Kat went out this weekend.

She'll be back on Monday.
Story.

Christmas dinner guest(s).

Just a couple of more days and everyone will find out... Watch out Larry.

A comment not published.

On "charity has no strings"...
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A friend sent me the following anecdote from the life of Dorothy Day:
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"Tom Cornell tells the story of a donor coming into the Catholic Worker and giving Dorothy a diamond ring. Dorothy thanked her for it and put it in her pocket. Later a rather demented lady came in, one of the more irritating regulars at the house. Dorothy took the diamond ring out of her pocket and gave it to the woman.



Someone on the staff said to Dorothy, "Wouldn't it have been better if we took the ring to the diamond exchange, sold it, and paid that woman's rent for a year?"


Dorothy replied that the woman had her dignity and could do what she liked with the ring. She could sell it for rent money or take a trip to the Bahamas. Or she could enjoy wearing a diamond ring on her hand like the woman who gave it away. "Do you suppose," Dorothy asked, "that God created diamonds only for the rich?"" - What I Learned About Justice From Dorothy Day
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Thanks DJ!

Our Lady in art... and ads.

Virgin most admirable.
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I heard, and unfortunately glimpsed an example of a blasphemous ad depicting Our Lady and St. Joseph; the so-called Christian group - I believe Anglicans - who created the image have defended their statement with some sort of justification of course.  (Not interested.)  Whatever the case, it is doctrinally wrong.  I can't get over the fact that in our age, when ordinary men and women are the most highly educated people in the recorded history of the world, many are not above promulgating such nonsense.  And at the same time, we continue to pay such exorbitant fees to send our young people to colleges and universities which destroy faith and contradict authentic Christian dogma and teaching.  But I digress.
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Personal devotion.
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Of course anyone may have private devotion or meditations regarding the incidental details and humanity of the Holy Family, so long as they are not in opposition to truth.  For instance, years ago Rene Voillaume reflected in a homily that images of the Blessed Virgin collapsing, or fainting at the Crucifixion repulsed him and he went on to explain why, crediting the Mother of God with interior knowledge of the why and wherefore of her Son's sacrifice.  In other words she was too strong, too stalwart to faint like an ordinary woman.  Fr. Voillaume was making a solid point, just as those artists he criticized were doing by showing the collapsed Virgin.  You see, in showing the Holy Virgin collapsed in the arms of the holy mourners, (I suspect) what many painters were attempting to illustrate was the Co-redemptrix' experience of a night of the spirit so profound it was akin to natural death - albeit spiritual or mystical.  Nevertheless, both are opinions and both opinions point to a deeper truth without conflicting with Church teaching.
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Dogma.
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On the other hand, the blasphemous nonsense depicted in the New Zealand ad bears no resemblance to truth, nor does it reveal anything true about the Holy Family or the Virgin Birth.  Our Lady is the Immaculate Conception, Our Lord's birth is the Virgin Birth.  Unbelievers usually get the two mixed up, and/or mock the two together.  Believe it or not, there was an enormous Church Council once convened in Ephesus to discuss these matters.  The result of which came the solemn definition (dogma) that the Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God.  Therefore Mary was a virgin before, during and after giving birth.  Profane or even pious reasoning may not agree with that, but such ideas are mistaken.  People of good faith can never fully comprehend these mysteries through natural knowledge or understanding, but that is no excuse to deny it, dismiss it, reject it, or mock it.
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Witnesses to truth.
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Early in Advent my friend Elena posted a wonderful reflection concerning the Perpetual Virginity Of Holy Mary, Mother of God.  With permission, I cite a couple excerpts from authorative sources Elena included in her post.
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Even in the minds of many of the faithful, enfeebled by a forty year dearth of popular orthodox catechesis, a tragic confusion holds sway concerning the privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, in particular, her virginity before, during, and after childbirth. There are many, alas, who, affected by various mutations of creeping Nestorianism and Arianism, have no grasp of what it means to call the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Those who do not confess the privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary, honouring them and celebrating them, fall inevitably into one or another of the classic Christological heresies. - Fr. Mark of Vultus Christi
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The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it." And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the "Ever-virgin." - CCC
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And the most beautiful...
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Who is this gate (Ezekiel 44:1-4), if not Mary? Is it not closed because she is a virgin? Mary is the gate through which Christ entered this world, when He was brought forth in the virginal birth and the manner of His birth did not break the seals of virginity. (St. Ambrose of Milan, The Consecration of a Virgin and the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, 8:52; c. 391 AD)
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Art: "Nativity" - Fra Fillipo Lippi.  You see from this painting (and types like it) the tradition of the Virgin adoring the new-born Infant Jesus, on the floor as it were - without cradle or manger - while the Holy Mother shows no sign of just given birth.  The composition was constructed to express the ineffable, the dogma of the Virgin Birth, and the Divine Incarnation, as foretold by the prophets.

Charity

Has no strings.
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I get a lot of post ideas after reading other people's blogs.  Sometimes they say (write) things - undoubtedly with the best intentions - that they haven't a clue as to how contradictory their statements sometimes come off - especially in light of their previous postings.  For sure I know I do it!  I say something about being charitable on the Internet and then I post something snide about Sr. Joan or Sr. Carol.  I do many things wrong on this blog - but I have never pretended to be an authority or a model of virtue either. 
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Last evening I came across a blog post concerning a beggar girl, written by a young man studying abroad.  Although he became acquainted with the beggar over time, he mentioned he never ever gives her money.  He said that where he is, the poor have a place to go for help.  Strangely enough this fellow solicits donations on his blog to help defray grad-school expenses.
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In our country many good people do not give money to the homeless people they meet for similar reasons, although many will give to charitable organizations that serve the poor.  Therefore they are entitled to explain themselves something like this:  "The homeless can go to Catholic Charities if they need help, if we give them money they will most likely spend it on booze."  That may be true.
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I always wonder about that however - for myself, that is.  Should I attach conditions to caring for those I meet?  Should I only give to those I think are worthy and who are more likely to use the money for the right things?  What if a pint of whiskey is the only warmth and joy a poor man is able to experience that night?  He already knows where the Dorothy Day Center is, but he doesn't know anyone really cares about him in that moment - unless I trust him and share something with him.  I used to worry about that stuff when giving money to a street person - I try not to do that now.
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True charity has no strings.  But it is really difficult to remember that.

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Awakening...

O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come, and with outstretched arm, redeem us.
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"[T]he great question to us is whether we are still capable of being truly shocked or whether it is to remain so that we see thousands of things and know that they should not be and must not be, and that we get hardened to them. How many things have we become used to in the course of the years, of the weeks and months, so that we stand unshocked , unstirred, inwardly unmoved.
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Advent is a time when we ought to be shaken and brought to a realization of ourselves. The necessary condition for the fulfillment of Advent is the renunciation of the presumptuous attitudes and alluring dreams in which and by means of which we always build ourselves imaginary worlds. In this way we force reality to take us to itself by force - by force, in much pain and suffering.
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This shocked awakening is definitely part of experiencing Advent. But at the same time there is much more that belongs to it. Advent is blessed with God's promises, which constitute the hidden happiness of this time. These promises kindle the inner light in our hearts. Being shattered, being awakened - only with these is life made capable of Advent. In the bitterness of awakening, in the helplessness of "coming to," in the wretchedness of realizing our limitations, the golden threads that pass between heaven and earth in these times reach us." - Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J.
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Art:  O Adonai:  "Moses before the Burning Bush" - Chagall

What?

Mr. Drysdale and Miss Hathaway.  (Beverly Hillbillies)
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Intimation

Has it ever happened to you?
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An intimation that someone needs your prayer - right now - drop what you are doing - pray!  I've awakened during the night like that.  Once I awoke as if someone had shaken me, and I immediately thought to pray for a man I met a few times, though I hardly knew him.  I should mention - for the sake of possible coincidence - that a parishioner had informed me a week or so prior to my experience that the fellow was ill and might be dying.  Anyway - the next morning at Mass another acquaintance from daily Mass came up to me and said, "Bob K. died during the night - did you know him?"  (I probably had been praying for him at the moment of his death.)
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Today I felt an overwhelming sense to stop painting and pray for someone - perhaps a suicide - I tried to dismiss the thought but I couldn't get it out of my mind and I soon stopped what I was doing to pray.
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Please pray for the fellow I was inspired to pray for today - or just pray especially for those who will commit suicide during the holidays.
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Thanks.
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Art: "The Suicide" - Antoine Wiertz (1806-1865)

A petition to sign.

I rarely get on board with this type of thing. I must say, "We've waited long enough" seems a bit prideful and demanding, even somewhat dissenter-ish - but I get the point.
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The petition makes the request that the new English translation for the Roman Missal be implemented immediately while expressing opposition to any more delays in the process. The stalled updated translation, which accords more closely to the original Latin, and is accepted by the Vatican as well as English speaking bishop conferences elsewhere, is currently being held up in committee if you will. So it seems fair to me a couple of bishops need a kick in the ass like this to get the job done. Click here to sign the petition: We've Waited Long Enough (Afterwards, perhaps they will have the gallantry to retire early.)
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Thanks to Owen and Adoro for spreading the word.

"Stopped short".

How former free-lance exorcist, Archbishop Milingo fell in love with his wife.
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One evening as he was driving Maria Sung home from an exorcism, he had to "stop short"* for a pedestrian crossing the road in front of the Vatican Arms Hotel on the Via Di Porta Cavalleggeri.  The former Archbishop extended his arm to protect Maria from lunging forward, grasping her enormous bosom.  The rest is history, and interestingly enough, included in an episode of "Seinfeld". 

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

The "O" antiphons.
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I know.  It is a liturgical thing - very good - very nice - very lovely - all of that.  Awesome!  You will hear them recited, repeated, chanted, sung -  now until Christmas - and others talking about them as if they had never read scripture or heard such words and attributes of the God-man uttered by mere mortals ever before.  Very nice, very good, very lovely - all of that. 
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Seriously, the antiphons are just awesome and beautiful - truly...  Indispensable during the preparation for Christmas.  Nevertheless, liturgical bloggers, liturgists, and choirmasters tend to carry on about them - almost to excess.  If perchance some cleric or liturgist corners you and expounds on and on over the extraordinary beauty of the antiphons, just tell them, "I know!  Oooo!  I know, I know!"
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If these people did not carry on so dramatically - a soul just might be able to discover the spiritual beauty all on their own - as the Holy Spirit wills.  "The wind blows where it will, and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it comes and where it goes: thus is every one that is born of the Spirit." - John 3:8
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Art:  Monks - no further information available.

Christmas in a death camp...

"Men find it hard to look evil in the eye and call it by its true name."
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Did you ever see the film, "The Hiding Place" - it is a wonderful film.  It helps to understand Christmas in a death camp... from the prisoners' perspective.  "No pit so deep that his love is not deeper still." - Betsy Ten-Boom
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While the prisoners were suffering from starvation and cruel and inhuman conditions, Nazi soldiers and camp workers had every thing they needed or wanted.  In fact, their lives were relatively normal and comfortable - unaffected by the diabolical work they were engaged in.  Not unlike many of their fellow civilians who denied such things were happening.  Astonishing?

This morning I came across an interesting story (H/T SpiritDaily; New Oxford Review) exploring new research and data that demonstrates how gradual acceptance and practice of contraception and abortion may have laid the groundwork for Adolf Hitler's eugenic-abortion policies.
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Men find it hard to look evil in the eye and call it by its true name. It was no different in early 20th-century Germany, where women spoke of the need to "curb coercive procreation" by legalizing abortion. Coercive here meant having to bear to term a child who was already in the womb. In 1908 the "bourgeois" Federation of German Women's Organizations demanded repeal of the abortion clause, §218, so that every woman might be Herrin ihres Körpers, or master of her body. In this specious slogan the child in the womb was reduced to part of the mother's body. Before World War I only elite women used this new­speak, but after the war ordinary women chimed in, as in a 1931 rally in which "many thousands of women were mobilized under the communist slogan Dein Körper gehört Dir! (Your body belongs to you!)." The year 1931 also saw the birth of the Committee of Self-Incrimination Against §218, which encouraged celebrities to come out and admit to having had, or having aided in, an abortion. Among those who came out was Albert Einstein. - Read the entire article here.
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I laugh, you laugh, we all laugh - ignoring the atrocities occurring in our society.
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Photos:
Top:  SS officer Karl Hoecker lights a candle on a Christmas tree

Bottom: Laughter lines the faces of camp staff as they prepare for a sing-a-long.

Read more here:  Laughing Death Camp Guards At Play.

Novena to the Infant Jesus

The solemn novena for Christmas begins today.
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Art: Birth of Christ, Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel

Beautiful Nativity

Nativity Group with Angel, 18th century


Guatemalan

Wood, polychromed and gilded, with glass eyes and silver-gilt halos

(.168ab): H. 20 in. (50.8 cm); (.169a–c): H. 20 3/4 in. (52.7 cm); (.170ab): L. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm); (.171a–c): H. 18 in. (45.7 cm); (.172): H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)

Gift of Loretta Hines Howard, 1964 (64.164.168ab–.172)
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The workshops that generated Guatemalan devotional sculptures, whether Nativities or Crucifixion scenes, developed a style and technique that remained fairly constant over time. But while sculptors remained fairly faithful to set compositional models, those responsible for the estofado, the layering of gilding and paint that reproduced the effects of lavish silk and gold textiles, enjoyed more freedom to vary the patterns they used. Guatemalan estofado is the finest practiced in the Spanish Americas and is distinguished also by the use of delicate relief that adds variety to the surface of the sculptures.


Elements of Asian style, perceptible in the robes of Mary and Joseph, reflect the importation of Chinese silk via the Manila Galleon trade; their faces, especially the Virgin's pure oval countenance and heavy-lidded eyes, recall the features of Hispano-Philippine ivory carvings.


Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

A proper and serious Advent reflection...

"Walk through these days as an announcing messenger."
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The horror of these times would be unendurable unless we kept being cheered and set upright again by the promises of the Advent angels, who speak their message of blessing right into the midst of anguish, scattering seeds of hope. These are not yet the loud angels of rejoicing and fulfillment. Quiet, inconspicuous, they enter the rooms of our hearts...proclaiming to us the wonders of God, for whom nothing is impossible.
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Thus for all its earnestness, Advent is a time of inner security, because of these angels of annunciation. Oh, if it should ever happen that we forget their tidings; if all we know is the four walls and windows of life's gray days; if we can no longer hear their gentle step; if our souls are no longer both shaken and exalted by their whispered word - it will be over with us. We will have lived wasted lives.So the first thing we must do, if we want to be alive, is to believe in the golden seed of God that the angels have scattered throughout time, and still offer today, to every open heart.
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The second is to walk through these dark times as an announcing messenger oneself - to carry and spread the angel's message. So many need their courage strengthened; so many are in despair and in need of consolation; there is so much harshness that needs a gentle hand and an illuminating word; so much loneliness crying out for a word of release; so much loss and pain in search of inner meaning. But God's messengers know that this is not all: they know of the blessing that the Lord has cast like seed into these hours of history.
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Understanding today's world in the light of Advent means enduring in faith, believing in the fertility of the silent earth, and awaiting the abundance of the coming harvest.
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Not because we have any trust in ourselves, but because we have a task - because we have heard God's message, and have met one of God's announcing angels ourselves. -Alfred Delp, S.J. [Delp, Alfred. Prison Writings (Orbis, 2004)]
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My conclusion.
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Each of us have something to give... to offer support for one another in these days of moral anarchy...  As Fr. Delp noted - we have a task... we have something of value to communicate - to edify and encourage and defend our brothers and sisters.  To the point of exposing ourselves to ridicule, rejection, contempt, unto  loss of life - everything human nature fears.  Souls are at stake.
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"What must we do?  He said to them in reply, 'Whoever has two coats should share with the person who has none.  And whoever has food should do likewise...'" (Luke 3: 10-18)  Just so, whoever has survived some form of tragedy, suffering, sorrow; anyone who has been converted from a sinful life, a life of addiction; anyone who has encountered that place where "justice and peace have kissed, mercy and truth have met" - needs - must - give to those who have not.
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Photo:  Trial of Alfred Delp, S.J.
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Thanks to my Bruderhof brother for the Fr. Delp passage.

"Christmas In New Hope" - A Tuesday Story Corner Presentation.

Home for Advent.
- By Terrance J. Nelson
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It happened during the pre-dawn hours of December 15, 2001...
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It was an unusually cold December morning, just after the bars closed.  The guy was driving through Bucks County and stopped at a gas station on the edge of New Hope, to ask directions for Old Covered Bridge Road.  The attendant never looked at the guy but gestured towards the general direction he needed to travel.  The man - Helmut was his name - got back into his Aston Martin and started down the road the attendant seemed to indicate. 
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The tree lined road was overgrown with snow laden hedge-rows, while the icy lane zig-zagged through multiple curves and over small rolling inclines.  Undeterred, Helmut began driving faster as he recalled the way... lifting his wrist to his nostrils, deeply inhaling the cologne he had purchased that afternoon:  "Gio!"  Helmut exclaimed.  "I loves dat schmell!"  He shouted lustfully!  "Und so shall my schatzie...."  Suddenly, without warning, the driver swerved to avoid hitting a chicken crossing the road;  the car swung around and around and around like a top on the ice covered surface, crashing into a tree, killing Helmut instantly. 
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The End
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Note:  The center photo in the montage (above) shows Helmut exactly as he was found by rescuers at the scene of the accident.  Though killed instantly and violently in the tragic accident, Helmut appeared almost as if just awakening from a nap - with no visible injuries.  It was considered an Advent miracle.
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Suggested background music: "Leader of the Pack" playing slowly and softly, hoarsely sung by Whitney Houston.

My favorite Christmas carole: "Shine A Light!"

Listening to this - I added lights to my Nativity backgrounds! Merry Christmas!

Last full week before Xmas!

Quick pics.
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I'm still working on the backgrounds for the Nativity - driving myself nuts because I get too detailed - no one will really notice the panels since they will be viewed through 12" x 12" windows.  Then I have no idea how they will be mounted in order to work - I've never -  Oops!  Sounds like I'm complaining - I am not - just stressed now... what if they do not work?  What if they are too dark?  Nevertheless, I'm enjoying the painting - like I said - they are not good art - they are just backgrounds and a little fanciful - especially the cat angels!   
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Cath wants me to write my Christmas stories - but those may have to wait until after the 25th - despite the fact they should be told for Christmas Eve.
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I'll tell you about a couple of dreams though.
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I don't know if it is the stress of the season or what, but I've been dreaming a lot.  So real quick like - I'll tell you about a couple of them. 
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So anyway.  Last night's dream was about being at my old job, but trying to stay out of sight of management because I'm banned from the premises - which is the source of heartache for me because I miss a couple of the guys I really liked there.  Anyway - one of the guys saw me and I had to get out fast because he is a very unforgiving guy and married to one of the owners.
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So I run down the street and realize I'm actually in the warehouse district of Minneapolis and looking for something, and then I'm a block off Hennepin - the main strip downtown, and this huge, black tornado is coming and I run into the Saloon - a gay bar - and get under the tables, and there are a bunch of old ladies already taking cover and they are blogging.  So I start praying the rosary and the tornado passes and I end up in City Center shopping for Christmas.  That is all I can recall - but it was really stressful.  I left out the part about the tornado hoses - little tornadoes, almost like the hoses on gasoline pumps - swirling towards my face - and yet all I wanted to drink was a Coke.

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The Digs dream.
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The other night - I told Cathy this one - I dreamed a dream - no - that's Susan Boyle.  But seriously, I dreamed I was in the back shade garden gardening when I heard a ruckus in the main yard.  I looked over the hedge and the neighbor's dog was frantically digging a trench - he looked like Wishbone, so I wasn't too concerned.  Then I noticed the neighbor family standing there staring at me, all Stepford-like.  So creepy.  I also noticed a very large rabbit watching it all.  He was about 6 feet tall, very beige with tawny shading, and a white tummy.  His ears were quite big, and he looked at me very sternly.  I thought to myself, "What?"  You know - like I did something bad.  (I always feel like that.)
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It was then that I noticed a couple of regular sized rabbits watching the dog as he kept on digging like a maniac - and I thought to myself, "I guess it's true what they say about Jack Russell terriers."   And then I saw what was going on - the dog was uncovering the rabbit's nest, snatching the babies and dismembering them - obviously killing them - and scattering body parts and fur all about.
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Weird, huh?  But I know what it means.  Without going into detail, it is all about blogging.  I'm the dog - digging for stories and ripping people apart - and that huge rabbit disapproves.
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All righty then.  I have to get painting.
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Art: "Holiday On Eis" - Michael Sowa

Nada

Feast of St. John of the Cross.
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That's all.
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Photo:  Statue of the saint - no further information available.

Beauty and culture...

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Public figures and facial hair issues.
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"The experts say that weight loss, especially in obese women, can help in decreasing high levels of the male hormone testosterone which could also be one among other possible causes of excessive hair growth and massive weight gain and bloating. Cosmetic treatments such as bleaching (for unwanted hair) and lyposuction (for unwanted mass) also turn out to be effective for women struggling with these issues." - The problem of excessive facial hair in fat women.
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Photo - J. Chitistter, can't remember where I got it - nice blouse though, huh?  Looks like it could be a detail of a mural by Gabriel Loire I once saw.

The importance of spiritual joy and Gaudete Sunday.

Rejoicing on Gaudete.
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I love the image of Divina Pastora - Our Lady the Holy Shepherdess.  I took it (above) from Rorate Caeli blog - one of the better blogs online BTW - it is contained in the post:  Manila's Grand Marian Procession in honor of the Immaculate Conception  .  If I had grown up amidst such Marian devotion I would have died of love at a very early age.  Our Lady must love the Philippines very much.
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Devotion to Our Lady, who is called, 'Cause of our joy' - for obvious reasons, fills us with joy, even amidst the greatest sadness.  Try it.  Recite her Office, or go aside and pray a quiet Rosary while meditating the best you can on the mysteries - even if it just entails looking at the pictures of the mysteries.  If you are really little - just recite her litany.  If you do not feel anything, or do not notice that you feel different afterwards, you will at least notice an inner peace... a joy unfelt, if you will.  Although I am quite sure, Our Lady will not disappoint you and she will fill your soul with a joy the world cannot give.  She always does. 
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Spiritual sloth - the sadness which begets rancor and sadness...
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Although perfect love should be disinterested love, no human being is capable of sustaining such love - our human nature needs the consolation of spiritual joy - which is the 'fruit of generosity in the love of God.'  Disgust for spiritual things - authentic piety and devotion - when willed, may indicate the spiritual ill of acedia, or the grave sin of spiritual sloth.  Not to be confused with the trial of spiritual aridity of course.
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'Acedia is a disgust for spiritual things, a disgust which leads one to perform them negligently, to shorten them, or to omit them under vain pretexts.  It is the cause of tepidity.'
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Acedia or spiritual sloth, is a sadness of spirit which oppresses the soul and causes all sorts of evils... think of Ebeneezer Scrooge.  It is a capital sin which "is the root of many others.  Why is this?  Because a man seeks material consolations in order to flee from the sadness and disgust which spiritual things inspire in him on account of the renunciation and self discipline they demand." 
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"Consequently disastrous results follow disgust for spiritual things and for the work of sanctification - a sin which is directly opposed to the love of God and to the holy joy resulting therefrom.  From this evil sadness are born malice - and no longer only weakness - rancor towards one's neighbor, pusillanimity in the face of duty to be accomplished, discouragement, spiritual torpor even to the forgetting of the precepts, and finally, dissipation of spirit and seeking after forbidden things."  - (Everything in quotations/italics is from Garrigou-Lagrange, Three Ages, Vol 1: 29)  
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The Cause of our joy.
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To conquer spiritual sloth, a good, frank sacramental confession is in order.  It is overcome by genuine love of God exercised in true devotion of the will - authentic piety - which includes mortification and the practice of the virtues.  Even when sensible devotion be lacking - that too can be offered as a sacrifice in reparation.
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As Garigou-Lagrange ends this particular chapter:  "Thus instead of losing time which flees, we recover it and gain it for eternity.  And gradually we recover spiritual joy, that of which St. Paul speaks when he writes to the Philippians"  'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!' (Phil. 4:4-7)"
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Our Lady is the Cause of our joy because she consented to be the Mother of the Redeemer Who is all our joy, our love!
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Retablo: Source

Diorama:  Source and history.

Image Source.

Gaudete Sunday

It is also the feast of St. Lucy... Legend has it that her eyes were gouged out with forks during her martyrdom.
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Notice the rose colours used in the painting.  Rose is also the colour of the vestments worn on Gaudete Sunday - as a sign of rejoicing in the midst of a penitential season. 
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Art: Reference
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Madly in love...

For Our Lady

A Little Litany (to Our Lady)



When God turned back eternity and was young,

Ancient of Days, grown little for your mirth

(As under the low arch the land is bright)

Peered through you, gate of heaven--and saw the earth.



Or shutting out his shining skies awhile

Built you about him for a house of gold

To see in pictured walls his storied world

Return upon him as a tale is told.



Or found his mirror there; the only glass

That would not break with that unbearable light

Till in a corner of the high dark house

God looked on God, as ghosts meet in the night.



Star of his morning; that unfallen star

In that strange starry overturn of space

When earth and sky changed places for an hour

And heaven looked upwards in a human face.



Or young on your strong knees and lifted up

Wisdom cried out, whose voice is in the street,

And more than twilight of twiformed cherubim

Made of his throne indeed a mercy-seat.



Or risen from play at your pale raiment's hem

God, grown adventurous from all time's repose,

Or your tall body climbed the ivory tower

And kissed upon your mouth the mystic rose.



GK Chesterton


(Big thanks to Susan.)
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Art:  Reference

Our Lady of Guadalupe

"The iconography of Heaven."
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Fr. Angelo Mary has written some things regarding the image of the Virgin as she appeared to St. Juan Diego.
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"... the heavenly iconography of Guadalupe passes from the prophecy of Genesis and the vision of St. John right into the history that it was intended to address. The image itself is a miracle that manifests and perpetuates the Virgin’s presence. We see what Juan Diego saw. Once Our Lady’s command to build a temple was obeyed the image came to rest on Tepeyac Hill, where formerly, before the conquest of Mexico by Cortes, there had been a shrine to the Aztec goddess Coatlicue." - MaryVictrix
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As Father said, the image itself is a miracle, not only that a tilma made of cactus fiber survives for 500 years supporting pigments of unknown origin, but the eyes themselves reflect the persons in the room when the apparition left its impression upon the cloth... and some have claimed they appear alive today.
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Just think, Our Lady appeared as the Great Sign in the Americas  -  what does it mean for our times?

Chanukkah

"O Mommie, mommie, can we play dreidel?  Can we?  Can we?"
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"Shelley - shut up darling, your mother is watching Wheel of Fortune!"
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Jews may observe Hanukkah - but it isn't Advent or Christmas to them - just to Goy.  In fact, many Jewish people love the holidays - yeah - Christmas already!   Some (Joan Rivers) even put up a tree and lights and exchange gifts.  Really.  Every single Jewish friend I ever sent a Hanukkah card to explained to me, "We don't really do Hanukkah - gentiles just think it's like Christmas for us - it's not."
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So what is it?
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Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of re-dedication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.  It commemorates the rededication of the Temple after it was defiled by the Greeks.
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Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.
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The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.
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More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.
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According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. - Judaism 101

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Okay, okay!  I suppose this is like telling a kid there is no Santa.  So yes - Jewish people really do observe Hanukkah - but it isn't like Christmas at all, and it's not that big a deal:  "Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won't find many non-Jews who have even heard of Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees, which Jews do not accept as scripture."
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So there you go Shelley.  In fact, historically, I'm not sure Jews ever felt "left out" by Christmas.
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Photo Source

The Pope to write a pastoral letter to the Irish people.

Concerning the sexual abuse scandal.
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Reports today describe the Holy Father's reaction to the sexual abuse report from Ireland as: "The Holy Father shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church," the Vatican statement said.  Adding: "the Vatican also said he would write a pastoral letter to the Irish people about sexual abuse in Ireland and the Vatican's response to the crisis.  It will be the first time a pope has written a document exclusively devoted to sexual abuse of children by clergy." - Source
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A few days ago I mentioned in a post how it now seems necessary for the Holy Father to issue some sort of Apostolic letter affirming Church teaching regarding homosexuality; hopefully the proposed pastoral letter to the Irish people may do that while carefully explaining the seriousness of these crimes of abuse, as well as their effects - specifically, loss of faith.  Having known a few Irish priests in my day, I can assure you I understand the don't ask don't tell code of ethics that was followed in Ireland.  Sometimes abusing priests were sent abroad - some were even sent right here. 
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That said - I realized a definitive document has already been issued by the Pope - who at the time was better known as Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  The document was published at the request of John Paul II and is titled, On The Pastoral Care of the Homosexual Person.  The document contains concise and clear teaching regarding Church teaching on homosexuality.
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Of course the sex abuse reported in Ireland, our country, and elsewhere is not limited to homosexual perpetrators - especially as it is legally and politically defined as pedophilia.  Yet by and large many, if not most cases involved the sexual abuse of adolescent males - by males - who themselves identify as same sex attracted.  Naturally the Holy Father's document will probably not focus entirely on homosexual influences, but I would imagine such a document cannot be intelligible without addressing that problem at least indirectly - if only by affirming  the 1986 CDF letter on the subject.
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The Ratzinger letter.
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That letter is more relevant today than ever, and ought to be read by those concerned with the growing acceptance of homosexual behavior as normal, and equal to heterosexual sex and marriage.  Perhaps deviating from the original subject, I want to print a couple of excerpts from the CDF letter:
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Nevertheless, increasing numbers of people today, even within the Church, are bringing enormous pressure to bear on the Church to accept the homosexual condition as though it were not disordered and to condone homosexual activity. Those within the Church who argue in this fashion often have close ties with those with similar views outside it. These latter groups are guided by a vision opposed to the truth about the human person, which is fully disclosed in the mystery of Christ. They reflect, even if not entirely consciously, a materialistic ideology which denies the transcendent nature of the human person as well as the supernatural vocation of every individual.
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The Church's ministers must ensure that homosexual persons in their care will not be misled by this point of view, so profoundly opposed to the teaching of the Church. But the risk is great and there are many who seek to create confusion regarding the Church's position, and then to use that confusion to their own advantage.
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9. The movement within the Church, which takes the form of pressure groups of various names and sizes, attempts to give the impression that it represents all homosexual persons who are Catholics. As a matter of fact, its membership is by and large restricted to those who either ignore the teaching of the Church or seek somehow to undermine it. It brings together under the aegis of Catholicism homosexual persons who have no intention of abandoning their homosexual behaviour. One tactic used is to protest that any and all criticism of or reservations about homosexual people, their activity and lifestyle, are simply diverse forms of unjust discrimination. - On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons
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Photo: Source

Our Lady of Loreto

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, or the miraculous translation of the Holy House of Our lady from the Holy Land to Italy.  People don't believe it happened though.  I do, and several saints and popes did too.  I'm not bragging - indeed I lost that grace long ago - but while I was in Loreto, I stayed in the Holy House for hours, and outside it, for hours, every day - with no concept of the passage of time until one day a Capuchin priest grabbed me by the hair, shook my head, and said in Italian, "God has grasped you!"  I left the shrine shortly after, and the next day I returned to Assisi, never to return to that little paradise.  But I knew the house was the House of the Virgin, the Gate of Heaven, the House of God.  I knew it.
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My brother died on this date.  One day he confided to me, just before his illness was diagnosed terminal, that Our Lady had recently appeared to him in a "flash of a second" - while he was trying to exercise.  I asked what she looked like and he described how Our Lady is depicted upon the Miraculous Medal - the Immaculate Conception.
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"Did she say anything?"  I asked.
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"No, she just smiled."
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"What did you think?"  I inquired further.
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"I don't know.  I felt good... I felt at peace...  I felt as if everything was going to be okay," he stammered, asking, "do you think it was her?"
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"Yeah.  Skip.  I really do.  She does that - that's just how she does it sometimes, and you know it's her."  I assured him.
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My brother made his confession and received the sacraments shortly before he died on the feast of Loreto, 1990.
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O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee and for those who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Church and those recommended to thee.
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Anyway - I'll be offline today.  This stuff is all passing you know... it...  never mind.
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Oops!

The Every kind of people post was accidently deleted while I was checking mail today... it sounded too pretentious anyway.

Eucharistic Adoration

Cancelled because of the weather.
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See, it's mostly women in their 80's and 90's who keep Wednesday adoration going.  I fill in for 2 who are no longer able to walk.  Today they cancelled adoration due to the snow - it is not a lot of snow - but it's dangerous for old people and travel is bad - therefore calling off adoration is very prudent.
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My parish is really focused upon social justice with heavy emphasis on works - volunteer for everything - except prayer.  I know there are people there who do not believe in the Eucharist - they can't when they act so casually in the sanctuary, never genuflecting, or showing any reverence - sometimes even at Mass. 
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Which brings me to this story.
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Instead of the song title "Jesus, take the wheel", this story could be titled, "Jesus, wait in the back seat".  A priest leaves the Eucharist in the back seat of his car and it was stolen - and it wasn't the first time.
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Father Chris Flesoras was presiding over a funeral at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Serbian Orthodox Church in Fair Oaks when the suspect struck, smashing a rear window of his car and a window of a nearby car, scattering glass.
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"Sadly, what was taken from my car was a black bag," Father Flesoras said.

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The bag was his Communion bag, which contains all the tools used by a priest, including the Holy Communion, which believers say symbolizes the body and blood of Christ. The bag also contained his cross, his blessing oil, his scripture book, and a container that was passed down through three generations.
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The items are sacred and won't be easy to replace,  Flesoras said.
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Father Dante Papovich said it's the second time a Communion bag was stolen from the church parking lot. He believes the suspects thought it was a laptop bag; the first one that was stolen was found abandoned with all the items still inside a short time later. - Story
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A few years ago I was visiting a priest friend of mine, when another priest came home from a sick call, threw the little sick call bag - with the sacrament in it - on the counter, along with his wallet and keys and went into the living room to relax.  Way too casual and careless for me.  (There were consecrated hosts in the pix.)
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"The items are sacred and won't be easy to replace,"  Fleoras said.  (Unfortunately, they are.)
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Art: Detail: "Apostolic Visitation"

Humor

Or the lack of it.
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I think I like all the people I link to in my blogroll - as well as many other bloggers I do not link to.  If you were on my blogroll and are not now, it is probably because you dropped me from your links, and so I'm just responding in kind; Thom, Mark, Cindy, and you others out there.  I still like you though.  Gosh - I've lost commenters too - I really, realy like my commenters - and the one's I've lost, I miss a lot.  One priest dropped me just because I noted that some pope used to burn faggots.  Go figure!  But that's not the point of this post.
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Point is:  I often comment on the blogs of persons I like and leave off topic or on topic comments - some serious, but most of which are often very ROFLMAO funny - to me - albeit off the wall and inappropriate or 'dumb'.  On my planet, 'dumb' is really, really funny - like laughing Jerry's from the 20th century medieval period.  Truth be told, I have my laugh and move on - and I rarely return to see if there is a come back.  I always fail to realize many people just do not get my humor and so they sometimes take offense or think that I am an evil, nasty, man - I am - and then they get pissed - and then they drop me.  "What's in your wallet?
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Yeah, so, my apologies for living.
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Anaways...  People with blogs take themselves way too seriously and may not realize how nasty and negative they can be too.  I know.  They may write beautiful spiritual treatises while in the mood (love that song!), and then bash someone to hell 10 minutes later.  Some of us - few of us - admit we are rotten, envious, ass**le sinners to the core and yet we still judge who is Catholic and what level Catholic he, she, or it is:  CINO?  Fervent?  Devout?  Uber?  Ultra?  Man or beast?  We all do it - those who blog do it online - others write letters to the editor or their bishops - or me...  How'd you get my address?  Of course the "normal" people just gossip amongst themselves.  (Let me tell ya, few bloggers can be classified as "normal".) 
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Besides, as Fr. Groeschl always says, "If you ever want to be canonized - don't do a lot of writing." 
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So lighten up people - it's the holidays.  Don't pigeon hole Santa.  (No - that is not a sexual term!  You are thinking of corn.  Sheesh!)
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Art: "Filmhound" Michael Sowa

Uganda and the death penalty for gays.

Now it is really getting nuts...
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I didn't realize Nigeria already has the death penalty for homosexuals, although I knew Uganda is seriously considering it, and other African nations could follow suit.  Horrible stories are emerging from the continent.   
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The Ugandan legislation in its current form would mandate a death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also could face capital punishment, but the legislation does not define the term. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act faces life imprisonment.
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Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality" faces seven years in prison if convicted. Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get seven years and anyone with "religious, political, economic or social authority" who fails to report anyone violating the act faces three years. - Source
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Such legislation is inhumane and intolerable, and it signals that these  issues have gotten way out of hand - on every side - politically and religious.  On one hand we have gay activists using religion to force changes in doctrine, theology, faith and morals, while decrying traditional teaching, pushing for same sex marriage and educating children in schools through "safe schools programs" and so on.  On the other hand there are gay activists who actively promote hatred of religion and laws which deny same sex couples the right to adopt or marry, and in some cases, practice public sex.  When such trends impinge upon foreign societies and culture - such as those in African and Islamic nations - the backlash will often be repressive in the extreme, and often violent.
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Push comes to shove.
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I am completely against this type of legislation and punishment - as well as any type of violence against homosexual persons - and so is the Catholic Church.  As stated in the letter, On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed at the time by Cardinal Ratzinger:
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10. It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church's pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law.
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But the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase. - Letter to Bishops
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The cultural assault on Africa seems to be very real, as expressed by the concern voiced by African Bishops during their Rome Synod in October of this year:
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"One of the major themes of the Synod has been the denunciation of Western anti-life and anti-family programs as a new form of colonialism and "cultural imperialism" from the West, which is trying to impose a set of alien values onto African society." - Archbishop Sarah,  Source 
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In no way were the African Bishops suggesting, approving, much less promoting capital punishment for persons who engage in or promote homosexual activity, nevertheless they did note the cultural and spiritual threat it poses, especially by foreigners.  I suspect the Bishops might have predicted the reactionary legislation as proposed in Uganda as an inevitable outcome.
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Links:

Out of Africa
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Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Holy Day of Obligation.
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So often we hear liturgists and teachers of the law playing down the aspect of obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days - I just received the current issue of a local Basilica's magazine with an article on the subject.  These guys do not like the word 'obligation' - instead they contend people should have a strong enough faith, a fervent enough devotion, and such an overwhelming sense of gratitude that they would not want to miss Mass - you can't keep them away - or something like that.  That's a nice thought, huh? 
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I will tell you this, on a cold winter morning - when I did not have to get out of bed and could have slept in, that Holy Day of Obligation rule made all the difference in the world - I had to get up and go to Mass.  I wanted to go, sure.  But if I didn't have to go - I would have stayed in bed.
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So don't play down the rules - they are there for a reason - better and holier Catholics than I know what I mean.
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Happy feast day.
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Art:  St. Bernard before the Immaculate Conception, Girolam Pesci

John Lennon

Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980.

Divine intimacy...

"I often touch His feet, which are between the chalice and the canon when He is standing upright on the altar during the Mass. I touch His side, and I feel the wound in His side and His ribs through His cloak, when I raise the Host. I stay and rest It against His side...  through His mantle I could feel the shape of His ribs." - Pere Lamy
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I've been reading with particular interest the story of Pere Lamy - an incredibly simple priest-mystic from France in the early part of the 20th century.  His intimacy with Our Lord and Our Lady is so consoling, it lightens the heart. 
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In light of the anniversary of Pearl Harbor today, I found the following quote particularly interesting:
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“Our Lord told me that the War had three causes; Blasphemy, Sunday labour, and the desecration of marriage. When a young man or a young girl falls into sin, it is nothing in comparison. It is a grave sin, but after all it is human weakness."
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Pere Lamy also casts light upon the darkness and trials the Lord permits in our lives at times, reminding us we cannot always remain in a state of consolation...
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“You must pay dearly for spiritual graces. Better not to have any; you are in total darkness afterwards. If the Blessed Virgin was behind that door, I would not ask Her to come in. All that is to be paid for… more by tears of the heart, than tears of the body." -Pere Lamy
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A very good Carmelite Mother once reprimanded me after I had gone on a bit, lamenting some spiritual trials I was going through, "How can you complain when Our Lord shows you such things?"  She then laughed at me.  To be sure, Mother would have agreed with Pere Lamy on the following point as well:  "One should never order one's life according to visions, especially according to the visions of others. In material things we must use common sense, too. We must be careful of mysticism. The devil stands behind the Mother of God: If you let her pass by you will find the devil." - Pere Lamy
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That said, sometimes the darkness is so deep, we can forget in an instant that it is never dark for Him - even when the darkness can be the result of our infidelity... giving up to discouragement. 
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Thanks for your prayers.
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On being asked for advice on how to obtain the grace of an answered prayer, Father Lamy replied- “First and foremost, you must be in a state of grace. Before praying, you have to kneel in the Confessional. Then, pray with confidence, and then finally with perseverance.”


H/T Mystics of the Church, Spirit Daily.

Pearl Harbor

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.
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O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee, and for those who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Church and those recommended to thee.  Amen.

Remembering

A lot of people I know died during the holiday season... my brother Skip died this week in 1990... on the feast of OL of Loretto - he was buried on the feast of OL Guadalupe.

St. Nicholas

The feast of St. Nicholas.
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The Holy Bishop of Myra is especially venerated as the patron of children.  Devotion to him ought to be increased these days as children are abducted and exploited through human trafficking and slavery - victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation.  While others are killed in the womb, and in some cases after live birth... yet many more endure intolerable and abusive childhoods without proper parenting, without faith or hope.  Never forget the children of divorce, or same sex couples, as well as children of benign neglect - often left alone by a single parent or grandparent, struggling to make ends meet.  Of course there are children suffering from poverty and hunger throughout the world, yet there is that deeper poverty of living in an immoral household, be it prostitution, substance abuse, or illegal activity - again, without faith or hope.
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St. Nicholas, pray for us.
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Art: St. Nicholas Center
Link:  Church celebrates St. Nicholas Day.

Just Matters...

Some observations from Mass last night...
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There is a perky high school girl who does the readings at the Saturday evening vigil Mass.  She walks and talks with a bounce and reads really, really fast like, you know.  So last night the girl read the second reading twice, skipping the first from Baruch - yet no one seemed to notice because there are no missals or missalettes - not even the Celebrant seemed to notice.  (I know, I know, these things happen.)  Talk about active participation - which in local parish terms amounts to having some sort of function at Sunday Masses - greeting, collecting, reading, distributing, straightening pews,  etc..  Or getting involved on some sort of revenue raising committee, or discussion group on peace and justice issues.  As in the case of my neighborhood parishes - yes, two are joining together - global climate change.
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The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change and Catholic Bishops' Environmental Justice Program appear to be the  resources for the newest social justice program coming to the parish.  That's fine - it is something I wouldn't participate in or contribute towards - especially now in light of the discovery that some of the science has been manipulated, and is suspected as being part of a complicated hoax.  That story has been in the news, albeit curiously ignored by mainstream media.
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The eight week program will include action items for stopping further global warming and what will be needed to help the poor of the world who will be most impacted by climate change.  The 2 1/2 hour sessions will cover:

• Catholic theology on the environment...voices on the theology of ecology and the implications for future generations.
• The Science of Climate Change.  In the face of the consensus of the scientific community about climate change, how do we deal with fear, dread, and feelings of powerlessness?

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Wait a minute!  Wait a minute!  Snap out of it, Cherilyn Sarkasian LaPier!  Stop right there!  Don't these people know about Climategate?  So church people can scare little kids and old people to death about doomsday scenarios of global warming, but a Cardinal can't be judgemental and tell homosexuals they are going to hell if they persist in their unnatural sexcapades?  Come on!
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Oh well, I guess it gives the Deacon something to do.
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