On the Packers
A nailbiter again.......I was yelling at the TV the last few minutes.........but on the whole, the Pack played tough, considering how banged up they are.
Now, then.....on to New England................Are you ready, Mr. Sullivan?
On My Weekend Job
Had a fun time ballet parking (see this post for a description). Made over $20 in tips Friday night. One group thought I was a homeless drunk, prowling about the parking lot.......then they saw me in the tutu and crash helmet.............
On Gerard
I've known Gerard Serafin via email groups for some years now. I always looked forward to reading his posts, and his website was a wonderful discovery. I had known for quite some time that he was a laicized priest (he made no secret of it, and anyone who wants to check things out can consult the 1970-1988 editions of the Official Catholic Directory), and that he had been Eastern Orthodox for a few years before coming back to Catholicism.
It was quite a shock on Thursday morning when I found out that Gerard was on Cardinal Keeler's list of priests who had been accused of sexual misconduct. Much has been said about it already, and I won't go into the matter except that (1) it was right that he was laicized, for whatever reason; (2) it served no purpose to bring up the incident; and (3) I am glad that he is carrying on in his site and in his blog.
A Blog I've been waiting for
Prof. Kevin Miller of Franciscan University now has his own blog. I've known Kevin since May of 1994, when he and I rode the same bus to St. George's Melkite Church. Since then, I've admired his wonderful depth of knowledge, his approachability, his great sense of humor, and his humble demeanor; and I'm glad to see him join St. Blog's.
On Guilty Pleasures
A family friend came back from Cincinnati laden with bottles of Little Kings Cream Ale. I like the stuff. I can't help it.
I wonder what one certain native of the Queen City thinks about that brew.......
On the Packers
I watched some of the game at CSz after I clocked out. So the Packers won. So they were without Ahman Green. Still, to almost blow the game against the Lions.......what is with them?
One thing I know for sure: Special Teams coverage units need a lot of practice.
Song du Jour
I'm not a big fan of Bruce Cockburn's, but I've always liked this song -- both the original and BNL's cover:
Lovers In A Dangerous Time
Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by
You never get to stop and open our eyes
One minute you're waiting for the sky to fall
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
These fragile bodies of touch and taste
This fragrant skin this hair like lace
Spirits open to the thrust of grace
Never a breath you can afford to waste
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
We were lovers in a dangerous time
We were lovers in a dangerous time
On My Second Job
This afternoon, I helped others enjoy their Sunday by working at ComedySportz as a Ballet Parker. That means wearing a tutu and crash helmet and dancing people to their parking places.
The Upside:
1) Beautiful Weather. 60 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze -- absolutely perfect weather. Afterwards, I hiked about 1 1/2 miles.
2) Making People Laugh. I'm not exactly primo ballerino material. I mean, what would you do if you saw a 30something, overweight, scraggly-bearded man in hiking boots, blue jeans, a t-shirt, and a tutu leading you to your parking space?
3)Having Fun. It'd be pointless to do it if I wasn't.
And today's downsides
1) Small Show. Afternoon matinees on Packer Sundays don't draw many people. We had an audience of about 30, in the smaller of the two theatres (the other holds about 200). If there were more people, I'd have been busy inside helping out with the kitchen and bar. Instead, the waitstaff was more than up to the task, and I punched out after two hours. Can you say tiny paycheck?
Stiffed on Tips. The Ballet Parker has a tip box in the lobby. Nobody put in anything.
All in all, though, it was fun. I hope to work some of the busier evenings.
On Catechumens
Sean Roberts got some problematic material in his RCIA class. It gets me angry when I read about RCIA groups which present dissenting/heretical material, or emphasizes feelings over substance.
I was one of several people who instructed adult converts at my parish. These materials sufficed for my classes:
1) A St. Joseph Edition New American Bible. The Doctrinal Index is excellent, as are the other supplemental materials. I recommend getting the hardcover -- if the Bible is for the catechumen to keep, you should give them a durable one.
2) The Cathechism of the Catholic Church. Nuff said.
3) Outlines of the Catholic Faith. Doesn't look like much, but there's a lot in there. This was used as the basic study text, with the "Big Cathechism" used supplementally. It also has some prayers in the back.
4) A Rosary and a pamphlet about it. Get 'em started early on this. You can get inexpensive rosaries very easily. If prayed in class, use the Scriptural Rosary, or the reflections of St. Josemaria Escriva.
5) An outline on making a good confession. There are several good booklets for this.
Folk Song du Jour
This one's not exactly old, since it was written in 1968. But it has the right feel. Check out the composer's website.
Crazy Man Michael
(Richard Thompson and David Swarbrick)
Within the fire and out upon the sea
Crazy Man Michael was walking
He met with a raven with eyes black as coals
And shortly they were a-talking
"Your future, your future, I would tell to you
Your future, you often have asked me
Your true love will die by your own right hand
And Crazy Man Michael will cursed be"
Michael he ranted and Michael he raved
And beat at the four winds with his fists-oh
He laughed and he cried, he shouted and he swore
For his mad mind had trapped him with a kiss-oh
"You speak with an evil, you speak with a hate
You speak for the devil that haunts me
For is she not the fairest in all the broad land?
Your sorceror's words are to taunt me"
He took out his dagger of fire and of steel
And struck down the raven through the heart-oh
The bird fluttered long and the sky it did spin
And the cold earth did wonder and start-oh
"Oh, where is the raven that I struck down dead
That here did lie on the ground-O
I see but my true love with a wound so red
Where her true lover's heart it did pound-O.
Crazy Man Michael, he wanders and walks
And talks to the night and the day-oh
But his eyes they are sane and his speech it is clear
And he longs to be far away
Michael he whistles the simplest of tunes
And asks the wild woods their pardon
For his true love is flown into every flower grown
And he must be keeper of the garden
Copyright Sparta Florida/Warlock Music
recorded by the Fairport Convention on Liege & Lief
Packers
Lost Sunday to the Saints. The Green and Gold didn't deserve to win. Too many penalties, too many turnovers, and something's seriously wrong with the defense.
Oh well. 14 more games to go. And the Rams and Steelers are both 0-2.
But we'd better win the next meeting. Losing to the Lions would be humiliating.
On Today's Errands
Today I took my friend Sue and her daughter Brittany out to Culver's for Brittany's 6th birthday. But before I went over there, I paid my first visit to Our Lady of Good Hope Parish. The church building itself is a typical 60's structure -- nothing to speak of. But the Adoration Chapel is quite lovely, and not just because He is enthroned there.
The Chapel and several other good things at that parish are due to God's use of Fr. Don Hying, their wonderful pastor. Fr. Don is a relatively young (not quite 40), energetic, humble, and orthodox priest who started to turn things around literally upon assuming the pastorate. The first thing he did on that first day was to schedule weekly Confession times (it had been cut down to once or twice a month). He then added a daily Evening Mass, and moved the tabernacle from a closet to directly behind the altar. Following that, he began weekly exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (he also revived the Corpus Christi procession), and later, had the Adoration Chapel put in.
Fr. Don has also kept busy with other things as well. He helps with religion instruction in the parish school, and has continued his commitment to the pro-life cause, praying the Rosary near Milwaukee-area abortuaries. I could go on about his many sterling qualities, but time and space don't permit it. Rather, check out the parish website to see what's going on there.
Why I'm Catholic
HMS Blog's Emily Stimpson has posted several reasons "why the Church rocks even when her children bite". All very well done, as is usual with Miss S. This got me thinking as to why I've remained a Catholic all my life.
The first (and really, the only ) reason is the Grace of God. All else comes from this.
The second is my acceptance of Christianity, and why I can't believe that all religions are the same. If God became man, died, and lived again -- really, what else is there to believe in? Either the Incarnation happened, or it didn't. If it didn't, then historic Christianity is a sham, and I might as well become a Zen Buddhist, since that is the only religion outside of the the Bible which made any sense to me. If it did, then I must be Christian, because adhering to any other creed would be living a falsehood.
The third is the Eucharist. Sometimes I watch Protestant services on WVCY. Lots of well-performed music, some excellent preaching (and sometimes they're right!), and heartfelt prayer. But without the Eucharist, what I see is nothing more than a very large prayer meeting. Sure, these churches might hold a Lord's Supper a few times a year, but to them it's only a memorial; the crackers and grape juice, only symbols.
But every time I enter a Catholic church for Mass, I have the opportunity to receive Jesus Himself under the appearances of bread and wine. He meant what He said: "I am the Bread of Life", stated in terms so strong that many of His followers got disgusted and left Him. And later, the night before He offered Himself up for us, He again spoke in concrete terms: This is My Body. This is My Blood. Do this in remembrance of Me. And we do. This is our New Passover, in which we become present at the One Sacrifice of the Lamb Whose Blood causes the Angel of Death to pass over us, and Whose Flesh nourishes and sustains us for our journey to the Promised Land. This is our Pillar of Cloud and Fire, our Shekinah, our Manna. This is every offering from the Old Covenant condensed into one Living Sacrifice. This is the fruit of the Tree of Life.
Simply put, I can't imagine life without the Eucharist. When I haven't been able to receive Him, for whatever reason, I felt hungry, starved. My body reflected what was going on with my soul.
I could go on, but I can only sum up with what Flannery O'Connor said: "If It's only a symbol, then I say to hell with It."
The last reason (for tonight, anyway) is Continuity. We can go back to Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the Apostles, and read what he has to say about the Real Presence and the authority of a bishop. We read Justin Martyr's description of how the early Christians celebrated the Lord's Day, and it is almost exactly like the Mass we know today. For 2000 years, the Catholic Church has stood fast to her Bridegroom's teachings, whether by word of mouth or by letter, guided by the successors of the Apostles and led by the successor of Peter.
Possibly more later. Getting tired now.
A Favorite Song of Mine
A sad one, with a haunting melody
Too Close to the Wind
Farewell to you, my faithful Nancy
And a thousand times adieu;
For the constable comes up from Brackley Market
And a hundred volunteers too.
No more will we hide in the forest
For fear they might run us to ground
For the wild sea, we'd sailed upon it
Too close to the wind.
For twenty years, we have roved the highways
Of Northamptonshire.
From Daventry down to the southern byways
We robbed both the rich and the poor.
For ofttimes our families were starving
And the highway it kept them alive,
So the wild sea, we sailed upon it
Too close to the wind.
Tonight I lie in a darkened dungeon
Condemned on the gallows to die,
While the man who gave us away is only
Bound for Australia.
No man could be found to defend us
Naught but abuse came our way,
For the wild sea, we'd sailed upon it
Too close to the wind.
The clouds they rise over Northampton market,
And the crowds pour into the town,
And the people will throng in the streets until sunset,
'Til the hangman cuts us down.
And fifty children of Culworth
Their fathers are taken away,
For the wild sea they sailed upon it
Too close to the wind.
I'm Back
I've been housesitting for my parents the last 2 1/2 weeks. Got back to the apartment only twicw during that time, to pick up mail and fetch a few other things. Blogged once.
Some of the things which happened while I was housesitting.......
Sunday 8/25 Tried sleeping in downstairs bedroom. Sneezed up a storm. Went upstairs to my Dad's bed. Had a hard time adjusting.
Tuesday 8/27 Caught a tummy bug which made life miserable for me that evening. Watched the Vespers Liturgy at the Cathedral. Very nice.
Wedensday 8/28 Listened to Archbishop Dolan's homily at his installation. Was very encouraged at what I heard. If you haven't read or heard it already, his installation homily may be found here.
When Tammy Eliot, one of the many journalists and reporters who have shown such a warm interest in my appointment, interviewed me, she remarked, "You're now an Archbishop of a major Archdiocese, so you must feel as if you have reached your goal in the Church."
"No," I replied. "My goal is to be a saint, and I've got a long way to go. And now my job is to challenge the people of southeastern Wisconsin to be saints!"
Remember, I'm from Missouri: Show me you are saints! Seminarians and shut-ins, farmers and factory workers, catechumens and catechists, from Native Americans to newly-arrived Hispanics, police and priests, technicians and teamsters, sick and suffering, students and teachers –– show me you are saints! Because, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, this call to sanctity is universal, it extends to everyone in the Church.
Wed 8/29 - Sun 9/1 Not much. Grilled a few times, enjoyed the weather. Went to Mass on Sunday, of course.
Mon 9/2 Rain. I was going to mow the lawn, but oh well. Watched TV, got back to the apartment for some odds and ends, did not much of anything at all.
Tue 9/3 Can't remember what I did that day. Worked -- I know that much. Very warm out. Grateful for the central A/C.
Wed 9/4 Auditioned to get to the next workshop level for ComedySportz. Had fun. No one moved up from my current level. Oh well.
Thur 9/5 Allergies acted up. Sneezed and sneezed and sneezed.
Fri 9/6 Felt fine in the morning. Started getting a sore throat in the afternoon. Thought it was just from sinus drainage -- or so I was trying to fool myself. Still got to the Archbishop's Mass at St. Rita's in West Allis. The church has been vandalized by wrockovaters -- and this was one built according to Vatican II standards. But His Excellency brightened the place considerably. He celebrates Mass with great reverence -- his roaring voice becomes soft, almost a whisper, at the Consecration. And after Communion, he faces the Tabernacle when the Blessed Sacrament is reposed. Only then does he sit down.
A friend gave me a ride home after Mass. The sore throat wasn't going away. By 10:30 pm, I was miserable and sick. I couldn't find cough drops.
Sat 9/7 Misery. Made lots of tea. Finally found the cough drops. Slept a lot.
Sun 9/8 Still was sick, but better than yesterday. Didn't get to Mass.
Realizing that the lawn was beginning to resemble a meadow, I called my sister to borrow my nephew for mowing. He came over, and got the driveway strip and sides done. But in the back yard, the lawnmower stopped working and started smoking. Apparently, it hit a hidden stone and killed the motor.
OTOH, the Packers won. And I enjoyed watching the first half of the Texans-Cowboys game.
Mon 9/9-Tue 9/10 Staggered back to work. Felt better.
Wed 9/11 The morning was spent in a meeting room, watching CNN coverage of the one-year anniversary of the attacks. Decided to attend the memorial Mass at the Cathedral, celebrated by Archbishop Dolan. Another excellent homily. Went back to the folks' and picked up the house.
So -- that's what I've been doing.
I'm Back
I've been housesitting for my parents the last 2 1/2 weeks. Got back to the apartment only twicw during that time, to pick up mail and fetch a few other things. Blogged once.
Some of the things which happened while I was housesitting.......
Sunday 8/25 Tried sleeping in downstairs bedroom. Sneezed up a storm. Went upstairs to my Dad's bed. Had a hard time adjusting.
Tuesday 8/27 Caught a tummy bug which made life miserable for me that evening. Watched the Vespers Liturgy at the Cathedral. Very nice.
Wedensday 8/28 Listened to Archbishop Dolan's homily at his installation. Was very encouraged at what I heard. If you haven't read or heard it already, his installation homily may be found here.
When Tammy Eliot, one of the many journalists and reporters who have shown such a warm interest in my appointment, interviewed me, she remarked, "You're now an Archbishop of a major Archdiocese, so you must feel as if you have reached your goal in the Church."
"No," I replied. "My goal is to be a saint, and I've got a long way to go. And now my job is to challenge the people of southeastern Wisconsin to be saints!"
Remember, I'm from Missouri: Show me you are saints! Seminarians and shut-ins, farmers and factory workers, catechumens and catechists, from Native Americans to newly-arrived Hispanics, police and priests, technicians and teamsters, sick and suffering, students and teachers –– show me you are saints! Because, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, this call to sanctity is universal, it extends to everyone in the Church.
Wed 8/29 - Sun 9/1 Not much. Grilled a few times, enjoyed the weather. Went to Mass on Sunday, of course.
Mon 9/2 Rain. I was going to mow the lawn, but oh well. Watched TV, got back to the apartment for some odds and ends, did not much of anything at all.
Tue 9/3 Can't remember what I did that day. Worked -- I know that much. Very warm out. Grateful for the central A/C.
Wed 9/4 Auditioned to get to the next workshop level for ComedySportz. Had fun. No one moved up from my current level. Oh well.
Thur 9/5 Allergies acted up. Sneezed and sneezed and sneezed.
Fri 9/6 Felt fine in the morning. Started getting a sore throat in the afternoon. Thought it was just from sinus drainage -- or so I was trying to fool myself. Still got to the Archbishop's Mass at St. Rita's in West Allis. The church has been vandalized by wrockovaters -- and this was one built according to Vatican II standards. But His Excellency brightened the place considerably. He celebrates Mass with great reverence -- his roaring voice becomes soft, almost a whisper, at the Consecration. And after Communion, he faces the Tabernacle when the Blessed Sacrament is reposed. Only then does he sit down.
A friend gave me a ride home after Mass. The sore throat wasn't going away. By 10:30 pm, I was miserable and sick. I couldn't find cough drops.
Sat 9/7 Misery. Made lots of tea. Finally found the cough drops. Slept a lot.
Sun 9/8 Still was sick, but better than yesterday. Didn't get to Mass.
Realizing that the lawn was beginning to resemble a meadow, I called my sister to borrow my nephew for mowing. He came over, and got the driveway strip and sides done. But in the back yard, the lawnmower stopped working and started smoking. Apparently, it hit a hidden stone and killed the motor.
OTOH, the Packers won. And I enjoyed watching the first half of the Texans-Cowboys game.
Mon 9/9-Tue 9/10 Staggered back to work. Felt better.
Wed 9/11 The morning was spent in a meeting room, watching CNN coverage of the one-year anniversary of the attacks. Decided to attend the memorial Mass at the Cathedral, celebrated by Archbishop Dolan. Another excellent homily. Went back to the folks' and picked up the house.
So -- that's what I've been doing.
