Not much to say.

I went to Mass this evening in the neighborhood.
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Not much to say...

It rained all day.

So I painted all day.

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I tried to take a nap, but I can't stop painting in my head.

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I don't think it is turning out however.

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I don't know.

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I keep going back to add detailing.

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I don't like the color - I have no idea what is wrong with me that I'm using so much color lately.

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I think it looks as if a high school kid painted it.

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I wish I could direct someone more skilled to paint it for me - it needs to be air brush and digital.

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I'll finish it however, but first I have to get some garden work done by September. When the painting is finished I will probably put it in the attic...

And yet people think I'm bizarre.

The Transfiguaration, Hiroshima, a priest, the anniversaries, the protest at the missile silo: The clown priest loves such symmetry... and who doesn't?
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Father Carl Kabat awoke early Thursday morning, put on his clerical collar, grabbed his clown suit and quietly strolled out of his longtime friend's Arvada home.
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William Strabala, who has known the Catholic priest since their days in the seminary more than 50 years ago and had hosted him since he arrived from St. Louis, simply sighed. It was pointless, he knew, to attempt to talk the 75-year-old priest out of what he was about to do.
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Shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday, Carl Kabat arrived outside a N-8 Minuteman III nuclear missile silo near New Raymer in Weld County. He donned his signature clown costume and breached the fences that surround the silo.
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He hung banners on the fence. He kneeled in his yellow wig, his one-piece blue jumper adorned with patches and smiley faces and his outsized red shoes. And he prayed.
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Military authorities quickly arrived.
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Carl Kabat, who has spend most of the past two decades in federal prison for more than a dozen similar anti-nuclear-weapon protests, was led once again to jail, facing charges of criminal mischief and second- degree criminal trespass.
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"What is the date today?" Bill Strabala asked when I contacted him. "It is the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, the 64th anniversary of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, Japan."
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Carl Kabat, he said, loves such symmetry. - Story
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Photo: Fr. Kabat in his habit.
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Why do clowns always make me think of Fr. R? LOL!

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Video

Who Do You Think You Are?

LOL!

Couple things...

Today is my day of recollection, so I have to be nice. I'll be praying for all of you.
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I wasn't complaining about Father yesterday - I really like him - I just don't want to get so involved as to sign in or apply for permission to make comments.
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I'm painting you know - it is about the secret and the apparitions at Fatima. I do not like what I'm painting - I do not like the work. But I have been pressed to paint it ever since the 3rd part was revealed at the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco. I've tried to avoid it but now I'm doing it and want to do a good job. It looks as if a 5 year old painted it - the composition is all over the place.
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Anyway - Fatima - I'm still convinced the revelations at Fatima are deeply significant for our time. In every vision and miracle - every aspect of each secret - there is a great deal of information - perhaps details as to what has unfolded and continues to unfold in our day. Each time I feel I finished a section, I understand it differently and revise what I have tried to document. I rarely ask for prayers, but please say a prayer for me as I paint The Secret. I happened upon an interesting site concerning Fatima - I think the author is quite good, not a Grunerite or conspiracy theorist - her understanding is very much in accord with my own intuition. You may want to read her here: Keeping it Catholic - the Blog. Also check out Fr. Hardon, Why the Miracle of the Sun is Important.
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Also - I'm on the new computer and doh! I do not know how to access my old email so I have to create a new account - which I will post the address to as soon as I figure it out.
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In the meantime - I know I missed your updates Paula; Jeron - I missed you too; Juan - I'm not ignoring you; Anthony - I got your email and was waiting to write a good reply... - and anyone else - I am not ignoring you. Although I'm starting out with a clean slate here.
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Also - today is my brother Tim's birthday - please say a prayer for him. Thanks.

The Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome

What?

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Link:

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http://www.vatican.va/various/sm_maggiore/en/storia/interno.htm

This is serious!

Making comments on blogs.
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You can imagine how intimidating it is to solve those word puzzles and type in those word verification jobbie-things just to comment on a blog... Yeah - so now a very famous - internationally famous priest, well known even to Monsignor Ganswein and his boss, is requiring that people register or log in to make comments on his blog.
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People, I can't be bothered, okay? I am so not going to jump through hoops to make comments on your blog.
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You know, some of your blogs take forever even to open - you have big fricken files and I am not waiting for them to download. And if you happen to be a department store of ads - I'm not waiting for your site to open.
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Well there you go.

Vianney

Now this is a proper image of the saint.
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Happy feast day to all of my Fathers - those I link to, those who link to me, those who read me, those who absolve me and feed me, those who pray for me and like me, those who don't like me, those whom I have pleased and those whom I have displeased, those who guide me and those who haven't, those who are my frineds, and those who aren't. I pray for all of you... with you and for you... I thank God for you... and I thank you.

Soma

This may explain our National stupor...

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I have been saying this since before I began blogging - Americans are on anti-depressant drugs - real drugs - in record numbers. We are doped up.

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No wonder we are so complacent and tolerate the politicians, the corruption, and the collapse of our Nation.

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Oh wait. Is that too harsh? Sorry.

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Antidepressant use doubles in US...

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"Use of antidepressant drugs in the United States doubled between 1996 and 2005, probably because of a mix of factors, researchers reported on Monday.

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About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to more than 10 percent or 27 million people by 2005, the researchers found.

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"Not only are more U.S. residents being treated with antidepressants, but also those who are being treated are receiving more antidepressant prescriptions." Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University in New York and Steven Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia wrote in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

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The survey did not look at why, but the researchers made some educated guesses. It may be more socially acceptable to be diagnosed with and treated for depression, they said. The availability of new drugs may also have been a factor. More than 164 million prescriptions were written in 2008 for antidepressants, totaling $9.6 billion in U.S. sales, according to IMS Health." - Source
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Brave new world... Really.

Crowd Explodes When Arlen Specter Urges That We "Do This Fast"

Prayers for the persecuted.

Pakistan.

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Sectarian violence will most likely accelerate in Iraq as troops withdraw, while in other Islamic countries - right now Pakistan, violence is increasing. Now we all know Islam is a religion of peace, don't we? Therefore we can only blame extremists for such crimes. Ignorant and naive as I may be, I do not buy that. Call me a Crusader if you must...

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Burned alive.

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Pakistani special forces have taken control of the town of Gojra (Punjab) after yesterday’s bloody episode in which at least 8 people - including 4 women and a child of 7 years - were burned alive and 20 others wounded. At least 50 houses of Christians were burned and destroyed and thousands of faithful fled to escape execution. Relatives of the victims refuse to take care of dead bodies and do not want funerals until the culprits are arrested. Some of the killed have been identified: Hamed Masih, 50, Asia Bibi, 20; Asifa Bibi, 19, Imam Bibi, 22; Musa 7; Akhlas Masih, 40, Parveen, 50.

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At least 3 thousand Muslims, after they have were incited by local religious authorities, marched to the Christian village Gojra founded 50 years ago. Groups of young Muslims - perhaps from the Sunni group Sipah-e-Sahabaha - with their faces covered started to shoot wildly. The villagers fled, but some were trapped and were killed by the uncontrollable fire unleashed by the mob.

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Some Christians argue that although the police were present during the attack at Gojra, the thugs were not apprehended. Other witnesses say that after a while the police tried to stop them, but the militants also attacked the police injuring some. - AsiaNews

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Fatima
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Did I mention I'm doing a painting on the apparitions at Fatima? It deals primarily with the so called Third Secret which is really just the third part of the whole secret. I don't know if it will turn out - I don't want it to be too pious - but it is difficult to paint visions and messages - the worst part is becoming too literal about it. No - the worst part about it is that I'm painting it. But I digress.

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Many people think Fatima is over - that it was all neatly wrapped up and concluded with JPII. I don't think so. And no, I do not believe there is some unpublished part of the secret - I think everything has been revealed - the mistake - in my opinion - is to believe the relevance of Fatima is past, that the prophecies have been fulfilled. I'm not sure about that.

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Did you know that the appearance of Glinda, the good witch in the Wizard of Oz was uncannily reminiscent of Our Lady's apparition in Fatima? Well, just the fact Glinda was all dressed up in white and light like a Queen, and she arrived in a globe of light. I doubt the producers knew of Fatima when they made Oz, although some one's muse may have. Again - I digress.

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BTW. Did you know painters and artists some times have muses? Frequently painters understand things differently from non-painters - I think the phenomena is referred to as inspiration by some. I could be wrong though. I knew a painter who... oh, never mind, that can be another post.

Christianity without tears.

But what if the soma doesn't work anymore?

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"Christianity without tears–that's what soma is."

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"But the tears are necessary. Don't you remember what Othello said? 'If after every tempest came such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death.' There's a story one of the old Indians used to tell us, about the Girl of Mátaski. The young men who wanted to marry her had to do a morning's hoeing in her garden. It seemed easy; but there were flies and mosquitoes, magic ones. Most of the young men simply couldn't stand the biting and stinging. But the one that could–he got the girl."

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"Charming! But in civilized countries," said the Controller, "you can have girls without hoeing for them, and there aren't any flies or mosquitoes to sting you. We got rid of them all centuries ago.

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"The Savage nodded, frowning. "You got rid of them. Yes, that's just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it. Whether 'tis better in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them … But you don't do either. Neither suffer nor oppose. You just abolish the slings and arrows. It's too easy." - Brave New World. Thanks to Idle Speculations Blog

What would St. Peter say?

Huh?

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In encouraging the early Church, the first Pope wrote concerning St. Paul's writings; "Paul, our beloved brother, wrote you... in the spirit of wisdom that is his. There are certain passages in them hard to understand..." [2 Peter 2: 15-16]

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I have to wonder what he'd say about Benedict XVI's latest encyclical Caritas in veritate. Way over my head, beyond my pay grade, and all of that. I suppose it will foster new apostolates and new studies however - which means books, the lecture circuit, seminars - profit for those promoting what they think the Pope's message was all about. "What Does The Pope Really Say?"

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Kind of like TOB. Did you realize there are numerous blogs dedicated to TOB? Nothin' wrong with that. (Except maybe it's a cult? LOL! I still want an illustrated version...)

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Ka-ching.

My excellent Catholic adventure...

Sunday Mass.

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I attended early Mass this morning - but I will not tell you where and don't try to guess either.

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The parish has a deacon - I like deacons - especially when they wear dalmatics that match the priest's vestment - as they do there. The deacon acts with perfect decorum, and when he preaches, everything is good. He's very good. I appreciate married deacons very much.

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This morning the priest gave the homily. It also was good, he's very good. He's newly ordained. I remember once when I first met him and my coworker John and I - never mind.

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Anyway - he began Mass with an intro to the penitential rite mentioning the beautiful morning and directing our attention to God and what we were about to do. Forgive me for saying this but it seemed like an opening monologue one is accustomed to on television - Father was enthusiastic. He was very deliberate with pronunciation as well, adding much emphasis on various words of the prayer. He was connecting extremely well with the audience - err, congregation. Especially at the Eucharistic prayer. He's a good priest. Very sincere.

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So what's my point? Is something wrong with that, you ask? I'm not sure about training for priests, or exactly how it promotes presentation and communication skills with the assembly, but I know there is training for this. I know there is a big emphasis on engaging the assembly, inclusion and active participation - all of those buzz words. This morning Father got an A+ for his performance. Don't get me wrong - he said Mass prayerfully and devoutly and was yet able make eye contact with the worshippers. Nothing wrong with that, right?

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I don't know. It seems stagy to me - too much like a TV special, too much like a performance - too protestant. Some thing's off. Maybe it's just me. it could be that - I'll take the blame. I'll close my eyes or look down during Mass and try to participate recollectedly - oh right - I already do that. I'm going through the dark night maybe? Because I'm having a great deal of trouble with Sunday Mass extravaganzas. I've flat lined... I don't like watching the priest - and that is what one does when he is facing you. And you get distracted by how he looks, how he speaks, how he gestures: "Did he look at me just then? Remember when he was a seminarian and came in the store?" But wait a minute, wait a minute - Mass is so not supposed to be about the celebrant - right? (Maybe I'm wrong, so next time I'll wave back.) Seriously, it seems as if lately when I go to Mass, I fight and wrestle with these interior distractions, not to mention the stress and frustration I experience in trying to assist, to fully participate - and now it seems, just as soon as I receive Communion it is all over and Father is rattling off a litany of announcements.

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It is me, I know it. I'm an awful Catholic - I'm bad. I'm weak. I shouldn't say these things. It is my problem, why discuss it publicly? Perhaps, come fall, I will start going to St. Augustine's - the Extraordinary Form is celebrated there. I've come to the point where I think ad orientum is the way to go for Mass - I just do not need to make eye contact with the priest during the penitential rite or the Eucharistic prayer. I also think not ad-libbing or adding to the rite is better and more prayerful - it's more focused that way. I just don't know why priests have to add to the prayers of the Missal in the Ordinary Form - are the prayers wanting in some way?

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To be sure, I'm just grateful to be able to attend Mass at all, and to have so many churches to chose from. I pray for our priests and bishops.

St. Francis and the Mother Feast of Franciscans

The feast of pardon.

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This is the feast of the Mother Church of the Franciscan Order, the 'little prtion', or 'porziuncula', otherwise known as the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels. St. Francis loved this little jewel of a Chapel, now enclosed in a huge Basilica in the valley below Assisi. I love this feast of Our Lady of the Angels!

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(Incidently, this feast is the patronal feast day of Los Angeles, which was named after the little chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, by the original Franciscan missionaries in Calfornia.)

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Art: St. Francis receiving the Great Pardon of Assisi.