Spraw to, prosimy Cię, wszechmogący Boże: ażebyśmy, którego błogosławionego Marcina, biskupa i męczennika Twego rocznicę tryumfu obchodzimy, przez jego wstawienie się umacniali się w miłości Twego Imienia. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
I’m headed to beautiful Tampa, Florida to visit my sister. Posting will be light. Please keep me in your prayers.
“Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Do you think that this woman was aware of God’s promise?
We can’t say for certain, but we can imagine that God’s promise was the last thing on her mind. She was a widow, with a son, in the middle of a devastating drought. Her cupboard was bare, save for a little flour and oil.
So here comes Elijah —“ a prophet of God. Here’s his request. Woman, go get me water, and bread. Do not be afraid,
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Elijah asks the woman to take care of God’s prophet first.
Can you imagine if a member of the clergy said that to someone today? Woman, make me some bread and bring me a drink. But father, deacon, here are all my problems. I know child, do not be afraid. Just get me the bread and a drink…
I do not think anyone would be afraid. They would be angry. Very angry! They would see to it that the clergyman never darkened their doorway again.
You know, that person, so offended by our clergyman, would be just like you and me, their faith would be weak.
The clergyman’s job, like Elijah’s job, is to say those important words —“ do not be afraid. We are to say it to you in the midst of the most devastating losses, in times of great sorrow, and in times of joy, those times where our ever present fears are more muted —“ but still active.
The woman of Zarephath had something —“ something many lack. She had blind faith. She may not have been aware of God’s promise, but when the prophet came and told her to set aside her fears, to give up the little she had left, she listened and acted.
The woman of Zarephath understood that God’s promise was worth everything she had, down to her last meager ration.
The woman in the Gospel had that blind faith. She followed the prescripts of the Law and the words of the prophets’ —“ but more than that, she allowed herself to be overcome by God. She gave up everything on the simple promise of hope.
Jesus certainly saw that:
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
He wasn’t talking about charity. The coins meant nothing —“ a few cents, no value. What Jesus points out is that she put her faith first, above everything else.
The two women we read about today gave everything they had based on faith and out of hope. Not hope in a miracle, faith in a god of the dice —“ but hope and faith in God.
They took action based on what they had heard. The teachings of the prophets and the Law transformed their hopelessness into confidence, confidence in God.
What will you do with what you have heard? What will you do with our clergyman who comes to you in your despair and says to you, “Do not be afraid—?
These two women who were at the end of their ropes, who acted on blind faith, who only had the Law and the prophets, are but a shadow of what is required of us.
Before us we have the body and blood of God. Before us we have the words of Jesus Christ. God came among us and remains right here, with us, body, blood, soul, and divinity. Of Him the letter to the Hebrews states:
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Our sins have been washed away in His blood. We eagerly await Him and call for His return. We do not have a promise in Law, but the promise of God Himself.
What more do we need?
We are more than aware of God’s promise. It is written in His blood and made evident by His resurrection. Allow yourselves to be blinded by faith, to give, even from your want, based on His assurance alone. Give all that you have for God’s promise.
Take action based on what you have heard – from God Himself.
Boże, który widzisz, że o własnych siłach w dobrem wytrwać nie zdołamy, dozwól łaskawie, abyśmy wstawiennictwem błogosławionego Marcina Wyznawcy Twego i Biskupa przeciw wszelkim przeciwnościom umocnieni byli. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
I use Word Press as my blogging tool and Akismet to fight back against comment spam. Both work great and I do love them – for their effectiveness, ease of use, and for the fact that they do what they say they will do.
I was just reading Lorelle VanFossen’s post: I’m Winning the Battle Against Comment Spam.
Blogs by nature are tools of social interaction. Social interaction, commenting, and discussion are the modus operandi behind blogging. Lorelle’s post is a good intro into how to keep it that way, without going overboard in shutting off the ability to interact because of some bad apples.
Well, following his her guidelines have helped me win the battle (thus far) and to engage new friends from a lot of different places. However, I do have an issue and I can’t seem to find the answer.
I use the Yahoo! installation of Word Press and their modified version of Akismet. Every few days my spam count gets reset to zero. I’ve searched and searched for an answer and I cannot seem to find anyone who’s experienced the same.
I’m running WP 2.0.2 with the following active plugins:
Audio player 1.2.3
Akismet for Yahoo! 1.12-Yahoo
Creative Commons Configurator 0.2
Digital Fingerprint Beta 0.2
Dagon Design Form Mailer 4.2
Flickr Widget 0.1
SimpleTagsPlus 1.0
wp-cache 2.0.17
WordPress Database Backup 1.7
Sidebar Widgets 1.0.20060711
Any ideas on how to overcome this behavior?
The Rev. Kimel makes some great points regarding ritual gestures* during the Holy Mass in his post Living on the ritual edge—”the wild world of crossings and bowings.
At the same time he’s acting like a neophyte.
Perhaps he missed the fact that the R.C. Church (at least in the United States) has been demanding absolute uniformity in regard to gestures during Mass (regardless of their conformity with universal law). Kneeling during consecration —“ no way. Come forward in the breadline and bow or kneel prior to receiving the Eucharist, take it in your hand, step aside, consume, walk away (like that happens —“ except on EWTN). Go back to your seat —“ and God forbid —“ DO NOT KNEEL.
Is the Rev. Kimel taking a stand against uniformity? Perhaps he should have waited until after ordination? Playing off Davey and Goliath —“ the Bishop isn’t going to like that Davey!
The Pope can’t fix this one, and that’s the problem —“ he’s not down in the chancery —“ nor do they want him there. When you place your hands into the hands of the Bishop Ordinary your loyalty is demanded, including loyalty to locally imposed norms. For good or bad (and I haven’t seen any Bishops deposed by the Pope recently —“ hint, hint, Tod Brown) you’re in. Thus, great humility is necessary.
BTW – those locally imposed norms have created a generation of ‘it’s all optional’ thinkers**. The catechesis necessary to break that cycle will take generations – that is, if there is any will to do so.
*Note that the things he mentions, crossing oneself at appointed times, and those to come (striking the breast, bowing at the name of the Lord and the Holy Trinity) is a living part of the Holy Mass in the PNCC. I love them not because of their form – but because they make you stop and think.
**Some of my R.C. friends – the ‘I just go to church’ types – get really ticked-off whenever additional rubrics, rules, gestures are imposed. What they share with traditionalists is the line, ‘Can’t they just leave my mass alone?’
Our PNCC seminarian Adam points to an article on Wal-Mart’s efforts to put the ring-a-ding-ding back in its cash registers (or ATM terminals) for Christmas. From USA Today: Wal-Mart wishes you a Merry Christmas
Wal-Mart will put “Christmas” back into the holidays this year, the retailer plans to announce Thursday.
A year after religious and other groups boycotted retailers, including Wal-Mart (WMT), for downplaying Christmas, the world’s largest retail chain will have an in-your-face Christmas theme this year.
“We, quite frankly, have learned a lesson from last year,” says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Linda Blakley. “We’re not afraid to use the term ‘Merry Christmas.’ We’ll use it early, and we’ll use it often.”
The operative word being use.
Wal-Mart told about 7,000 associates of the plans at a conference last month and “was met with rapturous applause. … We know many of our customers will feel the same,” says John Fleming, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president of marketing.
Fleming says the retailer, which recently lowered prices on toys and electronics, will be pitching Christmas almost as much as “value” to holiday shoppers.
…
The Christmas spirit is spreading. Macy’s, the largest U.S. department store chain, plans to have “Merry Christmas” signs in all departments. All of Macy’s window displays will have Christmas themes. At New York’s Herald Square, the theme will be “Oh, Christmas Tree.”
“Our intention is to make every customer feel welcomed and appreciated, whether they celebrate Christmas or other holidays,” spokesman Jim Sluzewski says.
Good Polish tolerant conservatism from Mr. Sluzewski.
As at Wal-Mart, Macy’s employees are encouraged to consider wishing customers holiday greetings that are appropriate to their race or religion, including Happy Kwanzaa or Feliz Navidad.
Because we’ll all being wearing tags that identify our race and religious preference (maybe they could miniaturize it and put it in the microchip on my credit card).
All of this brings up so many issues.
In the end, yes, take down the decorations, stop saying happy anything (although they should try to be polite), be who you are – a secular company, and please, stop co-opting and corrupting the Incarnation of God among us.
Otherwise most will come to believe that yes Virginia, there is no Jesus – just Santa.
Boże, któryś miłującemu sercu błogosławionego Andrzeja Wyznawcy Twego, przez gorące pragnienie doskonalenia się w cnocie coraz ściślej łączyć się z Tobą dozwolił, daj nam przez jego zasługi i przyczynę, być otrzymanej przez niego łaski uczestnikami, abyśmy w pragnieniu coraz większej doskonałości, doszli do chwały wiecznej. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
Ben Meyers of Faith and Theology presents a list of his top twenty theological influences prompted by Aaron Ghiloni’s post on the same issue.
Mr. Meyers states:
Aaron is absolutely right —“ our theology may be influenced by books, but the deepest theological influences are almost always non-literary. These are the things that really construct us and constitute us as persons —“ only subsequently do we also make a few minor alterations through the influence of books.
So I’ve decided to join in with my list of —top 20+1 theological influences,— not in rank order.
- The Holy Eucharist – most particularly in the reception of the Eucharist, but also in the adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist.
- St. Casimir’s R.C. Church —“ God glorified. Thundering homilies in the days of the Tridentine Rite Holy Mass (up through 1974 believe it or not). Solemn liturgies, deep devotion, beautiful vestments, art, light and architecture. The church is modeled on the Hagia Sophia and is a magnificent example of Byzantine architecture. Everything in the church pulls you up to God.
- St. Anthony —“ a special patron to whom my mother was deeply devoted. As a child, St. Anthony held the baby Jesus and found lost stuff. As an adult —“ getting to know him better, I understood that effective preaching is a grace and motivator to conversion.
- Traditions around the holidays —“ the Polish traditions that brought family together and which were always centered on the faith. Not tradition for the sake of tradition, but tradition for the sake of learning about, glorifying, and praising God.
- Polish hymns —“ as a young person I didn’t understand a word, but my mom told me what they meant. They moved me to great heights and to tears, just by the music and the interpretation of the singers.
- Gorzkie Żale devotions (Bitter Lamentations) —“ the sorrows of Christ’s passion and death sung and prayed —“ all from the perspective of the Blessed Virgin. I could feel her pain and it still moves me to tears.
- Adoration of the Holy Cross on Good Friday —“ kissing the five wounds —“ loving Jesus.
- Sister Agnese —“ my aunt and a Felician sister. Total dedication to God and to her work. The joy of a community of faith.
- Illness —“ being a diabetic and knowing first hand the difficulties of illness. Understanding that there is a place of joy with no more suffering or sickness.
- Adoption —“ being adopted into my family and several others. Love by choice as a reflection of God choosing us.
- Travel —“ never without church, never without family —“ and being thankful for the opportunity. The vastness of God’s world and our human connection by His design.
- My father’s death (I was 4 years old) —“ understanding the value of saying you are sorry and seeking reconciliation. He disciplined me the night before he died —“ I never told him I was sorry.
- The PNCC —“ and a richness of theology. The Word as sacrament, regeneration and a choice for Christ.
- Negative R.C. experiences —“ triumphalism, absolutism, minimalism, legalism, church closings, abuse (a couple tried with me), extravagance, and others. Yes, I know —“ not the Church, but the sins of weak men, yet we are obliged, as partners with Christ, to cooperate in how we define ourselves.
- Doing the things I said I would never do —“ God’s ways are not our ways, and we are not in charge.
- Children —“ you can intellectualize why you can’t, shouldn’t, or mustn’t but none of it makes sense in light of the reality. The best experience is seeing your children grow in the womb, followed by the experience of their birth. This was also brought home to me in a meeting where a woman with very strong ‘convictions’ about over population, not bringing children into the world, etc. —“ a 1960’s type protester —“ lamented of her loss.
- A Full Gospel Church elder —“ hearing him speak of the Spirit.
- Death —“ my mother was the youngest in her family (10 children) and my sister and I didn’t arrive until late in our parents’ 30’s. Most of my relatives were quite a bit older. My father died when I was four and so began a procession of death. Christ is our hope and our promise.
- My grandmother (Mary who we called Busha) who loved us so much. She and my aunt moved in with us after my dad died. She gardened (everything she touched grew), cooked, pickled, shoveled, swept, played with us kids, never spoke a word of English, and was the matriarch and center around which family gathered. She stood strong until a stroke at the age of 91. Every evening she would sit in the large chair in her room and pray the rosary or the chaplet of St. Terese allowing us to sit at her feet to watch, learn and understand.
- My grandfather (Louis) who loved us so much. We would walk —“ to get fried chicken or go to Golembiewski’s for toys. He would take us on the bus to the zoo or the museum. We would fall asleep on his side on car rides to his house. He was a man of dignity, loyalty, honor, and great love.
- Growing up in a house full of women – understanding the difficulties they faced in healthcare, the job market, in dealing with men who thought that they had all the answers. A lesson in empathy at a minimum.
[Israeli policies constitute] a system of apartheid, with two peoples occupying the same land but completely separated from each other, with Israelis totally dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights.
Former President Jimmy Carter in his upcoming book Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid.
For a review and commentary see Jimmy Carter – Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid from Dancing with Sprites. (Thanks to Serge for the tip on this).
Anyone see the pictures of the two little shoes, one blue, one pink, in the streets of Beit Hanoun? The pictures of pooled water tinged red with the blood of children? Our tax dollars hard at work killing families, killing eighteen, mostly women and children, killing just for the sake of killing.
The most striking comment was from a BBC article. A Palestinian policeman, a family member of the murdered, who had always worked within the system, stated —Today they made me a terrorist.—
Today’s report that the French almost shot down two Israeli planes (really our planes —“ two F-15’s) over Lebanon shows just how far the Israelis are willing to go. The French were two seconds away from pressing the button on the SAMs and shooting them down.
The Israelis are continually provoking German and French peacekeepers in Lebanon —“ as the Israeli spokesperson said, because they have to. Can you imagine the response if the planes had been shot down? The Israelis would scream anti-Semitism.
I wonder, head-to-head, whether the F-15’s could match newer Mirage fighters in an all out war? I would assume that’s what Israel wants. They’ve taken state sponsored terrorism and brinksmanship to a new level – all on our dime.