Priests at the Minneapolis bridge collapse...

A friend from New York sent me this photo of local priests who were at the I-35W bridge collapse. I believe I remember one of the priest's names, and if my memory serves me, that would be Fr. Peter Williams - in the foreground.

Basilica of Santa Chiara, Assisi

The tomb of St. Clare is contained in this Basilica. I attended the community Mass here every morning when I lived in Assisi.

The mystery of the battered Bishop...

Agatha Christi, where are you?

For some reason there is a mystery developing over Bishop Donald Pelotte, who told police he had been injured when he fell in his house. He had been taken to a Phoenix hospital with serious injuries doctors described as more typical of a beating than a fall. The Bishop isn't saying anything more, and the police are seeking a judge's ruling as to whether the police photos of his injuries may be publicly released.

So what's the big deal and whose business is it anyway? I think interested parties are looking to prove he was beaten - which may imply something more...

More bad habits...

Some religious women's habits really did need modifying.

Ecclesiastical fashion show...

I'm working on a post at Abbey-Roads2 on what to wear with what for priests.

Is this Mitchell?

Cathy - is this the man you saw in your dream? I always imagined Mitchell to wear glasses. (Isn't this him in his condo downtown?)

Hi Poodle!

Just bein' friendly.

Social event of the neighborhood...

"Take Back the Night" or something.

My neighbors across the street are insisting I join them tonight for their block party. I can't really pretend I'm not home or anything like that - they can see my house. I guess it's something to do with "National Night Out" - can't those people down the block just be content with a wave and a smile when they see me out in the yard, or when I drive by? (I'm sure that crazy woman with the kids will be there too.) Do I have to bring some kind of picket sign? Is this about people "coming out" - I'm so against that. (There are a lot of lesbians in the neighborhood.)

If I show up, maybe I should wear my goalie mask and bring my chainsaw - since I'm trimming trees in my yard.

Cats who don't exercise...

This looks like my kitty, Xena-Celine. She has an eating disorder and doesn't exercise...just like her dad. (Agnes is my kitty who is mentally ill...just like her dad.)

From the Gospel of Life...

Fratricide.

Brother kills brother. Like the first fratricide, every murder is a violation of the "spiritual" kinship uniting mankind in one great family, in which all share the same fundamental good: equal personal dignity. Not infrequently the kinship "of flesh and blood" is also violated; for example when threats to life arise within the relationship between parents and children, such as happens in abortion or when, in the wider context of family or kinship, euthanasia is encouraged or practised. - John Paul II

When Government Takes the Place of God.

Now China is regulating the reincarnation of living Buddhas.

You don't have to be a Tibetan Buddhist to know the oppressive regime of Communist China is trying to play God. After all, as a Catholic, I'm well aware of how they name their own bishops in defiance of the Vatican. Everyone knows China is an atheist regime, so why do they bother with religious matters? No, I'm not naive, the world's most tyrannical, institutionalized abuser of human rights seeks the control of every individual - not simply their temporal existence, but their soul as well.

And we as a Nation, support that.

Abbey 2

I've been busy, so I haven't been online, but I just checked and I still can't get into Abbey 2 - I checked with St. Blogs - they say everything should be fine. I hate this. I'll give it one more day and that is it. I hope everyone knows I have Abbey 1 here. (Spread the news for me.)



Today, at my parish, Annunciation, we have adoration all day, so in between being there and working in the yard, I have no time to blog anyway. BTW - anyone in South Minneapolis, please start coming to Annunciation for Wednesday adoration. It is quiet and the Church is air conditioned. (Hardly anyone comes, so get over here!)

Blogger frustration...

I can't get into Abbey-Roads 2 again. This is so annoying. My St. Blogs site, unlike this one, is "controlled" - I'm really not the webmaster of my site. It is also now going commercial, that is, ads will appear on the site. (I can also make money from the ads, if I want.) I don't think I like this - it smacks of making money off religion to me. I don't like that.



So this may be my only blog - even though being on St. Blogs has increased my stats...we will see what happens.

Attention family and friends!

If you haven't heard from me.

Some people have asked why I haven't responded to their emails, I told them I never got them. For some reason, some of the emails I receive are most likely filtered as junk mail. I have to work on my firewall settings. At any rate - if you have emailed me and I have not responded, I expect this is what is happening. I may not answer my phone, but I normally always answer emails. I apologize if you think I have ignored you.

Viva Viagra!

What Would Elvis Do?

Has anyone else seen the latest Viagra ad on TV? It's a group of guys sitting around in a jam session, playing a really good rendition of Elvis', Viva Las Vegas! I really like their music, until they switch "Las Vegas" to "Viagra" - it has completely wrecked that song for me now. (I've never been an Elvis fan - although I like "Hunk-a-hunk of Burning Love" - it's so me.)

Anyway - did Lisa Marie sell the rights to the song? If she did, she should be shot.

This just in....

Photos are emerging of Cathy's ordeal after she fell off the bus at the races a couple of weeks ago.

You're crazy...

Who knew?

I just read where scientists are now breeding mentally ill mice. My cats are kinda nuts, especially Agnes; Xena-Celine just has an eating disorder.

School Uniforms

My family couldn't afford the trousers for me, otherwise I liked wearing a uniform.

Terry at school...

Sister Lillian: Mr. Nelson, you are never going to amount to anything, I'm just passing you to get you out of my class.

Little Terry: Thank you Sister!

Impaired

I wonder how Cathy is doing? Can she still use the TV remote? How about driving? Drinking?

Terrance J. Nelson

I Googled my name to see what images came up for me - aside from some of my paintings, this image came up as me. I guess I don't mind.

(I'm kind of thinking I may return to this blog exclusively. The Catholic Company is now beginning to post advertisements on Abbey2, and everyone knows how I despise crass commercialism on blogs. I'm also not so impressed with St. Blogs and their Stepford Catholic assemblage of writers. And I don't trust "Catholic" companies that much any more either. This development raises all sorts of conscientious objections for me. I'm plunged into re-evaluating blogs, their meaning and purpose. Oy! I didn't see this crises coming back so soon! It's Cathy's doing - I'm sure of it!)

L'Oreal Cathy at Mass...

A rare photo of Cathy of Alexandria at Mass, shown here with Adoro. (Cathy is wearing the black mantilla - the woman with all the make-up.)

I guess this would be a "chapel veil tip" to Ray at Stella Borealis.

I'm back!

I'm back! And I'm back BIG! It's just the blogs that have gotten small!

(Shut up! I couldn't find a better picture! LOL!)

Tammy Faye

I don't care what anyone else thinks of her, I think she did the best she could with what she had, and she loved Jesus - the only way she knew how. (That is all any of us can do.) I've been praying for her ever since I saw her on Larry King, and now she is dead. May she rest in peace.

(I'm still on hiatus - I just wanted to remember Tammy Faye.)

Moonstruck-ed out.

Moonstruck.

My favorite lines from the film:

Rose: I just want you to know no matter what you do, you're gonna die, just like everybody else.

Cosmo Castorini: Thank you, Rose.

So anyway - once again I'm reminding everyone that I'm taking a break from the blog - seems like a lot of people are doing so. Do you realize I haven't even been reading other blogs? Maybe 2 or 3 at the most. I'm soooooooooooo bored with blogs...and blogging. So I need a break.

Yeah, "it's not you - it's me."

Post Script:

Just a question here before I go: Why do people get so upset about death? Or panic and push someone, insisting they must rush to the Dr. when something is wrong with them? All of us are going to die. I don't think Christians should get so upset about dying - after all, it is what we prepare for. Jesus wasn't all freaked out about it, he didn't go kicking and screaming. "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter." So why do we spend billions of dollars to avoid it? No wonder non-Christians question our faith, when we exhibit such fear of death. (No - that wasn't a question.)

Schmaltz

The definition of Catholic sentimentalism.

(Rachel and Ross are on a break. "Huh? You're not online?")

Stepford lives.

New Catholic families are currently moving into Domino pizza-magnate's newly developed Catholic town. Ave Maria University's founder, Tom Monghan, seems to be completing his parallel universe with this new project, bearing the same name as AMU.

(Drawing: Architect's rendering for the town of Ave Maria.)

The Pope's quiet retreat...

The Holy Father and his secretary, Monsignor Ganswein, taking a stroll while praying the rosary. The Holy Father is on vacation this week.

Photo: Catholic News Service

The interview...

The world's tallest man, shown here in his interview with Lino!

Pope on vacation...

The new faithful...

Hillary, trickery, crock.



The Democratic politicians are now touting their religion.

Catholic music...

Dancing in the dark - the song has nothing to do with anything Catholic, save my post on Abbey2 by that title. But it's all about my favorite Springsteen song, and the moment I fell in love with Courtney Cox! I thought she was just a kid from the crowd - I had no idea it was staged. (I know; dork-o-rama!) She is still cute though.

FYI - for Angie...

You wanted to know what Zubaz are? This is a photo of me when it was okay to wear them - most guys never looked this good however.

Penance, penance, penance...

Time to repent.

Who is in Heaven?

Sinners. (Repentant of course.) I think it is the proud and self-righteous who go to hell.

(Art: Madonna of Loreto, Caravaggio)

Men in flip-flops...

Even without the dress I think they look effeminate.

St. Thomas Moore

At the canonization of St.s Thomas Moore and John Fisher, Pius the XI had this to say regarding Moore:

"When he saw the doctrines of the Church were gravely endangered, he knew how to despise resolutely the flattery of human respect, how to resist, in accordance with his duty, the supreme head of the State when there was question of things commanded by God and the Church...It was for these motives that he was imprisoned, nor could the tears of his wife and children make him swerve from the path of truth and virtue. In that terrible hour of trial, he raised his eyes to heaven, and proved himself a bright example of Christian fortitude."

Ah! Christian fortitude in contempt of human respect...what a rare quality these days.

The Fetus Feels Stress...Really?

From LIFENEWS.COM:

"New research conducted by doctors in England shows that unborn children can face emotional stress during a pregnancy as the baby's mother faces stress herself. Pro-life advocates say the study has implications for abortion as society learns more about the amazing development of children before birth.

The British Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists released the results of the study on Thursday and says that unborn babies as early as 17 weeks into pregnancy suffer from stress.

The stress results when hormones transferred from anxious mothers reach the baby through the placenta." - "Unborn babies face emotional stress during pregnancy"

Makes sense to me!

I'll bet that is what happened to me! (Why I am so nuts, that is.) My mother was kind of nuts, divorced-remarried-to-my-wife-beater-dad, she had been a Roman Catholic nun-wanna be in her youth, laden with guilt and fear that she was going straight to hell because of getting married outside the Church and giving birth to a bastard. Fighting and drinking was a growing problem in that marriage, thus it must have been rather stressful.

Of course, after birth - that's a good name for me! - things did not get much better. My dad's mother, grandma - as we liked to call her (she was nuts too), tried to kidnap me out of my mother's arms, in a big scene in downtown New Richmond, Wisconsin. (My mother won.) Nevertheless, as years went on, her depression and drinking got worse, as did my dad's, and there were a lot more fights.

So yeah, stress probably does affect the unborn child, maybe prepares him for a stressful life. This new, groundbreaking study, similar to those which say that fetus thing can feel pain too, is maybe going to affect the abortion mentality - so the pro-life advocates and researchers claim. I'm wondering if Planned Parenthood will simply turn this around and and use it as another excuse to abort, fearing that infants with emotional damage will not make very good prospects as adults.

Sometimes, when I grow impatient with the abortion thing, I'm tempted to agree with the views of Nathan Lane's character in the "Birdcage", playing the role of Albert, dressed up as Mrs. Coleman. When discussing abortion with Senator Keeley, he/she replied, "Well, why not just kill the mothers? - Oh, I know what you're going to say. 'If you kill the mother, the fetus dies too.' But the fetus is going to be aborted anyway, so why not let it go down with the ship? "

Have a nice day!

Memorial Day 2007

"It is scarcely possible that the eyes of contemporaries should discover in the public felicity the latent causes of decay and corruption. This long peace, and the uniform government of the Romans, introduced a slow and secret poison into the vitals of the empire. The minds of men were gradually reduced to the same level, the fire of genius was extinguished, and even the military spirit evaporated." - The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

The Cathedral of Los Angeles

Above the bronze doors of the new Cathedral stands this figure of Our Lady. Both were designed by the Mexican born, Los Angeles sculptor, Robert Graham, who coincidentally is married to actress Anjelica Huston. I believe the architectual design of this Cathedral would be considered "Post-Modern" as opposed to the International Style I reference on my post at Abbey Road2.

90th Anniversay of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima

I grew up with Fatima. In the late 1950's, emphasis upon the message of Fatima was rather intense in Catholic schools. The famed Third Secret was supposed to be revealed in 1960, or so everyone thought, although it was intended for the Holy Father to open at that time, not necessarily reveal. The Third Secret was believed to be filled with dire prophecies, which many believed would have to do with the end of the world.

Although I was curious about the Third Secret, I was much more fascinated with the secrets Our Lady revealed that were known. The revelation of hell, where poor sinners go - evidently in great numbers. Her Immaculate Heart, seeking reparation and assuring us of her maternal care, especially if we practice the devotion to the holy Rosary and the Five First Saturdays.

All the details of the apparitions captured my imagination and inflamed my heart with devotion. Our Lady's prophecy of the II World War had come to pass, as well as that of Communist Russia spreading her errors if the Virgin's requests were not heeded. To this day, no other apparition of the Blessed Virgin inspires me more.

The Third Secret

The Vatican announced the contents of the secret in the presence of John Paul II when in Fatima for the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco. I was stunned. I never expected it to be revealed. This past week the Vatican confirmed that the entire secret had indeed been revealed, in response to sometimes convincing arguments to the contrary. These contrary voices are many and varied, from Mother Angelica to Fr. Nicholas Gruner to a few trads and sedes. One of the most outrageous books ever written about the matter is "The Devil's Final Battle" which more or less insists upon a Vatican II conspiracy to hide the true secret. Mother Angelica was convinced that there had to be a text to accompany the secret, which was only revealed as a vision. Yawn.

"Despite claims there are still secrets connected to the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Benedict XVI and his secretary of state said the entire message has been published and has been interpreted accurately." - Full story at CNS

One would think that is enough said, but I doubt it will satisfy anyone. People like John Venari and Nicholas Gruner will continue to pound for the full disclosure and the Consecration of Russia, through their troubling "Fatima Crusader" magazine.

People wonder why the Fatima message is often times dismissed as passe, irrelevant, or apocalyptic. It has always attracted nut jobs, the events of 1917 were spectacular and unusual, and the unfolding prophecy was as well. In the McCarthy era, many of his supporters were Fatima people, bent upon combating communism. In the 1960's and 1970's, some Fatima devotees were pretty much on the fringe of post-Vatican II reforms, sometimes identified by wearing something blue for Our Lady, while the ladies were definitely draped in mantillas, scapulars and rosaries. And they always seemed a bit tense...

Anyway, the Secret is out.

We know what we need to know. Is there a text explaining the Secret? In my opinion yes, it is everything Our Lady told the children preceding the vision of the "Bishop dressed in white, walking with halting step, etc...", later written down by Sr. Lucia,

And confirmed as accurate before she died.

The "peace plan", the way of devotion Our Lady revealed in the apparitions in 1917 is the only matter we must concern ourselves with...not the sensationalism, or controversies created by some to create doubt and division amongst believers. Listen to the Pope.

The message of Fatima is indeed relevant today...one thing I believe, the vision of the Third Secret may not simply be in the past, it could still come to fulfillment. Basically, Our Lady's message was the same as the Gospels - "Repent and believe in the Gospel." Her presence showed us that the easiest way in which to do this most successfully is through the prayers of the rosary, fidelity to the Church and the duties of our state in life, guided by devotion to her Immaculate Heart.

Papa Bear

The Pope got a teddy bear for his birthday, and Don Georg, his secretary, said it was a "wonderful specimen". The Holy Father donated the bear to a children's hospital in Rome. Sweet.

Vincent

Thoughts on a snowy April day...

.

Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.

Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.

Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.

Starry, starry night.
Portraits hung in empty halls,
Frameless head on nameless walls,
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the strangers that you've met,
The ragged men in the ragged clothes,
The silver thorn of bloody rose,
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen,
they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will... - Don McLean

Good Friday

How do you pray?

Fr. Thomas Keating and the Centering Prayer phenomena.

"Centering Prayer is neither Catholic nor prayer, yet it is offered at most retreat centers. Nowadays, most retreat centers can scarcely be called Catholic and are notorious for adopting New Age and other non-Catholic techniques and philosophies.

An additional problem with retreat centers is that they often promote universalism (everyone is saved). In a short article by Fr. James Behrens, a universalist and Trappist at Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, Georgia (where centering prayer and yoga retreats are offered), he asserts his belief in universal salvation by saying: "Salvation is a given...no one is left out... all the Bibles could be destroyed tomorrow and it would not make a difference."

What is the connection between Centering Prayer and universalism? At the root of Centering Prayer is the belief that we are all already saved and because of this belief, we do not need to pray to God for salvation. New Agers believe that we are God and God is everything, so we do not need to pray to God in a relational way (as someone apart from ourselves), but rather to the god within. " Spero News Forum

The above editorial concerns the Enneagram as well as Centering Prayer, two essentially non-Christian approaches to the spiritual life, 'adapted' and often promoted by some Roman Catholic priests, monks and nuns. I've written on these topics before, and I'm heartened that other more qualified people continue to do so as well.

What's the big deal however? What if Zen or yoga trips your mystical trigger? What harm is there in that? What if Wicca or neo-paganism answers your spiritual needs? What if you practice a Christianized version of trancedental meditation and call it Centering prayer? Personally, I don't care what people do when they say they are praying, I just get annoyed when a few dress it up and try to pass it off as Roman Catholic contemplative prayer.

I've run into a number of la-di-da mystics out there as it is, pseudo-nuns and oodles of 3rd order religious or self-styled hermits, convinced they are contemplatives - despite their apparent lack of discernment, and perhaps a bit of presumption, these folks at least are pursuing an authentic prayer life. New Age feel-good religious seem to me to be simply pursuing themselves - or the god they believe themselves able to become.

Just because someone is a member of the Poor Clares, the Sisters of St. Joseph or the Cenacle, doesn't mean they are an authority on Catholic mystical theology, much less posess a penetrating understanding of the New Age crap they are in to. It might even be possible an elderly Trappist could be a bit theologically off center as well. (I've lived with monks - living in a monastery and wearing a habit doesn't guarantee orthodoxy.) However, these well intentioned people may not know they are leading others astray with false teachings. Unless... maybe...just maybe... they... do... know!

OH! MY! GOSH!

IT'S CONSPIRACY THEORY #2

The Penitent

The commemoration of Blessed Angela of Foligno, January 4th.

"She married young, had several sons, then, around 1288, all in her immediate household, husband, sons and mother, died. She was worldly, wealthy, vain, beautiful, even unfaithful to her husband, according to legend. She found herself unable to confess some of her sins, and, receiving communion, thus added sacrilege to these. Praying to St Francis that she find a confessor, she came upon her relative, the Franciscan, Brother Arnaldo. He would become her confessor, spiritual director, amanuensis. In modelling her life on St Francis she found herself before a crucifix, stripping herself of her clothing, vowing poverty and chastity. In 1291 she asked the Privilege of Poverty from the apostle Peter in Rome and sold the remainder of her possessions, giving the proceeds to the poor. She became a Franciscan tertiary and journeyed to Assisi, receiving first a vision of the Trinity in a chapel dedicated to the Trinity, then another in the Basilica of Assisi, from seeing stained glass of St Francis in Christ's bosom. Like Margery Kempe she started screaming and crying when this vision left and left her desolate. Brother Arnaldo was furious.

He thought she was inspired by the devil. He made her explain herself to him. A flood of visions. He struggled to write these down, in Italian, in Latin. She speaks of Christ as the God-man, stressing the paradox of Divinity and Humanity. Brother Arnaldo describes the stages of her spiritual journey, sometimes of God's presence and joy, sometimes of the deepest desolation and temptations of the devil." - A Circle of Angels

So, sinners, we should pray the Blessed Angela to obtain the grace of conversion for us, confident in God's mercy.

Modesty and Calvinism...

There is a distinction.

The Apparition of the Madonna to St. Bernard wherein he nurses at her breast. It is a mystical moment in the life of the saint, rarely represented in art.

Presented is the history of the iconography shown here:

" The imagery of Bernard's miracle of lactation is founded on the words purported to have been spoken by Bernard in prayer before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "Monstra te esse matrem." (show thyself my mother!) With this request the statue is said to have come alive and have 'expressed' a stream of milk to the mouth of Bernard. Louis Réau traces the iconography of the lactation miracle of Bernard back to the 14th century, finding three paintings from that period, six in the 15th century, eight in the 16th, seven in the 17th, and ends with three in the 18th century.165 14th century "Legend of St. Bernard" Majorcan;166 The Virgin Mary stands holding Jesus in right arm, pressing her right breast with her left hand using the p/z gesture; shooting a stream of milk to the kneeling Bernard in a praying attitude as three saints look on (fig. 10). > 15th century "La légende de la lactation" Flemish;167 p/z gesture to breast and holding the Christ child; Bernard holding book and pen; no milk.

ca. 1475 "Maria erscheint dem heilegen Bernhard" flemish;168 breast cupped with left hand, holding Jesus with right hand; Bernard kneels and prays; no milk. ca. 1540? "Aparición de la Virgen a San Bernardo" by Juan Correa,169 Spanish; Virgin in a mandorla cloud presses her right breast with her right hand to shoot a stream of milk to Bernard using the p/z gesture, holding Jesus in her left arm; Bernard kneels as he receives her milk. 15th century "The lactation miracle of St. Bernard,"170 detail of a retablo by the Valencian Master of Burgo de Osma; the Virgin appears to Bernard alone in a mandorla above an altar, pressing her breast between her thumb and second finger to shoot a stream of milk to the lips of Bernard; Bernard holds his hands in prayer and receives the milk drawn in a straight line from the Virgin's nipples to his closed lips. 1659 "La légende de la "lactation" mystique de saint Bernard" Bruxelles;171 The Virgin standing, with the baby Jesus in her left arm, and Bernard kneeling, elevated above the earth on clouds, overlooking Clairvaux, Bernard's newly established monastery; the Virgin squirts a stream of milk into Bernard's waiting mouth; no gesture visible 1665-75 "La visión de San Bernardo" by Bartolomé Murillo,172 Bernard kneeling with his hand on his chest in the pseudo-zygodactylous gesture receiving milk from the Virgin Mary; the Virgin appears in a cloudy mandorla and presses her right breast with her right hand to shoot a stream of milk to the saint, her nipple between her thumb and second finger, while she holds Jesus in her left arm.

(Pictured at left, an image I lifted from "Sacred Weblog of the Universal Inquisition")

Rubens (1577-1640) "Saint Augustin en moine."173 In the painting the figure of the risen Christ holding a cross looks down upon the saint from the left side, while the Virgin on the right presses her right breast with her right hand, presumably to gift Augustine, on whom she gazes, with her milk. Augustine himself kneels between the mother and son looking up into the heavens with his arms crossed. Directly associated with Murillo's painting of the lactation vision of Augustine is the painting by Murillo, "The vision of Saint Augustine" ca. 1678174 in which the bearded Augustine kneels with his hands low and outstretched, with the image of Christ crucified on the viewer's left, gazing upwards towards Mary, to the viewer's right, who is pressing her breast to squirt a stream of milk to his lips; putti fill the upper realms of the painting. ? "Saint Bernard et la Vierge," by the Master of the life of the Virgin, Cologne, the Virgin and Bernard stand in a mundane scene behind a low wall on which the baby Jesus sits; Bernard gazes at the child as Mary, with eyes lowered towards the saint, bares her left breast and holds it with the pseudo-zygodactylous gesture; Jesus touches her p/z hand, as Bernard touches the leg of Jesus with one hand while holding a book with the other; no milk. " Breast Feeding

The Puritan and Calvinist influences in our culture do indeed remain intact in the American psyche, even in an atmosphere of so much depravity and overt sexuality, while elements of Jansenism seem to be entering a new renaissance amongst some ultra-traditionalists. These provocative (provocative to a sexualized culture) images of St. Bernard will of course be shocking to some people. I post them because another blogger was recently criticized for a painting he posted on his blog, with a couple of commentators warning him that he was presenting an occasion of sin to those who would visit his site. It all happened on Roman Catholic Blog . (I myself had used the image he uses for his current post once before - borrowed from his earlier use of it.)

At the hospital today I was looking through People magazine - now that is soft porn - and definitely not art. "Brittney - put some underwear on!"

(Don Marco - where are you when I need you!)

The Old Feast of the Day was a Commemoration of the Bris of Jesus.

Or the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord.

As well as the naming of Jesus. Some people think that it was a rite akin to Baptism, to purify the Jew from original sin - some fundamentalists think this. NOT. Here is a description for those who never watched the episode on "The Nanny" with Fran Drescher:

The Origin of Bris Milah (Circumcision)


Times change. Styles change. But some things never change: Bris Milah is one of them. It is a bond between God and the Jewish nation for all time. It is a bond that can never be broken.

When our forefather Abraham reached the ripe old age of 99 years (Genesis 17) the Almighty promised him that his descendants would have a special relationship with their Creator. This would forever be symbolized by the Bris Milah (Covenant of Circumcision). "This will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you".

Abraham circumcised himself as well as all the men of his household. When his son Isaac was born, he too, underwent Bris Milah on the eighth day, as Divinely specified. (As did Jesus today.)

Heroism Throughout the Ages


Throughout the generations the Jewish people have been unyielding in performing this mitzvah. Bris Milah was often performed in secret, defying innumerable despots and hostile regimes.

Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, and ancient Greece and Rome all tried to ban Bris Milah. They understood correctly that this distinctive rite is the cornerstone of the Jewish faith, and that proscribing it would be the first step towards eliminating our nation.

The Jewish people, non-observant as well as observant, are uncompromising on this issue. They recognize that in order for their children to survive as Jews, they must induct them into the Divine covenant of Bris Milah. (The Child Jesus was no exception.)

The Mohel (pronounced, moiyh-el)


A Mohel performs the circumcision with spiritual intent. A Bris by a Mohel is more than a simple medical procedure; it is a connection with the Divine. At a Bris Milah blessings are said and prayers are recited as the child takes his place as a member of the Jewish people. Carried out according to Jewish tradition, Bris Milah is a profoundly moving experience for all in attendance. - Bris, Jewish Circumcision

Thus with my male health problems, the Divine Infant Jesus is most assuredly the focus of my prayer in this first of His sufferings and shedding of blood.

"Jesus, sweetest Child, circumcised on the eighth day, called by the glorious name of Jesus, and by your name and your blood, revealed as the Savior of the world; have mercy on us!" - Carmelite novena to the Infant Jesus.

Mazel Tov!

The Nun's Story

Another favorite movie of mine...it's too bad there wasn't a "Monk's Story" that I could have gotten photos from.
Pretend this is Dr. Fortunati (it's actually the Director) saying good bye to Sr. Luke as she leaves the Congo and returns to the Motherhouse. Then pretend Sr. Luke is a monk...
Don Marco is leaving in two days to return to his Abbey, Santa Croce in Rome.





I hope the Abbot realizes how important Don Marco's blog is to the thousands of readers he has, and that he will continue writing! Pray for Don Marco - he isn't in the best of health either.

The Mother of God

Happy Feast of the Mother of God.

And Happy New Year.

Pictured, an icon of Our Lady of the Sign by a Terrance Nelson, painted for a priest in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"Narrative: Depicting the Virgin of Mt. Sinai, Our Lady of the Sign expresses the ancient anthem, “In the bush seen by Moses, as burning yet unconsumed, we recognize the preservation of your glorious virginity, O Mother of God!” as well as the prophecy of Isaiah, “... the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.” (Isaiah 7:14)"

(It was the first icon I came across when I put in "Our Lady of the Sign" on Google.)

As usual, The Penitent Blogger has a concise explanation of the meaning of today's feast, in his post, "Something About Mary".