This fall, Georgetown University will continue its Polish language class offerings. The university’s website has updated its pages showing the class schedule, course descriptions as well as an interesting profile of the instructor: Iwona Sadowska.
The bear begins to wake.
Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney are home again. Ah, all is well in the world, except, maybe this time, another country will claim to have God on its side (and remember, regardless of who is doing the claiming, it is a lie).
The photo is from AFP via Interia in Poland. I like the one comment that was posted with this photo titled Diabeł i Bóg (the devil and God).
The article is about Russia getting rich off arms sales. In 2006 Russian arms sales reached $6.5 billion, the best ever. Sales were made to 64 countries.
I wonder if I can still hire a firm to construct a fallout shelter? If not, I’m thinking business opportunity…
Solemnity of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist
St. Sebbi, Monk, (694)
St. Medericus, Abbot, (700)
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Brothers and sisters,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Today we celebrate witness to truth.
Now Herodias had a definite grudge to bear. St. John the Baptist called her out on her sin, taking up with another man while being married to his brother, and she didn’t like that very much.
Now we look at situations like that and think, oh the rich and powerful, the crazy things they do. How can you be married to one man and take up with his brother at the same time? We also tend to think that since Herodias was consort to the king, she had the power, wealth, and resources to seek her revenge.
We watch as Herodias slides down, deeper into depravity, using, and prostituting her daughter Salome to accomplish the task.
Herod himself appears to play the role of the innocent bystander, taken in by Herodias and Salome. But if we look at some of the commentaries on the event, Herod was fully engaged in plotting as well. He set John up and played the taken-in fool for cover.
We can sit back, take a deep breath, and say wow, incredible. We do that all the time, incredulous at the sins of others; the clay feet of the holy, the machinations of the politicians, the greed of the rich and powerful, the depravity of the movie and music industries.
If John the Baptist were to stand outside your door, as you drive home from work, what would he call out? Would he look at you and say —“ oh, righteous one, you are blessed of God?
The psalmist pegged it well when he sang:
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
If I say, —Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light——“
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Yes, God knows. You and I wouldn’t have too easy of a time with John standing across the street from us.
The point is, how will we react? Look at every criticism received, and let’s ask ourselves, how did I react? That is where we will find the answer. Down deep, do I want the critic dead?
Like Herodias we want to hide from sin, place our sins in a black bag, and only look at them while we are enjoying them. We don’t want anyone to notice them, or call us out on them.
In today’s culture of permissiveness we may even go so far as to ask those around us to celebrate our sin. Aren’t I cool? Don’t I just have it down? Look at me…
My friends,
Most folks grumbled quietly about Herod and Herodias. They spoke in whispers, but outwardly paid their respects. But not John! John spoke the truth —“ and died for it.
The respect of our fellows is worthless if it is only a faí§ade. The judgment of God and the truth proclaimed by His prophets is the better guide, the only one that counts. How we react, whether we repent, act in faith, and believe in the Gospel is what counts.
Perhaps, pondering our sins and what John would say to us, we ought to listen to Paul:
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.
Brothers and sisters,
Trust in the Word of God, that you received. It is at work in you. Take it up and turn away from sin. Be a witness to faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor, (430)
St. Hermes, Martyr, (2nd century)
St. Moses the Black (القديس الشهيد موسي الاسود), Hermit, (405)
St. Poeman, Abbot, (5th century)
St. Caesarius, Bishop, (543)
St. Syagrius, Bishop, (600)
Feast – Our Lady of Czestochowa
St. Zephyrinus, Bishop and Martyr, (217)
St. Genesius of Arles, Martyr, (303)
St. Ebba, Abbess and Virgin, (683)
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
Today is a precious day for the Holy Church. Today marks our patronal feast —“ the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa.
The universal Church celebrates this feast, but it has particular import for us. For under her patronage we are blessed. Under her patronage we strengthen our drooping hands and our weak knees. We make straight paths for our feet. In truth we work and struggle so that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
Brothers and sisters,
If I had intended to bore you today I could have gone on about the history of this icon, this miraculous image. I could have talked about the writing of this icon, its travels, and the wars that raged around it, the great and small miracles attributed to it.
I could paint a picture of the walls of the monastery at Jasna Gora, bejeweled with the gifts of the rich, the gifts of kings, princes, and knights —“ all in thanksgiving for blessings received through her patronage. I could describe the crutches that adorn those walls —“ and all the medical devices that were left behind in tribute to her for the healing found there.
It is magnificent.
But, brothers and sisters,
Listen instead to the words from Isaiah which we proclaimed today:
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
Isn’t that us? Aren’t we those fugitives? Aren’t we immigrants and children of immigrants? And, isn’t she the sign, the patron, under whom we proclaim God’s glory to the nations?
Oh, yes, she is —“ and so much more. Our beautiful mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa is a sacramental sign, a doorway to faith in God, faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The Orthodox Church teaches that Icons are simply Holy Scripture made visible, just as the Word, Jesus Christ, is made visible through the incarnation. They are more than pretty pictures —“ and they are not painted, but written in prayer.
Through this icon and under our Lady’s patronage we gather to learn. We gather to receive the most precious gift of all, her beloved Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. We look at her and listen to her Son as He teaches us. The doorway is opened and we experience miracles.
We are healed, we are brought together, enmity is set aside, and hurts are acknowledged and forgiven. We subsist and we grow. We gather in the harvest and feed the hungry. We care for the weak and we educate the young. We pray.
This parish, founded under her patronage, does not ‘get-it’ easy. There is no lack of suffering and sadness. Yet, as the Letter to the Hebrews teaches:
—…for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.—
We have heard the Letter to the Hebrews preached from this place, in front of this icon, for eighty-seven years. We have endured our trials as —discipline.—
As we are told:
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
…and we have been trained by it.
My friends,
I mentioned that the Letter to the Hebrews has been preached in front of this icon for eighty-seven years. It was preached in front of her, even when we could not see her.
Even when her image was destroyed by fire on December 31st, 1946, she remained with us.
By faith we saw beyond what we could see —“ and that my friends, is what this icon is all about.
Now, through the beneficence of the Very Rev. Wieslaw Pietruszka she adorns this place once again. Yet, by our suffering, we have been trained to look at her, and to pass through her, to see into eternity, to see the love of God.
On this patronal feast, we must consider our faith. Consider how the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa adorns our lives. Where does she hang in your life and mine? On a wall in the living room or bedroom?
Not only —“ for I know that she adorns our hearts. I know that she is part of us. I know that she stands ready to open the door to us —“ to point to her Son, as she does in this icon. She is saying, here He is. Listen to Him. She waits for our response.
Beloved in Christ,
Today we sing the song of praise written by the psalmist:
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
Under her patronage we tell the Good News. Under her patronage we will be victorious.
Amen.
St. Louis of France, King, (1270)
St. Gregory of Utrecht, Abbot, (775)
St. Mennas, Bishop, (552)
It appears that Michael Vick is the victim of ‘da man – at least according to the Director of the NAACP of Atlanta (you know, the folks who used to work with Dr. King – non-violence and all that).
Here’s part of the statement:
“We further ask the NFL, Falcons, and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country.—
Let’s hear a rousing chorus of Let Me Entertain You…
For a recap of the foolish statements the under brained and overpaid are making check out this story from the San Jose Mercury News: Marbury and NAACP: Did we really say what we said about Vick? (Um, yes)
As an aside, Stephon Marbury was selling his Starbury/Doonsbury/Foolsbury sneakers to folks (little white kids from well-to-do families who eat up this drivel – as long as it comes from the mouth of a “”star””) right here in Colonie, NY – at the Colonie Center Mall when he made his statement.
Now we hear from Mr. Vick’s estranged father as well.
So to the title of this post – is Michael Vick the victim of ‘da man?
Yes.
Here’s why.
Mr. Vick grew up surrounded by violence, was trained in violence, and profits off violence on a regular basis.
If anyone is deluded enough to think that people watch football for the ‘skill’ involved, well have I got a bridge for you.
What he did – while abhorrent, is what he was brought up and trained to do. He lives by violence, and like other entertaining stars, he does what he does for the benefit of ‘da man.
He makes a salary of $130 million per year!
We are supposed to be amazed and shocked, envious. Can’t I have a large house, fancy cars, a few dogs, some friends, and women who throw themselves at me?
If we were smart and wise we would look at these poor misguided folks as the victims of ‘da man.
Rather, paid a sum that seems hefty to Joe and Jane blue/white collar slave, we are flabbergasted by their shallowness.
Football, basketball, hockey players who do violent things – oh, the horror. Hollywood eye candy who degrade themselves, sell themselves, and methodically kill themselves in the fast lane – oh, the loss…
Mr. Vick will never be the man – only a play actor. Paris and company will never catch the man – they will only be his puerile fantasy.
‘da man is the one who is a step above the franchise owner and the Hollywood producer. He or she is the financier, the one you will never meet. Mr. X. They don’t touch down or show their face. They simply get rich.
Yes, Michael Vick and all of us are victims of ‘da man.
The thing is, we have the power to say no more. All we have to do is put down those tickets, turn off the TV, and buy plain ‘ole Keds.
Oh, and by-the-way, I know redemption/rehabilitation is overplayed. But being Christians we know of one sure way – a call to true repentance.
Perhaps repentance for Mr. Vick would be his voluntary rejection of football, and all other violence. True repentance can happen – and leads to reconciliation. Pray for Michael Vick, and that we all be granted the grace of not buying-in.