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Christian Witness, Saints and Martyrs

My patron saint – in a movie

From Lionsgate Home Entertainment: “Anthony Warrior of God“, a film based on the life of the most famous saint St. Anthony of Padua, is now available.

Life of St. Anthony of Padua

Co-written and directed by Antonello Belluco, “Anthony Warrior of God” is an inspiring tale of historical and doctrinal resonance that doesn’t preach, but instead invites the audience to go on a journey of reflection and contemplation regardless of their theological convictions. The film stars Jordi Mollá (Blow, Elizabeth: The Golden Age), Matt Patresi, Damir Todorovic (The Nativity Story), Giovanni Capalbo (The Passion of the Christ), Arnoldo Foí  (II Caimano) and Paolo De Vita (Excellent Cadavers) and depicts the story of the remarkable man whose deeply rooted faith enabled him to challenge society in support of his people.

St. Anthony began life as a young nobleman who enjoyed all the sumptuous pleasures and privileges of that medieval Europe could offer. Yet he was compelled by a mysterious inner voice to gaze upon the unspeakable misery, disease and cruelty around him. Overcome with boundless compassion, he entered a monastery, dedicating his fine mind and fragile body to defending the poor and oppressed against injustice. This revolutionary saint dared to challenge the highest spheres of society, the government and even the Church, if they were guilty of exploiting the common people.

His story continues to this day with the many accounts of those who have been transformed by “the most famous saint in the world”, St. Anthony of Padua.

I plan to purchase the film.

Media,

Eternal rest – Tim Russert

Tim Russet, the host of NBCs Meet the Press died today at the age of 58. From CNN:

Friends and colleagues remembered Russert on Friday not only as one of the country’s most respected and influential political journalists, but also as a friend, a devout Catholic and an avid sports fan, especially when it came to his home team, the Buffalo Bills…

Russert was born May 7, 1950, in Buffalo, New York. His parents were Timothy John Russert Sr., or “Big Russ,” a newspaper truck driver and sanitation worker, and Elizabeth Russert…

“Tim was a true child of Buffalo and the blue-collar roots from which he was raised,” Brokaw said Friday. “For all his success, he was always in touch with the ethos of that community.”

Russert credited his upbringing with helping him keep his ego in check as he became the man who interviewed presidents and important politicians of the day.

“If you come from Buffalo, everything else is easy. Walking backwards to school, for a mile in the snow, grounds you for life,” Russert told the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz in 2004. “Plus, if you have a family the way I do, it’s a daily reality check…”

Eternal rest grant onto him O Lord and may the perpetual light shine upon him.

Everything Else,

Cute site

A friend sent me a link to a site called Birth Verse. You put in your birth date and are given a biblical verse where the chapter and verse are the month and day of your birth.

I ended up with the following from Proverbs (NIV):

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.

Unfortunately the RSV isn’t quite as happy as the NIV:

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
but lawlessness takes away lives.

Thankfully the Douay-Rheims backs up the NIV:

The fruit of the just man is a tree of life:
and he that gaineth souls, is wise.

Perspective, ,

Memorial Day Reflection

We pause today to honor…

Growing up, that is what Memorial Day was all about. Those lessons, learned as a child, are engraved, engraved and part of me. They are lessons time and tide cannot touch. They are truths that surpass the nowness of today. They tell us that history builds upon a continuity of national spirit. That continuity is more valuable than the whims of politicians and the exaggerated ideas of those who wish to hijack the national treasure. At core we are to be about honor.

National Moment of Remembrance

My father, grandfather, and most of my uncles were veterans. Those few who did not serve in the armed forces served at home. They made the steel that built the ships, planes, and tanks. They protected the home front as police officers. After their time of service they remained loyal to the ideals they fought to protect and maintain. Lessons engraved. Honor.

I saw it after my father died. The flag draped coffin, honor guard, rife salute, taps. I was only four. I saw it each year as my grandfather attended to the veterans graves, including his son’s, at St. Stanislaus cemetery in Buffalo, New York. Those men from the Adam Plewacki Post, #799 of the American Legion, walked the rows of headstones, placing flags for the fallen. I saw it as I served at Funeral Masses and assisted the priest at the cemetery. God, family, country. Lessons engraved. Honor.

Near my father’s grave was the grave of an uncle of one of my classmates. He was killed in action over Europe. Army Air Corps. On the front of his monument there was a small picture. I always stopped to pray there after visiting my father, to honor him. Honor.

Memorial Day will always be about honor. More than honor it is a fitting reminder of what we are as a country. We must pause and remember, not just the service or sacrifice of our father, uncles, brothers, grandparents, and friends, but their eyes, ears, and voices. We must take their vision, the words that they fought for, and the pledges that they took, and we must recapture them. We need their vision, the words they honored, and faithfulness to the pledges they took.

As they did, let us place the Lord God in front of all we do, first and foremost, and render Him due homage. Let us honor God and God’s way above all. Loyalty to His way protects us from the temptation to strike first, to retaliate, to exchange wrong for wrong, to sell truth for sloganeering.

Then our families. The family as core to our communal way of life. Families in communities who maintain self sufficiency, community responsibility, neighborliness, hard work, and charity. Families who sustain community for the common good, because we must live side-by-side without prejudice or scorn. People living in freedom and sharing the gifts of freedom with each other. People who will acclaim: ‘I am free – my neighbor deserves the same respect.’ People who believe that they really must be their brother’s keeper when he is in need.

Finally our nation. Not nation over all, but nation for the sake of good order and the protection of just laws. Not laws over people, and intrusive government, but a shared ideal of what a nation can do by garnering the collective will and strength of its people, only when necessary, and always vigilant against exploitation. Not a nation of invaders, but a nation wary to fight, wary to venture abroad, wary of might over right, the stick over the words.

We pause today to honor the fallen, and to honor their honor. We pause to reflect and then to turn again, to take up their honor and to be steadfast in our allegiance to God, to our families, and to our country. We pause, and with our engraved memory renewed, we take up the fight for our Country. Their ideals, our ideals, bound by honor.

O Judge of the nations, we remember before You with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people in this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — BCP (1979), Thanksgiving for Heroic Service

Perspective, PNCC

Who’s that man in a dress

…and why is he dancing with that little girl?

Deacon Jim and daughter

In New York’s Capital Region we have several public access TV stations. One of the stations carries a Polka show (I think its called Polka Joe – but I’m not sure). Anyway, this gentleman travels from Polka event to Polka event and films the events. The events are later broadcast via public access. It’s a niche demographic.

A week or two ago one of my staff members caught up with me to tell me that her mother-in-law was watching this Polka show and saw this guy in a dress dancing with a little girl. She called her over to see a scene filmed at my parish’s annual PolishFest. My staff member looked closely and saw that it was my daughter and me.

Q. Who’s that man in a dress?
A. He is a deacon at that church.
Q. Why is he dancing with a little girl?
A. It’s his daughter.
Q. Why is he wearing a dress?
A. Clerical attire.

All sorts of hilarity ensued.

When I attend a public event – especially at the parish, I wear a cassock and cincture. I also have a biretta, but that only comes out for liturgical events. What I found most interesting is that the person asking is probably old enough (and Roman Catholic enough) to remember cassocks, birettas, etc.

I was born just prior to Vatican II and remember my pastor walking his dogs wearing a cassock and biretta. I remember the way he came to the altar wearing the biretta, and then removed it as he ascended the steps. The priests of that day may have worn a “dress” and a funny hat but they were men.

I personally hope that their use becomes more prevalent. Beyond the basic message the cassock conveys (remember at tonsure you are reminded that you are no longer adorned in the fashion of the world – ab omni servitute saecularis habitus hunc famulum tuum emunda, ut dum ignominiam saecularis habitus deponit, tua semper in aevum gratia perfruatur), wearing a cassock make the balance of the liturgical garments a clergy member wears look far better. The lines are cleaner and you don’t look messy with pant cuffs hanging below your opaque alb (bleh…).

Just a little story outlining the things lost in the twilight zone called V-II.

Everything Else, ,

Honoring Russ Pawlak

Honoring Russell Pawlak and the work he has lead – to restore and reclaim a part of Buffalo’s history. His story shows that determination, hard work, and a step-by-step approach can win more than just the day. From today’s Buffalo News: Restoration conductor hangs up his cap at Central Terminal – Russell Pawlak steps aside after 10 years as volunteer

Ten years ago, Central Terminal was an uninhabited and dilapidated relic in danger of the wrecking ball.

Today, the 17-story art deco former train station on the East Side is still a long way from full restoration, but it has become a popular site for community and offbeat artistic events.

The surprising transformation wouldn’t have happened without Russell Pawlak, the pitchman, marketer and, some people contend, visionary who grew up on Milburn Street, in the shadow of Central Terminal.

Now, after a decade of volunteer involvement, including the last eight as president of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., Pawlak is hanging up his conductor’s cap…

Buffalo\'s Central Terminal

Perspective, Political, ,

A nuclear wait a minute here

From the Scotsman (as well as other sources): Clinton: I’ll obliterate Iran if it launches nuclear attack on Israel

THE Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton warned Tehran yesterday that if she were in the White House, the United States could “totally obliterate” Iran in retaliation for a nuclear strike against Israel.

On the day of a crucial vote in her nomination battle with fellow Democrat Barack Obama, the New York senator said she wanted to make clear to Tehran what she was prepared to do as president in the hope that the warning would deter any Iranian nuclear attack against the Jewish state. “I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran (if it attacks Israel],” she told ABC’s Good Morning America programme.

“In the next ten years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them,” she said…

This is really really sick, coming from a person who wishes to be the President of the United States.

This issue first emerged during the last Democratic debate, and I thought it was sick when Ms. Clinton said it then. Now this?

The person elected as President usually tasks a rather reticent approach toward such issues. They make general statements, things like, “We will consider our options,” or “We will defend our allies,” etc. Even our current president, while engaging in a lot of rhetoric that is unfortunate, doesn’t promise actions like this.

For my part, let Israel take care of itself. Israel has nuclear weapons, and tons of military hardware provided by this country. Why should we get involved. Are we, as a county, so bent on defending a foreign land that we would initiate a nuclear holocaust on their behalf?

A 2006 census pegs Iran’s population at over 70 million, with about 10.5 million being age 15 or under. We would kill them all, either in direct nuclear hits or in the radioactive aftermath? Really? The United States would do this? This is what we want from our leaders?

Beyond the obvious meaning of obliterate, we would irradiate the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, Turkey, much of the Persian Gulf, Pakistan (they have nukes too), Armenia, and he former Soviet Republics. Do we think that Russia and Pakistan and India would say, “Ok, you’ve irradiated our populations and now they are going to die horrible deaths, but we won’t do anything about it?”

That radioactive cloud won’t stay there either. We better lay in a big supply of iodine because our sons and daughters, right here in North America, will be dying in their 20’s from bone cancer and leukemia.

Our politics are sick and sad if our leaders can casually say that they will obliterate a country – and no one calls them to account for saying it. I lived through enough of the Cold War to know that living under the specter of a nuclear holocaust was no fun. Living in Western New York meant we were target one in a dual nuclear hit. As a former member of CAP I used to take part in radioactivity monitoring exercises – to prepare for the day. In reality I would have been dead – and even as a child I knew that. No child should have to live like that.

It may take a village to raise a child, but only one crazed leader to obliterate the village.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, , ,

On my son’s 9th birthday

We took my son out for dinner tonight – to his favorite diner. He wanted a root beer float with chocolate ice cream – dad taught him that one.

A conversation in the car on the way:

Son and daughter: “Do you know that there are people who don’t believe in heaven?”
Dad: “Yeah, that’s sad, because they think that when they die – well that’s it.”
Son and daughter: “They think they’re just dead.”
Dad: “That’s right – they think their life it over, they have no hope.”
Son: “That’s why we need to have pastors, to go and teach people about heaven, to tell them the truth, to make them believe and have hope.”

A great gift – insight and zeal for souls. We didn’t have to buy that gift – it came by the grace of God.

Perspective, Political, ,

Patriot Act – messing up my Christmas

Well here’s a new one!

I was going to order a few Christmas gift baskets for relatives and friends. In the past I had purchased some items from a French on-line merchant BienManager, French Gourmet Food and Gifts.

On background, their website notes that they are located in Lozere, in the center of France. They work with 200 producers that match traditional know-how and produce quality products.

They also note that they deliver worldwide.

Because of past purchases I am on their E-mail list. I very much enjoyed what I had purchased, and true to their marketing the quality and variety were excellent.

The marketing E-mail I received from them a few weeks back had some very nice looking baskets with just the right things for the folks on my Christmas gift list.

I went to their website, filled my shopping cart and behold – they do not ship to the United States.

If I lived in Andorra, Gabon, Mayotte, the Gilbert Islands, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Tuvalu, Equatorial Guinea, Poland or any one of 115 countries I could buy their stuff. But no U.S. of A.?

Well, perhaps it was a website error.

I wrote to the company and received a very speedy reply from Mme. Aurelie Verlaguet advising me that even though they have an FDA registration number they can no longer ship to the United States due to the Patriot Act.

Past deliveries were unnecessarily delayed because of Patriot Act requirements and as such they could no longer guarantee the quality of the products they shipped here.

Sad really. I wrote back to Mme. Verlaguet to express my regret, not only that I could no longer engage in open commerce with a reputable company, but that our “involvement” in the crazy politics of the Middle East has brought about such problems.

I guess that free trade and international commerce only apply if you’re rich enough to take your corporate jet to the store, or rather, you import the stuff yourself and take yet another cut from the consumer.

Current Events, Perspective, Political, ,

For the glass house crowd

As you may have read, New York’s governor, Eliot Spitzer, has revoked an Executive Order formerly put in place by George Pataki. By revoking the order, he will be providing an opportunity for illegal immigrants to obtain NY drivers licenses.

Of course, 58% of New Yorkers are opposed to this, with the strongest dissension among upstate New Yorkers (the Downstaters know better, they live in closer proximity to the illegals they rely on each day – are are less hypocritical about it).

Yesterday, New York’s Association of Country Clerks stated that they would not obey the governor and would not issue licenses as required.

Legal wrangling will certainly ensue.

Here’s a few quotes from the Albany Times Union: 13 clerks against Spitzer

County officials to defy driver’s license change, citing security concerns, pressure from constituents

ALBANY — Citing security concerns as well as pressure from constituents, 13 county clerks on Thursday said they would defy Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s order to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

“This is an issue of safety and security for New Yorkers,” said Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione, who added that people have been walking into her Ballston Spa office to speak out against the plan since it was announced late last month…

The not so funny thing about all of this is the hypocrisy of those who are fighting the governor. They fall into a two broad categories:

  • The broad brush crowd: Immigrants are potential terrorists. We must be protected from their wily ways.
  • The out-and-out hypocrites: They are illegal, they shouldn’t be here, they deserve nothing.

Now the errors of the broad brush crowd are pretty obvious. They are bigots. Basically neo-nativists.

The other folks, the hypocrites, well they live in tony suburbs, eat at restaurants, buy groceries, get their car repaired, their lawns manicured, their manure, mulch, and lawn chemicals applied, their houses painted, their driveways sealed, their children cared for, their clothes sewn…

They save money, avoiding legitimate businesses and stores that charge more, and do everything in their power to save that last dime (because they are overspent and living on credit anyway), all on the backs of these very same illegal workers they would so readily deport.

Their 2,500 sq. ft. home was built with non-union labor, mostly illegal workers, saving them tons of do-re-mi.

Hey, how did Jose get to your house to mow the lawn? The truck brought him. How did he get to the employer’s jumping-off point? I don’t know (nor do I much care).

Did you know that Consuela and Yuan are out back chopping vegetables for your dinner tonight? Huh?

If these County Clerks and their constituents are so bent on ‘enforcing the law,’ perhaps they should card check everyone they do business with. Card check those restaurant workers out back, the lawn guy, the carpenter at your new house. But, if they had to think about that, they would quickly fall in with the bigot crowd.

‘I couldn’t do that, those brown people might hurt me.’

Frankly, I am ok with letting these folks have licenses. I am also all for protecting them from the myriad of bad employers out there who treat them like unprotected slave laborers. Of course others disagree.

While I agree with your right to disagree, I would then urge you to be very careful about those you do business with. You can’t have it both ways. If you’re all focused on being legal, be prepared, and pay that premium. Otherwise, you’re just throwing stones, and soon all your windows will be broken, and nobody will be around to clean up the broken glass, or put the new windows in.

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