please; we’re not morons. I’d even venture the guess that prayers translated with far more fidelity to the Latin originals will be a step toward a deeper, more prayerful encounter with what Bishop Trautman rightly calls “the greatest gift of God, the Eucharist.”

Go read it all.

Will Wonders Never Cease?

Linked to by Open Book and Dawn Eden on the same day. What an honor ... welcome to their readers!

Open Book's dishing on Bishop Trautman's "John and Mary Catholic" article and Dawn's talking about "offering it up." If you haven't been by their places, do stop by and see what they're saying. Both are always a good read no matter what the subject.

And, if you're new here, do take a look around. Today we've got a few good words from the Pope in Assisi and some movie reviews (and one book review), as well as other varied items.

He's Got a Way with Words ...

This hit me just right today. The Pope was in Assisi (or he still may be, I'm never up to date on his travel plans ...) and gave a great talk.

The Pope added: "Assisi tells us that faithfulness to one's own religious conviction, faithfulness above all to Christ crucified and risen, is not expressed in violence and intolerance, but in sincere respect for the other, in dialogue, in a message that calls out for freedom and reason, in working for peace and for reconciliation.

"It would not be evangelical, nor Franciscan, to be unable to unite acceptance, dialogue and respect for all with the certainty of faith which each Christian, like the saint of Assisi, is called to cultivate, proclaiming Christ as the way, truth and life of mankind, the one and only savior of the world."

Infallibility Is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac. ...

Have y'all discovered The Word: A Colbert Blog for Catholic It-Getters?

All Colbert, all the time. It don't get much better than that.

Do go listen to this snippet about St. Francis of Assisi and then the Pope. Via the also essential Deacon Greg.

A Few Reviews: One Book and a Lot of Movies

EIFELHEIM by Michael Flynn
No wonder so many in St. Blog's were talking up this wonderful science fiction book a while ago (The Curt Jester and Elliot both have much more thorough reviews). Briefly: imagine that in the 14th century a little village in the depths of the Black Forest has an alien space ship crash nearby. The aliens look like giant grasshoppers. Naturally, many of the local peasants think they are demons. Others, however, especially the village priest who was educated in Paris, take into consideration what makes a creature "a man." In other words, what constitutes a soul and therefore makes it incumbent upon us to treat aliens as we would wish to be treated? Flynn does an excellent job of recreating the 14th century mindset so this is not simply a story told with modern sensibilities in a long ago setting. As well, there is a brief modern-day story investigating the village of Eifelheim that seemed fairly superfluous until the very end of the book. Likewise, a seemingly extraneous character, Judy, is the one that gives the long-dead villagers and aliens their final humanity. I immediately requested another of Michael Flynn's books from the library. This did take me a while to finish as it might be called "cerebral science fiction" but it is well worth it, especially to those who enjoy seeing Christianity treated with respect in such a setting.

OFFSIDE
" In Iran, All Women Are Banned From Men's Sporting Events"
This little movie is a real charmer. A number of Iranian girls attempt to enter Tehran's Azadi Stadium dressed as boys in order to watch a qualifying match that will get Iran into the World Cup competition. Several are arrested and the movie largely consists of watching their attempts to escape or talk the guards into letting them go. Ironically, the ostensible reason for keeping women out of the stadium is to protect their delicate sensibilities when the men become overcome by excitement and begin swearing at missed goals and the like. A stadium entryway is tantalizingly close so that several guards are able to watch part of the game and naturally ... swear when goals are missed. No one blinks an eye. Likewise, when one woman engages the head guard in a logical discussion about why the law is nonsensical, he knows she is right but is unable to do anything but hs duty. What was most interesting to me was this look into Iran as this was filmed on location during the actual sporting event. The men are all dressed Western style in shirts and slacks while any women we see are sporting terrible attempts to pass for boys. Interestingly also, while the guards must enforce the law, all the other men we see (with the exception of one father) are largely sympathetic to the girls' attempts to see the match in person. They routinely attempt to help them slip into the stadium or refuse to turn them in. As I said before, this is a small movie but ultimately it is one that is a lot of fun, especially during the scene when one hapless guard has to find a way to get one of the girls into the all-male bathroom.

HOT FUZZ
The team that created Shaun of the Dead have done it again. While parodying movies featuring cops, buddies, and action, they have created a superb example of that very genre. Nicholas Angel is driven to excel and jealous colleagues conspire to have him transferred to a sleepy country hamlet of Sandford where crime extends to missing swans and underage drinking, which is winked at by the locals. He brings his big city attitude in and is confounded at then number of "accidents" that are routinely killing off prominent citizens while never being investigated. His slow and clueless partner longs for the excitement that he watches in action movies. The intrigue deepens and action takes off from there. Brilliantly done and highly recommended, although there are a few gruesome shots (Hannah warned me not to watch the results of the accident in the churchyard and the fate of a villain during a fight at a model of the town was comical but disturbing to me as well). Watch for Timothy Dalton in a fantastic role as the sinister-seeming, smiling main suspect. Be sure to listen to the music playing whenever he is around; it is keyed into movie events beautifully.

QUICK REVIEWS

• Scoop:
  Woody Allen wrote tis for Scarlett Johansen who plays a college journalism student who gets tips from a famous dead journalist's ghost about the identity of a serial murderer. The only question is will she fall for him instead? The main suspect is played charmingly by Hugh Jackman. Light, frothy entertainment.


• My Man Godfrey
  William Powell and Carole Lombarde star in the story of a rich girl who plucks a poor hobo from a shanty town and makes him the family butler. Second only to It Happened One Night in our recent favorites from the time.


• Harold and Maude
  A strange little movie from the 1970's about a teenage boy with a domineering mother and a fascination with death. He comes across 79-year-old Maude who has a zest for life that revolutionizes his own views. Truly a piece from its time, with an anti-authoritarianism plot that may have been fresh at the time but seems cliched now as Hollywood has done it to death. We also found one aspect to have a large "euwwww" factor but it may not impress everyone that way. Interesting as a curiousity and as a cult movie.
  
  
• It Happened One Night
  Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert star in Frank Capra's comic masterpiece about a headstrong, runaway heiress and the newspaperman who wants to save his career by writing a story about her latest escapade. This is the gold standard that our household measures all other old movies against, and a few new ones as well. If you rent only one old movie this year, make it this one!
  
  
• Sullivan's Travels
  Preston Sturgis' comedy is all about the need for humor in hard times. A pampered movie director feels that the depression going on calls for serious, hard-hitting movies that explain the current social and economic problems to the public. His producers know that hard times call for light-hearted movies to take your mind off your troubles. To prove them wrong and experience those hard times, the director disguises himself as a hobo and takes to the road. After several botched attempts, during one of which he meets Veronica Lake as the romantic interest, he accomplishes his goal accidentally and better than he ever would have thought. At this point the movie takes a darker turn but this is when it is most effective. Especially touching is the scene in the church where the poor black congregation and convicts from a local work farm are laughing at Pluto and Mickey Mouse. Highly recommended although Preston Sturgis is no Frank Capra, however much he wants to be (which is cleverly mentioned early in the movie). Also it was fun to see where "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" came from, which was used by the Coen Brothers in the movie of the same name.
  

Missing Lost? Synchronised events around Plane Crash

Someone has cleverly put together the video leading up to the Oceanic crash. Very interesting ... it isn't a perfect edit, for example the scenes of Charlie running to the bathroom on the airplane are missing, but still ...

Jelly-Pinched Wolf Returns!

Maybe it's just me but my happiness over the Jelly-Pinched Wolf's new job (a while back) was offset by his lack of blog posts. (Yes, it's all about me!)

He's back, at least for a while, with a review of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which I have yet to watch (got to work myself up to watching scary movies) and a review of an interesting new book.

Get the word out now to all you know--there's a new book out that you must have. If, that is, you enjoy pirates, magic, naval battles, treachery, honour, love--all that sort of thing. 'Tis called, The Voyage to Ruin, and is written by H.L. Trombley.

The book is a series of stories which all serve one main plot--the attempts of Captain Acheron Zeal of Her Majesty's Royal Navy of Camembert (in the world of the Quadra Terrarum) to hunt down the notorious pirate, Captain Franceline Drake, who has waged her own little war against Zeal. But of course, it could never be as simple as this. For another man's fate (and possible that of the whole world) hangs in the balance.

The book is filled with wonderful characters, excitement galore, and exceeding fine prose. This is a new kind of fantasy here, I think; one which at once holds true with the essence of traditional fantasy, while also breaking new ground and maintaining a joyous wit throughout. ...

I'm going to have to look into this ... and you should too. Go read the rest of his review as well as the other offerings there.

The Beatitudes Shown in a Whole New Light

Why did I never think of the Beatitudes this way? It all is so clear once we read it ... obviously that's the advantage of having so many years of study and reflection as Josef Ratzinger does. This is just a tidbit and you really should read what goes before ... and then follow as he takes each of the beatitudes under reflection.

This reflection upon Paul and John has shown us two things. First, the Beatitudes express the meaning of discipleship. They become more concrete an real the more completely the disciple dedicates himself to service in the way that is illustrated for us in the life of Saint Paul. What the Beatitudes mean cannot be expressed in purely theoretical terms; it is proclaimed in the life and suffering, and in the mysterious joy, of the disciple who gives himself over completely to the Lord. This leads to the second point: the Christological character of the Beatitudes. The disciple is bound to the mystery of Christ. His life is immersed in communion with Christ: "It is not longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). The Beatitudes are the transposition of Cross and Resurrection into discipleship. But they apply to the disciple because they were first paradigmatically lived by Christ himself.

This becomes even more evident if we turn now to consider Matthew's version of the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12). Anyone who reads Matthews' text attentively will realize that the Beatitudes present a sort of veiled interior biography of Jesus, a kind of portrait of his figure. He who has no place to lay his head (cf. Mt 8:20) is truly poor; he who can say, "Come to me ... for I am meek and lowly in heart" (cf. Mt 11:28-29) is truly meek; he is the one who is pure of heart and so unceasingly beholds God. He is the peacemaker, he is the one who suffers for God's sake. The Beatitudes display the mystery of Christ himself, and they call us into communion with him. But precisely because of their hidden Christological character, the Beatitudes are also a road map for the Church, which recognizes in them the model of what she herself should be. They are directions for discipleship, directions that concern every individual, even though -- according to the variety of callings -- they do so differently for each person.

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

Best First Lines of Novels

Fort Stewart has been selecting his favorite first lines from a list of 100 that has been published. Likewise has Claw of the Conciliator.

However, I noticed that the list doesn't include one of my very favorite first lines which is from The Haunting of Hill House I include the entire first paragraph because I believe it is also one of the best ever. (And, yes, I will be including Ms. Jackson's work, both the disturbing and the humorous, in my podcast in the future.)

No live organism can continue for long to exist under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence laid steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.

To Abridge or Not to Abridge ...

Just in case you care about the question of abridging the classics ... check out the latest at Forgotten Classics.

Mary Catholic Ponders New Translations, a Bishop's Tantrum, and Efficiency

Recently someone very kindly said that this was a nice place to relax in a Catholic atmosphere. Unfortunately, I'm now going to speak up about a controversial subject. You've been warned. So just move along if you don't want to get riled up ... or just plain don't care, which is fine too...

Engrish.com

Translations are tricky things, aren't they?

It is no secret that I have been in favor of the new liturgical translations, purely from the standpoint that the post-Vatican II thinking probably did to the language the same thing that was done to the architecture. Which is to say, they were made so basic and "dumbed down" that we were left without beauty.

I freely admit that this is a large supposition. It was in part based on looking at my New American Bible's language versus some of the older translations. It also was "dumbed down" and left without beauty. Furthermore, as I have been going for over a year to weekly scripture study and the question of accurate translation has arisen, the New American Bible frequently "loses" when compared with other translations and the original text.

However, as I really have no say whatsoever in the matter, I cheered the bishops' approval of a new translation and then largely forgot it.

That is, I forgot until several items popped up recently which I will address in order of occurrence.

The Bishop
Bishop Donald Trautman had an article published in America magazine castigating the accessibility of the new Mass translations.

Please go read it yourself. I was stunned at the sheer lack of professionalism in what looked largely like a condescendingly and poorly written tantrum. I say this because:

1. Firstly, he is worried about "John and Mary Catholic" and "American English." Isn't this English translation being used everywhere in the English speaking world? What about "Bruce and Sheila Catholic?" (G'day mate!) Or "Tyler and Brittney Catholic?" (See, some of those Catholics are pretty young ... they speak a different kind of English.) Or "Keesha and Darnell Catholic?" (Yep. There are African American Catholics also). Anyway, you see my point.
   
   How uncharitable of Bp. Trautman to assume that we are stupid, in other words, assume the worst of us, and then insult us by shouting it to the world.
   
   
2. Ironically, the very person complaining about using words that no one understands phrases it in language like this:

   If the language of the liturgy is inaccessible, how can liturgy catechize and convey the reality of the living, risen Son of God in the Eucharist? If the language of the liturgy is a stumbling block to intelligibility and proclaimability, then the lex orandi, lex credendi is severely compromised. If the language of the liturgy does not communicate, how can people fall in love with the greatest gift of God, the Eucharist?

   Inaccessible? Catechize? Didn't he mean "hard" and "teach?" I'm not sure that "proclaimability" even is a word, but a suspicious number of those look mighty hard to understand. I mean to say, there's Latin in there! Could it be that the words he used actually communicated best what he wanted to say ... and that he didn't worry about making it simply understood by the meanest intelligence? That he trusted people to be able to comprehend the article properly? Hmmm ...


3. Simultaneously, Bp. Trautman supports his statement thusly:

   ... and odd expressions like “What you have charged us to believe will taste sweet to the heart” (Collect for April 21). Does the heart “taste?”

   This makes me feel for the poor bishop who has never listened to modern poetry as it is most commonly contained ... in song lyrics.
   
   If he missed Rodgers and Hart's "... the conversation - with the flying plates ..." ("What?" I hear him saying, "Do plates fly or converse?"), then perhaps he is thinking of more modern songs.
   
   Nope. Because here's Kill Hannah's "I want a girl with lips like morphine, Knock me out every time they touch me." And yet, teenagers understand the real meaning. (No actual drug use is being endorsed here, Bishop. Just in case you were worried.)
   


4. What annoyed me the most was his exhortation to go speak up. Now there's a fine example from a bishop. I wouldn't like that behavior from a CEO much less someone who is supposed to be able to work on a team and be obedient instead of throwing a tantrum for sympathy from the masses who can't change anything.
   
   I saw a post by a thoughtful blogger who I respect but who leans in a different direction than I do on many issues. Fair enough. We're together on the things that matter most. However, Bishop Trautman's aforementioned exhortation to "speak up" resulted in this attitude:

   Of all the issues facing the church today – and there are plenty of big, serious ones – why in the world is... who's in charge of this thing? - why are 'they' spending precious time and resources on such a project that will further alienate and distance people from the Mass? We don't need different translations, we need better homilies and more priests! I'm irritated enough to start writing my bishop about this, for all the good that will do. I get cynical and pessimistic as I get irritated.

   Considering how the article was couched, this is a response to be expected. The Bishop's rhetoric simultaneously riles up and depresses people over an issue that they have no control over. That is the way tantrums work. They draw attention and that is the ultimate goal of a tantrum ... to get attention and one's own way.
   
   However, I think that the above response is possibly forgetting that words and translations do matter. If they matter in everyday life as we all know, then surely they matter when lifting our hearts and souls to God. Surely this is worth hammering out until it is right, rather than convenient "as is."
   
   If the people and the mysterious "they" have had their hearts drawn closer to God, then the thinking would follow that they will go on to express that love in helping those around them. Indirectly, then, an improved liturgy would logically go on to aid in the "big, serious" things. (Though I am far from admitting that the liturgy is not a "big, serious" thing. Meeting God ... that's big and serious to me.)
   

To be fair, I do understand the bishop's overall concern. He's afraid that the translators are doing to the liturgy, what that translator did in the picture above.

However, what I am wondering is if the liturgy we have now is the result of that sort of translating.

The blogger trusted Bishop Trautman's word on this. I trust the the translating committee.

So we see the dilemma. Who is right?

That is far as my thinking on the subject went. Until this week.

Comparing Liturgies
The end of our scripture study was different than usual. Our priest had read Bp. Trautman's article. Without talking about the article very much, he wanted to see if the language was too difficult to understand. He then proposed a "liturgical experiment" and handed out sheets of paper. One side had Eucharistic Prayer 1 as we use it now. The other side had the proposed translation of Eucharistic Prayer 1.

Then he read the proposed translation aloud while we read the current side to see how they were different. Afterward, he solicited thoughts from us.

As simple as that.

Yet suddenly everything became unexpectedly clear for me.

This was quite different than having a few sentences compared to each other or phrases pulled out of context for scrutiny. The words rolled over us and I suddenly was awash in phrases that showed me God's majesty, Jesus' sacrifice, my place in it, God's unending love for me ... and I felt gratitude and love in response. This may sound as if I'm overstating it. I'm not. I practically was in tears. That language literally lifted me to God. Meanwhile, I was astounded at the sparseness of the current text that corresponded to what was being read.

Please keep in mind that I am not a fool. I do know that after several months of hearing the language "roll over me" it will become routine. However, the liturgy that we have now stands out for me during Mass in this place or that to call me to God. The proposed liturgy will do so even more if this is any indication.

Mind you, it didn't strike everyone this way. Of the 15-20 people there, three preferred the current version. However, they all used the qualifier, "I am a lawyer" and said that they preferred "efficient language."

Obviously these will be the two attitudes to the proposed change.

Interestingly, one fellow hesitantly said, "But if this new text is mysterious ... isn't that what God and the Mass are? Mysterious?"

Which would seem to be the point to me. That worshiping God and celebrating the Mass are not about efficiency. They are about bringing us to God, lifting our hearts that we might have that veil drawn back for a second or two so that we may truly have a glimpse of heaven.

Efficiency
Think of how many things in our life are not efficient. So many of them are the very things that we treasure most. Preparing a meal and eating it with our families instead of grabbing a sandwich and all going to our rooms. Living as families instead of in communes. The love of a man and woman for each other is obviously terribly inefficient as a way to choose a spouse. As for making love, that most mysterious of all acts which makes husband and wife one on so many levels as well as creating visible evidence of our love (about 9 months later) ... well, I believe science has proven that if all we want is efficiency a test tube or two will suffice.

Let's take it to a more religious level ... the Bible? That's such an inefficient way to communicate, despite all attempted "clear" translations, and difficult to understand on many levels. Jesus' Passion? Sheez, talk about a mystery. Clearly, God is not worried about efficiency. His ways are not ours.

The conversation about efficiency made me think of John 12:1-8. Judas thought very efficiently (for whatever reason).

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus 2 and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Then Judas the Iscariot, one (of) his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages 3 and given to the poor?"

He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.

So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

Proposal
I would propose that our priest's liturgical experiment is a good one. I have formatted the text so that you can download it as a pdf. Give it a try. Don't just read it to yourself. Have someone read it aloud while you read along. (If you would like to look beyond what our priest chose, go to Whispered in the Sacristy who is one of those who has been asked to be a “reader” of the new translation of the Mass for Bishop CVG. He has more translations available. We will be reading Eucharistic Prayer II next week after our scripture study.)

Will it convince you that a translation is needed? Not necessarily. But at least you will have your own honest reactions to judge from instead of taking someone else's word for it. That is the place for honest conversation to begin.

No matter what, in the end it really comes down to what wise 94-year-old Phyllis said:

No matter what translation they use, in six months we'll all have accepted it and be on to worrying about the next topic.

Remember the writing and ink spilled over The Da Vinci Code? Yet how often do we see people getting all worked up about it now? It too has passed.

Let's do the experiment, take a deep breath, and remember that this isn't up to us. It also would be a very good idea to say a few prayers for everyone working on this translation that God will guide them in how He wants to be worshiped. As I recall He had quite a lot to say about that in the Old Testament in the building of the arc and the temple. Doubtless He has some very definite opinions about this too. He knows what we need and what will work best in achieving it.

May God's will be done.

About the disappearing sidebar ...

... if you are using Explorer, it may appear the sidebar has disappeared. Actually, if you scroll way, waaaaay down you will see it there. I'll leave this post at the top until I get the problem figured out ... hopefully later today. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Inspirational and Haunting

Don't miss this quiet, humble Welshman on "Britain's Got Talent" ... I am still haunted by his voice. Via The Anchoress who always can be counted on to point us toward the talented Welsh!

The Embarrassing Problem About Proverbs

I never thought of Proverbs as challenging our concepts of what it means to be "advanced," especially in our society. However, it makes sense. Those who are most bored by "truisms" are those who often are trying to cut corners somehow. Of course, I might be a bit biased on this subject because I absolutely love old sayings and Proverbs is chock full of them.

Let us begin with the embarrassing problem about this book (Proverbs). Almost always, the more intelligent, clever, and original you are, the more bored you are by Proverbs. It tells you nothing you didn't know before. It is a book of platitudes, of old, well-worn truisms. It is, simply, dull.

Yes, that is how the most "advanced" minds see Proverbs. And our nation, our civilization, and our world are today threatened with destruction precisely because of the ideas of those "advanced" minds, because we have departed from the old platitudes. If there is anything out civilization needs in order to survive the threat of moral and spiritual and perhaps physical destruction, it is to return to these "safe," "dull" platitudes. For they are true. They are a road map to life, and we are lost in the woods. ...

Like the Psalms, Proverbs is not meant to be read straight through as if it were a narrative. The book is a toolbench, a library: it is meant to be sampled, browsed through, picked at. It is a collection, assembled bit by bit and meant to be disassembled and used bit by bit. In our age of short attention spans, impatience, and only tiny slices of leisure time, it is an ideal book to dip into for a minute over your morning cup of coffee -- much more useful than the morning paper. As Henry David Thoreau, who despised newspapers, used to say, "Read not the Times; read the eternities." These are the eternities.

You Can Understand the Bible
A Practical And Illuminating Guide To Each Book In The Bible
by Peter Kreeft

The Bible and "Sacred History"

Kreeft here makes an important distinction that often is overlooked in these very concrete days in which we live.

The Bible is "sacred history." That does not mean anything less realistic than secular history, as some modern theologians imply--as if "Bible stories" belonged to the category of myths or fairy tales. Rather, "sacred history" means history from a double point of view, the divine as well as the human. It has two natures. Like Jesus, the Bible is the Word of God in the words of man. Its human nature is not suppressed but fulfilled by its divine nature.

The history of God's chosen nation is full of divinely revealed secrets about national life and death, about the secret of survival and salvation socially as well as individually. No book of social, political, or historical science has ever shown more clearly how nations rise and fall, succeed and fail, by using or refusing their lifeline to God, the source of all life, this-worldly as well as other-worldly and social as well as individual. For Israel's history is the key to the world's. Israel is not God's exception but God's rule, God's paradigm case.

You Can Understand the Bible
A Practical And Illuminating Guide To Each Book In The Bible
by Peter Kreeft