Catholic Conversion Stories R Us

George at Convert Journal had a great idea. He'd read lots of fascinating conversion stories and wanted a good way to share them and point to people's blogs. The result? This handy-dandy chart. Take a look around and get inspired. I know that I did.

While you're there also take a look at George's personal blog. It is inspiring as well.

The Fourth Commandment

Requested by at least a couple of people, written for our parish bulletin. At loooong last I have had the time and our bulletin has had the room for the series to begin again.

Living our faith in the real world
The Fourth Commandment:
Honor your father and mother.

The first three Commandments are about honoring God and understanding ourselves in relationship to and with Him. The last seven commandments are about honoring other people and understanding ourselves in relationship to and with them. It is here that God instructs us in what Jesus later summed up so perfectly in John 13:34: “Love one another even as I have loved you.” It makes sense, therefore, that the first of these commandments would begin with our relationship with the people who brought us into the world and taught us to understand it – our parents.

At its most basic, this commandment boils down to two terms that are key to Christian living but tend to challenge Americans greatly, authority and obedience. If we obey our parents, then we are accepting their authority over our wishes in a way that may not always be agreeable. We may be allowing them to make decisions we would rather make for ourselves and feel that they are not qualified to make. Certainly, obeying or even respecting a parent may be irksome no matter what the age. Our first reaction is often rebellion.

It is here we may practice in real life what we often merely give lip service to in our relationship with God. We are offered the opportunity to respect, love, and trust those other people in our lives so much that we relinquish control. At all ages this encourages us to look past the immediate possible annoyance to a greater good, whether that greater good is considering unsolicited advice or something as simple as taking out the trash. In turn, this may help us to reflect upon our relationship with God through those very practices. Do we trust His love and care for us even when our lives are taking turns that we do not understand or, often, appreciate?

Church teachings on this subject have considered such larger issues as citizens’ duty to civil authority and the family as the foundation of society. These too have their place in our meditations, as we see in the examination of conscience below. However, at the heart of this commandment we see the fundamental call of love, both of God’s love for us and our expression of that love as we interact with each other in our families.

It can be helpful to examine our consciences in light of this consideration. The examination below is offered in that spirit. 

Examination of Conscience**: 4th Commandment

•    Do I obey and respect my parents or legitimate superiors?
•    Do I give good religious example to my family?
•    Do I give my children proper food, clothing, shelter, education, discipline and care?
•    Do I actively take an interest in the religious education and formation of my children?
•    Do I educate myself on the true teachings of the Church?
•    Do I pray with and for my children?
•    Do I cause tension and fights in my family?
•    Do I care for my aged and infirm relatives?
•    Do I give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay?
•    Do I give a fair wage to my employees?
•    Do I live in humble obedience to those who legitimately exercise authority over me?

Footnotes

*    Deut 5:16; Mk 7:10
** An examination of conscience is not intended to be a checklist used only in preparation for the sacrament of reconciliation. The purpose is to help souls know what actions or attitudes are sinful and realize the gravity of committing them. This may help in avoidance or in turning away from sin and towards God and joy.

=====

There’s a pattern in these Commandments of setting things apart so that their holiness will be perceived.  Every day is holy, but the Sabbath is set apart so that the holiness of time can be experienced. Every human being is worthy of honor, but the conscious discipline of honor is learned from this setting apart of the mother and father, who usually labor and are heavy-laden, and may be cranky or stingy or ignorant or overbearing.  Believe me, I know this can be a hard Commandment to keep.  But the rewards of obedience are great, because at the root of real honor is always the sense of the sacredness of the person who is its object.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

=====

… God designed these human relationships to be a dance between equals playing different roles, not a power struggle between unequals for the same “top” role. It is to be like the Trinity. When God the Son became a man, he revealed to us the Trinitiarian nature of God as a love relationship among three equal Persons who are nevertheless related on an order of authority and obedience. The Son “obeys” the Father in all things. He thus radically changed our understanding of both authority and obedience and corrected our natural misunderstanding. This misunderstanding is to confuse authority with power; and obedience with inferiority, weakness, or servility. The misunderstanding comes from using the world’s point of view instead of God’s. The world treasures power; God treasures goodness. Authority in the biblical sense is not a power word but a goodness word. It means right, not might.

Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft

It suddenly occurred to me that "right" and "left" sock patterns means I'll have to pay attention to which foot I'm putting my socks on.

Guess what?

No way.

I have enough trouble just getting dressed in the morning without worrying about which lace pattern on the anklet "faces" the other one.

So the pattern for the "carnation" yarn in the Knit Picks booklet just got tons easier. Guess which pattern I'm not making? Whichever foot has the "sssk" part. (You know, the one I picked to begin with, naturally.) Yes, knitters, a triple slip and then knitting of  three stitches together. I'm tellin' ya, I was looking for a way to get out of that one. It is tortuous getting the left needle through the three stitches after slipping in order to knit them together.

Tortuous.

And I've got the finger-stabbing pain to prove it.

So "other foot" lace pattern, here I come! (By the way, that "toe up" thing is not too bad so far.)

Laissez les bon temps rouler ...

That was a supremely satisfying ending to the Vikings-Saints game last night.

Not only did I have the American's love of seeing the underdog do well but I also had the pleasure of seeing Brett Favre relive history as he made a fatal mistake at the end of last night's game. (Not that I hold a grudge or anything ...)

Not that I have anything against the Colts but I am just so pleased that the Saints finally get their trip to the Super Bowl after being such a losing team for so long.

Woohoo! Go Saints!

Things I've Learned from Flannery O'Connor ... and "The Abbess of Andalusia"

Joy in the face of suffering might seem impossible to achieve, but to avoid gloominess Flannery relied on God's grace -- a grace, she told one correspondent, that came through the sacraments. Writing to T.R. Spivey, a Protestant, she acknowledged that many things that bring Catholics grace -- going to Mass, regular fasting -- are done out of obligation, or become "merely habit." However, she believed that it was better to "be held to the Church by habit than not to be held at all." What's more, she believed that by prescribing such habitual obligations, the Church showed itself to be "mighty realistic" about human nature, since obligations provide needed structure. They also bring opportunities for grace.

Flannery believed there was something we can do to make ourselves more receptive to God's free gift of grace: "You have to practice self-denial," she told Spivey. For her that meant immersing herself in writing: "I never completely forget myself except when I am writing," she wrote to Hester. She also practiced self-denial by giving money to charity rather than spending it on herself. ...

This is a long overdue review which was delayed only by the holidays and my subsequent busy schedule, not by my enthusiasm for the work itself (generously provided by Tan for my review).

Lorraine Murray has done a splendid job of giving us a view of Flannery O'Connor which skillfully reveals the author's spiritual journey through her writing and life. Most of us are at least vaguely aware that O'Connor wrote what is often called Southern gothic stories. As such, her stories often feature the uncomfortable and grotesque, although O'Connor insisted that her stories always have a very Catholic core.

I must admit that I am one of the many who has merely dipped my toe into O'Connor's work and after finding it both difficult and uncomfortable had determined to let it strictly alone. However, this book has changed my mind. Murray does enough explication of various stories as she traces O'Connor's career that I was left interested despite myself in exploring her stories again. Believe me, this is no small accomplishment.

I also was left feeling that Flannery O'Connor and I have much more in common than I ever would have dreamed.

• Flannery delighted in the ridiculous and her descriptions of the priest's St. Patrick day decorations left me feeling that we surely would have agreed on our amusement and dismay over much of the "dumbed down" architecture, art, music, and liturgy that is encountered in the Church today.
• She sparred with her mother regularly while still loving and appreciating her. This is not my situation with my mother at all as we generally agree on many things, but it certainly is helpful to keep in mind when I encounter others who I really like but who sometimes drive me to distraction nonetheless.
• Her generosity to other writers is well chronicled. Lately I have had the honor to be asked for advice in a similar way by those I do not know at all. When I thought despairingly of my busy schedule, I remembered Flannery whose schedule was limited by her physical frailty but never failed to give her best advice and support to others. Thus I attempt to do likewise.
  
• Flannery seems to have had the same duality of feeling that I do about such places as Lourdes. While not overly caring about pilgrimages and steadfastly resisting a well meaning benefactor's donation of a trip to Lourdes, she finally went, viewing the entire thing as a sacrifice. That would have been me to a T. As she wrote, "It is obvious to me that faith has to be shown, acted out."
  
• She never succumbed to self-pity but always presented things with a light-hearted approach. What a great example she is. This is not my tendency unfortunately. However, may I do likewise, Lord hear my prayer.
• A disciplined schedule to accomplish is necessary if you are serious about achieving something. Here I am thinking of Flannery's set time for writing each morning, at a desk that faced a white wall so there were no distractions. That's a lesson that many of us in this twittering, facebooking, emailing, IMing world would do well to remember.
• There is a pure enjoyment that comes to us from nature and the creatures in it which can't be found elsewhere. Flannery's love of her peacocks, chickens, mules, and other animals around the farm is a tonic, especially in a society where we are beginning to hear about Vitamin D deficiencies becoming widespread since we don't get outside enough.
• Hand in hand with nature went Flannery's love of her friends as evidenced through the of letters she wrote and received. I am working my way very slowly through The Habit of Being which is a chronological collection of her correspondence. Her personality shines through with a great sense of humor. We can't be isolated. We need community, friends, family to be complete.
  

 The only thing I was missing in this book was the recommendation of a book that would help in tapping into O'Connor's stories, especially for those of us who are uninitiated into the world of critical reading and symbolism that they seem to require. However, Murray does use some key stories (with spoilers) to make points about O'Connor's spirituality and perhaps that is guide enough.

Highly recommended.

For another excerpt and the realization it gave, please click through.

In which I get suckered into learning something new ... toe up sock knitting

It always has to be "suckered" and that's something I regret. But, there you go ... it's how I roll (or resist rolling, now that I think of it).

I am finally back to working on Rose's afghan which I began ... oh, only two years ago. Yes, knitting is not my passion. It is definitely my hobby. Also, I somehow lost about half of the afghan squares I knit which set me back in the timeline a considerable amount. And I detoured to make about five Baby Bobbi Bears. Not that I flit from project to project or anything...

However, then I saw this adorable Mary Jane style anklet and was suckered into buying the kit. What a deal! Materials and patterns for seven different anklet patterns for only about $30. Interesting looking knitting, small enough to carry around, and fairly quick projects. Though at the rate that I knit I bet I can drag it out for a while.

So far, so good.

The kit arrived yesterday and as I looked through the pattern book I realized with a sinking feeling that these patterns were all ... toe up! I have avoided the toe up sock just because I am perfectly happy with the regular top down sock. I don't know what's wrong with all the people who are constantly complaining that they run out of yarn for the second sock they are knitting? Do they not read patterns? Do they not know how much yarn is in their possession? A careful planner by nature, this has never been a problem for me.

The main mystery of how to cast on in such a way that there isn't a hole in the toe was not (I repeat, NOT) clarified for me in the least by the kit which was written blithely as if we all knit toe up socks every day and can cast on in our sleep. All those charts and not a single illustration of the casting on. Really? Don't y'all at Knit Picks have at least one novice you can shove the instructions at to see how they come across? (I won't even get into the general unclarity of the overall review of the socks. That's beside the point and with much back-and-forth reading I did finally pick that up.)

Giving credit where credit is due, however, I am extremely happy to give extra points for the fact that the lace instructions are both charted and written out line by line. Thank you! I hate those damned charts. Yes. I said damned and I meant it. I don't mind if other people need them but I resent the fact that so many pattern writers cavalierly drop written instructions if a chart is present. I relate to the written word, obviously. So Knit Picks regains the points it lost.

Especially since a quick on-line search sent me to Denise's Toe-Up Socks lesson one. Thank you Denise! Those cast-on illustrations are priceless and I now have an understanding of how there can be no hole in the toe. Quite ingenious, I must say.

January 22 - Day of Penance and Prayer for Life

Per the U.S. Bishops. I was reminded of this by Eric Sammons who will be marching for life tomorrow with his children.

In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" (no. 22 of the "Masses for Various Needs") should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373

If the Saints Wrote Conversation Hearts ...

You might get this from Padre Pio for Valentine's Day ...

See lots more at Acts of the Apostasy. Be sure to check the comments box for some very clever reader contributions as well. Via, that master of humor himself, The Curt Jester.

Easy Smoked Brisket

Grab it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

I suppose it's to Pat Robertson's credit that he just doesn't understand how deals with the Devil work

The Devil sets him straight (speaking through the Minneapolis-Star Tribune).

... The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? ...

Read the whole thing at the link above. Via New Advent who appreciates a good sense of humor.

This is Where We Live

A promotional film 4th Estate Publishers' 25th Anniversary that was produced in stop-motion over 3 weeks in Autumn 2008. Found at lines and colors where they describe it perfectly:

It starts, aptly enough, with a bit of flip book style animation in the pages of a book, and transitions nicely into a walk through the the book world; including nicely atmospheric “night” scenes, in which the darker side of things is displayed.

Charming, imaginative and beautifully done.

It is only 2-3 minutes long so do take a look. Especially pay attention to some of the book covers as time changes from day to night. So clever.


This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

The More You Try to Avoid Suffering, the More You Suffer

As is well known to regular visitors here, I have never been able to get through The Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton's autobiography. However, I owe a debt of thanks to Jim Campanella at Uvula Audio. He is departing from his regular science fiction, P.G. Wodehouse, and other old classics to read for us this book on his podcast (podcast RSS here). It has made a world of difference and I find myself enjoying it very much, as well as getting good points to ponder about spiritual living.

A few of these lines he wrote about suffering are fairly well represented on the internet as I look about, but not in sufficient length, or so it seems to me. His point is exactly what I saw my father and mother suffer over the last year or two as they struggled with various ailments and problems, but without any faith. Merton wrote this in response to remembering his father's death from cancer in the 1920s.

What could I make of so much suffering? There was no way for me, or for anyone in the family, to get anything out of it. It was a raw wound for which there was no adequate relief. You had to take it, like an animal. We were in the condition of most of the world, the condition of men without faith in the presence of war, disease, pain, starvation, suffering, plague, bombardment, death. You just had to take it, like a dumb animal. Try to avoid it if you could. But you must eventually reach the point where you can’t avoid it any more. Take it. Try to stupefy yourself, if you like, so that it won’t hurt so much. But you will always have to take some of it. And it will all devour you in the end.

Indeed the truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, in the end, the one who suffers most: and his suffering comes to him from things so little and so trivial that one can say that it is no longer objective at all. It is his own existence, his own being that is at once the source of his pain, and his very existence and consciousness is his greatest torture. This is another of the great perversions by which the devil uses our philosophies to turn our whole nature inside out, and eviscerate all our capacities for good, turning them against ourselves.

As many Catholics will tell you, one of the things they love and appreciate about our great faith is that capacity to use suffering, to not let it go to waste by offering it up. The best explanation I have seen for this lately comes from Praying the Mass: A Guide to the New English Translation of the Mass by Jeffrey Pinyan (which I can recommend, by the way, though I am not quite done with it).

This is part of Pinyan's commentary upon the part of the Mass where the priest prays that the sacrifice being offered will be accepted by God.

The bread and wine (and afterwards, the Eucharist) and ourselves are united as one at the hands of the priest. The bread and wine which the priest holds during the words of consecration represent us, since they represent the fruits of our labor. Then, as the priest offers the Eucharist to God, we join our very lives -- all of our worries, cares, sufferings, and prayers -- to Christ in the Eucharist. It is only by joining ourselves to Christ, the perfect sacrifice, that the contribution of our living, spiritual sacrifice can be truly acceptable to the Father. (cf. Rom. 12:1, 1 Pet. 2:5)

Because Christ is both priest and victim, our share in His priesthood (exercised in intercessory prayer, as well as in this offering of ourselves as living sacrifices of praise) must also include a share in His victimhood. This does not mean that we should expect to undergo a persecution and death as grievous as His, but we should unite the suffering we encounter in our lives to the suffering that Christ endured for our sake. The words of St. Paul to the Colossians are particularly meaningful in this regard: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church." (Col. 1:24) St. Paul is not saying that Christ's sufferings were imperfect or incomplete, but that our participation in Christ's sufferings has yet to be fulfilled; in St. Paul's suffering for the sake of the Church, he is completing his participation in Christ's life, which he began in his baptism.

We do not seek suffering, of course, but when it comes and we offer it up at least it does not go to waste. For me, that is a thought that helps a great deal when suffering comes my way, as it inevitably does in life.

Of course, there is another great benefit which Merton goes on to mention. He says that his father was refined and purified by the suffering he experienced until he became saintly. Which brings me to Peter Cameron's commentary in this month's Magnificat. This hit me and then hits me again as I contemplate all the above:

The difficult circumstances of our lives are not just things to put up with. We are deluded if we think that peace and contentment will come if we can just figure out how to "improve" our circumstances once and for all. God deploys the problematic circumstances of our life to awaken us, challenge us, educate us. For the way that we deal with our circumstances reveals to us and to the world just who Jesus Christ is for us. We think that, when something goes wrong in our life, our predicament is outside the all-embracing purpose and meaning of life. But God intends such circumstances to move us to discover this meaning.

This is why I also ask God to show me the good that will come out of the bad I am experiencing. And you know what? It's a prayer He answers more than you'd think.

More on the March for Life

Here is Heather's piece about the March.

She also pointed me toward Fallible Blogma's piece which contains a conversation with a protester against the march and many great photos.

I meant to mention in my previous post that Tom and I walked from the DART stop to the cathedral with a lovely lady who deemed herself "a token evangelical." Not so. I met PLENTY of evangelicals ... none of them token, by the way. This lady, whose name I cannot remember (so sorry!) was a representative of Life Chain, which I hadn't heard of before. She introduced me to many of the Life Chain people and it seemed both a worthy cause and a truly ecumenical group.

Announcement: Self Publishing? Or Using a Small Publisher? I Beg of You ...

For love of all that is holy ... or better yet, for love of the eye of your readers ... please don't just use whatever default Word has on when you have begun typing.

Print out your page and compare it to some of your favorite novels, whether old or new, that are from regular publishers. Note that the type is not suitable for someone who is over 80 years old. Also note that a drop cap does not add leading (the space between the lines) that is not obvious in the rest of the paragraph. Additionally, note that the last line of the chapter also has the same leading (not more) as the rest of the book.

Please spare us. It not only looks amateurish but leads one to suspect that the quantity of pages is of more value to the writer than the quality of the writing ... which will show its quality even when the type is a suitably small size to match a well typeset book.

I speak not only for myself, who is admittedly super-sensitive to this as I do graphic layout for a living, but for those who ask why they must hold a book at full arm's length so the type does not overwhelm them on the page. It takes just a little time to make a book as lovely to look at as the words are delightful to read (at least one hopes that the words are delightful to read).

That is all. You may return to your previous activities.

Aha! Got Him with the Legal Mumbo Jumbo

Out of the mouths of babes…

I was recently discussing today’s Gospel reading, The Wedding Feast at Cana, with a friend. I asked why it was that Jesus did Mary’s bidding, though He believed His time had not yet come. Nine year old Elizabeth piped up without hesitation, “Because Mary was His Mother and even God has to obey His own Commandments. He had to honor His mother.”

Case closed.

The Spirit is strong with that little one. This isn’t the first time she has proven capable of confounding the Pontifical Biblical Commission. Her point is well made.

Jesus came to show us that it was possible to perfect ourselves according to His law. That perfection calls for submission to authority. Though He was God who took on human flesh, he chose Mary as His mother and was obliged to not merely obey her, but to be true to Himself in His own Words and honor her. She didn’t command Him, pull rank. She made her wishes known. That was enough. In honoring Mary, Jesus showed His complete obedience to His mother, as well as His Father in Heaven. It was through such obedience that He perfected Himself in His human nature.

This is just the beginning of a thoughtful meditation on the Gospel reading from yesterday from Coming Home. Go read it all.

$10 Wine Hall of Fame

For those who were intrigued by my review of The Wine Trials 2010 which focuses on inexpensive but delicious wines ... my friend Web has a heads-up to The Wine Curmudgeon's 2010 $10 Hall of Fame. Looks intriguing.

Not always happy ... and especially not happy with the Cowboys' offensive front line

That's all I have to say about that ... except, I surely will be rooting for the Saints next week.

Back from the Pro-Life March

This is the first year we have just done the March and I must say that it left us feeling much more energetic than the previous years when we have come to the Mass also. (That wasn't the goal, simply a nice side effect.)

Although rain was predicted, the day turned into a bright, sunny one. People were handing out free signs.

It was really wonderful to see so many people from our parish scattered throughout the crowd. It seemed that everywhere I turned there was another friend coming up to give a hug. As well, we connected with Heather which was a delight. She marched with us which was a wonderful continuation of our tradition (of three years?). We looked for Mark Windsor, the founder of this tradition, but the crowd was so large that we never saw him.

On the way I fell into conversation with a wonderful woman, Terry Jenkins, from a nearby parish when I heard her in conversation about the times she and her husband had been arrested for pro-life protesting. Now, when you look over and a lovely, distinguished lady of 82 is saying these things, you simply must join in the conversation! At least, y'all know well enough that I had to!

It turns out that Terry was a veteran pro-life protester dating from the very first March held in Dallas. "There were just enough people here to fill a small parking lot," she told me. "That's the good thing about living a long life. You get to see the fruit." Beaming she gestured at the big crowd around us, "and this is fruit!"

We had a really interesting conversation the entire time and I am so glad I looked over at the smiling lady in the bright red coat today.

As well, the schedule had been slightly rearranged from previous years so that all the talks were held outside the Federal courthouse. This was a big improvement since we'd never been able to hear the ones held outside the cathedral in previous years.  They were very inspirational and renewed my determination for another year of First Friday Fasting and Prayer for an End to Abortion.

So ... who's with me? Regular readers know the drill, but there's no harm at looking at the familiar reminder to get my fasting/prayer game on for another year.

A twelve-week old fetus baby in the womb.*

It all began here in Dallas -- in our home town, where we raise our families, where we go to church, where we live, and love, and learn, and work.

We are three bloggers who also live in the Dallas area. We are deeply committed to ending abortion in this country. To that end, we have committed ourselves to the following: On each First Friday for the next eleven months, we will fast and pray before the Blessed Sacrament for an end to abortion. This year's commitment will culminate at the annual Dallas March for Life in January of 2009, where we will join our bishop and the faithful of this city in marching to the courthouse where Roe was originally argued.

Original  Joint Announcement

In addition to unborn babies and their families, I will be including all those who work to end abortion, as well as the souls of those who work for abortion in my intentions. Also included will be solid catechesis for all Catholics as that is a key issue to most of the misunderstandings on both this issue and others in the secular world.

For your reading and information, here is an excellent article Why Conception? by Michael from The Deeps of Time. Highly recommended.

*I used to be among those who believed the secular propaganda that a 12-week-old baby was just "a blob of cells." Even after coming to the truth, I never knew just how vividly untrue that was until seeing this image, via Father Dwight Longenecker, who points out that 89% of abortions take place in the first twelve weeks. No wonder pro-abortion activists protest ultrasounds for mothers who are seeking counseling. This is unmistakably a baby.

Ohhhh noooo ... NOW it's ON!

Photo Source

Soooo, now the true colors are showing.

Ironic Catholic is ready with smack about the Cowboys versus Vikings. 

We're holy and ironic and better at football. See you on the other side of the field, Dallas Bloggers!

Well, ok, I must admit as smack goes, that's pretty mild. (IC is way too nice that way. Me? Not so much.)

Let's face facts. Even Brett Favre is scared.

First, he says:

 “Honestly, I see us sitting here next week having this press conference again. If that doesn’t happen, to me, it will be a shock.”

NOW, he's tryin' to take it back, but we all know what he meant.

Uh, huh. Scared.

Seriously, do you want to back a quarterback who throws down the gauntlet and then tries to take it back?

Because he knows what that sort of thing does to the Cowboys. (The Saints sure do...)

Y'all enjoy that game-time lutefisk while we hunker down with nachos. Wait a minute, we win at football food too ...

Game on.

(In a mild, love-ya-IC kinda way, of course!)

Update
I must give credit where credit is due (since this is a Catholic thing) ... IC has got the last word in Theological Trash Talk. Cowboys fans, you just help yourself to a few and straighten out our misguided Northern brethren.

"It's so hard to help."

I was trying to prepare myself for what we would encounter when we started handing out water. In situations like this there are two types of people. There are those that are grateful for what they can find or are given and are often humble. There are others who in that state of need feel that they have to take more than they need because they might not ever have again. We encountered both today and it was difficult and frustrating. After handing out bread from the truck in a giant, open former sports arena now turned refuge camp the only thing Jean could say as we drove away was, “It’s so hard to help.” His point was that sometimes the very people you are trying to help make it difficult for themselves and others. Jackson and I looked at our hands that were scratched and bleeding from being mauled and it made me sad. I was sad because I saw the desperation in the eyes of some of the kids that so badly just wanted one piece of bread, but had to fight those that felt they needed to take everything they could. I tried my best to try and connect one piece of bread with one hand at a time to make sure it got spread around, but it was hard. So very hard.

Rollings in Haiti share what is happening in Haiti right now as they do what they can to help. For those who have not seen the numerous links to Chris's moving post about his experience of the earthquake, which I found via New Advent, I encourage reading it to get a real feel for bringing a personal, human feeling to the large numbers that can tend to overwhelm us from general media reports.

More on Helping

• There are many relief organizations we can support who are working to help in Haiti and the one I am choosing to use is Catholic Relief Services.
  
  
• The USCCB is urging pastors to take up a second collection this Sunday for relief efforts. If your church doesn't do it this weekend, ask your pastor about doing it next weekend. 
  
  
• Jeffrey Overstreet tells us about a recently published book of Haitian teenagers' photographs. Buying it will garner a $10 donation to Haitian relief.