The sin of Ham

What a story.

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Imagine naming your son Ham - may as well call him Pig - I actually kind of like Pig better. Anyway, my friend Angela (pronounced in the United States: 'angle-ah'), who lives someplace in the Canadian wilderness, is reading the Bible and was perplexed by the sin of Ham as recorded in the book of Genesis. I added my two cents, attempting to explain what I thought the big deal was when he pulled his dad's pants down, but I held back a little. Why? Because I am going to paint it - the sin of Ham that is. I see it in my head - it so has to be painted. I can't show it here when it is finished because it will involve nudity - so I will have to re-open "Up Your Street" as my real art blog. I can show it there.

What father fixed for supper...

The minutia of a country curate's life.
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And don't forget to vote, and for heavens sake, vote often.

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Art: Michael Sowa

Catholic of the year awards.

What a novel idea.

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My dear friend Cathy has posted her choices for 2008 Catholic of the Year and Dissident Catholic of the Year awards. See her picks here.

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I decided to do my own choice/picks. Drumroll please...

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Catholic of the Year:

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- The shy old lady - I think her name is Mae - that comes to adoration every Wednesday and reads her prayers while kneeling as best she can despite her bad knees. She also attends daily Mass when her knees permit her to walk the few blocks to church. She smiles and nods to everyone she passes, but rarely speaks unless spoken to.

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Dissident Catholic of the Year:

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- The priest who uses his blog to criticize Roman Catholic bishops, clergy, and others who are not big fans of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Mrs. Rabitowitz

A surprising story.

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Before going out to remove snow this afternoon, I put out more food for Mrs. Rabbit. I don't know if I mentioned this, but she sits only a few yards away from the little table I feed her at while I cover the top with food. I always make sure some of it falls on the ground for the mice and the voles. The table is actually an upside-down plastic litter-box that has never been used. It suits her perfectly as she sits on her haunches and feeds herself like a little person seated at a dining table.

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Anyway, as I was putting out the trail mix and baguette crumbs, I heard a little voice say quietly, "Thank you. The food has been especially delicious this winter."

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I looked up, quite surprised to see the rabbit speaking, having moved closer to me, less than a foot away I'd say. "You're quite welcome... err... Mrs. Rabbit." I answered.

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She giggled slightly and proceeded to inform me that her name was Mrs. Rabitowitz. I asked if she was Polish or Jewish and she explained that her heritage was indeed Jewish, but she couldn't be certain about the Polish part. "You look surprised Mr. Nelson, but most rabbits are of Jewish ancestry, although we don't go to temple. That explains why we are often depicted in art bringing eggs to children at Easter. The Catholics are all at Church and we deliver the eggs and candy for their celebrations."

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"Why of course!" I exclaimed, "that makes perfect sense. I just never heard that explanation before."

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"Oh sure, few people know about these things now days," she remarked, tasting a raisin. "For instance, did you realize most dogs are Gentiles, as are cats - although some breeds of cats may be Jewish, especially the Asian cats."

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"Oh..." I muttered distracted by the thought of pets having a particular nationality other than breed, or even a specific religious heritage. "Well I s'pose that would explain the German Shepherds who worked in the concentration camps." I said quietly.

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Mrs. Rabitowitz looked at me somewhat sadly, gave me a slight smile and said, "Adieu Mr. Nelson, and thank you again for such delicious food." And then she hopped away, into the hedge.

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I then went out front and finished removing snow before I drove to the store for more food.

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The End

Philip Seymour Hoffman's Fr. Flynn

Why did he get to be pastor of a parish?
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The film "Doubt" does not tell us if Sr. Aloysius, played by Meryl Streep, went to diocesan authorities with her suspicions concerning the priest's relationship with an altar boy. Although we assume she did not, since she mentions to Sr. James that the Monsignor of the parish wouldn't believe her anyway - hinting at the ol' boys club thing, thus she confronted Fr. Flynn herself. Yet since Fr. Flynn's direct superiors may not have been aware of the accusations against him, it would appear there was no cover-up regarding his transfer and appointment as pastor in a different parish. (Historically we know such matters were covered up and men were transferred around.) Nevertheless, Sr. Aloysius seemed affected by the irony of it all. She got rid of Fr. Flynn, he in turn was rewarded with a parish - where he could be in charge. (In those days the pastor of a parish could sometimes be likened to a feudal lord.)
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Assuming something really was wrong with Fr. Flynn, that he was indeed a pederast - someone who involves himself sexually with adolescent boys - and that he may have had a history of inappropriate relationships with boys, something the former pastor would not have spoken of if Sr. Aloysius would have asked him - although a nun at the former parish would, we understand the ever so subtle statement the film makes about that ol' boys club protection society. Since we have all lived through the shock of the sex scandal and cover-up in the Church, as well as the economic crises it fomented in various dioceses, Catholics in the United States cannot be surprised about that. (Although Mirimax should be congratulated for not exploiting it.)
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Doing everything right.
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There is a short scene where Flynn is at dinner in the rectory with the pastor and another assistant. The monsignor has a tall drink and is smoking a cigar, and he appears to be thoroughly entertained by Fr. Flynn - there seems to be a great camaraderie amongst the three men. They are just regular guys, living and working together; they smoke, they drink, they guffaw - they're just guys who happen to be priests. That was important back then, and to some extent, remains so today I think. Though they wore a cassock, prayed the office, said a Latin Mass (quickly), and fulfilled their priestly duties - it was important not to appear too holy or rigid in those days. Make 'em laugh.
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Although some Catholic clergy may have complained of a cultural anti-clericalism at the time, I believe it was never so pronounced as was the secularism that was admitted into seminaries and priestly life. For the most part, Catholics and non-Catholics alike seemed to be impressed with Roman Catholic clerics and habited nuns. Especially with Cardinals Cushing and Spellman, and Bishop Sheen featured in the news and on TV in their brightly colored cappas, and so on. A priest walking down the street in his clerical clothing always got a nod and some sign of respect from passers-by. (So did nuns for that matter.)
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Going my way priests.
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Priests like Fr. Flynn performed their duties faithfully of course, although I think it was becoming increasingly important for secular clergy at the time to be perceived as the regular guy - Bing Crosby's Fr. O'Malley. Wearing sweatshirts, playing sports, rough-housing, teasing, joking, and so on. Outward piety and devotion outside of Mass wasn't always evident or desired. (Nuns playing baseball were hot too - I think June Allyson played one.)

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In fact, I remember more than one parish priest telling me or my dad that it wasn't healthy for me to be spending so much time reading the lives of the saints, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, praying the rosary, and so on. I recall a friend of my brother's telling him that I could never get into the minor seminary he would be entering because I was too pious. I don't know if what his friend said was true or not - but that was the message I got all along. Much later, another friend told me how one of his school mates was reprimanded for kneeling in the cloister of a Benedictine abbey he entered to say a prayer before a very large crucifix - the monk told him, "We don't do such pious things here."
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Back to "Doubt".
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I digress however. Maybe I'm over thinking the film, but all of the above is what I gleaned from that short scene in the rectory, as well as Sr. Aloysius' surprise Fr. Flynn became a pastor elsewhere. Flynn came off as one of the guys - guys could never admit anything like pederasty or homosexuality - that was unheard of. No member of the laity could ever believe it, much less a nun. Unless of course you were Sr. Aloysius; a practical nun, a mature nun, a woman of experience, a spiritually dried up old bag who could see through all the lace and satin, smoke and bells, titles and honors. She knew about the ol' boys club. Certainly not everyone in the hierarchy or priesthood was like that - she knew it and I know it - but there were those who were.
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They often appeared to be the most normal, most integrated personality of the bunch. Often academically brilliant, good humored, gregarious - attractive personalities, and solidly Catholic, albeit not at all rigid. Of course many evolved to be more progressive, but not all - which is the tricky part. Some did all the right things spiritually - perhaps even appearing more pious or devout, whatever the case - they were masters at the art of deception, perhaps even deceiving themselves that what they did was loving and compassionate, but not at all evil. I think Fr. Flynn said something about that when he was speaking with Sr. Aloysius - he emphasized the importance of love and compassion in dealing with people.
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Love and compassion frequently covers a multitude of sins.

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Note: I am not suggesting priests should act or behave in any particular way, that they shouldn't be "guys" - or that normal dinner conversation, smoking or drinking, as shown in the film is bad or suspect. In the context of the story, I caught a subliminal message of an old boys club attitude, as well as how easily a perpetrator of sexual crimes could possibly blend in with his peers, and so on.

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That's all.

Spiritual direction and deception... some thoughts.

God told me...

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I noticed Pat Robertson came out with his predictions this weekend, not unlike psychics are wont to do, only Robertson claims God told him - implying he has his knowledge from a higher authority...

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I think the fact that religious men and women claim such personal communications and messages from God is a pretty good sign that "faith has dwindled among the sons of men, empty follies they talk, each one with his neighbor." (Ps. 11) Modern men and women have "itchy ears" looking for religious novelty and revelations, along with signs and wonders, while neglecting the good they ought to be doing for their neighbor.

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Presumption of assumption.

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St. John of the Cross writes about such people who have a high regard for supernatural communications as "testing God" by their efforts - even when their spiritual directors, persuaded by their personal attachment to extraordinary revelations, ask the person under their care to to request some sort of spiritual knowledge. St. John says that God is displeased with such entreaties and does not even desire them. He points out that these people often act in accord with their revelations, and because of their attachment to the so-called prophecies, their faith is more rooted in these things rather than God.

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St. John writes, These souls "find natural satisfaction in them (revelations) and fit them naturally into their own way of thinking." Although "they often err exceedingly, and are taken aback at the unexpected outcome. Then doubts come to the fore concerning the divine origin of these revelations, since events do not come to pass as they were led to believe. (This is especially true of those who listen to such mystics and who placed their trust in their pronouncements.) They presumed two factors; 1) That the revelations were from God, since from the beginning they firmly adhered to them. Yet this adherence was probably due to their natural inclination towards them. 2) That since the revelations were from God, events would unfold according to their anticipation."

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Such people are easily deluded because God's revelations or locutions are not dependant upon natural understanding and do not always come to fulfillment according to human expectations, much less in accord with their literal sense. St John warns; "Though they (such revelations) may in themselves contain certitude and truth, they do not always have it in their causes and in our way of understanding them."

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Seeking spiritual direction.

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I would never presume to discuss the issue of spiritual direction as regards a person discerning a religious vocation, or one living in the religious state. Indeed, I have no capacity other than experience to discuss the subject even for lay people. Therefore, what I say here is strictly personal opinion and should be taken as just that.

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That said, a person ought to avoid spiritual direction from someone who claims to be a mystic; that is, one who claims to obtain direct knowledge from God or some saint in their (the penitent) regard, no matter if the person is a priest, a religious, or a lay-person. Alsso, one ought to remember that spiritual direction is not a matter of telling a person what to do, nor of trying to convince them to do this or that, but it is rather a mutual listening process with the purpose of guiding the soul to holiness. It is not therapy or psychological counseling.

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In fact, though priests today happen to be better educated than any other time in history, I believe few are qualified to be authentic spiritual directors in the traditional understanding of the process. Even if they have their degrees saying they are. I believe many newly ordained, no matter how pious and faithful to the Holy Father and Magisterium - in other words, orthodox - are ready to be spiritual directors in the classic sense. Of course they ought to be available for counsel and direction concerning the keeping of the commandments and living the ordinary ascetic life expected of a Christian, but rarely are they qualified to deal with such issues associated with so-called spiritual communications, much less mental disturbances or illness and its cause. (In such cases, other than acting as a confessor, the priest should refer the penitent to a psychiatric professional.)

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Ordinary means of spiritual direction.

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What I am really getting at is this, the average Catholic who prays daily and frequents the sacraments, hardly needs or requires a spiritual director, simply because most direction is received through homilies, confession, spiritual friendships and spiritual associations, as well as good reading from approved sources.

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Many times, especially in the case of emotionally needy persons, and those who happen to be very impressionable - male or female, young or more mature - one can be attracted to a particular priest on account of his outward piety, attractiveness, and/or sensitivity in dealing with penitents. The penitent, albeit of good will, can easily deceive herself that their attraction is purely spiritual, and therefore harmless. I think younger priests need to be especially cautious here, as does the penitent.

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Mutual admiration.

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Many people who have grown accustomed to spending much time in prayer, reading many spiritual books, imagine themselves saints already and seek a spiritual director who suits their fantasy and taste, flattering their progress in the spiritual life, long before virtue is proven, or prayer is more than an occasional interior consolation, and so on. Many of us lay people imagine ourselves to be very holy if we spend a few hours a week in adoration, attend daily Mass, or recite the Liturgy of Hours on a more or less regular basis.

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If we happen to have led wicked lives in the past, or have come through some great temptation or trauma, and experience the least hint of a remarkable conversion, even an experienced priest can think we are holy and very special. That is unfortunate, because then spiritual direction can become a pretext for mutual admiration and approval - a sort of spiritual recreation, rather than helping the soul enter the narrow way that leads to life.

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Two things to think about.

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"Never take a man for your example in the tasks you have to perform, no matter how holy he may be, for the devil will set his imperfections before you." - John of the Cross

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"Perfection does not lie in the perfections the soul knows it has, but in the virtues our Lord sees in it. This is a closed book, hence one has no reason for presumption, but must remain prostrate on the ground with respect to self." - John of the Cross

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Note: All thoughts from John of the Cross are taken from his Collected Works. It should be remembered that St. John wrote primarily for contemplative cloistered religious, hence his counsel should be digested accordingly for lay-people, conscious of their completely different lifestyle and state in life. Try to imbibe the aroma or spirit of his writing, rather than drinking in the literal interpretation. And do not forget, I am not qualified to interpret his work, but I am simply writing from my personal understanding. The contemporary soul ought to be wise as a serpent even under the care of a spiritual director.

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I recommend reading, "Spiritual Direction and Meditation" by Thomas Merton, as well as anything by Fr. Dubay on spiritual direction, before searching for a director.

Sorry I'm late with these.

New Year Resolutions.

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I'm going to lose weight, get a hair transplant, a nose job, an eye lift, and breast reduction surgery.

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I'm going to find a way to be always drunk without weight gain.

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I'm going to start an online talk show called "Up Your Street" - after I heal from the surgery of course.

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I'm going to finish my tell-all book about my life, including details of my torrid affair with Gilbert Gottfried.

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I'm going to sell my Mercedes and buy a Honda - out of concern for the poor who have to take the bus.

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And most importantly, I will never tell a lie again - ever.

Eat dung...

Remember the controversy over the "Dung Madonna" shown at the Brooklyn Museum a few years ago?
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For the most part, the only thing most Catholic defenders knew about the painting is what media reported... And all they needed to hear was an image of Mary was covered in elephant-dung - then it hit the fan. Everyone went ballistic, even the pro-abortion Catholic mayor registered his protest - No doubt with an eye to the Catholic vote down the road.

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As is usually the case, the controversy quickly died down. Although today I have to wonder if the same people would get all bent out of shape over this news; "Out of food, Zimbabweans eating cow dung"? I find that revolting.
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Our Lady, Protectress of the Poor and Starving, pray for us.

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Image: Ethiopian Madonna, 17th century. I removed the Dung Madonna from the original post so as not to offend anyone or show any disrespect to Our Lady - I replaced it with this detail of an Ethiopian icon. However, I personally found the original image interesting and inoffensive, noting similarities with more primitive images of the Virgin painted centuries ago. But more importantly, in light of recent news from Zimbabwe, the controversial image took on greater significance for me today.

Lagerfeld lets the fur fly.

"The animals would eat us if we didn't kill them." Karl Lagerfeld

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Brains and talent, a good combination for someone who looks like Michael Jackson's mortician. In an interview, German born fashion designer for Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, discusses wearing fur and eating meat.

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"Animals should be killed "nicely" if at all possible, said Lagerfeld, who admitted to being queasy about eating meat.

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"I can hardly eat meat because it has to look like something what it was not when it was alive," he said.

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He concluded: "In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish." - Telegraph

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When is the last time baby seals, little foxes, and minks attacked people? For me the problem of wearing fur is the problem of cruelty as well as harvesting animals simply to satisfy vanity and greed. Lagerfeld should be reminded that the market for fur grows proportionately as designers use (misuse) it. Inciting countries such as China to skin dogs and cats alive to supply fur to the clothing industry.

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On size 0 models.

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In an interview on the Radio 4 Today programme, Lagerfeld also said the issue of size zero models was insignificant compared to the "zillions" of fat people.

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But he said: "In France there are, I think, less than one per cent of people who are too skinny.

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"There are nearly 30 per cent of young people who are too fat. So let's take care of the zillions of the too fat before we talk about the percentage that's left." - Telegraph

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Lagerfeld's take on the recession.

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In further questions Lagerfeld said he viewed the global recession as "more like a cleaning up."
"It was too rotten anyway, so it had to be cleaned up," he said. - Telegraph

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Someone needs a makeover.

Doubt

Well Barbara hasn't bothered to review the film yet, even though she gets all the new releases sent to her, so I had to look elsewhere for an opinion, and I found a wonderful review at Architect Design. He loved it.

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I finally saw the film yesterday. I have to admit I found it rather tedious to sit through for the first half - the story only picks up steam as we become more involved in the crux of the matter: Is the priest a pederast or is he simply a progressive, compassionate associate-pastor whose responsibility happens to be the altar boys and the parochial school attached to the parish? To be sure, both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep play their roles beautifully.

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In fact, Streep's Sr. Aloysius is so good, on first take, her apparent lack of empathy makes her entirely uninteresting, albeit the plot seeks to demonstrate the mean nun syndrome through her character. It rings true, don't get me wrong. However, watch her closely; as superior of the community, she discreetly reveals genuine charity and concern for the women under her charge - that sort of sensibility is often an indication of sanctity in the common life. On the other hand, I'm convinced Aloysius' preference for no nonsense, severe discipline as regards students was simply the way things were done in those days - not just in parochial schools either. Public schools could be just as severe - slaps and punches, slams up against lockers, or paddles in gym, not withholding. (I attended both private and public schools - so I know.) Sr. Aloysius was tough, and though it sounds sentimental - an emotion she evidently had little tolerance for - she really cared for the school children, although she knew from experience how manipulative students could be.

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I think to really understand Sr. Aloysius, one should recall Sr. Vauzou from "The Song of Bernadette" - without giving away the ending - the viewer will thus understand Streep's character - not confusing her final confession with the conclusion non-religious people might assume regarding the issue of doubt.

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At first the film is deceptive in its portrayal of a type of religious monotony frequently associated with conservative Catholicism - which may account for my initial boredom - although I found that the story, along with the superb acting, continued to captivate my imagination hours after viewing it. In my opinion, the film does a fair job in capturing the mood of the Catholic Church in America at the time. But since I was rather bored in the beginning, I occupied myself with picking out styling mistakes - a few of which I couldn't wait to comment on.

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For instance, Hoffman's Fr. Flynn wears vestments that probably were not around at the time - too modern - but even if they had been around - the stole would never have been worn on the outside. In addition, Fr. Flynn's alb was definitely a modern alb - I doubt it was even available back then. He also uses a modern breviary - you can see he has the contemporary Liturgy of the Hours - something that did not exist at the time. Also, I doubt the tabernacle in the church would not have been veiled in the manner shown - with some odd handkerchief thing laying over the top. It would have been veiled in liturgical colors to match the priests vestments.

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Then we watch Sr. Aloysius slapping kids on the back of the head at Sunday Mass. Nuns did do that - but only at school Masses - the daily Mass before classes began. Sundays the kids would have been with their family and the nuns would be up front in the first pew, sitting together as a community. That stuff never happened at Sunday Mass unless a fervent parishioner took it upon herself to correct stray children misbehaving. Another detail I found interesting is when Aloysius makes a subtle complaint about how cumbersome the habits were. Not more than a year or two later, the sisters were out of the traditional habit and into skirts and blouses. But who could fault them for that, the Seton habits were farmer-in-the-dell ugly.

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As for the school culture, in one scene the girls and boys are shown dancing together during music class in the auditorium. The song was Eydie Gorme singing, "Blame it on the Bossa Nova". That would never have happened in Sr. Aloyisius' school - they may have danced the Virginia Reel - but never the Bossa Nova - the "dance of love". Although the song did offer a momentary break in the somber tone of the film - for a moment.

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All in all, the film is fairly accurate as regards Catholic culture of the time, and it never impressed me as being the least bit anti-Catholic, as some people feared. Critics have suggested the ending leaves the viewer in doubt - not so much. I know what happened - most Catholics will too.

Rudi and Peggy

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Peggy Moffit was one of the most famous fashion models in the 1960's. She was best known as fashion designer Rudi Gernreich's lead mannequin and muse. She epitomized the '60's look, sensationalizing the label when she modelled Gernreich's topless swim suit. The suit wouldn't even raise an eyebrow today - as it was, the piece was unattractively asexual - much like Moffit's look - not that she was unattractive - her look was decidedly asexual. I believe the era pioneered much of the gender-neutral trends, both in fashion and politics, we have lived with since; although, I would guess Chanel initiated gender-neutral fashion long before the 1960's, when she introduced pants for women.

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Miss Moffit, who turns 70 this year, was also a collaborator in Gernreich's designs, and retained label and design rights to the firm after the designer's death.

What I did for New Years Eve.

I got all dressed up again and went out night-clubbing.

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I am laughing so hard - I did not do that! I just love the photo however - and so does Mrs. Parkes.

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This is what I really did. I went to the vigil Mass for the Octave of Christmas. Then I went grocery shopping because Lund's was open until midnight. After that I went to Target and bought some movies. I came home and watched one of them, The Queen, showcasing Helen Mirren's astonishing portrayal of Her Majesty. I had never seen the film before, except for trailers and clips amid interviews. I'm a johnny-come-lately as the film was released a couple of years ago, but who cares.

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I know some of the British did not appreciate the public outcry for honors to be shown Princess Diana by the Royals, but these folks were very much in the minority. (I'm quite sure Mrs. Boggle had some problems with it.) I followed all the events surrounding the death of Princess Diana rather closely; I too was angry with the Queen for her silence and indifference to what was going on outside Buckingham Palace, indeed around the globe. Yet when she turned up outside the palace to review the floral tributes and acknowledge the massive crowds of her subjects, I distinctly recall my immediate change of heart towards her, saying, "That's all you had to do dear - just show up."

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I repeated those words during the film last night.

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The film treated Her Majesty quite well, and Tony Blair was also shown in a better light than what my opinion of him happens to be today. The bad guys in the film turned out to be the consort, Prince Philip, and Mrs Blair - I have a particular dislike for Mrs. B. Prince Charles came off a bit of a weakling - but hopefully he will never be King. I think the Queen Mum would have played better with Joan Plowright in the role, but it is over and done with.

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My favorite scene? The Queen's encounter with the stag - although I'm sure if that incident had really happened, Her Majesty would have shot it.

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Happy New Year everyone.