How can you be certain you did not have a religious vocation?

People have asked me that for years.  So many have told me I must have at least had a religious vocation that I refused or resisted.  When I tell them absolutely not, they ask how I can be so sure? 
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As I tried my vocation in various communities, 'signs' were always there, but I refused to accept them, convinced I had to be a religious - my salvation depended upon it.  Locked up in a monastery I wouldn't be able to sin as much.  I knew marriage wasn't my call, thus celibacy in a monastery must be the only way.  That grace wasn't there however.
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Then one day at Mass twenty five or so years ago, I heard the words of today's Gospel as if spoken directly to me:
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"... As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.  But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, 'Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.'" - Mark 5: 1-20
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It suddenly made sense to me...  that was God's will for me.  Religious life was not.  Frequently I can refer to the convincing power of the Holy Spirit as 'being convicted' - I often write, "I was convicted" when referring to some spiritual realization or understanding.  I think it must be a common, ordinary grace in the Christian life.  I guess Protestants use the term all of the time - John Paul II did so as well - that is, he frequently spoke on the necessity of the 'convincing power of the Holy Spirit'.
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Despite the fact all of the details of my life had been there to prove I could not be a religious, I continued to wrestle with the idea I might be called, until the Lord finally intervened and everything fell into place.  Even my unanswered prayers as a child, begging the Lord to preserve me from mortal sin - especially sins against chastity.  Yet I was molested several times as a kid and my world turned upside down, my values inside out.  Nevertheless, attracted by grace and through the sacraments, prayer, spiritual training and ascesis, the Lord had pity upon me.  He had mercy upon me - without calling me away from my state in life, if you will.
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Sometimes I think the Lord permits great evils - mortal sin, so that he may be glorified the more by our repentance and even more so in his loving mercy towards us.  Pope John Paul I said something about that - but I can't find the source right now.
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Anyway.  Every one's experience is different of course.  I sometimes imagined the opposite and thought that others should somehow learn from my experience and/or example.  (I know - God forbid!)  That is pride and an illusion of course - and it took me a very long while to figure that out.  But Our Lord had only instructed the man:  'Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.'  He didn't tell him to preach, teach, instruct, judge, condemn, or try to change anyone.
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Art: "Forgiven" - by Thomas Blackshear  (Yep - I really like this piece.)
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Liturgical Art

This image of Our Lady and the Child Jesus was commissioned for a Lutheran Church.  Story here.
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It was made at New Guild Studio in Braddock, Pennsylvania. 
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Davis d'Ambly is another incredible workshop.

The day the music died.

It's here.
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Watching the Grammy's.

For all the iconographers who read this blog...

Ukranian egg mosaic.
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Astonishing isn't it?  The mosaic is comprised of 15,000 individual eggs, painted in the traditional Ukranian style and then assembled by Ukranian artist Oksana Mass to create the icon of the Mother of God.  For more photos and details, go to James Mary Evans' blog: Orate Fratres.

Real Catholic... more Internet precautions.

Henry Karlson says it better than I could...
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"There is something about the internet that people feel as if they get a following, they have become legitimate authorities and their voice is the voice of truth. While the internet does provide some good, because it allows the otherwise disenfranchised to speak, we must also remember why so many of these people are disenfranchised. They speak from their heart, it is true, but it is often a heart founded on ideology. This is true all over the net. Caution is important. I would even be the first to say this is true with what I write as much as what I find elsewhere — one should consider where I am coming from and determine how and why that means my own commentary and opinions are also incomplete and imperfect.
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Of course, I think there are different standards of authority and intellectual acumen; I respect honest disagreement if it is shown to be based upon actual, reasonable engagement with the questions at hand. The problem is that so many who speak for Catholics on the net become virtual authorities; they come from an ideological background which tends to be rejected by the Church. More importantly, they lack the scholarly background, the study of diverse sources, to understand the full range of possible Catholic opinion: they think their “common sense” approach to the faith is the faith, just like Martin Luther did several centuries back. They do not understand what is “common” in the “common sense” tends to be cultural, and in the United States, that culture is of Protestant individualism. That this is the foundation by which many interpret and understand Catholic concerns is readily apparent when these same virtual authorities take on anyone, including the Vatican, with no respect for the real authority possessed by the ones they are criticizing." - Virtual Polemic...
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Thanks Henry - you hit the nail on the head!
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Photo:  The incorrupt body of Bl. John XXIII.

Calling all Minnesota artists!

Pictures at an exhibition.
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Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program will be hosting its once every ten year "Foot In The Door" exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts from February 19 to June 13, 2010.  I'm so excited.  Entries are accepted Thursday February 4 through Sunday February 7.  Go to the website for details: Foot In the Door 4.
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What's so great about it?  First of all it is crazy fun - to see such a variety of works.  Plus - you can say you, or such and such piece, has been exhibited at the MIA - how cool is that.  I exhibited before (a painting!) - I think in 1990 - yes, I have exhibited my work at the prestigious Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
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The work has to be 12" x 12" or under - to fit in the door (actually it is a box).  I paint 12" x 12" all the time - well not always.  I'm torn what to enter however... "The Sin of Ham" or "Watchmen".  I really want to enter "The Sin of Ham".  Memo to self: Call curator and ask if nudity is okay.  (I'm sure it is.)
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So local painters and writers of icons - think about entering your work.  It's soooooo fun!
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Art:  "Watchmen"

Something to keep in mind...

On justice and charity...
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“Both justice and charity require love for the truth and essentially lead to a search for the truth.” - Pope Benedict XVI
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The quote from the Holy Father can be found here in the context of his address to the Roman Rota regarding the danger of easy annulments being used as a sort of church-sanctioned divorce.

A most beautiful icon.

Our Lady of Fatima.
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Story here.
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Thanks to Sanctus Christopher blog.

Catcher in the Rye

Most people know J.D. Salinger died this week.  I actually thought he was already dead.  I can't get over the fact that I am getting old and all these old people I knew of or admired - who were old when I was young - are still alive, or just now dying.  (Gosh.  I'm hoping I don't have to live as long as they did.)
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Anyway.  Salinger was a huge influence in my life - well, not him, but Holden Caulfield.  I'm of a generation you realize.  Holden and Mr. Jones - the thin man (Dylan), gave me the courage to leave an abusive home during senior year and finish school on my own. 
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I hadn't realized Salinger was a recluse, and that he may have been writing - relieved not to be published.  "There is a marvelous peace in not publishing," J.D. Salinger told The New York Times in 1974. "Publishing is a terrible invasion of my privacy. I like to write. I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure." - Source
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I like that.  Maybe I'm kind of like him.
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Yeah. 
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J.D. Salinger is dead.

Bob Dylan - Ballad Of A Thin Man

J.D. Salinger is dead.

Hating the sin, loving the sinner...

"Neither do I condemn you."
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Has anyone else noticed that women who go in for abortions, or have had an abortion are never reviled as murderers or adulterers, or referred to by any other pejorative term?  Women who submit to abortion, choose to abort, or have aborted a child are treated with great compassion, understanding, and care.  I think that is wonderful - I really do.  Sometimes I struggle to have compassion, but that is not to say that I do not have it - compassion and an openness to the possibility that a woman may not have been really all that 'free' in making such a terrible 'choice'.
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On the other hand, most Christians no longer blink at the thought of an unmarried woman carrying to term a baby - often the result of an unplanned pregnancy.  Sarah Palin's daughter was roundly applauded and encouraged, and rightly so - an abortion would be unthinkable.  Morality has changed from the old days when unwed mothers were hidden away and shamed.  Yes, that is a good thing.
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Are 'perverts' the exception to the rule?
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Is there one or two types of sinner one can freely condemn, abuse, deride, humiliate, and hate?  Yesterday I was reading a post on Ad Dominum blog which I found rather unsettling.  In fact, I felt convicted by it.  Thom posted about a friend who walked out of Mass during a homily because the priest began condemning homosexuals from the pulpit.
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"It was going fine until the sermon. The priest talked about the Holy Family for a bit, then how the institution of the family is being destroyed in these modern times, which is true. However he then proceeded to viciously castigate homosexuals – which he called perverts – for the blasphemy of same-sex marriage and the corruption of children. His tone was downright sinister – he sounded like Rush Limbaugh, with the cadence of a Baptist minister, spitting out the words. It may have been the tone of self-hatred. I don’t know.

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If he had said something like, “This is what the Church teaches. I understand some people have difficulty with that, and we love them and only want them to understand. But we cannot and will not change our position.” – That would have been fine. This was something entirely different...  After internally debating whether to stay and speak with Father, or leave, I stood up and walked out. Several others followed in silence." - Ad Dominum
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The "unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute..."
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I realized how my former posts must read/sound when read by gay people.  I accept Church teaching completely as regards homosexuality and the call to holiness through chaste celibacy.  That is a grace I thank God for.  I haven't always expressed that in loving terms, much less allowing that some people cannot accept that teaching and go away sad - like the rich young man; others go away grumbling and angry - like those who could not accept Christ's teaching on the Eucharist; yet no matter their disposition, all go away wounded when charity is lacking... thus a smoldering wick may have been extinguished, a bruised reed broken, a seed on rocky ground crushed.
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Without casting any aspersions, it might be good for us to take to heart the words of the Holy Father spoken last week in his invitation to priests to use the Internet in the exercise of their pastoral ministry. 
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"In Saturday's message - titled "The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word" - Benedict urged special care in contacts with other cultures and beliefs.
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A presence on the Web, "precisely because it brings us into contact with the followers of other religions, nonbelievers and people of every culture, requires sensitivity to those who do not believe, the disheartened and those who have a deep, unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute," he said." - The Washington Post
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If I continue to blog I need to do so in charity. 
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Art: Chagall, "David and Bathsheba".  Today's first reading from Mass concerns David's sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah.

The Pope on St. Francis...

"Armed only with his faith and his personal meekness -- St. Francis successfully followed the path of dialogue."
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In 1219, St. Francis went to Egypt and met with the Muslim leader, Sultan Malik al-Kamil.
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"I want to underline this episode in the life of St. Francis because of its great relevance. At a time when there was a conflict between Christianity and Islam, Francis -- armed only with his faith and his personal meekness -- successfully followed the path of dialogue," the pope said.
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St. Francis' desire to speak to the sultan and the sultan's cordial welcome is "a model that must inspire relations between Christians and Muslims today as well, promoting a dialogue in truth, mutual respect and understanding," he said. - CNS

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"Love never fails."  1 Corinthians 13:8
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I have so much repenting to do.






Art:  St Francis Before the Sultan

Thoughts on blogging: "Watch out for that one."

The other day I read a warning about a very fine priest in the com-box of a blog post; "Watch out for Fr. X...".  The commenter proceeded to explain how the priest had appeared to approve of something not approved by the Church.  Evidently the priest publicly corrected the misunderstanding.  Bloggers (me too) make similar mistakes all of the time - and if they are faithful Catholics, they usually try to correct any misunderstanding they've caused. 
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Over the years, some bloggers have stood behind their errors and therefore revealed a side to themselves unknown to their readers prior to their 'coming out of their heterodox closet' as it were.  The most famous case being that of Gerald at Cafeteria is Closed, after readers realized his particular cafeteria was still open.  My big criticism with Naus was that he continued to solicit donations on his blog, even after he began posting things contrary to Church teaching.  I felt faithful Catholics were contributing to a blog they felt to be 'orthodox' when in fact it wasn't.
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Interestingly enough, while I wrote a few posts pointing these things out regarding Cafeteria is Closed, I also received emails with information concerning Naus' history.  Nothing damaging, but I realized there are people who investigate us - readers delve into what they can concerning our personal lives - beyond what we expose on line, and 'talk amongst themselves' as yenta would say.  In other words, some Catholic readers are always on the lookout for dirt, to discredit one another.  Actually, there was a Sedevacantist site that publicly asked people to notify them if they found any dirt on Cardinal Mahoney - I'm not sure if the site still exists or not.
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Perhaps it wasn't the most honorable thing for me to do - that is, writing about Cafeteria's relative 'apostasy', but I wasn't looking for dirt on the guy either.  The errors were just there.  I think it is important to point out a source that claims to be faithful to Catholic doctrine, while it is in effect promoting the opposite.  I also believe fundraising and commercialism changes the stakes. 
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Everyone who reads me knows I've questioned Fr. Z's asking for donations on his blog.  While I have wondered about his status - never have I questioned his orthodoxy or his fidelity, which is impeccable.    I've actually met him, know him as a priest, and I like him very much.  I love his blog - his hobbies, his cooking posts, his posts on doctrine and liturgy, and so on.  Many times he really cracks me up, I think he can be very funny.  Indeed I pretty much agree with him on everything he writes.  I'm not fond of all his readers however, and most especially, many of his commenters.  And because I raise questions, about a public figure, I know people think I'm a bad guy.
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Of course, there are features I don't like on his blog either.  Just as people do not like stuff on my blog.  Yet besides his commenters, I have to say I'm not too fond of the polling which takes place at his site, and the erroneous impression that the results have any basis in reality.
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For instance, the polling about the TLM vs. the Novus Ordo Mass.  In one post an older reader was mildly criticized for saying he liked the Novus Ordo better than the TLM - the response was something to the effect of, "liturgy is not a matter of like and dislike" along with references to "aging hippies" as opposed to young people preferring the NO.  Thereafter, a poll appears questing people's preference - I know.  Later, Father expresses curiosity as to why "older' people do not vote to express their preference for the NO since stats seem to indicate so many favor it.  The answer to that question is relatively easy however.  First of all, the poll is not scientific; secondly, the majority of people who happen to be mainstream Catholics, Sunday Catholics, or even daily Novus Ordo Mass goers do not read blogs - and if they do, very few would be reading our blogs, much less voting on them.
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On the scale of things, these are all minor points - perhaps not even issues when one considers what is going on in the world - not just Haiti or abortion - but everything that is happening.  I find it odd that Catholic blogs - mine included - are not more intent upon building up the Church - the Kingdom of God - as opposed to constantly criticizing and complaining, and in some cases, assessing one's orthodoxy or lack thereof.  Yes, I'm included in this.
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Lately I've been amazed to find that some Catholic bloggers and/or commenters continue to say things like, "I hate the Novus Ordo!"  "The Novus Ordo is not the true Mass!"  "Yet another reason the Novus Ordo Mass is dangerous!"  (No - Fr. Z does not say that stuff or condone it.)  The Novus Ordo is the Ordinary Form of the Roman Catholic Mass.  I do not understand how people can regard it so contemptuously.  One may criticize and report to the proper authorities abuses which take place, but to condemn what the Church has formally approved and promulgated is not setting a good example for other Christians.
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I could go on and on, and maybe I will in future posts.  I have to wonder at the experts who critique and sometimes condemn every form of art, architecture, vestment, music which veers away from the traditional.    As bloggers, I think we are getting smug, know-it-all, wannabes, and busy bodies.  And in several instances I doubt God is really being served by our blogs, nor is the Body of Christ being strengthened, and the Kingdom is definitely not being built up.  We say we blog for the glory of God - I wonder.

State of the Union

His First State of the Union Address.
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I'm listening to the President's first State of the Union address as I surf online.  I'm just imagining the hateful, mean-spirited, nasty remarks; the seething, the drool, the blasphemy, the cursing, the mockery, the derision hurled at their television sets by his critics.  The stomping, the protest, the anger...

Thank you! Thank you so much!

If you happen to be one of those people who likes to post polls on your blog, compete in popularity contests, and census your followers, installing an applause meter just might be the right new app for you.

WHAT?

Dorothy Day

The impossible saint.
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I call her the impossible saint because of the sense I have of a smothering traditionalism encroaching upon  the Church - many think she's too liberal to be canonized.  But that is not true - consider that Catherine of Genoa had been canonized in her day - a woman as Traditional and liberal as Dorothy.  Indeed, Dorothy Day continues to speak in our day - rare interview videos have surfaced on Youtube - well worth your time to watch and listen.  Go here to Vox Nova to view.
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Thanks to Western Confucian for the link.
...
...
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...Better Or Better Off
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1. The world would be better off,
if people tried
to become better.
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2. And people would
become better
if they stopped trying
to be better off.
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3. For when everybody tries
to become better off,
nobody is better off.
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4. But when everybody tries
to become better,
everybody is better off.
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5. Everybody would be rich
if nobody tried
to be richer.
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6. And nobody would be poor
if everybody tried
to be the poorest.
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7. And everybody would be
what he ought to be
if everybody tried to be
what he wants
the other fellow to be. - Peter Maurin, protege of Dorothy Day

Thank you!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Oh.... thank you! Thank you so much! Why, this is just overwhelming! Thank you! Oh my! Thank you so very much!

Rosie

On Oprah.
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I listened to the program yesterday afternoon while I worked - I know.  I'll miss Oprah.  But anyway - Oprah actually pulled off a pretty good interview with Rosie O'Donnell.  I was a little curious as to where Rosie is at now days, after blowing up her career on The View, and all.  She sounds apologetic and humble - but not really 'changed'.
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O'Donnell is a very troubled woman - she thinks she's okay now - I don't.  She's divorced from her partner Kelly and is now in love with a woman, soul-mate she met on her blog.  She is the woman of her dreams and will probably pack up her kids and move to Texas to live with her - or the new wife will move in with Rosie - together they will have 10 kids.  Her new girl-friend/partner/wife has 5 adopted kids of her own - which is one reason why Rosie fell in love her:  "She has so much love to give, she adopted 5 kids."
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Nope, I'm not judging here.  Since I was not watching - but listening - I think I got a different reading than most of Oprah's audience, maybe not.  I'm convinced O'Donnell has serious emotional issues.  She should never, ever be the poster child for gay marriage, gay adoption, much less family life.  I find it absolutely amazing that she has completed a television documentary "A family, is a family, is a family".  Supposedly demonstrating how stable her family life is.  The woman is a screamer and possibly abusive - at least verbally - by her own admission, she scared the hell out of Barbara Walters.  She is a bully, no doubt about it.
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She claims to be re-parenting herself by parenting adopted children - and from what she says about how she's doing it, I think they will be just as screwed up as she is.  The worst part of all of this is that these kids think they have two moms - who are now divorced, and Rosie is going to uproot the brood and move in with a new mom who has 5 more kids.  I think she's living a TV life - she thinks it's the gay "Brady Bunch".  And I'll just bet there is a reality TV show there.
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As far as I'm concerned, Rosie O'Donnell proves that gay adoption is a form of child exploitation and abuse.
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Excerpt from the interview on her 'divorce':
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"As one of the most famous lesbians in the world and a vocal proponent of gay marriage, Rosie says she did feel unspoken pressure to stay with Kelli and be a role model for other gay couples.
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I remember when Melissa [Etheridge] and Julie broke up, I called Melissa and said: 'Come on. There's so few,'" Rosie says. "And she said, 'Ro, your first goal in life is to be true to yourself, and your children will look at you and know when you're living an authentic life.'"

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Rosie says this resonated with her, and from then on, she approached her divorce with honesty. "I wanted to show people that gay families are just like every other family, and sometimes, divorce happens," she says. "No one ever goes into a marriage expecting or wanting a divorce." - Oprah.com

The Jews! The Jews!

"They brought it upon themselves."
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I have actually heard Catholics say that in reference to the Holocaust.  I've written about it in the past, and over time I have noted how 'some' Eastern Catholics have implied to me that the Jews exploit the Holocaust to further their 'agenda'...  Once again, from Poland's Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek:
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"A SENIOR Catholic bishop in Poland claims Jews have stolen the tragedy of the Holocaust and exploited it as a propaganda weapon to gain "unjustified advantages".

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Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek's remarks, during an interview with the Pontifex.Roma website, were published only hours before Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Poland to take part in commemorations to mark the 65th anniversary of the

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While stressing that the majority of people who died in Nazi Germany's death camps had been Jewish, Bishop Pieronek, 75, a well-known figure in his homeland, criticised Jews for apparently claiming ownership of the slaughter at the exclusion of other ethnic groups and nationalities who perished.

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"Undoubtedly, most of those who died in the camps were Jews but also on the list were Poles, Gypsies, Italians and Catholics.
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"It should not be that one group steals this tragedy and uses it for propaganda purposes," the bishop was quoted as saying.
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He then added that the Holocaust had been used as a "propaganda weapon" by Jews to achieve "often unjustified advantages".
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Although Jerusalem and Warsaw enjoy good relations at a state level, some Jews accuse Poles of having had a role in the Holocaust, and still suspect the country of harbouring antisemitic sentiment." - Finish here.
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Ah uh.
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Of course, some Traditional Catholics cannot understand why a Pope would even visit a synagogue or pay tribute to the Jews who died in the Holocaust either.  
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Art: "The Yellow Crucifixion" - Marc Chagall
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UPDATE:  Reports today have it that Bishop Pieronek's comments were taken out of context.  Story here.

Moderation

Cathy has a post on moderation - I think it's about Internet use and making bitchy comments. I just watch educational videos.

Santa Rosa Call For Dialog On Women Priests

"As the Diocese of Santa Rosa-- one of the most vocation-poor dioceses in the United States-- continues to struggle to find priestly vocations, a diocesan lay leader has called for “informed debate” on women’s ordination. “There is no point embarking on a project that is not acceptable to Rome at this point,” cautions Yvette Fallandy, executive secretary of the Diocesan Pastoral Council’s board." - Source
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Then why would they embark on it at all?
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Photo:  [Fr. Roy Bourgeois.]  The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat article quotes liberally from Roy Bourgeois.
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Thanks to Pewsitters for the link.

Are you a hetero?

Heterodox
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Whenever I hear the word heterodox I always think of sexual preference.  I know.
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het-ero-dox 1: contrary to or different from an acknowledged standard or traditional form : UNORTHODOX, UNCONVENTIONAL  2: holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines.
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So that is why I took Fr. Ron's link down last week - I do not want to lead Catholics astray or give the impression I'm heterodox.
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Heretics
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"Heretics are heretics and bear the name, because out of the articles of faith they choose at their taste and pleasure those which it seems good to them to believe, rejecting and denying the others.  And Catholics are Catholics, because without any choice or election they embrace, with an equal assurance and without exception, all the faith of the Church." - St. Francis de Sales
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So yeah, to answer whatever questions you may have, I am a Catholic. 
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Art: "Hell" - Kurt Wenner's 3D street art

Web of Priests

"Go forth and blog all nations..."
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The big news is that the Holy Father is once again encouraging priests to blog - well, to get online, if they aren't already.  (Fr. Blake provides an excellent example of a parish priest online.)  This has been the call of the Church in modern times to use all means of communications to evangelize.  St. Maximillian Kolbe did it, St. Francis De Sales before him, Archbishop Sheen after him (Max), followed by Mother Angelica and Fr. Cutie - just to name a few.  One mustn't forget Fr. Charles Coughlin either.  (I know!)  General media thinks it is a new commandment - but Catholics have been doing it all along.
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Excellent encouragement though.  And the good news is there are many priestly blogs already.  I have a few listed in my favorites, and I have others in my blogroll.  I rarely, if ever read Catholic apologist's blogs - the famous ones that is - in fact Patrick Madrid is about the most famous one I read.  I like him.  I like the priests I link to as well - people think I don't, but I do.  And I trust a priest over some amateur, armchair-church-lady-observer like me.
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Anyway, some of what the Pope said can be taken to heart by lay people who blog as well as the priests and religious who are twittering to be heard.
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"In Saturday's message - titled "The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word" - Benedict urged special care in contacts with other cultures and beliefs. 
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A presence on the Web, "precisely because it brings us into contact with the followers of other religions, nonbelievers and people of every culture, requires sensitivity to those who do not believe, the disheartened and those who have a deep, inarticulate desire for enduring truth and the absolute," he said. 
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Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli, who heads the Vatican's social communications office, said that Benedict's words aimed to encourage reflection in the church on the positive uses of new media.

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"That doesn't mean that (every priest) must open a blog or a Web site. It means that the church and the faithful must engage in this ministry in a digital world," Celli told reporters. "At some point, a balance will be found." - Source
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"Is there anything better on earth than gentleness? If there were Jesus Christ would have taught it to us. But Jesus has given us only two lessons. 'Learn from me,' he said, 'for I am meek and lowly of heart.'" --Saint Francis de Sales.  January 24 is the memorial of St. Francis.
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Art: Priests - Simeon Solomon

Mass-chat...

Novus Ordo Watch.
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I went to the vigil Mass last night since I wasn't sure what the morning will bring weather wise - freezing rain can be so slippery when iced. Well, to be honest, I usually go to the Saturday vigil Mass but hate to admit it online because there are people out there who think that doing so is a liturgical abuse somehow. I know - the Church doesn't say that - just church-people. Not a few also imagine the Novus Ordo is not as good as the traditional Mass, today known as the Extraordinary Form. Yet both are valid and equally efficacious -  i.e.:  going to Mass on Saturday evening and the Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Form.

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Anyway - Saturday evening's Mass was beautifully celebrated, and the lector read the Letter of St. Paul as if it was Paul himself speaking - I had never heard it read like that. Father celebrated well - yes he left out something - but I didn't care since it wasn't part of the Mass anyway... And hymn-hater that I can be, the cantor sang beautifully - and I think I did too! All in all it was a beautiful celebration of Mass, according to the Ordinary Form - Mass of Paul VI, in English, etc.. I don't know what came over me that I felt able to worship appropriately.
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I'll bet just having made my confession helped.

Something to think about...

A story from the life of St. Therese.
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"The thought that there were some religious communities who were submitting to unjust laws against the Church promulgated by the anti-Catholic secular power, filled me (Celine) with indignation.  One day in Therese's presence I exclaimed, 'My entire being rises up in in rebellion when I witness such a spirit of cowardice.  I would be cut into a thousand pieces rather than belong to any of these communities or to assist them in any way.' 
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The Saint answered:
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'We should not be concerned about such matters at all.  It is true that I would be of your opinion and act perhaps in the same way had I any responsibility in the matter.  But I have no obligation whatsoever.  Moreover, our only duty is to become united to God.  Even if we were members of those communities which are being publicly criticized for their defections, we would be greatly at fault in becoming disquieted on that account.'" - "My Sister, St. Therese" - Sr. Genevieve of the Holy Face

Bad boys of art.

"Bad, bad, bad boys, make me feel so good..."
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I have to admit I don't know a great deal about the personal lives of famous masters of art, except for a couple of the bad boys.  I was only interested in art-works and technique - from which I learned more about art than knowing the intimate details of an artist's life.  A well known artist in Boston once told me, "Follow the brush strokes - they will teach you everything."  He himself said he learned more by closely studying a painting of the early masters than by anything he learned in art school.
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I've been pondering the idea of the necessity of being in the state of grace to paint worthily images of the saints and heavenly things.  Most people know of Fra Angelico, whose name in religion is Fra Giovanni da Fiesole of the Dominican Order, who left a great treasure trove of work to the Roman Church.  Ven. John Paul II declared him blessed supposedly explaining his body of work was miracle enough to warrant the beatification - thus confirming why the friar came to be known as 'Angelic'.  His work is truly amazing in it's vivid, nearly heavenly colors, his figures chaste and beautiful, his angels awesome, his composition simple and without sentimentality - full of truth and beauty.  One could go on and on.  Being a friar in a convent must have been a great support to his life of holiness and 'ecstatic' painting.
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However, monastic life didn't help Fra Lippi much.  It is said he was more or less coerced into becoming a Carmelite when he was sixteen or so, wherein he learned to paint and accomplished fame.  As chaplain to the Margherita in Prato he seduced one of the nuns who posed for him, took her home and kept her.  (Artists love to collect pretty things.)  The Medici's arranged the necessary laicizations and the couple married and had a son.  It all sounds rather modern, doesn't it.  Lippi produced a son, who also became a well known painter by the name of Lippi - Filippino, or 'little Philip' - a much more sentimental painter, like Boticelli, who seems to me the Nicole Kidman of artists.  (Sentimental, cosmetically beautified, mythologized and over-romanced.)
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Lorenzo Monaco - which translates Lawrence the Monk, since the artist lived for a time as a Camaldolese, wasn't probably such a bad boy - although he left the monastery - again, a fairly modern experience.  His real name is Piero di Giovanni.  I prefer his work to that of Fra Angelico.
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I suppose the award for the worst bad boy has to go to Caravaggio.  Hot tempered, kind of a drunk, disrespectful, promiscuous, he even killed someone I think.  He fled the authorities, was bailed out by the pope, but died in poverty.  He was a rough guy.  His work startled his contemporaries, many of whom felt they were immoral and reflected his own immorality.  Today we call them masterpieces.
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Now days much ado is made about iconographers fasting and praying before and during their icon 'writing'.  Some people think only monks or nuns can 'write' an icon.  The rules set forth can sound almost cultish the way some folks explain it.  Truth be told, icons have always been painted by men (more recently women) very similar in character to the great (or not so great) Western artists.  Today, as in days past, many 'real' icons are produced in workshops, and not by monks or nuns.  The human tendency is to place our heroes or models - in this case, iconographers, on pedestals.  Truth is, only artists can do that with the proper perspective, that is, they pose their subject to match an ideal of perfection - and quite often their interior life may not be as good as their work.  (Note: My 'schism' comment removed because it was dumb.)
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I think the reason so many Latin rite faithful have fallen in love with Orthodox icons is due to the fact the Western Church went through a severe period of iconoclasm shortly after the Council.  The faithful longed for truth and beauty, and they were forced to seek it elsewhere.
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Art:  Lorenzo Monaco: The Meeting between Saint James the Major and Hermogenes.  If people are going to be beatified based on their portfolio, I would think Monaco could be.
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Oh.  Did you know Andy Warhol went to Mass almost every day?

A day offline...

No TV, no radio, a day of silence.
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Well, I did pick up my emails before going to bed... nothing important however.
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I'm not sure being online is important either.

January 22: Day of Penance

Fast and pray.
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In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" (no. 22 of the "Masses for Various Needs") should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day. - General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373 - USCCB
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Comments closed until Saturday.

Christian Unity Week.

This is the week of prayer for Christian unity.
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It was a big deal when I was in grade school just before Vatican II.  I think the Pope believes it's a big deal too.  I don't think that many Catholics agree that it is however, considering how divided Catholics themselves seem to be...
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Skip around the Catholic blogosphere and tell me if you'd like to unite with the Catholic Church if you weren't already Catholic.  I love this one: "Chris Matthews is an odious swine!"  And then: "Medjugorje: Dialog? We Don't Need No Stinking Dialog!"  Of course you can be pretty darn sure anything on: "Catholic Caveman" is going to be offensive.   And usually any post that begins with: "You can't be Catholic and ___!"  As well as several posts on:  "Athanasius Contra Mundum". 
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I'm included in this slam-bam fest too you know: "Catholicism as a Game Show - on Indifferentism and Latitudinarianism."  Or: "Outing Priests and Bishops..."  Back at you though - anything by "Sr. Patricia" - (yeah, she just looks sweet.)  Or: "Dear Person who says all the responses in Mass quicker than every one else and really really loudly..." and just about anything else on K's blog. (I know - ain't she nothin'!) 
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Oh - and don't forget this one - which I really agree with BTW: "I am not going to Hell for anybody and especially not for refusing to ruffle feathers."
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Praying for Christian Unity.  Ah uh.
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Good nite Lonnie Anderson.

The Grand Inquisitor.

On the subject of background checks...
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Fr. Robert Fox, God rest his soul, purchased this icon of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta of Fatima from me a few years ago.  The original work was of the two Blesseds, with relicarios containing 3rd class relics of their clothing in reliquaries at each corner.  Fr. Fox definitely wanted the icon, but before he purchased it I had to go through a mini-inquisition of sorts.  He wanted to know details concerning my spiritual background.  Was I Catholic?  Did I attend Mass?  How often?  Did I work?  Where?  What did I do?  Have I painted religious art before?  Do I pray?  How much?  The Rosary?  Was I married?  Single?  Did I live alone?  In a monastery?  How long?  Why did I leave?  Do I follow Church teaching?  The Pope?  Isn't your asking price a little steep?  Well then, would you add this and that detail?
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I wasn't put out, and I willingly added everything you see in the border to please Fr. Fox's taste.  The asking price was less than what a good  attorney charges for drawing up an average will and testament.  I obviously passed the background check and Father was pleased with the additions, since he purchased the finished icon. 

When the going gets rough, stay where you are... redux.

"Each of us has our cell and that cell can teach us what we need to know."
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My Bruderhoff brother sent me a wonderful article written by a priest I had never heard of before.  Fr. Rohlheiser wrote a reflection on the monastic counsel, "Go to your cell and your cell will teach you everything you need to know."  It seems to me Father's offering makes an excellent meditation about staying - in a vocation, a job - whatever.  It is the old proverb, bloom where you are planted, and echoes traditional monastic teaching.  I was pleased with what I read. 
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Sadly, other readers informed me that the priest's writings may not be entirely 'orthodox' and may contain elements of New Age phiolosophy.  I elected to take it down despite the fact other readers informed me his columns appear in diocesean newspapers across the country.   
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Nevertheless, I think my initial inspiration may be a helpful consideration for those constantly struggling with the idea of vocation - many times even after final vows - people spin there wheels thinking they are meant to be elsewhere or doing more.  Recently I heard about a monk I know who is taking a leave of absence from his community to discern his vocation.  Married couples sometimes go through that too... separating and ultimately divorcing.   
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Sometimes leaving may not always be the right answer to one's problem.  Looking back on my life, I realize there were times  when I left a job or situation I was unhappy with, I was doing so in order to avoid the trials of the former position, only to find the same issues pop up in the new circumstance.  The Imitation says, "Everywhere we meet the Cross!"  That is true - but everywhere we meet ourselves as well - and we're often the carriers of what ails us and quite possibly we affect those around us, thus increasing the discontent - unless we stay long enough, or rather endure the cure in situ. 
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Instead of basing this post on the article by the priest others objected to, I will first of all quote from 'approved' monastic writers, using the passages my friend Michael submitted in the comment box:
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Lessons from the monastic cell.
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"Go, sit in your cell, and you cell will teach you everything." I love the way certain of my favorite monk-writers address it as metaphor, and not just as physical space, just as Rohlheiser does. "The monk must build an interior mansion or cell in his heart, to which he ceaselessly returns in order to find the hidden presence of God. And having found it he remains there in loving contemplation. The Cistercian monk tries to live in deep peace even amid the distractions of the common life." (Andre Louf)
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"The monastic cell will be the scene of many stuggles, defeats and triumphs, many joys and many tears. The cell is like a womb from which I emerge again and again, reborn as a more mature, experienced self, ready once again to meet the challenges of the day. .....Steadfastness in the cell is the counterpart of stability in the abbey until death." (Charles Cummings O.C.S.O.)
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Obviously Rohlheiser's observations do indeed agree with traditional monastic understanding, especially as it can be applied to ourselves and our particular state in life.  Therefore he is not mistaken when he defines the cell as a metaphor and the importance of stability in the ordinary Christian's life:
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"Cell, as referred to here, is a metaphor, an image, a place inside of life, rather than someone's private bedroom. Cell refers to duty, vocation, and commitment.
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Go to your cell and your cell will teach you everything you need to know: Stay inside of your vocation, inside of your commitments, inside your legitimate conscriptive duties, inside of your church, inside of your family, and they will teach you where life is found and what love means. Be faithful to your commitments and what you are ultimately looking for will be found there." - Father Rolheiser 
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Thanks for the initial article DJ!  Thanks Michael R. for the good comments.
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Art: "Heretics Roasting By An Open Fire"   I made the title up.  The painting is by Canadian artist André Durand.

Removed.

I removed a post linking to an author whom other readers informed me was unorthodox.  My apologies, I did not know that before posting an excerpt from an article he wrote.  Thanks for correcting me.

"Oh! I didn't recognize you with your clothes on!"

I can't tell you how many times I've heard that before... (I'm kidding.  Or am I?)
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But in the case of St. Sebastian, depicted here with St. Fabian with whom he shares a feast day, it just might be an appropriate exclamation for many Catholics.  St. Sebastian is commonly depicted nearly nude in Western art, shot through with arrows.  In this representation he is depicted clothed in what appears to be rather regal soldier's attire, holding the instruments of his passion.
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January 20 is the memorial of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian
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Art:  Thanks to Idle Speculations

First glimpse of the next President of the United States...

Scott Brown takes Massachusetts!  The Boss.
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CeCe Peniston - Inside that I cried

I just like this a lot. I'm sure I'll take it down tomorrow.

Hell on earth...

"There is no pit so deep His love is not deeper still" - Betsy ten Boom
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Spirit Daily ran the Time magazine cover today, reminding us of Rwanda... it fits well with the descriptions, videos, stills, emerging from Haiti.  Except for one thing - the people's faith.  All faiths seem to be melded together in Haiti, praying, praising God amidst the flames of suffering.  It makes me think of Betsy ten Boom, amidst the horrors of the concentration camp, suffering and dying, assuring her companions, "There is no pit so deep His love is not deeper still."  In the camp, as in Haiti, denomination hardly made a difference.
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In war and destruction, natural disasters and calamities, plagues and famines, it is not relativism for people of diverse faiths to assemble and pray together - to unite without checking into the orthodoxy of one another's religious practice.  No, not at all.  In such a state, everyone lies abject on the threshold of the house of God [Ps. 84] - without distinction.  Everyone looks heavenward, facing one another or looking east, together they pray to God.
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"This changes everything."
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I read that last week on a Haitian blog - immediately after the earthquake.  It really hit me - Haiti does change everything.  There are all sorts of people there, from every walk of life...  death made no distinction.  All lie abject on the threshold of the house of God.
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This changes everything - at least in my hemisphere.  I think it's about time we all change.
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Note:  I am not dismissing the ongoing suffering and desperate need facing the people of Haiti, I'm simply making an observation here.  Please continue to pray for the Haitians, and if you are able to donate money, send contributions to Catholic Relief Services, or one of your favorite emergency relief agencies.  The people of Haiti really do need donations - not to support a life style, but simply to live.
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Asking for donations, setting goals...

All rightey then...


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Image:  Progress thingy in the side-bar.

My favorite episode.

Massachusetts Voters!

Get out and VOTE!  Elect Scott Brown!

Background checks, inquiries, and stuff like that...

"How is this to be done if not by enquiring into these matters."
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Thus speaks Fr. John Boyle of Ashford, Kent in a post respectfully objecting to a statement made by Bishop Malcom McMahon to the Tablet regarding Church investigation into the private lives of applicants for the headships of Catholic schools:
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"Bishop Malcolm McMahon told The Tablet that the backgrounds of potential school leaders were not the concern of the Church and it should be up to applicants themselves to decide whether they were able to live according to church teaching. “Their family life isn’t scrutinised,” said the bishop. “I’d be rather ashamed if the Church was doing that to people. But we do expect people in leadership in the Church to live out their Christian commitment as best they can.”
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He also said that the Church was not opposed to civil partnerships. “Civil partnerships are precisely what they say they are. They’re not gay marriages or lesbian marriages. They’re simply a legal arrangement between two people so that they can pass on property and other rights in which they were discriminated against before,” he said. “We have many gay people in education and a large number of gay people in the Church, at least the same as the national average. I think a person who is leading a church school should live according to the Church’s teaching whether they are in a civil partnership or not. A civil partnership is not a marriage, it’s not a conjugal relationship.”" - Catholic Education
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Upon first glance the Bishop's statements sound perfectly reasonable inured as we all are in politically correct thinking, but it is an entirely different matter when it impinges upon Church teaching regarding faith and morals, or improprieties which could lead to scandal.  Fr. Boyle's article is a must read as he outlines quite well the importance of inquiring into the lives of those who are given leadership roles in the lives of the faithful and their children.
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"The backgrounds of potential school leaders, indeed of every living soul, is of immense concern to the Church since She is concerned about the salvation, not only of those who lead our schools, but of those whom they are charged to lead and teach. There needs to be some way of ensuring that our teachers are exemplary in their lives. Only in that way can they give example to the pupils and teach coherently what the Church teaches." - Fr. Boyle
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Likewise, the laity are well within their rights to inquire into the lives of those who are charged to lead and teach.

A Madonna for Haiti

If I ever finish the two paintings I am working on, I think I will try to paint a copy of this Sicilian icon in honor of the victims of the Haitian earthquake.
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The image is 17th century, oil on copper, inventoried in the Vatican Museums collection. It is a variation on the Carmine La Bruna Madonna, although this version is extraordinary in that the features of Our Lady and the Divine Child appear to be African. The contrast seems to be deliberate considering the figures in purgatory are decidedly Caucasian. 
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I am especially pleased to have found an authentic Black Madonna of such beauty.  Of course one is reminded of the verse from the Song of Songs, attributed to Our Lady:  "I am black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem... " - Songs 1:5
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Continued prayers for the victims of the Haitian earthquake.
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Accountability.

Blowing in the wind.
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Several years ago I had a doctor I considered to be the best physician in the world, he was so kind and nice and caring.  One day as I was going to make an appointment with him, I found out he was no longer employed at the clinic I went to.  I found out he left in disgrace because his credentials had been falsified - he wasn't really a doctor at all.  I couldn't believe it, I called him at home and told him how sorry I was, that he was the best doctor I ever had, and would he be able to recommend someone like himself.  I never heard from him again.  With the new doctor I was finally diagnosed with actual illnesses my impostor doctor neglected to find.
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Around the same time, a former nun who had been a prioress at a very observant monastery, was in town soliciting funds for her 'hermitage'.  The nun fancied herself a mystic and I felt rather privileged to be in her confidence.  I assumed she had canonical status and was attached, 'incardinated' with the order she had been associated with previously, seeing she used their initials after her name and all.  I was able to have a couple of communities make generous contributions to her 'order'.  Only later did I find out from the prioress of the community she left that the nun had been ex-cloistrated, she was soliciting funds without permission of the local ordinary, and she was using the name of the order illegally.  Since that time the nun had moved from diocese to diocese.  Minor details I suppose.  (To be fair, I believe she is a sister in good standing with her current diocese.)
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Vetting.
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I could go on and on with several examples of professionals not being exactly what they say they are, and/or well intentioned church people, lay and religious, hitting on sincere folks to help support their lifestyles by free-will donations.  For instance I know of a young man who travels abroad extensively, who even has a side business while asking donations to cover his studies.  Legit?  Probably.  In dire need of funds?  Doubtful.  But man, he sure is Catholic.
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The point is, we have to be careful about following leaders/authorities who are in charge of nothing, or those whose credentials are if-fie at best.  And because someone says all the right stuff but still is an outsider, you gotta get some verifiable evidence before you throw support behind everyone.  What's the term today?  Vet - vetting.  But we Americans generally don't do that very well,  and conservative Americans may be the worst; if someone shows up waving all the right banners saying they are pro-life, anti-gay, and traditional - they are automatically labeled a good guy.  (Oh man!  And never criticise these people once they got the Good Housewives seal of approval.)  I may be exaggerating a bit, but you get what I'm saying.
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Rumours.
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One of my friends posted a sort of response to a rumor that unfortunately developed from an earlier post of mine.  (Link)  A discussion in the com-box ensued implying certain priests may have been black-listed (for lack of a better term) from ministering as a priest in this archdiocese.  That is not true however.  Nevertheless that seems to be an impression some lay people have regarding favorite priests of theirs, yet they - we - do not know the details.  And rightly so, since it is always a matter between the bishop and his priest.  Though a priest may not be incardinated in a specific diocese he visits, it is 'presumed' he would still be allowed to exercise his ministry there.  Nevertheless, it is common knowledge a few local priests are not ministering as priests (i.e. lacking an assignment) due to medical issues, and/or personal issues which require they be placed on leave or be given limited responsibilities.  Priests are people too - some have psychological issues just like lay people do - which at times precludes their functioning fully as priests.
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Some men who attended seminary and for some reason or another were not permitted to go on to ordination for a particular diocese, often are able to find a bishop willing to sponsor them and ordain them elsewhere, providing they agreed to be incardinated in that bishop's diocese and serve that particular local Church.  Sometimes, not always, the man's home diocese may not appreciate all that transpired in the process.  Sometimes a priest can acquire a reputation and may be deemed unsuitable for a particular diocese - this is all speculation of course, and I am not referring to any particular circumstance.  In any event, the local ordinary makes the final decision as to whether a particular priest or deacon is a good fit for his diocese.  One must remember, the bishop is the head of a community of priests who have been ordained to assist him:  "He is to have a special concern for his priests, to whom he is to listen as his helpers and counsellors."  Can. 384.  Consequently it would be wrong to assume a person has been black-balled.
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There ought to be a law.
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As I mentioned, in a previous post (now removed), several issues presented in the comment box.  Perhaps a few sections from the Code of Canon Law can shed some light on matters related to incardination, fund-raising, etc..  Indeed, I have no knowledge of law, I'm simply reading it as it is written - in law everything depends upon interpretation for individual circumstances, doesn't it.  That is why there are lawyers and tribunals.
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Actually, if I understand correctly, it is against Canon Law for a bishop to gratuitously refuse incardination to a cleric considered 'suitable and prepared' for ministry.  "Except for a grave need of his own particular Church, a Bishop is not to refuse clerics seeking to move whom he knows to be prepared and he considers suitable to exercise the ministry in regions which suffer from a grave shortage of clergy..." - Can. 271 - 1
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That said, "Every cleric must be incardinated in a particular Church or a personal prelature, or in an institute of consecrated life or a society which has this faculty: accordingly, acepalous or 'wandering' clergy are by no means to be allowed." - Can. 265 
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Ask questions.
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Without going into much detail - the post is obviously too long as it is - I personally know another priest in an Eastern diocese who is something of a gyrovague or wanderer.  I am told the bishop of the place he resides wants him to leave, but he was ordained for another jurisdiction and he was not incardinated into the diocese he resides.  See, it all gets rather confusing and I'm not helping much since I'm purposely being a bit vague about this so as not to offend the priest in question.  However, the situation raises a few questions.  Since faculties are granted by the bishop within whose diocese a priest is incardinated, which includes permission to celebrate the sacrament of penance, what if a confession one makes to a wanderer priest is invalid or illicit due to the fact the bishop of the place did not grant faculties to him?  That is unlikely of course, since I believe permission can be 'presumed' canonically, but can you see where doubt might enter in?  (I actually worried about this once.)
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As for fund raising, asking for donations - diocesan approval needs to be sought by clerics and religious - wandering or not.  (Although I do not know how that could be applied to the Internet.)  Yet there is interesting legislation in Canon Law regulating commerce and trade by clerics.  "Clerics are forbidden to practice commerce or trade, either personally or through another, for their own or another's benefit, except with the permission of the lawful ecclesiastical authority." - Can. 286
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Again - I'm just asking questions here - I'm not accusing anyone of anything.
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Cats With Disabilities...

I wonder if JK (Jamiroquai) would ever do a song by that name?
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See, that's what I think about - sometimes.  Although it is true, my cats are mentally challenged, disabled, whatever the PC term is supposed to be now.  Agnes has elimination problems - she urinates over the side of the box, so I have plastic covering the floor with newspapers 2 feet out on every side.  (In the basement of course - and each cat has an oversized litter box.)  Yes, I use unscented liter and clean the box once or twice daily.
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Agnes eats very well but remains quite thin-ish, and her solid waste is rocky-ish.  I know - TMI for a Sunday morning.  Otherwise she is kind of normal - albeit quite neurotic.  She is a dark beauty however, and I think very fashion conscious which accounts for her being so thin, she often reminds me that fashion models are quite thin, "As was Audrey Hepburn, eow-mow*."  She's right of course.
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Celine on the other hand is quite affable, very friendly, and quite overweight - she has an eating disorder.  She loves to eat and sleep.  I don't like to say she is retarded, rather I think she is just slow.  Her disability would be classified as developmentally disordered.  She is quite amusing actually, especially as she cleans herself.  She goes through the motions of course, her paw wiping away on her face and head, but she forgets to wet it with her tongue, thus her tongue wags and pokes in and out as if wetting her arm, while the paw just wipes.  Nothing gets cleaned.  I love her though, she is my constant companion - quite like a dog.  Come to think of it - she may have that disorder as well - a dog trapped in a cat's body.  Naturally, being a Catholic cat, she would never ask for reassignment surgery.
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This morning we were chatting over coffee after attending services at the Crystal Cathedral on TV, and Celine said to me, making a sort of clucking sound while gazing out the window at the birds gathering for breakfast,  "Come spring, We should assemble all the squirrels in the neighborhood and give them baths."
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"Oh really hon, why do you say that?" I queried.
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"Well earlier I saw the white squirrel and he seemed quite grey, and the black squirrel looked rather dusty yesterday too.  I couldn't help but notice that the grey squirrels seem to run from both of them.  So I decided it must be because they are so dirty."
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"Oh how sweet darling, but I doubt we'd get a squirrel to settle down long enough to go through all of that,"  I replied with a chuckle.  "And anyway, we're not very good about bathing ourselves are we darling."
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"Eow!"  Agnes' laugh out loud echoed from the other room.
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No, Celine wasn't offended at all.
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Notes:
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*"eow-mow" - Cat-speak for, 'you know' or 'I know' - often used interchangeably.  I know.
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The song, "Cats With Disabilities" probably would sound very much like "Travelling Without Moving".
... Or maybe "Love Foolosophy" - yeah, I like that better... "I don't want the world, I want you..."
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