February 2003 Archives

It's a good thing when somebody can admit a mistake like this, but it does illustrate a weakness of the bishops' Dallas policy -- suspend first, seek evidence later.

While we're remembering Mr. Rogers, his show, and his songs, let me take the opportunity to introduce you to the piano jazz of Johnny Costa, whose music was an indispensable part of the show's style.

A new Catholic Light baby!

Eric and Paige Johnson had Christopher Steven Johnson on Feb. 14th - he's a healthy little tyke that's got the nickname "Critter." Please keep Eric and his family in your prayers and if you have a moment drop Eric a line (address is in the left sidebar.)

For those of you just joining us, Eric is an author on this blog that is currently in an undisclosed location (wink, wink) with the Marine Reserves.

Affirmative Action Bake Sale

"BERKELEY, Calif. - Students at a California university used cookies instead of protest signs on Wednesday to demonstrate against college affirmative action policies... For the same chocolate chip cookie, whites were being charged $1.50, Asians $1.25, Latinos (Hispanics not from Mexico) $1.00, Chicanos (Hispanics from Mexico) 75 cents, American Indians 50 cents, and blacks 25 cents.

...only about 30 cookies, bought in bulk from a big-box store, were sold."

Listen here!

Michael Dubruiel caught this from Zenit.org. It's a quote from JPII.

Hence, it is necessary, to constantly discover and live the beauty of prayer and of the liturgy. One must pray to God not only with theologically precise formulas, but also in a beautiful and dignified way. In this connection, the Christian community must make an examination of conscience so that the beauty of music and song will return increasingly to the liturgy. It is necessary to purify worship of deformations, of careless forms of expression, of ill-prepared music and texts, which are not very suited to the grandeur of the act being celebrated.

Food for thought. Any comments?

More

On judgement day, keep clear of liturgy directors who are in their offices hiding under their desks.
"O, Eternal One - I'm sorry I rewrote the "O Sanctissima" text to include an Eleanor Roosevelt reference!"

And over at musicam sacram

Liturgists can sometimes fall all over themselves trying to justify what they are up to. A.A.E. has some great observations on how silly some of the questions are.

I can't resist

1973: "The folk Mass is held in the basement at 5pm on Sunday"
2003: "The Latin Mass is held in the basement at 5pm on Sunday, but don't tell anyone or the Bishop might cancel it."

I may have excelled in this school system

Arm Wrestling OK in Swedish Schools

Includes a classic phrase you don't read in the news very often: "She was as strong as a bull."

An unbelievable story in the Washington Times today

'Home Alone' mother was determined to finish trip

DENVER — When Jennifer Farrell learned her six children had been taken into police custody and placed with relatives and in foster homes while she was vacationing, she decided to stay in Italy for two more weeks to finish her trip.

She was with her boyfriend, one Hank DePetro.

"The trip was great, but there was kind of a cloud hanging over it," Mr. DePetro said.

"kind of a cloud????" Do they eat their young on the planet these people come from?

Norah Jones

It's all over the news today - Norah Jones and her 5 grammys. (If you are out of the cultural loop that makes it sound like she has 5 grandmothers...) She's got a great voice. I enjoyed listening to "Don't Know Why" about 3 times before I got hung up on how trite it is. And I tried the rest of the album samples on Amazon. Equally trite. All this makes the whole thing very disappointing to me: a woman with a great voice sings tired-sounding ditties and ends up getting all manner of accolades. To top it all off, journalists are calling her tunes "jazzy" - that's like calling the speeches of Al Sharpton "intellectually stimulating."

Maybe she'll sing some better music next time. But I doubt it.

Suggestion

How about this for the a symbol the democrats can rally around?

[click to enlarge]

More fun with Homeland Security Graphics

Ch  ch <- what's missing?    UR !	Let's keep the Tabernacle out of sight! [insert additional church renovation jokes here]	You've got stigmata!

From the documentary magazine DoubleTake.

If '70s church music and ribbon-waving dancers make you feel ill...	cover your mouth and restrain your nausea...	...while you get as far as possible from the source of offending liturgy.

More and better captions at Victor's.

Someone at PETA will be up all night agonizing over this one...

Sea Lions Deployed to Persian Gulf

Back to work!

I'm at my desk and outside I hear the unmistakable sound of a car's wheels spinning in the ice and slush. It went on for a while, and I finally got up and looked out the window - it was a FedEx truck. Very bad sign for the commute home.

The question from the spirit-filled Christian brother (below) is one of the most basic importance. He's asking Sal: are you one of those worldly people who thinks he's going to get to Heaven based on his own goodness?

The Evangelicals' message is an echo of Scripture: it starts with a recognition that God is holy and that man needs a savior from sin. This is the fundamental issue in evangelism: getting past the de facto Pelagian attitude -- that being a morally good enough person will get you to Heaven -- which is the basis of most people's religious thinking in our culture, even that of many poorly-formed Catholics.

So if you want to bridge the communication gap when a non-Catholic Christian asks you whether you're going to Heaven, your answer should not just express hope in an unspecific way, but indicate (as St. Paul reminded us) the reason for your hope. There is only one real reason for hope, one on which Catholics and Evangelicals agree: salvation comes as a grace, a gift from God, not something earned. For example, you could give an answer such as "Am I saved? With the mercy of God, yes." The basis of our salvation is not in us or our good works, but in the merits of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Sal knows that already; Catholics just aren't in the habit of talking about it over lunch, but we believe it.

The people are triumphant!

It appears our comments are back online!

Catholic Light's Funniest Home Videos

This rather amusing sledding video was sent to me by a buddy at Virginia Tech. Notice the ingenuity of these engineering students - they've turned a folding table into a ramp for their sled. I wish I were still in college!

It's an AVI file about 900K in size. Click on the photo to download or view.

Sal@work: Spirit-filled Christian Guy tries to save me

As regular readers of this blog know, I work for a small company with Christian brothers and sisters of all assorted Christian flavors. I say “flavors” because it’s becoming clear to me that for some of them the practice of their faith is suited to their personal tastes rather than based on millennia of Judeo-Christian history, theology, and tradition. I came to this realization this week after a rather one-sided conversation with a man who was hired about a month ago. He’s in his late 50’s or early 60’s and he’s exceedingly affable. The more serious things get that more he smiles and laughs. I truly admire his mirth. From listening to him talk his conversion came some time during adulthood. You might recall from an earlier post that he has a daughter-in-law who he said used to be Catholic but has since become a spirit-filled Christian. When he told me this he didn’t know I was Catholic.

Last week he found out that I am indeed Catholic. There is a young guy in the office who used to be a parishioner at my parent’s church. We found out in conversation that we went to the same church. He’s since left the Catholic Church and goes to a Protestant mega-church. While we were talking Spirit-filled Christian Guy piped in and asked if I was Catholic. I said yes. I saw the wheels start to turn. He didn’t come after me until the next day.

“Are you going to Heaven?” He asks.

“I hope so!” I reply.

He then went off about once you’re saved your assured a place in heaven unless you reject Jesus outright “and no one does that” he said.

I was thinking you can reject Jesus in word or in deed, by sinning mortally we willfully turn our back on Jesus.

He continued. “Jesus said all sin is the same – thinking about a women in the spirit of lust is the same thing as committing adultery!”

It is if the thought is willful, I thought.

“Now when you’re saved Jesus sends his Spirit to come and live in you and you speak in tongues and your heart knows how to talk with Jesus. That’s something you can’t do unless you’re saved – you can’t really pray until you ask Jesus into your heart.”

“Saint Paul said he was working out his salvation with fear and trembling,” I interjected. He cringed when I said the word “Saint.”

“Well see here now there are different kinds of salvation. I’m not sure you were aware of that! When you accept Christ your spirit is saved, but then you have to work to sanctify your soul and your body. That’s what was Paul was talking about.”

I’d never heard it put like that. The Catholic view of the different kinds of salvation includes temporal, eternal and middle salvation. Examples of temporal salvation include God delivering the Israel from its enemies and Jesus saving Saint Peter from drowning after his aborted faith experiment of walking on water. Middle salvation refers to salvation coming to a person through the action of another person, like Mary’s yes to the will of God. We don’t know we’re saved eternally until we die and are judged. Until then we’re working out our salvation with fear and trembling like Saint Paul did. We trust that God is faithful to His promises, but our intellects cannot perfectly know if we are in a state of grace without the Sacraments. I didn’t get a chance to tell Spirit-filled Christian Guy this. He phone rang and he answered. I withdrew from the scene.

I can only imagine what he’s heard about the Church. I do hope we get to have some discussion on this. I’d like to think I could express Catholic beliefs in a sensible way. If I had been able to say one last thing to him before I left I would have simply asked him whether or not he cared about what the earliest Christians believed about Baptism and salvation.

St. Augustine

What is the baptism of Christ? The washing of water by the Word (Eph. 5:26). Take away the water, it is no Baptism; take away the Word, it is no baptism.

Now I wouldn’t have thrown that one out there – he would have gone completely nuts. I’m simply saying his practice of Christianity clearly suits his taste. He doesn’t want to think about what the first Christians believed. He doesn’t want to accept Tradition as truth as much as the Bible is. He just wants to read the Word, accept the conclusions he reaches along with those of his tongue-speaking brethren, and tell Catholic me I’d better get right with the Lord or I’m going to Hell. I get right with the Lord as often as I can, in prayer, in the Mass and in Confession. I’m not denying a “baptism of desire” or that one can experience the grace of God outside the Church. I would be utterly mistaken if I did! But give me the unfailing sources of grace that are the Sacraments over Spirit-filled Christian Guy’s eternal fire insurance any day.

Eternal fire insurance. That’s a good one – I wish I could remember where I first heard it.

Here's what Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) used to believe about abortion, before he announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination for President.

As it happens, he's a vegan -- no, no, we mustn't kill any animals for food -- but now he's perfectly willing to support -- well, you know the rest. So, Mr. Kucinich, were you a hypocrite beforehand or are you one now? Let me guess.

Poor man: his chances of actually winning the Presidency are slim, as he is already one of the more left-leaning members of his Party. So he's doing evil by embracing abortion, and all he's going to get for it is a modest boost in his post-electoral career.

Funny stuff over at Gregorian Rant

Those editors at TV Guide say the darndest things

- and -

On the French Foreign Legion and war in Iraq:

Hussein is a known supporter of terrorism (a 60 minutes episode proved that some time ago). He has no friends in the world, except perhaps France (who by the way sold him 70+ jet fighters during the 1980's). Of course given France's history of courage under fire, I'm sure they'll eventually support the US by sending the French Foreign Legion (yes they still have it), which will promptly surrender to the nearest Iraqi goatherder. [emphasis mine - haha!]

Bring your shovel, Pete!

Bring some provisions while you're at it - I'm out of cheese. Don't bring any of those individually-wrapped, child-proof cheese slices - just a big block of cheese I can carve up and eat after we dig out my car. I'll post some pictures later today. Of the snow I mean.

Aristotle Esguerra, the "Accidental Choir Director" who moved his weblog to a new URL a few weeks ago (everyone please update your links), has written his own setting of the ordinary parts of the Mass. It's based on a popular melody that whole crowds of people are known to sing. He calls it the Stadium Mass.

If Cardinal Bevilacqua retires this year as expected, who will succeed him as Archbishop of Philadelphia? The Inquirer lists, well, the usual names.

Holy White Stuff, Batman!

Snow is still coming down. We are now at 16+ inches and it's supposed to snow all night. My dog is acting a bit neurotic - she's not used to bounding thru the snow, she's used to running and playing. We shoveled and have spent the rest of the afternoon by the fire.

Bishop declares snowday

Actually, Bishop Paul Loverde granted all the souls in the Arlington Diocese a dispensation from the obligation of Mass today. I found this out when I went to Mass at St. Michael's just down the road in Annandale. The priest told us as much in his homily. His pastor asked him to be brief today because the snow is just getting heavier and heavier. He thanked the congregation for coming to Mass in such awful weather, and told us like the leper in today's Gospel, we approach Jesus with faith and with confidence.

Mk 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning the him sternly, he dismissed him at once.

He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

SNOW

We're getting a foot+ here, but managed to make it to Mass. Teresa drove our minivan in an excellent fashion. 75 people were at Mass, including our intrepid organist and 4 people from the choir. The pastor seemed impressed and grateful that we made the extra effort to get there. I was just happy to make it and pray - it was a very prayerful Mass.

It's still coming down... need to shovel after breakfast.

AP: In 1976, repentant priest confessed molesting teens; NH Bishop Gendron assigned him to youth work.

The details will be in 9,000 pages of investigative files the state plans to release March 3.

Meanwhile, the current bishop of Manchester, the Most Rev. John McCormack, plans to meet with clergy and lay leaders Tuesday, while two polls show over 70% of NH adults wish he'd resign over the scandal.

We're not quite snowed in yet

So far this perilous winter storm has just puttered out. They say the really perilous stuff is coming tonight and tomorrow - maybe a foot or two of the white stuff. It's supposed to blow and drift - like the Democrats only it will be gone by the end of next week. I think it's a conspiracy to jump-start the local economy. First they get us to buy duct tape and plastic film, then bottled water, then toilet paper, toothpaste, milk, eggs, bread, snow shovels, rock salt and gas masks. Is anyone else seeing a pattern here?

Update - RC was kind enough to send this perilous link regarding the potential snowfall.

John has lost it

Someone tell him that dogs can't blog.

Another first for Saint Blogs

My multi-talented dog is going to start posting here shortly. She can be reached via email at eva (at) doggie-dog.com. She'll send pictures if you email her.

(yes - I'm getting stir crazy in the snow.)

Write Eric Johnson

Here's another reminder to drop Eric some snail mail if you have a chance. News clippings, stories from other blogs, humor, etc. Soldiers deployed abroad love that stuff. And if you've enjoyed reading his contributions here, then you can imagine how much he'll enjoy getting mail from people he's never even met, particularly being thousands of miles from home.

Sgt. Eric M. Johnson
2nd MEB, 4th CAG, Det B
Unit 76002
FPO AE 09511-6002

Southern Baptist (sung to the tune of Southern Man by Neil Young)

Southern Baptist loves to stretch
The good book into proof text
Catholic apol'gist come at last
Now your heresies are burning fast

As Seen on a Bumper Sticker

"God asks for spiritual fruit, not religious nuts."

The Ins and Outs of Annulments

I can sympathize with my poor blog-mates who are snowed-in. Even though I live in Florida, I know the feeling as I currently rush against the clock to finish a book manuscript due to the publisher in a couple of months. Anyway, since I often field questions about annulments from readers, I thought some of you might find the following piece of interest. It's an interview I recently did with Heather Felton, editor of our diocesan newspaper, on annulments within our diocese: The ins and outs of annulments.

Blizzard update

It's still raining here at Casa Sal. Weather dood says the temperatures will drop later and it will all switch to snow. I think I'll be able to go to Mass and run some errands before the world ends as we know it. I'll continue blogging as I am able!

Ok - this is the big one!

The witch doctors - I mean weather people - say there will be up to twelve inches of snow and ice in (on) the DC area by Sunday night. People are trading their first born for milk and toilet paper. Ah, the humanity! Use the Washington Post for TP and keep your children!

Democrats say: Give War a Chance

(by bloggers on holiday.)
UPDATE: I was mistaken: our Cranky Reader in Rome isn't on holiday: he's teaching there.

Worst Reason to Skip Choir

I had a lot of people missing tonight. Some called before hand, many just didn't show. One of the ladies showed up at 7pm - 30 minutes before rehearsal started. She left before I arrived - she told one of the other ladies she needed to go and get a gas mask.

Pierre - that nasty american hurt my feelings! Pass the brie!

A short post about possible war with Iraq and the role of France (besides cutting white sheets into little squares that can be tied to sticks and waved in the air.)

BANG!

Fascinating article about the first light of the universe. Based on this info, scientists now believe the universe will continue to expand and as stars peter out, light will grow dim and the universe will get colder and colder.

Man is small in the grand scheme - a blink of the eye in what happens in the cosmos. And yet, we are loved by God. Surely the immensity of what we see around us must speak to the immensity of God.

Send Mail to Our Own Marine

Here's where to send U.S. Mail to Eric Johnson, St. Blog's very own activated reservist. I'm posting this because I think a note of prayer and encouragement can go a long way when you are several thousand miles from family, friends and comfort.

Sgt. Eric M. Johnson
2nd MEB, 4th CAG, Det B
Unit 76002
FPO AE 09511-6002

In Between Book Deals, Articles, Interviews, etc.

Amy Welborn is going to blog on Mondays at the blog formerly known as "In Between Naps." Thank God it wasn't too long a nap. Pay her a visit!

Mark Sullivan on Catholic Gnome Art

He's got a link-laden post on our contest for the worst church art. To date I have received one entry. It's from one of the writers on this blog. Come on, people - you're not even trying! You can't win if you don't play!

Hmmmmm......


""Which cocktail are you?""
brought to you by Quizilla

Please Pray

Hi folks, my best friend as a child is now in a coma and not expected to last the night. Please keep him in prayer.

Update on Sgt. Johnson & Family

Paige has not had her baby yet, but is hoping to before Friday because Eric is still on the "cruise" to the "destination." Apparently, there's a satellite phone available to him for important family events until Thursday when they "disembark" at their "tropical port of call" and therefore Paige would love to have the baby before Friday so they can speak. So please make that your intention for this week!

Dude - Why did Dell cancel my contract?

Goofy Dell Computer spokesman busted for marijuana possession.

Update on the Australian Fencepost

This is just sad and stupid. So this whole thing started stupid and ended stupid.

Running out of time

I was praying the rosary on my way to work and started to think about time, and how much time I've wasted in my life. And I started thinking about death, and how in the grand scheme of eternity we are all very close to death. It wasn't a sad or morose thought, just realistic - the acknowledgement that there's much to do and so many opportunities to love that we need to take advantage of before our time is gone. Might be a good theme for a homily since so many of us value comfort and complacency over charity...

Worst Church Art Contest!

What with all the trouble in the world and in the Church I figure it's time for another contest. Please send digital photos or scans of the worst church art you can find. Feel free to consider art in the church as well as in bulletins, newsletters, etc. The program at my church really caught my eye today because it looked like it was printed by a computer from about 13 years ago. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger view. Email me your entries!

ruh-roh!

Here's the weather report for tomorrow from a local station:

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy skies with a chance of snow after midnight. Lows: 20-28.
Monday: Chance of accumulating snow. Snowfall amounts still uncertain. Snow mainly during the morning, ending during the afternoon. Highs: 33-38.

"Snowfall amounts still uncertain?!" You mean, "I'm going to get canned if I say 1-2 inchese and it turns out to be 8-10!"

Orthodoxy riled over 'St. Rasputin'

A bitter rift has opened in the Russian Orthodox Church over a campaign to canonize Rasputin and Ivan the Terrible.

Fr. Bryce Sibley, connoisseur of nuttiness and author of the weblog A Saintly Salmagundi, has awakened from a long winter's nap, and indicates that he will return to the world of St. Blog's real soon now.

St. Blog's and Beyond

"Good Catholic Music" - the expression of "De Gustibus." How many of you can hmm all those hymn tunes?

Hurl alert: Chocolate-flavored beer.
Could be good. Could be bad. I bet bad.

Another Hiatus.

I hope to meet this guy sometime.

Would some care to make a Pro-War Cartoon?

Minions, underlings and lackeys - unite under the banner of Marcus Sheavillicious!

Snow today

12:41am - I woke up because a cat was walking on my face. I thought it was 2:41am and saw there wasn't too much snow. I was disappointed. Got a drink of water and realized it was only 12:41 and was happy because it was supposed to snow all night.
4:52am - Both cats are dancing the cha-cha at the foot of the bed. I kick them out of the bedroom. I notice there's lots of snow.
6:31am - I rise, feed the ungrateful cats and pour coffee. There's 6+ inches of snow on the ground. I email a couple of clients I was supposed to meet with and let them know it's not going to happen. I read Fr. Pat's morning prayer meditation. I bring my wife some coffee.
7:10am - We're out in the snow with our big black dog. She loves it. Teresa says, "The snow is dry and powdery!" and she fires up the leaf blower and starts blowing the snow off the driveway. That doesn't work so well, but she manages to clean off the cars and the walk way on the side of the house. I start shoveling.
8:25am - I'm still shoveling. The snow plow has been down the street 10 times and I'm now tempted to run down the street waving a $20 bill: "Mr. Plow! Help a brother out!" I keep shoveling. I have a long driveway.
9:02am - I'm finished shoveling. I realize I should get to work because the streets aren't bad. I take a shower and go to work.
4:21pm - I decide to leave work since the temps are dropping and it's real quiet since all of DC is at home with the Swiss Miss. On my way home a get a little salmon to cook for dinner.
6:45pm - Teresa is still working. I start cooking. We eat and clean-up.
7:30pm - It's finally time to play in the snow. We get snow outfits on and let the dog out. It's dark but we don't care - we've got a big long hill in the back yard and the dog loves to chase the sled. We made big, deep tracks in the snow and almost got the dog to drag the sled back up the hill.
at
It's now almost 9pm. Teresa is asleep on the bed, the dog is crashed out under the bed. The cats are sleeping in an undisclosed location - they need to be rested so they can be ready to eat at 3am.

Run Forest, Run!

Isn't that the funniest movie line of all time? I can't help but laughing when I think of that. And if you happen to be outside and one of your pals starts running, yell it out. It's fun for the whole family.

Excommunication and Abortion

Given all the events of the past month, I've been doing a lot reflection on the Church's law concerning those who procure an abortion. I have to be honest. The more I listen to all parties in this debate, the less comfortable I am with the canon that automatically excommunicates any individual who procures an abortion. To explain, in my experience, most of the women who put to death their child in the womb are acting under some sort of emotional, mental and/or psychological duress. The abortion only compounds the problem, and thus what they need in most cases is our help and compassion in coming to grips with the trauma they've inflicted on themselves as the reality of having ended the life of their child in the womb sets in. I don't think canonical censures against these women are helpful or do much to combat the problem.

On the other hand, I don't reject all use of canonical censures to fight this intrinsic evil. Rather, we need to aim canonical censures where they are due. In my opinion, the Church should toughen and enforce canonical censures (if not excommunication, at least interdict) against so-called "Catholic" politicians, doctors, pregnancy counselors, nurses and lawyers who continue to support and protect the abortion industry for either political or financial gain. This is where, in my humble opinion, canonical censures could have a real effect in bring to an end the culture of death.

...when you can learn to be a Christian the easy way, thanks to The Bible Osmosiser? (RealVideo stream, 02:30, 34 KB/sec)

Thanks to Eric for the link, and hats off to Caleb Cohen who produced the video. Hey, Caleb: Mark 12:34a!

dog@work.com

I brought my dog to work today. I put a harness on her and wore dark glasses so security would think she's a seeing-eye dog. Just kidding.

I walked her right in the building and after several minutes of sniffing and greeting, she's just lounging around. Every now and then she looks at me like, "This is not home. I have never been here before. I would like to get back in the car and go home."

So far we haven't run into any snacks, i.e. dogs that are smaller than her.

Speaking of Lent...

I'd like some input from any choir directors/musicians re: choral anthems for Lent. Let me know your favorites please if you have a chance.

It's never too early...

...to start thinking about Lent. I think this is a good meditation on giving being more valuable than "giving up" for Lent.

LENT 2003: "IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE"

VATICAN CITY, FEB 6, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul's Message for Lent 2003, on
the theme "It is more blessed to give than to receive" was presented today
in the Holy See Press Office by Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of
the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," Msgr Karel Kasteel, secretary and Fr.
Oreste Benzi, founder of the Pope John XXIII Association.

Archbishop Cordes stated that the words of Jesus - "It is more blessed to
give than to receive" - seem to have received a "universal consensus" if we
look at the world of charitable institutions, corporations involved in
charity, governments preparing budgets to benefit the poor, needy and
underprivileged and fund-raising events for charity sponsored by actors,
sports figures and politicians. He noted, for example, from personal
experience how airlines, sponsoring a specific foundation, asked for
donations aboard flights or how, in airports, passengers are asked to help a
specific cause.

He asked: "Is this widespread action of good works perhaps proof that
Jesus' statement has found global recognition and that maybe it is
superfluous today to underscore it? But upon closer examination we see that
both recipients and donors can have aims that are quite diverse in their
activity for others."

The archbishop recalled other words of Jesus: "But when you give alms, do
not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Philanthropy and
solidarity have even become "a business", he stated, which can lead to "the
possibility that those who run it take a substantial quota for their own
needs." Sometimes philanthropy is undertaken, he said, to improve one's
personal image or that of a company.

Archbishop Cordes pointed out that Pope John Paul's reminder that "It is
more blessed to give than to receive" is a "new exhortation to give but it
also imposes clear limits." He highlighted the Pope's statement about the
generosity of those missionaries and members of movements who help the poor,
needy and underprivileged throughout the world, saying: "They become
instruments themselves for their brothers and sisters, in the sense that
today's Lenten Message gives in which the Holy Father describes the highest
form is availability for those who suffer as 'the disinterested gift of
oneself for others'."

He emphasized that it is this altruistic, selfless form of charitable
giving to which we must return, putting aside hopes for personal glory or
recognition or reward.

Fr. Oreste Benzi, affirmed the archbishop, is one of those persons who
have totally given of themselves. As founder of the John XXIII Association,
he has worked since 1968 with young people to help the materially and
mentally impoverished. The 186 centers worldwide assist "so-called normal
families with prostitutes, former drug addicts and alcoholics, as well as
the physically and mentally handicapped." The archbishop described Fr.
Oreste as "a simple man, who is changing the world 180 degrees. His motto
is: 'The young do not need something, they need someone'."

Fr. Oreste asserted that, "In a word to the poor, to the least, I have to
give them the answer they need, not the answer the establishment wants that
everything and everyone is well. Sharing requires belonging, not just a
performance. It is necessary to remove the causes of injustice and
marginalization. We cannot just help victims, we must prevent them from
becoming victims, according to St. Augustine and the teaching of the Fathers
and Magisterium of the Church. Charity cannot cover up problems, it must
resolve them. We can't just shed tears on the hungry; we have to unmask who
is making them hungry. One cannot only move against terrorist acts. One has
to defeat terrorist systems."

"The Church herself," he stated, "is justice. Promoting acts of justice,
the Church shows her true identity and attracts all people. The Pope is the
proof of this."

Another snow event on the way

Time for all us Metro area residents to stock up on toilet tissue, bread, and milk. This time tomorrow all of us with common sense will be home making toast while there is parade of idiots on the road turning their SUV's into very expensive toboggans. Here's a clue people: four wheel drive doesn't mean four-wheel stop!

Holy Heart-attack, Batman

Australian Wins Fifth Straight Empire State Run-Up

He has made the long trip to New York yearly despite the absence of prize money for the competition. "It's for the trophy, the honor and the glory."

Well - he's honest...

Comments...

I know you all are dying to submit your own restaurant reviews but it looks like comments are currently messed up.

Why are restaurant reviews so boring?

I was reading this while drying my hair this morning and thought - why do I want to take my own life when I'm reading a restaurant review? It is the pedantic use of metaphor or the romantic-era descriptions of the decor? Am I envious that someone gets paid to eat and write about eating? Or am I just hungry?

Here's an example of what kills me about restaurant reviews:

One forkful of Roberto Donna's meatballs, shaped from pork and soft as custard, and I'm hooked on his new bar menu.

Like most Americans, I don't relate well to the word "forkful" because it's never, ever used in normal conversation or writing. "How about another forkful of custard, Bobby?" Mouthful is better. That thought actually makes me hungry. Of course, if writing for people outside the Washington beltway the writer would be advised to use the word "Helpin'."

Custard is not what I want my meatballs to be like. Meatballs should be made from beef, veal and pork and have no resemblance in look and feel to custard. Meatballs: it's all in the name. Meat in a ball shape. And using the word "shaped" instead of "made" is just silly. I also don't trust writers who use the phrase "I'm hooked" - it's cheesy like a savory french souffle! (HA! I am just making fun of his style.)

Restaurant reviews would be more fun with phrases like this:

You'll need to skip breakfast and lunch if you want better than 50/50 odds that you'll enjoy your dinner at...

I read "Game Sampler" on the menu with the description "the Chef's assortment of wild game served with vegetables and rice" and I thought: What's the wild game available around DC? Pidgeon? Squirrel? Stray cat?

The restaurant was just dark enough that I didn't notice the bernaise sauce on my tuxedo coat until after I after I arrived at the Washington Opera for the gala opening of "La Boheme."

Ever have dreams about Pop tarts, corn dogs, fish sticks or Cheez-its? You will after an evening at x.

You have to work hard to mess up breakfast.

Family Blog

I got an e-mail from this gentleman, here's the text for you all as he requested I post it on the blog.

My name is David Reuter and I am a Professional Counselor with 22+ years of counseling experience. (See: http://www.peaceinthefamily.org/phone.htm#train) My wife Jane and I are Catholic and alumni of Franciscan University (we met there 25 years ago!). We have been married for 22+ years and have three wonderful children--Matthew 17, Rachael 16, and Monica 5!

Our love for our family and our Faith have inspired us to do all that we can to help support and strengthen marriage and family life in the Church--therefore we are currently in the process of developing The Center for Peace in the Family, an outreach of The Apostolate for Peace in the Family which we formed several years ago.

We are now offering Professional Marriage, Family and Personal Counseling by telephone. We are on the list of "Best Catholic Sites" at CatholiCity and are linked to by The Internet Padre and New Advent among other Catholic sites.

We also are developing a Resource Page with many links to Catholic family supportive sites: (see http://www.peaceinthefamily.org/resources.htm), articles, mental health links and a printable Marital Health Inventory. (More to come...)

We now provide a day-to-day reflection on, or simple presentation of Familiaris Consortio at: http://peaceinthefamily.blogspot.com/

We are making an effort to "cast our nets" out into the deep of the internet community and support those who are struggling to maintain "peace" in their marriages, their families, and their own hearts and minds.

We are a Catholic family trying to make a difference---and a living! We fully support and appreciate your internet presence and beliefs and would love to have your support as well. We believe that there is a great need for Catholic-oriented marriage and family counseling that is not available in many communities. Will you help us get the word out?

Please stop by for a visit at http://www.peaceinthefamily.org/ . I believe that our sites could be excellent additions to your Apostolates or Links section.

If you do not think our sites appropriate, it would be most helpful to receive such feedback.

Thanks for your time. Happy Blogging!


Sincerely In Christ,

David and Jane Reuter
The Center for Peace in the Family
Become What You Are
Arkansas, USA

St. Blase yesterday

Teresa and I got home around 4pm, unpacked and she went down to the office. I went to the grocery store to get important provisions like chicken wings - wife.com was going to make me wings "from scratch." We didn't get a chance to eat before Mass at 7:30pm at our parish.

Mass was packed - I think the blessing of the throats is a big deal for many people. I kept thinking the priest would need the intercession of St. Blase after saying the blessing 100+ times.

I'm back

Had a wonderful time in Charleston, SC with my wife. Went to Mass at the Cathedral in downtown Charleston and was treated to a prayerful, solemn liturgy befitting the Presentation of the Lord. More details after I unpack and restock the fridge.

Say it isn't so!

Amy Welborn is giving up her blog! Her reasoning is quite understandable. I'm posting it here since she promises to delete her blog later today.

I began it for a purpose, and that purpose has been fulfilled. It's taking up too much time, and I'm experiencing a real pull to direct my energies elsewhere. I was going to put it on hiatus for Lent anyway, and now, but there is a project for which I got a strong, specific idea in early December that I really want to give some serious attention to (besides the Bible study guide), and I could be doing that in the time I blog. Thought I'd have made real progress on it by now, but I haven't, and I need to. I have that much faith in the idea. I don't want this one to be just one of the other good ideas that I've started and not been able to finish. I'm almost 43, and it's time to get serious about another direction in my career. I don't know what I'd do if, as has happened every time in the past, a year were to pass and I had one more lost project on my conscience, all because the pull of posting links to weird articles and posting my inconsequential thoughts was so tempting! What it is is that blogging has a weird way of both expanding and contracting your vision. You hear the experiences and insights of other people, but at the same time, the temptation is always there to just think in terms of those who making up the blogging community. I need to free up my brain and my imagination. So, this will be up for a few more hours, then...farewell to the 1600+ who come here every day. Or the 160 who come here ten times a day. Whatever! God bless.

I hope she will still be posting over at HMS!

"God bless and bless and bless their souls, and rest their souls in the morning."

From Peggy Noonan on the Columbia disaster.

The NRO Corner also thoughtful reflection and links to the wicked reaction of some in the Middle East.

Gregg Easterbrook writing for time.com should have let our nation mourn the dead before getting the nails ready for the Space Shuttle program's coffin.

I agree with Mark Steyn's commentary much more.

Where in the world is Pete Vere?

I'd love to hear his thoughts on the post below!