Angelmeg's Civics Lesson for This Week

h/t to Suzanne for the link, check out the other Fr. Pavone Comercials on YouTube by clicking on the video above. Every K of C Council in the country should be paying to run these in their local markets between now and election day.

Pax

A Pretty Good Weekend for Sports

In the angelmeg household anyway.

First our Beloved Cardinals won the World Series in just five games. My favorite fan poster of the series was the one that said Experts are Idiots because all of the pundits had the Tigers winning the series and some even said it would be a Tiger sweep.

Then yesterday IU beat Michigan State in Football. And it wasn't just a squeak by win in the last second, they dominated the entire game and won with a 46-21 final score. We were working the concession stand so we could only watch the small monitor posted in the concourse, but it sure looked like a good game, and it sounded like the fans were having a great time.

And Finally, tonight our Colts kept their title of Undefeated, and the best clutch team in the league by defeating Denver 34-31 in one of the tensest games I have ever watched them play this year. I love Peyton Manning, I am also a big fan of Jeff Saturday, the center.I am really beginning to love Adam Venatieri. That man can really kick them when we need them. He has a lot of poise and has come in to win a few really close games for us this year.

So, needless to say the sports fans in the angelmeg household are pretty happy bunch. And we didn't even watch a golf tournament which probably would have really made the weekend perfect.

Pax

...was blind, but now I see

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary time
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Hebrews 5:1-6
Mark 10:46-52

There is an old saying, be careful of what you ask for, you might get it. It seems odd, but sometimes the very thing we want the most is the thing that disappoints us the most. I remember way back in a freshman psychology class reading about a study done of people who were born blind gaining their sight. This group of individuals had always been blind, they had never had sight. Through a surgical procedure they were able to see for the first time. Surprisingly, the study found that almost all of them reported being disappointed. Gaining their sight was not the euphoric experience they thought it would be, they felt let down. Their expectation of what the world would look like did not match the reality of the world. Never having seen before, I’m not sure what they expected, but as we know the world can be a dull, dingy place, not always bright, cheerful and wonderful. They got the one thing they wanted, but it wasn’t what they though it would be.
Outside of Jericho waited a man named Bartimaeus, a man blind from birth. He waited for the coming of a man named Jesus. He had heard of this man, of his great healing powers, and he waited. All Bartimaeus wanted was to see. Nothing else mattered, nothing else, he thought, could matter as much in his life as gaining the ability to see. So he waited, waited for Jesus, waited for the hope of sight. When Jesus approached Bartimaeus boldly called out to him, “Son of David, have pity on me.” People tried to quiet him, to make him, go away, to keep him from bothering Jesus, but he would not stop. Seeing was the only thing that mattered, and Jesus was the one who could make that possible. So Bartimaeus called out, until Jesus said “bring him to me.” When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted Bartimaeus did not hesitate, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus then said “go your way, your faith has saved you.” And for the first time in his life, Bartimaeus could see. We don’t know what his reaction to sight was, but it must have been positive because the scripture says he followed Jesus on the way. Bartimaeus may not have been disappointed. Yes, he was able to see for the first time, but more than that, he heard the words Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” Your faith has saved you, not your sight, sight is only secondary, secondary to being saved, saved from blindness, physical blindness, and the blindness that keeps us from seeing Jesus, and ourselves as Jesus sees us. We who seek to follow Jesus are a lot like Bartimaeus, we are blind and calling out to the Son of God to allow us to see. Jesus answers us as he answered Bartimaeus, and we can see. But like those blind from birth who suddenly gain sight, we’re disappointed. Disappointed because what we can see isn’t necessarily what we want to see. We are given the power to see, the power to see ourselves as we truly are, and all too often it’s not a pretty picture. We expected brightness, light, glory. What we get is ourselves, our faults, our failings. What a disappointment. We want light, we want glory, we want to be free from our faults, we want it to get easier. What we forget is all of what Jesus said to Bartimaeus, and to us. Go your way, your faith has saved you. Faith, that is what matters. It is our faith that makes it possible for us to ask for sight. It is our faith that allows us to see who we are. Faith opens our eyes to ourselves, but it also opens our eyes to God, to the God who grants us that faith, and that sight, and the grace to use that sight to change. The greatest gift we can get is the sight that faith gives us, the sight to see our faults, and the faith to repent of them. Seeing doesn’t make it easy, it just makes it possible. We must be like Bartimaeus, we must be persistent. Keep calling out, keep asking for the power to see, and the grace to act on that vision. Keep calling, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

Deacon John Simons
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Oct. 29, 2006

Venti Creator Spiritu, No Room!

Check Out Ironic Catholic for a look at the newest deadly sin. Finally something of which I can speak with authority.

Pax

Mental Pause Moment #2 The Hair Dilemma

I have never had the greatest hair. I have always envied women who have full bouncy beautiful hair. Mine is thin, fine and wispy on a good day.

Unfortunately, since this menopause adventure has begun two things have changed. Now my very fine hair is even more dry, and it is even beginning to fall out! What is up with that?

I mean really, if hair has to start falling out of my body I can think of a few more desireable places for it to be gone from than the top of my head for goodness sake. I would love to never ever have to shave my legs again, why can't menopause cause the hair on my legs to fall out? I ask you?

But, alas no, I stand in the shower and watch as the precious strands come out each time I wash my hair. I have taken to using slightly more expensive shampoos, (believe me, I am the discount queen when it comes to health and beauty products) hoping desperately that I will find one that will stop the thinning.

I would hate to think that someday I will have to start using something more drastic.

For now I will stick to prayer, does anyone know who the patron saint of hair loss is?

Pax

Mental Pause Moment #1 Thermostats: internal and external

Is it me or is it hot/cold in here . . .

Why is it that a woman's thermostat suddenly goes kaput during this time in her life?

I used to always be cold and to joke about how nice it would be to have hot flashes so that occasionally I would get to be warm for a change. Boy was I mistaken.

Now instead of being predictably cold 99% of the time all year round, I am freezing cold one minute, then just when I have adjusted my clothing or the room temperature to make my self feel warm enough so I can stop thinking about how I feel, I will have a hot flash and be sweating my head off.

It is the worst at night. I have a hard time finding sleeping attire that is comfortable because I tend to be freezing when I go to sleep, but then wake up a few hours later in a pool of sweat because my temperature has risen a couple hundred degrees while I am asleep. I get tons of exercise just shoving the covers on and off at night.

So, throughout all of this I have been pondering which would be worse, a hell that is cold or hot. (Hoping with all my heart in a loving and merciful God who will not allow me to send myself there, but catch me on the wrong day getting hit by a bus and all bets are off!)

Having been too cold for most of my life, and now just recently having experienced the too hot moments I still think that a cold hell would be worse. That is unless in the hot hell one were unable to sweat. hmmmm, any thoughts?

At least I know that eventually my little experiment in thermostat control issues will work itself out. Maybe when it is all over my body will have figured out how to be normal temperature. Wouldn't that be a treat?

Hey, it could happen.

Pax

Crisis Averted

So I took my poor battered car in to the shop today and now I am driving a rental car for the duration.

I was a bit concerned that I would have a difficult time finding a rental car in parking lots. I had visions of myself using the panic button more often than I care to think about and embarrassing my kids thoroughly because I couldn't for the life of me remember where the heck I had parked the rental car.

Well, I don't think I will have much trouble finding the car I got, it is the most disgusting color of neon blue that it practically glows. I will be able to spot it from at least three rows away!

Which just goes to show you:

God is good, all the time.

Pax

What is "Perfection"?

This is a very eye-opening video from Dove. I haven't worn makeup in years, partly because I can't be bothered, and partly because I like the way I look, and don't think I need to add to God's handiwork.






h/t to Tony at Catholic Pillow Fight for the link.

Pax

MentalPause Moment Alerts

A note to my loyal male readership.

I am a woman entering menopause, and from time to time I
will feel the need to blog about how this time in my life affects me,
physically, mentally and spiritually.

I offer no apology for these posts,
but I will, in an effort to warn you, begin each of these posts with the above
heading so that you can skip them if you so choose.

But, if you have a wife, mother, daughter, sister, secretary,

insurance agent, dentist, doctor, librarian, or bank teller

who happens to be a woman you just might want to read these

for the information into the mystical world of the mentalpausal mind.

It can be a very scary place, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

The Management

Pax

Church Etiquette

Never, ever, ever . . .



answer your cell phone in church. Even if it rings before Mass starts.



I kid you not, this actually happened this morning at Mass, a woman actually answered her cell phone, had a conversation and hung up right there in her pew. I was so shocked.


Pax

Who Needs "Kung Fu Grip" . . .

When you can have "walk on water" action?







H/t to God Spede Ye Plough for the Link

Pax

Another Hilarious Day at The Office

So I have admitted before that I am an absolute fan-natic of the NBC Show The Office.

I watched the webisodes this summer with the patience of an addict waiting for the weekly fix every Thursday. I will even admit to checking back on Wednesdays just to see if they might have done me a solid and put up a webisode a day early!

My 20 year old daughter bought seasons 1 and two on DVD, saving me the expense (praise the Lord) so I have been watching the deleted scenes, bloopers reels and listening to the commentary reels. It was from the cast commentary on one of the episodes that I found out that Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam, has a Myspace page.

I joined Myspace a few weeks ago to read the Secret Public Journal of one of my favorite comedians from the Bob and Tom Show, Mike Birbiglia, so now I have access to Jenna Fischer's blog, along with a few other of the cast members of The Office!!

One of my favorite cast member MySpace pages is Toby (is Paul). Paul Lieberstien, who plays Toby on the show is an amazing actor and comedy writer.

One of my favorite entries on his MySpace blog is:

A note to would be identity thieves . . .

prepare to not get laid.

He also has a Book Title of the Month Club that is really funny.


Anyway, Now I don't have to wait for Thursdays to indulge my Office addiction, I have many, varied outlets for the funny I need.

Pax

Better Smells, Bells, and Names: Ironic Reasons 70-61

Ironic Catholic has posted the next ten Ironic reasons to be Catholic

and these ten are full of smells bells and names.


Enjoy.

Pax

GPS for the Really Paranoid

now that is what I call nagging!

Pax

Homily for Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Sometimes current events really drive what needs to be said...

Tuesday of the 28th Week
In Ordinary Time
Galatians 5: 1-6
Luke 11: 37-41

Here goes Jesus, jumping on the poor Pharisees again. Reading this and some other passages one could begin to get the idea that the Pharisees were really bad people. They weren’t really. They certainly didn’t see themselves as bad. They were the interpreters of the Law. For the Pharisees, indeed for Judaism, one was justified in the eyes of God by observance of the Law. So keeping the Law, the proper interpretation of the Law, was essential if one wanted to be a good person, if one hoped to be justified in the eyes of God. Their problem was that for them the Law had practically become an idol, it was their identity. The observance of the Law was how they defined themselves. Jesus was pointing out to them that they had become so wrapped up in the Law that they had practically forgotten the Lawgiver. Faith had become the rules, not the relationship. Jesus was telling them that they were Jews in name only, giving the appearance of faith, but without the substance. They only looked good, they were, in the strict sense of the word, hypocrites. Events of the last couple of weeks, one event in particular, made me see this passage from Luke in a somewhat different way. A man entered a one room Amish schoolhouse. He intended to kill the girls there, for whatever demented reasons he had. In reading about this tragedy I found that the oldest girl there, all of eleven, in an effort to buy time for the younger girls asked the man to kill her first. Then the second oldest girl asked that he kill her next, all in an effort to save the younger ones. What amazing courage! Self-sacrifice that is almost completely foreign to our society. This was a sacrifice that can only come from a faith that knows no limit. Later, after the tragedy had ended, as the Amish community buried their children, they held not just a memorial service, but a service of forgiveness. Not a service asking God to forgive the juvenile sins of their dead children, but a service asking God to forgive the man who killed their children. Forgive the man who killed their children. The news media were stunned, amazed by this action. Many of us were amazed, I was amazed, and I should not have been. I was amazed by their faith, by their willingness to live the faith they profess. I was amazed, and I was ashamed that I was amazed. Then it occurred to me, I am, we are, the Pharisees. We call ourselves Christian, we strive to look Christian, we strive to appear Christian in the eyes of others, but what are we on the inside? Do we really believe what we claim to believe? Are we Christian in name only? We walk around with our WWJD bracelets, but would we really do what Jesus would do? Jesus would have done just what that Amish community did, Jesus DID what that Amish community did. They were living the faith they profess. This quaint, odd group that refuses to join the 21st century lived the faith we claim. I shudder to think of what the reaction might have been had that man gone into one of our schools. We would have demanded trial the next day with the execution immediately following, with too many of us “Christians” volunteering to pull the switch.
I was amazed, and I am ashamed. I am a Pharisee. May God grant us the grace to live the faith we profess.

Deacon John Simmons
Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Oct. 17, 2006

When it Rains . . .

Last Wednesday my car was rear-ended in a rainstorm. I have some substantial damage to the rear bumper, but I am fine. My insurance company finally tracked down the insurance company of the young man who hit me and I will soon be getting the damage to my car fixed, I hope.

Tonight, my dear son, who has only been driving for less than a month was driving his truck in the twilight on a rainy four lane street following my husband who was taking his mother's car to the shop, and somehow got distracted and swerved into the other lane and was in an accident. He is fine, but his truck is damaged beyond repair probably.

I feel worse for his confidence behind the wheel than for his driving ability. The poor kid only got his licence a few weeks ago at the age of 22. I think he probably just wasn't ready for the conditions.

Our agent is going to love us now. Oh well, that is why we have insurance.

Please pray for my son, that he will be able to move forward from this and regain his confidence and hopefully get behind the wheel of a car again and drive soon. I know that an accident early in my driving career scared me away from driving for nearly 12 years.

Pax

Your Weekly Shot of B16: Where Your Treasure Should Be Stored

From the Homily of Canonization Mass on Sunday at which he canonized four saints:

"If man puts his trust in riches in this world

he does not attain the full meaning of life or authentic joy."

"On the contrary, if, trusting in the word of God,

he denies himself and his properties for the kingdom of Heaven,

he seems to lose much, but in reality gains everything," the Pope said.

"The saint is precisely that man or woman who,

responding with joy and generosity to Christ's call,

leaves everything to follow him," the Holy Father said.

The Pontiff added: "Earthly riches occupy and preoccupy the mind and heart.

"Jesus does not say that they are evil,

but that they separate us from God if they are not 'invested' so to speak,

in the kingdom of heaven, if they are not spent for those who are in poverty."

Read the entire article here along with articles about the four saints.

Again, if you do not get the Zenit daily dispatch in your email inbox, take a few seconds after you read the article to sign up to receive it.

Pax

Amazing Find

Thanks to new electronic image enhancement equipment we can now see what God was giving to Adam in the Michelangelo painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling:


go here to see the enhanced image.

Ed Peters gets the hat tip for this one. I am really glad I wasn't drinking a cup of coffee or I might have a really messy computer keyboard and screen this morning.

Pax

What I'm Not Missing

Mrangelmeg and I took his cousin Lilli to St Meinrad with us on Friday evening for a couple of functions that happened to be going on that evening in conjunction with this semester's lay student class weekend. As I have said before I am happily not taking a class this semester, but these two particular functions were ones that were not to be missed.

The first was the dedication of a painting that was donated to the school by the students of Fr Damien Dietlein OSB, the Old Testament Professor there. The picture is called Exodus and is of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, painted by an Ethiopian artist who currently lives in South Dakota. The entire enterprise was done as a surprise to Damo (our name for Father) and he was genuinely touched and surprised by the affair.

The other activity was the inaugural session of Theology in the Round, a session intended to bring Seminarians, Lay Students and Alumni together for an evening of discussion surrounding a topic chosen by a guest speaker. The evening's speaker happened to be another of my professors: Fr. Denis Robinson OSB whom I had for Early Church History and had been telling mrangelmeg about for months. His topic was John Henry Newman and Catholic Education. It was a bit more lecture than discussion, but very interesting none-the-less. I really wanted mrangelmeg to have a chance to experience Fr. Denis because he is a force with which to be reckoned.

After that discussion we spent some time in the little bar on campus which is called the Unstable ( Benedictines take a vow of stability, so they call the bar, the Unstable, get it?) visiting with all my friends who are there for class this weekend while I am not. I do miss them so very much, though I don't miss class at all. I even had a chance to talk to the artist of the painting, which was really cool, they flew him in for the unveiling, but his plane was delayed and he didn't get there till later, but he was going to be there for the weekend.

We had a wonderful time. And we got to see the Extreme Makeover Home Edition house in St. Meinrad (the town) as we drove to the Monastery. How cool was that?

I have to admit, knowing that those of my friends who were there for Fr. Denis' class on Creed were having a quiz on Heresies in the early church on Saturday morning I was more than happy to be returning home Friday night.

Pax

A Well Ordered Place for My Passion

So I started drinking wine with dinner about two years ago (for the medicinal qualities, among other things). Since then I have purchased wine and just set the bottles on the kitchen counter. All the while I have been searching for a wine rack, but have never quite found the one I wanted and have been unable to settle for something I really didn't want just because I needed someplace to put the clutter of wine bottles on my counter.

I was really beginning to get frustrated, and to wonder if I would ever find something that I really liked. It so happened that this past week we had mrangelmeg's cousin Lilli visiting us from Taos NM, and since I was being the gracious hostess, I bowed out of working the IU vs Iowa Football game concession stand (Go Hoosiers, what a win!) and Lilli and I drove up to Oliver Winery for a wine tasting and tour.

We had a wonderful time and while we were waiting in line with our bottles of wine to purchase (because you can't just taste Gewurztraminer and Viongier that is that amazing without purchasing a few bottles to take home!) I happened to be standing right next to the absolutely perfect wine rack to match my dining room table and chairs.

So, not only did I come away from the day with a couple of nice bottles of wine and a really cool wine opener, I also have a very nice place to store them. And to make everything just perfect, Lilli bought me a wine journal so that I can keep track of the wines I like and keep notes about the ones I am not so fond of so that I can keep them all straight in my head.

All in all I would say it was a very very nice day.

Another I Hope Humorous Entry

My creation
Originally uploaded by angelmeg.

I hope this is humorous, the inspiration of it comes from my time praying in front of the abortion clinic here in town. I am considered to be doing "terrorist" activity and this is my weapon. It got me to thinking that if we all were praying together it really would be a weapon of mass destruction to the abortion industry.

Sorry about the picture quality, I don't know how to get it clearer.

Pax

My Creation (Ha)

My creation
Originally uploaded by angelmeg.

Here is my entry in The Lapped Catholic's Contest.


Pax

A Note to My Friends

I hate it when people post bogus warnings,

and I have even done it myself a couple times...

but this one is real, and it's important.

So please warn all of your friends you feel needs the heads-up.

If someone comes to your front door saying

they are checking for ticks due to the change in weather

and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up,

DO NOT DO IT!!

IT IS A SCAM!!

They only want to see you naked.

I wish I'd gotten this yesterday.

I feel so stupid!

Borrowed from the Weeks of Fun Newsletter annweeks@insightbb.com


Pax

Geography Meme

Ok, this seems a bit odd, but I'll play along...
1. A Place where you have been and your favorite thing there:
Not being a great world traveler, I haven't been many places, but my favorite city is San Francisco. I was overwhelmed by the people, the diversity of cultures, languages, customs, it was an amazing place I would be happy to live in, if I could afford it! Any place where you need a jacket in the last week of June is ok with me

2. A Country you would like to visit and why:
Too easy, Ireland. Got to see the ould sod. Not all of my ancestor came from there, but enough that I claim it as mine.

3. A Place from History you would like to visit and why:
Any place in history? A tough choice. How about Jerusalem around the year 30C.E. I can't think of many more exciting places to be.

4. A Place/Subject you know a lot about:
Well now I know more about modern philosophy than I ever wanted to...
but something I do know a little bit about is the history of the Order of Deacons in the Church, its rise, fall, and restoration. Call it occupational narcissism.

5. A Place you would like to learn more about:
I would love to know more about Ireland, especially the history of Ireland. I know a little (too little) but i would love to learn more. A facsinating people and a fascinating place. Maybe in my spare time...

6. A fictional place you would like to visit:
As much as I would like to come up with something erudite and learned, the one fictional place I would really like to see is the bridge of the starship Enterprise, Next Generation version, of course. I'm as disappointed in me as you are. Oh well...

Homilies, they're not just for Sunday anymore!

It's that whole Martha and Mary thing...

Tuesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Gal. 1: 13-24
Luke 10: 38-42

I always thought that it would be cool to be a doctor, and I’d really like to try working as one, but then that whole medical school thing gets in the way. You can’t just decide one day that you’re a doctor, you have to go and get the education first. Picky, picky, picky. Ok, so maybe it does help to have some information before you go out and try to do something. It isn’t unlike the problem that Mary faces in the Gospel reading today. Jesus comes to the house of his friends Mary and Martha. Martha is up, running around, making sure that everything necessary to be hospitable to her guests is being done. Sister Mary, on the other hand, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning, taking in all the knowledge that Jesus has to give. Martha turns to Jesus and basically tells Jesus to tell Martha to get of her derriere and help with all of the serving. Jesus tells Martha to stop worrying, Mary is doing what needs to be done, Mary is listening and learning. Now is Jesus saying that it’s ok to sit around and watch someone else work? No, that is not what Jesus is saying at all. What Martha is doing is not unimportant, it is necessary. Cooking, serving, cleaning, all of those things have to be done, but none of those things are lasting. What Mary was doing was getting educated, she was getting the information she would need to begin telling others about Jesus, about his message, about the Kingdom of God. She couldn’t properly speak of Jesus without learning first. That is what we are called to do. The old debate about contemplative versus active is silly. It is not a matter of either\ or, but a matter of both\ and. We are called to learn, to contemplate to prepare, to prepare ourselves to go out into the world and spread the message of the Kingdom of God. Just like none of us can just one day decide we are doctors without the requisite education, we must have the information we need about our faith so that we can then be active. We have to do all the other stuff, it is necessary if we plan to eat, have clean clothes and the like. But without the gift of Jesus, the knowledge of our faith, without taking the time to stop and listen, the rest doesn’t matter. Stop, sit at the feet of Jesus, listen and learn. Stop worrying, the other stuff will wait, take the time now to hear, learn and live.

Deacon John Simmons
Oct. 10, 2006

Geography Meme

I got tagged by Ironic Catholic, so blame her for dragging me back into memes.

1. A Place where you have been and your favorite thing there:

Charleston South Carolina is one of my favorite places we have visited. There is so much history and charm and beauty in one city that I never got bored or restless in the three visits we made there. One of my favorite things to do while we were there was to take a carriage ride tour of the city complete with a guide who gives you all the info (good, bad and ugly). It was way too much fun. Another favorite was watching the sun set off of Sulivan's Island.


2. A Country you would like to visit and why:

I have always had a very short list of international places I wanted to visit before I die. I suppose the one that tops the list still is Ireland because it is the land of my ancestors. I want to do two specific things while I am there, tour the abbeys and do a pub crawl, like any good Catholic daughter coming home.


3. A Place from History you would like to visit and why:

I remember a story from the tour of Charleston (see number 1 above) where the tour guide said that at the fateful start of the war of Northern Aggression, the people of Broad street sat on their porches sipping mint juleps and watching the bombing of Fort Sumter. I would have liked to have been there for that, just to experience that level of disconnect between war and their lives when it was happening so close to them.


4. A Place/Subject you know a lot about:

Thanks to Gradual School I am pretty conversant in the missionary journeys of Paul. As if that ever comes up in pleasant conversation.

5. A Place you would like to learn more about:

My father grew up in Chicago during the depression. I would love to find out what his life was like back then. I would love to really research the streets where he lived, and his church and school. He died when I was 13 and I never really got to hear any stories that stuck with me.

6. A fictional place you would like to visit:

I'm not keen on traveling to middle earth or Narnia. I think I would really like to meet Aticus Finch though, so does the Macon Georgia of "To Kill a Mockingbird" count?

I tag Suzanne, at Sincerely My Thoughts, and Deacon John if he has time.

My Man Mitch Renames a Highway.

It appears that a stretch of highway (Indiana 150) outside of Saint Mary of the Woods College in West Terre Haute, IN will be renamed St. Mother Theodore Guerin Memorial Highway.

I spent eight years in Terre Haute, I wouldn't say they were formative because I didn't get there till high school and I left after college, but St. Mary of the Woods is a well known place. It is run by Mother Theodore's Sisters of Providence, and until recently was all female, but I believe they actually have some male students now so long as the men don't live on campus.

Besides St Mary of the Woods, there is precious little on that stretch of road. It is also not what you would call a major thoroughfare since the interstate is a few miles away. But perhaps the road less traveled is a better choice to be named for a saint.

Thanks to the Curt Jester for the link.

Pax

Just In Case You Were Wondering . . .

I am exactly 17,002 days old.

I found out yesterday when I used this nifty Birthday Calculator.

It gives lots of interesting information about your birthdate and birth year. I found out that I share a birthday with

Kurt Russell and Rob Lowe which I already knew, but also

Gary Sinise
Nat King Cole
Mia Hamm
and Bobby Jones

How cool am I.

Check out the fun facts about your birthdate.

Pax

He's Ba-ack!!!

Our pal Mark Mossa SJ has broken his blogging fast with an update. He will be posting on an irregular basis as he moves toward Deacon Ordination and then Priestly Ordination over the next few years.

I for one am very happy to know that he will at least be keeping us updated on his progress and what is going on in his life. I pray for his vocation every day. It is nice to have a little glimpse into the world for which I am praying.

Pax

More Ironic Truth #'s 80 - 71

The Ironic Catholic has posted the next ten reasons to be Catholic.


My personal favorite of this bunch has to be #78; or as Fulton Sheen would say the one for the pious pyromaniacs.


enjoy.

Pax

LarkNews Alert

The October Issue of The Lark is up.


My particular favorite this month is the Myspace story.


Pax

NBC Uses a Vega-matic Approach

So I guess it is okay to use every form of profanity ( or pretty close to it) on NBC, but heaven forbid you should want to say something like "Remember kids, God made you special and he loves you very much.", because that tag line by Bob The Tomato was edited out of every Veggie Tales show that is being broadcast by the peacock network. Read the Story Here.

How sad, especially for Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales. He came up with an amazingly creative and fun way for kids to learn about God's love, and in his naivety negotiated with NBC to show them on Saturday Morning kids viewing time. Little did he realize that they would edit out any "non historical" reference to God.

How totally out of touch can a network be? I ask you?

ht to Gashwin for the link.

Pax

Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twenty-Sixth Sunday
In
Ordinary Time
Oct. 1, 2006
Numbers 11:25-29
James 5:1-6
Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48

As I grow older I have come to realize that there are only a few things that I can really know. Among these are, that I love my wife more than life itself, but perhaps more importantly, that there is a God, and it is not me. That is undoubtedly a good thing for the rest of humanity, because, believe me, if I were God the world would be a very different place! Certainly not a better place, just a different place, because after all, who really needs all this free will business? I’m God, so by definition I’m right, so agree with me or…
We humans tend to believe that the things we believe in, the way we believe in them, are the only way to believe, the only way to be. If you are not with us, you must be against us. We see this drama being played out in both the reading from Numbers (scripture, not the television show) and in the Gospel. In Numbers Moses and most of the elders have gone to the meeting tent where the spirit of the Lord comes on them and they begin to prophesy. Two men, Eldad and Medad, remained in the camp but received the spirit and began to prophesy as well. Joshua wanted to stop them, after all, they were not in the right place, they were not with the group, but Moses assures Joshua that their prophesying is good, indeed if only all the people would experience the spirit, if only all were prophets. Moses had no problem because he realized that these men were on God’s side, to stop them just because of location would be an offense to God.
In the Gospel John tells Jesus of a man, not one of them, driving out demons in Jesus’ name. John, just like Joshua, wants to stop this man because “he does not follow us.” This time it is Jesus’ turn to assure his followers that it is alright. Just because they do not know this man, or because he does not follow them, he should not be stopped. Indeed, Jesus says that he cannot act in this way and speak ill of them, so why should he be stopped? “For whoever is not against us is for us.”
This drama is also being played out, unfortunately, in the church today. Among Christians there is too much these days a tendency to define Christianity in very narrow terms, leaving some people out, despite what they may profess to believe. You don’t believe the way I do, or in all the things I do, or in some things that I don’t believe in, so you cannot be Christian. Before we Catholics get to smug, this little drama is very much alive in our Church as well. A word I hear all too much these days is heretic. Someone does something that I think is wrong, or not in line with what I think the Church teaches and - BANG- that person must be a heretic. What gives any of us the right to make that decision? I have been ordained as a minister by this Church and I don’t feel qualified to use that word about another person. Who am I to decide that? And when did the definition of what it means to be a Catholic Christian get so narrow that we feel we must begin labeling people heretic? We cannot allow ourselves to fall into this trap of defining things so narrowly, of deciding that we can speak for God. It is not up to me to say who is Catholic, who is Christian, who is “saved.” Dom Helder Camara was bishop of the poorest place in Brazil until his death in 1999. Allow me to quote him here, “What a surprise it will be when one day we see the Father face to face. Then we shall realize how poor, limited and imperfect a vision of God we have now. And the same goes for truth. We have no monopoly of the Holy Spirit. We should be humble about people who, even if they have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, may well be more Christian than we are.”
As I said, I am not, thank God, God. And thank God that none of the rest of us are either. We are not all exactly the same, but we are all family, all children of God, the God who said, “ For whoever is not against us, is for us.”
Peace
Deacon John Simmons
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Oct. 1, 2006