Crawfish Capers

From the Daily Comet:

A News Analysis by JEREMY ALFORD, Correspondent

BATON ROUGE -- If a crawfish you personally raised escapes from your pond and decides to set up shop in your neighbor’s ditch and is consequently consumed by that neighbor with a side of corn and potato, is the mudbug still yours?

While perhaps not a question for the ages, it’s among the many crawfish-related topics state lawmakers will be debating during the ongoing regular session.

What do you mean, Jeremy, that this is not a question for the ages? This is crawfish we're talking here. It's a question for the ages here in south Louisiana.

As for that crawfish on the lam, a lawmaker from Lake Charles takes the question quite seriously.

Rep. Brett F. Geymann, a Republican crustacean crusader, has filed House Resolution 7 to request that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries study the issue of "escaped farm-raised crawfish."

Didn't I tell you that our Louisiana legislators take their work seriously? Well, no, I did not.

When this happens, the "crawfish can escape their impoundments into neighboring ditches and other waterways, in much the same manner as livestock at-large," the legislation states.

"Many times, these escaped crawfish are harvested from those neighboring ditches and waterways by people other than the people who had been cultivating the crawfish for commercial purposes in private ponds," the resolution continues, "thereby depriving the farmer of his livestock and the commercial gain from that livestock."

Branding the crawfish is one solution that pops into my mind. What do you think, Rep. Geymann? Or you could order construction of more jail space and lock up the wayward critters.

Good job, Jeremy.

Watch This Wonderful Video

What we all knew instinctively as kids.
These 2 guys reared this lion from a baby in England but the authorities would not allow them to keep it once it reached maturity so they were forced to give it up. They took it back to Africa and placed it in a wildlife sanctuary. A year later they went to see it and were told it would not remember them. Check out the attached video for the lion's reaction when it saw them for the first time...

From Doug.

"Who Is The Real Patriot?"

From the web edition of the Chicago Tribune:

In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.

In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)
....

While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.

Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
....

This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.
....

How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.

While words do count, so do actions.

Can I get an amen here?

Thanks to Doug for the link. You see, my friends, the mysterious Doug has a serious side, too.

Feast Day Of Martin Luther King

From The Reverend King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech on April 3, 1968:

It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.
....

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

King was assassinated the following day. The speech in its entirety is here.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 77:11-20 or 98:1-4
Exodus 3:7-12
Luke 6:27-36

Uh-uh-uh Uh Uh! Uh-uh-uh Uh Uh!

From my faithful stringer, Lapin.

Sazerac State Cocktail Of Louisiana?

From the Times-Picayune:

BATON ROUGE -- The world-famous Sazerac, a cocktail conceived in 19th century New Orleans, picked up its first round of legislative support Wednesday as the state's official cocktail.

Without objection, the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs toasted Senate Bill 6 by Sen. Edwin Murray, D-New Orleans, sending it to the full Senate for debate.

Murray added a provision that the bill would go into effect when Gov. Bobby Jindal signs it. Murray said he does not foresee any opposition to the measure.

What a relief to know that the Louisiana legislators are up in Baton Rouge doing serious business and not wasting time and money or anything. In truth, the citizens of Louisiana are probably better off with the legislators focused on this sort of thing, rather than making mischief in ways that could actually affect our lives.

The ingredients in the cocktail were not spelled out in the bill. Some contend the drink should be made with rye and others say it must be made from bourbon.

Murray said the drink is one of the oldest in the nation and the oldest created in New Orleans.

The drink was concocted in the 1830s by Antoine Amedee Peychaud, a pharmacist who fled from Haiti to New Orleans.

He used bitters he created as part of the drink and mixed it with Louisiana cane sugar and imported French brandy.

Peychaud's bitters is still a key component of the drink.

There you have it. Go make yourself a Sazerac, put on some good music, sit back, relax, and let your imagination rove where it will.

UPDATE: For a taste of the mischief cooked up by the Louisiana legislature in its last session, see Jim at JindalWatch. Of course, they were stirred up to do this bit of mischief by Governor Clean, who chooses as his example the Bush maladministration, the masters at doling out money to their cronies.

Stormy Is Home

My son's cat, Stormy, is much better and back home. He will be eating special food with the proper pH balance, and that should prevent crystallization of the urine. Thanks for your prayers and your concern.

That is not Stormy up there, but a picture of a Russian Blue that looks very like him.

UPDATE: Below is a picture of the real Stormy.

A Picture, A Symphonic Poem, And A Sermon

Tobias posted at his blog, In A Godward Direction, a beautiful picture, a symphonic poem of his own composition, and his sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter.

I won't try to quote excerpts, and I won't say more, except to suggest that you may want to go over and play the music and read the sermon. It's a lovely experience.

Bishop Charles Jenkins Gets It Right

From The Bishop's Blog:

Should you depart your faith community when you disagree with the spiritual leader? In this second week after the headlines broke regarding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments, that question looms large. Senator Clinton has implied that she would know what to do in such a situation. She said we cannot pick our family but we can pick our pastor. Senator Clinton says she would leave the Church in the face of such disagreement. Perhaps I am incorrect, but I think I hear her saying that if you do not like the preacher, go find one you like. If you do not like what the minister is saying (or doing) go find one that fits you. I imagine that many in this country agree with Senator Clinton. I think she is devilishly wrong and her advice gives power to spiritual and emotional immaturity rather than challenging people to grow in maturity.

That's exactly right. I agree with Bishop Jenkins that Senator Clinton is wrong. In fact, I was amazed at the whole news frenzy about the Reverend Wright's sermon. Unfortunately, the frenzy is probably not over. I was not offended at all by the sermon, but that's not the subject of this post.

Senator Obama has made clear his disagreement with certain of the words of the Reverend Wright, but that's not enough. He is now asked by Senator Clinton to break with his long-term pastor, because he doesn't agree with everything he says. How many of us would keep a long-term association with a pastor, if we thought it necessary to agree with everything our pastor says? We'd be wandering around ceaselessly, looking for a pastor whose views exactly match ours. As soon as we discovered a point of disagreement, we'd have to move along to search for a perfect match.

I thought the best thing to come out of that overblown event around Pastor Wright was the fact that Senator Obama could disagree with Pastor Wright and yet remain in relationship, fellowship and communion with him. This action spoke loudly of good news to me. I was elated when Senator Obama did not choose to walk apart from a man who has been an important part of his life. Senator Obama’s decision not to separate from Pastor Wright spoke to me of a maturity in which disagreement need not lead to leave-taking. The fragility of people that requires a high degree of satisfaction and agreement in order to sustain a relationship was challenged by Senator Obama’s decision. I think Senator Obama demonstrated to the world a high degree of tolerance for his own discomfort and that of others. Such tolerance of discomfort and even pain is necessary in a great leader.

"Overblown event" says it all. I'd have thought a lot less of Senator Obama had he severed his ties with the Reverend Wright.

I urge you to read the rest of Bishop Jenkins blog post.

News From Pittsburgh

From Barkings Of An Old Dog:

After late night negotiations last evening with The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, it can now be announced that Clumber has humbly accepted the position of Bishop of Pittsburgh, starting today. In what can only be called an unprecedented move, your loyal and honorable canine servant will begin the office after his official election at a special diocesan convention, to be held this Saturday.

What a surprise! But Clumber looks great in the mitre, don't you think?

Jefferts Schori concedes that this is a bit of a trial appointment, but assures the faithful of Pittsburgh that Clumber has a handful of attributes that should prove popular with the people of the Pennsylvania region. She points out that he is

1. housebroken
2. faithful to The Episcopal Church
3. enthusiastic
4. heels on command.

It seems to me that it's worth a try.

Going Out New Orleans Style

From the Times-Picayune:

Surrounded by friends, family and the trappings of his extravagant lifestyle, fried-chicken magnate Al Copeland was laid to rest Monday after a Mass in which the man everyone knew for his outlandishness was described by a priest as a humble, penitent man who spent his last weeks trying to "get right with the Lord."

"Most people knew Al Copeland as someone who lived in the fast lane," Monsignor Christopher Nalty said during a Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Church. "They didn't realize that he knew that the Catholic Church was the one road to heaven."

Monsignor Nalty, I did not know that "the Catholic Church was the one road to heaven", but if you say so....

Copeland, who built the Popeyes fried-chicken franchise into the third-biggest such franchise in the country, died on Easter in Munich, Germany, of complications from cancer treatment.

The chicken was good, Al, mighty good. Every so often, I had to have my fix of your Popeye's fried chicken and your 400 calorie biscuits.

Although Copeland may have eschewed much of his characteristic bravado in his final months, mourners saw plenty of reminders of his over-the-top style when they reached the family mausoleum in Metairie Cemetery. Nine cars, eight motorcycles, a sport-utility vehicle and a dune buggy were parked in a semicircle. A motorcycle was at the gate, and Copeland's outsize speedboat, with tongues of flame on each side, was nearby.

Al, you couldn't take it with you, but you came close.

Copeland's body was borne in a horse-drawn hearse with oval windows that let everyone see the gleaming bronze casket. Leading the way was the New Orleans Spice Jazz Band, which played a doleful medley of "My Way" and "St. James Infirmary" as grand marshal Jennifer Jones took long, slow steps in her spats-covered shoes, her gloved hand over her heart.

The path leading to the mausoleum's door had been strewn with white rose petals, and tiny beads resembling Christmas lights -- a reminder of Copeland's over-the-top yuletide displays -- had been threaded through some of the white flowers that banked the stand where the coffin rested. The mausoleum door was open, revealing a stained-glass window depicting an oil lamp throwing off beams of light.
....

Although there were allusions to Copeland's fast-track life -- his neighbor Jay Polite said living next door was "like living next door to Elvis" -- the dominant impression was of a desperately ill man, confined to a wheelchair, who stopped off at the Vatican six weeks ago en route to Germany because, Nalty said, he wanted to get his spiritual affairs in order, starting with an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

Let's see. It was four wives and four divorces and a lotta time and money spent in court.

But because the pope was on retreat, "Al got stuck with me," said Nalty, a New Orleans native who is a member of the Roman Curia, the small bureaucracy that runs the Catholic Church.

Wow! The Roman Curia. Now that's impressive.

Perhaps it was for the best, Nalty said. "Al didn't speak Italian and German, and the pope didn't speak no yat."
....

Because 11 was Copeland's lucky number, 11 white doves were released, followed by 111 gold and white balloons.

At New Orleans funerals, jazz bands always end with something upbeat.

This time, the selection was "Love That Chicken from Popeyes."

Fittin' only fittin' that.

Love ya, Al. May you rest in peace and rise in glory.

I liked the way the newspaper did the story, a little tongue in cheek, but in a fond and gentle way, acknowledging the passing of another of the New Orleans eccentrics, of which there are many, both great and small.

Feast Of The Annunciation

A lovely painting by a lovely saint. Fra Angelico was a holy man living a holy life in the midst of the 15th church, which was riddled with more than its share of corruption and evil-doing.

From last year's post on the feast of the Annunciation:

Either in a book or in a museum, I once saw a painting of the Annumciation in which Mary looked to be recoiling from the angel. She was kneeling with her hands in the air and leaning backwards, as though saying, "Oh, no!" This would seem to me to be the natural initial reaction of a young virgin girl to Gabriel's news. I have never been able to find a reproduction of that painting. I believe it was Flemish or Italian. Mary is on the right of the painting and the angel is hovering in the air to the left. Mary has on a blue dress.

I still would love to find a picture of that painting.

Isaiah 7:10-14

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.


And then, in the power of the Spirit, Mary speaks the words of the glorious "Magnificat":

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

Thus she gives a perfect description of the kingdom of God, the kingdom in opposition to the secular kingdoms of the world then and now.

PRAYER

Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord; that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Image from Christus Rex.

Breaking News....

From the Episcopal Café:

As a part of opening week festivities, Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced today that the Episcopal Church has been designated the Official Denomination of Major League Baseball. The move was announced today in a teleconference with reporters.

"Faith oriented promotions have increasingly become a part of many minor league team," Selig said. "We felt that it was time to tap into this important demographic."
....

Selig said that Episcopalians bring the right mix of arcane tradition, an appreciation of minutiae and a tolerance for long stretches of relative inaction that make them "a good fit for us."

"We believe that Episcopalians understand the nuances of the game and won't meddle with our traditions too much."

Go read the rest at the Café. The competition amongst the denominations was intense.

Thanks to Ann for the link.

A Peek Into The Past - 1957

From the BBC. "And that's Panorama for today, April 1st, 1957".

UPDATE: Thanks to Lapin for the link.

The Opera - Part IV - "La Traviata"

The last, but, most certainly not the least, of the operas that I attended in the Smithsonian Madness at the Met program was "La Traviata", produced and with the sets designed by none other than Franco Zeffirelli.

Of all the operas that I wanted a picture of, I wanted "Traviata" the most, because of Zeffirelli's gorgeous sets, but since this is not a new production at the Met, I couldn't find pictures anywhere. I searched and searched, but no picture. In lieu if that, I chose the picture of the Grand Tier Restaurant in the Metropolitan Opera House, where we ate dinner the evening we saw "Traviata". The food and the service were quite good. I had an excellent salmon dish, one of the best I've ever had. I'm picky about my salmon. And it's so convenient to go unhurriedly to the seats afterwards.

There are those who don't like Zeffirelli's opera sets, because, in their opinion, they overwhelm the whole production, but I loved them. Yes, they're de trop, but so is "La Traviata". The two were a good fit. The ballroom and the country house were feasts for the eyes. We saw some of the pieces of the set up close on our backstage tour, those that could be pushed to the side. The audience, including me, gasped when the curtain opened for the first time.

"Traviata" is my favorite opera of all, and it was the first that I ever heard. When I was in high school, a friend had an extra ticket, and she begged me to go. I said no, but she continued to ask, until I gave in, and we went to hear the opera. I thank her to this day for practically forcing me to go, because I fell in love. The music is so beautiful. The story is a simple, tragic love story, the libretto taken from La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils.

To my mind, there is no way that the sets could take away from the beautiful music, the lovely coloratura voice of Ruth Ann Swenson as Violetta, the courtesan, the tenor, Matthew Polenzani, as Alfredo, her aristocratic lover, and the wonderful baritone voice of Thomas Hammons, singing Germont, Alfredo's father. The orchestra, under the direction of Marco Armiliato, did its part to make the evening an absolute joy for me.

Before hearing "Peter Grimes" the first evening, we dined at SanDomenico. The food and service there were quite good, too. The soup course consisted of a purée of fresh borlotti bean soup with unshelled spelt. It tasted very much like New Orleans style red beans, but it was, of course, more liquid. I told that to the chef, and he didn't appear too thrilled. I guess he did not realize what a high compliment that was. My main course was fillet of Chilean sea bass, which was delicious. It was the whitest fish I have ever seen, almost glowing in the semi-darkness.

This is the last of the opera posts, and I do not want a second career as a music critic. Writing about opera is hard work for me, because the great gaps in my knowledge make me fearful of making a terrible gaffe. For whoever may be interested, I will gather all four posts in a group and post them on the sidebar as a tribute to my short life as an opera critic.

Production and Set Design - Franco Zeffirelli
Conductor - Marco Armiliato
Violetta - Ruth Ann Swenson
Flora - Leann Sandel-Pantaleo
Germont - Thomas Hammons
Baron Douphol - John Hancock (How about that?)
Dr. Grenvil - LeRoy Lehr
Gastone - Eduardo Valdes
Alfredo - Matthew Polenzani

Please Pray, Invisible Friends

Wormwood's Doxy said...

Mimi--I'm going to ask your prayers for my David today. His father died rather unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. He was 85 and had Alzheimer's---but he had not been ill, so it was something of a shock. Thanks.
....

David is a junior, so his dad’s name is David too. His mom’s name is Doris. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this summer---I can only imagine how hard this is for her.

Thanks for your prayers…I have come to have great faith in the prayers of my Invisible Friends…

Good News From San Joaquin!

From Episcopal Life:

A jubilant celebration of Holy Eucharist concluded the March 29 special convention in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and made official Bishop Jerry Lamb's role as provisional bishop.

"What you have been about and what I have been about these last months, weeks, days, even hours is not really about building a new diocesan structure," Lamb said during his sermon. "As I understand it, what we are about is the proclamation of the Good News that Jesus is the Christ and that we do this from within the base of our Episcopal and Anglican tradition because that's who we are: members of the Episcopal Church and members of the Anglican church."
....

Half of the offertory was assigned to Lamb's discretionary fund and the other half, Lamb told the congregation to loud and sustained applause, would be given to the Diocese of Louisiana, which continues to rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori led Lamb and the congregation through his formal seating as provisional bishop. That part of the service included recognition that Lamb had been duly chosen and accepted by the members of the diocese.

I had tears of joy in my eyes as I read about the glorious weekend of the convention and the installation of Provisional Bishop Lamb and tears of gratitude in my eyes as I read of the sacrificial giving by the Diocese of San Joaquin to the Diocese of Louisiana, my diocese, at the time that the people of San Joaquin have such great needs of their own in rebuilding their diocese.

"It is about how you and I will rebuild this Episcopal diocese so that at its core it will proclaim and live the Gospel or Jesus Christ," he said. "The diocese must have its roots firmly in Christ Jesus and live out the baptismal promises we all have renewed in one way or another this past week."

Lamb acknowledged that "there is no getting around the point that this is a very, very unique situation in the life of the Episcopal Church and in the life of this diocese."

"These past years and months have left hurt and confusion. We came together both last night and today to heal and seek God's will for our next steps in the journey to wholeness in the body of Christ and to answer our call to proclaim the Good News."

Everyone involved heeds "God's presence and grace," Lamb said.

"We also need each other and we also need those who are not here for one reason or another," he added. "Whether they are hurt or confused or fearful, I believe our first obligation is to reach out to others in this diocese and to invite them to come home. And when they do come home, brothers and sisters, they must be welcomed with the love of Christ and into the open arms of the community. And it will not be easy. There is much re-structuring -- re-building -- to be done. We will begin in an attitude of reconciliation."

From another article in Episcopal Life:

[Presiding Bishop] Jefferts Schori had told the participants earlier that the convention had been called because Bishop John-David Schofield had been deposed or removed from his diocesan seat after having abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church, and because the Standing Committee removed because it took actions "which violated their ability to hold office in this church."

No Church Today

I didn't go to church today. Yesterday, I got up at the crack of dawn to go to New Orleans for my grandson's First Communion mass and celebration. I was happy to do so, because I truly wanted to be there with him. But getting up and rushing out in the morning (my definition of "rushing out" is quite broad to include anything earlier than 9:30) definitely makes me cranky, and I tend not to recover until I've had another night's sleep. Even though the church service that I attend is not until 10:30 AM, today I just could not get going, even for that. Maybe that makes me a bad Episcopalian and even a bad Christian. I do feel some guilt, because I am a regular pew warmer on Sundays. There you have it.

I went online to read "The Daily Office" and to the "Lectionary" for the daily readings and read them all and said the prayers. I especially like the prayer quoted below from the "The Daily Office". And yes, I know that this is not the same as the gathering of believers to worship God. I believe firmly that the gathering of the faithful is essential to my life as a Christian, but I trust that an occasional miss for no particularly good reason may be forgiven.

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

John 14:1-7

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

Thomas reminds me so much of myself. Had I been present with Jesus, if I had not understood his' words, I would have asked for an explanation, just as Thomas did.

Prayers of the People

We pray to Jesus who is present with us to eternity.

Jesus, light of the world,
bring the light and peace of your Gospel to the nations ...
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, bread of life,
give food to the hungry ...
and nourish us all with your word.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, our way, our truth, our life,
be with us and all who follow you in the way ...
deepen our appreciation of your truth,
and fill us with your life.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, Good Shepherd who gave your life for the sheep,
recover the straggler,
bind up the injured,
strengthen the sick
and lead the healthy and strong to new pastures.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, the resurrection and the life,
we give you thanks for all who have lived and
believed in you ...
raise us with them to eternal life.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Living God,
for whom no door is closed,
no heart is locked:
Draw us beyond our doubts,
till we see your Christ and touch his wounds where they bleed in others.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Savior,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery has established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings:

AM Psalm 146, 147; PM Psalm 111, 112, 113
Exod. 14:5-22; 1 Joh 1:1-7; John 14:1-7

A Note From Michael Moore

So? ... A Note from Michael Moore

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Friends,

It would have to happen on Easter Sunday, wouldn't it, that the 4,000th American soldier would die in Iraq. Play me that crazy preacher again, will you, about how maybe God, in all his infinite wisdom, may not exactly be blessing America these days. Is anyone surprised?

4,000 dead. Unofficial estimates are that there may be up to 100,000 wounded, injured, or mentally ruined by this war. And there could be up to a million Iraqi dead. We will pay the consequences of this for a long, long time. God will keep blessing America.

And where is Darth Vader in all this? A reporter from ABC News this week told Dick Cheney, in regards to Iraq, "two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney cut her off with a one word answer: "So?"

Read the rest here. And watch the video from Think Progress.

Bu hey! Michael Moore is fat and wears a baseball cap. Plus he's from a working-class background. We really shouldn't pay attention to him, right?

Thanks, Ann.