Get Religion ... Lookin' Out for Media Reporters Everywhere

And we're glad they do. If you care about bad reporting or a lack of reporting about religion, you should be reading Get Religion. We can be thankful that whether a large issue or a small story detail, nothing gets by the bloggers and their readers. For example, in a story about the Chicago cathedral burning ...

But there’s a whopper of a problem with one line in the story:

One of the church officials said the blessed sacrament or Eucharist, which symbolizes the body of Christ, was removed.

It is wonderful to see a reported detail on the sacrament but Catholics do not believe that the Eucharist symbolizes the body of Christ. They believe that the bread and wine become — are — the body and blood of Christ. This isn’t really an unknown teaching of the church, having been featured in popular culture, literature and general discourse for hundreds of years.

As the reader who sent it in noted:

Perhaps most readers wouldn’t have noticed this, but I think this is something that an editor, at the very least, should have picked up and changed.

Yes, it’s a rookie mistake in an otherwise solid story.

Michael Dubruiel - Rest In Peace

Terrible and shocking news comes from Amy Welborn.

November 16, 1958-February 3, 2009

Michael collapsed this morning at the gym and was not able to be revived despite the efforts of EMTs and hospital personnel.

We are devastated and beg your prayers.

Many thanks for all of the prayers and notes. It is overwhelming. Many have asked what they can do. All I can say is to simply buy his books. Not from me, because I am in no position to fill orders, but from anywhere. He long ago promised God that he would give all the royalties of The How To Book of the Mass to the children’s college funds, which he did faithfully. Buy them, read them, and give them away to others. Spread the Word. That is what he was all about.

I am stunned and my heart goes out to Amy and their children at this terrible time. Please pray for them all.

Update

Danielle Bean is collecting donations for Amy and the family. Here is the link (I can't get it to open right at this moment, but that might be my browser). You can also go here.

My Stimulus Package

I realize this isn't original and you didn't hear it here first (you might have heard it here first) but I actually did think it up anyway (is anyone else flashing on Michael Keaton in Night Shift talking about bumper stickers?).

Just give us each our own share of the stimulus money. No middle men.

With several billions or trillions or however much it is up to by now, I bet we can get the economy rolling just fine. If spending money is what you want to do, that is.

I'm not really a New Deal kind of gal so I tend to look at the stimulus as a bad idea in general. (Unless you're determined to do it and then ... uh huh ... give it to us.)

If you also aren't into the stimulus package, you can go here to register your discontent.

Call for Pope to step down? What are these people, crazy?

Heaven help me. A couple of my brothers-in-law, not to mention my father, are going to have a field day with this one. I do not look forward to the next family get-together.

Ok, I tried to rise above by largely ignoring this whole broohaha over the Pope, the SSPX and Bishop Williamson's ignorant views. However, I have been stirred to action by The Deeps of Time who points out that Catholics should be stepping up to Pope Benedict's defense.

Good point.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I am going to take his excellent defense and reproduce it here. I urge you to go to his blog for several pertinent links within the article ... and also because that blog is just generally excellent anyway.

It's Not a Sin to Be Stupid

I don’t like to take this blog off-topic often, but when one sees the Pope being unjustly attacked in the press, as he is now, I think all Catholics ought to step up to his defense. The issue, of course, is the recent lifting of the excommunication of the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X, and the outcry over Bishop Williamson’s doubts about the historicity of the Holocaust.

(To begin with a disclaimer, I find Bishop Williamson’s historical position to be ignorant, and the position of the Society of Pius X to be hypocritical, prideful, and disobedient. This post’s defense of the Pope’s decision to lift the excommunication should not be construed as a defense of the Bishop’s opinions.)

What the media and the Pope’s critics can’t seem to understand is that the two issues are entirely unrelated. Bishop Williamson’s comments are surely stupid, but it’s not a sin to be stupid. Catholics are not excommunicated for holding questionable historical views on issues unrelated to doctrine — and therefore excommunications are not maintained simply because such questionable views continue to be held.

Here’s an analogy: imagine that you were accused of a crime, and as a punishment had your driver’s license revoked. When you have completed your sentence, you go back to the DMV to get your license back, and are told that’s not possible. When you ask if that’s part of the sentence, you’re told no, you were just overheard voicing some batty historical theories, so you can’t get your license back. Bad P.R., you see. Obviously, your rights as a citizen have been violated. The issue of your historical opinion is unrelated to your standing with respect to your civic rights.

Likewise with Bishop Williamson — his views on the Holocaust, however offensive, have no bearing whatsoever on his canonical standing as a Catholic. The Pope has determined that the conditions for lifting the excommunication have been met. (Look for Ed Peters’ analysis of the issue when he gets it posted.) The media criticism betrays a complete lack of understanding as to what an excommunication is. It is a canonical penalty for very specific sins, not a censure of stupid opinions. This campaign against the Pope is nothing more than an attempt to smear and undermine his image in the public mind, which Catholics should stoutly resist.

High School and Hooking Up

Will at The View from the Foothills brings up some worries that also bothered me before my own children got to high school and then beyond that to college.

If there were one thing that I could tell people with younger children, it is not to worry about high school so much. Having been there, I can tell you that it is fruitless to worry. Your family sets the groundwork for them so much more than you realize.

I would say more but I urge you to check Will's comments box if this subject interests or worries you. I said more than enough there!

Win Professional Cutlery

It looks like a great deal ... find out about it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

I Knew It Was Something Satan Said ...

Got this from LOL Saints ... and it's not just another funny place. Be sure to click through and read more. The serious stuff is in the writing.

In My Mind's Eye ... Again

I got a wonderful email from a friend this morning in which she said that I had been in her thoughts and prayers lately. Perfect timing ... the Holy Spirit's looking out for us all the time and sometimes a wonderful friend reminds us of it.

She liked my response and asked if I was blogging it. So I will ... it is a little more detailed than y'all usually get but there is a nice kicker if you stick it out to the end, which was what she liked.

I so appreciate your thoughts and prayers because Tom has a kidney stone which is now becoming complicated with various other things like side effects to pain meds, etc. So I come to work, get what I can done, go home and push water on him, cook so as to not further impede an upset digestion, answer questions and make arrangements for the upcoming Beyond Cana retreat (thank heavens it is not THIS weekend). And pray. Surprisingly I do not worry too much because every time I start then I remember that no matter what earthly details we are going through God is there. In fact this morning on my prayer walk thinking about my father (whose increasingly failing health was described by his doctor as "on the edge") and his orneriness in ignoring God ... I suddenly had this "mind's eye" of Jesus putting his forehead against mine, looking into my eyes and saying softly, "I've got him Jules ... you just pray. He's mine." At the same time it was as if my guardian angel had his head down and wings out in a sort of walking prostration. (Hey, my imagination is nothing if not practical and YES Jesus was walking backwards with his sandals on over athletic socks ... it was COLD!). Comfort and laughter ... God's got it all ya know. :-)

I am not really overwhelmed although I know it sounds like it....

And I am not overwhelmed in large part because God has given us so much, beginning with Himself. (Not that I might not get kinda snippy sometimes, but that's a whole other issue. And anyway Lent is coming to help me focus on that sort of thing a bit more intensively...)

A Modern Day Parable

From my friend Maryann. As with all good stories there is more here than meets the eye if we think about it.

Louise, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.

She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"

Louise replied, "Yes sir."

"O.K.," he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.

The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said grudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:

Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said; "It was worth every penny of it. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs."

Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Groundhog's Day

From Coffee Klatch.

... Besides watching the movie with Bill Murray.

• 10. It’s on nearly every calendar.
• 09. Helps relieve cabin fever.
• 08. Spring or not, it’s six weeks till St. Urho’s Day.
• 07. Forecast is no less reliable than the National Weather Service.
• 06. At least one of them critters is bound to see things your way.
• 05. Valentine’s Day is too depressing for nerds.
• 04. Unlike the Easter bunny, he keeps his dirty paws outside.
• 03. As they used to say on radio: “The Shadow knows“.
• 02. It’s fun to say “Punxsutawney”.
• 01. If a rodent can bring us an early spring, more power to him.

This Just In ... And Going On My To-Read Stack

With God on All Sides: Leadership in a Devout and Diverse America ... a book about how American leadership should handle the extremely diverse religious society we have become. The book concept puts me strongly in mind of The Right to Be Wrong which I found enlightening in the extreme.

First I will have to finish For Better, for Worse, for God: Exploring the Holy Mystery of Matrimony by Mary Jo Pederson. Get used to the name because this is one I'll be excerpting for a while ... it is a really fantastic book about marriage. It is like a "checklist" for marriage enrichment. In fact, I will say that it is the book I will be giving to any couples getting married. And that included Hannah and Rose when that time comes. I have not found anything that better reflects what we have learned and built upon from the Beyond Cana retreat.

Don't know much about polyphony ...

... but I do dearly love chant. It takes my spirit to an adoration chapel that my friends and I know well where there is always chant playing in the background. And it takes me to Good Friday at our church where for the last two years the Gospel has been chanted.

Anthology: Chants and Polyphony from St. Michael's Abbey

Thanks to the Norbertine Fathers from St. Michael's Abbey I venture to say that we were probably one of the very few ... if not the only household in the DFW Metroplex on Friday night to have these glorious sounds swirling through our house. The CD came in the mail and when we got home from Tom's excursion to the emergency room I popped it into the CD player to for an initial listen.

The eclectic selection on this album is a cross-section of music sung at the abbey that includes chants from the liturgy as well as motets and music from the Renaissance era. These latter are sung on more solemn occasions like Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, and other great feasts of the liturgical year. "Anthology: Chants and Polyphony from St. Michael's Abbey" is a testimony of the vigor and subtle beauty of Gregorian chant as sung today in the USA.

Simply beautiful ... and inspirational ... and peaceful. Also, I appreciate the Latin because I can't pick out words and it leaves my mind free for prayer while helping pull back that veil that separates me from God.

I now know that polyphony could be described as some of the most glorious harmony ever. I also can see why the retired abbot requested the initial Exultet recording that prompted them to begin recording in the first place. This is going to be the perfect music for my drive to work also, when I am finishing up the rosary begun on my morning prayer walk.

Highly recommended. In fact, so much so, that I am going to put Christmas at St. Michael's Abbey on my wish list.

Note: The release date is February 10 and Amazon has it on sale now. Do yourself a favor and order this if you want some inspirational music, especially with Lent beginning in a little less than a month.

Now There's a Bible Study I Can Get Behind

Listen now to: The Simpsons at Church

Thanks to Deacon Ken for thinking of me when hearing this story and getting the link! Even more so since he is not a Simpsons fan ... poor fellow.

Photo sources

Was it the knitting? Was it the Hail Marys? What does it take to get through a visit to the emergency room?

Probably both are what it takes to get calmly, almost meditatively, through a trip to the emergency room when you are afraid that your husband has an appendix that is about to burst. (Turns out it was a kidney stone ... excruciating pain but no imminent loss to life ... and it buys you a couple of hits of morphine to book. Poor fellow now has a prescription for Vicodin and can look forward to some more rounds of pain while waiting for it to all pass away. Get it? Pass ... well, never mind.)

I remember reading a knitter's account of being in either New York or Washington D.C. when Sept. 11 happened. She was stranded at the train station for hours and was thankful to have an unfinished sock to knit in her purse. It gave her something to do without disconnecting her from the people around her ... and kept her calm.

That has always been in the back of my mind for some reason. So when Tom gave me my Peacock Blue Newport Knitting Bag for Christmas I started carrying around the latest unfinished sock. The other day I asked myself why I was doing that when clearly I rarely had time to knit while I was out and about.

Yesterday afternoon was my answer. After the pain levels had been reduced to a dull roar by the morphine, I pulled out my knitting and luckily was just working on the heel (which for non-knitters means that it was fairly brainless and could be shoved back into the bag at a second's notice without losing my place). We were there from about 1:30 until after 6:00 during which time there were many dull periods of waiting around. I managed to turn the heel and am now working on the gussets to shape the foot.

As for the Hail Marys, those never stopped until the doctor came in and confirmed the triage nurse's first "probably a kidney stone" comment. It is very comforting to know that while you are knitting, you are also streaming prayer for Mary and other saints who pop to mind to pray with you ... not only for your loved one but also for those other frightened and hurting souls that you can see everywhere. As well as those kind, trained ones who are there to help. Once again, I am happy to be Catholic.

You know what happens when you drop a MIB quote in the sidebar?

You get a major award.

And a laugh to start the day. Thanks Tim!

Genesis Initiative

From my in-box ... though since I just watched Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan a couple of weeks ago, this might not have had the initial effect they would have expected ... though that was the "Genesis device" now that I think of it ...

New Catholic Group Launches Media Initiative

For far too long, Catholic artists and filmmakers have struggled to finance their projects and receive the training necessary to perfect their craft, hindering them from spreading their message of faith, hope, and love of God and His church. Today, we are happy to announce that a group of Catholics has come together to address this pressing cultural need.

The Genesis Initiative is a grassroots, non-profit organization aimed at funding worthy television and motion picture projects that promote Catholic values, teachings, and historical figures. ...

Their website can be found here.

This is What I Call Optimism

Grass Snake taken by Remo Savisaar

He adds that the fish is a flounder

Families, Audiobooks, San Francisco History, and Uncle Tom's Cabin

All can be found in Episode 71 of Forgotten Classics.

Enjoy!

You Can Learn the Most Useful Things from an Audiobook

Trying out the first couple chapters of Lost Gods from Podiobooks, a scam to steal ATM cards was described. The book is about Anansi, a trickster god, who is living in Canada. Who knew the scam pulled by a competitor of his was a real scam?

Until I got this from The Anchoress ... check out this Snopes entry on how a piece of film can be used to steal your ATM card.

By the way, I will be going back for more of Lost Gods when I've cleared out some of my stacked up audiobook listening. I'm a sucker for Anansi stories and this sounded good.

Hot Cocoa Coming Up

Grab a mug at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.